#nobody will ever realize how little i expected to be able to even finish ONE of the mcc games on easy

[ageless-aislynn]

Nowwwwww, I facetiously mentioned at the bottom of this post about the Halo: Reach achievement:

To do that, you have to go under or close to par time on pretty much each level ON LEGENDARY.

I have beaten Reach on Legendary but it probably took me closer to 30 hours than 3 because I did my slow, methodical strategies to get through. I did the par time achievement by running past everything I could on Easy. Can I combine the two successfully?

I decided to give the first level "Winter Contingency" a try (after watching some Youtube vids on getting this achievement, of course 😉). Par time is 15 minutes.

That was my third try, the first was 16 and some minutes, the second got it to 15 and some and then that one got under the par by 32 seconds! I should note that this is considered one of the easiest levels to do on Legendary and the guide I watched by the ever-awesome Halo Completionist did it under 12 minutes and you're going to need every spare second you can scrap together to give you a buffer for some of the long, difficult levels. But still!

It's silly, I know, but I feel so proud of me! I'm an old lady (well, middle-aged, if I'm being generous 😜) playing Halo with shaky hands but I made under par time on Legendary! 🥳🥳🥳

PS - Tried it again and got 13:55!

#halo #halo: reach #halo reach #this is my game tag #it's silly i know but i really am proud of me #nobody will ever realize how little i expected to be able to even finish ONE of the mcc games on easy #i wanted to be able to do it but i just didn't think i'd be able to #and then i made it through halo ce #and then the others slowly one at a time #it means something to me #i don't even know why but it does #i'm not good at games but i'm tenacious i'll keep trying #i'll watch different strategies then try to find something that'll work for me #i'll work at it until i get there #it's not pretty nobody would ever want to watch my twitch stream that's for sure lol #but i get it done #i'm proof that you don't have to be some amazing gamer to do some amazing things #i feel like there's a life lesson in there or something i dunno #is anybody still reading down this far in the tags? #have a cookie if you're still here #love you frens #thanks for letting me share with you #ageless aislynn

[shakespeareanwannabe]

As You Wish, Chapter 9

Summary: When arriving at Camp Silver Star, Abby Floyd was anticipating a summer of adventure with an ocean separating her from the three people she loved most: her mom, her Uncle Bob and her Aunt Natasha. But after a run in with Charlie Seresin, an extremely familiar looking and irritating camper in a different cabin, her summer plans take a turn that neither girl ever could have expected.

Trigger Warnings: reader's children are described as being blond with green eyes because genetics are wild and Jake's genes are strong, reader is canonically Bob's sister (but biological relation is never discussed), reader goes by Buttercup and is tattooed, poor military references, references to cancer and chemotherapy, cursing, preteen shenanigans, anxiety

32nd Street Naval Station, 13 years ago

Jake’s gulp was the only movement he made as he lined up amongst the other aviators and sailors, on solid ground again for the first time in six months. It was sweltering hot in San Diego and even the lightweight material of his khaki uniform did nothing to prevent the sweat from dripping down his neck. All he wanted was to get changed into some shorts and a t-shirt and grab a beer at the Hard Deck, knowing he would be reuniting with the other members of Dagger Squad after half a year away.

He, Javy, Bob and Phoenix had been deployed together, thank god, but he was anxious to see everyone else, a thought that would have rocked him back on his heels even a year ago. He still wasn’t known as the greatest team player they had, but he had surprised even himself when he had bonded with the other aviators he was stationed at Top Gun with. Payback’s wife had been expecting when they left, Fanboy’s mom going through chemo, while Rooster was left to run training simulations with Maverick, and Jake wanted to hear about all of it.

Yet, he was left standing in formation as those around him started to disperse, their family members and friends tapping them out. Jake allowed himself a little sigh as he saw people searching left and right for their loved ones. Once upon a time, his parents would have made the journey out to release him from his duties, but they were older and more hesitant to fly now. He knew his grandfather would have made the trip from Texas, but he hadn’t even mentioned it to the man. Jake straightened his shoulders. Hopefully, Javy’s mama had made the trip. Auntie Thea loved Jake almost as much as he loved her, and he knew that she would tap him out if she saw him standing there.

His shoulders almost drooped when Stella, the tattoo artist Javy had been seeing for a few weeks before deployment, approached and nearly tackled his best friend. Shit. There went that plan. Natasha’s sister had already tapped her out, the two of them smiling back at him teasingly as they strolled away, leaving Jake and Bob standing there amongst the other crewmen who hadn’t been found by their loved ones. While it wasn’t necessarily a big deal, and while he knew that Nat would feel like shit and apologize if she found out he was the last one standing there on the tarmac, a heavy weight settled over his heart. There was nothing more disheartening than to realize you had nobody to welcome you home after six months at sea.

“Bobby!”

Jake almost winced. Even shy, quiet Bob Floyd had someone there who cared about him. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the woman—the beautiful woman, too beautiful for Baby On Board Floyd to be able to pull—hugged the WSO tightly, officially releasing him from his duties.

“Hey kiddo,” he heard Bob say softly, hugging the woman gently. “How’ve you been?”

“Excited to have finally finished my masters,” she shrugged. “And looking forward to getting to spend some time with my big brother before diving into the post-grad job search. So, how was it? I know you can’t tell me much, but how was it?”

Bob chuckled softly. “Let’s just say, I’m glad to be home.”

“I’m glad you’re back too,” she replied, giving him a slight nudge as he bent to pick up his gear. “So, what’s the plan for tonight?”

“I think the squad is planning on getting drinks tonight at the Hard Deck,” he offered as he shuffled his bag onto his shoulder. “They’re probably already there. Well, most of them, anyway.”

“Why most of them?” she asked as they slowly started to walk away. “Did some of your other friends get deployed too?”

Bob shook his head as they passed in front of Jake, lowering his voice. “I don’t think so. Some of us are still waiting to get tapped out, though.” Bob shot Jake an apologetic glance, and his friend followed his gaze.

“Is he one of your friends?” she asked quietly. Jake’s eyes strained against the sunlight as he stared dead ahead, trying to look as nonchalant as possible as the tarmac grew more and more empty.

“I guess you could say that,” Bob murmured. “That’s Hangman.”

“Ohhh…” Jake could almost imagine the dawning of realization on the woman’s face as she remembered the less than flattering stories Bob had undoubtedly shared with her. “I’ll be right back.”

Jake blinked as the woman appeared right in front of him, smiling softly. “Do you not have anyone to tap you out, Hangman?” she asked quietly, eyes soft and bright. Jake couldn’t bring himself to look away. “Oh right, you’re not supposed to break formation or talk or anything until you’re tapped out, right?” She placed a warm hand on Jake’s shoulder, and he allowed himself to relax. “There. That’s better.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” he murmured, bending to grab his bag.

Bob stepped closer. “Hangman, this is my sister.”

She rolled her eyes and offered him her hand, stating her name with a smile. “I’m pretty sure introducing me as his sister was supposed to be some sort of warning for you not to mess with me,” she whispered slyly to him, sticking her tongue out at her brother as he sighed.

“I would never, ma’am,” he smirked over at Bob and lowered his head over her hand, kissing the warm, silky skin softly.

“I already regret everything,” Bob muttered as the three started walking towards the parking lot.

She grinned at him, and Jake felt something inside himself stir. It wasn’t often that the mere sight of a pretty smile gave him that feeling in his chest, but something about Bob Floyd’s sister smiling at him made his heart feel like he had just run back-to-back marathons.

“So, Hangman, do you have a ride to this Hard Deck place?” she asked as they approached a rental convertible.

He found himself smiling back at her. Not his signature smirk or his flirty grin, but an actual Seresin Smile. “No, ma’am, I don’t. And please, call me Jake.”

“Jake…” the sound of his name on her lips made something in his brain short out, and he found himself wanting to get to know everything he could about this woman beside him.

The dopey smile on his face must have given him away because Bob groaned again. “I really regret everything.”

Hotel Zaza, Downtown Austin, Texas, Now

The days after their Zoom call had been hectic, to say the least. Bob had been able to coordinate flights that would put them in Austin Friday night, so they could be ready for their meeting on Saturday afternoon. Rooster had kept in contact with Natasha and given her the name of the hotel that Savannah had insisted they stay at, because it was her number one choice for a wedding venue. Buttercup’s agent had been able to get them adjoining rooms in the hotel, pulling the ‘fairly famous and well-off author’ card when the hotel had balked at the last-minute reservation.

Charlie was immensely grateful for her aunt and uncle organizing their trip, because she had spent the days between the call and the flight getting to know her mother, as Charlie this time, not as Abby. It was even more wonderful than getting to know her the first time, and she felt a bit silly about her fears that her mother wouldn’t love her if she wasn’t Abby. If anything, Buttercup’s adoration for her had only grown once Charlie had started acting more like herself. They had spent the whole flight to Texas chatting and giggling, watching old movies and sharing stories about their lives. By the time they disembarked in Texas, Charlie felt even closer to her mother than she had before.

Now, however, she was seeing a brand-new side to her mother, one that she wasn’t even sure Abby had seen before.

Buttercup’s hands were folded tightly under her chin as she surveyed the contents of her suitcase, her weight was shifting back and forth, and her breath was coming in short gasps.

“I-I don’t see why it matters what I wear, Nat,” she murmured, her wide eyes scanning over the clothes that had been neatly tucked into her rose gold case. “It’s just my ex-husband, his new fiancée, and my daughter.”

“Because it’s your ex-husband,” Nat replied with an eye roll. “Pull a Princess Di and revenge dress the shit out of him!”

“Language,” Buttercup murmured, though there was no real heat behind the warning. “It doesn’t matter anyway, Nat.”

“Then why’re you shaking in your boots?”

Buttercup backed up and slumped into one of the armchairs in the suite. The room was sheer opulence, large and clean and beautiful in a way that Charlie had never seen before. She had to hand it to her, Savannah sure knew how to pick her potential venues.

“Because I haven’t seen him for over a decade and he stopped answering my calls about the custody arrangement and now he’s getting married to someone who is arguably way too young for him and here I am, still single and unable to recognize that our daughters swapped places!”

Natasha sighed, but Charlie stepped in front of her mother before her aunt could say anything. “It’s going to be okay, mom,” she said. “Abby and I will be there, and so will Uncle Bob and Auntie Nat, and Uncle Roo and Uncle Javy.”

Buttercup chuckled tearily. “Look at you, Charlie. Talking me down.” She sniffled. “I’m sorry, honey. I need to pull myself together. You don’t need to be parenting me.”

Charlie giggled. “I’m not. I’m just telling you what you told me when I was freaking out about the lecture I’m probably gonna get from Dad.”

Buttercup giggled and pulled Charlie into a hug. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, mom,” Charlie pulled away. “Why don’t you pick something that makes you feel good to wear? That way you feel confident when you see dad again?”

Buttercup grinned. “I like the way you think, honey.”

Standing up, Buttercup moved to her suitcase and dug around, eventually pulling out a lacy green dress with a gold chain belt.

“I wore this to my first book signing,” Buttercup grinned. “Forest Windows won a Women’s Prize for Fiction that year, and I’ve considered it my lucky dress ever since.”

“I think it’s perfect,” Charlie smiled.

Nat grinned. “It’s no LBD, but you look hot in it, and that’s all that matters.”

Buttercup rolled her eyes and stepped into the bathroom. “Thanks, Nat. I’m going to shower and get dressed. Did your father text you to say that he had arrived yet?”

Charlie shook her head. “No…he didn’t. I’ll check in with Abby and see what their ETA is.”

“Sounds good,” Buttercup smiled, the tug of her lips still strained but not as stressed. “I’ll be out in a bit.”

Once the door had clicked shut and they could hear the water running, Natasha turned on her.

“Your dad still has no idea, right?”

Charlie nodded quickly. “Abby, Javy, and Rooster have kept him and Savannah in the dark. Dad still thinks he’s with me, and he has no idea that we’re waiting for him here.”

Natasha nodded grimly. “Your mom’s gonna be in there for a bit, hyping herself up. What’s Abby’s ETA?”

“They’re five minutes out,” Charlie confirmed, checking her phone again to check Abby’s shared location.

“Okay. You go down and meet up with Abby, away from where your dad can see you, okay?”

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know, Auntie Nat. That was my part of the plan.”

Natasha playfully shuddered. “You’ve got so much of Hangman’s attitude in you, it’s spooky sometimes. I’ll go let your uncle know to keep your mom occupied in the room until we give him the signal, then I’ll head down and be ready to run interference if I have to. Ready?”

Charlie’s heart leapt. “Ready.”

“…and then we have a meeting with the florist at 4 pm, and they’re a high-class place, so no mucky cowboy boots and jeans, okay, Jakey?”

Abby held back her gag as Savannah droned on about her wedding itinerary. She had been talking about it since they left the ranch over 3 hours ago. What should have been a 2-hour drive at most had stretched on because Savannah had to keep getting out and taking pictures to ‘document the experience’, and each time, Abby had to control her eye roll. It wasn’t worth it, and, besides, there were three things keeping her Zen.

1. She’d promised her dad that she would try to be accepting of Savannah. As upset as she and Charlie were about how he had handled things, and as much as Savannah turned her stomach, she wanted her dad to be happy, so she had agreed to grin and bear it for the duration of the visit.

2. Rooster and Javy were there, and while Rooster might have fallen asleep within minutes of hitting the road, Javy was awake and keeping her entertained with dramatic eye rolls and faux gagging every time Savannah opened her mouth. She wasn’t sure if her father had caught on to their antics or not, but Abby was sure having a good time.

And, most importantly, 3. Her family was waiting for them at the hotel. She would finally get to hug her mother and tease her aunt and uncle about all the stories Javy and Rooster had filled her in on.

Jake sighed and pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. “Yes, Savannah. I promise I will be dressed appropriately.”

“Thank you, sugar,” Savannah flounced and exited the car, leaving her two suitcases for her fiancé to unload.

“Dude, I—”

“I know what you’re about to say, Coyote, but don’t. Okay? Just…don’t start.”

Rooster yawned and sat up. “Sure, Hangman. Whatever you say. C’mon, kid. Let’s let your dad and Javy deal with the suitcases while we go check out the pool.”

“Is that okay, dad?”

Jake smiled tiredly and waved his hand at them. “Yeah, you two go have fun. I’ll catch you for dinner, which we are having with Savannah’s parents, okay?”

Abby smiled through her held back groan. “You got it, dad. See you in a bit!”

Grabbing Rooster’s hand, Abby practically dragged him through the lobby and into the elevator.

“Abby says they’re in room 513,” she said excitedly, and watched as her uncle jabbed the round elevator button with an elegant 5 painted on it.

“Are you sure Javy will be able to keep it together?” he asked her as the glass elevator sped upwards. “Dude’s been acting jumpy since we left.”

“He wouldn’t dare tell dad anything! He was trained just the same as you were, Uncle Roo. I’m sure he can keep it together for a little longer.”

The elevator came to a rest on the fifth floor and Abby practically sprinted through the slowly opening doors, hanging a right and skidding to a stop at room 513.

“Here goes!” Abby chirped as she knocked on the door. Her heart leapt as the door creaked open, revealing Bob, his phone pressed to his ear.

He smiled brightly when he saw her, and held up a long finger. “Yeah…yeah, I’ll call you back when I can, okay? Okay…me too. Bye.” He tapped the red button and crouched, Abby falling into his arms. “Hey kiddo.”

Abby’s chest expanded as she clutched her uncle. “Uncle Bob, I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, kiddo.”

He stood, Abby still hanging onto his neck as he nodded over her shoulder at Rooster.

“Bradshaw.”

Rooster nodded back. “How’s it going, Bob? Where’s Nat and Charlie?”

“Downstairs, keeping a lookout for you.”

Rooster nodded as Bob finally put Abby down and reached out to shake his hand.

“We must’ve just missed ‘em,” Rooster mused, watching Abby as she ducked around Bob to glance around the room.

“Where’s Mum?”

“She’s in the adjoining room, kiddo. She might be having a bit of a panic attack right now, but I’m sure the sight of you will calm her down.”

Abby grinned up at the two men and bolted over to the door, tearing it open with a loud call of “Mum! It’s me!”

Bob chuckled as Rooster shook his head. “And I thought Charlie was high energy.”

Bob nodded as he pocketed his phone. “She is. I guess they both are.”

Rooster nodded and leaned back against the closed door, a heavy silence weighing over the two men. Once upon a time, they had been friends, allies, partners. Now, they were little more than strangers, two people roped into a scheme by two preteens.

“So, Nat’s downstairs?”

Bob nodded. “She and Charlie are trying to find a way to separate Hangman from this fiancée of his. Is she really as bad as Abby is making it out to be?”

Rooster shuddered. “Remember all the girls who would hang around the Hard Deck and try to flirt with anyone in a uniform?”

Bob nodded gravely, his skin crawling at the memory. “I do.”

“Savannah is about twenty times worse than that. Javy can’t stand her either.”

Bob blinked. “Is Javy downstairs too?”

Rooster nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“Do you think it’s a good idea to have him and Nat bump into each other downstairs?”

Rooster’s eyes widened, but, before he could speak, Abby raced back into the room. “Uncle Bob, Mum’s not in there.”

Bob blinked again. “Are you sure?”

Abby rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m sure, Uncle Bob.”

Bob’s cellphone was back in his hand, pressed to his ear after a quick dial. “Yeah, it’s me. Where are you? I thought you were still getting ready?...Really? Buttercup—” Bob pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. “She hung up on me.”

“What did she say?”

“She went to go get a steamer from the lobby for her dress. She didn’t want to wear something wrinkled.”

“And she couldn’t have gotten someone to deliver it to the room?”

Bob shrugged at Rooster’s question. “She probably needed some air.”

It was Abby’s turn to dig her phone out of her pocket and dial. “Charlie? Yes, we’re here with Uncle Bob, but Mum is heading down to the lobby right now! You and Auntie Nat need to run interference!”

A/N: Oooh, a cliffhanger! Maybe I'll be able to get the next chapter done in one week instead of two. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Tags List: @mamachasesmayhem @jessicab1991 @waltermis @buckysteveloki-me @allepaula @yuckosworld @bradshawssugarbaby @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @kim-stark @high-speed-r @starsrfun @tomanyfandomstrash @averyhotchner @the-blueatlas @dashes-dizzydisaster @a-girl-who-loves-disney @boiolay @djs8891 @tgmreader @kmc1989 @landpiranha-blog @sydthekid1518 @lynnevanss @mackenzieblair @minejungwoo @starset21 @tgmavericklover @dempy @starkleila @magical-spit @whatislovevavy @simplyreading96 @vivalas-vega @itsdesiree86 @inky-sun @books-are-escapes @abaker74 @mrs-perfectly-fine @inthestars-underthesun

#jake seresin x reader #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman fic #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction #as you wish fic #parent trap au #glen powell #tgm fic #tgm

[manias-wordcount]

Pretty in Pink (Vi)

Kinktober 2022 Day Four: Lingerie

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

You don’t think you’ve ever seen her so pent up before. 

Her murmurs are soft against your skin. Dirty words of praise mixed with promises of what she’s going to do to you over and over again as soon as she’s gotten her fill. Heated and heavy breathes against your shoulder as she delivers open-mouth kisses to the most sensitive spots on your neck. Meanwhile, you can’t help but let your head fall back upon her shoulder as your eyes flutter shut and your mouth falls open to let forth your endless gasps of pleasure. She always found a way to get you just so loud and needy. You’re just glad you finally got her to break her composure. As much as you loved her for who she was…

 …you had always wanted to see her as depraved as you get when you’re with her. 

