#in my humble opinion. i just think this story was always about him passing the torch and not about him having any real impact in society

[sholangagaga]

What's your opinion on Monty?

Oh I've been waiting for an ask like this to come across my inbox after how popular my Bonnie theories have been. (full theory and spoilers under the cut)

Short answer: I think he's neat!

Long answer: I think Montgomery Gator is one of, if not the, most tragic character in the entire Glamrock cast. And his tragedy, while of course upsetting to see, is also incredibly endearing from a narrative standpoint.

What does that mean? Well, let me explain.

Monty was not made to be part of the band. That much we know in the canon lore. He was his own animatronic, with his own attraction and his own thing. Whether or not he was there from the very beginning when the Pizzaplex was built, or maybe they added him later to bring in more diversity and subvert the burden on the main band, I don't think we'll ever know. (since every main band member has their own attraction, which probably subtracts from their available time to perform main shows throughout the day)

The only bits and pieces we get of Monty's "life" before his joining the band is narrated through the Gator Golf attraction.

Monty's story starts with him as a One Man Jug Band, playing by himself in his swamp.

Now it's already pretty apparent that the Monty we see here is way more docile and doe-eyed than the one we encounter in Security Breach, but maybe that's the point.

We all know the stories of humble beginnings, of rags to riches. To me, Monty was one of those stories. A little guy who ended up catching a big break down the line.

Now to get this out of the way, I don't believe Monty shattered Bonnie or the theory that Monty hated Bonnie (I went into detail here if you want the full explanation). We actually can easily debunk that theory in a few different ways, but the main thing is everything we see about Monty implies he actually admired Bonnie.

In his ride you see how he looks at Bonnie, His Showtime outfit incorporates yellow stars (like Bonnie), and he even still uses Bonnie's bass.

Now if you hate someone, if you hate them enough to kill them and take their place because you felt you deserved their fame, would you emulate that person? Would you use and wear their items, thereby constantly reminding yourself of someone you hate so much? Why would you go through the trouble of getting rid of them, of wiping them from everyone's memory, just to keep things that will always tie you to them? That doesn't make much sense to me.

You could argue that the items are trophies of his 'kill', but wouldn't you keep trophies or things of the like somewhere no one could see them? Why flaunt them and again, bring attention to this person that you hate so very much?

I think it's the exact opposite. Monty admired Bonnie, the depths of which we probably won't ever know the extent of, and when Bonnie disappeared, Monty took his place but never forgot the person who got him there. He wears Bonnie's glasses (which we never see Bonnie wear aside from in his neon portrait, which may imply that he might have given the shades to Monty directly at some time before he was shattered) and he uses Bonnie's bass, which was ALSO given to him according to the Gator Golf ride

I've seen people say that this scene is actually showing that Bonnie was just setting his bass aside after a show and Monty stole it, thereby using it for his own gain and I. . .don't see how people can infer that from the image? It looks like Bonnie is literally holding it out to Monty, who is on one knee and accepting it with respect and a cheerful expression on his face. Besides, you need some MASSIVE balls to just. . .steal a band's instrument after the show and just get away with it? Especially from what we see in game, there'd be no feasible way Monty could do that without the audience or technicians being like "What the fuck are you doing"

So yeah no, this looks like a mutual passing of the torch.

Anyways, Monty uses the shades and bass as a nod to Bonnie, he was a sweetheart with a baby face who got thrown into fame to replace his idol. I think, in some regards, Monty might've felt conflicted. Like, here he is in his dream job, but at the cost of someone he cared about.

You know who Monty DID hate though? Freddy. We can infer from plenty of sources and in game material that Monty HATED Freddy, and the reasoning for that could be literally anything, but it's not odd for a bandmate to dislike their leader/member because they're more popular (you see it a lot in IRL bands too, the favoritism and jealousy)

It's also easy to see that fame changed Monty, as it does for plenty of people. Having so many eyes on you, feeling the euphoria of all the love and attention day in and day out, it gets to your head. It changes who you are, muddles your humility. And we can see that Monty acts in the stereotypical Rocker way, conceited, destroys his greenroom and other things after shows, etc. It's an all too common trope and its sad to see it happen to Monty, though a lot of his rage could also be compounded by Glitchtrap/Vanny/Mimic being annoying (Notably, you never hear of Monty destroying his shades or his bass. Perhaps there are some things that he's oddly protective of)

And then in the main Security Breach, you only meet Monty at his worst. Angry, Corrupted, feral. You spend your time running from him (since Bonnie's shades protect him from most of Gregory's gimmicks), you hear from second-hand conjecture that he was probably the one who shattered Bonnie (which probably weighs on him too, the children asking where Bonnie is, and the technicians maybe side-eyeing him thinking that he's just a meathead who destroyed Bonnie to take his place) and each time you see him, he just gets more and more split from that sweetheart who was happily playing in his swamp.

Not to mention how he "dies"

Monty comes for Cassie, ruined beyond salvation, his mind still gone from all of the torment he endured being controlled and shattered over and over. To save herself, Cassie uses the Faz-wrench to activate the power and escape, only for the electric currents to turn the water into a death trap.

The thing that decommissions Monty, that finally puts him out of his misery, is Bonnie. That's Bonnie's neon portrait (a bit damaged from the dilapidated building) and it is the very thing that electrifies the water, destroying Monty's hardware. Whether or not its karma for Monty shattering Bonnie, or some sort of heartfelt prose that the thing that finally allows Monty to rest is the one person he cared about most, who's to say? You could argue it both ways, but isn't it just a tad more comforting to think that even in death, Bonnie was always looking out for his understudy?

Monty's story and character progression is a trope of Falling from Grace, of Icarus flying too close to the Sun and plummeting to the unforgiving earth. The more I learn about him, the more I feel bad for him. I think he deserved better. Roxanne for her redemption in Ruin, but Monty is left open-ended. A monster and murderer to some, a washed-up rocker to others.

But I think Montgomery was more than that. I think he had the capacity for gentleness and love, but he was in a position where the world was against him. His older and more experienced bandmates always destined to be loved more than him. He was basically an entry level teenager around mastery level adults. He might've lost his mind back then to the pressure and the negativity, resorting to violence for attention. No one was there for him, and Bonnie, the only person who probably would've been there for him and understood him better than most, disappeared without a trace, leaving him all alone in a world that would never fully accept him.

Yeah, I like Monty a lot.

#what a character #him and roxy had the best character arcs #but they obviously ended in different ways #with roxy being able to shake free and redeem herself #and monty dying all by himself #oh #my heart #fnaf security breach #security breach #fnaf #shoucan says #five nights at freddy's #shooting the shit with shoucan #fnaf ruin dlc #security breach ruin #ruin dlc #fnaf ruin #montgomery gator #fnaf montgomery #glamrock monty

[starfall-spirit]

Summary: After his rescue from King Benedict’s dungeons, The Villain finds himself forced to make a difficult declaration.

AN: The characters in this fic may not be familiar to all of my readers, as some of you haven't read Assistant to the Villain. Again, I highly recommend it. It was so much fun and I'm dying for book two. In the meantime, I humbly offer slightly unhinged Evie and pathetic simp Trystan.

Read on Ao3

Chapter I: This Writhing Thing

Evie

I. Beg. You.

Heartless, stoic, cold, brutal, ruthless.

Countless words could be used to describe The Villain, each one as horrible as the last. They were whispered to children as warnings. 

Stray from your bed and The Villain will snatch you up.

How many times had her father said those very words to her and her sister in her childhood, threatening them with the dark of night and a faceless beast? Evie scoffed, refusing to think of the man she’d called a parent for twenty-three years. He was the heartless one in this story.

But The Villain—Trystan… She wrung her fingers, letting her worry finally show within the privacy of his office, her rising emotions making her more claustrophobic than any tight space could. That constant flutter in her stomach had grown as the months passed, morphing into a great writhing thing that curled around her heart, squeezing. 

An endless drumbeat. A reminder.

I. Beg. You.

Ruthless. “No,” she snarled to the darkness around her. That squeezing eased, if only a fraction, and she raised her chin once more. “If the world wants ruthless, I’ll be the one to grant that request.” 

