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strangersteddierthings · 11 months

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What's Eight Plus Seven?

Part One🦇Part Two🦇Part Three🦇Part Four🦇Part Five

Alright y'all. We had the hurt, let's get some comfort started.

Steve leans against his door, expecting Eddie to follow him upstairs to continue their argument because Eddie's never been one to back down from an argument as far as Steve can tell, so he's using his weight to keep the door shut. It takes about five minutes of just leaning against the door before he hears a few light knocks on the door. He pretends he didn't hear them and soon starts to hear Eddie monologue-ing on the other side. He thinks he hears a 'sorry' and an 'I fucked up' but he doesn't really tune in until Eddie says something about cancelling Hellfire.

Spinning quickly, he yanks the door open and says, "You better not fucking cancel!"

"What? Don't you, like, want me out of your house?" Eddie looks startled and sounds confused.

"What I want is for the kids to get to play Dungeons and Dorks for an afternoon, just getting to be kids and fight against monsters that can't actually kill them," Steve says as he goes to put his hands on his hips (a move that Robin calls his Bitch Stance) but realizes he can't while still holding a book, so instead he folds his arms across his chest, cradling the book to his body.

He waits for Eddie to call him out for saying dorks instead of dragons, but Eddie just blinks at him, quiet for a moment before he says, "Oh. Uh, okay then. I'll just, uhh, I'll be back closer to noon, then. For the game."

"Don't you have prep to do?" Steve knows he's trying to pick a fight now but he's angry, and sad, and hurt underneath it all. Also, he doesn't understand the change in Eddie suddenly. Ten-ish minutes ago Eddie had shouted back I wasn’t exactly wrong, was I? You were a jock, a bully even! Where is that anger now?

"No. Not, uh, not really," Eddie says, avoiding meeting Steve's gaze, face turning a very light pink. "I was- I mean, yes, there was prep, but I did a majority of that already and what's left will take maybe three minutes so..."

Steve's confused now, still trying to cling to his anger. "But you called and asked if it was okay to come early specifically for that reason."

Eddie doesn't respond right away. He turns around to walk to the wall opposite Steve's door and thump his forehead against it. Steve is perplexed by the behavior (but he's been perplexed by Eddie since finding him at Reefer Rick's) so he just watches in silence as Eddie heaves a sigh and turns around to slump against the wall, facing Steve once again. He runs a hand through his hair, then drags that hand back forward and down his face. "Yeah. I did do that."

"So, what, you lied? Why?"

"I just wanted to hang out," Eddie whispers, like it almost hurts him to say out loud, which is such a weird thing to hear because it makes Eddie seem small in a way Steve's never seen him. Even during spring break Eddie was never small or quiet; his fear manifested as shouting, for fuck's sake. It chips away at the last of Steve's anger. He's long past the days of kicking someone when they're down.

"You... wanted to hang out," Steve repeats before heaving a sigh of his own, long-suffering man that he is. Maybe it is time to bury the hatchet and actual deal with this. If nothing else, it'll result in Steve being less defensive around Eddie when everyone hangs out, like for movie night or BBQs. Also, he knows that Dustin will never let him know another day of peace once he learns that Eddie and Steve don't get along as well as he wants them to so he says, "Listen, I think we've got some shit to hash out, or whatever, so that should probably be done or, like, things are going to be weird when we all hang out, but I can't do that right now, man. So, stay or go, just make that game happen at noon. I'm going to stay up here."

Eddie nods, weirdly sullen and quiet again, as he says, "Yeah. Umm, maybe after the game? If you're feeling up to it."

"Sure. After."

Eddie raps his knuckles against the wall behind him twice before pushing off and heading back towards the stairs. He pauses to look over his shoulder and say, "If you wanna watch, or listen in, or something, I don't think anyone will mind." And then he's heading down the stairs.

Retreating back to his room, Steve tosses the book onto his bed before flopping face first next to it. He groans into his comforter before reaching for the book. He props himself up on his elbows and stares down at the cover before opening it to see Christopher's handwriting on the inside cover.

It's been years since he thought about Christopher and even longer since he's laid eyes on the books. He was so sure his mom had just gotten rid of them. All this time, they'd been right where he left them, shoved just far enough back to be out of sight on the shelf. His last link to Christopher.

That's not true, Steve scolds himself. His cousins, Amber and Robert, are still alive and in Washington. His grandparents still live on that farm in Michigan. Steve just hasn't seen them since the funeral.

He hadn't gone back to the farm the summer after freshman year, or any year since. His parents thought he was old enough to stay home for a whole month in the summer alone now, instead of paying to ship him off to his grandparents. Steve's old enough now to know that was why he'd spent a month every year out on the farm; so his parents could go off on longer work trips. Once they'd decided Steve was old enough to stay alone for the summer, that quickly reached other seasons and by the time Steve was a junior, the were gone more than they were home.

He doesn't even remember when he last spoke to them in person. He thinks the last phone call was right after Starcourt. It was just to make sure Steve got to job hunting, since his place of employment had burned down and the bills wouldn't pay themselves. Which is true. He doesn't have to pay rent, but all the utilities are in his name now.

Jesus, he doesn't want to be thinking about them.

He goes back to the book, flipping through the pages absently. Halfway through the book he finds a couple folded pieces of paper tucked close to the spine. He doesn't have to open them to know exactly what they are.

It's the character sheets he'd made.

He closes the book back atop them and rolls over to face his ceiling. He wants to call Robin, but the phones are downstairs and he doesn't want to go down there just yet. He also kinda wants to cry. To get rid of all these emotions about Christopher, and Freshman First Day, and Eddie.

Fucking Eddie. Who haunts Steve's thoughts more than he'd like because despite the grudge Steve has been holding, Eddie has been fun to be around and so good with the kids, especially Dustin. Fuck, after having watched Dustin break down when they thought he was dead- but he'd had a pulse. It was weak but it was there.

After Eddie'd been cleared of the charges and the months rolled on into summer, they'd spent lots of time together as a group. Steve will admit he tried to avoid Eddie as best he could (he knows he's petty, okay) but could still see how he blended smoothly into their group.

If this Eddie had been the one he met on Freshman First Day, instead of the dick that mocked him, they might very well be friends now.

That's the crux of it all, Steve thinks. That he wouldn't mind being friends with Eddie if not for that bottled up grudge he'd been holding onto. He can't bring himself to let it go and Steve's not even sure why. Thoughts and feelings aren't something Steve processes quickly, and it usually helps to talk it out with Robin. She lets him stumble through his thoughts, and doesn't mock him for messing up, or mixing up, words.

Goddammit, if he's really going to try talking this out with Eddie, he's going to have be open and honest and maybe a little vulnerable and he doesn't know if he can do that.

But he'll have to. For better or worse, he can't just keep Eddie at arms length. They need to either come to the conclusion that they can be friends, or not, and then go from there. (Also, he knows that Dustin will never let him know another day of peace once he learns that Eddie and Steve don't get along as well as he wants them to.)

In the end, Steve's not sure how long he just stares up at the ceiling but a sudden shout breaks him from his trance. It sounded like Dustin. Hellfire must have started.

Steve leaves his room to go lean against the half wall of the hallway, so he could look down to the dining table where everyone has gathered to play. No one notices him, so Steve sinks to the floor and turns, so he can lean against the wall, closes his eyes, and listens in.

The room below is filled with noise. Shouts of excitement, and groans of pain, and sighs of relief. Dustin yells at his dice when it rolls a Nat 1. Mike curses up a storm over a barely missed perception check that makes the party fall into a surprise round. He hears Lucas whoop happily and then what sounds like him taking several victory laps around the table.

He used to be an imaginative kid, able to easily conjure castle, and knights, and dragons in his mind's eye. Listening to Eddie describe a new location, or NPC, or monster makes it easy to bring that part of himself back. Eddie is descriptive and uses so many voices that Steve would be embarrassed to even attempt. But because Eddie is being descriptive, so is everyone else at the table. Erica has adopted an accent of some sort for her character. Dustin and Will go into great detail describing what they want their character to do. The older members of Hellfire do the same, and one of them is using an Irish accent that if he used while talking to Steve, he'd would think it was his first language.

Steve's not sure how long he sat there, long enough that they've taken a snack break and are back at it again, before he decides he might as well watch, too. He gets up and goes downstairs. There's a pause at the table when he wonders in and plops down on the couch. He makes eye contact with Eddie and offers a small half smile. Eddie grins back, and starts back into the game, pulling everyone's focus.

Watching is interesting. He gets to see the Party jab at each other, or lean over and whisper about something. It's nice, to see them being kids. Having fun.

They end around five and Steve is surprised at how quickly five hours had passed.

"So, Steve, how was watching your first DnD game?" Dustin asks, pausing on his way to the door to do so.

Steve considers teasing him, but he goes for honesty instead. "Pretty interesting. It might not be my last time observing. I gotta see you get killed sometime, right?"

"Rude, Steve. Rude," Dustin is grinning though.

"Tell your mom hi for me, and let me know when she's making pork chops again. I'd like to crash that dinner."

Dustin rolls his eyes and shakes his head but he hugs Steve before leaving. Between all the older Hellfire members, they all have rides home that aren't Steve or Eddie.

Speaking of the latter, he's slowly packing things away at the table. Clearly killing time so it won't look like he's intentionally staying after everyone's gone.

Soon, the house is empty again.

"So, I'm not sure... how to start this conversation," Eddie admits to the silence. He's still at the table, standing behind where he was previously sitting, fiddling with a die. "But, I'm sorry. For that day. You were right, you know? When you said I was lashing out at you first."

"Thanks. For the apology," Steve stands from the couch and moves to the table, toying with the tablecloth instead of looking at Eddie. "I, uhh, I'm not sure where to go from here, either? I spent such a long time angry at you. For pointing out all the things I'm bad at in front of everyone there. For making me feel like an idiot."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Now Steve looks up at Eddie. "You say that, but like, why? Are you sorry because what you did was shitty, or because you want to be my friend now?"

Eddie blinks, apparently thrown by Steve's question.

"Because, like, you were pretty dismissive of Lucas before Spring Break and he helped save your life. So, it's like, are you okay with being shitty if the people you hurt aren't people you like? 'Cause I used to be that way, and I'm not going to be friends with someone who is."

"Yeah, no, you're right," Eddie nods. "For all that I scream about conformity, and how stupid it is, I've been rather quick to dismiss everyone outside my own... group. I held rather close to that nerds verses jocks crap for too long. Lucas is a jock, but he's also a nerd, and so very loyal to his friends. And you- you're really fucking awesome."

"I am," Steve interrupts with a cheeky grin.

"Ass. But yeah, you're pretty awesome, and I've been feeling all fucked up today because, we could have been friends, couldn't we? In high school. If I'd just let you take the damn flier and kept my mouth shut."

"Hey, that's not all on you," Steve says. "I would have still joined the basketball team, and the swim team. And, like, I was so desperate for any shred of attention from my parents that I would never have picked Hellfire over sports meetups. I could have joined and still ended up a bully by sophomore year."

"Well, I didn't help-"

"I made those choices, Eddie. And it doesn't matter because it's in the past. So, like, we can just move forward. Start over, or whatever."

Eddie looks him up and down before giving one sharp nod, then breaking out into a wide grin, sticking his hand out for a handshake. "Hi. Name's Eddie Munson."

Steve laughs, reaching out to shake Eddie's hand. "Steve Harrington."

"Great, pleasure to meet you. Do you wanna hang out? We can play 20 questions. Get to know each other."

"Sure," Steve chuckles, extracting his hand from Eddie's. "Let me order some pizza first."

First time hanging out with Eddie alone. Guess they'll find out if they can be friends after all.

#steddie #my fic #what's eight plus seven?#just one more part #not fully edited because im at work so apologies for that

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steddiealltheway · 2 years

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Eddie really tries to graduate this time. And he means really. He asks the whole party for their help, and the kids reluctantly agree that although they’re smart, they’re not that far ahead.

But they find a clear solution: Nancy.

And she tries everything. Flashcards. Acronyms. Word association. Practice quizzes. Textbook problems…

A few hours in, she gives Eddie a tight smile and says, “Maybe you need a break.” She immediately heads down to the basement where everyone else is hanging out.

Eddie sighs because that’s definitely code for Nancy needs a break from him and his multiple failed practice quizzes. He doesn’t stand a chance.

He hears the stairs creak as someone makes their way up. Steve’s head pops around the corner. “How’s it going?”

“Did Nancy send you up here?” Eddie asks.

Steve makes his way to the table and sits next to Eddie while saying, “No, but I did notice the look on her face. She used to try to tutor me, too.”

“How’d that work out for you?” Eddie asks genuinely curious.

“I got a girlfriend and an F,” Steve answers, digging though the papers spread all over the table. He picks up a stack of flashcards and smiles. “Ahh, the infamous Nancy Wheeler flashcards. Color coded by difficulty.”

Eddie fidgets with his rings and bites out, “If that was the case, they should all be the same color. I don’t know, man. I just don’t care. Information in one ear out the other.”

Steve nods in agreement and pauses in thought - if the furrowed brow is any indication. “What do you care about?” Steve asks.

Eddie shrugs, at a loss as to what Steve is asking.

“Dungeons and dragons!” Steve exclaims and throws his arms up as if it’s the answer to all of Eddie’s problems.

“Yeah, I’m not following.”

Steve stands up and starts going through the pile of notes. “This is all for history, right?”

Eddie nods.

“Perfect. All you have to do is treat it like a campaign.”

Eddie’s head spins as he takes in Steve’s idea that actually clicks in his head. He also can’t help but wonder how many times Dustin has ranted to Steve about D&D for him to call it a campaign instead of a “game” like most people do.

“Steve, you’re a genius.”

Steve shrugs. “I’m not sure if you can say that about someone who couldn’t get into college.”

Eddie squeezes Steve’s arm and comments, “At least you graduated high school.”

“I wouldn’t have if I didn’t have the Harrington family name with their yearly donations to Hawkins High,” Steve confesses. He shakes his head and taps the table once before wishing Eddie good luck and making his way back down the stairs.

Eddie gets to work on the abridged version of a campaign.

A week passes before Eddie gets his test score back. He takes a deep breath and glances at the top of the packet.

An A. Eddie Munson got an A.

He also got a note under it that says, “Meet me after class.” Fuck.

After class, the teacher tries to imply that Eddie somehow cheated until he pulls out the pages of planning and notes he had taken in preparation for the test. The teacher easily dismisses him without an apology… bitch.

When Eddie sees the kids at lunch, he immediately shows them the test. It only stings slightly when everyone thinks he’s joking, but the satisfaction of proving them wrong is way more fulfilling.

After school, Eddie immediately finds Steve working at the Family Video.

“Steve Harrington, I could kiss you right now!” Eddie announces to the thankfully empty store. He slams the test down on the counter and beams.

It takes Steve a moment, but then he realizes what Eddie is showing him. “Dude!” Steve yells and scales the counter. “Dude!” He grabs Eddie’s arms excitedly and begins jumping up and down. Eddie joins in.

It’s absolutely childish, and Eddie loves every second of it.

They calm down for a few moments, catching their breath. Then, Steve catches sight of the test again and excitedly yells, “I could also kiss you right now!”

Eddie smiles and easily flirts, “You could.”

And Steve does. Right there in the middle of the Family Video store.

When the two pull away Eddie jokes, “Is this what I get every time I get an A?”

Steve laughs. “If you want it to be.”

Eddie smiles and says, “I’ll hold you to it.”

That semester, Eddie has to convince a lot of teachers that he isn’t cheating before he graduates.

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie ficlet

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echosoftheflower · 4 months

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I feel like there is so much missed potential in this fandom when it comes to Jimmy's part in EVO.

Like yeah, Grian constantly pissed off the watchers by being too greedy and taking more than he should, and we all know it was Grian who was taken by the watchers after the ender dragon fight and made into one of them.

And we know that in the Life series, Martyn's character is spoken to and told to do various things for the Watchers and saved by the Listeners.

And Jimmy has some kind of Canary Curse that causes him to die first every time.

But, there is a lot more to this that people don't use simply because they haven't seen Jimmy's Evo series.

Most of my headcanon ideas are after my little recap of all the listener moments from Evo and you can skip to that, but if you have never seen Evo or never watched past Grian's POV it is pretty interesting and I think I summed it up pretty well.

----start of very long Evo Recap----

Back in Evo, the Watchers never really liked Jimmy or at points Martyn. This is seen when they get gifts from them representing the Watchers' opinions. Jimmy gets one of the worst ones (a chest with some gold and saplings, likely meaning 'room for growth') matched only by Grian's (a chest of coal with one diamond meaning 'diamond in the rough').

Martyn is shown to be disliked when later on he declares himself mayor due to Taurtis having left, his and Jimmy's Property Police station gets a meteor sent through it by the watchers.

In Jimmy's episode 75 he and Martyn follow a strange noise underneath their destroyed station. They find the listener symbol in bedrock and signs reading 'There are some who watch, we are those who listen. Heed our melody, and await your first mission. Tell nobody." This is the first time we hear about the Listeners and we don't see anything about them again until Jimmy's episode 98.

They had just defeated the ender dragon and had been told the news that "10 will become 9" and that they were taking Grian. In the end credits when they were told this, multiple members were mentioned by name for various things they had done, all except Jimmy.

In Jimmy's episode he spawns in alone. The spawn is destroyed and grown over and in front of him is the Listeners symbol. He finds a book in a chest simply titled "your mission" and 9 enderchests.

The book reads: "there are some who watch, we are those who listen. It is finally time for your first mission. Dragged forwards through time, your spawn old and rotten. Even in the end credits, your name was forgotten. Cruel are the Watchers who think they know best. For us please deliver each player a chest. SHhhh...."

He goes on to do as they ask, one ender chest in each player's base. He is never told what these chests are for. Later the rest of Evo spawns in thousands of blocks away at the new spawn, they make their way back and find the Listener's symbol Jimmy had found is now a Watchers symbol.

The books titled "the future" read: "Our meeting was short and your victory grand, now 10 become 9 and you must leave this land. Our reasons are just, though you won't understand. Your actions have caused this, accidental or planned. Tread now to your homes, carry only what you can. Anymore will be drowned on and the sentence, a ban. We The Watchers Have Spoken."

They find the chests Jimmy had left them and inside is a note from the Listeners labeled "Greetings": "There are some who watch, we are those who listen, and we do not agree with their most recent decisions. 'Carry only what you can', what you deem best, We grant you more space by making use of this chest. SHHhhh....."

Later Jimmy finds signs from Martyn telling him what's going on and where to go. Jimmy shows caution and distrust towards the Watchers but follows all the same.

They set up everything at the new spawn, but in Jimmy's episode 112, he noticed an odd musical ticking sound beneath spawn. He goes around to everyone's base to leave them a sign asking what it is to make sure they know about it. They all gather at spawn and find that it was the Listeners who did it.

Under spawn they find a book titled "Freedom" by the Listeners. It reads: "There are some who watch, we are those who listen, if you flee you'll be free and complete your recission. Single versions are slow, new adventures in store, come with us and we'll give you lots more to explore. Make haste through this maze as a portal awaits, make the choice quick and take control of your fates. SHHhhh...."