 “You so fucking pretty,” Vi’s voice is so hushed it’d be almost impossible to hear if it weren’t for how close she holds you to her. But you’re able to hear the desire dripping through her words at every syllable. It makes you feel good. It makes you feel wanted. Now, more than ever even. Like you’re the prettiest girl in the Underground instead of some nobody wrapped up in her girlfriend's arms inside the nearest Love Motel you both could find.“God, where did you find this?”

 It wasn’t a surprise that she was talking about your current little lingerie get-up that you had specifically picked out for her. Still, you couldn’t help but let out a near silent gasp as her fingers slip beneath the waistband of your panties before snapping it against your hip. But before you know it, her hand is back to cupping your covered cunt, slowly rubbing while grinding her palm into your clit just enough to make you feel something. At the same time, the arm wrapped around the front of your lower torso just to lock you in place against her chest is reaching up, up, and up. Predictively, her hand finds one of your breasts and takes no time eagerly playing with your pebbled nipple through your dress. 

 You had a feeling this would be the type of reaction you got once you told your girlfriend about your latest purchase. A visit to Piltover spent well, you realized as soon as you saw your girlfriend’s expanding pupils and darkening look as you explained to her what you had bought. After that, it wasn’t long before you found yourself being shoved into a motel room bathroom and being told not to come out until you’re dressed in something a little more appropriate for the occasion. And it really wasn’t long before you’re getting jumped by your girlfriend and dragged to the bed when she saw how it looked on you. 

 The pink little baby doll dress the saleswoman pitched to you was the perfect choice. It was a soft, light color, and the fact that it was a mixture of both silk and lace made teasing all so easy. The lace surrounded your chest, giving small yet intricate designs that stretched across your soft mounds and made your perky nipples even more pronounced the more you were turned on. The silk covered the sides of your stomach- splitting right up the middle and beneath your breast to give a welcome window to more of your skin for Vi to enjoy. Though to top it off was the matching silk panties with lace finishing and trim that the dress was able to display oh-so-well on your body. The way they stretched and curved over your thighs and ass left little to the imagination. 

 Just the way Vi liked it. 

 “I just want to suck on these perfect tits while they’re covered like this. See if it feels as good as the real thing.” You felt her groan out into your ear as your nipple is rolled between two fingers before being tugged harshly. You whine out, not expecting the sudden roughness despite the not-so-gentle nature of your girlfriend. But it doesn’t stop you from bucking your hips into her hands seeking out more friction to help you get off. And it’s an action reward by her grinding your palm even harder into your center in a way that you never thought could feel so good. In a way, only Vi could make you feel good. “I wanna pull these to the side and finger fuck you until you’re making a mess of your pretty new panties. God, you’re just so fucking pretty.” 

 “Oh yeah?” Your response is instant as you’re no longer able to hide the coy smile that overtakes your face. “You like seeing me like this, baby? You like seeing me in pink, huh?”

 “I love seeing you in pink. I love seeing you like this.” She agrees breathlessly- voice low and eyes half-lidded as a string of desperate curses leave her lips. She looks hungry. So hungry that you swear she might devour you if you’re in her sights long enough. And you really, really really hope she does. “My pretty girl. My pretty fucking girl.”

 Once the last word leaves her lips, you suddenly find that her hand on your chest is cupping your jaw, turning your head towards her. In seconds, her lips are against yours, kissing you so passionately that you swear you were starting to see stars. But it’s then that you find that she’s making good on one of her promises. Because it’s all too soon that a wave of cold air hit your cunt before being replaced by the feeling of being stretched out by two excitable fingers, ready to drive you insane. 

 You whimper at the sudden feeling of being stuffed, but the sound is swallowed up by Vi tilting your head back a bit more to deepen the kiss. Her bangs brush against your skin, and the shivers you can’t help but let out causes her to bring you even impossibly closer to her than you were before. Your body feels so, so warm, and your mind feels like it's spinning circles. You’re so lucky she’s supporting all your weight right now as she kisses you over your shoulder.

 Because the hand on your jaw shares the same heat that the fingers pushing in and out of your messy, messy pussy. It’s what causes your focus to jump from the feeling of your bottom lip being sucked on and tugged between two teeth and the unbelievably wet sound your cunt makes as Vi goes to town overwhelming you with pleasures much as possible. For as long as possible.

 Now if you could just let her see you in the dark pink lingerie set you just bought as well. The one that matches her hair color almost perfectly. Because you have a feeling that somehow, someway…

…she’ll be even more desperate than this. 

#vi x reader #vi #vi league of legends #vi arcane #vi arcane x reader #vi league of legends x reader #league #League of Legends #league of legends fanfic #league of legends fanfiction #league of legends x reader #arcane #arcane league of legends #arcane x reader #arcane fanfiction

[occasionallyprosie]

A Thousand Ways

Chapter 12: "That Which Is Left Behind"

Legend makes a decision when it comes to his family's farm, and more specifically, his presence in the ruins.

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Read On AO3

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Twilight held Legend close, feeling the younger hero tremble and shake, any cries he made were silent. He hadn't expected the veteran to run off the moment they arrived in a new era, especially without explanation, but he had and immediately they came up on a burning homestead.

Twilight had barely caught up and it was only out of a burst of fear and adrenaline that he was able to catch Legend before he ran into the building that was clearly about to collapse. The veteran had looked terrified in that moment, and Twilight had naively thought it was because he realized he had been about to enter a building that was going to collapse.

Then all that fear and pain in his eyes disappeared, he pulled away from him and then went to the crowd of townsfolk that had watched. They knew him, but he did little more than assure him that he would handle the situation but would need their help and extra hands. His Cub had been right in a way, it definitely appeared as if Legend was just doing the hero thing and trying to help out when they had a quest.

But then Legend had, without an ounce of emotion in his voice, claimed the homestead as his grandparents' and himself as next of kin.

Now Twilight had his arms full of a grieving hero who he wasn't sure had ever let himself grieve before.

The next morning, what had to be the entire town showed up. Legend took charge, and it seemed a bit weird to see but he was a natural at it. Villagers had brought wagons and carts and soon enough the debris of the burned home was cleared away, and there were a few things that came out somewhat unscathed, mostly just domestic items like a partly burnt chair or a stuffed animal.

From what Twilight could tell in the moment, Legend seemed rather unaffected, but from the night before and having the hero crying himself to sleep in his arms, he knew otherwise. He frankly hadn't noticed just how good Legend was at masking.

He talked with some farmers and one left with the cow, another with four of the five cuccoos. Legend was followed by the remaining one the whole day and the horse which was definitely another version of Epona stayed nearby.

They finished for the most part by that evening. Most of the debris was taken to be used for charcoal or whatever, the animals carted off, and Twilight rejoined the heroes to the side.

"He looks tired," Sky said, their veteran was walking through the last bit of the house that they hadn't quite finished clearing. "How could this happen?"

"Sometimes bad things happen," Warriors responded. "I'm more worried about what he'll do when this is over."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, glancing over to make sure the others were fine. Wild was cooking with Wind helping him, and Time and Four were sharing thoughts on whatever it was they decided was today's topic. Hyrule was with Wild and Wind, but distinctly only there and not participating.

"I mean," Warriors began, "that the vet is a kid. Experienced though he is, he's still a teenager and he's told us his uncle died during his first quest and now his grandparents are gone. Considering he was raised by his uncle, I'll take a guess and say parents are out of the picture. I also asked one of the villagers about how many bodies we should look for and they said only two. They also said that Leanne and Alphon only had two sons and a grandson, both sons are dead, leaving just our scholar."

Leanne and Alphon--Twilight's own birth parents shared those exact names. That was an interesting connection to note, but irrelevant for the time being.

"So he's all alone?" Sky frowned. "What about his Zelda?"

"A queen, and hero though he is, he's called himself an average nobody before. I'd doubt it if he could be close to her long term outside of romance," Warriors surmised. "He's said before he doesn't want to settle down, but..."

"I'm not deaf," Legend called over his shoulder and Twilight could see him holding a soot covered plush of what might've been a bunny. He walked toward them, stuffed animal tucked against him. "We'll head to Hyrule Castle in the morning. It's just about half a day's walk from here."

"What about the other animals?" Wild spoke up, frowning.

"You have Wolfie and the Rancher keeps his horse when she's around. Piyoko and Epona are staying with me."

Four frowned. "The horse I get, but a cucoo?"

"They both stay."

Twilight gestured for Four to back off, the smithy shrugged.

"Alright, how early of a start?"

"Dawn. I'd like to arrive at Castle Town as close to lunch as possible, guards are usually more inattentive about then. So, get some sleep--This place is safe, monsters don’t come near here. They're smart enough to know better than that."

Twilight wondered how many monsters had been slaughtered on the property line for those brainless creatures to steer clear.

Looking at how Legend stood, the darkening fire in his eyes, and he had a feeling it didn't matter how many, just who killed them.

Once it was finally dark and the heroes were settling, Legend mounted Epona. The mare had no tack, but he had extras back at his house. Piyoko settled in his lap.

Time noticed him mount the horse, most of the others had already fallen asleep.

"Where are you going?"

"The other side of the property." He didn't bother lying. "I'll be back well before twilight, but I need to get Epona some tack, a saddlebag and the like. Rancher's up, you can send Wolfie after me if I'm not back within a couple hours."

Time frowned. "He can go with you instead. I don't want anyone going off alone, especially you, vet."

He sighed. "Then send him. I'm leaving now. Let's go."

Without a tap, Epona took off and soon broke into a gallop. Wolfie could catch up.

Legend used his fire rod to keep their way lit, even if he and Epona knew the route by heart, he wasn't risking anything.

We're being chased! Piyoko cried.

Legend glanced back and saw piercing blue eyes only just setting off after them, not gaining on them and actually losing distance as Epona sped up.

"No, slow down a bit and let him catch up and keep pace," he told the mare. "He's a friend."

Friends with a wolf? New leaf for you, Epona commented but she slowed down a bit. Wolfie caught up soon enough and ran just beside them, Epona settling into a good speed.

Hi! What's your name, Link's wolf friend? Piyoko asked.

Legend snorted, Wolfie made no move to respond.

"He's a transformed person, Piyoko," he told her, Wolfie glanced up at him. "He can't understand you."

If Piyoko had lips she would've pouted. Aww!

Explains why Link's friends with him, Epona nickered.

Legend rolled his eyes but didn't deny nor argue. It was no new thing, his dislike of canines, foxes and coyotes were the closest he could handle. Wolfie's aura of dark magic bode the reminder that it wasn't just a wolf, it was Twilight, so he was fine with him... at least since he became aware of that fact.

They crossed the orchard in an hour and Epona came to a stop just outside his house. He slid off her and headed up toward the house. He plucked an apple from  a tree and gave it to her, murmuring a soft thanks for pushing through and galloping for so long. Piyoko perched on his shoulder.

Wolfie padded after him. He went to the back shed first, grabbing the new tack he had been meaning to take over to the farm. Epona let him saddle her and situate the bags over her. It took a little while to do so, but soon enough he was leading her to the door and going inside.

Wolfie followed him in, before Legend could tell him to wait, Twilight stood in his doorway clearly startled.

Legend sighed. "Enchanted silver along the trimming forcibly deactivates transformation and illusion magic. I was about to warn you."

"That's... incredibly simple."

"The enchantment is actually extremely complex and nearly impossible to accomplish, I just happen to know a few witches, mages, and have a lot of magical stores myself." He turned back into the house. "There's a reason I've said not to touch anything here, a lot of this stuff is cursed--purposely or not. I leave most of it out because if anyone does break in, they'll take the cursed stuff that'll let me more easily track them down than the extremely powerful stuff."

He usually kept his more powerful items on him, and now he was going to keep it all on him.

"You have cursed items?"

"A lot of them. You thought I didn't?"

He found an extra expanded adventure pouch and began gathering items. He plucked the colorful mask off his wall and put it in one pouch, then the pale human-like faced one in a separate one. He took several books from the shelves.

He was aware of Twilight silently watching him, Piyoko was likely napping outside on Epona, so nobody was there to fill the silence and Legend relished in it.

It took him a couple hours, filling a half dozen pouches with items and putting them into a satchel that he pulled on. He also switched the richly made red top Dusk gave him for his blue mail, not yet wanting to return to the green he'd worn for... ages.

He debated putting on the green cap, but he was tired of green in all honesty so he left it with the rest of the clothes and moved on.

Before exiting the cold and freshly barren house, he reapplied the magic protecting it from intruders, just in case. There were a few things left, but nothing a determined person couldn't find on the black market or even a regular mage market.

"So," Twilight said as Legend went over and mounted Epona. "Why?"

Legend didn't meet his eyes, only looking at the cold and quiet house and then the surrounding orchard. Beyond the orchard was the burned down farm, but even with the orchard strong and the house behind him still standing, it was all filled with ghosts.

"Now there's nothing left for me here anymore."

Next>>

#linked universe #lu legend #linkeduniverse #legend lu #fanfic #lu warriors #lu sky #lu twilight #linked universe legend #linked universe fanfic #linked universe fanfiction #lu fanfiction #a thousand ways au #lu time #prosie writes #emotional whump #whump fic #light angst #fluff will come i swear

[undertale-writing-times]

Could I get Error with the "I love the feeling of falling asleep beside you" prompt?

This was a lot of fun, I hope you enjoy it ^^

Error never really expected themselves to ever... fall in love with someone. Love was something that normal people had, and they weren't normal at all. They were a evil being, mean and aggressive. They hurt people just because they believed that the people deserved it. They were abominations. They were cluttering up the multiverse, and that isn't a good thing.

Even though Error didn't expect it, it did happen.

Being near their datemate, it made them feel happy, even if they wouldn't be able to touch them. The idea of touching someone still made them feel... strange, a feeling of fear that shot through them every time they even thought about it. Sure, sometimes they could try to just... hook their pinkies together, and they thought that that was enough.

It was more than they had done in a long time, now that they thought about it. The idea of being with someone never crossed Error's mind, then it happened, and they had no idea how to react to it. Who is Y/n, why did they care about them? Y/n was a strange person, and they loved them for it.

Today they had been going to different AU's, studying a few of them, waiting to see which ones that they should take out. They did get into some little fights with Ink still, nothing too bad. Their datemate said that it was like they were children fighting over a toy.

Errror got embarrassed about that, shouting that it was nothing like that!

It was sort of like that, they would admit, and they did not like that. Ink was just a brat who wanted to protect things that he had no idea what was going on for. Yes, he was the 'protector' of all AU's blah blah blah, whatever. If everything got too cluttered up, it would start to mess with the multiverse and cause a lot of problems but noooo, nobody ever wanted to admit that Error was right. Idiots, all of them.

At least their datemate was sweet. They trusted Error, which allowed them to explain their reasoning.

They believed Error.

They weren't quite sure that they understood how much that meant to them.

After getting finished watching the au's, they got bored and annoyed by it all and decided to go and see someone. That someone was their datemate.

They open one of their glitches, peeking through it to their house, climb out fall down onto the couch, and look around. Where were they? They let out a soft annoyed hum, muttering "wHeRe tHe hElL A-ArE ThEy? ThEy bEeE...BeTtEr nOt bE OuT Of tHe hOuSe" they hated having to wait for them, it made them feel weird.

Soon enough, they looked out the window and perked up when they realized that it was late. It was nighttime, the moon was out... full moon tonight it seemed.

Well, that explains a lot.

Their eyes scan around the dark room, wondering if they should leave... though they did want to see their datemate.

Damn it.

Choices were hard.

With a soft sigh, they slowly walk over to Y/n's bedroom, poking their head in their eyes scanning around glitches coming off of them a bit more violent than before. This was crazy, why were they doing this? They could just leave, and they wouldn't know Error was there.

Y/n looks over at them, from where they were sitting on their computer, and smiles "Error, hey, what are you doing here?"

Shit.

"wHaT ArE YoU DoInG AwAkE?" They ask, squinting slightly at them the best that they could.

Y/n rolls their eyes, looking amused "I'm working on an animation" they wave their hand, maybe saying for Error to come over. They do slowly walk over, looking at the screen mumbling out that it looked nice.

Error sat on their bed, watching what they were doing until they got bored, and they pull out their sewing kit, starting to make another one of their dollies. They had so many of them made over the years, all of different AU characters. More often than not, they would make the dolls because they made them feel good. A strange reason, seeing as though they're supposed to hate AU's, whatever though.

Their eyes shoot over to look at their datemate, and they see them covering their mouth, yawning.

"yOu tIrEd?" Error asks, their voice oddly soft. Error loved them, though they also hated them because they made them soft. Too soft, and it made them worried. The others loved to tease them about it. Mostly Killer and Dusty.

Axe didn't really say anything about it.

They stretch their arms above their head, stretching "Yeah, a little" They say, "I might head off to bed soon" Error nods, going to get up but then they continued, looking a little nervous. "Do you... want to maybe sleep with me?

Error tenses up, their glitching getting worse and they ask quickly "w-wHaT?!" did they mean-

"I think it would be nice to lay together," They say just as quick, embarrassed "Y-You don't have to if you don't want to!"

Oh.

Okay.

That makes more sense.

"yOu wAnT To lA-LaY... lAy wItH Me? I DoN'T R-ReAlLy..." They've never really done something like that before, so how do you? They think about it then breathes out nodding slowly "sUrE" They mumble.

Y/n smiles, and goes into the other room to change into their pajamas, and they scoot back tapping their fingers on their stomach. Okay, they were just going to lay with their datemate. That's okay, right? That's totally fine. They weren't worried! Maybe they were, seeing as though they were glitching out really bad right about now. They felt like they were going to pass out, maybe they should say glitch out more than pass out.

When they heard the door open the glitching got worse and they went out. They slowly came back through, after a little bit, and Y/n was looking at them, their head tilted to the side "Hey, you okay? You went out"

Did they? They look around, then shakes their head "i'm fInE" they lay back resting their head against one of the pillows. Y/n hums, then shrug and lay down too, resting their head against their arm.

Every so often, after they fell asleep, Error would look over at them and they realized that... this was nice. They turn to lay on their side, looking at them, and mumbles "i gUeSs i lOvE ThE FeElInG Of fAlLiNg aSlEeP BeSiDe yOu y/n..." they shake their head and shuts their eyes, allowing themself to slowly drift off to sleep. This wasn't the worst thing to happen today.

#Error #Error Sans #Errortale #Errortale Sans #Fanfic #Fanfiction #Undertale Fanfic #Undertale Fanfiction #Fanfics #Oneshot #Error X Reader #Reader X Error #prompts #Prompt Fanfic #Thank you for the ask

[denndrawings]

Thoughts on Frankenstein and the trans experience

Hi! So some months ago I finished my Final Degree Thesis on monsters and the theory behind why queer people tend to relate with them easier than with heroes on the pieces of media that features them and I've been sitting on my thoughts on Frankenstein and how it is a source of identification for both the trans feminine and the transmasculine experience.

My credentials are I'm trans (non binary)! and also I've been researching this for like. Four years. So if you want to read the part of my disertation about Frankenstein and gender (I also have a lot written about otherness, the concept of the monster, queer narratives and vampires but this is not the post for that) you can find it under the cut! (be warned its gonna be long because it's straight up copy-paste from the disertation)

If vampires are a mirror for sexuality, there is little doubt that the “monsters” that haunt gender are Frankenstein and his creature. That is hardly a stretch, since he is an Adam —he calls himself that at one point (Shelley, 1818, p.69), recognizing himself as the creature casted out of the Garden of Eden unfairly by Victor, who is at the same time a creator God and the Eve who rebelled against “natural order” making them both fall out of grace—in a stolen body made out of someone else’s expectations of what a “man” is supposed to look like, how he should act  and think and move (how he should perform his gender, that Victor seems so utterly obsessed with, and then devastated about until he became the monster his creator wanted him to be); rejected by the one who created him, forced by society to stay hidden, unable to ever “pass” and misunderstood (Fox, 2017).

