#just two old men except one of thems a snarky little boy and the other just wants to know what the hell going on
Text
Arcane S/O Seeing Reader With A Child
EKKO
Ekko didn't really think about kids
He didn't really have time, he had you and he needed to think about the firelights
So the topic of kids never came up
And you both were still barely adults yourself, so there was time
But he always did love seeing you playing with the kids in the hideout
Thought it was nice and that you brought them something they missed
The kids loved you, you would play with them all the time
Ekko would watch all the time, joining in sometimes as you all ran around like mad men
Every kid there was a little joy to you all
But two stuck out from the rest
Jamie and Lena
They were 6 years old twins
They were taken off the streets, their parents abandoned them.
They were terrified, the masks scared them and so did the hoverboards
But they clung to you as you reminded them of their older sister they had lost
And they loved Ekko, they thought he provided comfort and safety for them
Which was rare
And both you and Ekko loved them back
And Ekko didn't know what it was, but seeing you taking care of them made him just fall in love all over again
Ekko walked out the dark tunnel, coming back from a mission as he waved bye to his friends and walked over to the tree.
He stopped for a minute, meeting up with Scar as he waved at his little niece his friend held.
"Where's Y/n?" Ekko asked, Scar was about to answer before Ekko heard laughing. It was yours, but mixed in with some others.
He turned around, confused before his eyes caught your hoverboard zipping past him.
He watched as you stood on the hoverboard, Jamie hugging your waist as you tossed Lena in the air.
The girl laughed, falling down as you turned the corner and went back for her, catching her in your arms.
You placed her in front of you, the girl sitting on the board and holding in as you let Jamie hop on your back.
The boy laughed as you did tricks on the board, circling the tree and going upside down, sometimes even sideways and almost tipping you all over.
You finally came down from the air, laughing as Jamie stumbled off the board while giggling.
You picked up Lena, the girl blowing your messed up hair out your face as you laughed.
You tickled thw girl's stomach, the small one laughing as she tried to fight you off. Jamie then came running at your leg, clinging to it as you laughed.
"Jamie!" You yelled, lifting up your leg as he laughed and clung on.
You eventually stumbled to the floor, holding Lena in your lap as Jamie stood up and hugged your neck.
Ekko watched with a fond smile, tilting his head a bit as he watched you all giggling like a small family. How did he get so lucky?
You looked at him, making eye contact and smiling as you waved him over. Jamie and Lena saw, smiling as they ran up to Ekko and almost tackled him to the ground.
Ekko picked them up, one on each arm as you came walking over. You gave him a kiss on the cheek, rolling your eyes as Jamie and Lena made exaggerated gagging noises.
Ekko laughed, smiling at all three of you.
He was really lucky, he had guy guys.
VI
Vi loved you, because of how sweet and snarky you were
You first met her when you guys were young
You were around her age, 15
She was running around the lanes, looking for Powder
She had run off, saying she was going to a friends house but she wasn't with Ekko
And Powder didn't have any friends
So Vi went looking for her
And she found her
But with you, the girl was on your back as you listened to her rambling
You were smiling, joking with her sister when everyone would usually ignore the small girl except Vi
So she was grateful you were so nice to her sister
That's what initially drew her to you
But you were always sweet to anyone
Especially kids
She wasn't used to anyone being so sweet, especially in the lanes and to kids
She also never really got why people valued kids so much and wanted gehm so bad in the Undercity
It was always chaos, she didn't think she would ever have to care for anyone but herself after what happened the night everyone died
Until she found you again, but you had someone with you
Vi sat in your guys' apartment, on the couch as she felt her joints crack after walking around all day. And getting into a few small fights, not that they would ever tell you.
She looked up, hearing the door hinges creaking as the door opened and heard your voice.
"We're back!" You called out, Vi smiling as she heard the small pattering of feet against the hardwood floors. In came Violet, your daughter.
When Vi had found you, you worked at the brothel. You got into some things after it all happened, found a douche guy and got pregnant.
You didn't love the guy, just after Vi left or died as you thought you wanted to feel love again.
But you didn't, you ended up trying to replace her but you couldn't replace the irreplaceable.
And he left, and when Violet was born you gave her the name of the one you lost. Vi was happy, but also shocked when she met your daughter.
Violet was happy to meet the pink haired woman her mother talked so much about, loving Vi before she had even met her.
Violet jumped on the couch, into Vi's lap as Vi smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "How's your day been?" She asked, messing with the clip in Violet's hair she had done that morning.
"Good, mama got me candy!" Violet smiled, looking up at Vi, holding the candy up as the woman nodded her head.
"She wouldn't stop begging for it." You laughed, sitting on the other side of Vi as she wrapped her arm around your shoulder.
"Sounds eventful." She chuckled, kissing the side of your head as Violet climbed off her lap.
She laid down on her back, her head in Vi's lap now as she rambled on about your guys' day and offering Vi her candy.
Vi smiled, enjoying every moment. She loved these, eventually you all drifted off to sleep, in your own small world. She loved her little family.
Hopefully Aunt Jinx will visit soon, she hadn't seen her niece in a week. The longest she had been without Violet.
JINX
Jinx only knew you after a few years of her transformation from Powder to Jinx
You worked for Silco
Not a hitman or anything, he hired you to watch after Jinx
Essentially a bodyguard
Jinx hated it
She tried to get rid of you in as many ways that she could think of
She hated being watched over, like a child, it reminded her of Vi
And she hated thinking of Vi
Her big sister who left her
And you hovering over 24/7 like a babysitter, like Vi did, made her hate you
She wanted to get rid of you, she did it before she could do it again
So she followed you one night to your apartment
Wasn't the best but she was confused once you didn't go home after being let go from your shift
She followed you, freezing upon what she saw
You were knelt down in front of a small child
Then she heard the little one, no older than four years old saying "Sissy"
She froze, she finally understood why you reminded her of Vi
Because in a way, you were Vi, the older, protective sister
She stood in her place even after you left with your little sister
After that day she didn't hate you anymore
You were confused at that, thinking she was planning something
But after time went on you just accepted it
Jinx was actually nice to you, well the best Jinx could
And after a long time, you started dating
She loved it
But she never spoke about your sister, you told her about the kid but she never really brought it up unless you did
She thought she would never have to meet her
But she was wrong
"Hey, Jinx!" You called out, Jinx waving over her shoulder as she worked at her desk.
She smiled, hearing your voice but sat up confused when she heard another pair of footsteps with yours.
She heard a small giggle, freezing a bit as she turned around on her chair to see you walking over to her with your sibling on your back.
"Sorry, S/n can't be left alone until I can drop her off with Sevika." You apologize, the small girl peeking over your shoulder at Jinx.
Jinx slowly nodded her head, hesitant and a bit uncomfortable around the child. She didn't hate her, she just didnt wanna mess anything up and had never really been around children.
"Hi, Miss Jinx!" Your little sister smiled, sliding off your back and bouncing up to the woman.
"...Hi?" Jinx waved, staring at the girl as she tilted her head. Why wasn't she scared of her? Her name was pretty well known for chaos.
"What's this?" Nani asked, picking up a bomb off the desk and poing at the pin as your eyes widened.
"Nani-" you were cut off though by Jinx taking the bomb quickly from your sister.
She gave a small giggle, nervous a bit but finding humour in the situation.
"Maybe not that one," she stated, humming as she looked on her desk before her eyes lit up.
"Here! Play with this!" She laughed, stuffing a remote into your sister's hand as she looked at it curiously. "What's this?" She asked, pointing at a button.
"Press it!" Jinx beckoned her, your sister smiling and pressing the button causing yellow, pink and blue sparks to fly all over the room.
Your sister looked up at the sparks, her eyes reflected with the lights as she jumped up and down with excitement.
"Again! Again!" She smiled, Jinx nodding her head and standing up as she took the small girl in her arms.
"Forget Sevika! You're stuck with me now!" She laughs, your sister nodding her head as she wrapped her arms around her neck. You smiled at them.
Walking up to them you gave Jinx a kiss on the cheek, the girl smiling as your sister pushed your face away from her.
"No! Mine now." She stated, hugging Jinx closer to her as Jinx's face grew smug. You shook your head, smiling.
Jinx was happy for now, she was content at this moment. Your sister wasn't so bad. Hopefully she would ruin it.
CAITLYN
Caitlyn liked kids
She thought they were adorable with a lot of curiosity
They reminded her of herself when young
She also had a younger sister she would take care of
It was to help her parents and because she loved her little sister
Her name was Briana, she was nine years old
Her parents had her when she was a bit older
She didn't mind though
She also met you after you had found her sister when she got lost
She thanked you heavily as she was worried to death for the girl
When you guys started dating her sister was around a lot
She at first didn't know what you thought of it, she was sorta nervous
But you never said anything about it
So she thought you liked her sister
But she always was bugged never having confirmation
Until one day she found you guys asleep
Caitlyn sighed, opening the door to your guys' apartment and hooked her coat over the rack hook.
She rolled her shoulders, sighing as she felt her shoulder pop. She went towards the hall, confused to where you were because she would usually be met with you as soon as she came home.
She got to your guys' bedroom, opening the door before freezing in the door frame.
She smiled after a moment, seeing the sight of her sister curled up on your side as you had an arm around her.
The blanket covering you guys was thrown half off the bed, both of you leaning against the headboard.
She shook her head, leaning against the door frame as she admired your sleeping face.
How did she get so lucky?
SEVIKA
She had a kid of her own
Sienna, she was four years old, she never planned on kids but somehow she ended up with one
But she never regretted her daughter
She loved her and she would do anything for her
That's why she was so stand offish towards you when you were first hired by Silco
Her daughter always hung around her while working
It was because her daughter hung around the bar a lot with her while she worked
It was because she knew she could give her the best protection, better than anyone else
But you got closer to Sevika
Not on your own, but because of Sienna
Sevika's boots thud against the wood of the stairs going down to the last drop. She had talked to Silco just now, a new mission was coming up and she had to go.
She hated those. She had to find someone to watch Sienna because even if she wanted to stay with her, she couldn't because this one was too dangerous.
She finally got to the last steps, looking around the bar. It was a slow day, nobody really coming in except for a few people. She finally heard the small giggle of her daughter.
Her giggle mixed in with the music in the bar and the stragglers of the bar's conversations.
She shook her head, a small smile gracing her features. A smile only for her daughter, she heard footsteps on the wood, confused as she looked up and saw Sienna.
But she wasn't alone, in the middle of the room you were with her.
She was on your hip, you spinning her around and dipping her to the music as her little carefree giggle melted her mothers heart.
You then set her down, twirling her around and crouching down to let her spin you the best she could.
Sienna then looked at Sevika, her eyes visible lighting up as she saw her mother. She smiled, waving her mom over as Sevika hesitated before walking over.
You looked at Sevika surprised, smirking at the woman as you silently held a hand out to her. She scoffed amusedly, taking the challenge and taking your hand as she spun you once.
You laughed. "Wow, Sevika knows how to dance?" You teased, the woman rolling her eyes and shaking her head with her own, dumb smirk on her face.
Sienna giggled, her plan had worked. She saw the way her mama looked at you. And she loved you too.
She threw herself full force at you and hugged your waist.
You laughed as you bent down and swayed back and forth with her. The girl on the tips of your feet as you helped her follow your step.
Sevika watched, amused. Her eyes follow you and her daughter with an unfamiliar feeling in her chest.
Maybe you would watch Sienna for her. Would give her a chance to talk to you more.
#arcane x reader#arcane jinx x reader#jinx x you#jinx x reader#jinx x y/n#vi x you#arcane vi x reader#vi x y/n#vi x reader#sevika x y/n#sevika x you#sevika x reader#arcane ekko x you#arcane ekko x reader#ekko x you#ekko arcane#arcane ekko#ekko x reader#jinx league of legends#arcane caitlyn x reader#caitlyn x you#caitlyn x reader#arcane caitlyn#arcane violet#arcane sevika#arcane jinx
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42 with Vi, Jinx, Caitlyn and Sevika?
(Hey, this may have been messed up a bit but I tried! Here ya go. Enjoy!)
S/O WITH A CHILD
EKKO
Ekko didn't really think about kids
He didn't really have time, he had you and he needed to think about the firelights
So the topic of kids never came up
And you both were still barely adults yourself, so there was time
But he always did love seeing you playing with the kids in the hideout
Thought it was nice and that you brought them something they missed
The kids loved you, you would play with them all the time
Ekko would watch all the time, joining in sometimes as you all ran around like mad men
Every kid there was a little joy to you all
But two stuck out from the rest
Jamie and Lena
They were 6 years old twins
They were taken off the streets, their parents abandoned them.
They were terrified, the masks scared them and so did the hoverboards
But they clung to you as you reminded them of their older sister they had lost
And they loved Ekko, they thought he provided comfort and safety for them
Which was rare
And both you and Ekko loved them back
And Ekko didn't know what it was, but seeing you taking care of them made him just fall in love all over again
Ekko walked out the dark tunnel, coming back from a mission as he waved bye to his friends and walked over to the tree.
He stopped for a minute, meeting up with Scar as he waved at his little niece his friend held.
"Where's Y/n?" Ekko asked, Scar was about to answer before Ekko heard laughing. It was yours, but mixed in with some others.
He turned around, confused before his eyes caught your hoverboard zipping past him.
He watched as you stood on the hoverboard, Jamie hugging your waist as you tossed Lena in the air.
The girl laughed, falling down as you turned the corner and went back for her, catching her in your arms.
You placed her in front of you, the girl sitting on the board and holding in as you let Jamie hop on your back.
The boy laughed as you did tricks on the board, circling the tree and going upside down, sometimes even sideways and almost tipping you all over.
You finally came down from the air, laughing as Jamie stumbled off the board while giggling.
You picked up Lena, the girl blowing your messed up hair out your face as you laughed.
You tickled thw girl's stomach, the small one laughing as she tried to fight you off. Jamie then came running at your leg, clinging to it as you laughed.
"Jamie!" You yelled, lifting up your leg as he laughed and clung on.
You eventually stumbled to the floor, holding Lena in your lap as Jamie stood up and hugged your neck.
Ekko watched with a fond smile, tilting his head a bit as he watched you all giggling like a small family. How did he get so lucky?
You looked at him, making eye contact and smiling as you waved him over. Jamie and Lena saw, smiling as they ran up to Ekko and almost tackled him to the ground.
Ekko picked them up, one on each arm as you came walking over. You gave him a kiss on the cheek, rolling your eyes as Jamie and Lena made exaggerated gagging noises.
Ekko laughed, smiling at all three of you.
He was really lucky, he had you guys.
VI
Vi loved you, because of how sweet and snarky you were
You first met her when you guys were young
You were around her age, 15
She was running around the lanes, looking for Powder
She had run off, saying she was going to a friends house but she wasn't with Ekko
And Powder didn't have any friends
So Vi went looking for her
And she found her
But with you, the girl was on your back as you listened to her rambling
You were smiling, joking with her sister when everyone would usually ignore the small girl except Vi
So she was grateful you were so nice to her sister
That's what initially drew her to you
But you were always sweet to anyone
Especially kids
She wasn't used to anyone being so sweet, especially in the lanes and to kids
It was always chaos, she didn't think she would ever have to care for anyone but herself after what happened the night everyone died
Until she found you again, but you had someone with you
Vi sat in your guys' apartment, on the couch as she felt her joints crack after walking around all day. And getting into a few small fights, not that they would ever tell you.
She looked up, hearing the door hinges creaking as the door opened and heard your voice.
"We're back!" You called out, Vi smiling as she heard the small pattering of feet against the hardwood floors. In came Violet, your daughter.
When Vi had found you, you worked at the brothel. You got into some things after it all happened, found a douche guy and got pregnant.
You didn't love the guy, just after Vi left or died as you thought you wanted to feel love again.
But you didn't, you ended up trying to replace her but you couldn't replace the irreplaceable.
And he left, and when Violet was born you gave her the name of the one you lost. Vi was happy, but also shocked when she met your daughter.
Violet was happy to meet the pink haired woman her mother talked so much about, loving Vi before she had even met her.
Violet jumped on the couch, into Vi's lap as Vi smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "How's your day been?" She asked, messing with the clip in Violet's hair she had done that morning.
"Good, mama got me candy!" Violet smiled, looking up at Vi, holding the candy up as the woman nodded her head.
"She wouldn't stop begging for it." You laughed, sitting on the other side of Vi as she wrapped her arm around your shoulder.
"Sounds eventful." She chuckled, kissing the side of your head as Violet climbed off her lap.
She laid down on her back, her head in Vi's lap now as she rambled on about your guys' day and offering Vi her candy.
Vi smiled, enjoying every moment. She loved these, eventually you all drifted off to sleep, in your own small world. She loved her little family.
Hopefully Aunt Jinx will visit soon, she hadn't seen her niece in a week. The longest she had been without Violet.
JINX
Jinx only knew you after a few years of her transformation from Powder to Jinx
You worked for Silco
Not a hitman or anything, he hired you to watch after Jinx
Essentially a bodyguard
Jinx hated it
She tried to get rid of you in as many ways that she could think of
She hated being watched over, like a child, it reminded her of Vi
And she hated thinking of Vi
Her big sister who left her
And you hovering over 24/7 like a babysitter, like Vi did, made her hate you
She wanted to get rid of you, she did it before she could do it again
So she followed you one night to your apartment
Wasn't the best but she was confused once you didn't go home after being let go from your shift
She followed you, freezing upon what she saw
You were knelt down in front of a small child
Then she heard the little one, no older than four years old saying "Sissy"
She froze, she finally understood why you reminded her of Vi
Because in a way, you were Vi, the older, protective sister
She stood in her place even after you left with your little sister
After that day she didn't hate you anymore
You were confused at that, thinking she was planning something
But after time went on you just accepted it
Jinx was actually nice to you, well the best Jinx could
And after a long time, you started dating
She loved it
But she never spoke about your sister, you told her about the kid but she never really brought it up unless you did
She thought she would never have to meet her
But she was wrong
"Hey, Jinx!" You called out, Jinx waving over her shoulder as she worked at her desk.
She smiled, hearing your voice but sat up confused when she heard another pair of footsteps with yours.
She heard a small giggle, freezing a bit as she turned around on her chair to see you walking over to her with your sibling on your back.
"Sorry, Nani can't be left alone until I can drop her off with Sevika." You apologize, the small girl peeking over your shoulder at Jinx.
Jinx slowly nodded her head, hesitant and a bit uncomfortable around the child. She didn't hate her, she just didnt wanna mess anything up and had never really been around children.
"Hi, Miss Jinx!" Your little sister smiled, sliding off your back and bouncing up to the woman.
"...Hi?" Jinx waved, staring at the girl as she tilted her head. Why wasn't she scared of her? Her name was pretty well known for chaos.
"What's this?" Nani asked, picking up a bomb off the desk and poing at the pin as your eyes widened.
"Nani-" you were cut off though by Jinx taking the bomb quickly from your sister.
She gave a small giggle, nervous a bit but finding humour in the situation.
"Maybe not that one," she stated, humming as she looked on her desk before her eyes lit up.
"Here! Play with this!" She laughed, stuffing a remote into your sister's hand as she looked at it curiously. "What's this?" She asked, pointing at a button.
"Press it!" Jinx beckoned her, your sister smiling and pressing the button causing yellow, pink and blue sparks to fly all over the room.
Your sister looked up at the sparks, her eyes reflected with the lights as she jumped up and down with excitement.
"Again! Again!" She smiled, Jinx nodding her head and standing up as she took the small girl in her arms.
"Forget Sevika! You're stuck with me now!" She laughs, your sister nodding her head as she wrapped her arms around her neck. You smiled at them.
Walking up to them you gave Jinx a kiss on the cheek, the girl smiling as your sister pushed your face away from her.
"No! Mine now." She stated, hugging Jinx closer to her as Jinx's face grew smug. You shook your head, smiling.
Jinx was happy for now, she was content at this moment. Your sister wasn't so bad. Hopefully she wouldn’t ruin it.
CAITLYN
Caitlyn liked kids
She thought they were adorable with a lot of curiosity
They reminded her of herself when young
She also had a younger sister she would take care of
It was to help her parents and because she loved her little sister
Her name was Briana, she was nine years old
Her parents had her when she was a bit older
She didn't mind though
She also met you after you had found her sister when she got lost
She thanked you heavily as she was worried to death for the girl
When you guys started dating her sister was around a lot
She at first didn't know what you thought of it, she was sorta nervous
But you never said anything about it
So she thought you liked her sister
But she always was bugged never having confirmation
Until one day she found you guys asleep
Caitlyn sighed, opening the door to your guys' apartment and hooked her coat over the rack hook.