They make their way through the maze and eventually find the last portal. They all get ready to make the jump for the last time, and go through the portal. For most this is the end of Evo (Jimmy, Pearl, and Netty do Christmas specials but those are only 2 episodes) meaning that this portal was really some kind of escape.

----end of very long Evo Recap----

This means that not only had the Watchers always had a dislike for Jimmy, but the Listener always had an interest in him and Martyn.

There is also the fact that Jimmy was the one the Listeners chose to deliver the enderchests. Bringing him to the original spawn under the Watcher's nose for this task, giving out something that will later help get around the Watcher's decision. And the fact that he was the one to first notice the strange sound at spawn and then go and warn the others? or at least inform them of this allowing them all to eventually find their escape?

It seems to me like Jimmy had long ago gotten a target painted on his back by the Watchers. With everything from

1) going against them

2) working for the listeners

3) influencing others to go with him

4) they just generally didn't even like him beforehand.

By the time everyone escaped Evo it's a fair assumption that Jimmy is probably at the top of their list of problems.

So, when they make a new experiment with the death games and they have him there? Well, they can't have him staying around long enough to start figuring things out and influencing people, now can they.

And speaking of warning others, he seemed to be so intent on warning the other Evolutionists against the Watchers. What would be a better punishment for going against them, for being one of the main catalyst in it all, then to be cursed to always be the warning. Cursed to always be the first to die, always gone before something big goes down, the Canary in the coalmine. But no matter what his death warns of, there is no escape this time. The coalmine's entrance is sealed and no matter how long you last, soon everything inside will suffocate.

And maybe this feeds into Secret life where he mentions how the Secret keepers symbol looks familiar, or how he decides to team up with Martyn just like in Evo.

Maybe him surviving a little longer in the games and coming back after death as a guardian angel is a testament to how the listeners are stronger in this season. An apology/gift to their first chosen for everything their actions had put him through.

But that's probably just me making far fetched connections and reading too far into things. Could be cool though.

#evo smp #jimmy solidarity #evo spoilers #i guess #martyn inthelittlewood #traffic life series #trafficblr #idk i dont usually tag #echos screaming into the void #echos talking about old Minecraft servers #written at 1:30 am #idk gues evo lives in the back of my mind #watcher lore

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absolutebl · 3 months

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This Week in BL - it was a pretty darn good time, frankly

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Feb 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 12fin - Everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun in the fight sequences. I’m very happy for them. I’m not surprised they shot Khem and Chart. A little shocked it wasn’t also Yai, TBH.

I found this final episode rushed. According to rumors, The Sign was originally slated to be 14 eps, and it probably should’ve been. And I don’t say that often about Thai BL. But we all knew it was getting too bloated for its britches, so I'm not surprised they fumbled the ending. For me personally, it just wasn't that bad. It was fine and I was fine with it.

Tho, Billy does not look good with facial fur, messes up those gorgeous angles.

I was ultimately amused that the solution to the mythology thread was simply to talk to the river god and persuaded him to give up... off screen. It felt very old school wuxia. Or like Aeschylus or something. I did adore the stinger, Saint was basically like “I want wings too”.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This show is literally everything (except straight) all at once. It's BL, queer, band of brothers, romcom, erotica, PNR, fated mates, police procedural, fantasy, mystery, suspense, and slasher. It’s the king of genre mash-up chaos. Sure, it's madness but there is genius in it. Was it a crazy unhinged mess +1 roll for damage? Yes. Yes it was. Did it manage to hold all those tangled threads together? No it did not. Was it also a charming, sexy, engaging, non-stop piece of entertainment? Sure thing. I think this show is basically my KinnPorsche, and frankly I’ve been chasing that dragon naga since KP aired. Is it perfect? No. But it was balls to the wall FUN and that gets a 9/10 from me.

I'm thinking of doing a full recap review (partly because I have so many great screen shots.)

Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube grey) ep 10-11 of 12 - Since this series is following the yaoi so closely, I knew these were the separation eps. (Also I knew with would be a soft non-doom ep 11, Japan rarerly does these.) I like that they used it to show improve communication and development in all relationships, but, frankly, TayNew are just best when they are TayNew together on screen. So yeah. Let’s keep them back together, please?

Meanwhile, TayNew gifted us a gorgeous loving sweet sex scene. Thanks OG for doing us a solid.

I wanna add, it sure is fun to see New play as soft and vulnerable character, I feel like he hasn’t done that since SOTUS.

(Read all about distribution issues here.)

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 12fin - 1/3 of this is a sweet romance about a student doctor falling in love with a student chef, and the rest of it is utter dross. Look the OffGun bits were GREAT.. In fact, I think they’re better AS A PAIR in this show than in any of their other BLS. And I'm a hard sell on any OffGun being better than PickRome. Saying that, how can I review a show where I could only tolerate 1/3 of it? Because I didn’t like any other aspect of this show, no other pairs and no other plots. That gives me: 9/10 for the OffGun bits, 5/10 for everything else. Frankly it probably should be an 8 but I gotta go with my gut and it's upset about this so 7/10. Sorry boys. It’s GMMTV’s fault. Your heart was in this show, mine wasn’t.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 4 of 12 - These two are so good at making heart eyes at each other. It’s ridiculous. They don’t need any cartoon images or noises. Moot crush but "I wanna flirt and court more" is so flipping awesome. I love this for them… and us.

1000 Years Old ep 2 of 12 - It’s very silly and we have been gifted with the dorkiest vampire ever. But... the smell thing makes me so happy. And I like that the vamp uses chan/nai or tan = v old fashioned. Nahlak. I love our ghost girl. Did you notice she wasn’t in the room with them but they left an empty chair for her? Also nahlak.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 6 - Kai was pretty much just “you're a workaholic but I basically married you whether you like it or not.” SMOOCH. What can I say? I'm a sucker for this dynamic.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - How is this show so cute? How do they both love and hurt each other so much. They are both just scared of loosing each other. Gah.

Unknown (Taiwan Sat Youku YouTube) 1 of 12 eps - Youku dropped the first ep to their YouTube channel but I doubt we can expect that to continue. Still, it was nice to be able to watch it in a convenient way. I enjoyed it. But I am cautious about it. Of course this is possibly two of my favorite tropes of all time (stepbrothers or a variation + hyung romance). So I’m looking forward to the romantic thread, but from the gritty style, it feels a lot more like a Taiwanese short. Which means it could go very dark and may not end happy.

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - I just don’t know if the main couple should be a couple. But when they finally get around to talking to each other, they sure are lovely. Also how great is it to see a uke initiate a kiss? Even if it’s not a very good kiss.

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 2 of 8 - I am still not sure about this one. I am not contesting its quality, just saying it’s not for me. Also I’m not wild about what amounts to basically a redo of everything that already happened in the first episode from a different perspective. I know it’s a tall order with Japan, but I would like (when it’s a short series) for each new installment to actually move the plot (such as it is) along in someway. Am I asking too much?

It's done but I have no time

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam, it's on YouTube. I will give it a try when I have a window of time.

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch.

It's airing but...

Dead Friend Forever (Thai iQIYI) - rumors are it's interesting but full of unlikable characters. I'm waiting to know how it ends.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far. Ends next week TF.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.

A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV) - I tried but I can't get into my WeTV account anymore and I'm way too lazy to figure it out. Should I bother to go grey for it?

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand YT) - High school sweethearts who had a bad break up reunite when both of them have full time jobs but coming out is still a problem. You can watch this on YT but it has no Eng Subs.

Next Week Looks Like This:

We're light on content right now, but frankly I'm so busy with work I don't really mind.

3/6 Born to be Y (Thai ????) 10 eps - 14 contestants who audition to compete in Born To Be Y, a program that searches for the best couple of the year to work together on a giant project. Described as semi-reality series. So I probably won't bother.

3/7 Deep Night (Thai iQiyi) 10 eps - Multiple romances set in a host clubs. Nice to see First back on my screen but this is not my favorite setting.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

The eyes have it.

Your random BL moment brought to you by my ult-bias being a hyung smartass to his maknae.

(Last week)

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dogs2shouldvote · 10 months

Text

during my latest relisten of taz balance, i recorded every line i found even the slightest bit funny with zero context, not even who said it (though some are pretty obvious). here’s all my favorites!!

“i’m probably studying.. my cantrips”

“just say mastrubating, dad”

“don’t come in mom i’m studying my canteips!!”

“yeah you’ll do any dumb shit”

“it’s like a bag of holding! but for.. ass.”

“do we know how much damage we did to him?”

“six damage, you said it out loud with your mouth.”

“it should be in the player’s handbook! get your salty snack to enjoy while you play dnd”

“my grandpa says it’s rude to whisper. especially on a train!”

“i’m not going to go toe to toe with a crab while youre armed with a terrible scottish accent and travis doesn’t even have his sheild. i’m out! … did i say travis? i mean leman kessler.”

“nope! that was wrong all the way around.”

“i’m cosplaying taako right now, as a stupid man.”

“who’s just rolling dice? who is doing secret checks that i don’t know about?”

“i always waste my 20’s on perception checks. like i give a shit.”

“it’s completely conceivable he would have a name tag.”

“IN A GANG?”

“like a pelt??? like a bramble*pelt*?????”

“is there a math check? what are you talking about?”

“yeah it’s your fucking brain. you use your brain to add numbers together”

“16”

“what are you fucking doing??”

“griffin i love you youre my brother. but if my skill called history doesn’t literally help me with history trivia questions in a category called history what are we FUCKING doing here??”

“can i ask you a question? are you guys mean to everyone?”

“fus-ro-over dere”

“that one was actually a badass bernie sanders”

“hey thug! what’s your name? i’m about to tentacle your dick.”

“a d6 is like some dice ass dice. that’s some monopoly shit.”

“i thought you were saying merle, it’s his bread and his body, take 2d6 healing points”

“you two remind me of something… you remind me of the babe! and then i throw the glass sphere at them.”

“make a constitution saving throw to see if you can eat this fucking rock with your mouth.”

“dungeons and dragons is a. great game.”

“my name is magnus burnsides”

“marchins burchens”

“magnus would not say that. however, travis would.”

“can we please not talk about chekhov’s bush?”

“we’ve got a ball, a sack, and a tool!”

“everything is gross here in dnd.”

“only losers smoke, isaac.”

“i give isaac an hour long lecture about the dangers of smoking.”

“i’m just gonna put my mouth down there and go buck wild”

“there’s a lot of go cart tracks called the adventure zone and i’ve been working with my lawyer to shut them all down forever”

“does taako fish?”

“yeah taako fishes.”

“a rock hard-“

*justin, clint, and travis laugh*

“come ON, *really*?”

“taako rushes in!”

“what! magnus follows him.”

“merle’s good out here!”

“WHAT is going on?”

“how do you not have a d6 it comes with every board game”

“my daughter-“

“eats them for power???”

“uhhh how much health do you have.”

“im not gonna tell you.”

“let’s see… i am going to hurt jenkins. with a magical spell.”

“this is about to become the taako show starring taako.”

“BLUFF FUCKING BLUFF O’CLOCK?? WHAT IS THIS, HALF PAST PERSUASION TIME??”

“i’m not laughing in game” *justin fucking loses it*

“she’s the best at burning shit ever.”

“traaav griffin got to do his show for so long and now he’s gonna destroy yours.”

“fucking lup finds like. a gun.”

“for sure, keep it sleazy. we’re out, bye!”

“i have to believe…. i’m gonna get those fifteen dollars back from greg fucking grimaldis”

“based on the rules of the game, dad… you die.”

“dad’s making a jerk off motion at me”

“don’t play the pennywise card like you ALWAYS try to”

“should i talk slower so that everybody who has been complaining about us not playing dnd has time to nut?”

“i am a wizard. my name is taako. and i am pretty well fucked.”

“yeah i’ve got cumin who do you think i am?”

“hear that, babe? we’re *legends*”

“i’m clint mcelroy and i played merle hightower-“

“nope”

#i actually have a ton more #taz balance #taz balance spoilers #kinda #the adventure zone balance #mcelroys #taz #the adventure zone #mcelroy brothers #taako taaco #merle highchurch #magnus burnsides

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myadmiringmind · 1 year

Text

Pounding Rain or Pounding Heart? | Hiccup Haddock

Hiccup Haddock Masterlist

Word Count: 3.3k

Pairings: Hiccup Haddock x reader, platonic!gang x reader

Summary: When on a mission you get captured by dragon hunters.

Warnings:

Weapons

Explosions

Kidnapping

Knives

Threatening

Cursing

Poison

Possible dehydration

|PICTURE ARE NOT MINE|

——————————————

It was windy this evening. But you suppose that might be because you’re riding on the back of a dragon.

Your eyes were cast on the water below. Whispers about effective dragon traps being sold to hunters had gotten to Dragons Edge.

Hiccup decided that the group should check it out.

You had heard from some hunters that the shipments of weapons were around this area.

“Hiccup there’s nothing around here!” Astrid shouted from the back of Stormfly

“Keep looking! We can’t risk missing it!” Hiccup called back

You sighed, you’d been out for hours. All you could think about was dinner and your warm bed back on the edge.

“Are we sure that hunter was telling the truth? He could’ve given us random coordinates just so we’d let him go.” Tuffnut pointed out

“Yeah, we might just be wasting our time.” Ruffnut agreed

“We have to be sure.” Hiccup answered

You scanned the steady waters before casting your glances upward. The sky was pretty clear when you had left. Now it was dark, it looked like it was going to storm.

“Hiccup, maybe we should head back before it storms.” You shouted

Hiccup looked back at you, then maneuvered Toothless so the two of you were flying side by side.

“We will. But we have to keep looking.” He responded

“We’ve been looking for hours, Hiccup. Maybe it’s time to go home.” You replied

Hiccup sighed, looking at Toothless below him, he was clearly in thought.

He turned his head toward you to speak but was cut off by a shout.

“There!” Fishlegs shouted

Sure enough, a large ship was in sight. It was a little ways away but with the speed of your dragons you were sure to come in contact with it soon.

“Come on!” Hiccup shouted and dived down closer to the water.

The rest of you followed. The cold air hits your face in cold stabs. You closed your eyes for a moment, the air had caused your eyes to water.

You opened your eyes when you felt your dragon straighten out, becoming parallel with the water below.

“Astrid, Snotlout, attack from the sides. Ruff, Tuff, ring of fire!” Hiccup instructed

The twins shouted with glee, eagerly flying Barf and Belch around the ship to complete their task.

“Fishlegs, scout the area for the traps.” Hiccup looked at you, “We’ll attack from above.”

You nodded, signaling your dragon to follow Toothless.

Arrows with dragon root were already being shot into the air by the time you hovered above the ship. Your dragon expertly dodged all of them.

The ship rocked from the explosion the twins had made.

You expected it to begin to sink but it didn’t.

“Hiccup, it's dragon proof!” Astrid shouted, frustration laced in her voice.

“There aren’t any signs of the traps either!” Fishlegs flew up towards the two of you.

Hiccup groaned in annoyance.

Snotlout took that moment to speak his thoughts, “Well, now that those plans failed, I say we put my plan into play. Fire blazing attack. Snotlout!” Snotlout and Hookfang dived towards the ship.

“No!” Hiccup yelled but it was lost with the wind.

“Yeah!” “Woohoo!” The twins yelled following Snotlout

Hiccup tightened his hands on the reins, “Toothless, dive!”

You, Astrid, and Fishlegs followed after him.

Your dragon's tail whipped out, knocking an arrow from its path to Stormfly.

Astrid sent you a grateful nod.

The blonde yelled and jumped off Stormfly, ax in her hands.

Stormfly hovered in the air loyally, protecting Astrid from above.

“Down.” You said to your dragon

Your dragon landed on the deck of the ship, protecting your back as you pulled your knife out of your pocket, ready to kick some dragon hunter ass.

“Help!” Snotlout shrieked, he and Hookfang were caught in a net.

“There!” You shouted, your dragon blew fire at the net.

Only to reveal it was dragon proof.

You cursed under your breath, mounting your dragon.

Your dragon used its feet to try and lift it, but it was too heavy.

“A little help!” You yelled a little panicked

“A little busy. Gosh, doesn’t anyone respect the art of the fight.” You heard Tuffnut say

“I’m coming!” Fishlegs said

The two of you tried lifting the net but it was still too heavy.

“I’m here.” Astrid came over.

The three of you were able to lift the net up long enough for Hookfang and Snotlout to get out.

“We had it handled.” Snotlout said once they were in the air

You rolled your eyes but dived back down.

Hiccup and Toothless were corned by a group of hunters. Your dragon sent a blast, knocking the hunters out the way, and creating a path for Toothless and Hiccup.

The rain started coming down heavily.

The clouds were dark and it was hard to see anything other than your dragon blast.

Which is why you didn’t see a hunter cut a rope till a dragon proof cage fell down, trapping Hiccup and Toothless.

“Drop me here.” You instructed your dragon. You hopped off its back and pulled out your blade once more.

You punched the first hunter you came in contact with, knocking him out. You searched through his jacket hoping to find the key to the cage.

Your dragon roared, alerting you of the hunter that was running towards you. You dodged his attack. You turned ready to fight, just to notice he had knocked himself out by accidentally banging his head on a wooden pole while grabbing for you.

You repeated your process, but still no key.

You heard a deep chuckle and saw a hunter aiming an arrow at the twins.

You tackled him to the floor. His large hands trying to push you off so he could run away.

You noticed the keys at the last second, grabbing them from his belt without him noticing as he ran for shelter. Only to be stopped by a blast from Hookfang.

You rushed over to Hiccup and Toothless, quickly letting them out.

“It must have been a trap.” Hiccup said, “Get in the air, quick!” He shouted, mounting Toothless and flying upward.

You looked around but you couldn’t spot your dragon with the rain. You could hear them, but you couldn’t see them.

You looked back toward where Hiccup had been but he too was gone.

They were still here, you could hear them, even over the sound of the pouring rain, you could hear them.

Before you could call for your dragon, a firm grip grasped your wrist, the one with the bad that was holding your knife, and they turned it, hard.

You shrieked in pain.

You could hear your dragon call out in worry after hearing your pain. But they couldn’t get to you with all the arrows.

After an arrow narrowly missed their eye you had had enough.

“Go! Go with the others!” You shouted but your dragon didn’t move, “Go, there’s nothing you can do for me right now!” Your dragon roared regretfully.

The hunter holding you placed their hand over your mouth.

“Stay still pretty.” The hunter whispered

Angered, you bit down on his hand.

The hunter staggered back in pain. You tried to make a run for it, but you had already been surrounded by armed hunters.

You placed your hands up in defeat. You couldn’t fight ten to twelve hunters by yourself.

You thought they were just going to tie your wrists when a hand came from behind you, placing a cloth over your mouth.

You gasped in surprise.

Soon, your vision was fading, and you couldn’t tell the difference between the rain and your pounding heart.

————————

You coughed, again, and again, until you were fully conscious.

“Quiet brother, our guest has awakened.” A frighteningly familiar voice said

You looked up in shock. Sure enough it was Viggo with Ryker standing threateningly behind him.