Though the declaration was made to nothing more than the empty air and a sign-wielding frog, there was a shift all the same. A shift in power. For now.

~~~~~

The Villain

She had been exquisite.

Trystan’s pride was in shambles, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not when the only thing he could picture was his sunshine assistant dressed in his colors, executing a flawless rescue mission. “I told you you can’t always be the one to do the saving around here.”

If he hadn’t been in so much pain, he would have laughed. But all he could feel in that moment was agony and awe. Tatianna had managed to eliminate the first, thankfully, but the latter was another matter altogether.

And now—well, now his brain refuses to process anything productive. For example, running his equally honorable and nefarious empire. Well, perhaps not equally.

There was a hesitant knock on his office door and he found his heart rate climbing. Sage—Evie wasn’t exactly prone to knocking, but she was one of the few employees who lingered beyond the closing bell these few days he’d been back. He supposed she didn’t have anything to rush back to, with her father held prisoner and her sister living here with her on the west side of the manor. The door opened just a few inches. “Mr. Maverine?”

Ah, not his little tornado, but her miniature. He clenched his jaw. Evie wasn’t his anything.

“Lyssa, what can I do for you?”

“I just thought—” She twisted the toe of her shoe in front of her awkwardly. “Never mind. I’m sure you're busy.” He raised a brow. He thought the girl had been accepting of his newly revealed identity as The Villain. But then, there was probably a reason she still addressed him so formally. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, or why he cared about a child’s opinion at all. “I just thought… My sister has been acting very strange the past few days. Maybe it had something to do with work. And you could, um, help her?”

He cleared his throat. “Lyssa, if your sister has a work concern, believe me, she’d make it known.” Unless it didn’t have a thing to do with office tension. He sighed, resting a stiff hand on her shoulder when her worry seemed to linger. “We have a meeting every morning. If there’s an issue, it will be solved.”

“Hey,” a familiar voice called from outside. “I’m going to track down my sister and head off. Was there anything you… Well then. What’s going on here?”

“Nothing,” Lyssa said, the picture of innocence. “Mr. Maverine was just saying he wanted to talk to you before we went home. Right?”

He frowned at the girl, seeing his assistant take a step closer in his periphery. “Sir?”

“Indeed,” he conceded. “If you don’t mind waiting outside, Lyssa.”

“Oh, Tati said she’d take me back to my room.” She batted her lashes, turning to her older sister. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be fine.”

Of course this started with that meddlesome healer. Her retribution, he supposed, for dragging her into his business with Clare. Things on that front were “progressing”, he supposed. Now, it appeared his oldest friend thought it was his turn. Turning to the window, he gave Kingsley a pointed look, and for once the creature granted them true privacy, tailing the ten-year-old to who knows where. 

He wasn’t concerned. She knew the lower levels where his torture was conducted were off limits, and the foyer was now clear of any evidence of decapitation—a small courtesy he could grant Evangelina. After all, he wasn’t a complete monster. Then again, the office rumor mill had brought word of a little incident involving a certain village blacksmith’s head. He let his lips twitch up at the thought. He always knew she had a little ruthlessness to her.

“Sir. You wanted a word?”

“Right. Yes.” Her fingers grazed the back of her chair before she sat. It was an effort to not think back to those same fingers brushing his face as she marked his lack of sleep or slipping into his own when they sat knee-to-knee. Again, he found himself clearing his throat—by the deadlands, stalling.

“Sage, it would appear some of those closest to you feel something is wrong at the moment.” She stiffened. “You’ve been as diligent as always, but not quite yourself.”

“Sir.” Her shoulders slumped. “I suppose I haven’t. But it’s nothing that I can’t put behind me.”

He hummed. “I haven’t quite been myself either. I’ve heard a brush with death makes you a little more keen to express your feelings. I didn’t believe it was true. Until now.”

“Going soft?” Her voice didn’t have its usual teasing lilt. In fact, she sounded downright nervous. “Sir, that night the king intercepted us. I think of it often.”

Trystan nodded, clasping his hands behind his back before they could curl and reveal his anger. “I could imagine an event like that would leave a scar.”

“No. I mean, yes, but… What I meant was, you were under no obligation to protect me and you tried even when…”

He could see the question in her eyes. A decade of hatred, seeing Benedict as nothing more than a beast, and Trystan had fallen to his knees before the man for someone he claimed was just an employee, her death a mere inconvenience to him. Now he had to explain himself. “I find now that you’ve become important to me, Evangelina.” 

She startled at the use of her full name. He could count the number of times he’d said it in the past six months on one hand. A few steps and he was around his desk, perching on the edge, just shy of crowding the chair she occupied.

Who was he kidding? Any employee who crossed the threshold of his office had coined it “Evie’s chair” and knew better than to seat themselves.

“Sir?”

“I find when you are near, my emotions are not as easy to control, nor any sort of severity.”

She smirked. “Sir, I think that’s a fairly common affliction when it comes to people as optimistic as me. Not grounds for increased protection.”

“Sage,” he almost growled. Her smirk fell. “Perhaps you’ll let me continue. This isn’t particularly easy for me to confess.” She nodded, a signal for him to continue. “I find myself pleased that you are comfortable enough to touch me. That you seem to enjoy my company and want to know me, as you put it before. I knew when I hired you that you would be an exceptional addition to my empire. I did not realize I would develop feelings beyond a general appreciation.”

Her brows flicked upward. “You’re beginning to see where I’m going with this. Good.”

“I wouldn’t want to make assumptions, sir.” 

Her words were hardly more than a whisper, but he heard something vital in them. Hope. He could only pray that meant what he thought it meant. “It isn’t exactly professional for one to have feelings for a coworker, let alone those in our positions. But then, I can’t say I’m terribly concerned with textbook professionalism in this line of work. Also, I’m exempt from any and all rules when I choose to be.”

She laughed at that, likely wondering if she could get away with calling him audacious.

As if she wasn’t well aware she could quite literally get away with murder, in his eyes.

For the third, perhaps fourth time he cleared his throat. He never realized he had a nervous tic before he met this woman. “That said, I would not wish to pursue you if you were uninterested.”

She laughed again, high and sudden. “Sorry, it’s just… Kissing you was certainly no hardship. Nor was anything else, for that matter.” She bit her lip. “Even so, people will talk.”

“Ignore them.”

“You don’t.” His jaw clenched. “We both know there was a little more than impertinence to whatever Joshua Lightenson said. I’m not so naive that my imagination is lacking. And you threw him out a window.”

The crass accusation made against Evie wasn’t one he’d easily forget, and he felt no remorse for his response. He hadn’t been truly in love with her then. Imagining the reaction he’d have to a rumor like that now… The woman before him, so full of sunshine, thought she had seen the darkest parts of him. But if she saw the reality, she would come to truly fear him at last, he was certain.

How easily would she shy from him if she heard how Trystan truly felt about her father’s deceit? The pain he wanted to inflict when he heard she’d been sold off Warsen like an animal brought to market. He couldn’t bear to consider it.

“If there comes a day when you wish to punish those who have slighted you, I’d be the last person to stand in your way. Until you’re ready to take that action, love, I’ll wield the blade in your stead.” He thought back to her infiltration of Benedict’s fortress a few days prior, letting his lips curl. She’d never looked more beautiful. “Perhaps we aren’t too far off.”

She flushed slightly, due to the endearment he used for a second time now or his mention of her budding ruthlessness, he couldn’t be sure. Regardless, he found himself leaning closer, his right hand reaching to stroke his thumb across her heated cheekbone. There was a slight quiver to her next breath, cementing the rocky ground he stood on. Would he spook her if he leaned down?

The things he’d give for just one more taste of this woman, to have that soft vanilla linger on his tongue once again.

She stood, shifting forward. “Sir—”

“Trystan,” he murmured.

“Trystan.” Head tipped back to meet his eyes, lips slightly parted, her invitation was clear. Call him what you will, he had no intention of wasting it. For a moment there was nothing but the warm softness of her lips, seconds later the darting of her tongue gave him the courage to bring his arms around her, her own tentatively winding to the back of his neck, the fingers of one hand playing at his nape. 

Groaning, he broke the kiss, leaning down further to press a kiss to the pale skin of her throat, earning one of those soft little sounds he’d been blessed with at his father’s soirée. “You’ll be the death of me,” he panted. “I know it.”

She gave a sweet little giggle that lit up something inside of him. “Is this a good time to mention that dream you overheard me mentioning was truly filthy, and didn’t have a thing to do with mud or blood?”

He chuckled. “Little tornado, I’ve known that since the moment you said it. If there’s one thing you can’t do, it’s tell a convincing lie.” She squeaked as he spun them around, lifting her to sit on the edge of his desk before claiming her mouth once again. It was a perfect moment and it felt like nothing could touch them.

Until the seventh hour bell chimed. Once again, a precious moment interrupted by an ill-timed sound. Evie was the one to pull away, her withdrawal hesitant. “My sister. I might not have a two hour walk home anymore, but I still need to see to her care.”

“Of course. And I’m sure I’ve given you much to consider. Let me walk you back?”

She nodded, flitting back to her desk to gather what she’d left there originally. He only offered his arm. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

~~~~~

AttV Taglist: @shallyne // @captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship I thought you might be interested too. Feel free to tell me if you're not.

#assistant to the villain #hannah nicole maehrer #just a lot of simping honestly #fluff #i'm thinking this will be three or four parts #maybe some smut at the end #trystan maverine #evangelina sage #trystan maverine x evangelina sage

[doctorofmagic]

What is your favorite version of Dr. strange in the comics, why?

Hello!! Thank you for dropping questions and apologies for taking so long to reply, I was in need of a break but I'm back :D (hopefully)

For your first question.... Recently, I'm torn between Aaron's and McKay's versions. Aaron wrote Stephen at his lowest and the story spoke to me on personal levels (Stephen's depression as a metaphor for Mr. Misery will always hit me like a truck, given my own experiences with that). He was very chaotic but also absolutely caring, which is very important for me when evaluating his characterization. McKay's Stephen is... perfect. He's still flawed but now he's in a better place, seeking improvement and embracing love once more. He's always empathetic, sweet, but also stern and serious when he needs to be. Also, while Aaron's Stephen pushes people away, McKay's version is reconnecting with people and relying on his friends, which also resonates within my very soul. They both have different flavors haha. Let's just say these two characterizations are the ones who are carved into my heart the deepest. I could talk about it all day but let's not, otherwise it's gonna become another long post 😅

For your second question.... Altruism. Man is always, ALWAYS ready to give up on his very life and soul to save everything and everyone. His kindness, compassion, love.... This is why he'll always be my number one. No one represents love as he does in my opinion. And in my humble opinion, to love in a world of hatred is an act of resistance.

Lastly, oh... That one will entail a long essay. I think I have this answered at some links on my pinned post but overall, he's very difficult to sum up in an analysis because of the many layers he has. So I usually tend to go for different topics (flaws, mistakes, fears, virtues etc). Another reason to love him so #guilty

Thank you so much for passing by, I had tons of fun!

#how can the sorcerer supreme be of assistance? #ask #doctor strange #stephen strange #marvel comics

[eating-plastic]

Next Lesson: Marlon x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, age gap (reader is +18 obviously), fighting, minor violence, fluff, probably some grammatical errors

Word Count: 4559 words

A/N: Yay Marlon! He's kinda underrated in my opinion and needs some love. Also, I noticed that I'm not really following the canon of the game when I write for Stardew Valley. I hope that's not too infuriating. I'm just trying to add my own touch to things. Anyhoo, that's all. Have a good day!

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

You grew up with farming in your blood. You enjoyed aiding your parents whenever you could, but for the most part you would be hanging out with the animals. From the cows and sheep, to your father's hunting dog (who was a total sweetheart when not tracking deer), to the many barn cats that kept the rodents at bay. Even as you grew older and your other siblings moved away to the city, you were content where you were. And why wouldn't you be? Farming made you who you were, with a love for nature and an optimistic view on the world, if not a little bit naive.

Unfortunately, life isn't full of happy moments, as you learned when you got a letter containing melancholic news. Your grandfather had passed away, which made you tear up as you read the note. You had loved him, dearly. You could remember visiting him when you were very young, helping him, hanging out with his animals, him reading you bedtime stories when you'd struggle to fall asleep. At least he had passed away peacefully in his sleep.

When you gained your composure, the letter revealed to you that he had left his farm to you, his favorite grandchild. The one that never complained about the work, the one who appreciated what nature could give, the one who was always excited to visit.

It was bittersweet. You were planning on getting a farm of your own soon, and now you got one. Oh how you wished it was under different circumstances.

Eventually, after you had your chance to mourn and move on from your grief, you packed up your things and moved to his humble abode in the beautiful Stardew Valley.

The sight of the old farmhouse broke your heart. It looked like the little guest home you and your siblings would stay in had been demolished and the fields that once held flourishing crops and animals were now overgrown with foliage. Upon entering what was once your grandfather's abode, you find it almost completely bare.

A rush of memories from your childhood flooded your mind. You could almost hear the ghost of those moments long past. You think back to the plot's condition and how it most likely became the state it was because of your grandfather's debilitating health. It almost made you misty eyed again.

No, your grandfather wouldn't want you to feel so sorrowful. He would want you to make new memories, now.

And that was just what you were going to do.

On top of being optimistic and free-spirited, you were a very determined person. You weren't going to just sit here feeling miserable. You were going to hit the ground running with getting this farm back to its former glory.

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

Your friendliness made it easy for the other villagers to get along with you. Well...most of them. While you spent your first year or so just focusing on repairing your new home, you began to slow down on the renovations now that it looked almost like how it used to. Nowadays you were spending more time on leisurely activities and bonding with the friendly townsfolk.

Of course, your favorite activities always involved the outdoors, and you found yourself spending more time on the beach or in the woods.

That was where you are, now, with trees surrounding you and birds singing above. You were near the mountains. You always wanted to see them as soon as someone told you about them. There was a rumor that there was a cave in the mountains that held an old mine that mysteriously shut down. The cave was also the home of beautiful crystals and gemstones.

The thought has you curious, and you should be at its entrance right...about....

A chill runs down your spin as you are face to face with the large, dark opening of the cave. You feel frozen on the spot, like the shadows had hypnotized you. If you strained your ears enough you could swear the opening was calling to you.

You shake your head, slightly breaking the spell that the dim entrance casted on you. You look around and are met with what looks to be an outpost to your right. You move to check it out, but stop when you notice a closed sign.

You don't know if you wanted to go into the cave. Who knows what dangers were in there. Not to mention the darkness. Then again, if the cave was so dangerous, why wasn't it blocked off. The Community Center was dilapidated and blocked off to the villagers, so why wasn't this?

'How bad could it be?' you thought. 'I'll just explore around a little bit and leave.'

So you passed through the entrance, a chill consuming your body at the drop in temperature. It was relatively dark, so you turned on the flashlight on your phone. Even though you didn't see any sparkling treasures, it still was cool. You had never entered a cave before, so everything fascinated you.

You were going to turn around, until you found the "mine" part of the cave. A ladder that was descending into the Earth now faced you. Like with the entrance, it called to you. You look around, then at your phone. It was at 78%. That should be enough.

'I won't stray from the ladder,' you thought.

And so your curiosity made you climb downwards.

To your surprise, there were lit lanterns on the walls of the cave. That's odd. If this cave is abandoned, why are there ignited lanterns? This was another thing that told you that these caverns couldn't be that dangerous.

Right?

Either way, you still explored around, even when you would hear strange noises. You thought they were just phantom noises. Noises of past events that still lingered, just like when you first moved into your grandfather's old farm house.

Eventually, you began to get bored. The bland, brown walls quickly lost the charm they had when you first entered.

As you moved to head back though, you felt a sharp pain in your ankle. You let out a pained shriek and jumped out of the way. You looked at the dirt floor and thought you could see something moving around in the dirt. You look down at your leg, and saw a shallow, but still bloody laceration. You let out a shaky breath.

You should probably leave.

You move back to the ladder, this time at a bit of a faster pace. You didn't know what cut you, but you needed to patch it up in case it got infected.

Just then though, you heard a weird squelching noise behind you. You slowly turn your head and are met with...a green jelly...thingy?

You didn't know what you were looking at. How could you? You had never seen a bouncing, green jelly ball before. Not to mention the weird but cutesy face it had.

You analyze the...creature as it slowly bounced towards you. You don't move, until a bit of the green slime splashes onto your legs. You let out another shriek of pain. It felt like you had acid spat on you.