She rolled her shoulders, sighing as she felt her shoulder pop. She went towards the hall, confused to where you were because she would usually be met with you as soon as she came home.
She got to your guys' bedroom, opening the door before freezing in the door frame.
She smiled after a moment, seeing the sight of her sister curled up on your side as you had an arm around her.
The blanket covering you guys was thrown half off the bed, both of you leaning against the headboard.
She shook her head, leaning against the door frame as she admired your sleeping face.
How did she get so lucky?
SEVIKA
She had a kid of her own
Sienna, she was four years old, she never planned on kids but somehow she ended up with one
But she never regretted her daughter
She loved her and she would do anything for her
That's why she was so stand offish towards you when you were first hired by Silco
It was because her daughter hung around the bar a lot with her while she worked
It was because she knew she could give her the best protection, better than anyone else
But you got closer to Sevika
Not on your own, but because of Sienna
Sevika's boots thud against the wood of the stairs going down to the last drop. She had talked to Silco just now, a new mission was coming up and she had to go.
She hated those. She had to find someone to watch Sienna because even if she wanted to stay with her, she couldn't because this one was too dangerous.
She finally got to the last steps, looking around the bar. It was a slow day, nobody really coming in except for a few people. She finally heard the small giggle of her daughter.
Her giggle mixed in with the music in the bar and the stragglers of the bar's conversations.
She shook her head, a small smile gracing her features. A smile only for her daughter, she heard footsteps on the wood, confused as she looked up and saw Sienna.
But she wasn't alone, in the middle of the room you were with her.
She was on your hip, you spinning her around and dipping her to the music as her little carefree giggle melted her mothers heart.
You then set her down, twirling her around and crouching down to let her spin you the best she could.
Sienna then looked at Sevika, her eyes visible lighting up as she saw her mother. She smiled, waving her mom over as Sevika hesitated before walking over.
You looked at Sevika surprised, smirking at the woman as you silently held a hand out to her. She scoffed amusedly, taking the challenge and taking your hand as she spun you once.
You laughed. "Wow, Sevika knows how to dance?" You teased, the woman rolling her eyes and shaking her head with her own, dumb smirk on her face.
Sienna giggled, her plan had worked. She saw the way her mama looked at you. And she loved you too.
She threw herself full force at you and hugged your waist.
You laughed as you bent down and swayed back and forth with her. The girl on the tips of your feet as you helped her follow your step.
Sevika watched, amused. Her eyes follow you and her daughter with an unfamiliar feeling in her chest.
Maybe you would watch Sienna for her. Would give her a chance to talk to you more.
#arcane#arcane ekko#arcane violet#ekko arcane#vi arcane#arcane x reader#jinx arcane#arcane jinx#sevika arcane#caitlyn x y/n#ekko x reader#sevika x reader#vi x reader#jinx x reader#caitlyn x reader#jinx x y/n#arcane imagines
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Trey: *Trying to explain Riddle is that way because of his mom*
Me: Give me a minute as I pull up my ‘Trauma Doesn’t Excuse Sh*t Behavior’ PowerPoint.
Say it with me, everyone: an explanation is not an excuse 😊
You know, the other day I was watching one of Ryan George's Pitch Meetings and when Producer Guy asked Writer Guy how the audience would root for the villain of the franchise and the response was "he's handsome" which basically explains most people's reactions to fictional men.
Prepare for incoming rant that has little to do with the ask
This probably might come as a shock because one of the main appeal of twst would be the whole villainous aspect/Disney Villain fanbase but I don't really like villains that much, at least, not romantically. Like don't get me wrong, I think that they're incredible characters and it would be so fun to sit down with one and have a conversation with one. Villain songs are so fun (I was literally singing ‘This Day Aria’ to myself the other day I haven’t heard that song in like a decade) and you can tell that that characters like Scar or Hades or Shere Khan or Jafar or Maleficent are having so much fun being deliciously evil and even the more serious, complex ones like Loki or Frollo are fun to pick apart so yeah I understand the hype. I just always rooted for the heroes and I guess heroic characters have always been more my type.
My mother absolutely loves Erik Destler and is forever salty that Christine chose Raoul (despite my many many attempts at arguing why Raoulstine is the superior couple - smol primary school me could not understand why my mum liked the chandelier dropper and was deeply concerned), my best friend has been in love with Heathcliffe since we were eleven, and my little sister has literally told me that her type of fictional men are the toxic red flags (not exactly word for word but she did explain why she likes bad boys over good boys when I was complaining about how my type (wholesome soft boys) always get sidelined for the arrogant, snarky bad boys - we're also very diametrically opposed on our views of friends to lovers (my s++ tier all time favourite and her loathing) vs enemies to lovers (I can't really stand it - Pride and Prejudice is the only exception - and that's literally all she consumes) so that might also be a reason).
Like, I understand the appeal of a Byronic hero (Mr Darcy has far too much power) - a closed off, broody man that hates everything but you? And will burn down the world to keep you warm? I can respect that there are people who dig that. But their not really for me.
The mild bout of insanity thirteen year old me had where I spent two months attracted to Edward Rochester is an outlier and should not have been counted (though that was during my wattpad phase so...)
But I can admit that I have yet to shake off my feelings for Dr Henry Jekyll, Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray (though to be fair, Mr Gabriel John Utterson the lawyer and cinnamon roll artist boy Basil Hallward do own my heart). And yes, Jeremy Jordan did make me question my morality as he did make my feelings for Light Yagami be too positive to be sane for a brief moment (Touta Matsuda is still my man, don't worry). But apart from them, literally all of my faves are what you'd call your traditional, morally upright heroes.
Basically what I'm saying is that my perception might be skewed because I've never had the whole 'villains are cooler' mindset when it came to stories. Yes, I love the villains as characters but I always liked their heroic foils more (goodness is just so attractive to me). You get lots of amazing heroic protagonists that have horribly tragic backstories and they're the ones I always fall for because the idea of being a kind sweetheart despite the world being anything but is just *chef's kiss* that's a kind of strength that's so swoon-worthy.
I guess that's why it's harder for me to look past the characters' actions in twst is because, well, they chose to do everything they did. They made a conscious choice to be terrible, despite understanding the consequences. Riddle may have been brainwashed into becoming a tyrant by his mother but he still admitted that he knew he was being horrible - he understands the concept of morality, of good and bad, and he willingly and deliberately did everything he did.
I suppose this text post I found on Pinterest would explain my point better:
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I need some Inuyasha as a great father (more like DILF, amirite?) headcanons, can you help me out?
I'm here to serve!
• It isn’t until they’re happily married for at least one or two years that the possibility of children are brought up.
• At first, they took that time to relearn each other, enjoy their company and make the honeymoon phase last a little long. They did spend three years apart, after all. There’s so much time to make up for, so many catching up to do before they’d even think to throw a kid into the mix. Plus, being a modern woman, Kagome would know how to avoid pregnancy the best her new circumstances allowed and how important that time alone is for a newly-married couple.
• They never actually had the child talk because Kagome just assumed that’s where their relationship would naturally lead to, given her motherly tendencies and Inuyasha’s history of ultimately giving her everything she wants. For his part, Inuyasha knew she wanted to be a mother someday and he'd be lying if he said he never indulged the fantasy of fathering her children. However, he has serious trouble wrapping his mind around the idea that, in reality, Kagome would still be up for it if he were to be the father. He could never dare to ask of her more than she has already given him. Be that as it may, it was not a big deal because it was not a dealbreaker. Nothing was.
• But with time, Kagome would have noticed how good Inuyasha is with Hisui and the Mirsan twins. How his relationship with Shippo had developed from a sibling banter to a makeshift paternal relationship. How people like Shiori and Bunza would look up to him like he was some kind of movie hero. How every kid in the village seemed to adore him despite his grumpy demeanor.
• And Inuyasha would have noticed the way Kagome would look at him whenever he so much as interacted with a child, the way her smell would spike significantly.
• She, of course, was the one to make the first move, jumping him one night, after they had spend the whole day stuck with babysitting the Mirsan children and popping the question.
• Inuyasha was relutant. There was a part of him that was adamant on making her happy and even believed having babies would make him happy too. On the other hand, he was terrified. Terrified of how her body would react to childbirth, of if her spiritual powers would accept his demonic energy. But mostly, about what would happen once the baby was born. The last thing he wanted was for Kagome to go through everything his mother had to go through. Or for another kid to face the same prejudice he did. Besides, he grew up with no father figure whose steps he could follow. He didn’t know how to be a father.
• Kagome assures him that they won’t have a baby until they’re both ready and on the same page, that they have time and that Inuyasha will be a great father.
• Inuyasha believes her.
• Then it is him felling some type of way whenever he sees Kagome around kids. And something deep inside desperately wishes to find out what would their children look like, what would it be like to hold and take care of someone born from their love.
• Finally, he caves.
• Inuyasha wants a big family, considering how lonely his childhood was. Kagome finds it pivotal for their first-born to have a sibling, since she had Sota and their relationship was one of the most important things in her life. That’s why they’d have two children minimum, preferably a boy and a girl. However, giving how dangerous and uncomfortable childbirth can be, especially without the perks the modern era provides, I don’t think they’d have more than three.
• Naturally, Inuyasha relies on Miroku for advice and the latter is more helpful than not. Except for the times Inuyasha asks or says something that makes it way too easy for Miroku to mess with him. Like the time he told Inuyasha that if he doesn’t get Kagome whatever food she craves while pregnant, the baby will be born looking exactly like that food. And Inuyasha believed him.
• And if you thought Inuyasha was protective of Kagome before... oh boy! He’d be almost overbearing, but Kagome would see it as endearing. Most of the time. Sometimes, though, a woman has got to have her privacy. He also becomes more attentive, more gentle, sweeter.
• After their first child is born, Inuyasha gets a makeover of sorts. He’s always borrowing the Fire Rat to Kagome and the baby anyway, so he figured it’d be more practical to just pass the clothes on to them already and get something new for himself.
• It’s white.
• Inuyasha becomes taller, stronger. And often lets Kagome experiment with his hair with braids, top nots... and ponytails.
• Old Myoga is the first one to notice the resemblance. And it’s true. He’s the spitting image of Toga. Former enemies and allies often mistaken him for Toga and Kagome thinks the look on their (and Inuyasha’s) face is hilarious.
• Sesshoumaru does not care for it (I stole this one from @heavenin--hell).
• Inuyasha hates his human nights even more because now his vulnerability also means he might not be able to protect his family as he usually would (Together Changed by @goshinote and @lostinfantasyworlds inspired this one). Plus, the black hair and lack of dog ears confuses the baby, who cries and fusses for a good while until realizing it is, in fact, Inuyasha holding them (this one I saw in an adorable fanart I can’t find).
• But since he needs way less sleeping than humans and he spends the New Moons up anyway, Inuyasha gets a lot of quality time with their infant at night, which allows Kagome to actually get a good night sleep unless the baby is hungry.
• The Beads of Subjugation get dooled and chewed on. A lot.
• A little contest takes place between Kagome and Inuyasha about what the first word of their first child would be, with Kagome going for “dada” and Inuyasha going for “mama.”
• Kagome wins.
• Inuyasha’s fighting style changes. He still says some snarky remarks, but now it’s more to push his opponent‘s buttons down so they would get sloppy than anything else. After all, he has a child to think about and provide for now. He doesn’t have the luxury of gambling with his life anymore. He has a home to come back to and therefore won’t be taking any chances (credit to @born-for-eachother for this one).
• And so he becomes more lethal on the battle field. Pragmatic. Objective. Calculating. Decisive. Cold blooded. Much like... Sesshomaru.
• He had never been more offended on his life than the day Sango pointed this out to him.
• When the kids grow up a bit, Inuyasha and Kagome start to tell them bedtime stories, with the PG version of the story about how the met and defeated Naraku being their favorite.
• Kagome tries to be a reliable and calm narrator while Inuyasha exaggerates the events and the voices, almost always breaking objects of their house in the process.
• After hearing one too many times about the Beads of Subjugation, their child tries to “sit” Inuyasha. Of course it doesn’t work, but he still makes a big deal out of throwing himself on the ground every time they say the word just to hear them laugh.
• The first actual toy Inuyasha buys them is a ball, just like the one he had as a kid, at the same time accomplishing a childhood wish through them and ensuring that they would always have someone to play with.
• Kagome is more protective of their physical state while Inuyasha is more protective of their emotional one (see Fist Fight by @omgitscharlie)
• Inuyasha goes to Totosai and asks him to make a weapon out of one of his fangs to each of their children once they get old enough for it. Not necessarily a sword, just something of their choice and that better fits their personality.
• He would be a just father, doing his best to show no favoritism, treat his children equally and make sure no one felt overlooked or unloved.
• But truth be told, if one of their babies turn out to be a daughter, he would definitelly let her get away with almost anything, no matter how much of a gremlin she is. Daddy’s little girl would have him wrapped around her tiny fingers.
• Life never treated Inuyasha kindly. From a very young age, it was kill or be killed. It wouldn't be too far off for him to think the exact same thing could happen with his kids, therefore he tries to prepare them, to tough them up so they can take it.
• And I believe this sentiment would be significantly amplified with a son, because it would involve the whole “suck it up”, “men don’t cry” and “man of the house” aspect of it. The “it is your duty to protect your mother and sister when I’m gone” too, especially because he couldn’t protect Izayoi himself.
• It’s “tough love”, but it’s love nonetheless. And in the right dose, which I believe Inuyasha manages to nail, it can be very important for one’s development and growth.
• But it’s hard to imagine him being as tough with a daughter. Probably because he sees so much of Kagome on her that the mere idea of seeing her cry simply breaks him.
• Kagome would actually have to step in when it comes to disciplining and saying “no”, because he simply wouldn’t have it in him to do so.
There’s actually a really nice post by @keichanz I reblogged a while ago discussing precisely that, but I can’t find it to save my life (should I start to properly tag my reblogs? No, it’s a lot of work and I’m right not to).
Anyway, that’s all I got for now.
Peace out.
#This ask was actually sitting on my inbox for...#Woof#A while now#And I wish I could say it was a big move on my part to wait and reply exactly on Father's Day#Because I'm just so cool methodic and strategic#But it was sheer dumb luck#LMAO#This was fun by the way#Send me YOURS daddyasha headcanons#Thank you for the patience and for the great ask anon#Inuyasha
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cowboy like me - m. barzal
a/n: omg suddenly she remembers how to write - so this is bigger than a blurb but definitely shorter than a fic so i’m calling it a baby fic!! i really haven’t written anything i love (or have been able to finish) in weeks so this feels really good to post so i hope you guys like it!!!
tagging @texanstarslove & @hookingminor because they both read this ahead of time to tell me it’s not trash (and i appreciate it sm!!)
“...and the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up, and the old men that I've swindled really did believe I was the one...”
She’s only here for her inheritance.
I heard she was dating a CEO but she got caught having an affair with his assistant.
Careful Barz, you might be next after that contract.
Mat’s gaze was held on you while he listened to his teammates and their wives gossip next to him. Mat saw you twice, maybe three times a year, only when you were forced to show your face at an Islanders event. Other than that, Mat knew no more about than Page Six did about Manhattan’s new up and coming socialite. Your family owned the team, putting a pretty penny in your pocket as long as you kept up with appearances, or at least that’s what Sydney seemed to think. You looked perfect, a silk floor length dress that Mat couldn’t imagine wasn’t made for only your body, hair pinned up perfectly while a pair of earrings hung low. Diamonds for sure. Everything about you was eloquent and expensive, and Mat had heard just about every rumor in the book about you.
Mat felt good about himself that night. He was on a point streak and having a monster season. He was wearing a suit that was tailored to absolute perfection, Mat’s dark brown locks tousled perfectly on his head. There was no reason that he couldn’t just walk up to you and finally take a moment to introduce himself to you instead of gawking at you from afar like he’d been doing since he was a rookie. He was a kid then, and you were probably dating a prince or the son of a millionaire and had no time for a dorky kid from Vancouver. Now, Mat was a man with a contract to match and hopes that you could give him the time of day at least. His gazes lingers a bit longer, watching the way your eyes rolled briefly at whatever that man was saying to you. You excuse yourself, waving your empty wine glass in your and like Mat was stalking his prey - this was the moment.
“You’re not very subtle you know,” You muse, looking over at Mat who was leaning against the bar getting a drink of his own, “And blue’s a better color on you.”
Being a bitch was second nature to you. The way scoring came to Mat or business came to your father and siblings. It was easy to be snarky, because snarky kept people at a distance. Besides, no one thought much about you that didn’t involve how many commas were in your bank account or the constant debate about whether or not you’d gotten a nose job when you were eighteen. If they wanted nothing more than a pretty face, then that’s what you’d give them.
“Noted,” Mat takes a gulp of his drink, and your eyes linger a little too long at his hand wrapped around a glass, “You want to dance?”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” You hum, taking a sip of your drink. Mat Barzal had a reputation that was cleaner than your own, the Islanders golden boy if you will, but you knew better than that. You knew about the revolving door in his apartment and all of the girls who got strung along in hopes they’d get to be the ones who wore that number thirteen jersey to games. Mat Barzal was no saint, and it didn’t matter how many rich men he convinced he was.
“No harm in dancing darling,” Mat husks, voice close to your ear while you desperately hoped he didn’t see the goosebumps on your arm. Mat was throwing you off your game, but it’s a welcome feeling. Darling. You liked that one, tired of the men who constantly called you babe or baby.
“One dance Barz,” You took his hand, letting him guide you to the middle of the tent that your parents had set up on the tennis court in the same home you grew up in. Your hand remained in his, your other gripping his shoulder while you swayed back and forth, “You know your teammates are staring.”
And they were. Mat turns his head, stifling a laugh at Tito’s jaw that was practically on the floor, “Let them.”
“Not afraid of the rumors?” You hum, leaning your head on Mat’s shoulder, “Or are you just like me?”
“Like you?” Mat asks, raising his eyebrows at you, grabbing your and spinning you around before he pulled you closer.
“You don’t want love, just a fancy car or two and girls falling at your feet. You’ll ride into town and leave with more damage done than the time before but you’ll always get away with it. You’ll tell all the stuck up rich people anything they want to hear to keep up appearances. A cowboy if you will,” You explain, a smile on Mat’s face telling you that maybe you nailed it on the head.
“And what if those rumors about me aren’t true?” Mat asks, lips ghosting over yours but he won’t kiss you just yet.
“And what if the ones about me aren’t true?” You quip back to avoid Mat’s question about whether or not you believed any of the shit you heard about him.
“Guess we’ll have to find out.”
***
And so you did. It wasn’t supposed to happen, you took Mat home that night no intentions of ever speaking to him again. He was going to leave your place and you were going to be another notch in his bedpost. Because that’s what the Mat Barzal’s of the world did. And you were right after all, Mat Barzal was a bandit, who stole the hearts of the women he saw and deleted their numbers without a second thought.
Except Mat wasn’t going to that with you, well he was, but when he woke up the next morning to see you perched in the chair by the window in your apartment, sipping a cup of tea - he didn’t want to leave. You looked so normal, your walls finally down in the comfort of your own space and suddenly Mat needed to know why you had them up so high to begin with. Mat found out quickly, it was the pressure of the people around you. Your family needed you to be perfect, but they didn’t think you’d be good enough for the family business like your brothers.
I just hope she doesn’t ruin him like Oliver.
Mat needs someone who’s going to support him.
She’s just going to hurt him and he’s going to play like shit because of it.
“Would you just stop for a second?” Mat had been chasing you three blocks from the restaurant he was having a nice dinner with you and your family at. He wasn’t supposed to hear them, but he did and you were embarrassed, “Darling-”
“Mat, stop just stop,” You sigh, finally slowing down because those stupid heels you chose to wore were killing your feet. You shiver for a second, Mat’s large hands move to
your arms to try and warm you up, “Go ahead, ask what horrible thing I did to drive my last boyfriend away… because it wasn’t my fucking fault. He was using me, just like everyone else does and-”
“I believe you,” Mat rushes out, pulling you into his arms and holding you close. It wasn’t the first time one the skeletons in either of your closets would try and tear you apart, and it probably wasn’t going to last. There was always going to be brunches with his teammates who hounded him about his girlfriend’s past or whatever rumor they were hearing. There would always be times their significant others would grab your arm in a crowd when Mat was having a conversation with another woman like he was going to hurt you. That wasn’t going away, but it also didn’t matter to him at all. All of that was before he locked it down, things were different now.