“Sleep well?” Viggo asked faux kindness

You only glared back.

Viggo shrugged, unphased, “Fair enough.” He muttered

“I say we slit her throat.” Ryker said

You shivered involuntarily in fear.

Viggo sighed, clearly annoyed, “I’ve told you this big brother, we need her alive for this to work.”

“Just tell the dragon riders that she is alive.” Ryker said

Viggo shook his head, looking like a disappointed father, “Hiccup is too smart for that. We need her alive and well. Now…” He turned to look at you, his expression changing back to the faux friendliness, “Is there anything you’d like to share with us?” He asked

You glared in return, partly because you wanted to annoy them, and partly because your throat ached.

Viggo sighed, disappointed but not surprised, “Very well, throw her in a cell till we reach land.”

Two lower ranking guards nodded and picked you up, one of them on each arm.

You went to stand as they began moving but collapsed.

Viggo looked at you, again unsurprised, “I probably should’ve mentioned that you won’t be able to walk properly for a little while. Some side effects of the poison.”

Your eyes widened but he didn’t cast a second glance at you.

The guards dragged you downstairs and threw you into a dragon proof cell.

You looked around and saw that there were dragons in the other cells.

None the same type as your dragon, but there was a deadly nadder, which reminded you of Astrid and Stormfly. A couple gronckles too, which made you think of Fishlegs and Meatlug.

Astrid would’ve come up with a plan to get you out of here. She would’ve been able to take out the guards no problem.

Fishlegs would’ve known what they gave you. He would’ve known what to use to heal you.

The twins would’ve talked about something stupid and come up with jokes during inappropriate times that would’ve made you want to laugh.

Snotlout would’ve complained about being trapped. He would name all of his favorite things and complain that he’d never get to do them again. He might’ve even sung some of the lullaby’s his mother used to sing to him.

And Hiccup…oh how you wish Hiccup was here. You didn’t want to be alone. Surrounded by enemies and dragons that wanted nothing to do with you. Hiccup would’ve tried to befriend the dragons so they could both escape.

You didn’t have the energy for that though. You were tired. You were so tired. Your head hurts. The wooden walls of the ship were extremely uncomfortable but they were all you had.

You wanted your dragon, or your friends. You wanted Hiccup. He’d convince you that everything would be okay, even if they weren’t.

But you were all alone.

————————————

You were awakened by the sound of metal banging.

One of the hunters was banging his ax against the bars of your cell. He was grinning.

You clenched your teeth, wanting nothing more than to knock out his teeth.

“Wakey wakey.” He said, waving his ax as if he was greeting you with a wave of the hand.

You growled under your breath in annoyance.

“Ryker said to take you above deck.” The man said, using his keys to unlock your cell.

The dragons around you roared in protest.

“Oh shut up you stupid lizards!” The man yelled

You clenched your teeth. One, he needed to be punched, preferably by you. Two, the loud noises were not helping your headache.

The hunter yanked you up by your arm, causing you to gasp in pain.

“Whoops, did I hurt you.” He laughed

You considered trying to trip him, but then shut down the idea knowing if he went down you went down with him.

Your legs dragged on the floor through the lower deck and the steps were worse.

The hunter grumbled because he had to practically carry you up.

The feeling of the sun was the same as running head first into a tree.

You could barely keep your eyes open.

“Oh, looks who’s awake.” Ryker said, “You, take her down to the tent next to Viggos. Tie her to the bedpost and leave.”

You guessed he was addressing the hunter that was currently yanking you around because suddenly you were being dragged down a ramp.

Again, not good, not good at all.

You heard the sound of fabric being moved and the sun wasn’t as bright behind your eyes, so you assumed you were now in said tent.

You opened up and sure enough, you were right.

The guard used some rope to tie one of your wrists to the bedpost. He made sure to do it extra tight.

You fought the urge to cry out as you felt the rope dig into your skin.

The hunter sneered at the sight of you helpless, but followed his orders and walked out without a word.

You rested your head on the bed. You felt like you had been thrown off a mountain.

A few moments later you heard the tent open, for a moment you wondered if it was Viggo. And the hopeful side of you hoped it was one of your friends.

It was neither. This time, it was a different hunter. He was carrying a plate of plate in one hand and a cup with what you assumed was water in the other.

You wondered if he wanted you to watch him eat. Or if Viggo had sent him to make you watch him eat.

“Viggo says you should eat.” The hunter said

Of course. “Alive and well.” Viggo had said.

Hiccup wouldn’t be happy to find out they had starved you. Then again he probably wasn’t happy they kidnapped you either.

As the hunter walked back out you peered at your food.

It was a well served plate. Plenty of food to eat, and it looked good as well. It smelled good too.

But looking at it made you nauseous. So you decided against eating.

You reached for the cup of water, as you wrapped your hands around it a loud sound could be heard from outside your tent. You jumped in surprise and your water spilled, with barely a couple drops of water left in your cup.

You wanted to cry out in frustration.

You once again hoped for your friends to be on the other side of the tent but once again you were disappointed to hear Ryker shouting at some men for dropping something.

You sighed, laying your head back once more in hope to sleep until your friends got here.

———————-

“-up. Wake up!” A voice shouted

You jumped, opening your eyes to see Ryker in front of you with an impatient expression.

“Lucky you, your friends have come to save you.” He said

He hauled you up and you were dragged out into an open field.

The sun had mostly gone down, the sky was dark. Thankfully you could keep your eyes open now without a headache.

Walking further you could make out Viggos back, getting closer you could finally make them out. The dragon riders, your friends, stood together, with Hiccup at the front.

Oh you could cry in joy.

You heard a familiar roar. Your dragon was here too. Hovering above and looking straight at you.

Your dragon had announced your presence as all your friends looked over to you at once.

Some looked shocked, others relieved, some angry. A couple had a mixture.

Hiccup called out your name and stepped forward but Viggo held up his hand and stepped to the side in front of you. Viggo blocked your view from Hiccup and in turn blocked Hiccup's view to you.

“I’m a businessman Hiccup. One does not make these types of transactions without getting something in return.” Viggo said

“What do you want Viggo?” Hiccup asked, he sounded very frustrated.

“I want the papers you stole from me. Do you have them?”

Hiccup didn’t answer for a moment but seeing the back of Viggos head nod you assumed that Hiccup did have them.

You heard the sound of a buckle and some footsteps. You saw Viggos hand reach out but it stopped midway.

“One doesn’t make a trade without getting something in return.” Hiccup said

Viggo chuckled in amusement, “Yes yes. Big brother.”

Ryker walked forward with you. When you could see Hiccup again you could make out the stress in his posture and the worry in his eyes. You tried to smile but it probably didn’t look right.

“Do we have a deal?” Viggo asked

Hiccup sighed, “We have a deal.” He outstretched his hand with the pieces of parchment.

Viggo took them, opened them, scanned them, then nodded toward Ryker.

Ryker pushed you forward and Hiccup caught you.

Your face was against his chest and you breathed in his scent.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Hiccup tried to sooth you.

“What did you do to her?” Fishlegs cried

“Relax. It’s simply a side effect of the poison.” Viggo answered

You heard a collected gasp from your friends.

“You poisoned her!” Snotlout yelled

“You monster!” Fishlegs said

“How dare you!” Astrid screamed

“Not cool, dude.” Tuffnut said

“So, not cool.” Ruffnut agreed

“It’s a common poison, I assure you. I’m sure you’ll be able to heal her just fine.” Viggo said, unphased

“We better.” Hiccup threatened

“Farewell, dragon riders. I’m sure we will see each other very soon.” Viggo said

Hiccup, and you guessed Astrid helped you walk over to Toothless. There was no way you could fly your dragon, you knew that.

Astrid and Fishlegs helped you on to Toothless after Hiccup mounted.

Your back rested against Hiccup's chest. His arms come around your waist to hold onto the reins.

“We’ll be home soon enough.” Hiccup whispered

That was the last thing you heard before you fell asleep.

——————————-

The next morning was odd.

Like waking up after a dream kind of odd.

You realized that a damp cloth rested on your forehead. You reached up to grab it when a hand, gently this time, grabbed your wrist.

“Leave it be. It’s meant to help you.” A voice muttered

“Hiccup.” You rasped

“Hey, yeah, it’s me.” Hiccup said, placing his hand over yours.

You heard a quiet grumble.

Hiccup looked over his shoulder, “And these guys too.”

Looking over, Toothless and your dragon were watching the two of you closely.

“Hey guys.” You said weakly

Your dragon walked over to you carefully. They gently rubbed their head against yours.

“I missed you too.” You whispered

“She’s awake!” Another voice said

You grimaced at how loud they were speaking.

“Sorry.” You heard them say

Fishlegs and Meatlug were walking toward you.

Hiccup moved from the chair he was sitting on so Fishlegs could get a better look at you.

Fishlegs examined you for a few moments before asking, “How do you feel?”

“Better.” You responded, “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Fishlegs replied

You looked toward Meatlug, “What’s the final judgment, doc?”

Meatlug grumbled something and Fishlegs translated, “She said you’ll make a full recovery.”

“Thank the gods, you’re alright.” A new voice said

Astrid made her way into view and smiled down at you.

“You really had us worried, you know.” Astrid added

“Not me though.” Snotlout added in

Everyone glared at him and he went quiet.

“She’s awake?” Tuffnut asked

“Of course she’s awake, look at her!” Ruff replied, “Have you ever seen someone sleep with their eyes open?”

Tuff went into his thinking face, “Well, there was this one time we were at…”

Hiccup made his way back over to you and grabbed your hand.

“Perhaps we should go.” Astrid said

“I agree.” Fishlegs said

“What? But we just got here!” Ruff said

“Yeah! She’s our friend too, why does Hiccup get to hog her?” Tuff added in

Astrid grabbed both of them by the shoulders and walked them out, Fishlegs and Snotlout following behind. Not before Snotlout sent a disgusted look towards the two of you though.

Hiccup sent a look toward the dragons, a silent request, and they too left.

“Thank you for coming back for me.” You whispered

“You didn’t think we were gonna leave you there, did you?” Hiccup chuckled

You smiled, “I knew you would come back for me.”

Hiccup smiled too, “I would never not come back for you.”

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

edited on 05/15/2024

#httyd #hiccup haddock #hiccup haddock x reader #hiccup x reader #hiccup fluff #hhtyd fanfic #hiccup haddock x FEM!reader #hiccup haddock fluff

1K notes · View notes

fluffshisuga · 3 months

Text

Arcade Games (M.F)

Decided I needed a little fluff with Megumi in an arcade, so made it.

This has been on my mind for like ages, and I need it done. Also, the dragon I imagined while writing this is the Zhongli dragon plush from Genshin impact that I've owned for like 2-3 years, when he's all sleepy :)its 2203 words of just my love for Megumi, honestly.

How annoying, walking around while there are kids yelling and screaming, and for no reason at all. Screaming isn't going to make the machine give you the Pokémon plush. And yet, it didn't seem to bother anyone, Kugisaki was practically yelling with Itadori as well, practically punching the glass as the small box dropped back into the machine. "Oh, come on! It was right there!" Kugisaki yelled, fuming. Megumi shook his head in annoyance, she was making a scene, and shaking Itadori. "Do you think he's too old to experience Shaking Baby Syndrome?" A voice said beside him. Megumi jumped, before turning his head to you, a bright smile on your face. "He acts like a baby...so anything is possible." He said in a dull tone, shaking his head in the direction of their friends. You chuckled, nodding in agreement. "True. Should we prevent that?" You asked, a slightly concerned look on your face as you watched Kugisaki practically abuse Itadori each time she didn't win a prize. Megumi shrugged his shoulders, a sigh leaving his lips. "Too much effort." You chuckled again, turning your gaze to a machine nearby, a cute dragon plush on display inside. "Oh! Look at that one!" You said happily, moving over to the machine with a beaming smile. Megumi sighed, following behind you.

"You know these machines are rigged, right?" He grumbled, looking through the glass at the prizes that littered the bottom. Some were stuffed tightly with others, ensuring that they couldn't be grabbed without wasting a few dozen coins in the process, while others were just to the side where the claw could not reach. You huffed and shook your head, slotting a few coins into the machine. "Even so, it's the experience, right?" You shrugged, causing Megumi to sigh. He watched intensely as you tried to position the claw above the dragon, your tongue sticking out slightly in concentration. Megumi smiled softly, finding it just slightly cute. As you dropped the claw down, your eyes widened in excitement as it gripped the plush, pulling it up slowly. "Look!" you said excitedly, grabbing onto his arm for a moment. Megumi let out an amused huff as he watched, his small smile dropping as the dragon fell from the claw a distance away from the drop box. "Oh...let me try again." You said with a smile, determined to get this dragon. Megumi shook his head, looking around for a moment to keep an eye on your other friends. His attention returned to you when a sad sigh left your lips, your head hung in defeat. "All about the experience, huh?" He mumbled, watching you. You shook your head, putting on another smile as you looked around. "There's always another claw machine."

Megumi trailed behind the three of you, a small smile on his lips as he watched you and Kugisaki rush to the arcade games. "How many tickets can we get today?" Kugisaki said with a smile, slotting a few coins into the skee ball machine. You shrugged as you grabbed one of the balls, a smile on your face. "No clue, but I want enough tickets for a big stuffed animal!" Itadori stood next to Megumi, looking around at the claw machines again. "Hey, these machines are really hard, huh?" He sighed, looking at a little tiger plush in the machine next to them. Megumi shrugged; "Like I told y/n, these machines are rigged." Itadori frowned, adding some coins to the machine. "Yeah, but surely you can win something, right?" He moved the claw over the tiger, concentrating as he moved it to the tiger. Megumi watched with an amused grin, waiting for his immediate fail. However, his eyes widened slightly as the claw grasped firmly around the tiger, lifting it up gracefully before moving quickly to the drop box, dropping the plush. "Look at that! You can win!" Itadori said triumphantly, holding up the tiger. Megumi shook his head with a scowl, turning his attention away. "It's just luck." "Isn't that what the game is all about?" "Shut up."

With Itadori's success, Megumi kept his eye on claw machines, trying to see which prize was easy to win. He glanced over at you once again, a small smile on his face as you hopped around different arcade games, a large sum of tickets already in your hand. He walked over to you and tapped your shoulder, leaning close to your ear so you could hear him. "I'm going to look at some things, don't get lost." You jumped slightly from the proximity, before you turned to him with a smile. "Okay! Don't get lost yourself." He chuckled, shaking his head. If anything, he could probably find you at the ticket exchange booth, if he couldn't find you anywhere else. With a final nod, he moved away from the three of you, sliding past other players and children as he made his way to a claw machine; the first one he saw you play. The dragon was still there, laying on its side from your previous attempts to adopt it into your arsenal, and Megumi smiled faintly to himself as he pulled out some coins. He wasn't any good with these machines, so his hopes weren't too high when it came to grabbing this little plush, but he was determined. And if not, summoning a bunny to grab it without anyone knowing will be fine, too. He added a few coins into the machine, eying up the plush as he tapped the joystick, inching the claw with small jolts. He grumbled to himself, watching the claw sway, taking time off for him to actually play. "Come on..." He mumbled, tapping the joystick again. A small sound left the machine as the claw dropped; he was out of time. He watched with a frown as one of the prongs grazed the tail of the dragon, pushing a few fake gems as it hit the bottom of the box, pulling nothing up. "Damn..." He whispered to himself, glaring through the glass. He added more coins into the machine, moving around to see if he could maneuver the claw above the dragon, like when you measure stuff in a cylinder.

It worked too...slightly. He knew the claw was above it now, but he didn't know if it was too behind the plush, or too forward. Why was this so hard? Megumi sighed, deciding that he was close enough, and dropped the claw. He watched inventively as it dropped slowly, wrapping its prongs around the middle of the dragon. With a smile, Megumi thought about the success, and how you would beam when he presented it to you, how your eyes would light up when they met the closed eyes of the dragon, wrapping it around your shoulders and walking around with it proudly... thump! Megumi was pulled out of his thoughts as he looked toward the sound, seeing the dragon hit the side of the Dropbox and falling back among the prizes. His eyes widened as he bit his lip in anger, seething and yet calming himself down so he didn't act like the many children around him. What a dumb excuse for a fit... He sighed, pressing his forehead against the glass, eyeing the dragon with narrow eyes. "I'll get you...don't worry." He mumbled to himself.

"Look! I got so many tickets!" Kugisaki yelled, grabbing your shoulders and shaking you. You chuckled, looking at your own collection. "I think we could get some good prizes with these, huh?" You said happily, looking around for the prize booth. "Not yet! We haven't tried this game yet!" Kugisaki yelled, pulling you over to a basketball game. Itadori followed, eyeing the setup with a grin. "Now this is something you can win with skill." He smiled, putting a few coins into the slot. "Hey, no fair! We were after that first!" Kugisaki yelled, slapping him in the shoulder. He yelped in response, holding a basketball up as a shield. "Ow- hey! Calm down, you can have my tickets!" He yelped, peaking at Kugisaki from behind the ball. She scoffed, crossing her arms. "I don't need your tickets, give them to y/n if you need to." She huffed, frowning. You shook your head, urging Itadori to play. "It's fine, besides, we can watch to find a good strategy." You shrugged, a small smile on your face. Kugisaki beamed, wrapping her arm around your shoulder. "That's right! See? You're so smart, y/n!" She yelled. You chuckled in response, shaking your head. "Go on, Yuuji."

Megumi walked around the arcade with a grin on his lips, one that he hid behind a small collection of stuffed animals he had won. Without the help of any summons, mind you. He walked around, the dragon you initially wanted wrapped tightly between his fingers, along with a little plush keychain of the same dragon that he found a few machines away, with a little fox plush paired with a cutely knitted pumpkin. He had wanted to win the knitted wolf, to be honest, but the pumpkin was cute as well; and when he came back to the machine with more coins, he watched a kid win the wolf he was after, so there was no way to get it now. Unless he bribed the kid, of course. He moved around people carefully, looking around for you and the others. He began to worry slightly, not seeing you at any of the games, and he actually didn't know where the prize counter was...which he realized he should have learned about before heading off on his own. Luckily, he didn't have to worry much about finding you, when he heard Kugisaki shout in excitement off in the distance. He sighed to himself, chuckling as he followed the cheers and reaching the prize counter, watching as the poor worker had to run around grabbing everything she asked for. He spotted you next to her, a giant plush in your arms, one you must have purchased with all the tickets you won. Megumi deflated a little when he saw the bundle of white fluff in your arms, realizing that he could have just bought you a gift. What was it that you said? It's the experience that counts. He hated to admit, but he had a little bit of fun while hunting for these plushies for you, and the happiness he felt each time he won something. He walked up behind you, leaning to your ear again so you could hear him over Kunisaki's yells. "I'm back."