There is something interesting about this book, and it is that different sources of identification for both transmasculine and transfeminine people’s experience with gender can be found within it.

On the one hand: the creature, an individual whose creator conceived as “male”. But then again, gender is a performance, gender is something taught (Preciado, 2018, p. 27) and nobody told the creature how to dance to that rhythm. Instead, the creature was explained how the world works through Safie’s feminine lens, listening to the lessons that were given to her about how to behave and understand everything. And then, looking at the image reflected in a pond, the creature realized they were not the same Other because, unlike in hers, beauty will not buy society’s acceptance in that case.

Still, there is an attempt at getting affirmation from the old man of the De Lacey family, the grandfather that, because of his blindness, is not able to see the creature and have prejudices based on the appearance that is offered but only on the words spoken and the kindness shown. But unfortunately, the other De Laceys are sighted individuals —although blind because of their prejudices—, and what they behold is someone far too big and too coarse. A threat.

That is very much the same risk transgender women face when going out as people who may or may not conform to society’s view of gender presentation, because as it has already been demonstrated, transgender people who are perceived as such face much more problems (like bigotry or unequal treatment among many others) than cis or cis-passing people (Dias et all, 2021, p.695), because, just like the creature, they are regarded as less than human, something unnatural and wretched.

On the other hand, Victor Frankenstein: pale, thin, dramatic, and beautifully at the verge of death at every point during the book (Cale, 2018). He would have been such a gorgeous lady of his time…if he had ever been one.

His resemblance to the transmasculine experience is even more tangible than the creature’s, from his obsession with the male figure to the “natural philosophy” that his father disapproved of and that helped him create, with the help of science, a “male” body that destroyed his conection with his family (as homophobic people threaten queernes does to people, being a threat to others, to the community and to oneself (Benshoff, 1997, p.1)).

Long story short, Victor Frankenstein’s inner struggle can be read as that of a transgender man who, facing the rejection of his family and his own internalized prejudices tries to come back and live his life as he normally would have done before realizing about his queerness, but the shadow of the man he has created —the man he is— follows him around throughout his life because as much as he tries to get rid of him, the creature will keep coming back as he is a part of him that  he projects as unconnected to him because he refuses to accept it. That last point is clear at the end of the book, because it takes for Victor Frankenstein to die for the creature to do so too.

Bibliography quoted (in order of appearance):

Shelley, M. (1818) Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones.

Fox, C. (2017) Why Frankenstein’s Monster Haunts Queer Art. Retrieved June 11, 2022 from New York Times Style Magazine at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/t-magazine/art/frankenstein-monster-queer-art.html

Preciado, P. B. (2018) Countersexual Manifesto, Columbia University Press.

Dias, C. K., da Rocha, L. R. L., Tateo, L., & Marsico, G. (2021) “Passing” and its effects on Brazilian transgender people’s sense of belonging to society: A theoretical study. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 31(6), 609-702.

Cale, J. (2018) Drop Dead Gorgeous: 19th Century Beauty Tips for the Aspiring Consumptive. Retrieved June 12, 2022 at https://dirtysexyhistory.com/2018/05/16/drop-dead-gorgeous-19th-century-beauty-tips-for-the-aspiring-consumptive/

Benshoff, H. M. (1997) Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film, Manchester University Press.

#frankenstein #idk how to tag this #classic literature #frankenstein daily

[watercolor-hearts]

So if you can answerr the ao3 wrapped: 5 6 15 and 29 please 😊

[Ao3 wrapped – Ask me about my stories/writing this year.]

Hi 😊 Of course I can. Thank you so much for asking. Long post ahead because... I love talking about writing/my stories. 😂❤

5. Has a work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

Yes, Broken Hearts and Broken Dreams: 14 subscriptions, 2875 hits, 131 kudos, 5 comments, 9 bookmarks.

When I posted my first Lestappen story (not this one) I was surprised how quickly the hits and kudos count climbed. And then I realized Lestappen was the top ship. (For me it's always Maxiel so that's why it was surprising.) And in case of this story the big amount of feedback was also surprising because it's about non-planned pregnancy, abortion and it's... not about easy topics. But it was nice to see people liked it so much. (It's my number one story if we view them by hits count.)

6. Favorite title you used

I don't have artsy titles, I usually just pick something from the story and make it the title so they're really basic but I still can't choose only one so here are all my faves:

Battle scar; Broken Hearts and Broken Dreams; In Sickness and In Health; Blood, sweat and tears; and Home.

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

For sure I'm gonna take In Sickness and In Health/Depressed Seb AU with me into next year because I still have a lot of story ideas for it. I'm planning to finish at least one this year but I'm sure I'll write for this au next year too. Having this little universe means a lot to me. ❤

And I think I'll also take my Charlos mpreg/premature birth/male lactation story into next year because even though I stopped talking about it, I still want to write it (uni was a bit too much and I had no time to write. But tomorrow (now today because it's now past midnight as I finish this post) is my last day so I hope I'll be able to write again soon.)

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

Now this is a difficult one because so far I've written 47 stories this year. (Big big thanks to Em and Nyx for sending me my first ever prompts and giving me a chance to start this amazing journey. ❤ And also big thanks to everyone who has ever sent me a prompt. It means a lot. ❤)

Now I'm gonna try and list as few of my fave lines as I can because I don't want to copy and paste all of my fave stories here but it's not always easy. 😂 (Mission (kind of) failed. Sorry.)

In Sickness and In Health

In sickness and in health, they say. Seb and Kimi knew it well.

•

“Just a little snack,” Seb said, heading to the kitchen. He knew he needed to eat but there were times when it wasn't that easy. But for Kimi, he tried. Kimi saved him, he’ll always try for him.

•

Seb was holding on to Kimi’s upper arm like he was scared Kimi would leave him alone. Not that Kimi wanted to do that. He would never leave Seb alone.

•

He knew his back would be dead if he slept there but, to be honest, the only thing he cared about was his lover on top of him, sleeping peacefully; a calm moment after all the storms of the last few weeks, even months. Therapy sessions, arguments, struggles with the food he was supposed to eat, and long nights filled with crying; it wasn’t easy. It’s never easy but now there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. 

Maybe I deserve all of this

“You know, when people see someone crying, they usually say something like ‘please don’t cry, it’s going to be alright’ because they… they don’t really know what to do when someone cries. Nobody really teaches you what to do.

•

“Can you… Can you take off your t-shirt?” George asked a few moments later.

“Already want me half naked, I see you, Georgie,” Alex teased, giving a quick kiss on George’s head before taking off his t-shirt.

“Just want to feel your skin,” George murmured, “And your heartbeat.”

•

“I wouldn't compare pain,” Alex said, “because it’s not something you can or should compare. It’s not about whose pain is worse. Everybody’s pain is valid and they deserve to get comforted if they want to.

•

We all have moments like this; when we’re vulnerable and just want someone to hold us.”

“And it’s one of the best things in the world when you have someone to hold you.”

I will kill you (but I will kill André first)

“Fuck,” Sam muttered under his breath, finally giving in and leaning back.

“Please wait with that,” André said, jokingly, making Jev laugh and Sam smile in disbelief. “I'm sure you could give a great lap dance to Jev but I don't want to see it. At least not this close.”

“I can't believe you, Lotterer,” Sam shook his head, laughing, “I fucking can't believe you.”

I'm breathing...

“Lewis, do I have to call a doctor?”

Lewis immediately shook his head. “No, it's okay, it's just… I just…” Lewis huffed as he tried to tilt his head back to open his airways more and let the air fill his lungs. He tried hard not to let panic fully take over his mind as the anxiety reached the top.

“Try to sit up,” advised Bono and tried to help Lewis by putting his hand on the driver's back, between his shoulder blades, to support him. “I know it's not easy now but try to breathe slowly,” the engineer advised as he caressed Lewis' back. “You can control your body. Trust yourself.”

The driver nodded, tilted his head back again, and closed his eyes to concentrate on his breathing. He felt like he couldn't get enough air into his lungs no matter how hard he tried or which breathing technique he used.

“You can do it, Lewis,” said Bono in his usual calm voice, “I know you can do it. Try to make these small breaths a little longer. If you manage to control your breathing, your heart will slow down too and then the strange feeling in your chest will go away.”

Home

“Your heartbeat sounds like home,” Seb said, breaking the silence a few moments later.

“Really?” Kimi asked, surprised. Seb has always been the cheesier one, but after everything that happened, this hit really close to home for Kimi. 

#dacchamp #simi #galex #lestappen #formula 1 #my writing

[leffee]

Some Shahrukh things for you!

- he’s super protective especially over the people he cares about and tends to always have his guard up

- he always has to look good “be camera ready”so to speak his appearance means as much to him as it does to Zoe

- he despises his parents, even though they’re the ones who got him into his lifestyle in the first place. they wanted more out of him then he was able to give and not only did they try to force him to marry someone he didn’t love just for status, but they constantly pressured him to be the best at things like modeling,acting, singing,dancing,interviews ect.. so they could brag about their perfect son. 

- he hides his feelings so well that nobody has ever seen him cry or he rarely shows any emotion he feels like it makes him weak, but he’s slowly starting to realize that it actually makes him stronger.

- he helps Zoe with fashion and modeling things,teaching her everything he’s learned along the way, and trying to direct her and answer Any questions she might have. sometimes even getting her little gigs here and there to get her started. he calls himself her coach. 

- Shahrukh and Vinnie had started to grow closer since he started hanging with Sunil more. Vinnie would follow him around and hang with him when Sunil wasn’t there so he started getting used to him giving him the nickname little buddy because he’s so short and he’s now his buddy who’s company he enjoys more then Vinnie thinks.

- he got really into rebuilding cars and actually got pretty good at it. He’s still learning, but he buys cars that he thinks are cool but could use some work as a bit of a challenge for himself. Seeing the finished product brings him so much satisfaction (all stemming from him being able to accomplish, something himself for once in his life)

- he learned Hindi from a tutor, his parents hired so that he could be “in touch” with his Indian culture or more so so his parents could say that they all were and their son definitely was following in their footsteps, even though they barely speak a lick of it themselves

- he realizes how big of an influence he is so he tries his hardest to always be the best role model to every single one of his fans. He puts a lot of pressure on himself to still be the best, even though underneath he suffers, but they’re happiness means more to him and he do anything not to lose them. 

That’s all for now. Let me know what you think. 🙂 would you like more of him? 

Ok ok, so before I even start, I will tell you that yeah, of course I want more of him! I want more of everything lps-related, so of course, him, Vinnie (especially Vinnie, but you know it), and literally anyone else would be great :3

man, just like Vinnie. Wait, no, Leffee, not everything is always about Vinnie (unbelivable, I know). It's Shahrukh time and damn why is his name so hard to spell. I imagine that Shahrukh actually has quite a few things that help him with being protective aka being intimidating to others due to his acting and everything else skills. Surely, he might have some decent fighting skills, right? Just a thought

yeah, that makes total sense, and they're both kinda divas in a way, though honestly I think Shahrukh might care about such stuff even more than Zoe... ok, maybe not, but they're at least at a tie. But contrary to Zoe, Shahrukh has paparazzi constantly after him, taking pictures and all (I'd imagine, Zoe's probably jealous about it when I think about it, not realizing how draining that is) so yeah, he's proooobably a little bit too aware of his own outward looks

ok, ok, all of that I expected as bad as it is, but that forced marriage? Damn it, that's such a big thing. So, he was basically forced into this whole super star thing, huh? Not surprised, poor guy. But hey, at least that gave him money so that's something, right? ...Right? Yeah, I don't think that's enough for him to forgive his parents either way. I will also guess that before he was an adult they took all that money for themselves, but that's theory terrority, theory that I created based on your purely made up headcanons xD but hopefully you like that

oh, just like Vinn- no no, it's not about him again, lol. But yeah, that sure is a Shahrukh-worthy headcanon. So like, he doesn't show many emotions at all normally, but then he's doing all his movie/acting stuff and has to be emotional, well, fake emotional but still. I imagine it looks like this: he stands in front of the camera completely neutral but as soon as he hears "action!" he changes into whatever emotion is needed for the scene. It's a matter of miliseconds

Oh more Zoe and Shahrukh, I mean, not surprised, they're very similar, aren't they? As grateful as Zoe is, I think she'd also be a biiiit unhappy with the fact that Sharukh has so many connections and experiences, more than her anyway. She's the star, damnit! But... at the end of the day she's thankful for his guidance, though I think she wouldn't be quick to admit it to other's (especially her more famous friends like Madame Pom) that she is being trained by him (because that would be admitting that she can't do it on her own) but would be happy to say that Shahrukh is her friend

VINNIE abajs, I mean, yeah, him. Ok, but I just think of situation that Sunil idk, went away for a while somewhere, so of course Vinnie (in his usual absent-Sunil-panic) immediately latached onto him, because not only does he looks very similar to Sunil but also is not that super different personality-wise from Sunil as one might think. Vinnie just kinda appeared behind Shahrukh and was like "Sunil's not here today, so you'll have to deal with me today." Ahaha, yeah. And then they grew closer, perfect. And then of course the nickname little buddy came. What if what if, Vinnie got a little offended because he's not short damnit (he is) but Shahrukh told him that it's not about his height, it's just an affectionate thing, nothing more (but it is, it is about his height actually, Vinnie just wasn't made to believe so).

ye, I remember that headcanon, but I think now it's in more detail. Putting his money to good use, huh? Good for him *clap emoji* and the reason behind it, oh! I like it, it's deep, but I wonder if he even realizes that's why he likes doing it so much himself. Either way good for him, look at him go! What if one day he got to a point that he's actually able to build his dream car (whatever it might look like) completely on his own, hm? I think it might be a thing!

okay, I know this is sad but the whole bit of Shahrukh's parents using it all to say that he is "following in their footsteps" actually made me laugh given the context xD because yeah, no. But of course they would tell everyone that this is the reason. Imagine how awkward it would be if someone asked them to speak some Hindi since they're so good at it >.>. But hey, hopefully maybe it genuinely helped him feel a bit more in touch with his culture, orrrr maybe not and it just overworked him 🙃 

I'd imagine that he would be quite attached to his fans, wouldn't he? Sure, their existence makes it so that he has to put on a perfect performance, but at least many of them genuinely support him and like him, which sure is nice. So of course he wants to give something back to them and that would be being a good influence for them, to actually give them something valuable, even if it all hurts him in a way

Told you I would reply to more and I have time today ^^. But I gotta admit, as much as I like reading and replying to those headcanons Shahrukh's name is so complicated to spell out, I have to focus so much while writing it lol 😭. But still, he's a good boy

#lps 2012 #asks

[zaceouiswriting]

The sweet and The jock

Character: Sweet Pea x male reader

Universe: Riverdale

Warnings: None

The hallways were filled with laughter. One guy in a letterman jacket running behind another one, holding a little book. Making fun of the guy behind him, telling him that he was slow, but at least he had a good throw. If not, he wouldn’t be on the team. But no one sounded it like he was making fun of him, but more to annoy him.

„Come on man, give me the book back!“, the slower guy cried after the faster one. But he just stopped, seeing his friend so far away from him, he opened the little book.

The moment, the slower one saw this, he panicked. Ran faster than before, to get to his friend before he could read it. But it was already too late. 

„Bro, for real?“, the one reading the book, asked the other one. He immediately comes to a halt. Looking at his friend in terror, but he just read the book more closely now. Not really acknowledging his friend anymore, „Bro this is sick! You need to show me how to do this!“

The faster friend, finally told him, closing the back and giving it back. „Are you for real right now?“, he asked in utter disbelieve. And the faster, slightly taller one, nodded excitedly with his head. „Yeah, I felt warm and fuzzy reading your poems. Especially the one with the warm summer. The love you had found there under the walnut tree. Amazingly written and so detailed without needing many words.“

He did not realize what he was talking about until his friend looked at him with an open mouth. „What’s going on bro?“, he asked to stay face, but the cat was out. The good thing was, nobody was around and his friend and he, both now knew a secret of the other so that no one would ever find out.

As they turned away, a looming shadow vanished in the darkness of a classroom, which neither of them had seen. Not aware, that somebody had heard them, they went on their merry way, joking and laughing together just a moment later, as if nothing ever happened.

The two friends, became closer, the smaller slower one, and learned a lot about each other. Man things nobody knew about him. He was distraught as he learned that he was a natural in everything he does. He learned violin in a matter of months, at the same time as piano. Not once did his grades dropped beyond the best and he was an excellent athlete.

For things he needed years to learn, his friend was able to grasp in a short amount of time. „How do you hide it this good?“, he asked him at some point.

His friend smiled at him. „I’m also a natural in acting. But I must say, I love the jock life. Nobody really thinks that I can do anything and for this, they never expect something from me, besides being dumb, making rude comments, and being a prick all the time,“ he laughed as he told him the advantages of being like them.

Again neither of them saw the shadow looming around a corner. Only this time, taking a video of the two, as they talked, clearly audible what they were saying.

It didn't take long, for this person to make their move. As you the next morning came into the school. Opened your locker something almost fell out of it. A tape recorder, with a note attached: „If you don’t want me to leak the video, this audio tape is from bring…“ Before you were even finished reading, you already stormed off.

Your locker still open, you stomped in the direction of a classroom, that for a few weeks now is occupied by a new club. Almost ripping the stupid door out, as you barged into it, you immediately looked at the guy with the beanie.

„Jughead, what the hell is this bullshit?“, you cursed at him, as you threw the recorder and the note into his lap.

He was perplexed to see you there but did not say anything until he looked down at his lap. „Someone is blackmailing you, I guess?“, he told you nonchalantly. But it only made you more furious.

„I don’t get blackmailed. I get blackmailed by one of your members! Do you see the way it is written? I have never seen this type of writing before, your guys came here. Not only that, in the rest of the message are so many errors, that I needed to stop before a fucking blood vessel would explode in my brain!“

Jughead looked at you funnily, as if he tried to understand what was happening. „Either, you find you did this, or I promise you, I will make all your lives a living fucking nightmare! I will loosen my grip on the team I have and will let them run a rampage.“

With that, you stormed off again. Slamming the door so hard, that a part of it broke. Not realizing, that someone else now has you in his line of view. Looking at you closely from afar, not letting anything get by.

From this day on you, put space between your close friend and yourself, just to make sure, that nobody would find out. You did not want to be seen as anything other than a dumb jock, even though your teachers knew better. But they also knew better, than tell anyone.

Nothing seemed different in the days coming, at least not for you. That was until while practicing, one of the serpents walked onto the field, just after you had thrown the ball. „Look out!“, you screamed at the guy, just before the ball hit him in the head. You ran to him as fast as possible, while he was already surrounded by the rest of your team and your coach.

It took, the guy a while until he could sit up, without falling again. The coach ushered everyone except you away, so you could bring him into the nurse's office. But the guy was taller, more muscular, and heavier than you. But despite the difficulty, you brought him into the school.

A good while before the nurse's office, the guy out of a sudden, walked normally, pulled you into an empty classroom, and closed the door behind him.