Mat went back to your place that night, taking note of the way one of his suits was pressed and in your closet for him, like he belonged there. He smiled at it, the blue suit you insisted he bought because it was the best color on him, “You’re not mad at me right?”
“Why would I be mad darling?” Mat sighs, smiling softly at his shirt that you seemed to always steal when you stayed over. You give him a look like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world, “I love you, and I don’t care about the past. It’s you and me now and that’s what matters.”
Mat hadn’t said it yet, waiting for the right moment for him to drop a four letter word he never thought he’d ever use. He’d thought it plenty of times, but he was saving for when the moment felt right. Maybe he’d drop it on the trip you had planned in a few weeks, or after a nice date, but you needed to hear it from him now. He loved you, everything down to the way you snored if you had too much to drink.
“I love you too,” You nod, wiping the last tear that had fallen from your eyes, “Cowboy.”
“Call me that forever,” Mat husks, pressing a sweet kiss to your lips, “And ever.”
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Falling in Love with a Single Mom
Iwaizumi x fem!Reader | Bokuto x fem!Reader | Ushijima x fem!Reader
[ Headcanons/MiniFic ]
Request: Can I please req headcanons for Iwaizumi, Bokuto, and Ushijima falling for a single mom? — anonymous
a/n: this one’s looong but i really enjoyed writing it pLS GIVE ME MORE like anything concerning babies id love that please thank u :’] I HOPE Y’ALL WOULD LIKE THIS ONE :D i’d love to make these a full blown fic if any of yall want that hehe
❀ aside from the hushed chattering of students waiting for the professor to arrive, the college lecture hall was fairly quiet
❀ that was until the high-pitched cries of a baby ripped through the room
“hey pipe it down!”
“who would even bring a baby to a lecture anyway?”
“can’t you just bring it outside jeez you’re interfering the class”
“class hasn’t even started yet”
❀ iwaizumi was the last one to speak, your classmates’ snarky comments annoying him more than the baby’s crying
❀ he saw you walk out the hall, pushing the stroller with your head low, muttering apologies
❀ letting out a sigh, iwa stood up with the intention of following you outside, but not before he shoots your classmates a threatening glare
❀ he finds you not too far from from the lecture hall, bouncing your 5-month old daughter on your hip as her wailing turned to quiet sobs while she laid her head on your chest
“there there, were you just sleepy?”, iwa doesn’t miss the soft but tired smile gracing your face
“uhh do you need some help with that?”, you jumped at his voice, startled
“oh no, we’re fine! thank you though...uhh..?”
“iwaizumi, i’m iwaizumi hajime, i believe we haven’t met before” he extends his hand for you to shake which you curtly did
“y/n! yeah i believe we haven’t”
❀ since that encounter, iwa would always sit beside you in class and glare at anyone who so much as attempts to make any unnecessary comments
❀ he’d often offer to look after your baby while you took class notes for the both of you
❀ it didn’t take long for iwa to grow fond of your blubbering baby and, of course, you
❀ he noticed how hard you worked; juggling classes, part-time jobs and taking care of your daughter and he admired you for it, so much so that he spent almost every weekend over at your place, insisting on helping you take care of your daughter
“y/n, i don’t want to seem rude but if it’s alright to ask, where’s her dad?”, he’d ask while holding your child, who was curiously pinching and smooshing at his face, as you prepared lunch
it was a question that’s been bugging him for so long, noticing that there was no sign of any other person in your small apartment except for you and your baby
“oh,” you started with a small laugh, “he left when i told him i was pregnant”
the amount of restrain it took iwaizumi to not curse in front of the baby is unthinkable but the bittersweet way you smiled dissipated his anger and he was filled with something he couldn’t quite comprehend
“it’s alright though! we’ve managed to get this far”, there was a wistful pause before you continued, “i’d love it if she grew up with a dad though.”
“then let me” with a voice so steady, unwavering, and as dependable as he was these past few months he continued, “i’ll take care of you.”
he didn’t even let your tears fall as he pulled you in his embrace together with your child, placing a soft kiss on your forehead,
and for the first time in so long, you’re comforted with the feeling that everything will be fine —and you believed that it will be, as long as he was there
❀ it was just another run to the grocery store with akaashi, him picking out everything on the list while bokuto sluggishly pushed the cart through the aisles
“akaashi what’s taking you so looooong? i want to go hooooome”
“bokuto-san we wouldn’t be spending so much time here if you regularly shopped instead of calling me for help when you’ve eaten the last bit of food in your house and you have nothing else to eat anymore.”
❀ the tall owl-like man deflated more, if that was even possible, as he followed akaashi around
❀ skimming through the snack aisle, he noticed something was tugging on his shirt, but when he looked down..
“daddy?”
AJDKDAFJHKSD DO I LOOK LIKE--
“uhhh akaashi???”
❀ the toddler clutched at the hem of bokuto’s shirt, tear-stained cheeks puffing out as he pouted
❀ bokuto picked the child up and held him in his arms with a bright smile
“what’s wrong buddy? are you lost? should we help you find mommy?”
“we should probably leave him at the security desk, bokuto-san”
“are you my daddy?”, the toddler asked again, teary eyed, ignoring akaashi’s words
“well do you want me to be your daddy?”, he grinned and the child nodded gleefully
“bokuto-san, no”
he turned to his junior, tears welling up his eyes, “akaashi, i’m a father!!”
“bOKuTO-sAN”
❀ the tragedy of akaashi keiji
❀ the rest of grocery shopping went by with bokuto picking out stuff for his “son”
❀ it was all fun and games right before you spotted them
“uhm, excuse me but i think that’s my son”
“mommy!” the child’s eyes lit up as he turned to you
“hi baby, let’s go home you’ve troubled this man enough.”
“mommy i found daddy!!”, he said while hugging around bokuto’s head, earning a chuckle from him
you laughed lightly, turning to the two men, “sorry he has a knack for trying to find a dad during grocery runs”
bokuto and akaashi gave each other a look before the latter spoke, “it’s alright you must’ve been worried, bokuto-san please give back her son”
“but akaashi--”
“give him back :)”
bokuto hesitantly placed your son in your arms, the both of them have matching pouts
your son nuzzled against your shoulder, stifling down his sobs and quietly whispered, “but i really wanted him to be my dad”
“maybe we can meet up some other time again so you and bokuto-san can play?”, you eyed the man pleadingly which earned you a giddy nod from both your child and him
❀ that was how you and bokuto started seeing each other regularly
❀ he’d visit your house every weekend, come with you to pick up your son from kindergarten, take you both out for dinner and even stayed over on some occasions
❀ your son loves him so much and always calls him “dad/daddy”
❀ bokuto calls him “buddy/kid”
❀ your son would often tease bokuto when he catches him stealing glances at you while you walked around the house, getting chores done
“you like mommy don’t you?”, he’d snicker
“i-- whAT? kid where do you get those ideas from?”
you peered through the doorway of you son’s playroom, “baby do you want some snacks?”
“yes please!” the both of them answered at the same time, bokuto turning beet-red while you just stifle down a laugh and went to prepare their snacks
when bokuto was sure that you were out of earshot, he whispered to your son, “kid do you still want me to be your daddy?”
“yes! yes!! YES!!!”, the little boy bounced on his heels happily
“okay good because i think i want to marry your mommy”
“wakatoshi-kun isn’t that y/n-san?”
❀ ushijima grunted as he had his eyes fixed on your form from across the room
❀ it was your high school reunion and even though you both haven’t met in a while, the former volleyball team captain still felt his spine tingling at the sight of you
❀ you’ve always been pretty, pretty enough to catch his eyes and fascinating enough personality-wise to keep his attention on you
❀ though he never spoke of these feelings throughout high school, it never really vanished even when you’re well on your adult years
❀ and seeing you right now, with the same pretty smile but seemingly tired eyes, he can’t help but yearn for you as he did when you were in high school
❀ while walking to the other end of the room to where you were, he thought of anything to try and hit up a conversation with you but he was pulled from his musings the moment you’re standing in front of him, a mere arms-length away
“y/n..”
“oh ushijima-san! long time no see, how hav--”
“mama!”, you were interrupted as your 5 year old child clung to your hips, “mama the scary man’s coming for me!”
“ᶦ ʷᵃˢ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵗʳʸᶦⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃʸ ʰᵉˡˡᵒ“ :’/
“baby don’t be rude that’s just uncle goshiki, go on play with him” you urged your son with a gentle hand on his back
“no! his hair looks weird!!”
❀ rip tsutomu bb
❀ ushijima doesn’t know what to make out of the situation
❀ you have a child? does that mean you were married already? was he too late?
“i didn’t know you got married”
“huh? oh no! i didn’t..”, you were hoping he would get the hint but you remembered that it was ushijima wakatoshi in front of you, so you had to spell it out for him, “i got pregnant shortly after college, his dad left the moment i dropped the news though”
the laugh that came from you was humorless, and that didn’t go unnoticed by ushijima
“would it be alright if i took you out on a date, then?”
❀ with face flushed deep red, you bit the inside of your cheek and nodded, sheepishly squeaking out a quiet “yeah”
❀ you both agreed to meet the next weekend for lunch then take your son on a playhouse while you two catch up
❀ then came the weekend, everything was going well, except for one thing
❀ even at the playhouse, your son didn’t leave your side and instead opted for glaring at ushijima across the table in the parents’ waiting area
“baby it’s rude to glare at people, please go play with the other kids”
“what do you want to do with mama!”, he said pointedly at the mountain of a man
“talk?”
“what do you want to talk about with her!”
you couldn’t help but smile at your tiny little bodyguard acting so tough even with a man probably five times his size
“i wanted to know if she would consider marrying me”
at that, you whipped your head to look at the man across the table who was casually talking to your son, the prospect of marrying someone who you secretly pined for for all of high school sending a wave of hot blush on your face
“why?”, your son continued with the questions
“because i would like to marry her”
“why?”
“because i love her”
“since when??”
your face grew incredibly warmer every second that passed by but his answer dealt the finishing blow and you thought your heart would burst
“since all of high school”
#skdfjksdlfsf#this was long#wow#are these even headcanons?#idk#dont @ me#haikyuu#haikyuu!!#haikyuu iwaizumi#haikyuu bokuto#haikyuu ushijima#haikyuu fluff#haikyuu headcanons#haikyuu hcs#hq iwaizumi#hq bokuto#hq ushijima#iwaizumi hajime x reader#iwaizumi x reader#iwazumi hajime#bokuto kotarou#bokuto x reader#bokuto kotarou x reader#ushijima wakatoshi#ushijima x reader#ushijima wakatoshi x reader#ushiwaka#ushiwaka x reader#iwaizumi fluff#bokuto fluff
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Random Sk8 headcanons
Warnings: (everything in this section takes place in the section between the bolded bullet point and the line of asterisks. Everything else is fluff type stuff. Feel free to scroll past) mentions of past s*lf-h*rm, depression, eating disorders, helicopter parents, a little homophobia
Joe likes to be the little spoon every now and then
The first time Langa’s mom met Joe, Cherry, and Shadow, two thoughts went through her mind: 1) Langa had gotten caught up in some weird gang stuff or 2) these poor men had gotten stuck babysitting her son and his friends (she was relieved to find it was closer to the latter)
Reki’s favorite anime is probably some shounen thing like My Hero Academia or Jujutsu Kaisen, but he also has a secret soft spot for shows like Fruits Basket and Horimiya
Langa absolutely despises pineapples
Unlike Joe, who likes being both big and little spoon, Shadow is exclusively little spoon
Shadow may be a cis/het man, but he loves women exactly the same way lesbians do (you know exactly what I’m talking about). He worships the ground Ms Manager walks on but he’s also the biggest most respectful simp out there.
Not a headcanon but Oka is a dilf and I love that wonderful man with my whole heart
Inspector lady brainrot—she can skateboard in heels which is like physically impossible but she’s literally immortal and invincible and magic because she’s got the power of millions of lesbians and feminists fueling her
I have brought Water Bottle up in a couple other posts, but yeah she’s Miya’s cat and she’s super fluffy and black and white and perfect
Just a little warning I’m gonna do some darker headcanons here scroll to the bullet point with the line of asterisks to avoid it :)
Reki used to s*lf harm when his depression got really bad. His mom found out after seeing blood seep through the upper arm of his shirt sleeve and immediately jumped into action to get him the help he needed before it got worse. He only relapsed once since then, and has been clean for a little over a year now!! (I’m very proud of my boy T^T)
He also got a lot of depressive episodes. Because of this, when the gang first started noticing Miya slipping into them as well, Reki made sure to stick by his side and help him through anything.
His mental health had worsened noticeably when he was about fifteen, so it’s been around two years since then. He’s doing leagues better than he was back then and he’s really proud of himself (as is his family)
Miya has undiagnosed depression and he doesn’t really recognize it for what it is. He thinks most of how his mind works in such a way is normal and so he doesn’t actively seek out help.
Miya also has an eating disorder. It kind of started because his trainer always told him he needed to lose weight when he first started working with him and eventually it morphed into something more aggressive and harmful and full of intrusive thoughts. He’s partially aware of it and distantly knows somethings wrong but he’s too scared to admit it out loud and doesn’t ask for support.
But don’t worry, the others have noticed and are trying their best to help him out
Cherry had helicopter parents as a kid and they made life a living hell for him. If you’ve seen hoshiai no sora, think like nao’s mom. He obviously got really rebellious in his later teenage years and his parents hated him for it, they were blatantly aggressive and forceful with him and when he came out as gay they finally disowned him. He moved in with Joe until he was old enough to live on his own.
************** angst ends here!! <3
Miya has practically no bones he’s just super insanely flexible and liquidy like a cat.
Shadow paints his finger and toe nails. He usually sticks to black, purple, green, or orange, but he has tried other things before.
Langa is a todoroki kinnie and Reki is a Midoriya kinnie (please tell me you guys can see how they’re similar)
Reki and Miya both have a love for stuffed animals. Reki is the type to sleep hugging all of them “so no one feels left out” and Miya is a nester and builds himself nests of pillows and blankets and stuffies. He usually picks just one (usually an ugly but soft purple cat) to cuddle with but sometimes Water Bottle will take the spot of a toy.
Water Bottle’s collar is neon green with a bright purple pendant. Her name and the contact info is engraved and painted an obnoxious orange, and there is an led push light hanging next to it.
Reki took dance classes when he was little. (You can decide what type of dance, I think ballet or something would be great) He quit when he was eight.
Miya does not play fortnite you uncultured pigs. He plays a lot of other rpgs tho, ones like genshin impact or elsword, but he also probably likes rhythm games a lot (especially project DIVA), I also believe he likes idol raising games and occasionally he’s into otome type style games.
Langa can’t do a somersault or cart wheel
Cherry has cross dressed exactly one time, on a bet, and gave Joe a sexuality crisis, and he refuses to ever do it again (he looked hot as shit let me tell you)
Shadow was the biggest mommas boy. He also has a lot of siblings. His mom was the one who got him into flowers and gardening. She would blast death metal as they worked. She’s also the one who taught him how to do his makeup.
Joe’s dad was a “let’s play catch, son” type of dad and his parents were honestly lovely. They’re super accepting and loving and are awesome.
Miya hates orange flavored anything. And bubble gum flavored things (except bubble gum flavored bubble gum is good, because it’s the original)
Miya has gotten self conscious in the past because he doesn’t have fangs before remembering no one else does either and effectively feeling like an idiot
Langa knows all the words to Dont Lose Your Head from the Six musical even though he’s never even seen it
Joe feeds everyone and offers a place for them to stay should the need ever arise. People have taken up the offer more than once, whether for something as simple as it started storming and here was closer than home or because there was a problem with their family.
Reki went through a phase in middle school where he read those more obscure lgbtq+ mangas (that are either perfect or really....not) like he read so many of them specifically because he was just figuring out who he was and they made him feel seen
Reki’s grandma is snarky and an icon and she loves Miya. (Everyone in their family loves Miya there’s a reason he’s an honorary Kyan)
Langa doesn’t like spicy food
#sk8 the infinity#sk8#miya chinen#reki kyan#langa hasegawa#joe#kojiro nanjo#kaoru sakurayashiki#cherry blossom#shadow#higa hiromi#headcanons#long post#self harm mention#depressive episodes mention#tw eating disorder mention#cw
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bodyswap au
This turned into... something. Dunno why, but it just needed to happen this way, lolololol
Hope you enjoy, yo!!!!! <3
When Hopper arrived at the station, he was hoping for a quiet morning of coffee, contemplation, and sneaking some donuts that El would definitely be mad at him about later. No donuts. Doctor said less sugar. He appreciated the care, but also he wasn’t going to stop eating donuts. Not with the world being as weird as it was.
But when he walked in, Flo had a look on her face that made him want to turn right around and leave.
“You have visitors,” she spat out. “I’ve never known the Harrington boy to be so rude--”
“Thank you, Flo,” Hopper said, cutting her off before she got started. “Why don’t you take an extra break and get yourself something from Melvads?” He grabbed his wallet, putting a five on the table in front of her. “On me.” She eyed him warily but snatched it up and grabbed her purse. He gave her a smile that wasn’t more than his lips stretched into a line, before grabbing a cup of coffee. He downed one, ignoring how it burned his tongue and the roof of his mouth, then poured another. Harrington being rude? It meant something was up. Bratty, sure. Snarky, probably. But rude? Not with the parents he had.
When he walked into his office, Hopper paused. Billy sat in a chair next to Steve, legs crossed at the knee as one foot bounced nervously and he chewed on his lip. Next to him was Steve, legs spread wide, slouched in the chair, chewing on his cuticle aggressively. When they heard the door open and close, they turned, both speaking at the same time.
“Hop, you’re not gonna believe this--”
“Some seriously fucked up shit is going on in this fucking town--”
The words came out of the wrong mouths. Billy looked at Hopper, eyes big and innocent in a way he’d never seen on the kid. And Steve looked like he’d stepped in dog shit, nose scrunched and mouth turned down. They spoke over each other, making Hopper rub his temples as he sat down heavily in his chair.
He was getting too old for this shit.
“Okay, okay, okay,” he said, voice loud. The boys’ mouths snapped shut, Billy looking sheepish and Steve clenching his jaw and looking away. “One at a time, please.” He lit a cigarette, taking a deep inhale. He exhaled slowly, letting the nicotine calm his jitters, before looking back at the two teens. “Steve,” he gestured to the boy. “You first.”
Billy started talking.
“So when I woke up this morning--”
“I said Steve,�� Hop said, cutting him off.
“I am Steve,” the blonde replied. Hopper stared at him before taking another long drag off his cigarette and a large gulp of his coffee.
“I’m sorry,” he said, voice calmer than he’d thought it would be. “You’re who?”
“I’m Steve,” Billy, no, Steve, said again. “I woke up this morning in Billy’s body, in his bed, in his house.” He could see it now. Had seen it before but couldn’t place why. The way Billy ran a hand through his hair and gestured wildly. The way Steve was silent and taking up space with a large scowl. They weren’t themselves. Because they were each other.
“Okay,” Hopper said once the boys had explained. “So last night you two had a fight in the woods.” He gave them both a stern look, getting rolled eyes and a sheepish grin in response. “And,” he rubbed his forehead, eyes wide as he tried to wrap his head around whatever the fuck was happening, “This lady came out of a tree,” he closed his eyes, inhaling sharply, “And said she was cursing you until you admit the truth.” The two boys nodded and Hopper felt himself age 10 years. “It ended the fight and you both went to your respective homes and woke up,” he sighed, “Like this.”
“Yeah,” Billy replied, twisting Steve’s face into an annoyed grimace. “That’s what we fucking said.”
“I need you to turn the attitude down about 10 notches,” Hopper snapped. Billy just sank lower in the seat. “This is a lot to wrap my head around, so excuse me for making sure I got the facts right.” Billy scoffed, but there was a flush to his cheeks. Well, Steve’s cheeks. Steve was a blusher, Hopper knew. Boy turned red and clammy when he tried to lie. His skin was pale enough that any color stood out.
Hopper wondered if Billy even realized.
“What do we do?” Steve asked. The genuine concern coming out of Billy’s mouth was weird, but at this point, weird was normal and normal was a distant, fond memory. Hopper sighed, pushing back a little and rubbing his hand across the stubble on his chin.
“Well, you admit the truth, whatever that is.”
“Fucking obviously,” Billy snapped. He slid down a little at Hopper’s warning stare. “But she didn’t give us any idea of what the truth even was.”
“Well, what were you two fighting about?” Steve and Billy looked at each other and shrugged.