You smiled as you recognized Megumi's voice, turning to him and beaming at him. In your arms was a giant, fluffy, white wolf, with closed eyes as if it was smiling. It was cute, and you seemed pleased to have it. Megumi smiled softly, looking at the wolf in your arms. "Got your arms full?" He asked, raising a brow. You chuckled, shaking your head. "Good, I hope you have enough hands to hold these, then." He smiled, presenting the prizes he won. Your eyes widened as you looked at the dragon, a large smile growing on your lips. "Really?" You gasped, looking at the bundle of gifts in his hands. Megumi nodded, smiling sheepishly as he avoided your gaze. "You wanted the dragon, so I got it." You handed the wolf to Itadori, smiling as you moved to Megumi and wrapped your arms around his neck. "Really?" You asked again, pressing you face into his shoulder. Megumi's eyes widened slightly as he felt his cheeks warm up, clearing his throat as he tried to play it cool, feeling your breath warm the skin on his neck. "Yes, really. You...seemed upset that you didn't get the dragon, I wanted to see if I could." You chuckled, removing your arms from around his neck as you looked at the collection in his arms. "You gathered a few, did you have fun?" Megumi nodded, his face pink as he avoided your gaze. He did have fun, both with the winning and the thought of you being happy to receive his hard-earned prizes.

"Oh! You know, I actually have something for you, too!" You smiled, taking the wolf back from Itadori. "I got this for you!" You beamed, holding up the wolf to Megumi. He felt his face heat up some more, looking at the prize you won for him. "...Are you sure..?" He frowned, looking closely at it. "You played a lot of games for the tickets...shouldn't you get yourself something?" You shook your head, smiling up at him. "I got it for you." A sigh left Megumi as he smiled warmly, exchanging the stuffed animals with you. He watched happily as you did just what he thought you would, wrapping the dragon around your shoulders and beaming brightly as you practically nuzzled its snout. He helped you attach the keychain to your bag, carefully attaching it to not break it. You put the other prizes into your bag, smiling up at Megumi. "We should do this again! When we have more money, of course." You chuckled, and Megumi nodded, smiling down at you. "And I want that squeaky hammer too! Come on, hurry up!"

#fluff #jujustu kaisen x you #jujustu kaisen x reader #jujustu kaisen fluff #megumi fushiguro #megumi x reader #jjk megumi #jujustu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen fluff

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ladykailitha · 9 months

Text

Royal Pain Part 17

Hello! I'm still trying to sort out the tagging problem, so until it's fixed follow the tag #ladykailithawrites and hope that Tumblr doesn't screw that up, too. I've reported my issue with the help desk and I hope to hear word back soon. Thanks to @goodolefashionedloverboi, @estrellami-1, and @just-a-tiny-void for trying their best to help me.

I'm going to try tagging in the comments, but it's going to blow them up (only five per comment)...apologies.

Throws cliffhanger at you and runs!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

***

Steve got to the tattoo shop and found Eddie waiting for him. He was leaning against the door to his van, arms and ankles crossed with his head down. Steve thought he looked like a sunning lizard on a rock. Though he supposed Eddie would appreciate a dragon comparison instead.

“Hello gorgeous,” he greeted, coming up to the van.

Eddie opened his eyes and smiled. “Hey, sweetheart. Thanks so much for offering to do this, you really didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” Steve said softly. “It was shit that I was taking longer on that tattoo than it should have.”

“Did you get it worked out?” Eddie asked, following Steve to the front door of the shop.

“I got it to the point where the client was satisfied, even if I wasn’t,” Steve murmured. He unlocked the door and then bent down to unlock the metal screen that protected the shop from people breaking through the plate glass in the door and lifted it up to allow them entry into the Royal Pain’s lobby.

“Just let me boot up the computer,” he said, smiling at Eddie, “and then we’ll get started on your working on your tattoo.”

“You don’t have to set up your equipment?” Eddie asked, coming over to lean on the counter while Steve fiddled with their computer.

Steve shook his head. “That’s the best part of having apprentices, I can have them do that for me. And in this case, Argyle offered to set it up last night after work, while the rest of us went to your gig.”

Eddie grinned. “It looked like you were having a good time.”

“You know exactly what you did,” Steve scoffed. “That was a deliberate seduction and you know it.”

Eddie batted his eyes innocently. “I don’t know what you mean, sweetheart. That’s what I usually wear when I preform.”

Steve ran his tongue over his teeth slowly. “Oh, I don’t doubt that. It was the wink that killed me.”

Eddie cackled.

“Okay, got the system up and running,” Steve said, standing up. “I’m just going to lock the door so people don’t think it’s safe to come in.”

Eddie nodded.

They went back to Steve’s room and sure enough Argyle had gotten everything laid out for Steve.

“I hope he decides to stay at the shop when his apprenticeship is over, because he does amazing work,” Steve said, pulling on the nitrile gloves.

“He seems pretty chill,” Eddie agreed, taking off his shirt. “Where’s he from? I can’t quite place the accent.”

“Southern California,” Steve said. “Came out here to help a friend get back on he’s feet and just ended up staying.”

Eddie got settled into the chair. “That was really nice of him.”

Steve shrugged. “He’s been a bit cagey about the friend, so I assumed it was a boyfriend and he didn’t want to out the guy. But he hit on and got the number of a girl that had applied for the apprenticeship at the same time. So I don’t know.”

“Could be the person involved was deep into drugs or alcohol and needed the help recovering,” Eddie suggested.

Steve hummed. “That’s a possibility. I wasn’t going to press because it really isn’t any of my business.”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, as curious as the mystery is, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.”

Steve agreed and then started up the tattoo gun, getting to work.

“Everyone is liking the tattoo so far,” Eddie assured him. “I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s all done.”

Steve smiled fondly. “I’m glad you’re liking it so far. The last big tattoo I did was of this big boobed chick on motorcycle, pinup style. I kept telling the guy it wasn’t my usual style and that having reference would make it better or to go to someone else, who’s style it was. But he insisted I do it.”

“I’m guessing it didn’t turn out great?” Eddie asked.

“That’s the thing though,” Steve said over the buzzing of the gun. “It looked amazing. He just thought it looked too cartoonish. Even though he’d approved the design, approved every step, he suddenly turned around and tried to sue me.”

Eddie winced. “Shit, man, I’m sorry. That sucks.”

Steve shrugged and huffed through his nose. “The asshole sued me so often the last time the judge awarded me money for the pain and suffering the guy was causing me.” He paused and hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I counter-sued, but the fact that the judge agreed with me and my lawyer over him and his lawyer pretty much sums up the whole ordeal.”

Eddie laughed. “That how you got your own shop in two years?”

Steve grinned. “Yup!” He smacked Eddie shoulder. “Now stop moving, you menace.”

Eddie settled down and let Steve do his work.

Steve and Eddie walked out of the parlor a couple hours later.

“Hey you want to go get some lunch?” Steve suggested as they parted ways to their separate cars.

Eddie grinned. “Hell, yeah! Where to?”

Steve suggested a diner nearby and Eddie agreed to meet him there. Eddie drove off, but as Steve was unlocking his car door, he thought he could feel the prickling of someone watching him. But when he looked around he didn’t see anyone that it could possibly be.

He shook his head. He was probably just imagining it. He got in his car and drove off.

Over the next couple of week, Steve would feel this twinge between his shoulder blades as if he was being watched, but whenever he would look around, he couldn’t spot anyone looking.

Robin smacked his arm one day after work and Steve spent five minutes looking around for the source of his unsettling feeling. “Stop it! You’re making me paranoid!”

“Come on, Robs!” Steve protested. “You can’t tell me you don’t feel it.”

She crossed her arms. “Yes I can, because seriously Steve, I can’t feel it. There is no one watching you!”

Steve rolled his eyes. “I think it’s time to switch over to the nicknames at work. I don’t want anyone using their real names at work.”

Robin sighed. She wanted to argue that that was a stupid reason to start using the nicknames but she also knew that he was as stubborn as a mule and unfortunately at times, just as stupid. “Fine. But you find me a better name then stewardess, but that makes me sound like a waitress or some shit.”

Steve laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll find you a cool name.”

“I’ll hold you to that, your majesty,” she groused, sliding into the passenger seat of his car.

The name Robin ended up choosing was Chamberlainne. A femininized version of chamberlain. Erica, Argyle, and Chrissy all loved it. Steve wanted to tell them about the person that was watching him, but as Robin didn’t think it was a big deal (or even a thing), she overrode him.

Their weekends were spent with Eddie and his band and Eddie was slowly coming out of his shell more and more. They were still at the more than friends, but not quite lovers stage and while there were times Steve wanted to throw in the towel and just give up, Eddie would flash him this goofy grin and Steve would fall in love all over again.

The week days were filled with teaching Chrissy and Argyle the ins and outs of the tattooing industry and getting more and more busy. It was honestly insane how busy they were getting. Hell, Steve was booked up for the next six months.

Robin was about ready to tear out her hair from how busy it was.

“I know we said we’d wait for July to get another receptionist,” Steve told Robin after a particularly busy day, “but we need one now. I’ll stop paying myself if I have to to cover the cost.”

Robin sighed. “You don’t have to do that, we have the money to hire one. I just haven’t had the time to set up appointments for interviews.”

Steve sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Train Chrissy on the phones to help lighten your load a bit so you can set that up. I’ll also ask around the other shops, see if I can’t find out why we’re getting this massive flux of people.”

Robin nodded. “I know it’s worse for you with Chrissy and Argyle only being apprentices and not full on artists to lighten your load, but with the money Erica is bringing in with henna being popular again, it’s been helping us keep up with the demand.”

Steve went to Hopper’s first. Hop would know the ins and outs of the scene better then he would. Steve was too new to really be apart of it, his style notwithstanding.

“Stevie!” Hop greeted. “Long time no see!”

They hugged each other tightly. “Hey, Hop. How’s things?”

“Busy as hell,” the older man groused. “I don’t know what it is, but a lot of the shops around here are just buzzing.”

“Mine, too,” Steve said. “I was hoping you would know the cause, but if you don’t know, no one does.”

“I think it has to do with current state of the world, if I’m honest,” Hop said warily. “When you can’t find permanence in any other aspect of your life, getting a tattoo can fill that void.”

Steve sighed heavily. “That could be it. How’s Eden working out for you?”

“I need to take you out for dinner for putting her in my path, kid,” Hop said, throwing his arm around Steve’s shoulders. “She is going to be amazing. A really good fit.”

Steve grinned. “I’ll hold you to that, old man. Steak dinner at Kincaid’s.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Eden peeked her head around a corner and gasped. “Steve?”

“Hey, Eden,” Steve said brightly. “I hear you’re settling in pretty good around here.”

She came out to the front of the shop. “Yeah. This place is exactly the type of shop I always wanted to work in. Thank you so much for suggesting I apply here.”

“It’s no trouble,” he said.

“I owe so much,” she replied. “I got the apprenticeship here and I got a great new boyfriend in Argyle.”

Steve laughed. “I’m glad things are working out great.”

“Yeah,” Eden said, “we’re even going on a double date with his roommate and his girlfriend.”

“That’s got be fun,” Steve said, trying not ask the question that had been burning in his mind about said roommate for weeks.

She shrugged. “He’s okay, I guess. Painfully shy according to Argyle, but his girlfriend more than talks for the both of them.”

Steve was biting his lip, just dying to ask who these people were. He looked at his watch. It was really getting late.

“I really should go and let you guys clean and close up.”

He hugged Hop and waved goodbye to Eden. He breathed a sigh of relief as the cool night hit his face. He had been so close to asking Eden about the elusive roommate even though both Robin and Eddie had warned him not to ask.

And maybe because he was lost in his thoughts he didn’t notice someone coming up from behind him as he struggled to get into his car.

***

Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Epilogue

#my writing #steddie #stranger things #ladykailtiha writes #tattoo artist steve

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circus4apsycho8 · 10 months

Note

Gosh idk if you’re ask box is open rn but I’ve been dying for a story where y/n pulls a Nya and turns into the wind (bc they’re the master of wind) and so Cole plays guitar outside and has tons of wind chimes to make music with his partner still. Bonus points if y/n comes back somehow

Lots of fluff Lots of fluff 😩 I beg

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚒 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊 <𝟹𝟹𝟹 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐! 𝚒 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 :) 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘, 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛.

𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕 - 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚛𝚣𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗 :)

𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝, 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐

anything. | cole x reader

“This is it, guys,” Lloyd notes, green eyes studying the map anxiously as he leans back. “They have everything that they need, which means that we don’t have much time. We have to find whatever it is that they’re working on and destroy it.”

“The cameras that we’ve hid around Ninjago have picked up heightened activity at a certain warehouse,” Nya adds. “We think that’s where they’re working.”

“Here’s the plan. Me, Kai, Cole, and Zane are going to infiltrate the warehouse first. Jay and Nya, you two are going to keep an eye on the streets around the block. And as for you,” Lloyd turns to face you. “You’re going to keep an eye out from above. Make sure that the communicators in your hoods are working.”

You all nod, everyone pulling their hoods over their heads.

“Okay, what are we waiting for? Let’s do this!” Kai yells.

“NINJAGO!” the seven of you shout together. With that, you all set off for the deck of the Bounty.

You waste no time in leaping off of the edge, using bursts of wind underneath your feet to travel across the sky. You decide to expend the least amount of energy as possible, so you save your elemental dragon for later.

You follow the ninja’s dragons, easily able to keep up with the wind on your side. The breeze snaps past your body, granting you a sense of liberty. It surrounds you entirely – no ground to be found for miles below.

“The warehouse is not far,” comes Zane’s voice via the communicator. “But, we will need to land earlier in order to mask our presence.”

“There’s an alley just before it that you all should be able to land behind,” Pixal replies. “Zane, I have sent you the coordinates. Take the lead and show them.”

Zane’s dragon swoops in front of Lloyd’s, who slows down a little.

You notice that Cole’s being pretty quiet. Not unusual, but you think he’s deep in thought. You turn towards him, letting a blast of wind emanate from your palm. You use the momentum to land on the back of his dragon, immediately snaking your arms around him and hooking them around his torso.

Making sure that your communicator is muted, you set your chin on his shoulder. “Babe, are you doing okay?”

Normally, he’s all hopped up on that pre-fight adrenaline like you are – talking with everyone else, joking and speculating about how the fight may go. But something is different this time. Perhaps because this is going to be the deciding battle? You’re not sure.

You can feel how tense he is against your body. His dragon offers a low wail, making you think he’s somewhat apprehensive.

“Yeah,” he replies, tone quiet. You study what you can see at your angle, but you can’t see much because of his mask. “I just...I don’t know. This feels off.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t put my finger on it. Just...please, be careful?”

“I will if you will,” you mumble.

One of his hands come to grip yours, squeezing it. You snuggle your chin into the crook of his neck, listening as the wind whips past the two of you.

“I love you,” he mumbles.

“I love you too,” you respond, feeling his head lean on yours for a few moments. You notice the silence that has overcome the group as well.

“Will you stay until we get down?” he wonders, still holding your hand.

“Of course,” you respond, frowning.

From there, the group descends from the sky, all heading towards the roof of a building that’s hidden behind a skyscraper. Hopefully, the enemy won’t see you guys because of that.

The elemental dragons dissipate midair, allowing for the seven of you to leap onto the roof of the building. Cole hops down beside you, observing as the others sail down as well.

“Okay, everyone, get into position,” Lloyd states.

With that, Cole’s hand slips out of your grasp as he, Kai, Lloyd, and Zane all go to infiltrate the warehouse. Jay and Nya hop down the side of the building, both going to investigate the street. You, on the other hand, decide to get a better vantage point.

The skyscraper in front of you seems to be tall enough to work. With that thought in mind, you utilize your power to send you sailing up to the top, bursts of wind supporting your feet as you essentially climb the air.

When you reach the top, you latch one of your hands onto the side of the building, not yet wanting to climb over as your power dies down around you. You let yourself hang precariously off the side for a moment, your grip the only thing protecting you from gravity’s unforgiving grasp. The roads and buildings below you are so tiny now...like little dots or stripes all over a canvas.

You can’t help but grin; despite the seriousness of the situation, the adrenaline rush of being up high and in your element never failed to brighten your mood. Now reminded of the task at hand, you hoist yourself over the edge of the building, landing onto the roof with ease.

The breeze slips through the fabric of your gi, beckoning an army of goosebumps to arise all over your skin. You walk around the perimeter of the building, making sure to locate the warehouse where the ninja will be at.

Everything seems to be okay for the moment – the streets are running as normal, citizens carrying on as usual. You lean over the side of the railing for a moment, studying the warehouse. Nothing seems particularly off about it from your viewpoint.

“Everyone else in position?” comes Lloyd’s voice through the communicator. It’s just above a whisper, making you think they’re inside.

Jay’s static-laced voice is the next to sound: “Nya and I are ready!”

“I’m watching from a nearby skyscraper,” you affirm.

“Okay, good. We’re getting ready to breach the building. Keep a close eye out,” Lloyd instructs.

“You got it,” Jay responds.

With that, you simply observe for a few minutes. Nothing much of interest happens, and the others are being silent on the communicator. Paired with how quiet it is, that makes you think that they’ve successfully entered without being caught.

Suddenly growing antsy, you turn to take a look at the other side of the city. Similarly, nothing out of the ordinary is occurring.

Just as you’re about to stride back over to the warehouse side, a flurry of motion catches your attention from your peripheral vision. You twirl back around.

“Huh?” you mumble to yourself, watching as something rises in the distance. It seems to be a tower of sorts...no surprise there, but it looks like it’s...getting taller? And wider?

You frown, leaning on the edge of the building. What is that? It looks like it’s on the outskirts of the city.

“Jay, Nya...do any of you guys see what I’m looking at?” you question.

“No, what?” Nya answers. “Where?”

“It looks like some kind of tower. But it’s expanding, growing taller,” you note, frowning as it swivels to face the city. Suddenly, a horrid feeling creeps through you. “Wait...”

“Guys!” Kai’s voice yells, heavy static obscuring his words. It thickens as he speaks: “...was a trap...can’t get out...need to find...tricked us!”

“A trap?” Jay wonders.

You observe as four metal panels slide open on the tower, revealing some sort of machine. Eyes widening, you instantly leap into action, hopping over the edge and using your wind to dash across the air, straight towards the cannon.

“Jay, follow her! I’ll try to get the others!” Nya says. You can barely hear her because of how loud the wind is, but either way it doesn’t matter. You have to get there before the enemy’s plan succeeds.

So, they’d really thrown you all off this whole time. You’ll admit – it’s probably the smartest plan a villain has had in a long while. They’d completely thrown you off their tail this whole chase.

Even so, they’ve made one mistake – you, Jay and Nya are still free. You can still prevent a disaster.

It doesn’t take you long to arrive at the building. Using the wind to break your fall, you land just past the gated fence. The skyscraper spirals upwards before you, mechanical whirring coming from within.

You watch as the very top expands into what appears to be some sort of giant weapon. A cannon? It kind of reminds you of Garmatron in a way.

“Ninja!” someone yells. You spot a bunch of goons spilling out from the entrance, all armed. “Get her!”

You swing your arm out, sending a strong gust of wind barreling towards them. It hurdles all of them backwards, all smacking the wall roughly. It seems as if the impact has knocked them out thankfully.

But...what in the hell can you possibly do now? They most likely have everything they need completely set up if they’re only revealing themselves to you now.