Okay, you definitely had to leave now!

You turned and broke into a sprint towards where the ladder was, trying to run faster when you heard even more squelching noises and shuffling in the dirt under your feet.

Once you got to the ladder, you practically scrambled up it as quickly as you could. When you got to the top, you just laid on the dirt floor of the cave's entrance. Your breathing was frantic and you tried to get it under control.

"What the hell?"

Your head shot up at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Standing in front of you was an old man whose face was illuminated by a torch he was holding. You felt frozen on the spot and struggled to find words for the situation, then again your hyperventilating was making it difficult. His confusion and annoyance quickly turned to be more sympathetic, and he slowly knelt down.

"Hey...hey, it's okay, kid," he held his hand out to help lift you to your feet. You took it, finally starting to breathe like a normal person. "There you go. Just hang on and follow me out."

You did just that, trying to keep up with the older man despite your injuries, as the light of the outdoors got closer and closer.

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

Of course, the day that Marlon decided to go get some groceries for him and Gil, the new farmer he had heard so much about decided to do some cave exploring. As soon as he got back, Gil had told him that he thought he saw someone unknown wander into the caves, but didn't know if it was real or just a dream. Frustrated that he would have to go save a curious idiot or fetch a body if he could, he grabbed his sword and ran as fast as his bad leg would allow him.

Luckily, you were alive, but clearly shaken up after obviously having explored the first level or levels of the cave. He wanted to berate you, but after seeing your terrified face, he had softened up.

Now you both were standing in the warm sunlight, and Marlon got a good look at your injuries. He asks you what happened, and you explain what you experienced to the best of your abilities. You truly were utterly clueless about monsters, telling him that you really weren't from here.

"Yep, sounds like a slime and a duggy. You're lucky you stopped exploring when you did. The deeper you go, the more dangerous the creatures get," he explains.

"I...w-what?" you truly couldn't wrap your head around anything that was being explained to you. Marlon just shook his head.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Your injuries aren't severe. Come on, let's get you patched up," he turns and walks into the outpost by the cave.

You follow him, and notice that the closed sign had been flipped to open. The interior of what you were told was the Adventurer's Guild was cozy, with a warm fire going. Apparently cozy enough for an old man in a rocking chair to nap by.

Marlon tells you to sit in a stool by the front desk, while he walks behind it to look for a first aid kit. Once he retrieves it, he moves back to you and kneels down to treat your injuries.

"You got a name, kid?" he asks while bandaging the laceration on your leg.

You introduce yourself, telling him your name and how you moved to Pelican Town. Now in better lighting and being much calmer now, you got a better look at the old man patching you up. He was rugged, with a few small scars on his hands and face, facial hair, and most notably, an eyepatch. You had to admit, he was handsome despite his age. In fact, you would say that maybe his age added to his attractiveness.

"What about you, stranger?" you ask after explaining yourself.

"Marlon," he answers, simply. Funny, considering how you told him your whole life story. Looks like you're going to have to be an interviewer.

"How come you know so much about the mines?"

"Used to explore them," once again keeping his answer short.

"Why?"

"Research."

"Research on what?"

"What do you think? Monsters, minerals, anything you can find. Lots of valuable things within those caverns."

You were surprised at the in-depth answer. Still, you'll take it. You decide to ask one more question.

"Who's he?" you point to the old man sleeping in the rocking chair.

"Gil," Marlon finishes up with patching your leg. Okay, looks like you were going to have to ask another question.

"How do you know him?"

"He was my research partner," he stands up from his spot on the floor. "So was your grandfather."

Your eyes widen.

"What?"

"Ever since the mines closed, Gil, your grandfather, and myself wanted to know why," he puts the first aid kit back.

"I see...," you think. Your grandfather loved telling you stories, but he never mentioned anything about this. How odd.

"Here."

You look up and are taken aback by what Marlon is holding towards you.

It is an old, weathered sword.

"What-?"

"Just in case," he explains. "If you ever wanna learn a bit about self defense, come on by. You'll need it if you decide to go into the mines again."

You hesitantly take the weapon.

"Believe me, I'll never go back into those mines ever," you let out a shaky laugh. "But thanks for the offer."

Marlon nods to you and you bid him farewell, leaving the Adventurer's Guild with your new weapon. Despite it being the first sword you ever held, it felt natural wielding it.

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

Marlon knew you would be back. If you were anything like your grandfather, then you would be curious about what the mines held and would want to learn how to survive.

And he was right.

It was only three days after your attack that you wanted to explore the mines once more. You wanted to know just what you'd find in those caverns and more about your grandfather's involvement with them.

You arrive at the door of the Adventurer's Guild around noon, with your old sword in hand. You made sure that the sign out front said open. You enter but are met with an empty front desk.

"Well I'll be, so you are real," you turn your head to Gil, still in his rocking chair but now awake and writing something in a booklet.

"Oh Hi! I'm Y/N," you greet.

"I know. Marlon told me about you, but it's nice to meet you properly," he gives you a warm smile, which you return.

"It is. Um, do you know where Marlon is?"

"Ah, that's right. You wanna learn a bit of fighting?" he asks, and you nod. "Yep, that's what I thought. There's a path in the back. Just follow it and you'll meet him."

"Okay, thank you, Gil!" you chirp before turning to leave.

"Mhm, good luck," he calls and returns back to his booklet.

Upon finding the path, you follow it. It's narrow , with few twists and turns, and leads you to a clearing. The open space is set up with training dummies, targets, and chests.

You see Marlon next to a sword stand that holds blades of different sizes and conditions. He picks one up, and swings it experimentally. You make your way towards him, but step on something that makes a loud crunching noise.

The old man quickly swivels on his feet, holding the blade towards you, causing you to jump back. When his eyes lock with yours, he lets out a sigh of relief and lowers his weapon.

"First lesson, kid: never sneak up on your allies," he scolds.

"Sorry," you mutter, sheepishly.

"Yes, well...now you know," he clears his throat. "It's good that you're making mistakes here instead of within the mines."

He holds his hand out for you to shake. It serves as a proper greeting at your arrival. You take it, feeling your brief embarrassment melt away.

"My grandfather always told me that making mistakes is good," you explain. "That mistakes are lessons to learn from."

"In most situations, yes," Marlon nods. That was something he always would say if he remembered correctly. "But in those mines, your mistakes can be fatal."

His voice is serious, making sure that you understand how dire your errors could be.

"I know," you nod, thinking back to your now healed up injuries.

"Good," he then walks towards a chest, and you follow close behind. "Now, then, let's get started."

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

You were only taught the basics of self defense and fighting. As such, you were awkward with simple swings and dodges, making numerous mistakes and learning how to correct them.

Marlon was a stern teacher, but it made sense why he was so strict. You had to know that your blunders could get you killed. He wasn't always so serious though, as he made sure to praise you on your improvements.

Now you were both walking back to the Adventurer's Guild. You felt a bit exhausted but proud of yourself. Back where you lived, you never had to worry about self defense or, you know, literal monsters, but doing something new made you feel good.

"Not bad for your first day, kid," Marlon states. "You aren't ready for the mines quite yet, but you'll get there in no time."

"Believe me, I'm as shocked as you. It's odd how natural swinging this sword feels now," you look down at your weapon. Sure it wasn't pristine and was old, but you liked it in a way you couldn't explain.

"I'm not shocked at all," he gives you a shadow of a smile. "It's in your blood."

This was the closest thing to a smile that the old man had given you, which causes you to beam.

"I guess it is, huh?" you think.

"It may help that you're wielding your grandfather's sword, too."

You quickly freeze up at that.

"Wait, what? Really?" you ask eagerly.

"Of course," he nods, smirking at your reaction. "It was used well in his hands, and now it will be used well in your own."

"Wow," you look back down at the sword in your hands. Perhaps that was why it felt so nice to wield. "Thank you."

Marlon nods, and continues to walk forwards. With this new tidbit of information, you had to know one thing.

"So when's our next lesson?"

"Whenever you're ready, Y/N. Although, I would recommend resting up a bit beforehand."

You nod. Truth be told, you wanted your next lesson to be as soon as possible.

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

Your skills had improved greatly. Ever since you stumbled through the basics, you quickly got the hang of fighting. As such, you started exploring the mines deeper and deeper, meeting with Marlon and Gil afterwards when you were curious about a monster you fought or a gem you collected.

You didn't really need to attend lessons with Marlon as often, but you enjoyed seeing him. Well, you enjoyed seeing Gil too, but this was different.

Not only was he attractive for his age, but the fact that Marlon was still an admirable fighter despite the bad leg made you rethink your taste in men.

You never thought you'd be smitten with a man so much older than you. You tried to ignore your crush on him, as you felt a bit disgusted with yourself. There was no way he could feel the same way for you. He probably viewed you as a surrogate grandchild or something like that.

Still, you tried to hang out with him as often as you could, and you always try to make him proud as you loved his praise. You also enjoyed making his day. At first glance one would think that Marlon was the stereotypical grumpy old man, and if you saw him walking around Pelican Town you would think that you were right.

But truth be told, he could be soft when he wanted to be, and you felt good to know that you were one of the few people he showed this side of himself towards.

That's why even now, despite being so under the weather, you still made your way to the Adventurer's Guild. There was a bug that was going around. Nothing too serious, it was just something that made you feel a bit feverish. You feel hot, but need to attend your lesson with Marlon.

Unfortunately for you, he notices just how ill you look as soon as you enter the clearing.

"Yoba, Y/N, you don't look so good," he remarks. He places a hand on your forehead and feels how you're burning up. "Are you sick?"

"What? N-No, I'm fine...I'm fine...,"you begin to sway, your eyes becoming heavy, and your legs give out underneath you.

Marlon quickly throws his arms around you to keep you from hitting the ground. He calls your name, worried. Even the simple walk from your farm to here was too much for you.

"Goddamn it," he mutters. This wasn't going to be pleasant. He picks up your limp body and carries it back to the Adventurer's Guild, despite his bad leg's protests.

Once he gets back, Gil instantly jumps from his chair.

"Marlon, what happened?" he follows him into the back room as he lays you down on the bottom bunk bed.

"They just fainted, alright? Look, go find a wet cloth, they're burning up," he commands, sitting down on the bed to rub his leg. Gil quickly leaves to do as he is told, returning as fast as possible with a soaked rag.

Marlon takes it and lays it over your forehead, before just looking down at your unconscious form.

"It's that damn flu going around. May need some medicine," he mumbles.

"Do...do you want me to go get it?" Gil asks. Typically Marlon went out into town to buy things, but with all the pressure put on his bad leg and knowing how protective he was over you, Gil knew he would have to be the one to go out.

"Yes," Marlon answers, still not looking up from you. And with that, Gil left the Adventurer's Guild after who knows how long.

Even after his leg started feeling better, Marlon still didn't leave your side. He didn't want to. He was never one to get worried about things, but this was different.

Perhaps it was because you were the first friend he had since Gil, or maybe it was because you were the grandchild of an old friend of his that was now gone. Hell, it could've been a combination of both. All he knew though, was that he wanted you to be okay.

He didn't even realize it, but he was now gently stroking your hair, occasionally brushing strands out of your face.

Eventually, you begin to stir, causing Marlon to realize what he was doing and pulling his hand away. Your eyes flutter open, blinking a few times as you wait for your vision to come back.

"Marlon...?" you mumble, realizing you are laying down on a bed and in an unfamiliar room. "Where am I?"

"The Adventurer's Guild. Now answer my question. What the hell were you thinking?" he tries to not come off as cross with you.

"I-I'm sorry...I promised to show up...I promised," you trail off as your delirious mind tries to come up with an explanation. The old man just shakes his head.

"I always told you, Y/N," he runs a hand through his white hair. "I always told you how important resting up is. You don't push yourself unless you are 100% okay."

"I know...I know...," your hand raises up to the wet cloth on your forehead, and run your fingers over it. Did he get you this? More importantly, did he carry you all the way here? How long were you out? Did...did he stay by your side this whole time? These questions make your heart flutter a bit.

Marlon just sighs, before removing the wet rag to feel your forehead. You feel much cooler now, which is good.

"How do you feel?" he asks.

"Better, I think," you reply. You no longer felt run down and your fever induced delirium was starting to fade.