„What the fuck?“, you breathlessly exclaimed, as he was looking you up and down. „I followed you the last couple of days and-“ Before he could finish his sentence, you already had your fist clenched ready to punch him, but he was faster than you, which you never had before. He pushed you back until you landed safely on a chair, bewildered you looked at him

„Jughead found the guy. You were right, he was one of us. How you did it, with only his writing is impressive. Here is the recording. Don’t worry, he will never do something like this again.“ 

Relive washed over you, as you finally had in your hands, what you knew could destroy your image. Before you could thank the guy, he looked down onto the floor. „I watched the footage,“ he told you sheepishly. Even scratching the back of his head. „I heard you telling your friend, about your ex-boyfriend. Must say, did not believe it even after hearing it, but after following you for a couple of days, I accept it. And wanted to ask you, if you maybe want to go to Pops with me?“

You were flabbergasted as this guy, first told you, that he invaded your privacy, followed you like a creep, and now wanted to go out with you? On the other side, he was extremely handsome. His black hair and dark mysterious eyes, let you feel a lot. And he was a gang member. So life most likely would never get boring. Still, you acted like you needed more convincing. As he just stood there, saying nothing you made your way out, without giving him an answer.

You were able to see his puppy dog eyes before you left the room. „Seven in the evening, wear your serpent leather jacket. I will be waiting in a corner booth.“ Not waiting on any response, you immediately left the room, taking the memory out of the camera and stomping on it. Only after seeing it in little pieces did you pick it up and threw it away. Just for you to run out, throwing the camera somewhere and getting back to practice.

But your mind was full with this guy and the audacity he had, talking to you like that, after everything he did. You liked him, maybe even a bit too much already. Maybe you could even train with him. The right statue was already there, he only needed some coordination training. Still better than your ex-Conner, whose religion was more important than your love.

[Masterlist]

#Sweet Pea x male reader #sweet pea imagines #Riverdale x male reader #Riverdale imagine #Riverdale #x male reader #male reader #male reader imagine #x male reader imagine

[eggcatsreads]

May Reading Wrap-Up

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Favorite Read of the Month:

Master of One by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett (GR review)

Rags is a thief until he's caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer. And now he's forced on a journey to find the rest of these relics so they can save the world before it's destroyed.

Y'ALL. THIS BOOK DOES NOT GET ENOUGH LOVE AND THAT IS A CRIME. THIS CAME OUT IN 2020 AND THERE'S NOT EVEN A WHISPER OF A SEQUEL IN THE WORKS??? HELLO??? MORE PEOPLE NEED TO READ THIS SO THERE'S ENOUGH HYPE FOR THE AUTHORS TO CONTINUE THIS SERIES.

This is the queer fantasy adventure we've all wanted and it's been slept on. (Personally, I think it's the cover and the name keeping people from picking this book up.) Trust me, this book is PHENOMENAL. If you have ever read a fantasy adventure with some romantic tension in it, and thought "okay but what if it was gay?" then THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

The best way I can describe it is if Crier's War and Realm Breaker had a baby. If you haven't read both of those books (what are you doing?) I'll try to describe the vibes. It's Crier's War in that it's a queer fantasy story where the protagonists are practically fighting against society itself to correct the corruption throughout the realm, where solving this won't be an easy fix - as well as it standing in the way of the romance, where two people from different worlds try to come together anyway and overcome the obstacles. It's Realm Breaker in that it's a found family adventure story where you collect more and more characters along the way as they have to fight to save the realm before it's destroyed. It's the love of my life in that I stayed up until like 6am to finish it in one sitting.

READ THIS BOOK. PLEASE.

-----------------------

Other Five Star Reads:

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen (GR review) (series)

Let’s get one thing straight—Vanja Schmidt wasn’t trying to start a cult.

If you haven't read Little Thieves yet, what are you doing? Read that, read this (the sequel), cry at the ending, and then wait with me with baited breath for Holy Terrors. While you're at it, read Margaret Owen's other book series, The Merciful Crow. She's a fantastic author.

-----------------------

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (GR review)

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena's a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn't even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.

R. F. Kuang is a PHENEMONAL writer, and in this darkly humorous memoir from the white women who stole the manuscript for her famous Asian-American author "friend" when she died, you won't be able to stop to take a breath before you realize you've finished the book in one sitting. In an impressive twist of expectations, R.F Kuang's self-insert character ISN'T the main character - she's the one who dies.

Instead, we're stuck inside June's ("Juniper Song's") head as she complains about the unfairness of political correctness and how only minority authors are getting the big breaks now, and no one supports her work because she's white. So when her friend dies unexpectedly in front of her one night, she takes the opportunity to steal her book and pass it off as her own - and it's a cultural phenomenon of a book - until her fraud comes to light. Her response to all of this will keep you on your toes until the last page.

Also R.F. Kuang has a trilogy called The Poppy War which I HIGHLY recommend reading. She's also written Babel, which while I liked, academia focused books aren't my forte. However, reading all four of these books can kind of lend some insight into Yellowface, as R.F. Kuang takes the criticisms she's faced and turns it around to mock them in this book, and there were a few moments I laughed out loud because I knew EXACTLY what book and where a certain criticism came from. It's not required, but if you were interested at all in these books, I recommend them before Yellowface, if you can.

-----------------------

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison (series)

When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it. He lost his place as a retainer of his cousin the former Empress, and made far too many enemies among the many factions vying for power in the new Court. The favor of the Emperor is a dangerous coin. Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. 

Thara Celehar my beloved. I would die for you, you sad gay wet cat of a man.

-----------------------

Rest of Books Read Under the Cut:

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison (series)

Thara Celehar continues to be a sad gay wet cat of a man, as we watch him go on his little adventures and solve crimes.

Babel by R.F. Kuang

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the gods remember, and they do not forgive.

Tbh this might have been 5 stars if the main character wasn't so vanilla that he'd see a half dragon/half man hybrid saving his life and didn't immediately want him, and instead went to hide and think about it. SIR. WHAT.

Also it's the classic enemies to lovers, one has to kill the other and the other doesn't know it, betrayal love stories we all love. Except gay. And with dragons. So better.

-----------------------

Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb

In the city of Ombrazia, saints and their disciples rule with terrifying and unjust power, playing favorites while the unfavored struggle to survive. After her father’s murder at the hands of the Ombrazian military, Rossana Lacertosa is willing to do whatever it takes to dismantle the corrupt system—tapping into her powers as a disciple of Patience, joining the rebellion, and facing the boy who broke her heart. 

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation's casino...and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step--an ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one that's intent on devouring her whole. With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old.

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill

It's 1853 London. Frankenstein's great niece Mary Saville and her husband, Henry, are trying to follow in his scientific footsteps and become renowned paleontologists. But after finding clues to her great uncle's disappearance, Mary's luck may just change. She constructs a plan that will force the scientific community to take her and her husband seriously; no one will be able to ignore them after they learn to create life.

-----------------------

Books read so far this year: 59

How I rate books.

#books #booklr #reading wrap up 2023 #reading wrap up #may #may 2023 #long post

[dearcat1]

(Chaos)

Part 5 of Unfortunate Surprises

🔞🔞🔞CW: Smut🔞🔞🔞

Xanxus knows what's being offered to him. He's not an idiot, he's even talked with Sawada already and they're more or less planning how to approach this change in their relationship. He hadn't expected his guardians to be the first hurdle. Xanxus snarls, eyeing the broken furniture and glass strewn all over the meeting room and ignoring the way his elements freeze in place. "Trash." Xanxus sits down gingerly, ignoring the way the pain makes him squirm. "I don't care what the fuck you think you're doing, you're dropping it. Now."

Belphegor takes that literally, letting go of the base he was about to throw at Fran's head. It crashes noisily, making Xanxus twitch and then wince. It earns him the razor focus of his elements.

"Boss?" Lussuria reaches for him carefully. "Are you ok?"

"I was more than ok." Xanxus was doing great, actually. He's never been this spoiled. "And then you came around and destroyed the fucking living room, garden and entire front porch." Xanxus opens his eyes to glare at them, baring his fangs. "You're my responsibility which makes it my problem when you don't behave yourselves. Do you have any idea how many important things you destroyed yesterday?"

A long silence answers him. Squalo is looking at him with a dawning realization which in turn makes his other elements sit back and pay attention. Squalo licks his lips nervously, "a few?"

"Many?" Fran ventures, safe in the knowledge that nobody will be throwing things at him any time soon.

"113." Xanxus bares his fangs. "113 broken pieces of shit, trash. Now guess what that means?"

Lussuria winces, "we could replace them, boss."

"You will replace them, out of your own fucking wallets." Xanxus growls, refusing to stand. "113 broken pieces of shit," Xanxus repeats, "113. I got one slap for each of those." His ass is on fucking fire but Xanxus will finish this on his throne - like he promised he would. At least Sawada had been gentle enough to allow warming up to count and Xanxus managed to convince him not to use a paddle. "If I ever get spanked like this again for your bullshit, I will fucking kill you, trash."

"...can we see?"

Xanxus stares, rendered speechless by his Mist's stupidity. He reaches for his gun, fuck it. "Die."

Squalo jumps forward, grabbing Xanxus's wrist before he can fire. "Voi! Wait! That's how more shit gets broken." He whirls around to point at Fran, "and you! Are you an idiot? Voi, what were you expecting?!"

"Uhm… boss?" Lussuria walks around the table, laying a hand on Xanxus's shoulder. "I could heal the bruises?"

True. And tempting. But… "that's going to get me another 113 slaps," at least his obvious discomfort is making his elements uncomfortable. It might just get them to behave for a couple of weeks. Maybe even a month. "And this time I doubt I'll be able to negotiate him down from the paddle."

Both Lussuria and Squalo wince, Belphegor and Fran standing up to join them. Xanxus huffs, recognizing that they're not about to let it go until they've seen for themselves that yes, Xanxus is bruised and uncomfortable but nothing more. He's ok overall just unwilling to be spanked for their bullshit. "Fine!" Xanxus growls to get them to back away a bit before pushing his sweatpants down. He bends forward a little, laying his hands flat on the table.

Lussuria hisses in sympathy, gentle fingers trailing the big bruise that is Xanxus's ass. "...I can offer a cream?"

"Sawada is taking care of it." Xanxus twitches when he feels Belphegor flick one of the little bells hanging from his plug. "Fuck off."

#khr #katekyo hitman reborn #xanxus #sawada tsunayoshi #a/b/o #x27 #sawada tsunayoshi/xanxus #unfortunate surprises au

[angry-geese]

Blood Ties - Chapter Forty-three: Bound Until Death

Soulmate au Choso x Reader

Warnings: minor mentions of blood/injury. Swearing. overall sfw.

Synopsis: another update on the game has those outside the barrier scrambling to regroup

Word count: 4.1k

A/n: honestly I don't have a good excuse for being gone lol I got super into playing obey me! Shall we date and that's basically all I've been doing for the past two and a half weeks so sorry lol

Prev - next

Masterlist

Today, it’s Choso’s turn to guard Tengen. 

As a child, you used to be able to sleep through just about anything. Your mother would boast about how she would be able to vacuum in the same room as you when you were younger, or bang around pots and pans in the kitchen without worrying about waking you up. Nowadays you don't sleep very heavily. The slightest provocation has you wide awake.

About ten minutes before Choso gets out of bed, you feel him stirring beside you. Movement from him has you awake and alert in an instant, though you keep your eyes closed, and body still. It only takes you a moment to realize that it’s just him.

In the dim hours of the morning—if you can even call them that, considering there's no natural light in here—he often spends his final few minutes in bed with an arm wrapped around your waist, or his body flush against yours. Then, when the time comes, he slips out of bed silently, getting dressed in the dark, before disappearing into the hall. You have his routine memorized: get up, get dressed, fix hair, leave. Only five minutes later will Yuki return in his place.

Yuki greets you, before falling into her cot. Soon, soft snores can be heard coming from her.

Sometimes, you envy her; if not for her strength, then for her ability to sleep the moment her head hits the pillow. Too much goes through your head to fall asleep so quickly. You sit at the edge of the bed, cigarette in hand, still in the same clothes you slept in. Without a lighter, and not wanting the smell of smoke to linger, you simply dig your teeth into the filter.

You slip out into the hall, shutting the door behind you. It doesn't take long for the perpetual fog in Tengen’s barrier to cloud over it. The wood floor is cold against your bare feet, which does little to help the perpetual stiffness that seems to plague your joints.

This time, when your phone rings, you’re expecting it. You answer on the first ring, holding it up to your ear.

“I need you to find Kirara,” he continues, “and I need you to update them about the situation inside the game; we have a rule into place allowing our people to leave. Once Itadori and I find Fushiguro, we’ll open the prison realm, and free Gojo.”

When he finishes speaking, you don't intend to take so long to respond. Your hesitation stems from a mix of grogginess, and overall confusion. He reminds you of your mother in that way: asking things of you before you’ve woken up.

“Why do I have the feeling it's not as easy as you’re putting it?” You ask.

James laughs dryly. “Because it's not. That's not to say it ever is, but, you’re right,

“I have a theory," he says, "about the game, and Kenjaku's involvement in it,

“The rules state that the game ends once all the players are dead, or once all the players have refused to participate, and die,

“Well what happens to a barrier once nobody is left to continue the game? Once there is only one player left in a barrier, unless there's a rule in place allowing them to travel, they're stuck there until the nineteen days are up and they're subjected to cursed technique removal.”

“You're forgetting about the people Kenjaku cursed,” you say. “There’s… what? Over 100 million people in Japan? Even if he only turned 10% of that into sorcerers—a percentage I find to be very small—that still leaves around a million players within the game.”

That amount of players, divided by eleven, still leaves a few thousand players to a barrier—each.

“I haven't,” he says. “By November 19th, all players that are going to enter the barrier will have. Anyone entering after that would have to be some random civilian, or one of you guys—neither of which I find to be likely,

“When this day rolls around, the country will experience a mass culling event. In a few days we’re going to witness an unimaginable loss of human life. But that's besides my point—

“I have reason to believe that barriers will become ‘out of use’ once there are no players left to continue fighting in them. Eventually, the remaining players will be forced into a single barrier, where the fight will reach its conclusion. That's when Kenjaku will swoop in, and ready himself for his mergence with Tengen.”

His breathing has become labored. There’s shuffling from his end of the call.

“I need you to find Kirara,” he continues, “and Shoko, and Kento, and anyone still on our side. I need… I need you to keep them updated on the game.”

Your stomach twists at the sound of Nanami’s name. There's no hard feelings, but you don't find yourself eager to talk to him.

“So… what? You want me to tell them what we’ve known for the past week and a half: nothing?” You ask.

“Just… find them. Please.” He says. “It's unsafe for me to continue contacting you. I risk alerting other players of my location with the use of my cursed technique. I’ll call you again when we find Fushiguro.”

Click!

Your phone hums with the sound of dead air.

Fog settles low to the ground at the end of the hall. Up ahead in the distance, two figures are visible. Both are shrouded in fog, but recognizable.

By the time the figures come into view, the landscape has changed. No longer are you standing in a hall, but an empty room. It much resembles a classroom—minus the desks—with its tile floors, and blank walls. At the front of the room is a blank chalkboard.

“Tengen,” you say, “if you can merge with anyone now, why not do so?”

Your voice seems to echo within the resounding silence that you’re met with. It's hard to tell if Tengen is judging you, or thinking of a response. Either way, his face doesn't change.

“Outside of my barrier, it would be far easier for Kenjaku to use his Idle Transfiguration on me.” Tengen says after his moment of contemplation. “And in my current condition, I cannot leave this place, I would be too weak. If I were to merge with anyone other than the star plasma vessel, it would be incomplete as a whole.”

“But he knows where you are. And it's only a matter of time before he gets to us. You’re a sitting duck.” You say. “Why don't we have you merge with someone other than him? Then how is he supposed to find you if you're off hiding in the Himalayas, or some random city?”

What if you fled to the far edges of the world? What if you fled to the busiest city you could find? Could Kenjaku find you amongst the people of Mumbai, or New York, or Cairo? Could Kenjaku find you at the depths of the Marianas Trench?

“Ignoring that multiple people can merge with me in my current state,” he says, “who would you have me merge with?”

What if… what if he merged with someone who can change the very fabric of a soul…

“My brother has the ability to not only manipulate the soul's of other people, but his own soul itself.” You say. “If we had you two merge, he could use his cursed technique to camouflage you—maybe even prevent other humans from merging with you.”

Tengen hums. Reading his reaction is difficult enough as it is. His face is many things, but expressive is not part of that list.

“And you believe he would agree to such a thing?” He asks.

Only if there was something in it for him…

Tengen seems to know your answer before you say it, because he nods, solemnly.  “Truthfully, I think the only way this will end is with mine and Gojo's death.” He says. 

For a moment you have to pause, reassuring yourself that you heard him right. Even Choso glances at him as if to confirm what he’s said.

“That seems a little extreme,” you say. 

Tengen flicks his wrist, and a map of Japan springs up from the ground. Eleven colonies are marked spanning the length of the country. The map divides the island of Japan into three parts: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. 

“This began with us; star plasma and six eyes, and it will end with us.” He says. “My fate is closely linked with that of Gojo, and Geto—you must understand that.”

“Your own safety is the key to humanity’s survival!” Frustration is audible in your voice as you speak. “What’s to stop me from getting this over with quicker by killing you now?”

Tengen only seems slightly amused at your threat. He crosses one set of his arms over his chest, and his leathery lips twist into what must be a smile.

There’s a sudden shift in the cursed energy that lingers in the air as someone else enters the room. Although you don't turn around, you sense another set of eyes on your back.

“Master Tengen’s abilities are essential to the structure and organization to the Jujutsu world.” Yuki says. “And despite your ties to my fellow guard, if you were to harm Tengen, I would spare no hesitation in putting you down.”

In her hands, she holds a cup of coffee. Steam curls up from the surface of the liquid. She takes note of the sudden flare up in your cursed energy, and laughs. It’s not in a mocking way; her tone is that of entertainment.

“I'm fucking with you,” Yuki says, “I know you’re smarter than that,

“Don't mistake me for being as insane as Geto,” she continues, “I may desire for a world where we can break away from cursed energy, but I don't believe a genocide of all non-curse users is the way to go about things.”

Before you, a table materializes out of the fog. Yuki takes a seat, resting her chin on her hands. Your hand comes up to knead at your aching shoulder.

“I heard from my brother again.” You announce louder than intended. Expecting someone to respond, you pause, only to be met with silence.

The first person to break the silence is Tengen.

“I overheard,” Tengen says. “If what your brother said was true, then we have no way of knowing which barrier the fight will conclude in, but I have a theory,

“Of mainland Japan, the southernmost colony is in Okinawa. For that matter—all colonies appear to be placed over ground where massive loss of life occurred, aside from Hokkaido, who’s significance as neutral ground has been stated from the start of the game,

“With there being around a million contenders all divided between these barriers, this game will not conclude quickly. Once we free Gojo, and extract our players, we can allow the game to resolve itself. But doing so without defeating Kenjaku will prove to be a fatal mistake.”

Makes sense. If Kenjaku is still around once the game ends, who knows how strong he'll be. Stopping him after his mergence would be a suicide mission.

“So what do we do?” You ask. “The game isn't going to end just because he’s dead. But if we wait for him to merge with you, then he’s—” You gesture vaguely with your hands, sighing tiredly.

“Well,” he says, sighing, “it's ill-advised for you to go tracking Kenjaku down, so I suppose you should find Kirara.”

… 

It doesn't take you long to get ready. You’re dressed within five minutes, and have your things packed in under ten. 

Admittedly, you draw things out longer than necessary when bidding goodbye to Choso. He squeezes you tightly, head falling into the crook of your neck, and his arms tightening around you. It's the type of hug that, if you saw a child doing it to a small animal, you’d feel bad for the thing, or maybe even intervene.