In other words, there’s not much you can do.

Your breath becomes stuck in your throat as you see magic energy swelling up into a ball at the tip of the cannon. The shot is already charging, and it’s aimed directly at the city!

Immediately, you swivel your head around to survey your surroundings. Ahead is a building that’ll get you high enough to suit your only idea.

In an instant, you’re climbing up the air with the wind blasting from underneath your feet. It only takes you a moment to ascend the side of the building, leaping over the railing to the roof.

You turn to face the cannon, watching as the blast gradually charges. With both hands now out to your sides, you close your eyes.

Center yourself.

The breeze lifts slightly, swirling around you as your fingertips curl. Once you feel a deepened connection with your element, you funnel your protectiveness into the spell.

Now with your emotion woven between the seams of the wind, it snaps into something stronger. Its circumference multiplies, blocking the cannon’s path.

Already you can feel your power weakening, but you don’t dare back off. Not now of all times. Despite being strained, you force yourself into a surge of Spinjitzu – the most emotionally charged burst that you’ve ever performed. The urgency of the situation causes the tornado to spiral, forming a wind barrier that cuts through the atmosphere at a dangerous speed.

From somewhere, you can hear a faint boom. But your surroundings are blurring together, the wind howling far too loud for you to be able to hear anything else. Against your barrier, you can feel rancid energy throwing everything it has at you.

But you push harder.

A raw scream rips from your throat as the wind swirls faster, effectively cutting through the dark magic of the shot before it has a chance to pass you.

Numbness creeps through your body as you feel yourself aligning with the wind; whispers of past masters echo within the confines of your conscience, too garbled to make any sense.

Your vision becomes blinded by a sea of white, feeling now completely gone as you realize that you’re too consumed to return.

But that’s okay.

As the dark magic fades to nothing, you find yourself slipping past the force that lies beyond. The wind gradually fades to a stop, reverting the atmosphere to its normal state as you find yourself standing once more.

Calm overcomes you as you study your surroundings.

...What had you been doing?

You stand there for a moment, finding your memories jaded as the numbness recedes, now replaced with...longing. A burning desire to be where you belong.

Commotion emanates from the road below you, but you find that you don’t particularly care about it. Your interest lies in the horizon.

Now free from the confines of mere physicality, whole with the element you have come to love...

Nothing is holding you back from joining the sky, seeing what the world has to offer...

Still in an anthropomorphic shape, you step onto the ledge of the building. You glance down, at first studying the height and then your hands.

You are the Wind.

Just as you’re about to step over the edge, voices resonate from behind you.

“You did it!”

You turn to face the group before you, all staring at you expectantly. Yes...you recognize these people. Your previous friends.

The one in black – Cole – emerges first. “You’re okay!”

He attempts to embrace you, but to no avail – the wind composing your body simply disperses as he passes through you.

“Ha, that's gonna take some getting used to. But we'll figure out a way to change you back. Don't worry,” Kai assures, stepping forward next to the others.

“Back?” you wonder.

“To normal. You know, the old you,” Jay answers, face falling in confusion alongside Cole’s.

“Normal?”

“Hey...what’s wrong?” Cole questions, now directly in front of you as you stare at him blankly.

Then, you hear it again – those enticingly mysterious whispers. They beckon you to join them in an eternal adventure throughout the sky. You turn to glance at the horizon longingly.

“Do you hear it?” you question, ignoring Cole’s query as you stare at the sky.

“What?” Cole wonders.

“The wind. It's so much louder now. So powerful. More powerful than I could have imagined... I must go.”

“Go? Wait...no. You can’t. Listen, you have to focus. Concentrate. We’ll figure something out!” Cole pleads, trying to touch you once more.

You stare at him. How have you become so faded in what you feel? Either way, the distress on his expression prompts you to take one of his hands in yours, the other settling on his cheek in an attempt to comfort him somewhat.

His stare begs you to remain, with unshed tears lining his eyes. “Please? I...I need you. More than you could ever know.”

Still, you don’t respond. You gently pull your hand out of his grasp, turning to face Wu as he approaches you:

“I implore you. Whatever you're hearing, whatever you're experiencing. Fight it! Remember who you are. Remember.”

You smile slightly. “I am the wind. And we are one.”

With that, you turn to face the sky, your back towards them.

“Wind guide you, my friends. Su’um ahrk morah.”

With that, you leap off of the edge, instantly merging with the wind as the calls of the people behind you fizzle out to nothing.

…

First his mom.

Now you.

Cole finds himself blankly staring at a picture posted on one of the walls in the monastery. It was of you and him – taken by Nya one day while the group had been cleaning. You had jumped on his back, like you always would. Both of you were smiling.

Cole finds his thoughts racing back to the same what-if scenarios he’d been contemplating for the last few hours. Why didn’t he insist on staying with you? What had they missed that led them here?

For a moment, he continues pondering on them when he feels a hand grabbing his shoulder lightly. Cole blinks, a few tears slipping out of his eyes before he turns to find his dad standing next to him.

“Dad...” Cole mutters, suddenly finding his throat too tight for him to speak.

Lou’s expression softens as he studies Cole, moving in to hug Cole a few seconds later. The Master of Earth returns the embrace, trying to hold back his tears to no avail.

The two simply remain in embrace for a few moments as dread washes over Cole. Lou doesn’t falter with the strength of the hug, either.

“I’m sorry, Cole,” Lou whispers. “I’m so sorry.”

Cole finds his throat too tight to speak momentarily as his mind desperately searches for some kind of response.

But for a few seconds, he can’t.

“Dad?” Cole wonders, trying not to let his voice break.

“Yes?”

“Can I...come home with you for a little while? I just...I don’t know if I can be here. I need time away, I think.”

Lou’s expression softens as he nods. “Of course you can, son. You can stay as long as you want.”

“Thank you,” Cole replies, choking up slightly. “I’ll go pack.”

“Take all the time you need. I’ll be here waiting.”

With that, Cole makes his way towards his room. Everything around him suddenly feels too stifling to bear. The remnants of your energy are scattered everywhere, and it suffocates him. The feeling only strengthens its chokehold over him as he passes your room, unable to glance inside.

Once he makes it to his room, he spends a few minutes shoving clothes and other belongings into his duffel bag. He finds that his thoughts are entirely focused on the process of packing, doing his best to ignore the tears pooling in his eyes.

When he finishes, he takes a glance around before zipping the bag shut. After tossing the strap over his shoulder, the sound of a soft knock catches his attention.

Cole pauses, turning slowly.

There, he spots the Smith family gathered solemnly before him.

“Hey Cole,” Kai greets softly, offering a hesitant nod.

“We know you’re about to go, but...we made something for you. All of us. As our...tribute to her. But we think you should have it,” Nya explains, offering Cole a rectangular, black box.

After taking a second to secure the strap of his bag around his shoulder, Cole takes the box gingerly. He removes the lid, breath hitching at the sight of the item.

It’s a windchime – an intricate one, at that. Glass and aluminum sculptures cascade down from the top, all depicting different symbols.

“It’s beautiful,” Cole murmurs, tracing a finger over it. “Thank you.”

“We’re so sorry, Cole,” Nya mumbles, immediately going to hug Cole. The earth elemental returns the embrace, closing his eyes as a few tears run down his cheeks.

“Thank you,” he whispers as she pulls away.

“Let us know if you need anything,” Kai adds, pulling Cole in for a brisk hug as well.

“I will,” Cole replies, nodding towards Ray and Maya. “Thank you all.”

“Travel safely, Cole,” Nya adds.

…

A few weeks pass.

Cole finds himself outside one morning, deep in the forest that’s close to his childhood home. After a few minutes of hiking, he finally arrives at his destination.

“I can’t believe it’s still together,” he mumbles, spotting his old makeshift, childhood fort that he’d built years ago.

It’s nothing much – just an old blanket strung between three trees to make an impromptu tent. It covers a small area between the trees, including a foldable chair and a flat tree stump that serves as a table.

Everything looks so much smaller than I remember, Cole thinks as he sets his case and bag down, glancing at the chair. He tilts it down in order to swipe off the dirt and leaves that have collected on it.

Once that’s done, he sits down slowly, glancing around. The place hasn’t changed much since he last came here – not that it’s much of a surprise. Eventually, Cole spots a short but thick branch within arm’s reach.

Suddenly reminded of the purpose of his visit, he pulls his bag onto his lap. After unzipping it, he takes out the box that the Smiths gave him. He opens it, gingerly pulling the windchime out.

Cole gently slips the loop over the branch, watching as his hands leave the item to make sure it doesn’t slip. Fortunately, the grip stays secure when the wind tousles the dangling bits slightly. In the sunlight, the metal and glass parts sparkle softly.

His eyes linger on the chime momentarily, watching as it starts to emit a soft jingle upon being caressed by the wind. He closes his eyes, listening to its song

A few moments later, Cole bends down to unlatch the case bearing his old guitar. He’d found it stashed within the closet of his childhood room earlier, which is when the idea to come out here occurred to him. As his gaze sweeps the object, he swallows a soft lump in his throat, not allowing his thoughts to wander just yet.

As Cole lifts the instrument out of the case, a whelm of emotion floods him – hints of nostalgia mixed with grief and acceptance. His mother used to use this guitar – she would play him songs when he was little. The memory elicits a smile to cross his face as he sets it on his lap, the familiar weight comforting him slightly.

The wind picks up, causing the windchime’s hum to be joined with the canopy of leaves overhead. Cole listens for a second before deciding to join in. In an attempt to become reacquainted with his former hobby, Cole’s fingertips pluck a few strings.

As he does so, he eventually grows more confident and begins playing a song by memory. At first, he simply hums the lyrics, still somewhat scared to sing. Though, as he continues, he finds himself relaxing as he starts to sing quietly, opening his voice to the earth and wind.

Cole finds himself in a state of thoughtlessness – only softly singing while listening to the windchimes’ addition to his makeshift song. At some point, he even unconsciously imagines you next to him, quietly singing along in place of the chime.

As he finishes, Cole props the guitar against a nearby tree, rubbing a stray tear off of his cheek. He reaches inside his pocket to fish out a picture of you – one taken by Zane a while back.

“I miss you,” he mumbles, tracing the image slightly.

Cole sighs, setting it back in his pocket as he feels his eyes welling up with tears again. The thought occurs to him that you could be anywhere in the sky by now. What were you doing? How much of your identity was lost during the transformation? Would he ever be able to see you again?

He doesn’t know, and he might not ever know. But he had learned a lesson from his mother’s death, and that was to continue fighting no matter what.

Cole allows another set of tears to spill. Deep down, he understands that he needs time to grieve and reset. He’ll return to the monastery once he’s ready. But now is the time for him to rest and begin healing.

So, with a heart not as heavy, Cole packs all of his items back up, heading back to his father’s house for the day.

…

One stormy day, Cole finds himself seated within the old theater in their town, watching as his father’s quartet rehearses an upcoming performance on the stage. The group dances in unison, Cole grateful to see Lou’s relaxed expression as he dances about with his friends.

The raven-haired Master of Earth studies their movements carefully, knowing the quartet would want his feedback if needed.

Too engrossed in the performance, Cole misses the sound of the door opening. Two sneaky pairs of footsteps pad down the aisle leading to each row of theater seats, eventually turning into Cole’s row.

Upon spotting two silhouettes nearing him in his peripheral vision, Cole turns.

“Hey!” whispers Jay in a hushed tone, grinning alongside Nya. “Don’t mind us!”

Nya rolls her eyes, the two sitting down next to Cole. “We’ll wait until they’re finished. Now shush, Jay!”

Cole chuckles, turning his attention back to the performance. Had they really come all this way to see him?

Soon enough, the rehearsal comes to a stop as the Royal Blacksmiths pose at the end, all donning goofy grins. The three ninja stand, offering a round of applause.

“Your hard work has really paid off,” Cole notes as the four men descend the stage. “That was better than last time. Not nearly as many mistakes.”

“Mr. Brookstone! That sounded awesome!” Jay chirps from next to Cole.

“I really liked how you transitioned each song in the medley,” Nya adds.

“Ah, if it isn’t Jay and Nya! Thank you, thank you. We’re glad you all enjoyed the show. What brings you two this way?”

“We came to see Cole,” Jay answers. “You know. Ninja stuff.”

“Right,” Lou acknowledges with a chuckle, walking towards the rest of the quartet. “I’ll leave you three to it, then.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Cole calls, watching as the group enters the backstage area before it goes quiet.

“It’s good to see you, Cole! Sorry we came in kinda unannounced,” Jay starts as Cole turns to face the couple.

“No worries. You know my dad loves having an audience,” Cole replies, shrugging.

“How have you been?” Nya inquires as they sit down again.

Cole smiles smally at the question. “I’m…better now.”

“We’re glad,” Jay adds, his voice lowering. “We’ve been kinda worried, because…well, it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Cole notes. “I started doing miscellaneous work around town to keep busy, so I haven’t had as much time to check in.”

“We understand,” Nya assures. “But, something’s come up back home.”

“Wait, really? What?”

“We’ve received word about a group of criminals attempting to smuggle suspicious amounts of Vengestone throughout Ninjago City,” Jay answers.

“Vengestone? That can’t be good,” Cole mumbles, frowning. “Do you know who’s behind it yet?”

“Remember Miss Demeanor?” Nya prompts. “It’s her. She and a few other goons.”

“But that’s not even the worse part!” Jay cries, eyes widening. “There’s a new group of ninja out there! They’ve been stealing our thunder ever since!”

“And people have been wondering where we are. Though, it’s been a year since we’ve seen any action, so I can’t say I blame them,” Nya remarks. “But, I have to admit, the idea of a new group of ninja just irks me.”

“New ninja? That sucks,” Cole mumbles.

“But, what we’re getting at is…we want you to come back home with us, Cole,” Nya adds. “We have a new threat on our hands, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand around and let these tryhard imposters handle it.”

“Yeah,” Jay adds. “We’re going to go find Kai and Lloyd, too.”

“What about Zane?” Cole questions.

“He, Pixal, and Wu are back at the monastery,” Nya explains.

“I see,” Cole trails off for a moment. Part of him likes the peaceful life he’s built for himself here over the past year, but another part of him is ready to go back. To return to the life of a ninja. To protect those who cannot protect themselves.

And he knows that you would be the first person to kick his ass into gear if he were to remain while there were people to be helped.

“Okay,” Cole decides, expression hardening. “Let me go home and pack. I’ll come.”

…

[Somewhere in Ninjago...]

The whispers became clearer after a while.

And you could hear them – the previous masters of wind, their shared memories with their elements all surging within your ethereal mind as you surfed the winds, never once touching the ground.

There was one voice that was...familiar to you – almost akin to a rush of déjà vu, yet somehow stronger. Some of the names were familiar – they would tug at distant memories, but not quite hard enough to bring any to light.

Their strength fades with every passing day, though, and at some point you simply stop worrying about it.

That is, until you find yourself hovering above Ninjago City one night, watching as the citizens gather for a celebration of some sort below.

Intrigued, you land on the roof of a nearby skyscraper, leaning over the edge to observe. In their hands, they bear orange objects.

“It’s a remembrance ceremony.”

You turn upon hearing the new voice, spotting the only other entity you had met in the sky – the only other entity like you. You don’t know his true identity, just that he has been lost to the wind for far longer than you have.

“A ceremony...” you repeat, turning back towards the crowd below. “I see.”

The entity steps closer towards you. “I am glad that you are here. There is something I must ask you.”

“What is it?”

“For some time now, I have been observing you. The other day, you intercepted a rooftop altercation and saved a man from falling to his death. Tell me: why do you save them?”

You pause for a moment, thinking through your answer. Do you save people because it’s right? Well, that must be part of it, but something about that seems...lacking. Incomplete. And you don’t understand why. It’s on the tip of your tongue, except you know you won’t ever be able to understand why by yourself.

For the moment, though, you elect to keep your thoughts to yourself. “Because...it is the right thing to do.”

He seems aware of your hesitancy. “I sense there is more to it than that. After all, we are merely an aspect of nature. Right and wrong do not exist within our territory, yet still you insist upon interfering with human activity.”

“But it feels wrong to me,” you mumble. “And I think there is something I’m missing. Something I’ve lost that has to do with myself.”

“Then find it,” he encourages, the two of you watching as the lanterns begin floating up. “Perhaps the truth is closer than you think.”

“Where would I even begin searching?” you question, trailing off as the lanterns float closer to the skyscraper’s edge.

“Heed their words,” he answers. “You will find what is missing below.”

With that, the entity dissipates, leaving you to figure out what he means. Hm...below. Did he mean the lanterns?

You reach over the edge, grasping one of the lanterns and pulling it closer. It appears to have a message on it, addressed to a name that feels familiar, followed by:

Thank you for stopping that blast of dark magic! Our city would have been torn to pieces if it weren’t for you!

You repeat that name, releasing the lantern. You say it again as you go to grasp another one:

Thank you for saving me and my mommy! I’m sure your friends will miss you, though. But you saved us all. Thank you!

That name. It keeps appearing, again and again, lantern after lantern. Something is on the tip of your tongue, but still you feel that what you’ve learned isn’t quite enough to tip the scales in your advantage.

You continue reading them, all of the messages along the same caliber before you come across one that sticks out to you:

We all appreciate your sacrifice. Without you, Ninjago would have been destroyed. I bet Cole really misses you.

“Cole...”

That’s the name that triggers something. You narrow your thoughts in on that portion, jumping off of the building and going to zip across the sky so you can think about it more clearly.

For a moment, you simply let yourself fall. As you contemplate the name, your form dissipates into the snapping bands of wind around you. An image conjures within the back of your mind – a group of people, their tauntingly familiar faces eating away at that strange wall blocking something.

“Who are they?” you wonder, pushing against that block harder. Even still, it tries to continue its lasting suppression.

But you push even harder.

And finally, like a dam...

...it snaps, allowing heaps of memories to crash through all corners of your mind.

You’re not sure how long it takes you to process it all. You find yourself drifting aimlessly among the skies, sorting through all of the memories and trying to make sense of everything.

But one thing is clear to you – you have to get back. You must find a way to return.

But how?

Your answer hits you a moment later, a mental image piecing together – one of a home long forgotten; a refuge that you had, at one time, known like the back of your hand. It makes sense that they would gather there, right?

Mind set, you begin traveling in the direction of the monastery.

…

Cole sighs, yanking his mask off as the team enters the hangar bay. He runs a gloved hand through his sweaty, tangled hair, using the fabric of his mask to wipe away a few beads of sweat. Damn, he’s more out of practice than he thought.

The others aren’t in any better shape, all sporting defeated expressions as the group processes what had just occurred.

Lloyd is the first one to say what the entire team is thinking: “Ex-ninja? Old-timers? Who do they think they are?!”

“The New Ninja of Ninjago City,” answers the uncaring voice of Zane. “And their arrival was fortuitous. Without their help, it is likely we would have been defeated. I calculate our odds⁠—”

Zane is interrupted as a sudden sound pierces the relative silence of the background – something akin to a distant, shrill whistle. Had it come from within the walls?

The team studies the ceiling for a moment, the sound droning on for a few more seconds before subsiding.