"Good," he holds the damp cloth in his hands and doesn't move. It made him feel a bit awkward, which he never felt before. He still didn't want to leave your side, even though he knew he probably should.

"Marlon?" you wait for him to turn his head towards you. "How long was I out?"

"30 minutes I think."

"Did you...did you stay with me that whole time?"

"Yes, I had to," your eyes widen at that, which causes him to quickly add on to his statement. "My leg hurt after carrying you here."

"You carried me?" you are unable to hide the smile forming on your face.

"I...," Marlon quickly turns his head as he can feel his cheeks heating up, especially at your beautiful smile. "I...I couldn't just leave you there."

You sit up and move to the edge of the bed so you are now sitting next to him.

"Thank you, Marlon," with the sliver of delirium left in your mind, you lean over and place a kiss on his cheek. "That was very sweet of you."

The old man freezes up, and a shade of pink breaks out across his face. He looks at you and sees you still beaming up at him, but a bit sheepish now.

"You're um," he clears his throat. "You're welcome."

He slowly takes your hand into his and squeezes it, giving you a small smile. Well, this was a new feeling he was experiencing. He felt so...light? No, that couldn't have been the right word. That didn't matter though. All he knew was that he felt good. You made him feel good. It was like your kiss had made his mind fuzzy.

"I'm back!" Gil calls as he enters the Adventurer's Guild. Startled, Marlon lets go of your hand and moves away from you. You feel a bit hurt, until Gil enters the back room and smiles at you.

"Y/N, you're okay!"

You can't help but giggle at that.

"Yeah, I'm fine, now," you chirp, before noticing a bag in his hand. "What's that?"

"Oh, Marlon told me to go get you some medicine. Sorry it took me so long. I haven't been into town in a while," he rubs the back of his neck nervously.

"Aw, really?" you ask, turning to look at the old man sitting next to you, who was now trying to hide his face once more.

"Yeah, but uh, since you're okay now," Gil reaches into the bag to pull out your medicine. "Do you still want it?"

"Of course. I'll probably get sick again, you know," you quip, walking over to him to take it. "Thank you, Gil."

He beams at you and nods, until his attention turns to his friend.

"You okay, Marlon?" noticing his flushed face.

"Oh, I think he might've caught what I have," you add quickly, before handing your medicine back to Gil. "He might need it more than me."

"Ah, I see," he says, completely oblivious to how fast you had responded. "Do you need me to walk you home?"

"No, I'll be fine," you chirp. "You just stay here and make sure Marlon gets some rest, okay?"

"You got it! Take care, Y/N!"

"Yep! See you, Gil! Get well soon, Marlon!" you wink at him while Gil is distracted. The old man couldn't help but smirk back.

"Yeah...right."

You leave with your spirits high, completely forgetting your ailment. After all, how could you feel ill? You had shoot your shot with Marlon, and scored. Under normal circumstances, you would've felt embarrassed, but seeing him react positively to your kiss melted it away.

Your lessons with him were probably going to be a bit more interesting now.

#stardew valley #stardew valley x reader #sdv marlon #sdv marlon x reader #x reader #rita writes

[teyvathandymenclub]

Midnight Dance - Kamisato Ayato (P.2)

Story: You thought that you would not see him again. But he has different plans.

Characters: Kamisato Ayato

TW: N/A. It is just looong :P

In case you have not read it, you can find P.1 - HERE.

Soft rays of the morning sun peak through your window as you try to find a comfortable position. You do not want to go to work, even though it is going to be for the last time. All eyes will be on you, and there is nothing that you dislike more. You would love to sleep in, but it is time to get ready.

“One last time.” You sigh as you try to jump over one of the many boxes that you packed last night.

But before you could even pour yourself a cup of water, a light knock on the door interrupts your morning.

“Hello, Miss.” A young man that took you home from the Kamisato event greets you with a bright smile. Maybe too bright for such an early hour. “My master asked me to deliver you a little surprise. He hopes that it finds you well and brings you some joy for your last day at work.”

“A surprise? Oh, thank you. What is it?” You frown as you try to guess what it possibly can be as he hands you a wide box. You spot a cream-colored envelope stuck under a beautiful silk ribbon tastefully wrapped around the mystery surprise.

“I will let you find out by yourself.”

With that, he smiles at you one last time and leaves, before you can ask him how on earth Ayato knows about what is happening in your life. Many nights have passed since you met with him. Tall, well-mannered, and charismatic man that you thought existed only in fairy tales. You felt like a princess. Even though it was only for one night. And then, nothing. No letter, not even one word. Now you are holding a gift from him. You don't know if you are more excited to find out what is in the box or simply because now you know that he didn't forget about you. You were not able to stop thinking about him. Ayato brought more excitement into your life in one night than you ever felt in your whole life. You were always busy helping people live their dreams, and there was just no time left for your needs. But that night, you felt like an only woman under the stars. With Ayato´s full attention. He didn't even have to do anything, standing by his side felt… Different. Special. 

You can't resist anymore and reach for the envelope.

Dear Y/N. 

I have heard you have decided to change your current employment and move. 

So many big changes all at once. One could say that you are trying to change your life. 

I would love to help you with that if you let me.

Your hands start shaking and your heart feels like jumping out of your chest. You are flattered, but how does he know all of this? You are confused, your head is spinning, but you cannot stop reading.

It would be my pleasure if you could spare some time and spend it with me tonight.

To make it as easy as possible, all you need to do is to let my dear friend take you to me. 

I have picked a little gift that, in my humble opinion, would compliment your beauty just perfectly. 

Eight in the evening. Hope to see you.

Yours Kamisato Ayato.

You hastily open the box where you find the most dreamy dress you have ever seen. The blue fabric is so light and airy it almost looks like a cloud. No, more like an ocean. Hundreds of small silver crystals are sewn in so precisely that they almost perfectly mimic ocean waves in the summer sun. You cannot help yourself and immediately try them on. The dress fits you perfectly. Does Ayato remember your size? You don't think about it too much, because you are mesmerized by your reflection in the mirror. You feel like a princess while twirling in the long skirt as sleeves flow around you. Now you own two of the most beautiful dresses and only thanks to a man that you barely know.

You could not stop thinking about him for the whole day. No matter what was going on around you at work, your head was full of ideas for styling your hair in the best way possible to compliment the beautiful neckline of the dress. What shoes to wear, what purse to take? You wanted to impress him, show him that he did the right thing to invite you to meet him. But… What does he want? Why all of a sudden so much attention? You tried to push these questions out of your mind. At least, for now.

“Here we are!” Thoma stops in front of an elegant and very detailed iron gate.

It took you only a few minutes to walk here after he picked you up. 

“What a beautiful place. We are so close to my home and I didn't even know a place like this exists.” You say without taking your eyes off from your view. 

The small mountain behind a decorative gate is wrapped in soft golden rays of the slowly setting sun standing tall right in front of you. Tens, maybe even hundreds of lanterns line the curling path leading high up. You have to squint to see it properly, but after a moment, you realize that a spacious gazebo sits right on the top of the mountain like a crown.

“We are currently on private property and not many people have visited this place.” Says a familiar voice right behind you.

“Ayato!” You almost jump around his neck out of pure happiness, but you quickly compose yourself. There are too many guards around you and they might think that you are crazy.

Ayato´s face immediately brightens up. Without a word, he takes your hand and looks you right in the eyes as place a gentle kiss on the back of your hand.

“Would you walk with me?” Ayato asks after he thanks Thoma for his help. “I hope you have comfortable shoes, otherwise I would have to take you in my hands.”

“Of course.” You smile with a burning blush on your cheeks.

With him by your side, you take a short walk to the top of the mountain. You barely said a word. Feeling his body next to yours, his presence, and also his perfume, that you remember so well, was more than enough to make you happy. You felt content and hoped that Ayato felt the same way.

After a few minutes, you approach your destination. Gazebo sits almost on the edge of the mountain offering a breathtaking view of the ocean. Two men synchronously open flowing curtains on the gazebo and let you both in. Sun is almost gone as you sit at the wooden table with detailed carving all over it. A small group of staff starts to serve you your first meal while others light lanterns around you so you do not dine in the dark. Busy with many different dishes you do not have much time to talk. Your interaction boils to a simple, but heartfelt smile, light touches of your hands whenever you reach for food or a glass. As you finish your last course, you lean back to make yourself more comfortable. The Meals were delicious, but filling and in an ideal scenario, you would take a quick nap. Instead, you look at Ayato. He is looking right at you with a warm smile that radiates calmness and happiness. He reaches for your hand and holds it for some time while caressing the back of your hand with his thumb. Cicadas are singing their songs and waves are loudly washing the shores, but all you can hear is your blood rushing through your veins as your heart starts beating faster.

“Come with me.” Ayato finally says after a while. 

Without letting your hand go, he stands up and helps you to do the same. The sun is gone and your only source of light are the lanterns along the path. As you go down the mountain, your dress flows in the warm summer breeze that makes nearby trees dance in a monotone movement. 

“How do you feel?” Ayato asks quietly.

“Full, but very nice. Thank you.” 

Ayato can not help and laughs. You are pleased to see him like this.

“Is that a cave?” You ask when he stops at the small hidden beach under the mountain with a barely visible entrance in the rock.

“A small lagoon, but yes. It is my safe place. Whenever I am overwhelmed with my duties, I come here. To meditate and compose myself. I wanted to show it to you because your life is probably exactly like that at the moment.”

“You are right. I meant to ask you… You know that I quit my job and I am moving. How? And… Why?”

“I have been keeping an eye on you. I know it is not a common practice. But it is part of my life…Keep an eye on people, that are important to me. I am sorry if it changed how you see me.”

“It has been two months since we last saw each other,” you argue.

“Yes, my dear. You remember correctly. I was thinking about you day and night. I couldn't get you out of my mind. I have seen many beautiful women on many of my travels, but for some reason, I have grown unexpectedly so fond of you… This has never happened to me.”

“You are flattering me, but I am afraid that I still do not understand why we are here.” you sight. “We have not seen each other for so long. And suddenly you invite me to a beautiful dinner after you never talked to me. And now you confessed to spying on me.”

“I am not proud of this approach, trust me. But before I was able to take further steps I had to take care of some not-so-pleasant business before I could even think about pursuing you.”

“Why are you talking to me in riddles?” 

“Here, come with me.” Ayato offers you his hand and takes you to the entrance of the lagoon. 

You watch him as he starts to take his shoes and cape off. You do not know what to do, because if you strip your dress you would be naked. Ayato helps you without a word to take off your shoes as well and slowly takes you into the water.

“I can not. Swimming in clothes is not safe, especially in this kind of dress.” you stop to talk some sense into him.

“I will keep an eye on you like on the most precious treasure in the world. Do you trust me?”

Without a word, you lightly nod telling yourself that you are making a big mistake.

Slowly, one step at a time you go deeper and deeper into the water. Once the water gets too deep for you to reach the ground, you look at him and after his encouraging smile, you start swimming into the darkness of the cave.

After what feels like an eternity you stop. “I do not think I can go further. I am scared.”

“That is ok. Come to me. We are here.” 

Ayato´s voice fills you with calmness. As you swim closer to him, he takes you in his embrace.

“One hand here, other one here,” he says as you wrap your hands around his neck.

Same thing with your legs wrapped around his waist. 

“Perfect.” Ayato smiles, you can hear it in his voice.

“I do not mean to sound rude or ungrateful, but this would be one of the most romantic moments of my life if I could at least see in your face.”

After a moment or two of him not telling a single word, you get nervous. Did you just insult him in some way?

“I was just joking…”

“Shhhh.” Ayato gently silences you.

And then it happened. The water under you starts slowly moving.

“No! Something is moving! Please…” you scream scared to death.

“It's ok. I am here.” Ayato calms you down and rests one of his hands on the back of your neck. 

The water current gets a little faster as bubbles start to rise and tickle your bare skin. You look down and spot a soft light rising to the surface. Ayato wraps you closer to him as he feels your body tremble a little bit.

“You said you wanted to see me,” he whispers.

“Ayato? Is it you? Are you doing this?”

He lets you without an answer so you keep watching the underwater spectacle. Light gets closer and more prominent. Angelfish. The light is coming from dozens of fish swimming under you. Water keeps dancing around you and waves make your dress flow and sparkle. You are mesmerized.