“I’ll see you soon,” you say. Your words are meant more to spare your ribs, than they are to comfort him.

“I’ll wait for you,” he says.

Although it’s dark within the lower levels of Jujutsu Tech, retracing your steps isn't difficult. 

It’s night time when you reach the ground floor. From here, both of the Tokyo barriers are visible as black dots along the skyline. Lights from downtown are spotty, and sparse. Entire blocks of the city appear dark, possibly from power outages, or collateral damage. 

Aside from the hum of the fluorescent lights, and incessant screech of crickets, the halls are silent. Shoko is in the infirmary, sitting at her computer. The glow of the monitor is the only source of light in the room. Although she doesn't turn to look at you, she must hear you come in. From her desk, she makes a noise that can only be discerned as “what do you want?”

“You’re still here?” You ask. “I thought you would have gone home by now.”

“Downtown is in ruin, cursed spirits freely roam the streets, and there are no trains headed up North,” she says, “where else would I go?”

Irritation is tangible in her voice. She taps the filter of her cigarette against her desk repeatedly. Day-old mascara is smudged beneath her eyes, which are red, and puffy.

“How’s your shoulder doing?” She asks. “I heard you got hurt pretty bad back in Shibuya…”

As if on instinct, your hand moves to your shoulder. “Feels fine.” You say. It aches when it rains, and whenever Choso is nearby, but that’s to be expected.

“Good,” she says, placing the filter of her cigarette between her lips, “with injuries like that, there’s bound to be some lasting side effects. In the future, you’ll likely be dealing with complications. Because you’re young, your body has recovered quicker.”

Shoko’s lipstick leaves a pale pink ring around the filter of her cigarette. The flame from her lighter casts a soft orange glow across her face.

“You knew Geto?” You ask.

“In school, yeah,” she says. “He, Gojo and I were in the same year.”

You had never given the topic enough thought to realize that the two are roughly the same age. Shoko always seemed older than him. Or maybe, Gojo’s immature tendencies made him seem younger than he really is.

“Were you close?” You ask.

Not that it’s any of your business. “No,” she says, “no—I mean, we were about as close as you can expect. I'm sure you’ve noticed the social circle in Jujutsu Tech isn't a large one—but he and Gojo were a lot closer,

“Honestly, I always had my eyes on Utahime, over in Kyoto.” 

Her words leave you with the impression that she’s trying to lighten the situation, and failing. Rain pounds against the window quietly. Shoko notices this, an annoyed look flashing across her face. Pushing herself away from her desk, she shuts the blinds. They rattle as they fall, hitting the windowsill with a loud snap!

Shoko is not someone you’ve spoken with more than in passing conversation; she (albeit poorly) explains how a reversed cursed technique works, and you try to explain the various dumb injuries you come to her with. She keeps to herself, you do the same. The two of you were content with that.

It’s not that you outwardly dislike her; you simply have nothing to talk about.

“Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if things would have turned out different,” she says, “that if maybe we got through to him, this wouldn't have happened,

“I know the things he’s done, and I’m aware that this is an act of jujutsu terrorism on a level we’ve never seen before; nothing I say is in defense of his actions,

“I just… I have to tell you that he was human. At one point. He—like you and I—are products of our environment.”

Such a moment of vulnerability—especially from Shoko herself—is jarring. Uncertain of how to respond, you turn your gaze to the floor.

“Gojo told me that a lot of cursed spirits were human. At one point.” You say.

Your words aren't meant to mock her, but you worry they come off that way. Shoko’s attention turns back to her computer screen: an open word document. Nothing is typed out onto the page. Her cursor blinks back at her.

“I’m trying to find Kirara,” you say. “They wouldn't be here, by any chance?”

It’s a long shot. You figure that, if they were here, you would have run into them by now.

Shoko’s brows knit in concentration. “That's the one with all the piercings, right?” She asks, gesturing to her own face. Her nail polish is noticeably chipped.

You nod.

“Haven't seen them,” she says. “You're certain they haven't entered one of the culling game barriers?”

“Doubt it.” You say. “The two of us were ordered to keep an eye on things outside of the barriers. I don't think they have any reason to go marching on in there.”

Unless someone has their own reason to enter the game—whether that be by force or not—you don't see the point in entering of your own volition. The only way the game ends is with the death of all its players; that’s not a very enticing reward. Some simply want a fight—you can respect that. But the average sorcerer isn't going to enter unless they have good reason to.

“So that's why you're not a player…” she says. “I’ve been wondering about that—why you haven’t entered yet. If Gojo were here, he’d make a bet to see how long until you go in after your brother.”

Her words make heat flood your cheeks. Gojo talks about you. Of course he would; you’re one of his students, after all. The concept of being noticed—by one of the strongest sorcerers in existence at that—being more than a passing face in a crowd to him strikes you as odd. People like him typically don't give people like you the time of day. Not in the jujutsu world.

Gojo must have a lot of faith in his students. 

Of course he does; they’re his only hope right now.

“I'm afraid I can't be much help to you right now,” Shoko says, “but I suggest checking around either of the Tokyo colonies. Or—find that underground fighting ring that Hakari was running. If they’ve gone anywhere, it's likely somewhere they’re already familiar with. Kids are predictable in that regard.”

“And how am I supposed to find it?” You ask.

Shoko’s lips press into a thin line. Eyeliner smudges beneath her eyes as she rubs them. “I'd advise against being in the city after nightfall,” she says, “but look for lights—they’ll be easier to spot after dark.”

Traveling from Jujutsu Tech to downtown Tokyo on foot isn't inconvenient at best. On top of walking, you’re occupied by looking over your shoulder for cursed spirits. While you appear to be alone, you’re still on edge. Traveling downtown, on your own, isn't what you would consider to be a relaxing activity.

Without the help of google maps, or someone who knows the city better than you, finding the warehouse proves to be a challenge. It's not lit up like expected. By the time you finally spot the building, you have to do a double take. From all appearances, this place is abandoned. Cars are stopped dead in the center of the street, abandoned by their owners. Trash piles up along the sidewalk.

It's always the silence that hits you first. If there are people in this part of town, they’re hiding. Not that you blame them. Anyone who’s out in the street like this has a death wish.Less than a half hour into your trek, you come across a street that has been blocked off. Orange detour signs sit at either end. Considerable damage has been done to a shop front, as if something the size of a car was thrown into it. You’re not certain what this building used to be; perhaps it was a market at one point in time, or maybe even a restaurant.

Something in the back of your brain registers cursed energy, before the rest of you does: acrux. Written in scratchy letters on the side of a trash can. Up ahead in the distance, a car is also marked. Then a door, and the side of a building.

Love Rendezvous. They were here. 

That’s when something lands on the pavement in front of you.

It’s plasticky, and gelatinous, and hits the asphalt with a comical sounding flap! A blood bag. You have enough time to shield your face with your arms before it bursts, spraying out in all directions.

Not wanting to wait around to find the source of this attack, you make a break for a nearby building. The door is unlocked, allowing you to throw it open, and squeeze inside. From there, you scale two flights of stairs, before coming to a stop in front of a roof access door. In an instant, you have it open, slipping through it, letting it go before realizing that it’s locked on your side.

Internally, you curse yourself. What kind of stupid roof access door is locked from the outside only?! It would make infinitely more sense to have it locked from the inside!

The only way out is down. 

Defeated, and breathing heavily, you slump against the door. Rain water collects on the rooftop in shallow pools. A telephone pole has come down onto the side of this building, caving in part of the roof. Loose wires crackle and burn into the concrete.

That blood bag… has to be a Kamo. 

Your husband’s family isn't exactly known for teaching their technique to outsiders. It's safe to assume that someone using blood manipulation is a Kamo.

Shouldn't they be on your side? Or, at least, not actively trying to kill you.

From across the street, light reflects into your eye. Grimacing at the sudden assault on your vision, your arms move up to cover your face. Panic flares up within your chest. Letting your guard down could get you killed.

You become acutely aware of the ringing in your ears.

Slowly, your vision turns to the source of the light: a building directly across from you on the street. Kirara stands on the roof, reflecting the light from a billboard at you with a palm-sized mirror, stopping upon making eye contact with you. They hold a finger up to their lips in a “hush” motion.

That's when you notice them gesturing towards something behind you.

Your eyes fall upon the puddle, then to the wires that have fallen into it.

And it finally registers what Kirara is trying to sign to you: don't touch the water.

It doesn't take much electricity to stop the human heart. Even small voltage shocks can send someone into cardiac arrest.

This roof isn't level by any means, and as such, several spots are dry. A few feet in front of you is one of these dry patches. The jump would be easy enough to land if you could get a running start.

When the door flies open, a man steps out. His hands are clasped in front of him, as if he’s holding something. The cursed energy that radiates off of him smells faintly metallic.

Upon spotting you, he opens his hands, allowing what was in them to flow freely: blood. The blood resembles a rope, more than it does an arrow. It holds still in the air for a moment, as if he’s hesitating, before hurling towards you at full speed. Bringing your blade up, your own cursed energy coursing through it, you slice straight through the rope.

Definitely a Kamo.

If you squint, you can make out some resemblance to Choso. Both have the same stringy black hair, and dark eyes, but the similarities stop there. This man is on the shorter side, with a scrawnier build: lithe, like a runner. If they are related—which is likely—then they aren't related closely.

He says your name loudly. Fear prickles at the back of your neck. It's finally setting in that you’re who he’s looking for. This isn't some random attack.

“You’re under investigation for aiding the curse users in Shibuya.” He says. “The head of the Kamo clan has requested you as an audience. You can either come willingly, or we will take you by force.”

“Seems like you're already using force, asshole!” You call back.

#hopefully its less of a wait between this chapter and 44 but im also in the process of switching jobs rn so :/ #i unfortunately cant make any promises #jjk x reader #choso x reader #blood ties #jjk #choso kamo #choso kamo x reader #jujutsu kaisen #obligatory jjk manga spoilers

[cutieodonoghue]

invisible string (13/18)

summary: modern soulmate birthmark au; After Omera lost her soulmate, she lost hope she’d ever find love again. Then, a short time before Earth’s first colony ship will be sent to a place they call the Outer Rim, she meets a Mandalorian whose touch makes her Soul Mark burn. (Mandomera!)

rating: hard T

word count: ~5.7k

prev. chapters: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve

read chapter 13 down below or on ao3!

an: Hey friends! I'm going to be updating daily (hopefully!) through the end of this story starting now, which is a big yay, but also a big sad because I'm going to miss this a lot. I have a few crazy weeks coming up and I don't want to not be able to update at all while we're at a dramatic and angsty part in the plot, so keep your eyes peeled!

You're amazing! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy seeing how this whole thing ends :)

-

Chapter 13: The Choice

“Omera is known around the colony on Alpha for her graceful leadership. You always see her completely put together, fearless even when things look bleak. She has solutions for almost every problem, and if she doesn’t have one she’ll find someone who can help.

When I find her, she’s folding laundry in her living room. 

This is the Omera that nobody gets to see. She wears a messy ponytail, an oversized paint-stained shirt, and baggy gray sweatpants. Her smile is as bright as one might expect, but exhaustion peeks through when she forgets where she put the tea leaves in her kitchen.

‘Do you remember the day everything changed?’ I ask while we sit at the table in the kitchen with mugs of hot tea.

She frowns and her shoulders fall. ‘Are we really going to start by talking about this? Those were some of the hardest months of my life.’” -  Soulmates and the Outer Rim: Real Stories About Soulmates Who Went the Distance

-

They decided to surprise the kids with a trip to the beach right after they picked them up for the day. They got a box of cheese pizza and a blanket they could sit on. Winta picked the spot where they sprawled their blanket out and not even five minutes in, Grogu already had sand in his hair.

As they sat there, listening as the waves rolled in, Omera realized that this was a lot like the future she and Din talked about. The only difference was that there was sorrow knowing that at any moment all of it could end.

Grogu wanted to sit in Omera’s lap while they ate. His little voice was too precious to deny and she selfishly wished to hang on as tightly as she could to what time they had. There was no telling what waited for them around the corner.

While they ate, Winta’s giddiness from earlier that morning rose to the surface and she blurted out, “Din, Mama told me that you’re soulmates.”

Din sat beside Omera, just close enough that if she wanted to she could touch him. 

She wouldn’t touch him. They were always careful around others, but especially when they were in public where anyone could have eyes on them. 

The beach felt safe with its calm sounds and soft salted breezes. It was as if nothing was wrong at all. 

Din looked at Omera and she smiled easily. When it was the four of them together it was always so easy to be joyful. Now that Winta knew the truth about them, it was even more clear that they’d become a family.

“We are,” he confessed.

Winta bit on her lip and tilted her head so her dimpled cheek hit her shoulder. “Can I ask you questions about it?”

“Yes.”

Her daughter considered her first inquiry carefully before she straightened out and asked, “Why did you choose to Bond? You said Mandalorians don’t do that.”

“We both chose to Bond,” Din told Winta. “It wasn’t just my choice.”

Winta narrowed her eyes some. “But why did you want to?”

Omera eyed Din, whose mind must’ve moved a thousand miles an hour as he tried to sift through everything they’d been through over the course of a few weeks.

Grogu finished his pizza and tilted his head back to look at her. There was sauce on his cheeks and crumbs on his shirt. She smiled tenderly at him and grabbed a napkin from where she’d hidden them just under the box of pizza. 

Carefully, she wiped his messy cheeks and then kissed his nose when he squirmed upwards in search of more affection. Laughter fell from his sweet lips and he nuzzled his cheek into her chest while he turned in her lap to face Din.

“There were a lot of reasons,” Din finally shared. “We both knew we were a Match and it was difficult for us to focus.”

Winta hummed curiously, but said nothing.

“When I’m with her, it’s better,” he continued, “and since we Bonded, I realized that what my people believe is flawed. There isn’t anything wrong with having a soulmate. If the Mandalorians knew how it feels, maybe they wouldn’t discourage it.”

Winta perked up. “What’s it feel like?”

Omera watched Din. He turned his head to look at her. 

“Like two halves of a whole,” he explained. “Together, we’re complete.”

Her heart ached. There was nothing but love that existed in the space between them, this chaotic swirl of two lives on differing paths finally united. It would ebb and flow, and they both knew that it would, but right now, it was good. She desperately hoped it would stay that way.

“Aww,” Winta cooed. “Where is your Mark, Din? Can I see what it looks like? Mama’s is different now. Is yours?”

Omera laughed. “We have all night to talk about all of this, my love.”

“I know,” she sighed wistfully. “I’m just so excited. You seem so happy, Mama.”

Omera glanced at Din. He stared back at her, just to look.

She thought back to the way he’d tracked her down after their class at the office. He’d laid her out on the couch in her office and peppered her with sweet and hungry kisses, like he’d never get enough of her. There had been so much warmth in him then, so much pride and joy, and she could taste happiness on his lips.

“My Mark is under my right ear,” Din told Winta. “I can show you when we go back to the apartment.”

Winta gasped. Her voice was quiet when she asked, “You’ll take your helmet off?”

“Yes.”

Winta’s eyes went wide with a wave of sudden understanding. Her daughter looked directly into her eyes. “You’ve seen his face.”

“She has.”

Omera laughed. “A few times, yes.”

Grogu stirred, restless, and climbed out of Omera’s lap to stand on the blanket. “Winta? Play?”

Winta looked at Grogu and sighed, frustrated that she would have no choice but to go have fun with the two-year-old instead of asking Din and Omera more probing questions about their Bond.

“Okay,” she agreed as she pushed herself off of the blanket to stand in the sand. She pointed a serious finger at Din. “I have more questions.”

Din nodded. “I’ll answer them later.”

“Stay close,” Omera reminded. “And don’t go into the water.”

Winta took Grogu’s hand and smiled. “We won’t.”

The children took off to play. It was so natural, this sibling bond they shared, like they were always meant to be together. Their laughter and playful banter was noisy, but with nobody else around it didn’t matter. 

Omera thought forward to what they’d do next. Cara and Peli had already agreed to come over again so they could officially learn about the Bond from both she and Din. She knew that it meant Din would likely get a fierce interrogation even if he didn’t deserve it.

She turned to face him and drew her teeth against her lower lip. “Do you want to stay over tonight?”

His response was instant, spoken even before he looked back at her. “Yes.”

She smiled happily. It would be nice to get to share a bed with him again. Even if they kept their hands to themselves, and she hoped they wouldn’t, having him there would be so much better than hearing his voice on the phone.

She was surprised at how she continued to need to be closer to him. It was different now, even different than when they first Bonded. Now, it was like her soul expected to be close to him in ways she hadn’t experienced with her first Bond.

“She seems okay with us,” Din remarked.

Omera hummed. “She’s always wanted me to date.” She met his gaze. “She’s always wanted a dad.”

He nodded. “I hope I’m good at it.”

Her heart squeezed affectionately. “You are.”

-

After the sun went down, they brought the kids to get ice cream before they made their way back to the apartment. 

Winta was excited to get the chance to ask more questions, but she thankfully bit them back until they set foot into her and Omera’s place. Then, it was like a tsunami wave hit and there were no survivors.

“Can I see your Mark?”

Din carried Grogu. The kid had stumbled on the sidewalk after he tripped on his own foot and cried the whole journey back. It was safe to say he was worn out after a long day.

“We just got home,” Omera chuckled. “Be patient.”

He carried Grogu into the living room and sat him down on the couch, but he wouldn’t let Din get too far before he whimpered, “Da…”

Din sighed softly before he made the choice to sit with the kid. He took his helmet off in the process. The boy instantly wanted to climb up into his lap where he could rest his cheek against his chest and reach up with his tiny fingers to touch his jaw.

With Grogu comfortable, Din lifted his focus away from the kid. It was time to show Winta his face.

“Come here, Winta.”

Slowly, carefully, Winta tip-toed into the living room like she was nervous. When she saw him, a little smile grew on her lips, but she said nothing.

She sat down beside him, on his right side, and he tilted his head for her so she could see the birthmark.

“It’s here.” He rubbed the spot where his Mark had been since birth. “Do you see it?”

Winta bobbed her head. She wore a patient grin. “It’s just like Mama’s.”

Din smiled softly. “Yeah.”

“Winta, did you get any homework today?” Omera asked from the kitchen. “Cara’s going to come over. I just want to make sure you’re not going to be behind if I let you stay up with us.”

Winta sighed wearily. “I have to read.” She climbed up on the couch and faced her mother. “But I still have questions for you and Din.”

“What other questions do you have? Let’s try to answer them.”

“Are you…” Winta paused. “Do you love each other?”

The silence was completely deafening. Din’s heart began to beat faster and he avoided looking away from the kid in his lap, whose fingers went from his face to his shirt.

He knew how he felt about Omera, but he didn’t know if she felt the same way. 

His soul felt warm every time they were near; every time they touched or he heard her laugh. He was so in love with her that it hurt. 

“Even though we’re Bonded, it still takes time to feel that way,” Omera finally said on behalf of them both.

Winta frowned. “Oh. Well… then you might not stay together forever?”

“It’s like any relationship. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.”

He knew Omera wanted to be diplomatic, that she didn’t mean that she didn’t want it to work. She was cautious when it came to Winta and didn’t want her heart to be broken should something go wrong. Like a Mandalorian covert who had learned of his sins against the Way.

In Winta’s silence, Din could sense the weight of her emotions. She probably had expectations for the way things would go if her mother ever found herself in a relationship. It put pressure on them both, but even more pressure on him.