“What was that?” Jay speaks up hesitantly, eyes nervously flicking back to the team.

“Sounded like the wind,” Kai adds. “But...it wasn’t windy when we came inside, right?”

“No, it wasn’t. Not to mention that we’re fully underground now,” Cole mutters.

“I think it came from the vent. Everyone quiet down for a second,” Nya instructs, snatching a flashlight from one of the nearby tables. She approaches the vent, stare scrutinizing as she aims the beam of light inside. “Well, there’s nothing that I can see. But the draft is strong...stronger than it should be.”

The group quiets down once more as the whistling returns, this time even louder. Nya shuts the flashlight off, backing away as the ninja ready themselves.

The vent begins to shake violently, the whistling only increasing in volume.

“Hangar bay sensors are detecting a breach in security,” Zane notes.

“Did the sensors pick up any signs of life?” Jay questions.

Zane shakes his head. “It is some kind of foreign entity. I cannot tell what exactly it is because the readings are unclear. Be ready.”

This causes the group to quiet down, zeroing in on the vent. Moments later, something just...pours out of the opening.

A pool of gray smoke puddles underneath the vent, the substance almost seeming...alive, in a way.

“What the hell?” Kai mutters, stepping forward to observe it. “Is that...smoke? Why is it moving?”

But something about the way the smoke is moving catches Cole off guard, leaving him to continue watching as the others start speculating. Something about it seems...familiar, in a strange way.

That feeling only strengthens as the substance starts to mold itself into an anthropomorphic shape, bands of wind snapping together to form the same figure he hadn’t seen in a year.

Cole crouches near the figure, catching the attention of the others as he says: “Guys...wait, look. It’s not smoke.”

The earth elemental’s eyes remain locked on the figure as the wind finally finishes taking shape. Cole shoves his aching heart to the side as he whispers your name, gently testing the solidity of your form by pressing his hand against yours.

Like last time, it passes through, but the interaction seems to catch your attention. You look up at him, the close angle giving Cole the perfect chance to study you.

Despite being entirely composed of wind, he can still see your expression clearly; you’re straining yourself, trying to focus on speaking without breaking concentration.

“C...Cole...?” you mumble, voice ethereal as your eyes widen slightly. “Is it...is it really you?”

“Yes, yes, baby, it’s me,” Cole answers, tone almost frantic as he strains to listen to your quiet voice. Your form suddenly solidifies enough for him to touch you, allowing him to take you into his arms.

“I...I r-remember now,” you stutter, raising a hand to cup his cheek. “I...need your help.”

“Tell me, sweetheart. Tell me what you need me to do. I’m here,” Cole replies, fingers covering yours.

“There’s a...way back,” you explain, voice straining. “Need to drain...my powers...I c-can't hold this form-”

Cole feels his heart lurch as two pairs of hands pull him away, eyes widening. “No, wait!”

His objections fall on deaf ears as he watches your form turn from that translucent white to the signature, icy blue of Zane’s element.

“Apologies, but freezing her was the only way to maintain her form,” Zane explains, stepping forward to study you.

“She’s...she’s okay, right?” Cole wonders, your frozen body still on the floor.

“Affirmative. In her gaseous state, she should experience no damage. She said she needed to drain her powers, yes?”

“Yeah, that’s what she said, but...that’s impossible, right? There’s no way we can undo whatever spell she performed,” Cole responds, a hand on his forehead.

“No. It's not. Kai had his powers taken away. Remember?” Lloyd interjects as Cole takes a moment to process what his teammates are saying.

Kai nods, eyes downcast at the memory. “Yeah. I remember. Real well. And if you're thinking what I think you're thinking⁠—”

The brunet’s suggestion causes Cole’s understanding to click into place.

Aspheera. She can take away your power. She can save you.

Cole frowns upon remembering that Aspheera is imprisoned, and it would be risky to break her out – especially with those new ninja prowling about. So many things could go wrong...

...but if it worked?

Then...you could come back. For good.

Sensei Wu interrupts this time, having been unusually quiet during the ordeal. “That is out of the question. There has to be another way!”

Lloyd approaches his uncle, coming to a sudden realization. “Master Wu. You spent the last year searching for a way to bring her back. Have you found anything? Anything at all?”

The old man releases a hefty sigh, shaking his head. “I have not.”

“Sensei...” Cole starts, approaching him with pleading eyes. “After all she did...for us, and for the city. This could be the only chance that we have to save her.”

Through Wu’s firm glare, however, Cole takes note of the pain lurking underneath. The exhaustion of hunting for another way, the pain of losing one of his pupils. Even Wu is breaking, despite his next rejection: “This is a mistake! Aspheera can't be trusted! If we let her out of prison, even briefly, lives will be at risk. I...I cannot be a part of this.”

“But, Uncle,” Lloyd argues, eyeing your fallen self. “Everyone is safer with her back!”

“No doubt, this is going to be one of the riskiest missions we’ve ever decided to take,” Nya notes. “And whatever we decide to do...we have to decide as a team.”

“So...are we still a team, then?” Cole wonders, letting the question linger momentarily.

Everyone’s head turns to Lloyd, who proposes the decision:

“All in favor of going after⁠—”

Before he can even finish, the entire team has their hand raised. A sense of relief floods Cole as Lloyd nods, the gravity of the next mission settling in as everyone comes to understand what must be done.

The blond nods as everyone lowers their arm. “Okay then. It's decided. We go get Aspheera, and save her.”

With that, the group disperses after collectively deciding to try and ask the mayor for help first before jumping into any drastic decisions. As everyone goes to gear up, Cole takes the opportunity kneel next to you again.

Tears line his eyes as he gently traces your fingers, wishing he can hold your hand, but scared of his body heat potentially speeding up the melting process.

“Don’t worry about a thing, love,” he mumbles. “I don’t care what I have to do. I’m going to get you back.”

…

You can't move.

No matter how much you try, you’re stuck – frozen, you think. The energy lacing the ice encasing you is familiar; it prevents you from losing your shape. You don’t think you’d be able to reassemble yourself if it melted due to the lack of elemental wind energy present in the bay.

Your vision is completely covered in ice, unable to see anything clearly; silhouettes dip in and out of your vision, sometimes accompanied by muddled voices. If you listen closely enough, you can make out patches of what they’re saying if they’re close enough.

The one you cling to most is Cole’s. He visits you when he can between missions, promising that he’s going to find a way to turn you human again. You wish he could stay with you longer, but are grateful that he’s working so hard to help you.

You have no idea how much time has passed. For the most part, you just feel...cold. You yearn to regain your sense of touch, realizing that you’ve nearly forgotten what it feels like.

At some point, you start to hear...shouting? You can’t quite discern who is speaking, but it seems as if the entire team has returned. More commotion ensues, to the point where you find yourself overwhelmed trying to understand what’s happening.

But...something’s happening.

A sharp vibration instantly snaps the ice off from around your figure, a string of purple light encompassing you. You’re forced off of the ground, a newfound energy clawing its way between you and your elemental power while your vision is completely flooded with purple light. Little by little, the wind that you had grown so accustomed to wielding starts dwindling.

Part of you instinctively latches onto the bit that remains, but the immense power of the spell overwhelms your last bit of control on it.

And then? Your wind is gone. Just like that.

But...that’s not all. The purple abruptly stops, and a loud noise sounds from somewhere near you. A chorus of shouts echo within the bay as the spell releases you.

Blinding lights are the first thing you notice, followed by your body crashing to the ground. The breath in your lungs (if there was any there to begin with) is knocked out, leaving you struggling to breathe. Your skin is burning with the remnants of the spell, paired with the sudden sense of solidity underneath you.

You try to suck in a breath again, but your muscles still won’t obey you.

Suddenly, someone is hovering above you. You realize Cole has swept you into his arms, and he’s trying to tell you something.

“Breathe, baby, breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth,” he instructs, his voice an anchor of familiarity amidst the chaos of your surroundings.

After a few tries, you’re able to inhale deeply.

“That’s it, there you go. Keep breathing. You’re okay. You’re safe now,” he promises, his spearmint eyes glassy with unshed tears.

“C...Cole...” you drawl, still trying to become reacquainted with your physical body. “Thank...thank you...”

“I told you I’d do anything for you,” he mumbles, dropping his head so that he can press a soft kiss against your lips. You close your eyes, savoring that missed feeling of your lover against you.

More voices – these unfamiliar – start speaking, causing Cole to shift his attention elsewhere. You watch as his expression morphs into one of disappointment, turning back to face you.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart, but I have to go,” he mumbles. “I’ll be back as fast as I can, but Skylor and Sensei are going to take care of you until we get things sorted out.”

“No...p-please stay!” you choke out, now able to move your hand to clutch his.

“Your friends are being arrested for breaking into Kryptarium Prison and freeing a felon!” announces some punk in a teal gi. “We don't have any reason to arrest you three. Yet. But I warn you: we're watching you. And if you give us any reason to even think you're following the ninja's example, we'll be back. And you will face the New! Ninja! Smoke bomb!”

“Don’t worry about it, love,” Cole states with a sad smile. “We’ll figure something out, okay? I love you.”

“I love you too,” you say as he releases your hand.

With that, the ninja are taken away, leaving you with Skylor, Pixal, and Sensei Wu. Cole breathes a heavy sigh of relief, knowing that you’ve returned and will recover.

“I hope it was worth it, criminal,” sneers the pink ninja.

“It was,” Cole states, glancing back at you one last time before sharing a small, victorious grin with the team. “For her... I’d do anything.”

𝚊/𝚗: 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐! 𝚒 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 :> 𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚓𝚊𝚐𝚘 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗; 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘!

#ninjago #ninjago x reader #ninjagoxreader #cole x reader #cole brookstone x reader #cole brookestone x reader #ninjago cole x reader

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lizzaneia-elizalde · 6 months

Note

Twas I who sent in the request for the rankings and information of the yanderes as fathers! I loved it so much, and don’t worry you didn’t mess anything up! It was way too good. You seriously put so much effort into everything you write, it’s all too beautiful! You’re going to have to do a Part 2 Continuation of the rankings again once you accumulate a new descent sized group of yanderes (so a new 16?…)

I’m also thrilled to hear that you love writing scenarios and have been waiting for a request like this. I agree, scenarios are such a fun and easy way to add more background to characters for audiences. Really helps you connect and enter the characters’ psyche.

So this is a bit of a follow-up request I suppose, but now I’m kind of wondering how the yanderes would react if their child (let’s say their son specifically) shows yandere traits, or otherwise a very similar personality to their father? I’m also imagining now how it’d be so funny if the yandere sons went to their mother and hogged all her attention for x time period just to spite and mess with their father…Cause they know they’re untouchable as long as they’re with their mommy and are crying to her.

Lastly, I’m not sure if you’ve read this person’s ABCs of their OCs, as you’ve mentioned you’ve read others, but I find this person’s ABCs to be the best ever! @wordsbymae is the person. I think a mixture of SFW and NSFW would be great for you. I know you don’t do blatant lengthy smut, and I want to make sure you’re always comfortable with what you write and don’t feel pressured to do what others want of you. So the NSFW sprinkles of the ABCs would be like what you currently write, implied. Again, write in your comfort zone only! Besides, seeing some cute fluff never hurts anyone.

Yandere! Men and their Yandere children

LMAO OKAY THIS ONE IS TOO CUTE TO NOT IMMEDIATELY WRITE UP!

Also, thank you for suggesting the user for the ABCs! I'll look into it. For now, i'll be closing the requests to answer the questions once more!

Thank you for being patient with me owo

YAN! ARTIST

Arlen will be somehow happy that his child is of the same disposition as him. Alongside the kid, he'll probably teach the kid to paint you. Although, the kid hogging your attention will be something of an irritant to him.

YAN! DRAGON

Yeah, sorry. Vincent will probably be upset and do some kind of corporal punishment on the kid for hogging your love. He is a dragon after all. A yandere at that too. But, if the kid is only a yandere but not to you, he will be a proud father really.

YAN! THEATER ACTOR

YAN! BUTLER

Zero will be intrigued, more or less. The child he reared produced with you is also a yandere? Did the experiments Zero performed on himself in order to conceive a child somehow affected the kid's personality to match his? Well, in the end, Zero would be like a devil's whisper on the ear of the kid. Telling them that they should do everything for their darling. Although, if the kid is a yandere for you, Zero has no qualms about finding a way to remove the yandere trait, one way or another.

YAN! SUGAR DADDY

Rowan will be proud, like really proud. His kid is also the same as his? Yes please. That's a godsent. If the kid is yandere for you? Feisty squirt, hogging all their mommy's attention. But the mommy always comes back to Rowan's arms. Hello probably rile the kid up for fun.

YAN! JOCK

Damon doesn't really have feelings for family. So when he saw his child is a yandere, he's just "meh". This is one of the rare times Damon won't put up a facade since the child will probably see through him. He actively fights for your attention too, but also making sure not to hurt the kid.

If this was earlier years of the kid's living life, then him not hurting the kid will probably due to you. But later, he will not hurt the kid due to the child being his kid.

YAN! ASSASSIN

YAN! EX-BOYFRIEND

Lee's the same with Damon. He doesn't feel that much for family other than you, so he's more or less annoyed when he realized his child is the same as him and the child's special interest (for now) is you. Probably will actively put the kid in playdates to awoken the child's special romantic interest.

YAN! COWBOY

Knoxx will probably be really proud also. Although, with the kid's special interest being you, he will be annoyed as fuck. He will not be actively finding a person to partner the kid up with, but he will probably pray everyday that the kid will find a special romantic interest.

YAN! EMO

Ashton is sensitive and is self aware as time goes by, so he's probably the only one amongst the yanderes that will be sad that his child is one. Being so obsessed with one person is not that much fun, he says. And with the kid being yandere for you, he'll see this as an opportunity to try and ween the kid off of the mindset before it's too late and the kid finds a special romantic interest.

YAN! WEREWOLF

Lyall will not see it at first because werewolves are naturally territorial. The kid is being possessive over you? Just clingy. The kid bit him because he approached you? Again, clingy and territorial. It will be too late to diagnose that the kid is actually a yandere when the kid is already grown up, and has probably killed a person.

YAN! EX-HUSBAND

Iñigo will have mixed feelings. Does this mean that being a yandere runs in the genes? How is that possible? And then, he will also be annoyed at the kids when they hog your affection and actively fight him. He sees them as nuisances. Also will put them in playdates to find their special interests.

YAN! HOSPITAL CHAIRPERSON

Xavier, the paranoid man he is, will be nervous of the prospect of the kid being a yandere also. What kind of yandere the kid will be? Does this mean he has to give the kid a separate house whenever the kid decides to kidnap? Does he need to help clean the kid up whenever the kid decided to kill? But in the end, he's supportive of the prospect. Although, with the kid being yandere with you, he's not really pleased with it.

YAN! VILLAIN

Eros will see this as a win win situation. Such a kid, doing everything for their special interest. Isn't that amazing? So he'll tolerate the kid's actions, even if it meant having to share you for a bit until the kid finds a special romantic interest for themselves.

YAN! POLITICIAN

Maximus will be a bit apprehensive, especially the earlier years. He needs to watch over the kid's actions in public for his family's reputation. He doesn't mind the kid being a yandere, as long as the kid will watch over their actions. He'll probably also help the kid (once they're grown up) to clean up crimes they did.

YAN! MAFIA BOSS

Hades will be really confused, more or less. He wanted the child to be after you, not him. And the kid is also "clingy" with you? It's not really ideal to him. So with a frown, he'll probably also be partial to the kid being a yandere. At worst, toleration, at best, a passive supporter.

#yandere boyfriend #yandere imagines #yandere writing #yandere male #male yandere x reader #yandere x darling #tw yandere #yandere x you #yandere fic #yandere drabbles #lizzaneiaelizalde

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thatfreshi · 7 months

Text

"Yeah, Besties" (Uni AU P. 11)

tw - slight mention of abuse

You and Astarion proceed to spend all your free time together, which isn't much for him, but it's nice in between the stresses of life. You go from barely being friends to almost inseparable, studying in his dorm and talking about nonsense. There's plenty of times when he has to disappear for miscellaneous modeling things, which he still doesn't really talk about, but you don't mind.

It's been about a week and a half since Astarion got back from LA, and things have been getting much better for everyone. Academics are picking up, sports are starting, and your little group of, 'friends,' has started to somewhat get along, which is a big relief. Since the seven of you are still working on that damned public speaking project, you meet up on Saturday to start discussing the presentation, but of course, you don't actually end up doing that. Besides, who goes to Starbucks and actually ends up studying?

"Ugh! Tav, I told you it was going to be far too busy here on a Saturday."

You roll your eyes at your white-haired friend.

"We're not even staying here, we're going over to the park across the street. Cool it broody."

He mocks you and you elbow him in the arm, making sure to be gentle about it in case there's some other 'scrape' he hasn't told you about.

"Can the two of you stop flirting and decide what you want please?"

Lae'zel is impatient, especially when it comes to caffeine.

"This? This is not flirting, we're like besties."

You throw Astarion a smile, and he responds, almost reluctantly.

"Yeah, besties."

You hear Gale and Shadowheart giggle to themselves somewhere in the back of the group, but you're not sure what about. Probably some bullshit they always find funny that no one else seems to understand. After some group discussion, Karlach decides to pay for everyone's drink, because oddly enough she's never been in a Starbucks.

"I don't know, I've just never gone! Drink a lot of protein smoothies, ya know? Coffee isn't really my thing."

Shadow of course is wrapped around Karlach's buff arm, and here's where someone would say that thing about sapphics and move-in vans on second dates. Eventually you all make up your minds. You get an iced coffee, something basic for your still-waking brain. The rest of the orders go as follows:

Astarion gets a caffè mocha, but asks for double the espresso, which you soon find out is six shots. You know from texting him this morning that he didn't sleep last night, and you're honestly not sure how he lives off of the amount of caffeine he drinks.

Karlach gets the dragon drink because she thinks it sounds cool.

Shadowheart orders a pink drink, blended, and proceeds to deal with intense teasing from Wyll about her edgy exterior. She yells at him about how she just like strawberries, and the aesthetic of her drink has nothing to do with how cool and mysterious she is.

Wyll then orders a chai latte, admitting he's never actually had coffee before after he was scared off of it as a kid.

Gale, like the classic man he is, goes with the caramel macchiato, but makes sure to ask three times that they're using almond milk, making a big deal about how his stomach will not handle it well if it's actual milk.

Lae'zel gets straight-up black coffee, hot. That's it. She doesn't add sugar, creamer, not even a little flavor, just hot black coffee.

So the baristas get to work on your myriad of drinks. You go to ask Astarion something, but quickly get interrupted by a stranger tapping you on the shoulder.

"Sorry, I just wanted to say, you are absolutely gorgeous. Mother Nature blessed us the day she made you."

You turn around to see a rather tall and built man. Your cheeks can't help but fill with red at the sincerity of the compliment you've just been given.

"Thank you! See, you guys really should worship my looks more."

"I know this might be strange, but I'd be honored to take you out sometime. Here's my number, you don't have to text me if you don't want to, but I just couldn't pass up this opportunity. Oh, and I'm Halsin, a pleasure to meet you."