“I feel like a mermaid.” you smile and laugh. You let yourself loose to see your hands and legs flowing with waves in this water dance.

“No, my dear.” Ayato pulls you back to him. “You are a goddess. And all mine.”

With that, he kisses you. One hand on your lower back and the other on the back of your head, 

“This neck of yours I have been admiring the whole night. With your hair put up like this, I feel it has been begging me to kiss it.”

Your body freezes even though it feels like it is boiling. His lips do not leave out one inch of your skin. From your collarbone to your jaw. From your jaw to your lips. Ayato takes your chin and raises it so you can reach him too. The more you feel him on your lips the more you want him.

“I can't.” he suddenly pulls away.

“What's wrong?”

“I can not get enough of you. Just imagine… I am lost in a desert and you are my water.” Ayato sights. “I thought that one kiss will be enough for me until our next time together. But…”

“What about me? I can not let you leave me for months again.”

“Trust me, I would have you by my side night and day if it would be this simple.”

Before you can object, loud noises from outside interrupts you.

“We need to go. Immediately.” Ayato starts swimming as fast as he possibly can while holding you.

When you finally get out, Ayato´s soldiers are gathered near the beach. He wraps you in his coat and heads to them to gather information about what is going on.

“What happened?” you get to Ayato after most of his soldiers left.

“I just found out that we have been accompanied the whole night by a spy of a rivaling clan.” Ayato frowns. “I can not leave you alone anymore. They would kill you.”

#genshin impact #genshin #impact #fanfic #fanfiction #ayato #kamisato ayato #ayato x reader #kamisato ayato x reader #genshin x reader

[sparxwrites]

scar having "This is your land, where you are the author of your own story" in his theme park announcement is standing out so strongly to me. you've infected me with meta brainrot

YEAH the noise i made when he was like "look at my announcement" and started fucking talking about stories was. not human. mr goodtimes thank you for feeding a poor humble fic writer's lust for narrative worship. it's appreciated.

(but Yes pls join me in the scar-and-stories meta brainrot pit. it's dark down here, but it's pretty comfy. i have marshmallows. and my leg in this bear trap that means i can never leave, but don't worry about that. ignore it. focus on the marshmallows.)

real talk, the fun thing about the scar-and-stories theme i keep banging away at is that like...

one, c!scar is canonically a conman / confidence trickster / high pressure salesman / charming asshole who always gets what he wants, which means he does legitimately constantly use weaponised stories, and it's only a tiny nudge sideways to make that an occult / spiritual / world-build-y thing.

two, i personally have a lot of fun weird semi-religious opinions about stories, and this is a very cathartic way of working out what exactly those feelings are, and also propaganda.

but three, cc!scar - perhaps best out of everyone on the server, other than maybe bdubs, and maybe joe but i think tbh joe is just Being Weird rather than doing this on purpose - understands how storytelling works.

we see this constantly. like, yes, mcc has improved his combat skills, but it's very very obvious that he plays up being an imcompetent klutz. other than when the narrative allows him to do otherwise. which is why, now, at the moment, he's suddenly very good with a bow - yes, because he's gotten good with it bc mcc, but mostly because it's funny and serves the story that ren has initiated. and, out of all the hermits, he's perhaps the most responsive to changing what or who he is in response to the demands of the story, without it ever feeling ooc or like it's some dramatic change. just... scar is good with a bow now because it's funny in the context of the current story for him to be good, and he'll stop being good with with (or at least stop doing pvp) when it stops being funny. and at no point will this feel incoherent, or jarring, because he is very good with this.

(and, here, i start blurring the c! vs cc! lines, because when we're talking about acting skills or style, there's an inherent ambiguity there. is c!scar or cc!scar a good actor and storyteller? yes.)

crucially, though, this shape-shifting, story-shaping skill scar has - where he adapts seamlessly to and merges into the story being told, even if he's not the one that started telling it - means that he can ensnare other people in stories too. we all know it from third life, with the whole "give me your armour and i'll give you friendship points" where he dangles a yes and opportunity in front of the other ccs that is too fun for them to pass up and so manages to snag decent armour (despite grian behind him the whole time yelling that they shouldn't listen and it's a bad deal). but he's doing it with ren and bdubs this season, too, just... never saying no, but trapping them within the conceits of the story they themselves are telling to get what he wants (i.e. not having to give up his shop). and it's very well done. he's very good at this! very, very good. and it's done deliberately enough he clearly knows what he's doing, he knows he's playing people-

and then we tangle back into c!scar as a conman, and a confidence trickster, and a charming asshole who always gets what he wants. and how some of that, part of that, a large part of that, is because cc!scar (and, by extension, c!scar) is very good with stories.

#xelidonia #ask #sparx chats #hermits crafting #life smp tag #meta #this was not supposed to be meta #but here we are i guess!!!!!!

[chocolvte]

GOT7 REACTION — what the members would be like as older brothers

REQUEST — Hi, so if it's cool with you could you do a headcanon about what got7 would be like as older brothers?

LISTEN TO — don quixote by seventeen

MARK

facetimes you like once every three months but always answers you when you call him

seems like the type to text you “how do i do xyz” and it’s like the simplest shit ever but he’s simply a boomer and gets confused aww (KIDDING)

gets super pissed when you tell him about any friend drama

and he’s always on your side, no matter what

honestly very sweet to you. medium forgets you exist for a little while but he treats you very well otherwise LOL

「 jaebeom 」

why do i have the feeling y’all had beef when you were younger??

like he’d definitely have bullied you as kids

pulling the ‘i’m older so you have to do what i say!!!’ card all the time

but as you both got older and wiser things got way better between you and now you’re his little bestie

he takes you everywhere with him and you have the same sense of humor so you have lots of inside jokes. you’re even friends with lots of his friends. everyone jokes that they like you more

「 jinyoung 」

the most PROTECTIVE older brother ever

feels the need to vet everyone around you for whatever reason. and it’s always something stupid too like after driving y’all somewhere he’d be like: nah they didn’t pass the vibe check. they didn’t know that one song i played 😒😒

and if you wanted to start dating???

goodbye

he’d treat everyone you brought over as if they were the sketchiest person ever. acts way tougher than he is and definitely would be passive aggressive until they won him over

but also he always pays for your dinner and he always wants to know what’s going on with you

「 jackson 」

jackson has the chillest older brother energy in my humble opinion

like i think he would definitely be protective of you and your energy. he never wants to hear that anyone has done you dirty

that’s when he’d get aggressive but if not then he thinks your life is your business

but also he wants to know EVERYTHING. like mf is NOSY bahaha but he wants to seem like he doesn’t care too much

「 youngjae 」

jae definitely has that shows up in your room, touches three things, then walks out and leaves the door open brother energy

never communicates his feelings directly

but he’d peel your perilla leaves for you, cut your food into bite size pieces, tie your shoes for you if your hands are full, take off your makeup if you come home too drunk to do your skincare

basically acts of service is his love language

he never wants to say that he loves you because he thinks that’s weird but he still thinks you’re the cutest younger sibling ever

「 bambam 」

the type to sit with you while you’re getting ready and just play different songs and gossip with you. then proceeds to say that he helped LMAO

always takes your pictures for you. and he’s so well trained. he always knows the right angles

probably would try to date one of your friends but he’d give it a rest if you really get angry and yell at him about it

but also all of your friends would like him because he’s so easy to hang out with and somehow he’s just always around

also it’s giving: don’t worry kiddo. this one’s on me.

but only after he pretends not to have his wallet on him or something 💀

「 yugyeom 」

like a silent little bodyguard

he’d be the type to unknowingly be a really scary older brother to everyone else, but to you he’s just this little softy

as kids he always read you bedtime stories and got you ready for school in the morning

low key gets emotional that you’re growing up

i think you guys would just be super close and have that relationship that everyone wishes they had with their sibling

but when you fight you FIGHT. like you rarely argue over stupid things so if y’all are beefing it’s definitely over something major

#got7 #got7 reactions #got7 imagines #got7 x reader #got7 fluff #got7 headcanons #got7 jb #jaebeom #jackson want #yugyeom #bambam #youngjae #mark tuan #park jinyoung

[merrilark]

I don't want to sound like I'm hating on something before it's even had a chance to be released, but if the news is true, there's something a little amusing about the LA!A:TLA show supposedly watering down Sokka's arc because his sexism in the OG show "was iffy". A:TLA, the show with one of the most widely loved redemption arcs... The show most people think of when they think "well-written redemption arc"...

Like... are we going to water down Zuko, then, too? Or does he get a pass at being crappy because he's a "villain", while Sokka, a "hero", isn't allowed to be a little dislikable?

I'm too zonked today to put my thoughts together eloquently, sorry, but something about only allowing "bad" characters the room to do bad things and expecting them to grow, while assuming "good" characters must always be good and never make mistakes because duh, they're the GOOD guys seems... really ironic for a show that constantly pushed the thought that there is good and evil in everything, and what might look like acts of heroism to one person may look like acts of villainy to another. Villains will often see themselves as the heroes of their own story because they're doing what they believe is right according to their environment or circumstance. No one is perfect and everyone has the capability to evolve and change for the better (or the worst). Etc. etc.

Obviously Sokka's sexism is nothing compared to the harm Zuko does, but that makes the possible watering down of Sokka's arc worse, in my opinion. It creates this idea that badness is exclusive to identifiably "bad" people and that "good" people will always be right and just, and are above being influenced into bad ideas or beliefs. But that's just not true! Zuko and Sokka are both products of the places they came from, the culture they grew up in, and the trauma they endured. Sokka grew up in a tribe that had at least some heavy focus on traditional gender roles, enough that all the men were expected to go to war and the boys, like Sokka, left to defend the tribe. Being the oldest boy and carrying around the horror of losing his mother and potentially his father to the threat of the conquesting Fire Nation, it's no wonder Sokka carries some sexist notions. He's a young teen who feels he has to shoulder the weight of protecting the entire Southern Water Tribe alone. I'm shocked he's not more sexist, actually, because it's also a matter of pride, duty, and promise for him to protect the women and children around him. It makes just as much sense that he would believe in the rigidity of gender roles as much as Zuko, also a teen, also burdened by the weight his father placed on him, believes that his quest for finding the Avatar is important. Honor is important to both of them, because it's really all either of them has or have known.

But even if Sokka's sexism wasn't rooted in something as dramatic as his mother dying in a Fire Nation attack or all the other men going off to war, getting to see him grow through his experiences with Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors is so satisfying despite how quick it is. It's fun to see characters like Sokka get a little humbled, it's fun to see them change and grow and become more likable, because that's real.

Anyway. That's a lot of words for really just trying to say that I think "good" characters should be allowed flaws just like "bad" characters, because in the end, everyone is a person and what is A:TLA about if not the power of nuture vs. nature, and the ability to choose your own path?

#again too early to say. might be judging too quickly but that made me grimace. #sokka isn't even that bad in the og! i feel like if you watered him down more he'd just not be sexist at all lol #why must heroes be perfect? let them be jerks. let me dislike them. #media criticism #media criticism for ts #media crit for ts #merri grumbles

[sharpth1ng]

do you know if theres a book behind scream? like most movies theres a book that comes first, and then its turned into a movie. if so im very interested in buying it

- ☔️

Nope, no book! Scream has always been a movie.

It had it’s humble beginnings with the venerable Kevin Williamson (father) freaking himself out because he was home alone watching a documentary about a serial killer and he realized he had left his window open.

Williamson was a slasher fan and a closeted queer man, he loved the camp, the gore, and the mystery inherent to the slasher formula, but horror was in a slump. The slasher craze had crashed into parody in the late 80s, so Williamson wanted to write something that was faithful to the genre as much as it was a satire. That’s one of the things I like best about scream 1996. It criticizes and updates the genre with an incredible amount of love. It isn’t mean-spirited about slashers, it elevates them as much as it calls them out for things like the virginity trope, which is something that most satires fail to do in my opinion.

The earliest version of the Scream screenplay was actually titled “Scary Movie”, and it got shopped around Hollywood for years because while lots of people were bidding on it they had trouble finding someone to direct it. People just didn’t want to touch horror at the time and people thought it would play out like a spoof. Even Wes Craven passed it up at first. It’s kind of a miracle the movie got made actually, it’s a real underdog story, it’s a movie that only exists because a few people really believed in it and fought for it.