“I mean, it just kinda started?” Steve said, voice going up at the end.
The two of them had been tousling since Billy had arrived. The amount of times Hopper was called to basketball practice, or the park, or the arcade, were innumerable. And they didn’t even seem to know what they were fighting about. They just got under each other’s skin, he guessed. Billy knew how to needle and jab until a person snapped, and Steve was as bratty as they came, though he had gotten better since the whole monsters thing. Billy had too, for that matter. They should have been friends. It wasn’t like they didn’t get along at all. They were a good team, capable, and he trusted them with El.
So it made no sense for them--
Oh.
Hopper pursed his lips. Thought back to their fights, really thought. Remembered the way Billy would watch Steve like a hawk, eyes always on him. The way Steve never stopped talking about Billy, even if it was to complain. Thought about how it wasn’t right for boys to be physical with each other unless it was a fight.
Thought about Neil Hargrove and John Harrington and their bullshit.
“Can I ask you two something?” He sniffed, pulling his bottom lip into his mouth as he tapped on his desk anxiously. “And I want an honest answer.” He looked at them, face grim and serious. They stared back, equally wary and confused. “Why do you keep fighting?” Neither of them replied, just shrugging and not looking at each other.
“Just, I dunno, just ‘cause?” Billy said, poking at the desk with his foot.
“Yeah, you know, rough housing,” Steve said. Billy nodded, like he was convincing himself that was only what it was. “Boys being boys and all that.”
“Sure,” Hopper said. “That’s a reason. But I don’t think that’s why you two are doing it.” He leaned back in his chair. Steve’s eyes darted to Billy and back, panicked. Billy didn’t look up, but he was tense. Long fingers curled into a cashmere sweater, ready for fight or flight.
Hopper knew he wasn’t approaching this right. Knew he was in some dangerous territory. But this was some fairy tale shit, so it probably had a fairy tale ending.
He honestly hoped the boys liked each other like he thought, or his suggestion was going to get him way more grief than he’d like.
“What do you think?” Billy’s voice was as tense as he was.
“I think,” Hopper said, trying to keep his voice soft and without judgement, “That fighting is an excuse. I think that you two like each other a lot more than you let on.” Billy stood, chair squeaking as it scrapped on the floor. Steve’s knuckles were white against the denim on his legs.
“I don’t know what you think you’re playing at--” Billy’s voice was shaking.
“I think you both know exactly what I’m saying,” he said, cutting Billy off. “And I’m not--” He struggled to find the right words. “Look. I don’t care whether you two like each other or not. It makes no difference to me. But I know that there aren’t many ways to show that. Not when it’s two men.” Both of them were sweating and tense and Hopper didn’t know what to say to fix it. “I think you two would rather date each other than fight, but don’t know how to say that to the other person.”
“Wh-What?” Steve laughed, all nerves. “There’s no-- Billy’s not-- I mean, I’m not--”
“That’s a real riot,” Billy said, mean and scared. “A real laugh riot, Chief.”
“Listen!” Hopper boomed, tired of it. Tired of magic and weird and bullshit. The boys’ both stopped talking, staring at him. “I said honest answers. This lady saw you two fighting in the woods, right? Fighting over nothing. Fighting as an excuse to get close.” They opened their mouths but he held his hands up. “Why would she say you needed to tell the truth. Why did she put you into each other’s bodies?” This made them both relax, made them think. “This is all some weird high fantasy, sci-fi shit. I don’t understand it. But what I do understand is finding excuses to be near someone you shouldn’t want to be near.” They looked at each other and Hopper felt the energy between them shift. They locked eyes and didn’t move.
“I--” Steve stuttered. “I--”
“Be honest with each other,” Hopper said. “And maybe you’ll see some changes.” The look the boys shared got more intense and Hopper didn’t want to witness them being honest. Whatever that would entail.
“I’ll call the school, get you guys out for the day. Go to Steve’s and talk. But get out of my office.” With a nod, and not even a spare glance to Hopper, the boys left. Hopper rubbed a hand over his face before holding his head in his hands.
When he got a call that afternoon, confirming that Everything has gone back to normal, well, except…you know, he allowed himself an extra donut. Because he fucking deserved it.
#harringrove#steve harrington#billy hargrove#prompt#gideongrace#jim hopper#body swap#ficlet#how is this almost 2k wtf
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Hey Stranger.
John "Ace" Merrill x reader
Warnings: vaguely bad language, mention of injury (very vague)
Context: This was requested by @theghostof-myndi , so here it is! The overview of the request is like this: Ace and the reader are childhood friends, though the reader moved away from Castle Rock at some point in the fifties (given that this is now set in the sixties). When the reader eventually moves back with her father, she and Ace resume their friendship as he shows her around again, the two of them getting along very well and basically flirting with each other (unfortunately I'm terrible at writing flirting so it's not particularly obvious in this) . The fathers of the two know that they like each other and work to get them together, given that they are also old friends.
A/N: There will most likely be a part two to this fic! I haven't quite gotten to what is probably the better part of the actual plot, but I will write it at some point soon with the help of @jawline-of-steel , whose help I have enlisted to help me with ideas.
Edited By: @jawline-of-steel
Masterlist
"Hey, Stranger, it's been a while." A familiar voice greets from behind me, the perpetually snarky tone unchanged and still as rough as it used to be.
Whirling around, I grin as I recognise the person standing behind me, my instincts taking over as I lunge forward and wrap him into a hug, pressing my face into his shoulder with happiness.
"Ace! It's been too long!" I exclaim, smiling broadly as he returns the embrace and crushes me into him, burying his face into my hair like he used to do.
"Yeah, where've you been these last few years? You've missed so much!" The blonde pulls away slightly to look down at me, his icy blue eyes regarding me carefully as I shrug.
"Eh, we've been near enough everywhere." I reply, moving so I can stand back, looking him over, "It's good to be back, though. You're gonna have to fill me in on what's different now."
"How about I show you around again? That way I can introduce you to all the new assholes that have joined the Cobras and show you what's changed in town." Ace offers, gesturing to his car, "The new look is great, by the way, doll."
I blush slightly at the old nickname, thanking him as I climb into his car, picking up the baseball bat that he has propped against the dashboard.
"You guys still go around knocking down mailboxes?" I ask, thinking back to all the times we used to do it as teens, back when none of us had any inhibitions and the only problems we had were trying to hold up a reputation in town.
"Yeah, but only when my ass of a dad isn't looking." He smirks, "Wanna play a bit now?"
"Game on, Blondie." I respond, taking the bar in hand as he climbs into the car and starts it up, pulling out of the parking lot we were in and onto the main road, where there are fewer cars than I remember, "Hey, what happened to everyone? I swear there were more people around?"
He nods, shrugging a little as he navigates the sparse traffic, chewing lightly on the toothpick in his mouth.
"There were, but most people moved away over time. Now nearly everyone that lives here is from the old families, and everything is basically family owned, too." He explains quickly, pointing out a small diner as we go past that has a flickering neon sign hanging outside it, the word unclear as we speed past.
"Oh." Is all I say, before I stand up in my seat, the bat ready in my hand as I line up with the next mailbox I can see. Gripping the bat with two hands, I swing hard at it as we approach, whooping loudly as the bat clangs against the metal, knocking it to the floor with a crash behind us. Knowing the rules of the game, I instantly get ready to strike again, managing to knock down a good eight before I miss one, only just tapping it as we go past.
"Aw, come on! You swerved on purpose!" I complain jokingly, pouting as I sit back down in my seat, "You want a go?"
"Sure, I'm gonna completely show you up!"
"Keep telling yourself that, Blondie." I lean over and take the wheel for him, steering the car as he stands up and starts batting down the mailboxes that are unfortunate enough to lie on our route.
Looking up at him, I smirk to myself and wait until we're close to another one, harshly jerking the car to the side before he can actually hit it, drawing a frustrated groan from the blonde standing over me. He swiftly returns to his seat, taking the wheel from me as we steer back into town.
"You totally cheated." He says decisively, looking across at me with his signature grin, to which I act mockingly offended.
"How could you even imply that? I would never!"
"Yeah right." Ace chuckles, shaking his head.
Laughing, I turn to look at the surroundings, remembering all of the more dilapidated shops and houses, alongside some of the larger, grander ones, which I've always enjoyed looking at. As we drive, we pass another parking lot, where a group of boys are standing around their cars, smoking and talking with one another, beer bottles held in hand as they laugh and joke about. Upon passing them; Ace calls out to them, waving at them genially as they do the same.
"Friends of yours?" I question him once we've passed, lifting an eyebrow at him.
"Not really. They're just members of the gang that I have to keep up appearances with. Their old men are pretty big around here." He clarifies, rolling his eyes at the reminder.
"Their old men? Since when do they make a difference?"
"Since they took over the Cobras. My old man is the leader, but they're still pretty important."
"Oh. I guess my dad will be looking for a place in the group, too, then." I muse, rubbing my temples a little.
"Yeah, most likely." Ace frowns and looks over at me, "We gave you the mark, didn't we?"
"Yeah, you did." I confirm, easily recalling the pain from the knife as it cut the cobra shape into my upper arm.
"That's good. It means you're already basically a part of the gang, so you'll fit right in."
"Like I wouldn't anyway." I chuckle, punching his arm playfully.
*
"You know, I reckon they'd make a great pair, those two." Ace's father comments to (Y/n)'s, gesturing with his beer to the two young adults as they talk with each other, sitting very closely and behaving as if no time had passed between them.
"Yeah, they would. I don't think (Y/n) ever really gave up on him." The other man responds, taking a sip from his own drink.
"John definitely didn't. He's shown no interest towards the other sex since you guys left, except of course to fuck someone, but that never really means anything to him."
"Likewise with (Y/n). She has never brought home another boy who has stayed any longer than a few days."
The two of them stay in silence for a minute, both starting to think up a plan that could help them bring together their children again.
"We've gotta figure something out. We owe it to them, and to ourselves." Ace's father eventually breaks the quiet, sighing deeply.
"Yeah we do." (Y/n)'s father thinks a moment longer, "You know, I think I've just had an idea."
"You have?" The older Merrill shoots a surprised look at his friend.
"I have."
"Let's hear it then."
Grinning, the two men lean into each other, conspiring together as they used to back in their day.
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Oktoberfest Effect
Author: @alliswell21
Prompt: Town boys (drunk?) dare each other to venture into woods (Halloween night? [Oktoberfest]). Katniss saves Peeta (from peacekeepers? storm?) by pulling him into a cave for the night. (Drunk Peeta talks too much and is cuddly?) [submitted by @567inpanem]
Rating: Teen (for drunkenness)
Author’s Note: Thank you to @mandelion82 for lending me her beta services, and being a generally awesome cheerleader! Thank you @567inpanem for the prompt, I hope it brings you joy! Thank y’all for reading!
Oktoberfest, originally from Munich, Germany, is a two week folkloric festival, celebrated between the third Sunday of September and the first Sunday of October. Copious amounts of beer get served worldwide to celebrate Oktoberfest…👀this fic doesn’t reflected the cultural richness of the festival and or what it represents!👀
Tags: In Panem AU; No Games AU; Not representative of Oktoberfest; Drunken Shenanigans; Thunder storms; Snarky!Everlark; Humor; Blink-and-you-Miss-it fluff. One Shot.
———————
Oktoberfest is one of my least favorite festivals in the small repertory of celebrations my District is allowed.
It’s usually held in the beginning of October, after the first showers of Fall, and tends to last all day long, severely cutting into my hunting time in the woods, which comprises the bulk of my family’s livelihood. My mother is a healer, but people used to struggle to pay for her services back in the day, so she stopped charging anyone; people gave her what they could: rations, produce from their squalid gardens, old clothes and such. You’d think people would pay with coins, now that things have improved for common folks, but some habits die hard.
It’s probably the same reason we keep observing a holiday that’s real meaning has been lost to Panem since before the Dark Days; people just know that at some point, Oktoberfest was celebrated around this time, and people ate and drank ale by the bucketfuls, so that’s what they do today.
By the same token, it’s the most popular festivity in District 12, since it’s the only day of the year in which drinking is sanctioned and even encouraged by the higher-ups of government. Trains come carrying ale, spiked ciders, and even hard liquor for the celebration. People like Ms. Ripper, who sells moonshine and white liquor in our black market, better known as The Hob, have free range to sell their wares openly, without suffering repercussions.
The meek, dull denizens of District 12 drink the spirits by the gallons, just for the one day, and pass out in the most unseemly places around town, like savages. If something had become clear to me with the passing years, it’s that people tend to enjoy drunkenness to soothe their woes away, so it’s natural everyone embraces Oktoberfest.
But, as with everything, things aren’t as bleak as I tend to see them myself.
“Katniss!” My sister, Prim, calls breathlessly from the maypole circle, beckoning me over with one hand, while holding a bright, yellow ribbon in her other, “There still are a few ribbons left!” She shouts excitedly, her meaning plain: she wants me to join in the festivities.
Normally I’d shy away from any and all activities that would have me interacting directly with the townsfolk. It’s nothing personal against them, I’m just not used to being touched by anyone, except for my family, and weaving ribbons around the maypole practically ensures I’d be brushing up against any number of strangers …but, there are worse games to play, and I could never deny my sister anything, not even this.
I make my way to Prim and reluctantly snatch up a pale blue ribbon from the ground. My sister’s smile is so bright I almost relax when the music starts, and the dancers take to moving in and out around the pole.
It isn’t as bad as I was dreading it to be. The music is lively; the fiddler follows the dancers while the rest of the band plays on the makeshift stage a few feet away, and the pole is relatively short and moderately wide, so we make quick work of braiding a pretty pattern in one go. Also, people are at a respectable distance from one another, and most everyone feels as awkward around me as I feel around them, so they just give a wide berth when they pass me by.
Prim and I are laughing when the song comes to an end, and we take a minute to admire the pole’s multicolored design.
There’s a line of smiling people waiting in the fringes to take the ribbons the opposite direction to unravel them and weave them together again.
I pull Prim into a hug and kiss her blonde head, fondly. “Let’s give somebody else a turn, Little Duck.” Prim narrows her eyes just a smidge; she’s almost 16 and doesn’t appreciate the nickname as much anymore. “Let’s put some warm apple cider into you, yes?”
Joy returns to her baby blues immediately. “Yes! We should go find Mother as well!” she says excitedly.
“Let’s go then!”
After finding our mother in the crowd, and haggling over three cups of cider and one bag of boiled peanuts, our mother suggests we go home early, before the party gets rowdy.
An unfortunate byproduct of Oktoberfest with all the unchecked drinking is men get loud, bold and stupid. Better to clear out before that happens, because while crimes aren’t tolerated— under the influence or sober—people tend to get belligerent when alcohol is involved.
President Snow died years ago, when I was Prim’s age. Many things changed drastically, like the abolishment of the Hunger Games, and a slightly better salary for miners, but the seemingly tolerant new government of Panem gives men a strange leave to criticize the Capitol while drunk…which technically, is still a crime in today’s Panem, just not as mortally dangerous anymore. Still, women try to haul their spouses home before they can say something incriminating and land themselves in prison.
Nothing can be done about the youngsters, though.
With women trying to keep a leash and muzzle over the men, the teenagers have unhindered access to alcohol and close to no supervision; although spirits are supposedly only served to people 17 and older, I wouldn’t put it past the vendors to look the other way if a group of merchant kids pass a few extra coins across the table, when nobody is watching.
If grown up men are loud, bold and stupid while drunk, teen and young adult men are even worse, and that’s without a gaggle of equally intoxicated girls egging them on.
This year— as in every Oktoberfest— the electric fence surrounding the district lays dormant and harmless, lest one of the hundreds of inebriated fools roaming the meadow fall into the wires and fry themselves upon accident.
Not that the Capitol cares if a few malnourished— probably discontented— miners fall dead during a district festival; people in 12 used to keel over from starvation all the time back under Snow’s regime, but those deaths were usually chalked up to any number of unrelated causes: pneumonia, heart weakness, black lung disease…anything, except starvation. But dying electrocuted on the very fence that’s supposed to keep us safe in our little district is unthinkable! The fence is there to keep dangerous beasts— and nutritious game alike— away from us.
District 12 remains that enduring jewel of Panem, where you can starve in safety! All we need is to drink the memory of our empty pantries away for another year, and everyone is happy. I sigh. At least they did away with the Hunger Games; now we have singing contests and trivia challenges playing on national television instead of the blood shed of innocent teenagers, which is certainly an improvement. Somehow it’s still not a fair bargain, but district folk will never complain about this particular trade; our children are safe, and we get to watch Capitol people make fools of themselves in front of everyone.
Mother, Prim and I make it home early enough to make a quick supper of roasted potatoes, salted fish and the last of the bakery bread I traded for this week. I make a mental note to bring down a couple squirrels to trade with the baker for more bread. The man is one of the few I can regularly count on to trade fairly with, so I always save him the best of my squirrels.
By the time dinner is being cleared off the table, I can hear the murmur of families returning home from the meadow. A surge of nervous energy takes over me. I start bouncing my leg restlessly, peeking at the old clock hanging on the wall.
“Are you going out again?” asks my mother. Her tone is light and her eyes focused on the heap of plates and forks she’s balancing in her hands. I know better than to believe she’s alright with me leaving again.
“For a while,” I answer.
“You could get stuck out there!” says Prim, clearly displeased.
“I’ve been working on a shelter, just in case. I’ll be back before dawn if I can help it,” I say, brokering no arguments.
“Be careful,” Prim mumbles, her blue eyes pleading.
I stand up from my chair and plant a kiss on the crown of her blonde head. “I promise. Now, go make sure Lady is secured before I leave. I don’t want anyone getting any ideas seeing a goat loose out there.” Not that anyone would cross me knowingly, but people get a lot dumber while drunk.
The sun set on the horizon long ago, but all my years sneaking around urge me to blend instantly with the river of dark-haired children trailing their dark-haired mothers and fathers all over The Seam. It certainly is an entertaining sight; the children are immensely happier than their parents, of course, bouncing and giggling, carrying in their spindly arms their Oktoberfest bounty of apples and freshly picked ears of corn stuffed into old burlap sacks, prizes given to them by the Capitol for every one of those silly games they played at the festival. At least they know supper won’t consist of tesserae bread tonight.
Reaching the fence will be trickier now that the meadow is crawling with blond merchants and peacekeepers patrolling the perimeter of the fence ‘for our safety’. A few miners remain, helping with the cleanup process to earn some extra money, but they are so few I can’t use our physical similarities to hide in plain sight. The merchants, meandering around the meadow, throwing nervous glances at the fence every so often, pretending they don’t care the thing is off, certainly hinders my ability to sneak around.
I wasn’t the only person who ventured outside the fence by any means. Historically, people have snuck under the barbed wire links in the past to steal apples and berries, when the hunger pains were scarier than the bears and wild dogs roaming the woods; necessity is a great incentive, it either makes you very brave or very reckless…but the few merchants still hanging out here only linger ‘cause an alcohol-fueled thrill holds them captive. Tomorrow, when they’re home nursing a head-splitting hangover, they’ll go back to cowering at the sight of the fence.
There’s a group of towheaded youngsters, singing obnoxiously, near the edge of the meadow.
I roll my eyes and try to ignore them for the time being. Meanwhile, I skirt around the maypole, pretending I’m admiring the workers’ effort, pulling the pole out of the ground to haul it into storage until next year. It’s a massive effort, but all I can do is lament how now there’s gonna be a soft spot in the ground for a while there, even after they fill it back with dirt and rocks.
I curse darkly under my breath when I startle at the sight of two peacekeepers passing by the merchant boys.
The singing stops while the townies nod politely at the albino buzzards. The boys stare at the peacekeepers until they disappear at a bend behind a big, tall retention wall where the fence stops into a jagged corner, and then the young merchants do something very peculiar…they start a round of ‘Row Your Boat’, holding up their fingers in some sort of countdown. Their voices are so shrill and out of tune, everyone around covers their ears and looks the opposite way.
I cock my head, studying the boys. They’re clearly intoxicated: red noses and ears, laughing at nonsense, and the biggest telltale, a bottle of white liquor passing around their misshapen circle. I realize, they’re not all teenagers. A few of them I recognize from my days in school, and I know for a fact two of them are married, and at least one of them has a child on the way already.
I roll my eyes at their childish behavior.
The peacekeepers appear again in the distance, and the singers stop their song abruptly. One of the older guys lifts his fingers up, showing all ten digits; he closes his fists quickly and opens them again, now showing seven fingers. They all giggle like lunatics, and I lose interest in them.