“I want to stay together forever,” Din told her honestly. “We’re gonna try to.”

Winta’s eyes shined when she spun around to face him. The corners of her lips inched outwards in a weak smile.

“My father was Bonded with Mama,” she shared quietly. She bowed her head in sorrow for a man she’d never met. “And he’s gone.”

Din took his knuckles to her chin and tilted her head back up again. “I’m not going anywhere, kid. I don’t want to be anywhere else but here with you.”

Winta surged toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He ran his hand against her back in an effort to soothe while he buried his nose in her hair. 

In the time he’d known Winta, she’d always been just as kind to him as her mother was. She deserved to know that she was wanted- that he’d chosen her, too.

When she pulled away, she hopped off the couch and shared, “I don’t have any more questions. Not any important ones, anyway.”

Omera stepped into the living room with a plate of pizza and a glass of water that she passed to him while she directed her focus to her daughter.

“Are you sure? If you have questions or if you’re nervous… or excited, even… we can talk about anything you want.”

Winta smiled. She shook her head without reply.

“If you think of anything, no matter how silly it feels, you can come to me- or to Din. I promise this doesn’t mean I love you any less.”

“I know.” She grinned. “I’m gonna go read so I can see Cara when she comes over.”

“Okay.”

Din took a bite of pizza while Winta went to do her homework. As he chewed, he glanced down at Grogu and saw that his lips were parted and his eyes were closed. He was asleep.

“Uh oh, someone got too comfy,” Omera murmured as she sat beside him.

“I hope he doesn’t wake up too early,” Din replied after he swallowed a bite. “This morning, he was hiding things because he got bored.”

Omera’s nose scrunched and she winced. “Oh, no.”

While he ate, she gently ran her fingers through Grogu’s hair and then placed her palm against Din’s back. Her presence was soothing even though she was quiet.

After he finished off the slice of pizza, he looked at her. She was too pretty for him. Mayfeld was right. She was out of his league. 

What would Cara and Peli say? He didn’t need their approval, but they were some of Omera’s closest friends. It would be nice to know they didn’t hate him.

“Thank you for saying those things to Winta,” Omera said earnestly. “She needed to hear that.”

“I meant it,” he promised her. “I want to be together forever.”

Her smile widened and she hummed. “Me too.” His heart leapt for joy at her confession. “You’re a good man, Din. We’re very lucky.”

He wasn’t sure if he was a good man. He had his struggles and failings like anyone else. The Mandalorians would argue his decision to Bond was at odds with goodness.

“Hey, hey!” Cara’s voice called from the entry. “I brought Peli. And cake.”

“What’s the cake for?” Omera asked with a laugh.

As she walked away to welcome her friends to the apartment, he realized that there was part of him that was nervous to show his face off to Cara and Peli. Although he’d grown to know them as friends, they were just friends. 

It was different to share all of himself with Omera and with the kids. They were the people he hoped to spend his future with.

“Woah, who’s this guy in your apartment?” Cara asked with a playful wink.

“Hell-o there!” Peli exclaimed. “Not what I expected, but I’ll take it.” She lifted her eyebrows at Omera. “I regret not taking my shot when I had the chance.”

Omera laughed. “Be nice to him, please. He’s not used to having his helmet off.”

He was comforted by the kindness in her voice. She knew exactly how he felt and knew exactly how to make it better. 

Din focused on Grogu’s sleeping form. The boy was a good distraction from the onlookers in the other room.

Eventually, the group of women entered the living room. 

Cara stood with a glass of something amber colored near the windows that looked out on the city while Peli sat in one of the cushioned chairs. Omera rejoined him with her hand on his knee as support.

“What are you guys planning on doing when we get to the Outer Rim?” Cara asked suddenly. “I think I’m gonna explore.”

Peli swiveled in the chair and twisted her lips thoughtfully. “Whatever job they give me. I’m not too picky. As long as I get a few hours to write about the goings on in the colony. I’m sure there’ll be a lot to keep track of.”

“Omera already has a job,” Cara teased with a coy grin. She lifted her eyebrows. “Little Miss Brainiac.”

She shook her head. “I’m sure it will change over time. I don’t want to have to lead forever.” She sighed softly. “What I want to do is teach.”

Omera hadn’t mentioned her desire to become a teacher before, but he understood it. He could easily see her at the head of a classroom of kids Winta’s age or younger, filled with joy as she taught the next generation of bright minds to achieve more than she had.

“What about you, Mando?” Cara nudged. “What’s your job?”

He took a deep breath. “They have me on the ship overhaul. The plans are to take the bridge and turn it into its own ship so it can be sent to other planets in the system.”

“And when it’s ready, then what?”

Din shrugged. He looked at Omera. “Depends on what the school teacher wants to do.”

She smiled sweetly at him. His heart almost burst at the sight. 

“It sucks we can’t pick our plots before we get there,” Cara sighed. “I get that it’s all hypothetical right now, but…”

“Where are you thinking?” Peli asked. “I was going to try for something in town.”

Cara hummed. “Probably in town. Maybe just an apartment. I don’t know. I like to think I’ll be gone a lot.”

“You can stay with us if you want,” Omera suggested. She eyed him playfully. “Din wants a four bedroom house by the ocean.”

He shook his head. “You agreed.”

In response, she slid her hand against his leg. “We want a four bedroom house by the ocean. There will be a spare bedroom. It can be just for you, if you want.”

“I don’t know…” Cara trailed off. “You guys give off some major huge family energy. Like… what do you think, Peli, six kids?”

Peli scoffed. “At least.”

Omera shook her head and winced. “I don’t know about that…” 

He couldn’t help but smirk, even when she looked at him for support. It was funny to see her squirm and it was clear that Cara and Peli were both teasing. After three weeks of radio silence on the matter of their relationship, it was probably what they deserved.

“All I’m saying is, there’s not going to be room for me in your big house because you’ll have way too many little Omera’s running around being way too smart for their own good.”

Omera rolled her eyes and dimples appeared in her cheeks. He loved her. God, he loved her.

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you about us,” she told her friends. Her fingers slid along his leg and she squeezed. “I knew you’d have us married with babies in five minutes.”

“Omera, I’m kidding,” Cara replied with a laugh. More seriously, she added, “Thank you for the offer. I’ll consider it.”

Peli flipped her notepad out of her belt and directed her attention to them. “Can I ask you a few questions about your Bonding experience? It’s research only. I won’t use your names and I won’t even mention you’re Mandalorian.”

Their eyes met and they quietly came to an agreement with tiny nods exchanged.

“Okay.”

Omera shifted to sit closer to him and he pressed his lips to the side of her head. She smiled at the affectionate touch and squeezed his leg beneath her hand. 

“What exactly happened?” Peli wondered. “It’s different for everyone I’ve talked to, so don’t worry if you think it was bland, or too spectacular.”

“Well, when we touched our Marks, they were already warm,” Omera explained. She searched his eyes as the memory returned to them both. “And they got hotter. A lot hotter than it’s ever been for me.”

“Me too.”

“After it was over and the Bond took, they cooled down, and that was it. We were both a lot happier then.”

He smiled when he remembered how it felt, the fresh awakening to a world of being Bonded with his soulmate. Since that day, they’d grown together in ways he hadn’t anticipated. He was increasingly more grateful for making the choice to Bond with her.

“Interesting,” Peli uttered. She wrote something on her notepad and then chewed on her pen. “Just before you Bonded, would you say you were being pulled together by your Soul Marks?”

Omera breathed a sigh. “Oh, yes.” She chewed on her lip as she stared up at him. “We kept trying to stay apart, but I don’t think it helped. It made it worse.”

“Hmm…” Peli frantically flipped through her notes. “What was your experience with physical touch? I’ve heard the whole gamut here, so you don’t need to be shy.”

“Any time we touched, my Mark got warm,” Omera shared. “The longer we touched, the worse it felt. And when we were apart, it was difficult to focus because I needed to be near him.”

“I didn’t sleep for a week after we hugged the first time,” he told Peli.

“Woah, really?” Cara blurted out. “That’s wild.”

Peli hummed, but it wasn’t out of surprise. Rather, it seemed like she wanted to confirm something in her notes.

“And now how does it feel when you touch?” Cara asked curiously. “Does it still make you go crazy or are you good now?”

Omera laughed. She settled her cheek against his arm and placed her hands between her thighs. “It’s better now.”

“So…” Peli trailed off, writing something down. “Here’s something interesting. You’re actually in the minority on that. Most people are able to wait as long as they need to before they choose to Bond. Those that felt the same way you did…” She paused to cross check something. “Most of them were half circles.”

“Half circles are usually the longest lasting, too, right?” Cara asked.

Peli hummed in the affirmative. “If I had to guess, a lot of that has to do with the intensity of the Bond.” 

“It’s different than before,” Omera shared. “With my husband, I mean.”

Peli’s eyes grew wide. “How?”

“It’s hard to explain…” She stayed where she was, her cheek on his arm, and he felt her try to get closer. “I didn’t feel like this before. I felt him sometimes, and I knew he was there with me, but… I never felt like I needed to be closer to him after we Bonded. Now, I always feel that way.”

“Is it because… of what happened?” Cara asked carefully.

Omera shook her head. “Din’s soul feels different. He’s stronger. More patient and kind.” She paused. “It’s… like my soul feels safe with his. Maybe it always knew, somehow, that the Bond would break.”

What Omera had to say about him would stay with him forever. To know that she felt safe, that she felt his strength, made every lie he’d spoken to the Mandalorians worth it.

“I have a few more, if that’s okay.” Peli sat up straight. “There are some in the community who believe being intimate after your Bond acts as a sort of second Bond. Have you been intimate since your Bond?”

Omera was quiet and Din tried to remain unfazed by the question, but it felt invasive. Was this all an elaborate ruse to get them to disclose all of the little details about their relationship?

“We aren’t going to answer that,” Din spoke up on their behalf. Omera’s fingers wrapped around his arm and she squeezed gently. “Some things stay between us.”

Cara smiled smugly and turned away from them to look outside. It was clear that she had something she wanted to say and he was glad she didn’t.

Peli nodded in understanding. “I didn’t think I could respect you more than I already did, Mando. You’re good to our girl.” She jotted something down in her notes and glanced up again. “You have my seal of approval. Omera, this is exactly the kind of guy you deserve.”

Omera swept her thumb against his arm. Her voice was quiet and soft, “Thank you.”

He was relieved when Peli closed her notepad and tucked it away, apparently satisfied by the answers they’d given. He pressed a kiss to the top of Omera’s head that earned a little smile from her when she looked up at him.

Cara turned away from the window and crossed her arms against her chest. “So how long ago was the Bond? My guess is it was three weeks ago. The day you were in the simulator.”

Omera rested her cheek to his arm once more. “I hate that you know me so well that you can just guess it like that.”

Cara grinned. “Three weeks keeping it a secret from us isn’t bad. Good job.”

Grogu stirred in Din’s arms, finally aware of the fact that he wasn’t in his bed, and whined as he squinted his eyes open. 

He looked at Omera and tilted his head toward the front of her apartment. “I’ll let you know when we’re on the way back. Should get him ready for bed.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Before he got up and put his helmet on, he kissed her goodbye in the way he would if they were alone. It felt surreal that they could do such a thing in front of people, but all that mattered was her anyway. 

He ignored the eyes on him on his way out of Omera’s living room. He knew that her friends judged him for everything he did and said, especially now with their secret out in the open. He hoped he performed to their expectations. 

With Grogu lifted into place on his hip and the boy’s bag in one hand, he walked him down the hall to their place. By the time they were inside, Grogu had woken up some from his nap and rubbed his eyes with a fist.

“Do you want a bath before bed or are you too tired?”

Grogu blinked at him quietly and touched the edge of his helmet, like he wanted to see his face before he’d answer. Din allowed the kid to take it off and caught it before it fell away. 

He poked Din in the cheek and giggled at the way he flinched. “Daddy.”

Daddy. 

The kid had only called him Da. At first, it was because he couldn’t quite say Din, but it had stuck. 

“What did you say?” 

He wanted to hear it again to see if the kid actually meant it.

Grogu’s sweet lopsided grin was accompanied by a little dance. He poked him one more time, this time on the chin. 

“Daddy.” The boy poked himself next on the nose. “Grogu.”

The confirmation drew tears to his eyes. He’d known that he was Grogu’s father for a while, but to hear the kid say so made it real in every possible way. 

And then there was a knock at his door.

He kissed Grogu’s cheek and set him down on the floor inside his bedroom. “I’ll be right back. Pick your PJs for me.”

Grogu smiled. “Okie, Daddy.”

Now that the kid started, it seemed the train wasn’t going to stop. He was Daddy now.

He swiftly replaced the helmet onto his head and answered the door. 

It felt like déjà vu. On the other side of the door, there were two Mandalorians: Armas and his accountability mentor. 

A hard lump formed in the back of his throat that he swallowed. “If you’re here to evaluate the kid, it’s not a good time. He’s tired.”

Armas nodded at him. “We have decided to take him without evaluation. You have broken from the Way, and your attachments have made you lose focus.”

Din shook his head. “What evidence do you have of that?”

The pair were quiet for a beat. 

“You have had this child in your care for five months. The law of attachment says that if left unchecked-”

“The kid is happy with me,” Din cut them off. “He’s safe. I’m not going to let you take him.”

“If left unchecked, attachments can form whether we know it or not,” they continued.

“He’s two years old,” Din argued. “There are rules about children his age being brought into the covert without a primary guardian to watch over them. That’s why I was given the responsibility in the first place.”

“Are you volunteering?” Armas asked.

His jaw clenched. “He stays here. He feels safe here.”

The pair exchanged glances.

“The child is not our only concern,” Armas admitted.

His chest heaved with anger. “What have I done to forsake the Way?”

“A Bond is the most direct violation.”

Armas lifted a tablet from her hip and spun it around to show him a picture of him and Omera on the way to work that very morning. 

In the photo, her Mark was clear on her wrist, obviously emboldened in the way that Bonded Marks were. She smiled at him, lighter than air, and his heart leapt to see it because it was so clear how happy she was with him.

“Is this your Match?” Armas asked coolly.

He lifted his gaze to meet hers. There was no way out of this argument. He’d also never been angrier.

“Yes. She is my Match.”

Armas lowered the device. “Then you have forsaken the Way and deserve to be cast away.”

His eyes closed. “The Bond was the only way I could stop the urges. It only got worse with time.”

He was met with silence. Armas nodded toward the other Mandalorian, who stepped forward like they were going to come inside, but Din put a hard stop to it by blocking their entrance. He shoved the Mandalorian out of his apartment.

“I found the kid. He’s more mine than he is yours.”

Memories of their time together flashed in his mind. He’d stayed up with the kid when he got sick. He’d wiped away countless tears. He’d changed diapers and gave baths.

Then there were the good things. The sound of Grogu’s laughter in the morning when Din tickled him. He curled up in his lap when he got tired at the end of the day and mumbled his name in a way that made his heart squeeze tight.

Nobody else had ever loved Grogu the way that Din did. He was abandoned and left to die. What the Mandalorians did for children like Grogu was give them shelter and purpose, but wasn’t it more valuable for a child to feel loved?

After Din’s parents died, he didn’t feel loved until he met Omera. She showed him how good it was to be wanted, to know that there was purpose behind his life that went deeper than what he already believed his purpose to be.

Armas shook her head. “If you refuse to let us take the child, you will lose your job and everything that comes with it.”

He scowled. “I earned the job by merit.”

“We donated to the project. In exchange, they asked us to send them the name of someone who could perform a job. Someone who would add Mandalorian influence to the colony.”

The gravity of the statement had yet to hit him fully, but he felt sick. He already knew there would be no way out. They had him cornered.

“Because we donated to the project, it is our choice which Mandalorian goes.” Armas’ voice was colder and crisper than it had ever been. “So, you can either give us the boy and seek atonement for having fallen apart from the Way, or you can keep your soulmate but lose your job.”

He stared at Armas silently, unwilling to give up without one last fight. If this was the end, he wouldn’t go down easy. 

“They wouldn’t let me go because of a private matter.”

She nodded. “When you first started, you were in an altercation with a member of the Falcon Industries board. There were threats of a lawsuit.”

Din’s eyes squeezed shut. His fingers flexed into his palms tightly. “That was taken care of.”

“Who do you think took care of it?”

Anxiety crushed any semblance of peace that remained in his soul. 

“We don’t want to take this action, but you’ve left us no choice,” Armas said in a somewhat sympathetic tone. “You’ve been lying to us. You Bonded with your soulmate. I know you are a good, well-intentioned man, but I can’t look the other direction anymore and watch you fall.”

In silence, all three of them watched one another with chests heaving. 

“If you want to walk away, you can,” his accountability mentor spoke up. “Many in your position have, and we have respected their choice.”

“You’ve put me against the wall,” he argued. “I’ll lose my job and risk ruining countless lives because I want to choose my soulmate?”

Armas sighed. “I know it is a difficult choice, but it is the choice you have to make.”

“Daddy?” Grogu’s voice called out innocently from behind. “Daddy!”

There was no other choice. There was no other answer. He wouldn’t abandon Grogu. He wouldn’t allow the project to fail. He didn’t want to abandon Omera and Winta, but there was no way he could have it all. 

The Mandalorians showed him grace, as much as it felt like they were being unfair. The rules and guidelines for life as a Mandalorian were something he’d blatantly ignored and they were right to call him out on it.

His chest tightened with the words that sat on the tip of his tongue and he sighed heavily. “I… choose him. Grogu. We’ll stay together.”

-

Read Chapter 14

#mandomera #din x omera #the mandalorian #my writing #invisible string fic #i'm sorry for cluttering the ship tag with my mess y'all it's almost done 😩

[starryocean]

realized there's still books i havent got to talking about yet that ive finished forever ago. whoops. here they are now.

1 - Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

as I expected, it was incredibly edgy. I kept thinking of Jorg as some 13-year-old dA boy's first ever fantasy OC. And he talked as if he felt the same way, too--really believing that he was the coolest shit ever, can do whatever he wants, fuck his dad and fuck the kingdom. nothing personnel, kid.

To Mark's credit, Jorg is also literally 14. I think. 14-15. Either way he's a teenager and has trauma and very much acts like it. I think that's a pretty important thing to state with regards to Jorg's narration. However, it also makes some things he pulled off in his backstory statistically impossible for a...I think 10? 11? year old to do. But there's also some weird magic shit going on, and the weird magic shit is explicitly confirmed to have played a role in at least one of those statistically impossible incidents, so I guess I can believe that maybe there was meddling there as well. idk.

Anyway. Let's talk about what I liked.

The "twist" with regards to the background of the setting as a whole was fairly interesting and properly foreshadowed from the start--even the map was pointing to it. However, it was also the only thing that really kept me reading. I did not like Jorg, even if I thought his narration was hilariously edgy, but somehow I did end up rooting for him to win the last battle at least a little? So I guess some of the reviews didn't lie to me in that that would happen.

So that's another thing I liked. Mark Lawrence is a competent storyteller if he was able to get me invested enough in Jorg--even with Jorg being unlikable as he is--to root for him at all at the very end. Let me be clear that I can't see him ever being truly a "hero" by any definition of the word. But he grew on me. That's the important thing. He grew on me, and it's honestly a sign of good writing that he was able to grow on me at all.

Thirdly: I think it's very, VERY funny that the only reason everyone didn't die half-way through the book is because one guy spoke up about not using every bomb available in order to destroy this one place. This guy saved the fucking world from being annihilated by nukes (yet again, cuz oops spoilers that's the twist it's set in post-nuclear apocalypse Europe) and then nobody even knows it but Jorg and his little group of bandit shitheads. And it's all because he didn't think it was necessary to go all out for one stupid fortress and told Jorg he had to tone it down a bit.