Every part of it just kind of came together- like Drew Barrymore was originally going to play Sid but she couldn’t make the time commitment so we ended up with her as Casey. She basically sold the movie as a fake-out because she was a massive star at the time, like she could get people buying tickets and no one knew she died in the first 15 minutes of the movie.

And the mask? They found that in someone’s house when they were scouting shooting locations. They had gone to hollywoods biggest designers looking for a mask design, they literally looked at hundreds of mask designs and in the end they went with an actual Halloween costume mask from some kids bedroom. The executives did not want to use that mask either. They hadn’t created it in house so they couldn’t own the rights to the image of the mask, but Wes refused to budge and they ended up letting him use it in the end.

Anyways, there’s about a million more anecdotes I could tell but this has already been a tangent on a tangent.

Tl,dr: Scream isn’t based on a book, and while I agree that would be cool I kind of think that it could only ever have been a movie, because it’s fundamentally about movies, and so much of it’s substance owes itself to the process & pitfalls of film production.

#scream 1996 #sharp talks too much #☔️ anon #ask

[palfriendpatine66]

I saw on somebody else’s reblog you wanted asks! I hope that’s still true ahahaha 😅

I came upon somebody watching a deepfake Obi-Wan “interview” something something. What’s your opinion on that kind of AI? AND OR What would you ask Obi-wan if you had three questions?

Hi there! Attention whore reporting for duty - I always want asks! And thank you, because this is a good one that really got me thinking!

To make a long story short(ish): I’m really not down with AI in general. Like, I get that this experience was probably really fun for the person. I remember chatting with bots on AOL Instant Messenger back in the day. It was fun to trick them and see what you could them to say whatever whatever. I get it. But what’s fun isn’t always A Good Thing. There are so many dangerous applications of AI that are not some kind of far fetched conspiracy theory but are very real, and already happening And then there is how much AI takes away from artists. It’s fun to imagine interviewing Obi-Wan, absolutely. So why not do it?

Case in point: this has got me thinking and now the gears are turning for a new fic 🤣 I’ll add it to my long list of ideas but for now here are the questions I would ask him if I only got 3, and also what I think his answers might be like.

1: what is the very best part of being a Jedi?

(Said in his best politician voice, probably for wartime propaganda) “Many people feel satisfaction and a sense of purpose from their work, and the same could be said for the Jedi. It is satisfying and humbling to be a part of something bigger than oneself and to know that collectively we are making a difference, leaving the galaxy better than we found it.”

2: what was your favorite mission?

“I’ve had so many experiences it’s difficult to pick just one.” He strokes his beard thoughtfully. “However,” he pauses and his eyes become distant, watching a memory play out like a holo that only he can see.

“There was this one mission to Mandalore, in my youth. I learned a lot that year. About my self…about what it means to be a Jedi…” he drifts off, lost in thought. A moment passes and he shakes his head wistfully as his eyes refocus as his thoughts return to the present. “My apologies. The sentimental ramblings of an old man. What other questions did you have for me?”

3: if you could give someone the ability to be Force sensitive, would you?

If I knew that they would have the guidance to understand what they were feeling and to control the powers they may find themselves with, yes. But it is not something I would want someone to experience alone; it would be overwhelming and, frankly, dangerous.

One of the best parts of being a Jedi is the sense of community. The Order is a large extended family, in a sense. It is comforting to be a part of it, to have such an extensive support network, all members ready and willing to be there for you. And if I could give someone that, along with the ability to feel the wondrous connection that is the Force, I would.”

#your pal’s mid night sleepless rambles #thanks for the ask! #this really made me think #oh no please not another wip idea 🤣

[msookyspooky]

Spooky!!!!! Can you plz share your thoughts on Neve Campbell returning to scream? 👀

(Sorry if you've answered this already!)

Ps I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE ur series so much - ur writing is SOOOO good 🥹 The last chapter tore out my HEART but has me kicking my feet GIGGLING at the same time - I genuinely wish u the absolute best bc you are AMAZING 💗

OMG THANK YOU!! I appreciate that especially since I was lowkey a bit weary of even adding Billy and YN at the end but damn we're 4 books in this has to happen eventually 😭🥴 I swear that the latest chapter is actually done (Just proofreading) but the plot is so heavy so damn 'wtf' that I'm writing the next chapter because I wanna make sure this pieces together smoothly cause there is no going back afterwards. So I swear I ain't dragging my feet TOO much 😅 But I'm giddy and nervous to post bc omg I don't think yall are ready 😗🤭

That is...just complicated. I love the idea of Sidney returning but not for this movie simply because of how they handled Melissa. Idc what side of the aisle you're on firing someone for speaking their mind on their Insta instead of being a meek media darling will always rub me the wrong way.

ANNNNDDD these Producers and Executives have lowkey butchered Scream in so many ways since Wes Craven passed and the fact that they made Sidney have less screen time in 5 not only for ageism in my humble opinion and money hungry greed to replace her with younger actresses no one asked for (Sorry I was all pissed they killed Dewey just to replace him with Chad even if I love Chad and got rid of Neve for the sake of 'new chapter' bs with a Billy's daughter trope if they were gonna do that they should've went with Scream 4's original plot IMO OR Sidney's daughters and Mark etc)

THEN by 6 we got very use to them and Sam became a beloved character that we could live with her and Tara being the new final girls just to shitcan them (Jenna walked from what I remember good for her) over an opinion that wasn't stated rudely or anything just talking about the kids involved in this war and they treat her as badly as they did Neve cutting Neve's pay and tossing her aside just for Neve to agree to come back???

Man, I'm sorry I am not a Neve lover nor hater but my pride could never. Guess that's why I'm not in Hollywood or loaded bc I would NEVER sign onto a movie that publicly humiliated me by basically saying I'm not worth the pay, then treating a younger co-star so poorly, then signing back on because they paid me what I should've probably gotten paid in the first place. My Manager and PR team could bite me...Probably why I'm a struggling artist instead lol

I do not hate Neve for this choice because ik money is money but it's disappointing.

And honestly? I have BEEN vocal how Scream 5 is by far my least favorite and they suckered us in with nostalgia and Scream 6 was GREAT except for the ending with the killers being so...Wattpad to be blunt coming from a wattpad fanfic writer. Hate or love Jill Roberts but she was a great Ghostface and it's so OBVIOUS what movies Craven worked on versus not. The killers in 6 COULD have been great too had it not been for them related to Richie (Who is my least favorite GF by far) and how fanfiction both latest installments feel with reveals. Scream 3 did too but Scream 3 purposely did not take itself seriously while 5 and 6 did except for Mindy as comic relief.

Of course this is my opinion and thank you for asking I'm honored you wanna hear my rinky dink opinion but I am not looking forward to 7. Scream 6 may not be my favorite but it is top 3 for me up until the reveal and Sam letting go of the mask and choosing a path to the future feels like the perfect ending! Franchise is done! Move on!

These movies are not like Friday the 13th of TCM with new victims these are stories tying in the victims and making 7 with the political climate rn and how they got rid of THE TWO NEW FINAL GIRLS just to beg Sidney to make a comback while probably having the safest most generic plot with how many changes they probably had to make after the characters were gotten rid of.

I'm just not hyped for Scream 7 and probably won't watch it. Ya know, all good things have to come to an end. Even this fic in time has to end. And I think the execs bit off more than they can chew and are backpedaling instead of doing the reasonable thing and canceling and I hate that Neve and some writers etc are on board still

And let's be real; Scream is getting less believable with tech. 96? Yeah, I could see it! 2000's? Sure! But 2020 onward? With smartphones and smarthomes and ringdoorbells and dna collected its time to say good bye to something that has to move on! Scream 6 did a descent job with the multiple GF and Scream 4 despite me not liking it they did it best as far as preparing future Scream for the murders. Not to get away with it but to be caught and sell the footage. They SERIOUSLY could've ended at 4 and I would accept it :/

But whatever, they're still decent movies but 7 is just one I have no interest in truly watching. For me personally but thank you for asking and listening to me rant and hopefully if you want cheesy overdone meta tropes my fic will do the trick rather than the movies 😅🤞��

[heyitsmeyuhh]

The Hardest Part (Jean Kirschtein x Reader)

AN: Hi all, sorry I’ve been MIA; school has been crazy, and I haven’t had hardly any time to work on creative things. I’m still working on Blood and Wine I promise, and eventually I’ll get around to Midnight City. I just wanted to sit down and bust this little short story out because I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently and I didn’t want to lose it. Let me know how you like it (or don’t like it)! I know its cheesy and not super realistic but its fiction, so I did it anyway haha.

Song Inspo: I Don’t Love You / Cancer (both by My Chemical Romance)

WC: ~ 4.7K

Content: Angst, mutual pining.

…

February 4th, 2016

I don’t love you, like I did, yesterday.

His guitar solo was always the highlight of the set (in his so humble opinion). Every person in the building was looking straight at him. Most of the fans were either dancing or gazing at him with lusty eyes. A few men around the periphery were glaring at him like they were jealous that their girlfriends were drooling over the band members. One couple in the stands were making out vigorously. His chest swelled with exhilaration.

And when he looked over, she was watching him, like she always was during his solo. His heart skipped a little and he played with a little more intensity.

She was breathtaking; he had no idea how he hadn’t always seen it. She had always been “just a friend” through the years of knowing each other; she’d come over to his place and they would hang out for hours working on sets, watching the latest episodes of whatever show they were fixated on, and just hanging out talking about anything. That isn’t to say he hadn’t fantasized about having sex with her a time or two. However, more than anything, she was a comfort to him, even when she wasn’t trying. On days he was anxious, she would sit with him, sometimes in complete silence. She would sit close to him while watching a movie, so their knees touched or let him sling his legs over her lap just to feel anchored to something. He could fall asleep with his head in her lap, her fingers stroking his hair gently. Other times when he was excited about something, she was the person he always wanted to tell first.

Tonight, the energy from the crowd was intoxicating, and her eyes were there to steady him again. They glowed like fire and if he didn’t know any better, he would think that she was in love with him. He knew she wasn’t, just wishful thinking; it didn’t stop him from imagining them together.

He hadn’t really considered dating her until he had been rejected by the only other woman in the group last December. Mikasa Ackerman, their drummer, was the definition of sultry; she pulled Jean in like she did with every man. But unfortunately, she was head over heels for Eren, their other lead vocalist. Jean couldn’t imagine why. She was gracious about her rejection and she hadn’t let it affect their friendship; she had just always loved Eren, Jean really never had a chance. The first thing he wanted to do was tell Y/n, to sob over a carton of Ben and Jerry’s like they always do watching some soppy romcom, but a nagging feeling told him to keep this one thing to himself. Y/n had asked if he was feeling okay; she always seemed to know when something was up with him no matter how much he tried to ignore it. Instead, he lied and chalked it up to lack of sleep. After moping for a few days, he had gotten over himself. He was more annoyed at pretty boy Eren for getting all the girls than he was about Mikasa passing him over.

Y/n tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and a jolt rocked through Jean’s spine. Nothing Mikasa had ever done was anything like what Y/n could do to him with just that one look. Jean would give up anything for her to look at him like that all the time. He could admit to himself that he had probably always been in love with Y/n deep down; Mikasa really only caught his eye because she was pretty and mysterious. But after the Mikasa situation, he didn’t really feel like threatening another one of his friendships, let alone the best one he had. He’d gotten off easy with Mikasa, but what were the odds of another rejection ending well? He wouldn’t tempt it. Instead, he resigned himself to memorizing every one of Y/n’s glances, savoring every accidental brush of skin, pretending like she was doing it on purpose, imagining what it would be like to hold her up against his chest.

As his solo ended, Y/n shifted her gaze from him and turned back toward her microphone to finish the song. His eyes lingered on her profile and he drank in the striking way the lights illuminated her features. Jean could live with this, for now at least.

---

February 8th, 2016

Y/n was in Jean’s hotel room like she was most nights on tour. Usually, they would be brainstorming ideas on how to make their sets more interactive and entertaining, but tonight they were settling in for a day off tomorrow. Both were drinking a beer, Y/n sitting at the head of the bed and Jean lying on his side, head toward the TV. He was absentmindedly drawing little shapes along her leg with his hands. Y/n couldn’t help but study those hands, veins tracing their way across the back of his hand like rivers. The skin where he traced tingled and burned, but she stayed as still as possible, as if he were a wild animal that she would scare off if she even moved an inch. His eyes had a distant look and his eyebrows scrunched up like they did when he was chewing on a deep idea.  