This Halsin character soon walks off, leaving you with a receipt he's written his number on.

"Wow, and I thought I was a gentleman."

Wyll is clearly shocked by the sudden turn of events.

"Seriously, Tav you have to text him! What a heart throb."

Shadow eggs on the flirting that just occurred.

"I don't know, should I? What if he's like a weirdo."

"Oh c'mon, he seems so sweet! You'd be stupid to not at least give him a chance."

There are murmurs of support for Karlach's statement. Soon, your drinks are done, and your ragtag group starts to leave the building.

"I mean, he was maybe a little forward. And the line about 'Mother Nature?' Did he not have anything better?"

"We get it Astarion, you think you're a master flirt. Not everyone is as lusty as you are."

You don't see it, but Astarion proceeds to give Gale a solid middle finger, and Gale matches him. As much as everyone's getting better at getting along, those two still have some trouble.

"I don't know, maybe I should text him. I mean what's the harm?"

"I don't know, the possibility that he could be a serial killer freak?"

"Astarion, he's not a serial killer. There is literally no way the guy that came up to us is capable of murdering anything."

Shadowheart takes a drink of her pulverized fruity beverage in confidence.

"Alright fine, but if darling Tav gets murdered, don't blame me!"

"I mean c'mon Astarion, you hate every guy I'm interested in on the apps anyways."

It's true, because you've sat there and scrolled through Hinge with him far too many times, and everyone you've ever come across has received negative remarks from your pale friend.

"Because they're all weird! Besides, I find making a real-life connection is much more enticing."

"Says the guy who has never been in an actual relationship."

"You shut it Gale! This mystery woman is the first person you've ever been with, so you have no room to talk. Besides, I'm sure I've bed more people than you've ever laid eyes upon."

"Woah, cat fight. Calm down, you might scratch an eye out."

Wyll's comment earns a few laughs. The group eventually gets to the park across the street, finding a large shady tree to sit under. Astarion makes some off-hand comment about how his pants are too nice to be grass-stained, but he ends up joining the rest of you anyway.

"Okay Tav, so how do we craft this message to the hot nature guy? Because honestly I'd climb him like a tree if I could, you're lucky."

Shadowheart scooches next to you in order to brainstorm.

"Oh, so we're still on this? Great. I'll be over here, not thinking about the wannabe nudist."

"Come on Astarion, you have to help too! Shadow's too thirsty. I need a voice of reason."

He rolls his eyes, only obliging because you're the one asking.

"Fine. We will craft a text to this Halsin fellow."

While the others check their student email and actually do productive things, the three of you sit over your phone, wondering what to send to this hunky stranger. After Shadow and Astarion argue quite a bit, you settle on a sweet but intrigued message.

"Are you guys sure I should hit send? I don't know, what if he was kidding? Or it's like some prank?"

"Tav, if it was a prank I'll kill him."

Shadowheart agrees.

"I second Astarion, I would also kill him."

"Okay, fine! I'm doing it!"

You're a little giddy, excited that a stranger so kindly hit on you. It could've been creepy and weird, but he was so nice. With a slight tap, you've sent the message, and your phone emits a little whoosh noise. Little did you know, Gale had started texting Astarion while listening to your conversation.

~~~

gale_eats_paint: you should tell them

wannabe.vamp: tell them what ??

gale_eats_paint: that you like them. i can see you gritting your teeth all the way from here

wannabe.vamp: fuck off gale, you don't know what you're talking about

gale_eats_paint: alright, if you insist on being secretive that's fine. but i wouldn't wait around too long. also your @ is lame. what are you, a middle schooler?

wannabe.vamp: i'm literally albino AND anemic it could not make more sense

~~~

"Oh god, he responded!"

Astarion perks up from his phone, giving Gale a look across the shaded patch of grass. The artist simply gives him a concerned, yet discreet eyebrow raise. You read out the message, which asks if you'd be free this evening for a botanical garden tour.

"Aw, that's adorable! Tell him you're free!"

Karlach is now scrunched up next to you and Shadow.

"Thanks guys, this is so exciting! And what a cute first date idea, bringing someone to a garden? Oh, and Astarion, you have to help me plan my outfit, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

He rolls his eyes.

"Sure, since you asked so annoyingly, I will."

You go to wrap him in a grateful hug, which catches him severely off-guard.

"Thank you! You're the best Aster."

He almost questions the nickname, but decides to keep his mouth shut, because if this is the type of affection you're going to show him, he'll take it, no matter how small. Gale makes eye contact with him again though while you have him trapped in your warm embrace. While the two aren't particularly friendly, there's a sadness in Gale's eyes, knowing that Astarion won't speak up, no matter how much he wants to. Either way, he'll help you get ready for that date, even if it crushes him when you leave for the evening.

#baldur's gate 3 #astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #angst #fluff #x reader #shadowheart #karlach #wyll ravengard #gale of waterdeep #lae'zel #halsin #freshiau

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mechaknight-98 · 4 months

Text

Gathering act III: Titans’ nest

I stood before a stone-faced Yujin.

"Tj. I uh" she stammered."

"Can I ask one question... make it 2?" I ask

"Yeah?" Yujin says

"Does he treat you right, and does he treat the other girls right?" I ask

"Yes. He is an absolute gentleman." Yujin answers

I smile at Yujin before responding, "Well, then I have no other questions."

Yujin smiles then asks, "Well I have some questions. Why have you been avoiding me?" she says as she gets closer to me

I squint and reply, "The only day I avoided you was yesterday."

"So you admit it?" Yujin corners me and raises her question

"To yesterday no...wait that was three weeks ago now, and yes 100%! I admit to it, but I didn't know how to talk about this ( I gesture to the space around us), but that was the only day I was actively avoiding you. the rest has been weird happenstance." I say as I pace the office. escaping the corner she had put me in.

Yujin pouts and challenges, "Why we are adults we should be able to talk to each other maturely?"

"Yes, but I don't respond like an adult when I am feeling intense emotions. If I am being honest I don't think many people can, so I waited until I was in a "better place"" I explained

"So you're in a better spot now?" Yujin asked

"No but given the circumstances. I could be better but I will take what I can get, and right now I'm feeling good." I replied

Yujin began to laugh and said, "You know you think yourself Sultai but the more I see of your heart the more I see Abzan."

"Is that meant as an insult," I asked confused.

"No that's meant as a compliment, and I hope you keep that, and your blue flexibility," Yujin said before leaving. when the door closed Astrid breathed relieved

"I thought you were going to throw yourself out of the window," Astrid said.

"LOL," I responded.

Several days later Connor, Sakura, Dexter, Eunbi, Dami, Chaewon, Yujin, and her boyfriend (named AJay) were about to start a new commander game. They decided to do a two-headed dragon to stop the game from dragging.

Eunbi and Dexter were in the play. Dexter was doing a challenge with Connor and me where we chose a color combination we liked but were too scared to venture into. I was doing Abzan, Hence the Frodo, and Sam deck. Connor was trying Grixis, and Dex was doing Naya. Their commanders today are "Zevlor, Elturel Exile" (Connor), and "Pantlaza, Sun-Favored" (Dexter) Dexter starts with a Temple garden followed by a Kinjalli's Caller while Eunbi plays Command tower and an ornithopter. They pass to Yujin and Ajay. Yujin plays a Blood crypt untapped and loses two life, while Ajay plays a Savai Triome, and passes to Chaewon and Dami. Chaewon is excited to play the revamped Tuvasa deck I helped her with and plays Forest Sol ring and sol talisman. while Dami is more measured in playing Plains and an Esper Sentinel. this leaves Connor and Sakura. Sakura plays a Breeding Pool and Birds of Paradise, while Connor plays Swamp's dark ritual into a necropotence. he exiles three to get back to hand size and loses three lives.

"We have a threat now," Chaewon says excitedly.

"What, no this is just a value necropotence and not meant to get me ahead... Oh my god, I sound like Theo." Connor says which causes everyone present to laugh except Yujin who teased Connor, as she was usually paired with me.

"See it's not so fun is it when the shoe is on the other foot right." Yujin exclaimed

"Oh please it's completely TJ's fault he plays a high density of good cards," Dexter says.

"Yeah but how often did he win?" Yujin asked

"Well, when he was partnered with you he never lost, actually when he has played with anyone they don't lose. Huh weird."

"Well yeah, he is an excellent support player in that everything he does draws hate while his partner secures value off of it." Chaewon explained "Or he just overpowers everyone super fast." She added.

"Yeah." Yujin said confused, "Wait Unnie how did you know that?"

"Oh, the first game we all played together before he met you I was his partner. He also helped me with this deck as well."

"Really?" Yujin asked

"Yeah," Chaewon said. Sensing Ajay's discomfort Yujin changed the subject to the Mega Mixer.

"Oh that's going to be fun we are going to San Diego for it," Eunbi said excitedly.

“Wait isn’t that where Civy lives?” Chaewon asked

“Yeah we should totally call him up” Sakura says jovially

“Yeah since Astrid took him off of security.” Chaewon affirms.

“Wait who is Civy?” Yujin asks

“Oh he’s a psionic like dex and Connor and friend of ours we met a while ago.” Yunjin explained

“Why have we never heard or seen him?” Yujin asks

“He kinda keeps to himself and tries to fly under the radar.” Yunjin explained, “but don’t worry he’s cool. He plays mtg too. Although he plays a lot of different colors. He’s kinda our flex player wedge wise.” Yunjin adds

Dami nodded and said, "he’s also exceptionally helpful at deck building when he’s not teasing you, but yeah, I looked up the hotel we are staying in and it looks nice."

"I know right?" Sakura said, "Yeah Aren't you going Ajay?" she added

Ajay nodded. "Yeah, our Companies think it would be good to show us together."

the room went silent as that was mentioned. the game proceeded in a much less enthused manner after. The game ended with Eunbi and Dexter winning because of a lucky Maskwood nexus off a chaos warp by Connor that Dexter played an Apex devastator off of. which you could imagine what he got when he in response to the 5 cascade triggers cascade triggers cast Congregation at dawn. After the game Dami, Ajay, and Eunbi all had to leave. So that left the two LE Serrafim members Dexter, Connor, and Yujin. They all sat around discussing deck builds moving forward.

"All I know is I am never running Chaos Warp ever again," Connor said.

"Yeah that was bad for you, but you couldn't have known I had Apex devastator in hand." Dexter Consoled

"I should have figured when you tutored for it though and cast it. I should have countered the congregation at dawn though for sure." Connor lamented

"Yeah that was the more problematic card and what allowed me to win," Dexter affirmed

"Yeah," Yujin agreed.

"Hey, why couldn't you get a hold of TJ for our game?" Chaewon asked

"He was busy with Mixer stuff and had a date as well," Dexter answered

"Oh right. do we know the girl or guy?" Sakura asked

"No, he's been quite tight-lipped about the whole thing," Chaewon said

"Wait Why? TJ is usually super open about this kind of stuff?" Yujin asked

"I think it has something to do with seeing how the last one went and the hate it brought Yujin and him. Did you know he's still getting death threats from that?" Dexter said

"Wait he got Death threats?" Yujin and Chaewon asked worriedly.

"Yeah he didn't want either of you to worry though but he got a lot of them most of them stating something along the lines of "How dare you defile my goddess with your impurities" or just the classic I'll kill you" Connor explained.

"Wow. How Noble." Sakura said.

"So is his new main squeeze an idol?" Dexter asked

"Not a clue" Connor responds.

I sat next to Mina at the beach back in Cali. She looked gorgeous as always. She leaned in closer and grabbed my hand. she was always so touchy-feely, but I loved it. Honest. Today I just had a lot on my mind, Something about the Mixer seemed off. I mean we hadn't even met the sponsor yet, but honestly and I guess sadly that wasn't what was bothering me.

"Hey, you've been quiet. What's up?" Mina asked

"uh, it's nothing," I replied

"Jio we have been together for a month now. I know you clench your jaw and bite the side of your cheek when you're stressed about something. So please just tell. me." Mina questioned

"I played a couple of games before our date today at my LGS and I keep getting these weird vibes," I answer.

"How so?" Mina asks

I shrug and say "Well you know Galadriel light of Valinor. She does a lot and so I play her higher power, and I keep getting into these situations where I am winning with her consistently but people keep saying it's a fluke. So I am weird with the deck."

"Well, why don't you revamp your sultai deck?" Mina asks

"Honestly I probably should. that would probably have fewer problems but also playing at Higher Power has been super discouraging. it's like I feel like I am making all these strides but Everyone looks at me like I am garbage and I just don't know what to do. I love the game but the community makes me feel super wonky about it half the time." I respond

"Well, Why do you care about what other people say so much?" Mina asks

"I guess it's the social aspect, both ends of the spectrum believe in shaming to ensure their "rules are met." I just like playing weird and powerful cards, but others I guess do not like seeing them." I figured

"You certainly do like playing weird cards but that has been helpful for me to tune my decks because I definitely wouldn't have found Savage ventmaw and its combo without you," Mina affirmed. "I mean bootlegger's stash in a Frodo and Sam deck wild, but it works for you. So I think you should carve out your space, and not be "shamed" into playing like everyone else. you have a voice." Mina added

"Yeah, you're right. Mina." I affirm

Mina smiles and beams, "Yes I am. Now kiss me." I do as she asks, and after a few more hours of sunbathing Mina gets a call for her schedule. so I space-sift her back to her apartment. I accidentally scare Dahyun.

"I'll never get used to that," she says still startled.

"Sorry, Dahyun just didn't want your Unnie to be late."

"Thank you," Dahyun said sarcastically. I shrugged as I left. I didn't use the front door I just space sifted to the next thing I had to do. which was to meet up with Connor and Dexter and then pick up Mina again. Surprisingly Ajay and Emma were with them in the apartment.

"Hey Theo," they all said

"Wait so this is Theo?" Ajay said

"Yep, who's asking?" I replied

"I am Ajay Yujin's boyfriend." He said he was tall a couple of inches/ centimeters shorter than I but negligibly so.

"Okay cool," I responded

"That's it?" Ajay asked with slight disappointment

"Do you want a medal?" I ask

"I'd thought you'd be more reactive." He responded

"I am sorry but I have way too much on my plate to care," I responded

"Oh someone is snippy." Emma teased

"Yeah well the date I was on is paused until she is done with her schedule that she wasn't supposed to have, and as a result, I am here," I answered slightly annoyed

"Well sorry we interrupted you and..." Emma started the trailed off hoping I'd finish the statement for her

"Oh nice try but I am not revealing that," I say

"Why?" Ajay asks worried

"Scared she'll get stolen?" Erin teases

"Yes, but also no because I love her so much. Also, Also...she likes her privacy so I will not be putting her in a bad spot just to brag." I reply

"That's more maturity than I thought you were capable of." Erin said, then she looked at me, "Oh my god she doesn't exist." Erin added

I groan before looking at my phone to see a text from my lovely "non-existent girlfriend" She was at a photo shoot and the text said, "I will be ready in 45 minutes." I sent a thumbs up back and a "I'll be there in 50 minutes."

"So what was it you all needed help with you only really call me when ya'll need my help."

"Well we have this friend who we've been playing against she is a bant player she has a Shanna Purifying blade deck, that she keeps beating us with. You play Bant so we wanted your help." Connor asked.

I shrugged. "Sorry, I have no experience with Shanna." I knew who they were talking about but again because I knew who they were talking about I wasn't going to help them trample her fun. So I decided to tell the truth that "I" had no experience with the deck.

"Who did we know that plays a Shanna deck?" I ask feigning ignorance

"Oh, she is someone out here we play with when we aren't playing with you," Connor says

"Oh, you're having games without me. how scandalous." I tease

"You're enjoying this?" Erin asks

"Yeah, a little bit. I am glad I am not the only one giving y'all trouble." I got up and began pacing the apartment.

"Wait why aren't you asking who it is? You're a Bant Player." Connor noticed.

"No, I am and always will be a Sultai player first and foremost. Mostly with a Green lean." I correct. "Regardless I hope you figure out whatever you need to beat her," I say casually. after that, I got up and was about to say something when the wind held a faint chill. It was familiar, and before I knew it I was back in a familiar place.

"Hello, Son," Izanami said.

I turned from the way I was facing and said, "Hey Mom. What's up?"

"I don't want you to worry but something is coming for you," Izanami said

"What is it?" I ask

"Remember when I told you that when you drink from the Yomi pool you'd always have a foot in the beyond and one in the known?"

"Yes," I groan.

"Well, your actions and pursuit of balance have garnered the attention of beings more ancient than I," Izanami said

"Like what," I ask skeptically

"I think it's better if you see for yourself," Izanami said before whisking me away to another space.

My eyes opened to be surrounded by more darkness, and from that darkness, two eyes sprang out. Followed by significantly more ( I counted 18). the eyes glowed a similar color to mine when I used my Psionic powers. the eyes flickered brighter. I took a step and felt the floor beneath me sink...no give the floor had a formlessness to it that seemed to be accommodating to the beast. or maybe this was all my mind could process at the moment.

"you are an interesting young one. Raised in the Drought of growth, trained by Wisdom's shadow, and favored by Death unending. A contradiction to most. Yet you persist. Why." The beast asked

"because I have no other choice," I responded

The eyes laugh as they eyes close I gain a peer into the rest of the beast. it is immense. it seemed to be a creature with antlers but I saw numerous figures and faces including but not limited to; an anaconda, a bison, a crocodile, an elephant, a kangaroo, a shark, a turtle, and a Brachisaurus. it was hard to tell what all the faces and body pieces were exactly as it covered itself in shadow, and the little light its eyes gave made something visible. The other notable feature was the coral that seemed to align its spine

"The fight for ultimate survival is always an interesting plight you humans cling to." The creature said "It makes your tales so much more intriguing especially those of you that rise beyond what we believe you to be capable of, but alas there is an interloper in your mist. She bares a face you may recognize. she has abandoned her post as a watcher like me, and so I must intervene, but I need an arbiter as I can not intervene directly less I abandon my role and fall to similar ranks as her. So I reach out to the one bearing my will." The creature explains

"That was cryptic and confusing," I reply

"Oh sorry, I forget humans' minds are often feeble." The beast responds

"It's not that you didn't say anything clearly. I get you want me to do something what is it?" I ask

"I am a species that exists beyond the stars, and I am in pursuit of another of my kind who has abandoned her post. She has taken up the role of instigator. She has chosen to guide humans as opposed to the rest of my species who merely watch." The creature said

"Why me though?" I asked

"Because you understand my will, and desires for the world." The beast said

"But wouldn't this be interloping?" I ask the beast.

"No, it is a restoration."