I round the cleaning crew closest to the fence, but suddenly, one of the townies stands up and starts calling at the top of his lungs, startling me.
“Hey, you! The girl with the braid!”
I whip around, because I’m 99% sure he’s talking to me! I’ve worn my dark, Seam hair in a single braid down my back for the last 8 years or so; it’s practical, really, to keep it that way. But that’s besides the point.
I wear my fiercest scowl on my face, and I get an uncomfortable jolt to the stomach when I realize I know this guy, the one waving at me while his companions guffaw around him, still intoning their childish ditty.
Peeta Mellark, the baker’s youngest son, a boy I owe the biggest debt of my entire life, and for the first time since I can remember, he’s meeting my gaze without wavering.
Debt or not, I have half a mind to stomp his way, grab him by the collar and shove him into the nearest tree in retaliation. My mouth opens to ask him what his problem is, when out of nowhere a pair of peacekeepers pop up from behind the retention wall, walking in the opposite direction of the previous set of guards.
“Did you know it takes about a minute and a half to sing ‘Row Your Boat’ seventeen times?” Peeta Mellark chuckles, pink cheeks and nose, tilting his head towards the fence, and then his blue, sparkly eyes flit to the peacekeepers passing by; all the boys stop singing and nod at them in greeting. “Then, it takes like five minutes to sing something else, until we go back to Row Your Boat!”
These guards must’ve crossed the other ones at some point while out of sight without me noticing. If I hadn’t been distracted by Peeta calling out to me, I would’ve run right into them on my way to the fence, if not flat out caught red-handed crossing into the woods, and how would I explain myself then?! Everyone in District 12 knows of my poaching proclivities, peacekeepers included, but that doesn’t mean I should go flaunting around my intention to trespass. Panem is still not completely free and whether people should have the right to escape into the woods for sustenance is still a murky topic…I’m not too keen on finding out if hunting is still a punishable crime by today’s parameters.
I turn my eyes back to Peeta, but he’s already singing and joking with his buddies, and although he seems to be invested in whatever shenanigans they’re doing, I’m not too sure he’s oblivious to me. After all, he had to be watching me pretty closely to accurately guess I was close to being discovered.
I huff. My debt to Peeta just increased, and I have no idea how to start paying him back for it.
The peacekeepers are again out of sight; the merchants are singing again, and like before, people look away from their ruckus. There’s one boy with his fingers up…counting.
Peeta’s watching me; he lifts 4 fingers offhandedly and turns to face his friends.
Clever!
It’s a code, I gather.
They’re timing the passing of the peacekeepers into the ‘blind spot’ with one song, then start a different one to predict when the keepers will be back on the retention wall.
I shake my head to clear off the hint of a smile taking over my face. The silly drunks aren’t as stupid as I thought, I guess.
I make sure no one is looking my way; I also check the kid counting how many boats they’ve rowed, and leap closer to the spot I know there’s a loose link. I only have ten rows before the peacekeepers come back, so I make quick work out of the wires and slip to the other side fast.
The drunk boys break into hoots and cheers once I’m in the woods, and despite myself, I look in their direction just to make sure nobody saw me scurrying out. I’m partially hidden by a tree, and should be safe now.
The cheering isn’t because I slipped out of the districteffectively; the boys are either harshly ruffling Peeta’s hair, or slapping him on the back. They’re all laughing and crowing something I can’t make out, but soon I see the glint of white uniforms out of the corner of my eyes, and hide deeper into the woods.
I decide to check on my snares around here and head home right away. This was perhaps the worst entrance I’ve made into the woods, and too many know I’m out here as it is, but, if the townies are gonna act as a siren of sorts, better to use their system to my advantage.
Then…I need to figure out how to finally speak to Peeta Mellark and start getting my ledger even with him.
It’s completely dark by the time I reach my snares. I look at the sky and scowl. The stars are obscured, and the moon has a hazy ring around it. Clouds are rolling in too fast for my liking. Rain is coming, soon. So I make haste and run my fingers along the first wire I find.
My snare wields two rabbits, and I bag them without resetting the traps. I figure one of these will be enough to hold my family over for a couple of days. I can make some coins out of the second rabbit, which should be enough until Oktoberfest has died down and business resumes as normal. It’s a good plan if I say so myself.
A peal of thunder breaks in the distance, and I grunt lowly. This night keeps getting worse by the minute; it’s good that I’m almost back to my entry point. I head back to the fence, where I can still hear the faint howls of laughter of the merchant boys.
I’m 30 yards from the fence when another clap of thunder roars overhead, loud enough to reverberate in my bones; people beyond the fence shriek. I’ve only taken a step forward when lightning strikes, and I know the storm is hot on my heels.
The chanting of the merchants is getting louder. I never thought I’d think this, but it’s a relief, knowing I can count on them to distract the patrols while I sneak back into the district.
They’re egging and heckling each other like a bunch of rowdy hoodlums.
“Go on! Ten coins says you won’t last a second!”
“I say fifteen, if he brings back proof he was there!”
Somebody belches loudly, making the rest giggle like school kids.
I roll my eyes and try to concentrate on finding my loose wire in the distance. I’m only a few feet away from the fence, but it’s dark and windy.
“Seeriouslee, though,” hiccups another, mispronouncing his words. “Gwhat should he…” hiccup, “bring?” Hiccup.
“Don’t know. A berry maybe,”
“Or a bear bite!” cackles another. They all laugh boisterously.
I wonder what they’re up to now. The fools! Don’t they know they should be running home for cover? The first raindrops are already falling.
“Fine! Okay…I’ll do it! But I wanna see all that money now!” slurs a voice I recognize, because I heard it calling me less than twenty minutes ago. “Pay up!”
No! Not him! I think, feeling my stomach drop. Whatever it is they’re doing, doesn’t sound very smart.
“Dis it?!” Peeta Mellark groans, “I’m taking all your money, so I can buy me a hen house! Dis not even ‘nough to buy me chicken feed!”
I hear grumbling nearby, and the clicking of metal, suspiciously similar to how coins sound falling on each other. I assume they’re shedding the rest of their money for Peeta to see.
“‘Kay…‘Kay…better now. Okay. Imma go now. Hold me money, Rye…and don’t spend any of it! I counted it… it’s me money! Don’t steal it, or I tell Lavender you were smooching girls a week before you got married!”
“Don’t you dare!”
“Don’t steal me money!”
“Fine!”
“Fine! And don’t tell father ‘bout dis either!”
Somebody yells, “Mellark, stop stalling!”
“Yeah! Get—“ hiccup, “on with it al—“ hiccup, “…ready!”
“Goin’, I’m goin’!” I hear a few murmurs.
I swear, Peeta Mellark! If you set foot in my woods, I’ll shoot you in the toes!
I’m close enough to the fence to see a few lights flicking close by, but then another thunder drums, with a lightning to boot, and the rain droplets fall heavier.
“Wait! White helmets!” hisses someone, and even I drop to the ground to hide.
“Evenin,’ officers!” says Peeta.
I can picture him in my mind’s eye, smiling the same way he used to in school when covering for one of his friends to the teachers.
“Evening? It’s almost nine o’clock, boys!” says a woman. I’m not quite familiar with her voice, but I can surmise she’s one of the peacekeepers on patrol. “Curfew starts in 30 minutes, and a storm’s on its way. I suggest you all head to your houses.”
“Yeah, we will finish pickin’ up our garbage and head right home, officer!” says Peeta, all polite and pleasant like.
“Very well. You better clear out by the time we return, or we’ll have you spend the night in a cozy cell at the Justice Building,” says a gruff male voice, most likely the second peacekeeper. “Now, get on with the cleaning, gentlemen.”
There’s a chorus of voices murmuring stuff like “Right away, sir!” and “Of course, officer.” A lot of movement and hushed conversations go on for a minute or so while I lay on my stomach like an idiot.
I can only assume the peacekeepers are out of earshot when Peeta exclaims happily, “Aight! I’m goin’ in!”
The others start fussing and protesting, talking over each other frantically: “You can’t go in!”, “Are you crazy?! You heard them, there’s a storm coming!”, “Stop being a damned hero, Mellark! You already showed us up, by speaking to Everdeen!”
Peeta calls out, “Guys! Shut up! She’s the reason I wanna go in there! She ain’t back yet!”
I frown.
“Everdeen? Dude, she’s probably stalking a deer or somethin’…she’s fine!” says who I believe is his brother.
“Well…but what if she needs help? Shouldn’t some’ne go get ‘er?” He sounds concerned and strangely hopeful.
My stomach does a strange little flip at Peeta’s words, and then I have to shake my head to stop myself from being grateful for his concern. Outside of my family, Peeta Mellark seems to be the only person in this entire district who cares about me.
“No! That girl’s half feral! All them wild things in the woods are probably more afraid of her than we are!” says Peeta’s brother.
I find myself nodding in agreement, but scowling at the same time, because I’m not feral! I just hunt and enjoy the respect— bordering on fear— people have for me.
It doesn’t matter, though! Right now I feel almost as silly as they sound, and I just want them to take Peeta home, so I can climb back into the district and go home myself.
“I’m still goin’ in!” I realize Peeta is looking for the spot I used to come into the woods, and I hear muttering and hissing trying to dissuade him from coming in, but he’s already pulling the wire the same way I did, and a moment later, he’s wiggling his broad frame under the fence like an inchworm rolling on salt.
“No!” I huff under my breath, scrambling to get up, to push him back in the other direction, but then somebody is whispering harshly.
“White helmets!”
I’m not even surprised to hear Peeta’s so-called friends run away then. Coward merchants the lot of them!
A thunder booms above us, and I see Peeta struggling to pull through under the flash of the lightning that follows. It’s a miracle the peacekeepers haven’t seen him, splashing in the muddy pool forming rapidly under his body.
“Ugh!” I finally find my feet and practically throw myself on top of his arms, to pull him in.
Peeta shrieks, startled by my sudden appearance, so I slap a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet.
“Hush! Or they’ll find us!”
I pull him further out from under the wire. He seems to realize what I’m trying to do and relaxes his muscles, letting me guide him forward while propelling himself with the toe of his boots.
There’s a bush just two feet away from us. I drag him with me on all fours and crouch behind it until the peacekeepers’ flashlights disappear.
“Hi!” says Peeta.
“Shush!”
“Sorry!” he whispers…loudly.
“Quiet!” I hiss, bringing a finger to my mouth, as if I was dealing with a toddler instead of a 20-year-old man.
“‘Kay,” he responds, this time in an actual whisper.
I still roll my eyes at him.
Thunder and lightning and cold, stabbing rain fall from the sky unrelenting.
“Listen, we can’t stay here too long; we need to crawl back into the district!” I tell him, peeking from behind our hiding spot to make sure we are alone. I can’t see very far ahead, but it’s obvious the meadow is empty now.
“What?!” he calls loudly.
“For goodness sakes!” I mutter in frustration. “We need to crawl back into the district, or we’re gonna drown out here!” I’m having to yell so he can hear me over the rain.
“Oh! O-kay!” he says, smiling beguilingly at me. “I came to get you!” he yells.
I look at him, trying to convey all the annoyance I’m feeling towards him right now with just my facial expression, but I guess the moonlight is so minimal he can’t see me, because all he does is smile back at me.
“You’re welcome!” he yells after a second in a self-satisfied tone.
“For what?” I snap.
“For rescuing you, of course!”
I stare at him, dumbfounded. “Rescuing— you… what?!” I screech.
More thunder and lighting make it impossible to keep doing this where we are. And thanks to the storm, it’s too risky trying to crawl under the fence, too. Negotiating Peeta’s humongous body back under the railings in these conditions is just calling for trouble; we’ll either get found by the peacekeepers— if they’re still patrolling— or get hit by lightning; after all, the fence is meant to conduct electricity and fry whatever touches it.
I’m lost in my head, thinking about our options at this point, when a bright flash cracks overhead, so strong, it makes everything look like it’s day time, and I fall back on my butt for how close Peeta’s face is to mine.
“What are you doing?” I rasp.
“Wow! Has anyone ever told you, you have freckles over the bridge of your nose?” He asks, placing his two paw-like hands on my shoulders, pulling me back onto my haunches. “From close up, your face is as pretty as the night sky with all its coteslations!”
“Hmm…no—nobody’s ever said…” I huff. “Come on. We can’t stay here.” I tell him, pulling him by the hem of his coat’s sleeve. “I think you meant ‘constellations’ by the way. Alcohol really messes up your speech, you know.”
I think he says something, but I’m not sure, since the storm is swallowing up all the sounds around us.
The going is slow, because we have to wait for lightning to illuminate our way, and once, I realized we were straying onto a different path from the place I have in mind. Plus, I have to keep trying to untangle myself from Peeta’s grasp, so I can feel around the way with my feet. Peeta talks too much…nonstop, and I think it’s mostly the alcohol talking, but ugh! Would it kill him to just be quiet for a second?!
He’s awfully clingy for such a big man. I mean, he’s grown a few inches since we were in school, and he used to be stocky and broad-shouldered, even as a teenager, on account of him being wrestling champion two years in a row, plus having to handle those heavy trays in the bakery and whatnot.
I forgot where I was going with this?
Anyway, I hope the alcohol clears his system soon. He seems like an overgrown puppy at times, the way he trails after me and touches the end of my braid, which I guess he might be using as some kind of leash or rope to tether himself to me. Surprisingly, I don’t find it as annoying as I should. In fact, I find the warmth of his fingers… reassuring.
“Stop!” I tell him, when I hear rustling nearby I know isn’t from the rain.
A wild dog jumps in front of us, and I curse loudly. I should’ve grabbed my bow on our way out here, but I didn’t want Peeta to see my hiding spot; not that he’ll remember how to get to it, but he was able to find my loose chain in the fence, so…
I think the dog is coming after us. But before I can tell Peeta to run, he pulls me flush with his chest and somehow lifts me over his head like I weigh nothing. The dog is momentarily confused, and I take the chance to chuck one of my rabbits past it. The dumb animal looks at us curiously, but after a second, loses interest and goes for the easier, smaller prey.
I just got reminded of how strong Peeta is.
“Thank you!” I call out when he lowers me back to his chest. “You can let go of me now. The dog’s gone, but there might be more around.”
Peeta nods. His blue eyes are wide and alarmed, his cheeks, ruddy with booze just a few minutes ago, are drained of color. “Alright!” he gasps, clearly shaken.
I grab his arm and squeeze, leading him away from the spot.
It’s times like these when I miss my old hunting partner, Gale Hawthorne; for starters, he would’ve had a bow on him…he would’ve shot and killed the dog. He would’ve had my back… but Peeta had my back this time, and he surely is no seasoned hunter, not even an outdoorsman, yet it was his quick thinking and sheer brute strength that saved my hide.
It’s also the reason Gale and I broke our partnership to begin with. Given the chance, he would’ve left Peeta stranded out here, instead of finding him shelter. But that’s his style, not mine, and Peeta has shown his worth twice tonight, inebriated as he is.
I release a sigh of relief when I see the opening of a burrow on the side of a small hill. It’s not truly a cave; it’s much too shallow to be called that, but, I found it about a year ago, and have been carving it out little by little for these kinds of emergencies, when I need shelter on the run, and the concrete little shack by the lake is too far, and I want to stay close to the fence, anyway.
“Oooh! Is this a cave? Is it abandoned? We ain’t gonna walk into some bear den or somethin’?” Peeta asks, bumping into my back when I stop to remove a few branches from the entrance of my little hiding spot.
“Get in!” I command him, and he obeys at once.
I take a few minutes to rearrange the branches at the mouth of the cave, just to keep the water from splashing inside, although we are soaked through our jackets.
“Sit,” I tell him, bumping into him again when I turn to feel round the wall of the cave for my provisions. The little hollow is only 5 ft wide by 6 feet deep, so there isn’t much room to wiggle for two people even if we were both my size.
Peeta has to hunch down as it is.
He’s quiet for the time being. My fingers touch the cool glass of the oil lamp I was feeling for, and right next to it, is a box of matches. I can finally breathe!
I make quick work of the lamp, and we are finally in better shape than we were a moment ago. Peeta blinks owlishly at the lamp, and I can tell he’s surprised, but blinded by the sudden light.
“Where are we?” Peeta asks in awe.
“It’s my emergency shelter,” I tell him, kicking a log from the back of the cave towards him. “Here, you don’t have to sit on the ground.” I tell him, watching him sitting almost directly in front of the entrance with his legs crossed.
“You have a shelter out here? I knew you were smart, but I didn’t know you were a genius!”
My cheeks heat up for some reason. “Nah. It’s just common sense. Too many experiences out there without one. Whatever. Intelligence has nothing to do with this, really.”
“So…do animals come in here?” he asks, turning his head around to study the place, not as nervously as before.
“No. It’s too small for a big animal’s den, and too big for a small critter’s burrow. It’s ‘me’ size because I’ve been digging it out little by little, and putting stuff in it for when I find myself in the same predicament we are in right now.”
Peeta shifts to his knees and slowly stands up, hunching a smidge, ‘cause the cave ceiling is too low for him. He lumbers to the log I offered him earlier and sits on it heavily.
“This place is great!” he states, looking at the crude shelving carved into the dirt where I keep the lamp, matches, a couple of cans of food I’ve agonized about leaving here because it feels like a waste, and things like spare arrowheads and fletchings; things that’d be useful in a pinch.
I have a knife hidden inside the very log Peeta’s sitting on, but I’m not about to divulge that secret. It’s my last line of defense, and since I don’t have my bow on me, I feel safer knowing there’s at least one weapon in the cave I can count on. I need to bring a bow here at some point; I just haven’t found a good way to camouflage…yet.
“Thank you,” I say quietly.
“Um, you can sit here,” says Peeta after a long moment passes in silence. “Plenty of room!” He motions to the log, scooting to free up some space.
It looks ridiculous, because there truly isn’t any room left on that log for me to sit. Peeta looks like a smushed rag-doll, sitting on a match box, and all the room he’s leaving next to him, is only big enough to accommodate a toothpick.
“It’s okay,” I tell him, with a reluctant smile. “I’ll stand for now.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, biting his lip guiltily.
“Yeah. Let me be a generous host.”
His face falls. “I’m sorry,” he rushes to say. “You wouldn’t have to be playing host in your lovely cave if it wasn’t for me. Sorry I was so stupid,” he says sheepishly, “I should’ve known you had it under control before I tried coming in after you.”
“Oh…it’s alright. It was…touching. All those things you said back there.” My cheeks are burning with embarrassment.
“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true,” he says, sounding almost sober.
Another long minute goes by in silence. “Was that a wolf out there?” he asks suddenly. “I didn’t know what to do. I thought about kicking it, but I was afraid it would mangle up my leg, and then I’d get blood poisoned and since medicine is hard to come by, I probably would’ve lost my leg, and I’m not sure I’d be able to master a fake one…unless it was like a Capitol grade thing with robotic nerve connectors and the such… I read some man in District 3 figured out how to make prosthetics that you can control with a chip implanted in your brain!”
I find myself laughing at his nonsense. And he seems to enjoy my laugh, because he keeps saying outrageous things, I can’t tell if he’s just making them up on the fly, or if he really read about them somewhere.
I slide against the wall after a while, until I’m crouching close to the wet floor. Our clothes cling to our bodies, but most of the water has leaked off of us already, which is good, since I can’t light a fire inside the cave.
“Are you hungry?” I ask him, interrupting his musings about how chewing gum is inherently evil, since we don’t have dentistry accessible in the districts. The boy really talks too much!
Peeta cranes his neck to glare at my game bag, which I recently placed by my feet.
“What do you have there?” He asks, interested.
“A rabbit. But we can’t eat that raw. We’d get sick with fever if we try. I wouldn’t recommend it,” I tell him. “But I have canned fruit we can share,” I offer.
He makes an agreeing noise at the back of his throat. “I could eat.”
“Fine. Um…close your eyes for a second. And don’t peek!” I chide.
As with everything else I’ve commanded today, Peeta obeys without questioning, and soon I’m darting my hand into the end of the log, retrieving my knife.
“Open your eyes,” I say.
“Where did you get that from?!” he screeches, staring open-mouthed at my knife.
“Secret compartment,” I deadpan.
“Well…I hope you’re not planning on stabbing me with that thing. That blade is bound to be dull now that you hacked into that can with it.”
“What does it matter if the blade’s dull?” I ask, exasperated.
“It’ll tear up my skin if you try stabbing me with it!” Peeta answers, arms moving in exaggerated arches, “I much rather get a clean cut through, thank you very much!”
What’s wrong with this boy?! He’s acting like discussing his own potential stabbing is an everyday thing.