She had made the decision to tell Jean tonight about how she felt and let the cards fall where they may. Currently, however, she was distracted with the lines of his shoulders as he leaned on his elbow. His shirt was off, and she could see every muscle ripple as he shifted positions, shoulder tattoos on full display, winding down the natural lines in his arms. She made a mental note not to start drooling yet.

“Jean?”

“Yeah?” He snapped back to the present and looked at her, his golden eyes sparkling in the crappy hotel room lighting.

A wave of apprehension washed over her, and for a moment she chickened out.

“Uh, what do you want to do for dinner?”

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” he said sitting up to face her. “What do you want?”

“I don’t know. There was a sushi place down the road that looked kinda good? But I sorta just want to eat in tonight.”

“I’ll call it in and go grab it for us,” Jean decided. He held the ankle he had just been tracing and kissed it before rolling off the bed to grab his phone. Y/n’s heart raced a little, but she regained her composure quickly. Jean had been touchier lately, which gave her the impression that he might like her too, but she couldn’t be sure. If she had her way, he would just ask her himself, so she could save the anxiety she had building up to this.

He brought the phone to his ear and a muffled voice came through on the other end. “The usual?” he asked turning to meet her gaze. Her eyes flickered from his chest back to his eyes and she could feel her cheeks warm a bit. She thought she could see a brief smirk cross his face, but it was gone so fast she couldn’t tell if she had imagined it. Y/n nodded and mouthed a silent thank you as he placed the order. She pretended to turn her attention back to the TV, though Jean’s bare torso was admittedly more interesting than whatever else was on. Once he hung up, he grabbed a shirt and assured Y/n he would be right back.

The minute he left, she let out a breath. She mentally kicked herself for backing down. Her eyes darted to the bedside table where the spare key card lay peeking out of the little check-in folder. She needed a pep talk. She swiped the card from the table and rushed her way over to Mikasa’s room.

Instead Eren answered the door.

“Where’s Mikasa?”

He stood there in some oversized hoodie and gray sweatpants. His hair was pulled back into a messy bun, strands of hair around his temples escaping to frame his face. Green eyes pierced her own, but the haze of weed dulled the focus.

“Out. She’s getting her drum set looked at and you know how much of a control freak she is about anyone touching the thing.” He leaned against the door frame, arms crossed casually.

“Shit,” Y/n muttered under her breath. She considered just calling the whole thing off, but she didn’t want to have wasted all that time she spent hyping herself up for this. She may not have the will power to do it again.

“I need a pep talk.” Y/n grabbed Eren’s sleeve and dragged him back into his apartment.

--- Y/n stood breathless in front of the couch, facing the other lead singer in her band.

“Yeah, Jean asked Mikasa out like two months ago. She didn’t tell you?”

The long-haired brunette was looking at her with inquisitive eyes, a lit joint slotted between his fingers. A tightness had formed in her chest like her heart had sunk into her stomach. As a matter of fact, Mikasa hadn’t told her. Quite the opposite actually. Her mind flashed back to a conversation made in hushed tones, the light scent of alcohol on each of their breaths.

“You should just tell him, honestly, or you’re going to be thinking about it forever and nothing’s gonna happen.”

“Plus, I think he might like you.”

Y/n had been basically in love with Jean for like two years now and nothing had happened. Granted nothing happened because she was too afraid to ruin their friendship. She figured that being friends with him and pining over him forever was better than being rejected and ruining the whole relationship and possibly break up the band.

But on New Year’s, she and Mikasa had stolen away during the party to the bathroom, giggling over something that couldn’t have been that funny. Y/n remembered whispering to her, trying to pretend like they hadn’t locked everyone else out of one of the two bathrooms at the house. They had a long conversation and eventually Y/n spilled her guts about her feelings for Jean, but how she couldn’t stand to lose their friendship if her confession went poorly. Drunk confessions were always the most honest; now she realized that she was ignorant to have taken Mikasa’s drunk advice. She had encouraged her whole heartedly to let him know how she felt; after all, Mikasa had made that her resolution too. She was going to kiss Eren at midnight. For some reason, she seemed to have completely omitted this little detail about Jean being in love with her instead.  

“I can’t believe she never told me.” Y/n felt like she needed to sit down. All at once, she was losing the people that were closest to her. Did Mikasa care so little about her that she pushed her into ruining her relationship with Jean? How could Mikasa not have warned her that he wasn’t interested, that he was in love with her instead?

“It was right at the beginning of December. We hadn’t started dating yet and I guess she just told him that she wasn’t interested. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.” Eren took a long drag from the joint and puffed some of the smoke into the air between them casually.

“Yeah.” Y/n said half-heartedly. Suddenly she sagged like someone had slung sandbags over her shoulders. All her nervous energy left her body at once and she slumped into the massive couch next to Eren. She remembered that early December was around the time Jean had gone into his little slump. She did everything she could to try to pull him out but she couldn’t figure out what was going on. He wouldn’t leave his room, he didn’t seem to want to eat, and all he wanted to do was lie around the house. He seemed better after about a week, but now she wondered if he’s been trying to distract himself with her all this time.

“Who was I kidding anyway.”

He leaned forward to look at Y/n’s face. “Oh, shit you really do like him. This wasn’t going to be some quick fuck?” His expression was now serious, his mind combatting the haze from the weed. Y/n nodded dejectedly.

“Damn, I’m sorry you had to find out like that.” he huffed, slouching back into the couch next to her. “Well, Mikasa’s taken. Maybe you could still try talking to him.”

She shook her head silently; she couldn’t form words right now without choking down a sob. Instead, she grabbed the blunt from Eren and took a long drag. He looked at her with worry, she didn’t often partake unless there were special circumstances. Y/n didn’t notice and took a second drag before handing it back to him. She could feel time start to slow around her, and for a moment, this whole situation made her giggle; it wasn’t funny, but it was getting more and more ridiculous in her mind. Eren chuckled beside her, though he had no idea why they were laughing.

After what felt like hours, Y/n stood and made her way back to the door without saying a word. Eren remained on the couch but called over his shoulder.

“Hey.” Y/n paused at the door, looking back to meet his knowing eyes. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.” She shut the door silently behind her and she drug her feet all the way back to Jean’s room. Y/n swiped the card lazily, letting herself in and immediately walked straight to the bed and flopped face down.

Minutes later, she was awoken from her half-asleep state to hear someone enter the room behind her. She rolled over languidly to see Jean carrying a bag of takeout in one hand, and a single carton of ice cream in the other. His eyebrows furrowed, but there was a small smirk on his face.

“What have you been up to while I was gone? I haven’t been gone more than 45 minutes.” He chuckled a little and set the food on the desk. Y/n didn’t answer, instead she sat up and stared at his back as he organized dinner across the table.

He’s in love with Mikasa.

“I’m high,” Y/n said obviously. He chuckled again and nodded knowingly. She stood and pulled another chair up to the desk, attempting to recover the happiness she had felt just hours ago and accepting the fact that this was all their relationship would be. Her heart ached dully in her chest as she stole glances of him as he ate, the lines next to his eyes crinkling when he smiled, tongue occasionally darting out to lick his lips. It was all moving in slow motion, her thoughts drifted through her head like molasses. His eyes, caramel in the dim lighting, glided over her smoothly, and the corners of his mouth drew up.

“Are you tired?” He asked softly. Y/n nodded, and Jean stood, leading her to the bed. He pulled back the sheets and she tucked herself underneath. Jean folded the comforter around her and knelt down, face on level with hers.

“Sleep here tonight,” he stated, not asking.

“Okay,” she whispered. She knew she should have gone back to her room. She knew that this would just make everything hard on her in the morning. But at this point, she couldn’t gather the willpower to take care of her future self. She selfishly wanted to pretend just one more night that things were still normal. That things were going to be okay. “Stay with me?”

Jean smiled softly, his eyes droopy with sleep. “Anything for you,” he whispered back, kissing her forehead. He pulled back the sheets again and slid into the sheets next to her, reaching over to click off the lights. She slotted herself under his arm, head against his chest, drifting off to the sound of his rhythmic heartbeat.  

---

April 30th, 2016

The rounded booth they were at was tucked away in the corner of the restaurant, though the din of the room still reverberated around them. Mikasa was sitting next to Eren, her hand on his knee and his arm slung across the back of the bench seat. Y/n sat between her and Jean, with some of the other people from their team filling in the rest. She was attempting to stay involved in the conversation, but she kept drifting back to her own thoughts every few minutes, needing to be called back by someone when she was asked a question.

Since she woke up the morning after she had spoken to (and smoked with) Eren, she tried everything she could to shake her little crush on Jean. She tried focusing on all the weird idiosyncrasies he had, all the gross habits, all the annoying behaviors. The more she looked for these things, however, the more it highlighted the reasons she had fallen for him in the first place. He looked at her and listened when she spoke about things that made her happy or upset. He opened up to her about his dreams and aspirations even when he was embarrassed or bashful about his ideas. He made her laugh until her stomach hurt. And unfortunately, he always seemed to know when something as bothering her, even when she didn’t quite realize it yet.

Because of this, he had been prying her to open up about why she’s been more distant lately, and it broke her heart even more to keep it from him.

But she couldn’t tell him. She could never tell him. Because there was no point; deep down, he wanted someone else.

“Y/n? Did you want to go to that bar after dinner?”

“Hm? Oh, uh, I think I’m just gonna head back to my room actually.”

“Are you feeling alright? You seem really out of it right now,” Armin, their manager asked, concern radiating from his place across the table.

She could really use some of Eren’s weed right now.

“Yeah, I’m good. I’ve just had a headache all day.” Y/n gave a feeble smile and looked back at the spot on the table that she had been staring at zoning out a moment ago. She felt a soft touch grace her left knee and she flinched away, glancing up to meet Mikasa’s gaze. She had retracted her hand like she’d been stung and looked at Y/n with concern.

Y/n’s eyes flicked from hers to Eren’s, who had noticed the subtle exchange. He looked to Mikasa and back to Y/n with wide eyes, trying to silently apologize. Y/n was also trying to preserve her relationship with Mikasa as much as possible, but the betrayal was slowly picking away at the edges and she was struggling to maintain her composure. She felt like she had lost two of the people closest to her all at once and keeping her emotions off her face was sapping the energy quicker than she could handle.

Her face got hot as she realized everyone at the table had noticed what just happened. They continued their conversation out of courtesy, but their glances gave them away. Suddenly the air felt thick and she felt the room closing in on her.

“I need to get up,” she whispered to Jean. He scrunched his eyebrows, concerned, and he put his hand on her back trying to be comforting, but she straightened up, avoiding the contact. “I’m just getting a little overwhelmed, I need some air.”

He waved his hand so the others on the bench seat could let her out. He too slid out of the seat and offer her his hand. She took it briefly to pull herself upright and walked swiftly to the door. She pushed it open with her shoulder, stepping out into the brisk night and shivered. Her breath came out shaky, tears threatening to spill over her lashes. She took some deep breaths and swallowed down the lump in her throat; she wouldn’t let them fall, not tonight.

As she was trying to compose herself to go back inside, she heard the soft bell above the door of the restaurant. Lifting her head, she expected to see Jean there to ask her what was up with her again, but instead it was Armin, concern written on his face.

“Hey, are you sick? I can take you home if you need?” he asked worriedly.

“I can’t do this anymore, Armin.”

“It’s okay, I can take you back right now.’ He motioned to pull the keys to the car out of his pocket.

“No, I mean I have to quit the band.”

He froze. They stood there in the cold staring at each other. Y/n thought saying that would feel like the right answer, but instead it just filled her with more anxiety.

“Let’s talk about this in the car.”

They walked to the SUV in silence, closing the doors behind them to seal away the chill.

“What’s going on Y/n?”

“I just can’t do this anymore Armin.” She tipped her head back to stare at the ceiling of the cab, letting the tears roll back away from the brims of her eyes. She told herself she wouldn’t let them fall tonight.

“What can’t you do anymore? I don’t understand.” She was silent, continuing to stare up.