Comedy gold.

Now, what I didn't like:

Jorg. I've already mentioned he's a shithead. Massively so. Literally the book starts with him slaughtering a whole village for no reason, among other things. Literally the only reason I could find myself rooting for him is because the other guys were worse. So since I've already talked a lot about how much I don't like Jorg, I'm moving on.

The treatment of women is also very annoying. it's not as bad as having literally every female character get raped, but the only one who's given any development is the step-daughter of the king (jorg's dad) from his marriage to another woman after the first queen got murdered horribly. The only other woman of note I can think of is the dead queen and a sex worker that is treated like an idiot the whole time she's on screen. She and Jorg end up having sex anyway. It's gross.

Also. Racism. The only Black character is never given a real name and is consistently referred to by his race alone. He dies part way through the book (although he's still relevant a good while after) and is never given a proper name. And of course he was a slave and bandit and he's notable because apparently there aren't many other Black people in post-apoc Europe that aren't slaves??? Utterly bizarre. Do you have any idea how many Muslims live in France, as an example? Especially Black Muslims? Are you seriously telling me there wouldn't be ANY descendants of those people living as commoners in post-apoc Europe, even if not in what was once France specifically? Like, let's be generous and pretend that there aren't any Black nobility either because people are just THAT racist after the end of the world. Are you seriously saying there'd still be little to no free Black people around, at all? Are you stupid?

The fucking Asian character is treated better than this, and he's also a fucking slave whose been forced to be the wise old elder trying to teach Jorg about stuff and "put him on the right path" or w/e bs. But he at least has a name.

So overall I did not like this one, tbh. Even if there were a few things I did like a lot, there wasn't enough to keep me going other than the interesting setting twist and wanting to see how it ended. 3edgy5me, or whatever the meme was back in the late 2000s-early 2010s.

Would not rec.

2 - The Cat Who Saved Books by Sousuke Natsukawa

I liked this one a lot. 200+ pages, very short, but lots of warm feel-good with fantasy aspects to it as well. The different "worlds" where books were being treated badly were very interesting, and the different ways they were being treated badly was some good commentary on how people consume media. There were a lot of Western literary references which I didn't expect, but also since this was a translation and the author is Japanese I can see way, as part of the atmosphere of the book and playing into the protag's tastes and circumstances.

I was really interested in trying to learn what that last story the protag needed to confront was, because I wasn't sure who she was meant to represent, but it was probably more obvious in the original text and just couldn't be carried over to English well. I did like the whole "friends from past adventures coming to help the protag in his time of need" even if its a cliche, and there was just a lot of coziness to this one that I needed at the time I read it.

Loved this book. Would recommend.

3 - All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue

I admit, I picked this one up because it was from a publisher/imprint I'd never seen in store before and wanted to know what kind of stuff they published. The pretty art was also a selling point, as the setting in contemporary Ireand with Tarot stuff going on.

I wasn't sure if I'd like the protag at first, but I really did. Even with the rift between her and her childhood friend at the beginning and how it happened, I could really see why she did what she did, because I know that sort of thought process she had as she got older and wanted to "fit in" in her upper-class school. The fact she also ended up having to confront her privilege with how her family has far more means than most people was also a good part of her arc. I was also quite happy that she and her friend didn't make up right away at the end once the friend was saved, and that it was clear there was a long way to go between them.

The lore with the weird creepy card that started this whole mess was interesting, too. The fact that the spell the protag did was actually mutual on both her and her friend's part was an interesting touch I didn't expect--but it also makes sense? Especially with the foreshadowing that came after the incident with her having been seen willingly going with that manifestation of said card. The backstory about that other girl who stumbled upon that power but died without any help, and the fact that the nun(?) lady had all those news clippings in her car in the first place...those were good. The latter was touching, too, especially given the whole conflict against the religious cult.

Speaking of. Said religious cult. When the blurb says that this book touches on queer revolution, it's not joking around--this book goes fucking hard on the harm of anti-queer politics and what that religious cult is doing. The fact that the cult leader has magic also makes it even worse, considering he's manipulating people both with mundane tactics and literal fucking magic.

So uh. I wasn't in a great place to be reading that sort of thing when I got this, and with current politics I don't think I'll be able to read the next book any time soon either. But I did like this one a lot. Bonus points for the nonbinary character being amab, because--while I'm sure there's stuff out there--there's such a prevailing attitude of nonbinary being "femme lite" that it's so hard for me to find actual amab nonbinary rep. It's such a breath of fresh air. Like it shouldn't even be a thing that matters but...god, I need more amab nonbinary characters. Please.

Anyway. Great book. Goes hard. Would love to read the next one when I'm in a better headspace for it. Would recommend if you're in a good headspace for it.

4 - Never Coming Home by Kate Williams

It's And Then There Were None but if Fyre Festival. I was sold as soon as I read the blurb. I fucking love that idea and the And Then There Were None kind of mystery is like catnip to me. I loved that book when I first read it and I've been really into Agatha Christie-style mysteries in general. The recent Death on the Nile movie was loads of fun. I need to read more of her books and this helped scratch that murder-mystery itch I've been getting more into lately.

It's also good that the one actual big influencer was sus on everything from the start, precisely because most of these people were nobodies even in their own niche, by varying degrees from their helpfully-listed follower count in the beginning. Frankie Rus(s)h (the actual big influencer) only knows like, one person from an event they were both at and is very protective of her. Even so, she's still quite clearly flawed, and even a little selfish, and I like that.

The POVs all vary from chapter to chapter, as fitting the story its paying homage to. The way everyone's being taunted while they're trapped there at the same time they're getting picked off one-by-one is also nice psychological horror for those characters. Especially with the fact that the account for the event is updating with pictures of people that couldn't have been taken by any of them with riddle-like messages about who'll die next and how.

I also like that there was a character who was upfront about the thing they're guilty of right away. He knew he was the reason it happened, he did his time over it iirc, he made peace with his guilt and is fine with letting people know if it'll help figure out this mess. That's really good emotional maturity even if not everyone was as honest about their crimes as he was. Good stuff.

Now. Some problems.

That same character I don't feel was handled as great as he could've been. His whole thing is that he's a DJ, or at least was trying to make it as one, but ended up as more or less a drug dealer instead. I feel this would be fine if he were like, any other race but latino. Just...the drug dealer stereotype is too prevalent, especially with current politics, but I do applaud that the author tried to handle it as maturely as possible and made him far more nuanced than just a "druggie." He also didn't die first, and in fact lasted for a good while.

The alternating POVs between him and one other person right before his death was also good. Unreliable narrator clearly on display, with both of them being sure the other is the culprit in all of this. Tragic as all hell and really helps with the gut punch. Especially with how that other person died right after.

The only thing I was super confused about was the "explanation" part of the ending. It was framed as people theorizing online about it all (on reddit actually, I think) but I still didn't feel quite clear about the culprit's motivation for all of it. I might have to reread later to see if I can understand it better, but I do also know that scene was of the culprit literally trolling in order to try and dissuade people from thinking it was them.

Because they're still a public presence at the end and their family has been monetizing the shit out of the tragedy.

Yeah. Oof.

Still. Very good book. Loved it and it did the concept and homage justice. Would rec.

5 - The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Very interesting mystery, tbh. Contemporary/historical, with some people apparently having very YMMV feeling on how it was done. Personally I liked it a lot, the style and narration felt fitting. I really liked the emotional arcs of the characters, as well as the whole concept of an old herbalist going against her teachings in order to provide poison to women so that they can kill their husbands in an era where women didn't really have the ability to either divorce or else stop such people at all.

The relationship between the herbalist and the young girl was fun, and I really liked how the lady the girl was working for loved her like family. Enough to kill her husband so that he couldn't hurt the girl at all. The story with the modern-day historian was...less interesting tbh, mostly because for much of it I was worried it'd be more focused on the relationship drama with her cheating husband and their collapsing marriage more than it actually was. I wasn't super into the pregnancy scare plot either. But I did end up liking her side of the story more as the novel got further in.

It wasn't a super long novel either. Also in the 200+ page range. But the mystery/historical aspect was good, the modern characters not being able to get a full, conclusive idea of what happened in the past was good, and it was really fun watching the modern day historian do some breaking and entering in her search. fuck yeah, lady. trespass on private property to cope! fuck the police! lmao

Would recommend.

6 - So I'm a Spider, So What? #16 by Okina Baba

I liked most of it, up until the very end. The end ended up retroactively souring the rest of the book for me, if not the whole series. It was too abrupt, and the "epilogue" of 1-2 sentence paragraphs describing what happened to every character only made it worse. Especially given the fact that Sue is implied to be the one who "won" with Shun in the end, even though both volumes 15 and 16 make it explicitly clear she's not supposed to be seen in a good light with regards to her actions--starting from her rape attempt against Shun to how she selfishly inserts herself into the party of people meeting with the Demon Lord, and how that could very well have ended the world right then and there.

Like, Sue is not meant to be seen in anywhere near a positive light in volumes 15 and 16. She even keeps taking advantage of Shun's kindness even though he very firmly set boundaries with her, which is also presented as something negative, and yet she...somehow wins? Like, yeah, sure I am biased towards Katia. But Katia has also been pretty explicitly built-up as the "main" romantic interest for Shun since volume 1. Given the way Sue is treated/presented in the last few volumes, how she's been barely relevant for a majority of the series since volume 5, and with Katia being the obvious choice? It feels like a deliberate "fuck you." And it hurts. And it's honestly made me not want to go back and reread any of the series anymore for the parts I at least liked.

I've been wanting to write out a snippet/one-shot that sums up my feeling as to what should have been done with Sue since I had a chance to sit and process volume 16, but I can't even get myself to do that because of how sour it feels to even think about the ending. Even though I feel like it'd be cathartic to write such a fic. But I can't fucking get myself to do it. I knew people were saying the ending was bad, but I was really hoping it was people complaining for similar reasons as to why people didn't like vol 11-12 (aka, their reasoning was stupid).

But...no. They were right. The ending sucked. And I don't even know how to feel about the stupid series anymore. I don't even know if I want to have anything to do with it anymore.

And it hurts.

That's all I can say about this one.

7 - Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Loved this one. The way it was written, most people being genuinely nice and good, the possessed/haunted kid not being demonized? It was so good. It was something I needed when I picked it up. It took me a while to actually finish it, but the ending made me so happy I did. This book is horror, I should also mention, and the drawings periodically inserted into the story was a great touch.

As a side note: I was thinking to myself a few days ago how most of my experience with horror media has been indie games,* how a majority modern video games have an inherently visual element to them, and how House of Leaves--the only adult horror novel I'd read before picking up Hidden Pictures--also had a kind of visual element to it that most books lack. Obviously, most novels make up for the lack of visuals by invoking images in your head as you read the prose, such that you can still "see" things happening. House of Leaves, however, ends up taking it a step further by making the text itself a visual component, not just leaving it as "text" and relying on the reader's imagination.

I think, considering my tastes in horror media, it's not a surprise that the two adult horror books I've picked up--and loved--have had a visual component to them. I mean, the narratives themselves are compelling, don't get me wrong. The prose and story of both are phenomenal. I loved reading them as much as I enjoyed the "visual" aspects. But I noted that it was an interesting trend, considering.

But anyway. Loved Hidden Pictures. 100% would rec--especially to those who want something accessible to try and get into the horror genre with.

(*I also read a lot of horror manga/webtoons, but the sentence was long enough so I elected to include that down here. Either way, my point still stands re:my tastes in horror having a bent towards including some sort of visual aspect to the storytelling)

8 - My Next Life as a Villainess #6 by Satoru Yamaguchi

I tried getting back into Bakarina as a way of helping me out of a reading slump, wanting to read something easier to help ease me into reading in general (which worked, and was what helped me finish Hidden Pictures). I also bought another LN that I'll go on about down below to help with this. I liked...some of this one. But I was also feeling kind of sour by the end of it due to the way a certain character was handled.

To put it simply: there's a side character who is described in a way that more or less makes them a trans caricature. Super muscular, wears pretty dresses/frilly clothes, wants to be called by a feminine name, acts super feminine despite being repeatedly referred to as looking hypermasculine, etc. To top it off, her coworker insists in referring to her by her deadname. Everyone else treats her as a woman (including Katarina's narration), but this one guy doesn't. Consistently. To top it off, everyone's kind of creeped out and wary around this transwoman character, at least at first.

I will say, at the very least, in comparison to that male coworker who deadnames her the trans character is at least portrayed as competent at her job. She takes things seriously and is good at what she does. She also doesn't act creepy to the other characters, it's the other characters being creeped out by default and eventually warming up (which, isn't much better, but the bar is so low that it's still a step up). She's also very caring towards the other characters and wants to keep everyone safe. At the end, a different viewpoint character who the transwoman is giving a report to also takes her seriously and treats her as a woman, trusting her and knowing she's one of the better people in their organization (iirc. It's been a while since I've read all of these).

But none of this fully washed away the bitter taste I got from the way this character's appearance is so obviously meant as a joke/caricature. Especially in a time where I was already feeling down, and combined with how Kumoko's ending went it sucks even worse. Bakarina was/is another series I really enjoy--I've been keeping up with the fan translations of the manga releases and it's been nice to read something so comfy and light when I see there's been a new update. But now that I've read this volume, and now that the fan translation is getting into the content of this volume, it's been made sour for me too.

The plot was okay, I guess. I wasn't super fond of how mean one of the characters was to Katarina, although I understand why given his backstory. I liked Pochi getting a power-up and the others freaking out about it. But I felt thoroughly "meh" on basically everything and was disappointed with the stuff regarding that transwoman character.

I don't have anything super nice to say about this one, sorry. Moving on.

9 - I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire #1 by Yomu Mishima

Opposite to Bakarina, this one started out in a way that had me REALLY not want to read it, expecting the worst, and then turned my opinion around to a complete 180 as it went on.

I want to let you know, I've rarely ever had that happen to me. So I want to stress that this was actually good and funny, despite starting off on such an awful note. Like, I cannot understate how catastrophically the novel started out with regards to my expectations. I spotted a trope I don't like right away in the Table of Contents as one of the chapter titles, the full-color pages at the start being super super fanservicey, and the first chapter going into detail about how the reincarnated protagonist commissioned a big-tittied robot that had sexual capabilities programmed when he was a small child. And from there proceeding to grope said robot when she arrived, while still a small child.

And yet, it managed to redeem itself so well that I now consider it a favorite. I'm probably not going to buy any other volumes in the series, but I was actually laughing at some of the jokes at points. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a isekai manga that's actually funny? This LN started off so badly, but it managed to make me laugh. THIS KIND OF 108 NEVER. HAPPENS.

If you're wondering how it did that, then let me explain: first, it acknowledged several tropes common in isekai works (i.e., slave harems) as being a bad thing that will get people hating you and wanting you dead. The bar is so low but with the amount of works that don't manage to cross it, this was notable and improved my opinion just on its own. Then, the whole thing with the protag learning how to fight from a fraud because his brain is on anime and how what the guy was teaching him shouldn't actually be possible was incredibly funny. Failing upwards, and all that.

Then, this one older character being portrayed as incredibly pathetic and embarrassing for trying to do the honeypot thing. Too often, male teenage protags end up leaning into the gross pervert trope and let themselves go along with creepy fanservice no matter who it comes from. But this lady trying to seduce someone younger than her is shown as being embarrassing on her part, even humiliating that someone would even go that far. Again, this shouldn't be notable, but the fact that this LN was able to make such a point helped improve my opinion, because there's so many novels out there that can't even say that.

Then, when rescuing a bunch of people who've been held prisoner and traumatized (with heavy sexual connotations, even though nothing on-screen or outright is shown), the protag instead chooses to help them recover and even help them find places/jobs/etc. in his society instead of "mercy killing" them (which is something that happens far too often to victims of rape (or in this case, implied rape) in webnovels and such).

The fact that the bar is soooo fucking low but this novel manages to get all these things right? While managing to be actually funny at points alongside that? I genuinely can't believe the story pulled it off. It's insane.

Of course, the LN is not without its problems--there's still the way it started out, for instance. And there's other moments of unnecessary fanservice that doesn't happen to make a point like how that one scene with the honeypot does about it being dumb/pathetic/creepy/etc. There's also a bonus chapter in the back I felt was iffy, among other things.

But the fact it managed to turn my opinion around by this much? I think that counts for something. This one very much depends on whether or not you'll see the story the way I do by the end of it, so I can't give it a blanket rec, but if you're interested in trying it out? I'd say go for it. Just be aware that there's still stuff that's very much not great. I don't think people who aren't used to Weeb Ass Shit appearing in their anime/manga will like this one at all. So YMMV.

10 & 11 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree & Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Putting these two together because it's been long enough I only have a few thoughts for each.

Legends and Lattes was nice and cozy. The stakes where actually higher than I expected re: the mafia thing or whatever, but that did get resolved without too much struggle, so that was nice. People being nice to each other and working together to make coffee and pastries. It's something I needed, and I'm glad I read it. Would rec.

Elantris was very obviously a debut novel. It didn't read as well as Mistborn did, the plot moved way too slowly for my tastes, and it hit kind of hard in places that I didn't want to be hit hard in. I get that it was setting up a sequel hook at the end, but for a standalone there were too many questions left unsolved. I get why, but even so, I wasn't super fond of this one. I remember wanting to see the noble ladies actually get to use the sword skills they were being taught but I feel like I remember that not happening. Would have to reread to double check.

I did at least like the political maneuvering, and I liked that the prince was able to reunite with his wife. I liked the organizing and faction conflict within the walled-off Elantris, too. But everything else was kind of...aggressively meh. I will say it treated its characters of color better than Prince of Thorns, though. They at least all get names and are treated as equals.

I think that's all the reviews. This took forever to sit down and write up but I got it done at least?

Currently reading Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri, am planning to read The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie after. Beyond that? We'll see.

#phoenix says boring stuff #reading tag #long post #kumo desu ga nani ka #kumo desu ga #so im a spider #so im a spider so what

[twistedmusings]

I'm not going to request it now because requests are closed, but that Savanaclaw petting scenario was really cute and like,, Octavinelle petting and examining them

(,,• W •,,)

A/N: If you can pinpoint the exact moment I started to slowly doubt my writing ability and how to write these characters, I will give you, the reader, 100 points. Cause man this was rough to write when you have writer's block q wq But anyways, this was when my requests were closed BUT I WANTED TO COME THROUGH WITH IT! I would like to dedicate it to @kirayamidemon since I read their comic and it was...excellent.

But in other news, I found out that eels like to be petted!

Warnings: Eel petting, Octopus petting and all three Octavinelle members feeling a certain way when you finally give them those pats.

[Floyd-Senpai: Shrimpy~! Meet us in the mirror room tonight! Azul says he wants to give you something!] 

Your eyes look down at your phone before pocketing it back into your jacket, taking another sip of the Coral Pink drink Floyd had made for you before you left Monstro Lounge as you reminisce back on the day you just had. 

Today has been probably the most successful day the Monstro Lounge has had in a while. You had offered up the idea to Azul while you two walked to the cafeteria, mentioning touching a manta ray once and how you didn’t expect them to be so slimy. He had looked at you curiously and asked if you had just been a curious child when you were growing up, but you told him that you used to go to a lot of aquariums and how you would go straight to the petting exhibit. 

And the moment you said petting exhibit, Azul already had cashed the idea in. 