"Okay," I say The beast's tone was interesting and could be best described as one voice scattered among many mouths. so there was always this weird echo. "So what do I get out of this ?" I ask

"I should have figured your ravenous nature would take precedence." The beast laughs

"I'd like your help with that?" I ask

"Oh, really why?" the beast questions confused

"I know my hunger is self-destructive. it drives me to want it all, but never know what "it" even is. It has led me to pursue more power than I would ever need, and yet I crave more. It has alienated me from loved ones because I am in a constant of wanting something from them whether that hunger is validation from people who will never give me it, or solace that they would rather die than relent. I want this feeling of discomfort that has pushed me to consume and I want it gone. I want contentment. I want that feeling of Hunger that ravenous desire to be used for something other than wanton destruction I want it to be constructive or at least the path to it. If you can't get rid of it." I say

"But why? Your hunger is constructive. From what I have seen hunger is a tool to destroy the imperfect present by consuming it bit by bit and making tomorrow better. Look at all of those you have helped by eating away at the dead and decaying." The beast said

As the creature spoke images flashed into my mind of how my desires have helped others.

"So the way I see it, you are where you want to be, and I think you could be doing more. So my trade for you is simple. I will make you more ravenous and your strength will become equal to your rate of esurience. for each meal you complete you will grow in proportion to that meal so you may never be content nor satiated." The beast said.

"That is not helpful at all but I'll make it work I guess. So what am I up against?" I say

"You will know." the beast said cryptically. and a haze of teal surrounded me.

"One last question. What are you what is your name?" I ask

"I have had many names but the one I prefer is Wendigo." The beast says

I blink several times, then reply "Um you know what that means or is right?"

"Yes I am aware of how humans perceive me, but I would like to ask one thing. When you are chasing your appetites do you lack vision, do you lack purpose?" The beast replies

"No, I suppose not, but there is always that emptiness after I indulge," I answer blankly, as I do I sit down in the shapeless and formless void

"and so how do you remedy that?" The beast asks

"By finding a new appetite, but what good is that if I am always chasing?" I answer dejected

"it's simple. those who always chase have a goal. it's those who chase mindlessly and not out of a need that has twisted my visage and image. Consider this human if I was truly such a terrible beast why haven't I consumed you whole and made you my vessel? Why go through the process of partnering with you?" The beast asks

"It makes hunting your next target easier. " I guess

"Yes, and why make my Chase harder fighting you when I can grant you the strength to accomplish what those others could not?" The beast asks

I scratched my head taken aback by that. "Growth and Hunger are always tied and when you separate them madness ensues." I realized something about the beast and as I did the world shifted.

"Wake up TJ. Wake up." I heard voices around me say as I opened. I sat up and the first thing besides a profound desire to play some commander and kiss Mina was an intense hunger and pain. I got up and looked around for anything to eat. the pain was so intense that I actually couldn't hear anything anyone was saying to me. I took out my phone.

"Is there anything to eat near here that's like high in calories?" I ask my friends as I look on my phone for food places.

"Um yeah but we need to talk(they say more words but my brain stopped reporting them to my consciousness)..."

"Where ooh steak house that should work," I say salivating excessively like I am going to vomit. it was weirdly soothing. While I was getting a reservation I got a call from Mina

#kpop fanfic #fanfic #edh #mtg commander #twice mina #twice fanfic #ive fanfic #ive yujin #le sserafim yunjin

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oncewhenalongtimeago · 6 months

Note

Hii, i just found your work and I'm obsessed!!

Been wondering if you have more of "Sorry, but I Think I Lost Your Plot"

Thank you a lot for your work!!

Sorry, but I Think I Lost Your Plot pt 9

Pairing: Onesided!Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III x Modern!Fem!Reader

Words: 1058

You and Hiccup conversate. Again.

Tags: Time Travel, Reader into Movieverse, DoB:Live and Let Fly, first rule of fight club, unedited

“The green fin didn’t work out?” You asked, eyeing Toothless’ proud blue. Toothless was making it a point to whip his tail so that you could see it in its full glory, fins spread out all the way.

It seemed that Deadly Nadders weren’t the only dragons who were vain.

“Meatlug tore it,” It seemed Hiccup was back in his red tunic, which you had washed, folded and returned just the other day. He had his frog apron tied around his waist, dust and smoke smudging his face and rolled-up sleeves.

“Working on fixing up the green one. I was going to repair it, but…” He laughed awkwardly, following your eyes and rubbing his sleeves with his knuckles, maybe to try and wipe off the smudge or just self-consciously, you couldn’t tell.

“Oh, well,” You trailed off with a hum. You didn’t know blue pigment was so expensive. You figured that in town the other day, bartering with one of the old folks down by the docks. You felt sort of bad for giving Hiccup the tip, for a little while, but it seems he managed it pretty well. He probably had to do a fair bit of haggling for it, though.

“It looks really nice.” You complimented, shaking away your jitters.

Toothless snuffled at you from where he was besides, sidling up to the counter to flash his fin at Hiccup, for what was probably the millionth time.

“Yeah, bud, I see you,” Hiccup rolled his eyes.

You leaned your head away, shifting the pail in your hand, watching curiously as Toothless blew into your hair indulgently.

Hiccup glowered sourly over your shoulder. Toothless gargled back.

The pail was for Flishlegs, filled with rocks for Meatlug,though you weren’t sure if he still needed it. You were falling slightly behind. Mrs. Ingerman might appreciate having the rocks in reserve if Meatlug ever got the bright idea to try and start eating at their nice, polished stone floors again.

You would bring it up in conversation with her again the next time you had to do any laundering. She usually was kind enough to do boots for you if they weren’t yours, the one article you refused to touch on your own.

Speaking of jobs, and casual conversation;

“Do you know where the Thorstons… The twins, are? They said they had a job for me, or something.” You shrugged.

You had a point to coming down here, though you really did want to talk yourself out of asking for it.

“The twins?” Hiccup asked.

Peering over the counter, you could tell he was fingering a small box. You wondered what it was for.

The weirdness only upped itself tenfold with him, sometimes.

You were glad he had to mind not to just stare and drool, like that one time. He was pretty supped up on Zippleback gas, then, and you still weren’t completely sure that the lightning strike hadn’t done anything to his brain. So you didn’t hold it against him.

“Yeah,” You confirmed, sighing with false casualty, “They’re really hard to find, though. Honestly, I thought their father was bad enough on his own.”

“Their father?”

You nodded and hummed in response, “He’s never where he needs to be, according to Mrs. Thorstong, though I’m not sure how deeply I should be trusting in her word, considering all she does is talk about how big your dad’s muscles are.”

Toothless sad back on his haunches, finding something much more interesting in the ferns lining the stone platform the forge was built on.

“What?” Hiccup balked, “Really? That…”

“Sure is something, I know. “ You nodded sagely, “By the way, how have your burns been? I know Johannes has been having an issue with the blisters. Something about needing ointment. I think Gothi just made a fresh batch, he told me, so if you need to go up the spire…”

You remembered how awkward it was trying to haul Hiccup up the ladder to Gothi’s after the lightning incident. It was an exercise in strength you didn’t have. In the end, you had to get help. So maybe it was better that the two of you had Toothless. Or not, what with the flight ban and all.

You still felt pretty bad for the acid burns, though.

“I-no, I’m totally fine. Great, even! Unless you wanted to come, then-ah… I guess I could…” Hiccup fumbled with the box, arms contorted at an uncomfortable angle, digging his nails into the space between the lid and body in a place he probably thought was just out of view, “Really, I was wondering if…”

“So what’s the deal with Flight Club?” You blurted out.

You bit your lip anticipatorily, counting the seconds as they dragged by between you asking an answer. You really, really wanted to ask. The twins had been talking about it, and pretty openly at that.

You just hoped it wouldn’t compromise your position as primarily plot-unrelated in the meantime.

“Well, I- Oh-” Hiccup fumbled for an answer. He tried to step to the side in a move that was probably supposed to be casual, though he only managed to trip against the counter, and pretty awkwardly at that.

You heard something fall to the ground, as he must have knocked something down, setting off a loud clicking noise, before something large and fast bolted past your head, displacing hair.

Toothless hissed and jumped, tail wrapping tightly around his four legs. He nearly knocked you over with the force of it all.

You stiffened bodily as you heard a loud crash. The hairs on the back of your neck were definitely standing.

The bola must have burst through the roof of one of the large houses behind, as you could hear the beginnings of a long chain of muffled shouts from off in the distance.

“Ouch,” You winced.

“So, Gothi’s?” Hiccup asked, stumbling around the forge counter.

You looked back and forth around the empty clearing. It was actually very empty. What was usually bustling made up quite the ghost town. Unfortunately, you were afraid that soon, that would no longer be the case.

“We should probably get going.”

“Yeah,” Hiccup nodded, hurriedly trying, and failing, to undo the knots of his apron.

You set down your pail, shaking your arms out and brushing your hands down your skirt.

#thanks for reading and waiting #more to come #how to train your dragon #httyd #x reader #fanfiction #hiccup haddock #httyd imagine #hiccup x reader #toothless #fem reader #female reader

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houseboywife · 11 months

Text

The primordial serpents of Dark Souls: there is something under the surface

Kingseeker Frampt and Darkstalker Kaathe are two characters that I would define as quite nebulous. Only appearing in person in Dark Souls 1, their presence nonetheless is felt even in future installments. But what exactly is their deal? It's a rather difficult question to answer, for a simple reason: they can't be trusted. At all. This post isn't gonna be a sort of unified theory on who the serpents exactly are: however I'll try to compile most of the information we know and can infer about them and why there's way, way more to them than what meets the eye. Waaaaay more. Yeah this is gonna be a long post. VERY long. But, in my humble opinion, quite thought provoking. Disclaimer: probably not all of the following was intended by the writers. But you know, death of the author and all. I think it's fun to speculate and create meaning even where there might be move.

That said, let's start with the Serpent Species.

Besides Frampt and Kaathe, the Dark Lord ending of Dark Souls 1 (which we'll get back to later) shows us a large number of Primordial Serpents, so we can assume that there's a whole species of them. Maybe. It's never brought up again. Nonetheless, there are several things we can infer about the Serpents in general, or World Snakes as they're known in japanese.

First off, presumably, they're ancient. Duh. How ancient? From the age before the First Flame, possibly. In Dark Souls 3, the description for the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring reads as follows:

A silver ring depicting a snake that could have been, but never was, a dragon.

Interesting. So snakes (or at least some of them) are some sort of imperfect, malformed dragons. Additionally, Dark Souls 3 shows some statues depicting a more humanoid version of the Serpents, of which we can ordinarily only see their heads. Considering their depictions are very different to each other, I'm assuming it's just an artistic interpretation and the sculptors didn't actually know what they looked like. However, one should note the locations of these statues: the Grand Archive (probably connected to Seath's Duke's Archives) and the Ringed City ("gifted" by Gwyn to the Pygmy Lords).

Now, let us talk about Frampt.

That Kingseeker Frampt is lying to you isn't exactly a groundbreaking fact. After all, this close confidant of Gwyn is in cahoots with him regarding the prophecy of a Chosen Undead, a made up folk story to get some poor undead bastard to throw themselves in the fire in order to kindle it once needed. This is all bullshit obviously, there's no such thing as the prophecy and the kindling of the fire is an unnatural sin performed by Gwyn. This means that Frampt is manipulating you with incomplete information in order to get you to link the Flame. One would assume that this would be his ultimate goal.

Or is it?

There are several odd things about Frampt.

For starters, as mentioned before, the Dark Lord Ending. In it, when you refuse to link the fire, Kaathe (we'll talk about him later) makes a point to say that both he and Frampt will now serve you. Why would Frampt do that? You could speculate that he's bound by some sort of oath to the Dark Lord, perhaps because of his nature as a quasi-dragon born in the dark. This could maybe explain the statue of him found in the Ringed City. But by this point, everyone that could be considered his "superior" is dead, and I'm not sure why he would have any obligations to serve you: if he feared being killed by the Dark Lord, well, he could just hide. Perhaps his oath is more fundamental, and he can't go against the Dark Lord because of the very nature of his being. Maybe he allied to Lord Gwyn to try and break this shackle? Perhaps. But I suspect, once again, that there's more to it.

Let's take a look at a very strange mechanic: feeding Frampt.

In Dark Souls 1, you can feed certain items to Frampt, and he'll pay you back with souls. Usually this is not really worth it, because he undervalues items a lot. However, here's the curious thing: for some items, he will only give you a meager 1 soul, while for others he will reward you with a bounty much higher than the value of the item. This is not a mistake, it's hardcoded in, so hey, it should have some significance. Let's look at these outliers.

Frampt will give you 1 soul for anything that has to do with either Seath the Scaleless or Smough; conversely, he will reward you handomely for anything that has to do with Gwyn (soul included), Gwyndolin (soul included), the Moonlight Butterfly, Dragons, Queelag and, funnily enough, women armor sets. So huh, let's unpack this.

It's the women's clothing, believe it or not, that provide some insight. Given that he pays you more for it, I'm assuming that he gives you more souls as a reward for bringing him that item. Either that or he's a misogynist, but I'm more leaning towards horny. And certainly the Soul of Gwyn, the one he pays you the most for, fits: your objective was to kill the crazed Gwyn, and his Soul proves that you've done it. You can't actually feed him it without going to ng+, but hey, it's a technical limitation

With Gwyndolin things start becoming a little bit strange. To have his Soul, you must have killed him. This is a problem for a few reasons: first off, it's his best friend's son. Why would he be happy about you killing him? Secondly, killing him means dispelling the Anor Londo illusion, meaning finding out that the Gods, and him, are lying to you. Now why would he be ok with you knowing that?

The Moonlight Butterfly is a bit strange, since it was created by Seath, but it seems to be connected in some way to Gwyndolin (the moon theming plus the same music). I don't think it's terribly relevant anyway.

Queelag, I have no clue about, epecially considering the fact that he gives no special reward for the Soul of the Witch of Izalith. It could either be because she's guarding the second bell of awakening or because she's hot. Probably cause she's hot.

Now, let's look at a strange thing. He gives nothing for Seath but a lot for the Dragons. Seath betrayed the Dragons, so this is relevant. But how? If he dislikes Seath, this would imply that he's on the dragon's side. But this cannot be, since the dragons and Gwyn are enemies. Maybe he just likes to consume dragon items in an attempt to become a full fledged dragon: this would also be strange considering his allegiance. Maybe he just enjoys eating dragon items but dislikes the taste of Seath (who is physiologically pretty different from other dragons). This, however, would imply that he also enjoyed eating Gwyn and Gwyndolin. Which, frankly, I find the most likely possibility, with interesting implications.

As for Smough, let's be honest, he probably tastes like shit.

Let's move on to Kaathe.

Darkstalker Kaathe seems to be, at the same time, more and less trustworthy than Frampt. More trustworty because he's the one to tell you about the lies of Gwyn, and the truth about the Dark Soul. And he's not lying to you about that. At the same time, he convinced the Lords of New Londo do embrace the Darkness, as well as the people of Oolacile to dig up the corpse of a Pygmy which didn't end very well.

Not much else is known about him: a somewhat obscure fact is that he considers Seath the Scaleless to be a traitor: so, it seems, he's aligned with the dragons despite not being one. What this says about the other Serpent is hard to tell.

However, one last thing is known about him. He wants to let the Flame die, and make the world turn back to an Age of Dark.

Or does he?

The Sable Church, helmed by Yuria of Londor, is an organization devoted to a single goal: usurp the Flame and bring forth an age not of Light or Dark, but of Hollows. This is different from an Age of Dark in several ways. First off, the Flame persists, but is claimed by an individual who is both Unkindled (that is someone who attempted to link the Flame but failed) and Hollow. In an Age of Dark, with the Flame gone, it is unclear what would happen: it is called many times "the age of humanity", but no one actually knows what humanity's original, primordial form is: for all we know, it could just be an existence spent in a formless void as wandering spirits.

At the same time, nothing says that it couldn't be an utopia: but the point is that you can't know, there is an impassable veil that hides its true nature until it happens. At some point some embers will reappear from the Dark again, and bring forth a new age of Fire. But will it be a good one? Who knows. In comparison usurping the Flame is much more straightforward: similar to the current Age of Fire, except it's Hollows that hold power and not Gods. It is not clear how sentient would Hollows be in such an age, considering their usual zombie-like behavior, but since hollowing is tied to Gwyn linking humanity to the Flame we can presume that something would change, otherwise it would be quite a shitty age and idk why they would pursue it.

There's another thing about the Sable Church. From item descriptions and dialogue it is evident that they worship none other than Darkstalker Kaathe, who appears to have perished since the first game (there's a theory I like about it but this post is already long enough).

Now hold on, hold on. Doesn't Kaathe want to bring forth an Age of Dark? Where did Frampt go in all of this? What is going on?

Let's take a step back. If Kaathe wasn't lying to the Sable Church (and I don't believe he is) then he was lying to you in the first game. Not an unlikely prospect, since Frampt was doing the same thing. But why try and get you to be the Dark Lord if what he was looking for was a Lord of Hollows?

First off let's establish something. No matter which ending you pick in Dark Souls 1, I don't believe that an Age of Dark ever happens between that game and 3. This is because there seems to be a linear continuity (somehwat) between the eras the game is set in, which wouldn't be possible if, well, the cycle underwent a big reset. So even if you become Dark Lord, something happens to stop a true Age of Dark from happening.

With that out of the way, here's what I think. When is the only time that a Lord of Hollows can arise? Only when the world is in shambles due to the strain of the artificial cycle taken to its extreme. How do you get to that point? By continously linking the Flame and making it fight the Abyss over and over, purposefully feeding the feud between Light and Dark that should have already ended long ago, slowly weakening the Flame until it is just barely able to hold on and the entire world has been burned to ashes. At that point the Lords of Cinders arise from their graves to link it again, and again and again, until even them refuse to do it. At this point, the Unkindled will rise: after an endless, purposeful cycle of stirring both the Flame and the Abyss.

Flame and Abyss. Frampt and Kaathe.

I want to show something, now. An interesting little design on an otherwise unremarkable shield. The caduceus round shield.

Two serpents heads, joined at the body. Now, is there any reason to presume that this shield is a true depiction of the nature of Frampt and Kaathe, some sort of bicephalous Ourobouros? Well, we don't know. It would certainly make some amount of sense, however. What I think is that, no matter how literally true this is, it shows at least metaphorically the relationship of the two Serpents. They're working together.

You're not the only undead that they contact, after all. Plenty more people, like you, in your world and parallel ones, are spurred by Frampt to link the Flame and by Kaathe to let it die. This is why neither of them particularly cares about you finding out the truth, or joining the other. You're just a disposable pawn in the grand scheme. When a Dark Lord arise, they pretend to worship them, only to betray them at the last second, getting someone else to kindle the Flame and keep the cycle going. Over, and over again. Till the Unkindled finally rise.

There are, of course, some open questions. Why do they want an age of Hollows to come to pass? Perhaps it is linked to their complicated relationship with dragons: after all, they're only incomplete dragons, and they would hardly have a place in an Age of Dark. Perhaps it has something to do with a promise made to the first Pygmies. Or then again, perhaps to defend against them. And then, what about the other Serpents? Are they working with them? Are they from other worlds? Are they all joined in some sort of giant eldrich hydra, its true body hidden from sight?

It is all very complicated, frankly. We probably will never know the true motives of the Serpents, as well as their nature: however, what I hope this analysis has made clear is that there is much, much more under the surface than what it seems like. Like their body. That's literally under the surface.

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