“For your information, I’m pretty adept at sharpening things! And…Eww! Gross! Why would I wanna stab you?” I shudder. “I’m sorry, but I don’t do wounds, and I don’t do blood.” I pull a face, shivering.
“You kill things for a living!” He rolls his eyes in disbelief. “Why, the inside of your bag is covered in dried blood from those bunnies right now!”
“Animals! I hunt animals! I don’t do people’s blood and stuff…gross!”
“You’re kinda squeamish for such a lethal thing, aren’t ya?”
“Shut up and eat your pears!” I shove the open can into his hands, and he stares suspiciously at me for a minute before digging in.
Peeta moves over a few more inches, and the toothpick space widens to a Katniss’-rearside-size spot. This time, I take his offer gratefully and sit down next to him. He passes the can to me when he’s done.
“You know…this is the first time we’ve done something normal together,” he says, pensive.
“It’s the first time we’ve done anything together, Peeta, period!”
Peeta gasps, and there’s silence for a second. “You’re amazing!” He says, staring and blinking at me while I chew, as if I truly was some extraordinary sight to behold.
I scowl. “Why? Because I fed you canned food in a torrential storm in the middle of the woods?” I didn’t mean to sound so sarcastic.
“Yeah…” he says dreamily, then scowls, then shakes his head. “Nah! You’re just…amazing! Even my mother says that you’re a survivor and the only thing District 12 has of worth…a better version of Haymitch Abernathy!”
Haymitch Abernathy is District 12’s one, and only living, Hunger Games Victor. He’s also a grumpy hermit, and a drunk, and the richest person in the district. Like me, he was born in the miners’ sector, nicknamed the Seam. People say Haymitch used to be smart as a whip, and a looker too, but now he’s just a paunchy, middle aged man, with anger issues.
“Well, that’s not much of a compliment, is it?” I wrinkle my nose.
Peeta laughs, brushing his shoulder against mine…but that’s to be expected, he’s a giant after all, and the cave is practically a tall dresser.
“No, I guess it’s not. But father always gushes about your squirrels. Says you never hit the pelt. You always shoot them right through the eye!”
“Well, anyone can do that with enough practice.” I shrug.
Peeta snorts, and his knee presses against mine. “I wish I could do even half of the stuff you do. You’re an amazing hunter, and smart, and so pretty, and you can bring down deer, and the way you are with your sister…well, my big brothers have never been doting with me as you are with Primrose.” He sighs, looking at the flickering flame of the oil lamp. “You are something else!”
“I— that’s not…” I’m frustrated and embarrassed, so I snap, “I wouldn’t have been able to do, or be, any of those things without your help, so…there!”
He scoots closer to me. His body is strangely warm, even under the layers of wet clothes. There’s bewilderment in his blue eyes, and for some reason, I can’t look away from the way his hair is all matted to his forehead. He looks boyish. Kinda cute.
“What do you mean?” He asks in a small voice.
I chuff. “Well, it was like today,” I start, leaning back, averting my eyes. He smells of spirits, but weirdly enough, I’m not repulsed by the scent. “You called out to me in the meadow, and I was about to rip you a new one, but then I realized you were trying to help me. Then, you save me from a wild dog, by doing something as simple as lifting me over your head, like I weighed nothing.” I feel small, all of eleven years old, and the fact that I’m wet to the bone and cold to the marrow doesn’t help my case. My voice comes out tiny, “You fed me when we were kids. I’ve never been able to even thank you for that!” I purse my lips to keep them from trembling, and blink some 28 times to keep from crying.
Peeta sidles up against me. “Oh, Katniss,” he says low and reverently. I realize with a jolt, that it’s the first time he’s said my name. “You’re talking about the bread when we were kids?” His eyes glass over. “You can let that go now… after saving my ass tonight from the storm and the peacekeepers, I think you can count us even.”
“How can you say that?” I demand, “You keep saving me, and I don’t know why?!”
“Really?” he asks, cocking his head sideways, scrunching his face, and shutting one eye like he can’t quite see me clearly with both eyes open; his tone isn’t malicious, just surprised. “You know why…at least, I think you should,” he says, shrugging and leaning closer. “I thought you’d notice how all of my friends were roasting me because I finally said something to you, and all I said was something lame about Row Your Boat.” He chuckles. “Fifteen years I’ve been trying to pluck up the courage to talk to you, and when I finally do, I call you ‘ Hey, girl with the braid’ like an idiot!” He practically leans into me.
“Fifteen years?” I ask, bewildered.
“Yeah…” he trails off, his ears turning cherry red. “I seem to have harbored a crush on you since the first day of school, when we were five.” He slumps back against the wall, and suddenly I wish he was still draped over me, warming me up.
“Really?” I ask, because this story seems far-fetched.
“Oh yes! It’s a whole thing! Me being a goner from the moment I heard you singing that very first day…remind me to tell you all the gory details some day.”
“You betcha,” I say, amused.
“I’m sorry I’m such a dork, but hey! At least imma buy me some chickens to sell eggs, and save, to buy my father’s bakery one day, and then I’m gonna ask you out on a date or somethin’.”
“Uh— what? Really?!” I chuckle.
Peeta yawns. “Yeah, Imma take you somewhere nice for a picnic, like Victor’s Village or something, and I’m gonna bring good bread this time! None of that burnt, soggy crap I threw at you when we were kids, but real, freshly baked bread. With butter. And probably canned pears, ‘cause those are my favorites now!”
“Okay,” I tell him, not completely sure why I’m agreeing to this. After all, I decided a long time ago I was never getting married or having any children, at least, not as long as the Hunger Games loomed over me; I won’t be stringing Peeta along either. Gale accused me of doing just that once, which I don’t think I did? The accusation still stung.
Right now, it feels nice to think I could go on a date with this crazy merchant boy; and who knows?!
“Buttered bread sounds nice,” I say, sinking next to him.
“This is nice!” Says Peeta, sleepily, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
“Yeah…it is,” I agree, realizing just how steady and warm his arms are, even encased in wet clothing.
“Will you go out on a picnic with me, then?” He asks hopefully, yawning again. His eyes drooping with sleep.
“I think I might,” I tell him. I haven’t felt this safe in anyone’s embrace since my father died when I was 11 and I stopped trusting my mother. “I think I will,”
I’m beginning to think that the alcohol fumes clinging to Peeta have gone to my head, and left me as simple minded as all the intoxicated people back home, maybe I have it wrong, and Oktoberfest does have its charm, because despite myself, it feels right to indulge in that fantasy tonight. After all, Peeta was the only person in the district back then, that cared enough about me and my family dying of hunger, to do anything about it. He gave me bread he purposely burned for me, all he gained was a bruised eye from his mother, and my inability to repay his kindness, for his generous gesture.
“Good! Just a heads up, though, I’ll prolly propose to you at that picnic, ” he says. His eyes are already closed, and I roll mine in response. “What you think my odds are of you saying yes?” He snuggles up to me, his head falls onto my shoulder.
“The odds might be in your favor,” I tell him softly; I’m not so sure I say that to humor him, though. I am really tired, and sleeping in his arms does sound like a luxury right now, so I’m gonna blame it on the ‘Oktoberfest effect’ in the morning. Plead sleep depravation insanity or something. “Night, Peeta,”
He mumbles a response, which turns into a slow snore.
I close my eyes, smiling.
I’ll indulge in the drunken ramblings of Peeta tonight. Tomorrow is a new day, and if the saying is right, the sun shines brightest after a storm…maybe it’s time I bask in the rays.
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AR Ship Week - Fanwork Recs
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This is the fourth and last weekly post in the lead up to Alex Rider Ship Week. Only 1 week to go!
This week we’ve got a selection of shippy fanwork recs submitted by members of the AR fandom. Enjoy and hope to see you next week!
**Please note that I haven’t listed all the details for the fics so take care to read the tags on AO3 before diving in!
Yassen/Alex
Our Endless Numbered Days by Galimau
Just your run of the mill heartwarming look at the quiet beats of Alex and Yassen's relationship...after the apocalypse. Soft and sweet this fic focuses on the very still and quiet moments of two men at the end times trying to hold onto the things that bring them joy. It's an intimate view of what Alex and Yassen's life could be like of all their cares were quite literally wiped away - excellent world building and writing make this a must read.
Yalex art by Ireliss
Alex and Yassen in a lake! Everything about this picture is perfect - the light, the colours, the feeling of stillness... Probably the most beautiful picture of Alex and Yassen I've ever seen.
Sun Poisoning by fElBiTeR
Angsty, beautiful, slowburn soulmate fic with a twist on the usual tropes and gorgeous imagery
Twisting, Turning, Tumbling by ShiruyTheSecond
A glacially slow burn, road trip au, and sick fic all mashed into one fic, in non-chronological order based on 100 themes. I'd say this was one of the gateway fics into Yalex for me; there's nothing like reading a longfic you thought was gen and wishing it were slash, only for the realization to hit you in the face like a brick 50 something chapters later. Alex is on the run for a variety of reasons after a mission for MI6 goes spectacularly wrong, so he surprisingly finds himself leaning on Yassen for help, experincing whumpage along the way. Absolutely delicious.
Specific Performance by BurntWhisper
Alex is a good spy, good enough that SCORPIA has tasked Yassen with killing him. Yassen can't do that but he can give Alex a very...enthusiastic going away present even Alex hasn't been a very good boy. It's a fun look at Alex and Yassen's first fling with callbacks to the original gen fic. That hits every perfect note and hits a few other things too.
Interlude by Suzie_Shooter
Incredibly soft and fluffly Yalex that ends with an unexpected top!Alex and bath sex. Will absolutely warm your heart the way it does mine every time I read this fic.
Medicine by Suzie_Shooter
The other fic in response to the prompt of "Alex is given a serum that makes him feel good when he tells the truth" except this one is praise kink while the other is humiliation kink! Specifically focused on a smoking hot blowjob and Alex's reluctance turned enthusiam, plus, there's a second chapter, just in case one dose of the antidote isn't enough.
One Year by BurntWhisper
The slowest of slow burns featuring Alex and Yassen on the run from MI6, SCORPIA and their own feelings. Covering 3 months of their life on the run this fic features action as well as the slow, quiet moments where the budding relationship can truly shine through and behind it all the intelligence world continues to grind on threatening to take their happiness with it. It's a beautiful fic with strong, detailed writing and the emotional weight that it deserves.
Midnight Smoke by Hijja
If you're in the mood for darker fics with plenty of Yassen hurting Alex complete with violence and heavy dubcon, Hijja has you covered. This particular fic features a mission-type premise with Alex being sent to investigate a spate of teen abductions only to be captured. Yassen is there, and he has his own goals...
Hello Alex by anonymous
Fanart: a reunion hug between Yassen and Alex.
Face The Truth by capeofstorm
Alex is given a serum that makes him feel good when he tells the truth. Yassen is absolutely a man to take advantage. Recced by Suzie_Shooter
Lights Out by Suzie_Shooter
Yassen and Alex left tradecraft behind for a new life in the Greek islands. Ten years on, their relationship is still going strong and they've become island locals, the proprietors of a sailing club and a windsurfing business. Their idyllic life is disrupted by a new threat that wants them dead. I just love the premise of Yalex riding off into the sunset and not looking back. This fic not only has suspense, action, hot sex, and the intimacy borne of ten years...but once you're done, there are two excellent sequels and a prequel to lap up!
Villa in the Sun by BoldAsBrass
A multi-chapter story within a story as Yassen and Alex keep in touch over the phone through a tale of a Russian bodyguard's encounters with a young English man. This is so cleverly done and beautifully written; I could re-read it and re-read it (in fact, that's exactly what I've done).
Sting in the Tail by Suzie_Shooter
With the world hanging in the balance, MI6 presses an imprisoned Yassen into service. They use Alex to convince him, but also a nasty "sting in the tail" incentive to guarantee results. A thrilling Yalex mission!fic where Yassen and Alex forge their trust in each other by facing mortal danger and saving the world together. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, eating up the slow burn and wondering how on earth they were going to succeed with all the obstacles Scorpia and MI6 threw in their way.
Rarely Pure And Never Simple by fElBiTeR
Non-con > dub-con > fuck-yes-con speedrun. Recced by Suzie_Shooter
Just Say I Do by Nanimok
I'm possibly biased because this was written for me, but 'woke up married' is a great trope and this is both snarky and adorable. Recced by Suzie_Shooter
Open Invitation by Suzie_Shooter
After Ian's death in TV 'verse, fifteen-year-old Alex is living alone in a depressive, self-destructive spiral. He realizes someone is watching him at home...and decides to give them something more compelling to watch. I am squicked out by creepers, but the characterizations tackle the thorny elements head-on: Yassen's mixed feelings and understated pursuit tactics are 100% believable, as is Alex's volatility; he's alternately confused, provocative, and defiant. Exhibit A:“Does that make you a victim, or a slut?” The question came casually, but it had the unexpected sting of a slap. Alex blinked. “What, I can’t be both?” he countered after a second. Plot ensues, because how can a relationship possibly form from such a premise? Mind the tags (you might trip into your next kink because the sex is mind-blowingly hot).
Flirting with Danger by BoldAsBrass
Basically THE gateway fic into Yalex for me - short and sweet, snappy narration and dialogue, a sleekly dangerous Yassen and Alex who might be a skilled, pragmatic adult but quickly realises he's in over his head. Sprinkle in a bit of dubcon and scorching hot writing and you get this perfect fic.
Burning a Dead Man's Fingertips by GreenQueenofClubs
Multichapter slow burn, MI6!Yassen AU - an excellent premise done extremely well and feels fresh and new, balancing mission-style fic with character development! The dynamic between Yassen and Alex is somewhat different here compared to most Yalex fics as they don't meet until Alex is an adult; a really intriguing glimpse into what could have been...
A Little Pat Down by Nanimok
Airport security can be frustrating at the best of times but couple it with being edged like none other by an assassin turned security guard and it can really be a pain in the ass. A filthy but extremely well written premise. Crack taken seriously is this author's strong suit so not a single one of their works will steer you wrong.
Yalex Ballet AU by anonymous
Yalex ballet AU with absolutely gorgeous imagery and slow burn. Fluid prose and in the background, the shadows of past histories and things unsaid.
Gentleman's Agreement by Valaks
Yassen and Alex have a "gentleman's agreement" for handling their business in the field. No one ever said anything about parent-teacher conferences. Claims to be gen, but deserves a place on this list for subtle genius alone, because with lines like "Like a fine wine, Alex Rider was improving with age" and "How interesting that Alex Rider would be that interested in his hands", what are we supposed to think....? UST in all caps is the best description.
Salty the Sweat on my Fingertips by Galimau
A fun little romp of Alex visiting Tom and having to call his overly protective boyfriend? because he's pregnant and everything hurts. Beautifully written, this fic explores the ending of Oceanbreeze7's Moonfish and follows the extremely creative monster biology to its logical conclusion of Alex getting knocked up.
Slipping Through My Fingers by Nanimok
This kink meme fill hits in all the right places as we watch through the eyes of a very jealous Julius as Yassen gives Alex all the attention he needs. The writing is, as always, on point and the characterization of Julius gets absolutely nailed (almost as much as Alex). Julius/Alex, Yassen/Alex
Other
Miss Julia by DantesThird
Very creepy and traumatic noncon but really believable with Julia Rothman's obsession with John Rider. Alex/Julia Rothman
gone loose inside the shell by cyanides
Fantastic messed-up fic where Julius keeps fantasising about killing Alex, but then the fantasies take a different turn. The possessive 'If I can't have you no-one can' dynamic really encapsulates the ship for me, and the fic stuck in my mind afterwards. Alex/Julius
smoke haze by Ireliss
Dubcon, gun kink. A really intriguing and quite dark exploration of a young Yassen's situation with Scorpia and his very complex relationship with Hunter. John/Yassen
Our Settling Bones by Galimau
A multi-chapter slow burn focused on a former assassin who has lost everything...and Yassen Gregorovich. The tension is off the charts and the characerization is on point. Everything you could want from the rarest of pairs. John Wick/Yassen
Lemniscate by Ireliss
A look at what awaits Yassen when he arrives back at Scorpia after killing Vladimir Sharkovsky. This is deliciously dark as well as being entirely plausible. The sensory descriptions are fantastic. Yassen/Julia Rothman
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Rudy/Tony and Fam during Quarantine
Cause this is where my life is at, apparently. I thought I escaped the “quarantine fever writing” that everyone else got. Apparently I was wrong.
After another visit to the castle, the Thompson’s end up there in quarantine once miss rona hits the world. Thank god for WI-FI and working remotely, even if his parents look vaguely like zombies due to time zone differences. Tony can’t talk, his online schooling schedule is all sorts of weird and he’s pretty sure his teacher just wants to sleep until the whole thing is over. Honestly Tony can’t say he blames her.
The Sackville-bagg clan, as it turns out, is a surprisingly overprotective bunch when they need to be, especially now that they have accepted their humans into the fold. Even with catching up on modern medicine and germ theory, they won’t allow anything to happen to their precious humans.
(AU/headcanons incoming??
Rudy/Tony:
- Think Rudy was protective before? Think again.
- Rudy is over 300 years old, he’s old by human standards and he has met people who are old by vampire standards. He’s seen Things(TM) ok?
- He has been through more than one plague in his life. He has seen what it can do to the sick and the poor. He knows it’s a different now, that life-saving machines exist, that they’re working on a vaccine, that soap is widely available.
- But he also knows it’s not.
- Tony? Not going anywhere as far as he is concerned. Say hello to your prince, Rapunzel, cause Rudy is keeping Tony up in that tower if it kills him (again).
- He knows where all of Tony’s masks are, and where he puts the extras.
- He’ even shops online for masks with Tony, finding cool hand-sewn, gothic looking ones for Rudy himself to wear. He’s not sure if Corona even effects vampires, but Tony likes finding stuff to match his “aesthetic’ and it keeps his mortal happy.
- He waits on his mortal hand and foot in between videogames and watching Netflix. (Tony likes How to Train Your Dragon and Paranorman, Rudy likes The Little Prince and Kubo and the Two Strings.).
- Rudy’s first introduction to Tumblr is through Tony, and at one point they reach the Plague Doctor Aesthetics. While Rudy hasn’t spent much time in Italy, he doesn’t think they’re very accurate, and complains as such to his mortal.
- Rudy is surprisingly easily offended about historically inaccurate things, and it sends Tony into laughing fits.
- Rudy is Bad At Memes. Like, just in general he doesn’t always get them, and when Corona Memes become a thing he’s just constantly confused. Poor Rudy honestly.
- Tries to learn to cook healthy human food, except he hasn’t had any major kitchen experience in 200-odd years and it comes out as a disaster the first few times he tries it.
- It turns into a teaching session between him and the other adult humans, turns out the old couple who owns the castle like to feed people. Rudy walks into Tony’s room with a tray piled so high Tony can’t see his head.
-Always offering to fly around the castle to get things for Tony, even if he isn’t sick.
- TikTok dances. Tony shows him, then teaches him. Rudy is shockingly good at them, but Gregory thinks he’s cringy.
Gregory:
(Not me flexing my love of the good big brother trope, absolutely not, nope)
- Surprisingly rather take charge about the whole thing, he’s come around to the Thompson’s and the old couple.
- While his parents help when they can, they sort of take a step back, and let the three siblings explain what’s happening in the world to the clan (if they are there). Being the oldest, Gregory sort of defaults to being the leader.
-Checks in with the Thompson’s, as well as Otto and Emma (The old couple who run the place.) Asks if they need anything while they work/are in school etc.
- Warns the clan to be very careful when visiting, not just for the Thompson’s, but also because Otto and Emma are getting on in years and could become sick very easily. Always asks for a heads up before a family visit.
- Won’t tell anyone but, late at night if he’s not busy, he’ll do things around the castle for the humans, especially upkeep for Otto and Emma, while they sleep.
- Dusting hard to reach spots like chandeliers, organizing books in the old castle library, moving heavy furniture and stuff since he can fly.
-Low key drags Rudy and Anna into helping him clean
(”But Gregory, this is our home now too! I’m sure they don’t mind.”
“Humans are fragile, and they’re letting us stay here out of kindness, so don’t be rude. Clean up after yourself little brother.”
“He’s right you know.”
“Of course I am. And don’t think you’re getting out of cleaning the rafters Anna, and stop leaving your books everywhere for them to pick up.”
‘hmph.” )
- Of the vampires he’s lowkey the best at cooking human food. Tony, Rudy, and Anna just walk into the kitchen at night and Fredrick is just watching his eldest, genuinely amused, as he dances around the kitchen in a “Kill the Cook (Too late, I’m already dead)” apron, blasting out dad rock from the stereo.