Aquariums had been placed elegantly among the tables of Monstro Lounge tonight. The smaller aquariums on the tables were closed lid, giving the customers a chance to enjoy the little ecosystems Jade had personally made for the creatures Azul had brought in while partaking in their drinks and meals. It made for a killer Magicam picture and Azul had predicted with Vil’s and Cater’s attendance the hashtag #MonstroLoungeExperience would be trending by the time they reached the dinner rush.

It trended faster than they thought. 

Most foot traffic, however, came from the piece de resistance. 

In the middle of the Lounge, a large aquarium had been placed at foot level where various customers could reach down and pet larger animals such as sting rays, sturgeon fish, starfishes and sea cucumbers. All of them with little placards stating fun facts as well as little sections with a bunch of coral that made for another perfect Magicam photo opportunity. 

It had been an amazing experience and you felt like you had almost grown closer to the three Octavinelle students, which was always an ‘A+’ in your book. 

You were pretty sure you saw Azul smiling from ear to ear by the time they closed and Floyd and Jade looked physically exhausted from having to deal with so many customers. They had been busy from opening to closing with no breaks in between so you figured that they would want to rest. 

So getting a message from Floyd so late at night had been somewhat confusing. 

But you didn’t question it, the fact that Azul wants to give you something making you ever so curious. 

Who knows, maybe if the sea creatures were still around Azul could let you pet them some more? 

Out of everyone you had probably been the most excited for the petting exhibit and you had given him the idea so the possibility of playing more with the starfishes and manta rays pushed you to move faster. 

Finishing the last of your drink and throwing it away in the nearest trash can, you push open the doors to the mirror room with a smile--!  

Only to find nobody. 

“...huh.” 

You look around, not daring to call out either of their names since, technically, you weren’t even supposed to be here. The only thing you could do was take a few steps further, looking around as you try to make some sense of the situation. 

Why wouldn’t they meet you in Octavinelle? The Monstro Lounge was there, as well as all the creatures. Azul’s office was there as well so if he wanted to give you something he could have given it to you there, so why had Floyd asked to meet them in the Mirror room? You look around for a moment before frowning as the realization set in. 

It was a prank. 

“Dammit.” 

Of course. Why would Floyd even act this nice towards you if it wasn’t to lull you into a false sense of security? The table you had sat in today had a beautiful aquarium with a bunch of little shrimps floating around and the mereel, more than once, had opened the lid and stuck his hand inside to grab one of the shrimps and hang it over his open mouth. 

You thought he was just acting this way because he was stressed from working so much but he probably had just done it to tease you! With a huff, you pull out your phone and open up his contact number to give him a piece of your mind--! 

“Aha! Shrimpy is here!” 

Only to gag as the back of your jacket is grabbed by a slimy aquamarine hand, pulling you into the nearest mirror and leaving nothing but your phone laying on the ground. 

Floyd’s hands pull you into a hug the moment you are pulled into the water, laughing as he sees you thrashing around and pulling at the arms keeping you pressed close to him. 

“Ahhhh! Shrimpy stop moving!” 

The mereel squeezes you tight, smiling as he looks down at the moment you realize who is holding you and what you are able to do. 

He grins and wraps his tail around you, the fins brushing your fingertips as the shock slowly starts to die down and the curiosity starts to set in. Floyd’s eyes shine brighter under the sea, your hand going to your chest as you expected to drown immediately but finding it simple to breathe in and out. 

“What--?!”

“Finally!” 

“There we go~ Breathe in--”

You take a deep breath. 

“And out~” 

Your chest relaxes as Floyd giggles at how wide your eyes have gotten, letting you go with his arms but his tail wrapping around one of your legs and pulling you close to him once again. He smiles when your hands go up to inspect the fins on his ears but stop as if the situation was still highly unreal for you to believe. 

He guessed humans rarely got to see the sea during the night, but he was glad he got to show you this sight. Even if it was Azul’s idea in the first place. 

Looking around, you notice that you had been here before. 

It was the Coral Sea. 

You look back at the mereel as Floyd tilts his head at your confusion, smiling as he sees the shining in your eyes get brighter when you notice that the veins in his arms and the ones going up his neck are all shining in the moonlit water. 

“Floyd…” 

Ah. You really looked too cute. Especially when you were looking at him with so much wonder. Maybe he should just take you out further and hide near the corals, somewhere Jade nor Azul would look as he preens under your attention. 

He blinks as you break out of the spell long enough to point a finger at him. 

“You--! Why did you call me to the Mirror room so late! The last thing I need to do is get in trouble with the Headmaster!” 

Floyd frowns, “You didn’t get in trouble! I pulled you when I heard your voice! Why didn’t you call out to me!” 

“Because I couldn’t see tail nor fin of you!”

Both of you stop talking after your dumb joke, looking at each other with surprise before a giggle escapes your lips first, turning into a full blown laugh between you both as he takes your hand and presses it under the fins in his ears. 

“Shrimpy was so mean today. Petting all those creatures and ignoring everything else. It made me want to eat all of them up.” 

You smile and rub right under the juncture where fins meet skin, Floyd shivering as he pulls you closer to him. 

“Eels don’t eat any invertebrates, right? You guys are mostly carnivores.” 

He grins and gives you a small squeeze. You even knew of his diet? Why hadn’t you mentioned you knew some things about sea creatures. If you had, Floyd would have dragged you to the Coral Sea way before this! He smiles as your hands go all the way down to his neck, tracing each vein slowly but not going any further than his clavicle and choosing instead to run your fingers from his shoulder blades all the way to his Adam's apple. 

“Shrimpy is being too shy. Here!” 

You gasp as Floyd grabs your hand and helps you swim over to a pair of rocks, sitting you down on top as the bottom of his tail wrapped around your legs to keep you anchored. He laughs as he practically sits on you, choosing instead to lay the top half of his tail on your lap as you look down at the shiny, swishing fins. 

“Now you can touch as much as you’d like!” 

Floyd was ready to make a joke about how this would a much better petting experience for you but his eyes widen when he sees the wonder in yours, the smile in his face disappearing as he watches your fascination with his fins, running your fingers through his caudal fin and rubbing the edges with your hand. His hands twitch as you run yours up his tail, taking in the slimy but firm feeling before looking up at him and reaching out to cup his face with one hand. 

He presses his cheek against your palm, smiling as you scratch right over his ear fin and almost jumping up from the rock as you start to rub the appendage. 

“Shrimpy wait--” 

Shit, he almost bit his tongue. He could barely look into your curious eyes as his heart sped up, the most sensitive area of his body being played and inspected with being a far too new feeling for him to just laugh it off. 

Floyd bites his bottom lip as his tail squeezes your legs, closing his eyes as he felt several shivers go up his spine. It felt too good--

“Floyd?” 

The mereel slowly comes down from the high as he glares at the intruder, clicking his tongue as he saw who it was. 

A pair of identical eyes to Floyd’s turn in your direction, your hand pulling away from the other as you turned to greet Jade. 

“You certainly took them farther than I thought you would.” 

He chuckles as his brother turns away, clearly not wanting you to see the blush on his cheeks. Nevertheless, his attention immediately goes back to you, swimming over to your side and sitting on the opposite of where Floyd was situated. 

“Did you have any troubles finding us?” 

You shook your head, “Floyd grabbed me and pulled me in before I could leave.” 

Jade nods and looks down at how Floyd had situated himself, a brief pang of jealousy overtaking him as he scoots closer, takes your hand and presses it on his chest. You immediately try to pull back but Jade’s eyes lid as he tugs you in closer, the veins in his chest shining even brighter than Floyd’s as he immediately feels you relax in his touch. 

“Do you know what this is, [Y/N]-san?” 

His eyes take their time to take in all of you as you nod your head, whispering the word ‘bioluminescence’ as Jade licks his lips. 

How strange was it to see you so focused. Jade had taken his time during the lull of the Monstro Lounge hours to watch you near the petting tank, your fingers running over the manta rays and tapping at the carapaces of the horseshoe crabs. And like his brother he did feel a certain sort of jealousy for those creatures, but he also saw an opportunity. 

An opportunity to get your guard down. 

His eyes look over at Floyd, the other pouting as your fingers start to trace Jade’s chest all by themselves.

“Uhm--” 

Jade’s attention goes back to you, “Yes?” 

“I didn’t think that moray eels had bioluminescence.” 

He smiles and takes your hand again, guiding it from the middle of his chest all the way to his cheek making sure that your fingers feel the light travel in his veins as you start to wriggle out of Floyd’s hold and into Jade’s. 

“Our kind is a mixture of many eels types. While our exterior is that of a moray eel, our interior is also made up of certain eels that use this feature as a way to communicate with other animals, warn predators…” 

The mereel decides to keep the ‘lure prey’ part out of his explanation. 

Jade’s eyes immediately went to Floyd’s as the other was about to speak up, glaring at him to keep his mouth quiet for he had his turn. His eyes soften when they go back to you, your eyes still taking in all of the small trails of light decorating Jade’s body as your hands trace against the caudal fins on his arms. 

They were rougher than the ones near their ears…

Slowly, your hands go to the fins on the side of Jade’s face, the mereel tensing up but keeping his eyes on you as you start to tug and rub at the appendages. 

“[Y/N]-san…” 

His nails scratch against the rocks as he feels your fingers trace every line they can find, his fins giving a little twitch as you push them back only to watch them slowly move back to their original spot. You had no idea what you were making him feel, what you probably made Floyd feel. 

And if his dear brother wanted to keep it a secret, then he would keep his mouth shut as well. 

Having someone touch them so freely, especially that area, was an act reserved for mates only. Even during courtship this was prohibited and if any other merperson happened to swim by it would be as if they just tumbled into the merman equivalent of someone shoving their fingers in between someone else’s legs. 

But your curiosity was so endearing and Jade just couldn’t find it in himself to pull you away. In fact, that look of yours full of innocence and naivety was so cute that if he let his instincts run wild you would find yourself being dragged to the Leech's home--

“What--you two!” 

His reason kicks back in as Jade smiles and turns to look at the new visitor. 

The octomer’s face is bright red as he locks eyes with you, your hands letting go of Jade’s fins as he smiles and waves at Azul. 

“I’m glad you decided to join us, Azul.”

He wants to say something about what the hell he just saw but he decides to save it, knowing full well that Jade nor Floyd were going to give him a straight answer. Instead, he decides to address you directly. 

“Inferring from our conversation from early this morning as well as your actions during the Monstro Lounge opening hours, I figured you would like this sort of surprise." 

He clears his throat, sneaking a peek at your face and quickly looking away as he saw your eyes staring straight at him. 

Humans like you are still curious about the different types of merpeople, especially those like Jade and Floyd, so after much consideration I decided--” 

"Azul, you're beautiful." 

Oh no. He bit his tongue. Fuck, fuck, fuck he bit his tongue and now it hurts like a shell clamping down on his hand--why had you gone and say something like that so suddenly?! 

"Excuse me?" 

The spell Jade had you in was completely broken as you pulled out of the brother's hold and swam over to him, stopping when you noticed him backing away. 

Azul stared at you and you stared back at him. 

He couldn't help it. After all the things he had to deal with, it was hard enough for him to even appear in front of you like this. And it wasn't like he was doing it as a showing of any sort of affection towards you, he just didn't want to owe you any favours from the idea you had given him! 

All he had to do was just...reach a tentacle out-- 

"Huh?" 

Azul notices you swimming back a tiny bit, smiling at the tentacle shyly reaching out to you. 

"You can turn back, you know. I don't want you to feel forced to do this." 

You point at him, your eyes still wide with curiosity but keeping your distance. 

"The fact that I get to see you like this is enough." 

Azul can feel his heart skip a beat, tentacles unfurling even more as the need to hide melted away. 

But...he owed you a favor... 

"Honestly. Thank you so much Azul." 

For the Sea Witch's sake, he really couldn't pin you down, could he? 

The octomer swims over, floating right in front of you as one tentacle shyly brushes against your fingertips. They twitch in interest but you do not move, looking up at Azul expectantly. 

You really were too nice for your own good, waiting for someone to give you the okay when he clearly wanted you to at least inspect that part of him. 

"Go...go ahead." 

Your touch is soft, pressing your hands right against his suckers and chuckling at the small noise they made as they attached themselves to your skin. Azul moves in a bit closer as some tentacles start wrapping around your ankles and wrists, his natural instincts taking over as his tentacles wrap around the person he really liked. 

Well not like as in like like but a like he had yet to put a definition to. And it's not like it needed a definition, you certainly weren't asking him what sort of like it was and the thought of what kind of like it really was didn't keep him up at night at all. 

"Oop!" 

Azul almost wants to screech at the tentacle going in between your legs and hoisting you up, offering you a sort of makeshift seat as the other appendages start to press against your neck, leaving behind little sucker marks in their wake. 

This situation was not only testing his boundaries but also his patience. 

"I didn't think they would be so slippery...and so soft!" 

Please don't look so curious about him! It's going to give him wild expectations! 

The tip of a tentacle rubs against your cheek, Azul's face an almost red tomato as he hears you chuckle and push the appendage back but for some reason his tentacles weren't listening to him so the thing only pushed forward even more--

"Ah! No fair!" 

Floyd comes up behind you, wrapping you up in a hug as he points a finger at Azul. 

"No hogging Shrimpy to yourself!" 

Azul swims back in alarm. 

"I wasn't hogging anyone!" 

Jade laughs as he swims right up behind you, a hand on your shoulder as he pulls you back. 

"Azul you might want to look down." 

The octomer blinks only to look down, seeing that one of his tentacles had stubbornly wrapped around your waist. 

"Ahh...ahhhh….!" 

You, Jade and Floyd blink as dark ink fills the water, Azul covering his face and letting you go, swimming to the nearest hole and curling up inside as he strangles one of his tentacles. 

Of all the things to embarrass him it just had  to be himself, huh?! 

"Azul? Wait come back!" 

"Shrimpy tell me I'm beautiful as well~!" 

"Floyd let me go! There's ink everywhere!" 

"Not until you tell me I'm beautiful!" 

"Jade!" 

"Azul is more than okay, I can assure you...although I would also like the same compliment as well, [Y/N]-san." 

The next day, you woke up with a high fever due to swimming all night, a present from all of the Octavinelle students at your doorstep with an apology card neatly placed on top. 

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst imagines #twst scenarios #octavinelle #azul ashengrotto #jade leech #floyd leech #twst mc #twst x reader #//ALSO WHO CAN PINPOINT THE YANDERE UNDERTONES

[thelittlewriter]

Burns

Pairing : Bakugou x Reader

There was nothing you could like about Katsuki Bakugou. Nothing. He was loud, self-centred, arrogant and just annoying in general. You saw it, UA saw it, the world saw it. The world wondered what he was doing in the hero field. He didn't look like a hero, didn't act like a hero. To you, as part of the management department, you agreed to that but had different reasons.

Working for him would be a pain in the ass.

How could you sell someone like him to people ? What was there to like about him ?

Nothing.

If there was really nothing, why were you walking toward those big explosions for the tenth day in a row ?

You had those two buckets in your hands again. You didn't understand why you were doing all of this. He was a pain in the ass. He was loud even when he trained in the wood. You couldn't even have a peaceful walk in the woods anymore.

When you decided you were close enough, you stopped and put the two buckets down. You used your quirk to fill them with cold water.

- So that's you !

You froze. You hoped you could disappear.

- What are you doing here, idiot ? Can't you see it's dangerous ?

Idiot ? You ?

Yeah, there was nothing likeable about him.

- It's none of your business, moron !

He looked at you angrily.

- Whatever it is, do it elsewhere ! Can't you see I'm training ?

Was he even able to do something else than scream all the time ?

- Last time, I even had to stop because of you ! How can you be that careless ?

You remembered three days ago, when you thought you were close enough to put the buckets down, everything stopped. Was it because you were too close ? Did he stop not to hurt you ?

Wait... did he actually had a reason to scream at you and to scold you ?

- I'm sorry... I just...

You looked everywhere but at him. You didn't want to admit the truth in front of him.

- I came with cold water.

- What ?

He was still looking at you, angry but also confused.

- For your burns ? You have burns in your hand because of how much you train, right ?

It was his turn to look away.

- Who told you that ?

- Nobody, I just saw them once.

It was very brief. You weren't even sure you actually saw scars yet, the next evening, you came to bring him cold water after his training. You always hoped you would never get caught.

- Well, it's nothing. You can go now.

He was sweating a lot. But again, he was ways sweating a lot. Something about his quirk, you heard. You wondered if he had to drink water a lot due to that, but you felt like any questions would be unwelcomed.

You looked at his hands. There were so many scars. New and old ones. And not only on his hands, they were going up on his forearm too. Before you even realized what you were doing, you got close to him and grabbed his hand.

You heard an explosion. It was a small one, a shy one. You felt your own hand sting and you fell backwards.

- Shit ! I'm sorry ! Are you ok ?

It was the less angry you ever heard of him. He had a pretty voice when he wasn't screaming all the time. You could even see the panic in his eyes. It was almost scary.

- I'm fine, I was just startled. Are you ?

He hummed.

- Can you please put your arms on the water ?

When he saw he didn't move, you added :

- Please ?

He mumbled something but still did it. After a moment, he said :

- Put your hand on water too.

- It's fine, I'm...

You couldn't even finish your sentence, he had already grabbed your arm with his wet hand and put it on the cold water. You could feel your hand stinging a bit. You guessed you were burnt a little. You didn't let anything through your face though, you could still see his panicked face when his quirk accidentally activated. You knew how hard it was to accidentally hurt someone, but it was probably worse for someone from the hero field who was supposed to dedicate his life to do the exact opposite.

- So... what are you working on ?

- I'm trying to concentrate my explosion in one small point.

You expected him to say more. As loud as he was when you saw him, he was actually more the quiet type.

- I can't help you. My quirk is the exact opposite. I could only let out water from my fingers, and then I widened my area of use. And I'm on the management department anyway.

That was right. You were far from having a quirk as cool as his. Though seeing him struggle, you realized it probably wasn't as cool as he made him seem. You realized he wasn't claiming to be the best, he was always training to stay the best. You were embarrassed at the admiration you felt for him.

- What can you do ?

Without waiting, you put your hand out of water and point your finger toward a tree. And you shot. It was almost immediate, the impact you saw on the tree. It was perfect, a small and round trace, just like a dot.

You looked at him. He was trying hard to suppress his surprised look.

- You think it's cool, too. I'm not fond of using it like that.

- Why ? he asked.

- I can't really control how fast it goes. My fingers are like crazy guns. Imagine if one day, I can't control my quirk at all anymore.

He looked at you with a dark look. He could imagine it.

- I'm fine with just filling up pools for my parents' friends or buckets for you.

He hummed. You wondered if he had unintentionally hurt people with his quirk. Sure, it activated on your hand a few minutes ago, but it was very small and it seemed like he always had his quirk under control. You wished you had too.

You had so many questions to ask him. He wasn't that bad of a guy when he was calm. You wanted to stay with him a little more, but the water was getting hotter. Was it his doing ? You wondered.

- I should go now, he suddenly said. It's getting late.

He got up. Late ? Was he really the type to go to bed early ?

He began to walk away with his arms still wet. He stopped on his track.

- If you decide to come back tomorrow, he said, say something to tell me you're here.

With that, he left you in the woods. You looked at him until his silhouette disappeared. People were saying a lot of things about Katsuki Bakugou, and he was still a pain in the ass but maybe... maybe there was more to see of him than what people thought.

And maybe, just maybe, you wanted to see it yourself.

Hey ! I saw the scars on his arms that were the result of extreme training and I thought... what if someone cared ? And here it is !

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