-Bonds with the Thompsons over cooking human food, especially Tony’s dad after he teaches Gregory what an “air guitar” move is.
-Gregory discovers pinterest food aesthetics, and is a machine of baking, mixing, and decorating sweet candies/cakes/brownies. He wants his food to look pretty dang it.
- Anna and Rudy just watch, silently judging him.
Anna:
- She’s just thriving tbh.
- She has internet access now, and her brothers have never been more terrified.
-If Gregory is the vampire equivalent of a pinterest mommy, Anna is the vampire equivalent of creepy diy aesthetic tiktokers.
-Not like, bloody horror diy, but like, the subtly creepy but still sweet kind, like the Addams family or Coraline.
- She learned needle arts with her mom, so she’s out here sewing Coraline dolls, or patchwork dresses a la Nightmare Before Christmas cause she CAN.
-Makes her own handbag with those felt cartoonish vampire faces and big fake bat ears on the side.
-Learns more modern patterns and stuff, but will make masks for the humans as gifts, cause she doesn’t want them to get sick.
- After watching Coraline together, she made “Other Me” dolls of her brothers, button eyes included, and stuck them in their coffins. She would make them “move’ by flying them around to different rooms when her brothers weren’t looking, just to freak them out.
- Spoiler alert: it worked. They ran to Tony for help and she laughed over it for days.
- Anna loves adventure books to Rudy’s poetry and Gregory’s fables/folk tales. She hates being excluded from her brothers “adventures”.
-Tony introduces her to comics and video games and she just lives her best life.
-One of her favorite comic book character is Cassandra Cain/Blackbat/The Orphan.
- She loves books like Matilda, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Giver, as well as games like the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider series.
-VICIOUS at video games, this girl has no mercy, she will blue shell you so hard.
The Adults:
-Life is Hard(TM) right now, but the Thompson’s try to make the best of it. They’re very grateful to Otto and Emma for letting them stay.
-They’re both working remotely, so they’re a little messed up sleep schedule wise. But that’s ok, their vampire friends don’t seem to mind.
- Freda teaches Dottie how to make proper tea, cause she likes it and Dottie is sort of addicted to caffeine. Dottie teaches Freda how to make mochas and smoothies, Dottie likes mango-pineapple smoothies and Freda likes hot white chocolate mochas with cinnamon.
-Surprisingly, Frederick and Bob become pretty good friends. Frederick understands the stress of having to care for your family in very uncertain times, and the two men bond over unsure parental decisions.
-Bob is also surprisingly good at making Frederick loosen up, much to Freda and Dottie’s amusement. While initially awkward, they have a surprisingly snarky and sarcastic sort of friendship. Frederick deadpans insults at him and Bob cheerfully annoys him into Being Nice For Once while being completely aware of the fact that he’s annoying Frederick.
-Meals where Bob cooks often consists of him singing oldies into his spatula, making bad impression of certain singers, including Elvis and Cher. He is occasionally joined by Tony and Gregory, making the entire family laugh.
- Anna’s bones may be old, but she can hand sew like a goddess, and has occasionally taken to fixing up the kids’ torn clothes, as Dottie can barely keep straight lines and Freda prefers knitting.
- Someone (read: Freda) mentions that Frederick can play the cello, and after a rousing performance, it turns out that Otto can play an accordion, and of course Bob can play the guitar. A jam session occurs as the kids just stare in utter bewilderment.
- Tony’s grandparents were kinda hippies, so Bob and Dottie know a lot of oldies and folk songs, which while different than from what they normally hear, Otto and Anna connect too. They swap songs back and forth, and it turns out Dottie can do a mean Loretta lynn impression.
- Dottie likes the Beach Boys, and teaches the others how to Twist. As in, the dance, and Freda actually likes it quite a bit.
#the little vampire 3d#the little vampire#TLV#rudolf sackville-bagg#gregory sackville-bagg#anna sackville bagg#tony thompson#quarantine#is fever writing a thing???#I think it is#This is fever writing#Forgive me fandom for I have sinned
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Laughter filled the living room, bouncing off the walls and settling in Adi’s ears. He shook his head as he washed the dishes from lunch. The smile he felt gracing his lips was natural, but…
“Fuck you, asshole. It wasn’t my idea to fu…”
“Tuki!” Adi shouted, running to the living room. “Dane.” The name came out as a growl as he wildly pointed to the giggling boy sitting on the floor.
The merman had the decency to blush before running a hand through his hair. He turned and whispered meekly, “I’m sorry, Adi.” Looking at the boy, he spoke a little louder. “Why don’t you take Gus outside and play awhile?”
“But Tutu!” Dane cried, clearly not wanting to miss stories from the older man’s past. He didn’t bother looking at Adi, instead keeping his puppy dog eyes on the man he thought would cave first. When the merman only shook his head, the boy sighed. “Come on, Gus. Let’s go.”
The door barely shut behind Dane when a booming laugh filled the silence. Adi watched as Tuki reached across the couch and pushed their guest. “Shut the fuck up,” he growled before laughing himself. The two only laughing harder as time passed.
Shaking his head, Adi returned to the kitchen. The jovial nature of the other’s conversation teasingly followed him. He tried to tune them out as finished cleaning the dishes before idly wiping down the nearby surfaces. It did no good as he seemed to be a glutton for punishment. His eyes continually flicked in the direction of the living room each time it’s occupants grew loud. Eventually, he gave up the pretense and leaned back against the counters.
Closing his eyes, he sighed. Adi wasn’t sure quite what he expected when Tuki told him Jordan was coming for a visit. He knew the two men were close, though the merman would say they were just old coworkers. Tuki didn’t have any friends, or so he said. Watching the two all day, Adi would call him on that lie. Jordan just might be Tuki’s Kasey.
Except they were also ex-lovers. The stupid little voice in his head reminded him. The little green eyed monster was having a field day with Adi’s emotions, gleefully pointing out that fact over and over again.
It also filled Adi’s head with visions of the two men: Jordan driving Tuki crazy as he kissed the small of his back. The merman curling around the bigger man as he hummed his mermadic tune.
The blonde growled and shook his head. He wasn’t blind to Tuki’s past. He had heard all about the one night stands and brush offs the older man had experienced. And it wasn’t like Adi had saved himself for the merman, though why he was foolish enough to lose his virginity to James is a thought for another day.
He was pulled from those thoughts as he felt arms wrap around him. Opening his eyes, Adi saw his boyfriend smiling down at him.
“What are you doing in here?”
“Just cleaning up,” the blonde said, picking up the discarded damp rag and slipping from the other man’s arms.
Tuki reached out and pulled him back. “It’s already clean in here. Come out with us. Jordan and I were thinking about taking Dane down to the park to skate around a bit.”
The blonde shook his head. He was not quite ready to go back out there and watch the two men joke about their past. “Go ahead without me. I’ve got a few things I should work on here. I need to figure out dinner, plus my editor emailed me earlier…”
“Your editor can wait and we can grab dinner while we’re out. Maybe even give Kasey a call and have her meet us.” The merman grabbed Adi’s arms, pulling him close again. “Come on.”
“Tuki…”
“Adi…” the merman playfully copied him.
Sighing, the younger man conceded. “Okay. Okay. Fine.” He placed the rag back on the counter. “Can we at least lay off the stories about the men you’ve fucked.”
Oops.
Tuki’s eyes widened as Adi’s hand quickly covered his mouth. That had come out a little more snarky than he intended.
“Oh!” The merman exclaimed, drawing out the word. “Is that why you’ve been hiding in here? You’re jealous.”
“Am not.” Adi tried to cross his arms and step away, but his boyfriend wouldn’t let go of his hand. Though he tried, the blonde wasn’t able to shake him loose.
“Adi…” the merman whispered. He bent his head, burying it into the shorter man’s neck. A soft hum filled the air and Adi felt himself relaxing. Damn Tuki and his fighting unfairly. He knew his weakness.
“What the fuck is that sound?”
Adi quickly opened his eyes and looked towards the dining room. Their guest stood with his mouth open and wide eyes.
“Fuck off, Jordan.” Tuki growled. He never lifted his head, but the mermadic call grew silent.
“Holy shit. That came from you? How?”
This time, the merman lifted his head. His eyes pinned on the other man. “I swear, Jordan. You’ve got two seconds…” Taking the hint, the man backed out of the room and out the front door.
Adi looked up, shock clearly written on his face. “He’s never heard it?”
“Hmm?” Tuki turned back to look at the man in his arms.
“Your call. He’s never heard your song?”
“No. Why would he?”
Adi’s mouth opened and closed as he tried to put his thoughts into words. Seeing him struggle, Tuki cupped his cheek.
“He’s never heard it because he was never meant to hear it.” He paused as a slight blush filled his cheeks. “If you asked dad, he'd say ‘It’s only meant for those that make us most content’ or some shit like that.” The merman shrugged, unable to continue.
Adi didn’t need him to, understanding what he left unspoken. Clearing his throat, he whispered. “So maybe I was a little jealous…”
“Ha! I knew it.”
“You have no room to talk,” the blonde said, pointing his finger at Tuki. “Need I remind you of that scene you pulled last week?”
“That fucker started it,” he growled. “Fucking Dick. Running his mouth like normal…”
Adi shook his head as Tuki continued to grumble under his breath. The two walked out of the house to join Dane and Jordan. So maybe Tuki and the other man shared a past, but Adi had something no one else had.
This little prompt (Fluff #5) was requested by @fataleromeo from this list. Thank you sweet friend for always encouraging me and giving me an excuse to write. lol. 💖
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I absolutely loved the gerudo story a lot! If you are still taking ideas/suggestions may you please continue on with wild telling them about the others? I liked medoh and the rito the most lol but any will be awesome I loved how happy wild and the others were while hearing the story of Riju and nabrois.. thanks 💚💜
Thank you for your kind words! I turned this into a series on my AO3 (queenofliterature) since it has gotten multiple requests. I hope you enjoy and your cosplay is super cool!
“Pleeeeeease!” Wind continued to beg Wild over dinner. It had been a couple of days since Wild told the story about his time with the Gerudo, and Wind was desperate for Wild to tell more, as he had made very clear. Since the first story, they had traveled to Twilight’s Hyrule, although no villages were close enough to get to tonight.
“Dear Hylia. Wild please tell him another story before he explodes.” Legend yelled from across camp.
“Wind, Wild doesn’t need to tell us anything else if he doesn’t want to.” Time lectured Wind, who was attached to Wild’s back, arms wrapped around him like a stationary piggyback ride. Wild didn’t find himself minding. Ever since he had returned Wind’s hug the first night he told a story, the kid had seemed comfortable with attaching himself to Wild like he would Hyrule and Warriors. It was surprising at first, but Wild got used to it, and kinda liked it.
“Um that’s okay. I can tell more stories. I just don’t want them to be boring or anything. There’s no more dressing as a woman and seducing people for items or sneaking into Yiga bases.” Wild joked although he was slightly nervous about his other stories not measuring up.
“But you still have three more divine beats to go right?” Sky voiced curiously.
“And your fight against Ganon!” Warriors called.
“And all your crazy ideas along the way!” Hyrule finished as the rest of the group laughed, Wild included.
“Okay, just let me pass out dinner.”
Once again, the group was all gathered around the campfire, eyes on Wild. Wild still found it intimidating, but it was far less scary this time.
“Well… I guess I could tell you about the Rito?” There were some questions and confused murmurs among the group, except Wind, who lit up at the mention of the birds who lived on Dragon Roost Island.
“You have Rito in your Hyrule too?” Wind questioned excitedly.
“Yeah I do. Do the rest of you not?” There were ripples of no’s throughout the camp.
“Oh, well they’re basically really big, talking birds? That might be an offensive way to describe them. They’re like Zora are to fish I guess.” Wild stated awkwardly. He didn’t really expect to have to explain what a Rito was.
“I can just show you!” Wild remembered he had a picture of Kass and his children on his slate. When they first saw the Sheikah Slate, all five of the girls had crowded around him and demanded to see it. When they saw the photo rune, they wanted him to take a picture of them and their mother and father. He told them he had no way to let them have a copy or anything, but they just wanted to be with him in his travels. It was a very sweet sentiment and Wild absolutely loved that picture.
“Oh wow, you weren’t kidding about them being giant birds.” Hyrule commented when Wild flipped his slate around for them to see.
“They look a bit different from the Rito from my Hyrule but that’s kinda been a common theme among all of us.” Wind noted.
“They’re very nice and welcoming people.” Wild confirmed as he put the slate back on his hip. “When I first got to the village, I had to walk up a whole bunch of bridges that just kept getting higher and higher. The Rito were really upset and worried, since the Divine Beast, Vah Medoh, was causing chaos and shooting anyone down that flew up too high.” Wild remembered the ear-piercing screech that greeted him when he first arrived. All of the Divine Beasts had a call, but none were quite like Medoh’s.
“Oh no that’s awful! The Rito love to fly! Was anyone hurt?” Wind questioned, genuinely concerned for the villagers.
“Unfortunately yes. Some men went up to try and defeat Medoh, but one got shot down and hurt his wing, his name is Harth. He’s alright now. The Rito that went with him, Teba, got him to safety and was planning to face Medoh once again. I spoke with the chief of the village, named Kaneli. He’s very kind, and he has a very deep and hearty laugh.” That was one thing about Wild the group had noticed. He always remembered odd or specific details of people. It may be connected to his loss of memory, but that was simply the person he was. He wanted to get to know as many people as he could and help them when needed.
“So do any of the leaders know that you’re the hero from 100 years earlier?” Four questioned. He really hoped he wasn’t crossing a line by asking, he was just truly curious.
“It kinda depends. The Zora live to be centuries old, so most of them knew me, well… the old me.” Wild stated uncertainly. The rest of camp knew Wild’s struggles with his past self, almost seeing him as a different person than the one they knew now. They were slightly curious about what Wild was like before. They would never trade Wild for anything, but it would be interesting to see how much he had changed. Twilight, who was sitting on Wild’s left, put a gentle hand on his shoulder, while Legend scooted a little closer on Wild’s right, almost unnoticeable to everyone but Wild.
“The Gorons didn’t care all that much, just as long as I could board Rudania. Riju knew that I was friends with Urbosa, or that she at least sent me. And the Rito thought I was the champion’s descendant.” Some snickers left the group at that.
“Hey, I tried to tell him it was really me, but I didn’t have the Master Sword yet. Even then, I’m not sure if he would have believed I was the actual champion, but he was worried for his people. He asked me to help them with the Divine Beast since I was the only one who could board it.”
“Why are you the only one who can board it?” Warriors asked.
“Well, I don’t have a solid answer for you, but it’s because I’m the Hylian Champion.” Wild answered. There wasn’t a scientific answer he could really give, that’s all he really knew.
“Wait, since you’re a champion, do you have a Divine Beast too?” Hyrule exclaimed, eyes shining with anticipation and mischief. Oh Hylia, if WIld had one of those things and he and Hyrule teamed up... Please say no, please say no, please say-
“Well, sorta.” Wild rubbed the back of his neck as gasps (and some groans) arose around him. “It’s very small, smaller than a horse. But it has two wheels and it’s faster than anything I’ve ever ridden. It’s loud though and has to be powered by materials. I’ll show you when we get back to my Hyrule, I’ve tried summoning it here and it doesn’t work.” Wild wished he had a picture of it, but he would show them the real thing soon.
“That sounds amazing!” Surprisingly Hyrule didn’t yell this, but Legend did. He blushed, realizing how loud it was. The rest of the group chuckled. Legend could pretend to be snarky and cool all he wanted, he was such a nerd for new items.
“It really is. I can run over so many monsters, and jump off so many cliffs without getting hurt! And it goes over pretty much any terrain! I just have to be careful not to fall backward down a hill or something. But that doesn’t happen often and-” Wild rambled on, oblivious to the look of horror on Twilight’s face.
“Um, Cub. We love hearing about your Hyrule but… I think you’re going to give Twilight a heart attack.” Time teased, looking at his protege’s face.
“Hehe. Whoops.” Wild laughed, the rest of the heroes joining in, except for Twilight of course who simply glared at his mentor.
“Anyway.” Wild continued, still giggling a little. “The elder sent me to Teba’s wife and child, who begged me to go to the Flight Range and stop him. She said that I could just jump off the Revali’s Landing, a platform named after the Rito Champion from a hundred years ago.”
“Did you remember him at this point?” Sky questioned reluctantly. Like Four, he was nervous about crossing a line.
“I actually remembered him when I looked at the landing.” Wild’s eyes grew slightly distant. “Revali was a complete and utter asshole.” There were surprised huffs of laughter from around the group. That certainly wasn’t what they were expecting. “But… I understood why.” Wild stared into the fire. “He was hurting I think. I got to read his journal and he worked really hard to develop Revali’s Gale, the wind I use now. He worked to become the best archer and protect his village. And then, some random Hylian kid comes and takes the Master Sword and becomes the princess’ appointed knight. He always taunted me, kinda telling me that I was only getting to fight Ganon because of the sword, while he had to sit in his Divine Beast. But I got the sword when I was twelve, and my training started long before that from what I can remember. And I don’t - I don’t think I ever wanted that.” Wild’s breathing hitched the tiniest bit. Not enough to be noticed by anyone who didn’t know him, but this group knew him well.
Twilight instantly pulled him into a hug, and Wild didn’t fight it. He didn’t cry or feel a huge panic coming on, but the hug felt nice all the same.
“It sucks that Revali went through that Wild.” Warriors stated, smiling at the teen gently. “But that is not your fault. You didn’t choose the sword, the sword chose you.” Wild nodded from where his head was on Twilight’s shoulder, before pulling himself away gently. Meanwhile, Time cursed Hylia in his mind, again. Twelve… He understood there was a fight coming, he really did, but this boy was only twelve. No, he was younger when he was forced into training. Wild mentioned to Time when talking about Mipha that he traveled there with knights as a child. He was a child. He still was a child… Time pulled himself out of his own head. There was no changing Wild’s past. That was over one hundred years ago. They could help him now.
“I’m sorry, Wild.” Wind sighed out. “I didn’t mean to bring out bad memories.”
“You didn’t, bud.” Wild reassured. “Sometimes memories just come into my head, even if I’ve seen them before. I wouldn’t tell you if I didn’t trust you.” That halted the camp entirely. Wild had made a lot of progress in trusting them, but they were happy to hear him say it. Before they could dwell too much on what Wild said, he continued his story.
“So anyway, I talked to Harth, the Rito that broke his wing, and a couple of other Rito. Including the girls you all saw in the picture. They’re Kass’ daughters!” Wild stated excitedly. He told them previously about Kass and how much he adored hearing his songs. Wind once asked Wild to sing one, but he blushed a bright red and furiously refused. Wind bet Wild had a pretty voice and he was just embarrassed about it…
“Their mother was worried sick for her children, along with the other parents in the village, and the children were all disappointed they couldn’t fly and play. Well one didn’t want to go to singing practice, but I still had to get the Divine Beast under control as fast as possible. So I bought the Snowquill Set that keeps you really toasty and rushed to the Flight Range to help Teba. When I got there, Teba said he didn’t need any help but I insisted. So he told me that he would challenge my archery skills.” The group leaned in, what sort of test? “He made me shoot five targets in three minutes with my paraglider.” Wild stated in a deadpan voice. The boys froze, then burst out laughing. Wild could shoot three arrows at once, sometimes five with the proper bow! Five targets in three minutes were nothing! Wild chuckled along with the group. He wasn’t arrogant with his archery, but five targets in three minutes was a little too easy. He expected Teba to continue challenging him, but he never did.
“So he gave me some bomb arrows and told me to jump on his back, we were gonna go defeat the Divine Beast.” Wild continued.
“Woah wait, already? Didn’t the other Divine Beasts take you a little time to get too?” Warriors questioned.
“Well Naboris took a little more time since the Yiga clan were causing trouble, but there was nothing else I could do to prepare.” Wild shrugged. “So we flew up into the clouds, Vah Medoh was huge up close! It had a giant courtyard type structure on its back! And it could shoot lasers and had a shield around it! So while Teba distracted it, I used the updrafts to shoot at all four points the shield was powered by. Unfortunately, Teba got grazed by the lasers. He was okay, but he had to land. So I started the puzzles in Vah Medoh. They were so fun! There was one where I had to get in this ride on a track and tilt the beast so I got to ride to the other side! And I was so high up!” Wild continued rambling on about the puzzles he had to solve.
The other boys in the group smiled softly. One of the reasons they enjoyed Wild telling stories was because of how excited he would get while telling the parts that didn't haunt him. The others sometimes struggle with Wild’s Hyrule because of the ruins of the structures they know, but Wild truly loved it, which made sense, it was just like the hero who came from it, wild and untamed.
“So finally all the puzzles were done and all the terminals were unlocked, and the main control unit was unlocked. Like the others, when I put my slate up the control unit, a Ganon Blight came out. This time it was Windblight Ganon. He was easier than the others, but still hard. He could summon tornados! And I had to rely on arrows a lot since he flew out where I couldn’t reach him. But eventually, I got his health down enough for the final blow. When I activated the main control unit, Revali appeared.” Wild smile became bittersweet like it did when he talked about any of his friends from one hundred years ago. “He teased me again, but this time, it seemed more friendly and less bitter. He gave me Revali’s Gale so I wouldn’t always have to rely on cliffs and high places for my paraglider. I went back to see Harth and Teba, and they and their families were fine! The elder thanked me a lot and gave me Revali’s old bow. It’s in my house with the rest of the champion’s items. I used them against Ganon. A little bit to avenge the other champions. You know?” Wild looked to find them all staring at him. “Uh… The end?” Wild ended awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. The rest of the group seemed to snap out of it. Wild was amazing. And highly intelligent. His stories of battles and puzzles and shrines only proved that. Once again, just like when he ended the first story, Wind crashed into Wild and knocked the breath out of his lungs.
“You’re a great storyteller Wild!” Wind cried happily.
“The sailor’s right, Cub.” Twilight smirked, but the kind look in his eyes betrayed his teasing lilt.
“Well, that was a perfect little bedtime story.” Legend yawned and clapped Wild on the back.
“Legend is right, it’s getting a little late. Warriors, you have first watch right.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know Old Man.” Warriors huffed but smiled and ruffled Wild’s hair as he passed, earning a lot of protests to which Warriors just laughed at.
The rest of the group thanked Wild for the story and headed to their bedrolls. The Links were happy that Wild was talking more, and didn't want to make a huge deal out of it and scare him into science once again. But they also wanted him to know they appreciate him trusting them enough to tell them of his trials.
After making sure no one needed his help with anything, Wild collapsed into his bedroll. He enjoyed telling the others his stories, but he still wasn’t used to talking for long amounts of time.
A couple of minutes later, Twilight, who was preparing his own bedroll, realized he hadn’t heard Wild shuffling about like he normally did. He turned around to ask if he was okay, only to see him completely conked out on top of the blankets, apparently tired from talking so much in one night. He snorted softly at the smaller teen, before slowly going over and tucking him in. If Wild wasn’t completely passed out, he would have denied what he called being treated like a child, but there wasn’t a single protest as Twilight lifted Wild slightly and put him under the covers, tucking them around him. There was only a small sound that Twilight absolutely would not admit not to find adorable, as Wild snuggled into the blankets covering him. Time hummed slightly, making Twilight turn around.
“He was too young.” Time said solemnly, referring to what Wild told them earlier that night. Twilight had similar thoughts. Wild had told him after a memory that he was only twelve when he got the Master Sword. Twilight knew he was too young. A lot of the group was.
“Yeah… But he has us now.” Twilight smiled at Time, who looked at his pup with pride in his eyes. Those who weren’t asleep or didn’t have the first watch were soon wrapped in their bedrolls peacefully, the only sound being crickets chirping around them.
#linked universe#linkeduniverse#wild#breath of the wild#twilight#wind#time#Warriors#four#legend#hyrule#sky#prompt#request#fluff#rito#queenof-literature story#QoL Story
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Mikasa Ackermann, Levi Ackermann, Amane Misa, Aeron Greyjoy for the charactet ask :3
SOMEONE HEARD MY PRAYERS AND NOW MY TIME HAS COME, tysm!!!!! <3
okay, let's start with levi (my beloved):
general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life (THEE little feral anime man after my heart)
hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang (Dark, Tall and Snarky + piercing grey-blue eyes and chronic insomnia? clearly my type ❤)
hogwarts house: gryffindor (maybe....?) | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff
ugh, the hp sorting house system is way too reductive. he has qualities of gryffindor, slytherin, and hufflepuff - brave, astute, loyal to a fault, etc. so it's a hard choice. but if i really have to choose, i'd go for gryffindor. i know that his Bad Boy facade shouts slytherin, but while he has larger goals (killing all the titans, then saving the world etc.), he's got no actual ambition for himself. hufflepuff would also be a good option.
daemon (from the his dark materials series): (because i've just decided that's just way more accurate than the hp method) some kind of big feline. maybe a panther - a black panther would be the ideal - aloof, predatory, dangerous, fiercely independent.
best quality: besides his obvious strenghts as a leader and warrior, the way he cares for his comrades-in-arms. it's very hard to gain his trust and respect, but once you have it, it's forever. he's pragmatic and ruthless, yes, but he also has a huge capacity for compassion and friendship. not that he would be effusive about his affections, of course.
worst quality: none, he's absolutely perfect ❤ jklsdfhjk jokes aside, he really struggles to open up (a serious understatement), idt he ever talked about his traumatic past with anyone. i mean, maybe he mentioned it to hange and erwin (erwin knew him when he was still an undergound thug, so...), but... he's not great with feelings. despite his apathetic, intimidating mask, he feels and cares deeply, but he has a long history with losing the people he loves, so he tries to not personally care about his squadmates, which can be both a strenght and a weakness. of course, he spectacularly fails at this.
ship them with: well, it's not a secret that i'm a huge rivamika fan, this ship is almost literally consuming my waking thoughts lmao. imo they're perfectly compatible: very similar personalities (stoic, the strongest warriors, absolutely terrifying on the battlefield but with a soft underbelly), very similar pasts/experiences, so many parallels that it's actually ridiculous, etc. i love how they're both each other's equals and likeness (yes, i took it from jane eyre. no, i don't regret anything lmao). a lot of tropes i love, too: Terrible First Impression (the Pride and Prejudice vibes are so strong with these two, you have no idea), Kindred Spirits/Mirror Images, Veteran/Young Prodigy, The Last of Their Kind, even Height Difference lmao. i could write a whole rivamika manifesto, but this is already too long. (maybe for some other time 👀) i would've loved for their dynamic to be more explored in canon but alas, isayama clearly didn't give a shit about the ackerman legacy, he just used it as a plot shortcut to give them conveniently unique powers, since they never really talked about it 🙄 (and before some troll comes into my askbox shouting "you iNcEsT fReAk!!!!1!!", they're only very distantly related. we know shit about the ackermans but we know for sure that they've got at least several generations between them. biologically their shared DNA is 0%, obviously they don't see each other as family, all the eldians have a dead ass common ancestor from 2000 years ago so they're all basically ⁓related anyway. if you really wanna scream about i.ncest, go watch got/dark/the borgias and shut the fuck up please. or alternatively go outside and touch some grass) sorry for the rant, uh. anyway, i can also see levi/erwin. idk if i'd ever care enough to read a fic about them (i'm usually a huge multishipper, but for some weird reason not when it comes to rivamika? same with braime and kastle tbh), but still, i can see it.
brotp them with: hange and erwin, obv. veteran trio >>> ema trio, sorry not sorry (at least h. and e. died before yams had the chance to ruin their character arcs)
needs to stay away from: ...uh, filth, i guess? lmao
misc. thoughts: besides the stupid teenage fangirl crush i have on him, i'm genuinely fascinated by the man himself. he's a huge mess of a contradictions, and yet somehow it works: he's violent and brash and kind of an asshole, but also has a strong moral code and integrity; he's obv very skilled at all the killing/torturing stuff and yet he has a huge respect for life; he's got a potty mouth to say the least, and yet some very aristocratic manners/tastes (the way he sits, his preference for tea and usually refined clothes); he comes from what's supposed to be an illustrous bloodline, he's methodical and very precise, and yet he was born and raised in the underground, he's been used to filth and blood and poverty since he was a child, kenny of all people was his father figure, and probably has known no other life than a perennial survival mode existence. he's "humanity's strongest soldier", but while well-built he's also small, the david to the titans' goliah, and probably not what people would assume a born warrior looks like. he's also one of the few characters who stayed true to himself and his original characterization until the end, bless you smol king ❤
(okay, this is getting long!)
mikasa:
general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them (so much. she deserved better ❤️) | actual love of my life
hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! (stunning lady ❤) | 10/10 would bang
hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff
this is actually easy: mikasa belongs to hufflepuff and no, i won't take criticism (just joking lol). enough with this "hufflepuffs are fluffy puppies/Cinnamon Rolls <3" thing: mikasa values loyalty and duty more than anything else. she's also hardworking... and fierce, strong, lethal. yes, hufflepuff and lethal are not mutually exclusive concepts.
daemon: (finally the better option) a she-wolf, fiercely protective of her pack.
best quality: loyal, brave, incredibly strong (alongside her more fragile qualities). practical and level-headed on the battlefield, at least when eren is not included in the picture.
worst quality: struggles to let go of the past (understandable, considering her trauma). tunnel-vision when it comes to eren, obv. extreme levels of delusions ("if only i spoke openly about my romantic feelings for him - as if i didn't made them abundantly clear in ⁓6 years - he wouldn't kill 80% of humanity :(((" lmao okay. just. okay), but that's more on the writing. she's sadly more static than any other main character throughtout the whole series.
ship them with: see above :) but recently i've also started to be intrigued by mikasa/annie and mikasa/sasha. also, i'm sympathetic to jeankasa fans, though i don't actually care for the ship.
brotp them with: EMA trio, especially armin+mikasa. their friendship is so beautiful and special. also sasha.
needs to stay away from: ...... eren, at least romantically. again, that's more on the writing than anything else, but e.remika unfortunately encompasses many tropes i loathe with all the strength of my old shriveled heart: childhood friends-to lovers where the (male) childhood friend doesn't acknolewdge/is completely indifferent to the other (female) friend's romantic feelings, she hopelessly pines for him for years without anything more than a cold shoulder... until in the last chapter it's revealed that he loved her all along and doesn't "want other men to have her!!! :((" (then why did you have no reaction whatsoever to jean's years-long crush on her while she was jealous of any vaguely female-shaped human being you were friendly to, including hange? are you that dumb, man?); the female character's development and entire arc 100% revolves around the male protagonist - she has no goals, no dreams of her own except staying with him forever and ever; the romance is based on an idealized childhood dream, therefore reaffirming those childish illusions would make the character regress, not actually grow up (and nope, epilogue!jk doesn’t count; that also lacks build-up - i would’ve said the same about rm as well, so it’s not about shipping, guys, it really isn’t - and mikasa needed an inner change; getting married to another man but still praying to eren’s shrine is not substitute to actual development lol). post-time skip she's never really frustrated/angry with him, they never get a confrontation about him becoming a, y'know, mass-murderer of gigantic (pun intended) proportions; she puts him on a pedestal, and never stops idealizing him/never sees him for what he actually is (the narrative framing him as some kind of tragic martyr/saint eren from paradis with zero agency and basically... no clear motivation for the abovementioned mass murder, and not the actual complex tragic anti-hero/villain motivated by revenge and righteous fury he deserved to be, does not help). it lacks a good or even decent build-up - it's basically all tell and not show. now, if they'd actually been childhood friends to enemies to lovers/mutually co-dependent... it could have been interesting. sadly, it's not my cup of tea. of course this is just my personal preference, no hard feelings to the shippers.
misc. thoughts: enormous potential. she's been my fav female character since s1 - and ah, i miss s1!mikasa, when she had actually other stuff to do besides mothering eren. i love that she's the strongest warrior (second only to levi, obv), that her skills are never called into questions despite her gender, i love how she stands up for herself and the people she loves, that she may seem cold and stoic and yet has a such a huge heart, that she's not perfect but also sometimes awe-inspiring. sadly, she never really gets out of eren's shadow; what she lacks is an arc focused on herself. that's why imo getting deeper into the ackerman lore would've helped (also, you cannot make the main female character and the most popular male character descend from the same Unique Bloodline or whatever, and never really make them acknowledge it out loud; as a writer, you just can't lol). my spite is so strong that i'm currently writing a ridiculously pretentious fic that's 70% development for her character, to give her a voice, and 30% ackerthirsting. (yes, that's the fic i'm always vagueblogging about lmao, rip @ my brain). if any other rivamika fan is interested… mind you, it’s in italian tho, and idt i have the skills to translate into english.
misa:
general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life
hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang
hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff
daemon: mmh, maybe some kind of butterfly? beautiful, colorful, and short-lived.
best quality: glorious fashion sense, more inventive and ingenious than fans actually give her credit for.
worst quality: shallow, impulsive, and obv her dependence on/obsession with light (which stems from trauma btw, but still… the very opposite of a relationship between equals).
ship them with: rem, kinda (monster/human ftw!). also weirdly enough mogi, a little bit? she deserves someone who actually respects her… though she’s far from being a perfect angel. she may actually be crazier than light on some aspects. but in this house we stan evil ladies anyway, so i have no problem with that <3
brotp them with: uh, idk, maybe matsuda?
needs to stay away from: obv light. also takada.
misc. thoughts: a tragic victim of sexist writing. she may be… unhinged to say the least, but she didn’t deserve the abuse she got from light (and from the fans). the female characters’ writing in dn is so bad that idk if it’s on purpose, to kinda mirror the reality of women in a patriarchal society (dependent on men, housewives whose life entirely revolves around their husband/boyfriend etc.), or just casual misogyny lol. it’s even more baffling since we don’t know the author’s gender (they may be a man, a woman, nb, anything really). i tend for the latter option tho.
aegon greyjoy (now, i wasn’t expecting him lol):
general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life
hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang
hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff
i’m so sorry, i haven’t the slightest idea lmao. maybe gryffindor? mind you, it’s been a long time since i’ve re-read the books, so i don’t have many thoughts about him.
daemon: maybe it’s cliché, but some kind of fish/squid lmao
best quality: ugh, i really can’t remember much from his chapters :(( he’s not a coward, i guess? (lame answer, sorry!)
worst quality: definitely his religious fanaticism.
ship them with: no one.
brotp them with: uh… his family, ig? except euron.
needs to stay away from: obv euron. brr ://
misc. thoughts: i genuinely like the greyjoys chapters, though i vastly prefer the martells (with the exception of theon and asha, bcs i love them). yes, they’re deranged. yes, victarion is… well, victarion lol. but the drowned god religion is actually interesting, grrm knows how to write trauma - every time aeron mentions euron and that freaking door i’m like… :// - and the tragedy of it all… just great writing all around.
okay, that’s the end lmao. thank you so much, love!!! ❤❤
#1#2#3#4#5#asks#cafeleningrad#if *anyone* dares to start stupid wank on my super niche blog they'll be blocked on sight i'm warning you#snk salt
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MANKAI Messenger pt. 2
Y’all I’m not even close to being done but this is going on to 4 pages in word and I need a break. There isn’t really much MC in this one but don’t worry!
Spoiler warning: I think I merge things from various routes in MysMe so if you haven’t done all the endings (including secret) then proceed at your own risk.
Moving Forward
By the time Seven gets the agency issue resolved, MC has adjusted quite nicely to being Izumi's assistant so they stay but frequently travel back and forth
Zen and Jaehee watch MANKAI's performances and MANKAI takes turns watching Zen
Zen is still Jaehee's #1 but MANKAI had yet to see a fan like Jaehee
Jaehee's another positive female role model for MANKAI honestly some of the guys probably start crushing on her a little bit
Taichi jumps first to mind
Jaehee also probably helps some of the boys determine high school and college decisions
ZEN AND AZUMA! ZEN! AND! AZUMA! YUKI IS HAVING A FASHION SHOW FIELD DAY! ALL OF VELUDO WAY IS HAVING A NOSEBLEED! RFA'S MESSENGER IS BLOWING UP WITH SELFIES Saeran blocks photo sharing for a while
Zen likes all the members and probably sees them as another family after a while, especially since he isn’t on good terms with his own
Autumn troupe has a special place in his heart though
He's probably a little intimidated by Winter troupe at first since they're all adults and have further education
He and Kazunari comment on each others' socials a lot
Zen and Banri totally got in to a fight/act-off the first time they met
Juza was cool though lol
WHEN ZEN AND OMI OPEN UP ABOUT THEIR PASTS TO EACH OTHER
They have so much in common
Motorcycle accidents
In with the bad crowd
Later tried to turn their life around
Theater
Like Omi was starting to heal with the company, but I've never really felt that Zen was because he doesn't really have someone who understands him/shares similar experiences and didn't have people when he was younger so I think a part of him has continued to be bitter/upset/distant
But Omi understands. Omi has been through it too. Zen and Omi can relate in ways that no one else can
They become soul brothers
I can't quite picture their relationship dynamic, but they would be willing to do literally anything for the other
V & Omi discuss photography and V gives Omi pointers if he asks
V might keep one decent camera, but he gifts the rest of his photography equipment to Omi
The man spent 2 yrs rediscovering himself and beginning anew, he’s finally ready to move forward. Giving the items to Omi feels right.
V and Kazunari have talks and art working sessions together! Kazu gives V a tour of his school
Kazunari is usually super peppy but when he and V start talking about art the air around them becomes serene and philosophical
Azuma, V, and Jumin have wine dates
Sometimes others will join in
Good god the mess that is Seven, Citron, and Homare. Pure chaotic energy.
Jumin and Homare probably share a sense of humor and begin a book club together
SAERAN AND TSUMUGI AND TENMA FLOWER BONSAI BOYS BLESS
Like Saeran also has a garden at home and he and Tsumugi start planting the other’s favorite flowers in a section
Tenma teaches Saeran about bonsai and he gets right on board
It’s so calming and meditative
Seven tried to prank Sakoda once. OoF he almost had to go back in to hiding from the rest of the yakuza
Sakyo hates Seven. Saeran's cool though
Zen and Tasuku are a force to be reckoned with when they exercise together. They're gone all day. Everyone avoids them
Zen avoids Misumi and Hisoka because they hang out with cats a lot
Jaehee once convinced Tasuku to a light sparring match. No one messes with Jaehee after that
Tsuzuru tried Jaehee's coffee once. She broke the man, he can't drink coffee from anyone else
Jaehee now sends Tsuzuru coffee bi-monthly
One time Tsuzuru ran out while scripting. He despaired.
Jaehee taught Izumi and MC how to make it after that
Her coffee shop has a special delivery service because of Tsuzuru
Tsuzuru and Jaehee also discuss the tips and tricks to pulling all-nighters and working continuously for several days
Is it healthy? No, but Jaehee used to be an expert and Tsuzuru's going to stay up all week scripting anyway so might as well make sure he's doing it the safest way possible
When Jumin found out Misumi could talk to cats THE TRIANGLES HE LAVISHED UPON THE MAN TO MAKE SURE ELIZABETH THE 3RD UNDERSTOOD SHE'S HIS QUEEN
Turns out Elly's OK with Seven. Jumin cried
Muku and Yoosung eventually hit it off really well. They're both huge romantics and they probably discuss how to be the perfect prince and ideal date situations
At first Yoosung feels guilty around Sakuya because he's just so pure and energetic and he reminds Yoosung too much of how he used to be and then Yoosung remembers his game addiction and depression and just feels dirty/unworthy
It takes a little bit, but Yoosung's going to much-needed therapy and eventually becomes good friends with Sakuya
MC and Citron often talk about home and share stories about travelling
V and Jumin sometimes join in
Citron and Seven are constantly switching languages when they talk to each other. It's not even intentional since they're both fluent in so many languages
They did this once around Vanderwood and almost drove the poor man mad because while he's certainly fluent in several languages, it’s not as many as the other two, so he kept recognizing bits and pieces but never enough to join in the conversation
Seven regularly visits in dresses and other outfits and goes out with Yuki
Yuki was wary of him the first time and might have even thought that Seven was making fun of him
It took the RFA collective to convince him that no, this is just normal Seven
It pained them all, but they actively found all of Seven's old photos in the app and showed Yuki as proof and the change in his eyes/expression when he realized there were other men who consistently wore dresses around him made them silently thank Seven
No one mentions it to Seven though except maybe MC
On that note, nobody bat and eye when they met Yuki and it probably confused the heck out of him. Like the poor boy was ready to be on guard and defensive/snarky about it but never had to be
He was able to stammer out a why when his curiosity got the better of him and they all just responded dead serious that at least he looked good
I think Seven looks good in all his outfits but the others have canonically expressed disdain for Seven's attire so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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