“Y/n I can’t do anything for you if I don’t know what’s happening,” he repeated gently. Y/n took a big sigh and finally turned to face him.

And then she spilled everything, all the thoughts that have been weighing on her since that night nearly three months ago. Every aching moment she spent with Jean, the betrayal she was desperately trying to ignore, and the futility of her pretending like nothing happened. The tears blurred her vision but remained in place. When she finished, there was a thick pause hanging in the air.  

“I see.” He finally broke the silence. “So, you want out after your last show?”

Y/n nodded.

“Okay. We should tell the others . . .”

“No!” Y/n interrupted, “I can’t tell them. If they know, they’ll try to convince me to stay and I don’t think I have the resolve to say no.”

“So you’re just going to disappear after? Just take off and never tell anyone you we’re leaving?”

“I was going to say goodbye at the show,” Y/n replied meekly. Armin sucked in a small breath.

“You’re going to blindside them then? Right there in front of the entire crowd?”

“I’ve been writing this song,” she whispered. “I think I’ve finally finished it. I was going to play it at the show. I can’t give them the opportunity to talk me out of it, and this will be sort of like my swan song to the fans.”

“What am I supposed to tell the media? What am I supposed to tell the band?”

“Once I’m gone you can tell the band whatever you want. Tell them the truth, an elaborate lie, I don’t care. I just want to be able to leave that show and move on with my life.” She rolled her head to look out the passenger side window. Fog was rolling in as the night deepened.

“You don’t feel like you owe them an explanation?”

Y/n took a deep breath, allowing just one tear to roll down her cheek. “I feel like I owe myself some peace.”

---

May 2nd, 2016

The crowd surged and undulated to the sound of the music coming from the stage. Every eye was on them and girls screamed for the attention of every band member. Two sweaty bras had been thrown on the stage already. This was likely the largest and most energetic crowd they had seen all tour. The audience was riled up for their last event of the circuit; the perfect storm to have one of the most memorable shows of their career.

So why was Jean feeling so uneasy?

He was watching her sing just like he had been doing for the past year or so. The crowd was always captivated by her, even with Eren singing by her side; she buzzed with her own vitality that was hard to take your eyes off of.

Recently, though she seemed to have lost a little bit of her liveliness during her sets. The glow had left her skin, though this was imperceptible to anyone who wasn’t looking, anyone who didn’t know her like he did. Something was wrong, but she faked it well. She had been acting weird the last few months, but when he had tried to ask her if anything was bothering her, she just chalked it up to feeling under the weather. He didn’t believe her, but he wouldn’t push the topic further. In hindsight, he wished he had.

His guitar solo was coming up. She finished her line and he stepped up to play. He looked over, expecting for their eyes to meet on cue, but her gaze never left the crowd. Her expression was muted; there was less life in her eyes than there was before. Jean felt his eyebrows furrow slightly; she had never not looked at him, even since she started acting different. He played on without missing a beat, but his eyes never left her, silently begging for her to just glance at him. Panic rose in his throat; something was definitely wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly why. No one else seemed to notice anything was off and it made every hair on his body stand on end.

As the music faded, Eren thanked the crowd and Jean hit his cue to bow and exit the stage, but instead of walking off behind him, Y/n stepped up to the front of the stage. She spoke slowly into the microphone.

“I actually have a little something I prepared myself planned for one last song.” Y/n finally looked over to him with a small shine gracing the rims of her eyes, smiling halfheartedly. After a little hesitation, Eren and Mikasa stepped across the stage to where Jean was waiting, looking at him questioningly. As if he knew what was going on; he couldn’t get her to open up about anything lately, he wasn’t in on this surprise. She seated herself at the piano.

A slow ballad shuddered from the instrument, her fingers deftly weaving her way through the song. Jean’s eyes never left her as he listened to her tell a story about the dying author saying goodbye to her family. That rising anxiety only sharpened and continued to drag its way through his chest.

Cause’ the hardest part of this, is leaving you.

A cold stab of fear pierced his heart.

He looked to Eren and Mikasa, who hadn’t figured it out yet, confusion thoroughly gracing their faces. They met his eyes, which seemed to confirm all three of their revelations. Jean was frozen in place, looking back to her, breath caught in his throat. He could see now that the glint in her eyes were tears that had escaped her delicate lashes. Jean could feel his own well up in his eyes, but he wiped it away quickly; he was desperate to see every detail of her clearly.

Her beautiful face was strained, and she kept her eyes on the piano. The crowd was oddly silent; not just because they didn’t know the words, but because they were also puzzled about this solo encore. They were enraptured though, every eye and phone camera fixated only on her.

The song came to a head and finally, after holding out all night, she finally gave him that glance he has been feverishly searching for.

Cause’ the hardest part of this, is leaving you.

The song reverberated through the stadium as it faded, and the crowd roared. She held his gaze, sorrow painting her striking features. Jean couldn’t feel his body. It wasn’t until she spoke again that the stadium truly understood what that song meant. She grabbed the mic and turned to face them.

“Thank you all for all the support and the love. Tonight, was my last show. I love you all.” Her voice was strained, but she held it together enough to give a wave as she left the stage. Jean, Eren, and Mikasa stood there dumbfounded as the lights dimmed and the curtain rolled down from the rafters.

Her figure disappeared behind the corner of the stage.

Jean was frozen. I’m too late.

#jean kirschstein x reader #jean kirschtein angst #jean kirschstein #attack on titan #jean kirschtein au #the hardest part

[freerangeranger]

//I just gotta say you do a fuckin AMAZING job writing honey!!! She's such an interesting character and

//honestly her during this whole arc has been pretty relatable in a way jdhdndg

//can't imagine how hard it was to like , explicitly show all the way up to this where everything had been let loose that she was still just so angry at him underneath it all, even if she was still having fun and making fun of bell light-heartedly and I've never seen anyone really just .capture that before especially in such emotional accuracy

Ooc:

So when I read this yesterday you gave me the equivalent of human zoomies for an hour when I was supposed to be going to bed. Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm blushing. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to meeee. (⁄ ⁄•⁄v⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

I go over my 'breakdown' of this arc below the break, but please know that I love all of you and thanks so much for enjoying my gal. She means a lot to me. I'm glad my mental process comes through in her words and actions.

Also If you want more lighthearted stuff - I have a few more Amy roasts to go through so Do Not Worry we will flambae this man yet.

I am also gonna write this warning here as well - Content Warning for death, implied suicide, abandonment, animal abuse, pokemon abuse and generally uncomfortable topics to think about.

Honey could be charitably called a 'self insert' - although she looks nothing like me and we do have differing opinions on a lot of topics. From my experience with TTRPGs and running them for 7 years I find the greatest advice I can give to anyone both old and new is to put pieces of yourself into your oc's. This is two-fold for importance.

1) It fleshes them out and makes you like them. If you have a character with similar morals and goals to yourself it is much easier to relate to them and makes you actually want to continue - you know - playing them. Honey has many traits that I don't. But we do share a deep love for people (and pokemon but her love is much more tangible than mine). She has a strong sense of fair play and is stubborn to a fault, which is something a lot of people can relate with. Her flaws are the same as her strengths and that makes her feel alive.

2) The second part is - in my humble opinion - more important. You know how they Feel. Emotions are a fickle thing in roleplay. You have to be very good at separating fiction from reality. It helps a lot when you are in constant communication with the people you are creating the story with.

When I was writing Honey over the course of this arc, I noticed that I started getting agitated - not from myself - but when I put myself in Honey's shoes. And after some contemplation I could realize why. This whole situation reminded me of those "Don't Drink and Drive" TV ads where the owner of a dog leaves, promising to come back. For a few moments you get a horrible sinking feeling because you know that this is an ad for drunk driving. But the dog doesn't. But after a few shots the person returns! All's well that ends well. You get your catharsis because that's a bit too dark a subject for daytime tv.

But I always wondered what would happen if the person never came back.

Dogs and cats are pretty smart all things considering. But how would this sort of thing affect a creature that has a higher level of intelligence? Little kids don't have a super great grasp on death - and I assume that most pokemon (there are exceptions to the rule) have the emotional and mental capacity of around a 3 year old. But you can also verbally explain death to a child when they are old enough. How do you explain to a ratatta that their trainer passed away?

This has never been stated explicitly until recently but Honey does have a slightly longer relationship with Amy than is immediately apparent. Especially with his pokemon. She cares about them and understands them to some degree. She knows roughly their emotional intelligence and ability to grasp abstract concepts. Honey has no illusions that Maxx, Beetroot and a handful of Amy's other pokemon are smart enough to connect the dots if he up and vanished. Some of them might even hold a grudge or mourn his loss.

But she knows there are also many pokemon in his care that aren't smart enough to understand. Bruno in particular - who is arguably the pokemon Honey is most emotionally attached to. Bruno is a strange case because he has a very good memory. He remembered Honey at the wedding by smell alone; a solid 3-5 years after they first met. Honey had a decent impact on his life but her influence is nothing compared to how much he cares about Bellamy.

So you have a perfect storm - A pokemon smart enough to remember people and has object permanence but not smart enough to understand the possibility of death or the idea that their human - who they love more than life itself - is never going to come back home. Thinking of that mental image - Bruno sitting alone at the door waiting for Amy forever - is basically the sole reason for her anger.

There is compounding issues of course. Did Amy even think to put all his Pokemon in his will? Would his current funds allow each of them to live in the lifestyle they are accustomed to? How many of them could stay together? Would they all have to be adopted out to other people? How many of them are at risk solely because they were the Pokemon of TV icon 'Professor Wild Days'?

Maybe Amy has plans in place for if that were to ever happen. But Honey doesn't know. She thought Amy was more prepared than that but the fact he just marched into the Cold Storage with no plan and without any proper backup has seriously shaken her faith in his ability to consider the longstanding ramifications of his actions.

So when Honey says 'I am pissed' what she really means is 'I am scared that you don't care about yourself enough to realize that your family is still here and depends on you. I'm scared that you aren't living for them. And that makes me angry on their behalf.' This is something I also deeply care about. The greatest thing that helped me in my darkest periods of my life is remembering the creatures that depend on me. Not the humans in my life; but the pets and animals that need me because if I disappear I don't know what will happen to them.

... That's pretty dark and serious. But it's also a damn good reason to be angry.

#ooc post #irl pokemon #rl pokemon #pokeblogging #asks #cw death #cw implied suicide #cw abandonment #cw animal abuse #cw pokemon abuse #cw depression #cw high stakes pokeblogging #honoria lore

[singularattitudeofasafetypin]

Oh oh tell me about Dance Magic Dance because I think about that fic a lot

Really??? Oh yay, I’m so glad! The coolest thing ever as a writer, as I’m sure you know, is to hear that someone’s been thinking about your work after they’ve read it!

I hope you’re ready for an essay! You don’t know what you’ve unleashed!

Wow so where to start? I freaking LOVE this movie! My mum showed it to me when I was really young, just randomly remembered it as a film she used to like and bought it to show me and my sister. I was enchanted!

Sarah the main character is really like me. Loves dressing up and theatre and dramatic, emotional storytelling, and I also found my little sister really annoying at the time. Perfect, right?

I also loved watching all the behind the scenes stuff on the special features! The practical effects were so so cool and I love the way the set designer was like just cover EVERYTHING in glitter!

So when Eddie Munson burst into my life in all his fantasy-loving, dungeon master glory and I realised the movie came out in 1986, what else could I do?

I was listening to the song ‘Dance Magic, Dance’ on the bus to work which then prompted me to watch the movie again after ages. Midway through I just had this vision of Eddie bursting through the door with a look of horror on his face uttering the words, ‘Are you watching our movie without me?’ The fic kinda spiralled from there.

Listening to the same song a few days later and I thought, Eddie is 100% the type of parent to try and throw his child in the air like David Bowie.

The flashback with Eddie asking Reader on a date is honestly one of my favourite bits to write! It was short and sweet and practically wrote itself. I pictured Eddie, still fragile, only just healed but having harboured a crush for so long. His recent brush with mortality having hit home that there’s no time to lose but in the moment getting flustered and reader having to finish the sentence for him.

I wanted to keep the playful nature I’d already established with their relationship largely to convey how young they both are and how not much time has really passed yet they’re still moving on and finding new life and happiness with each other.

Happy endings are just it for me and while I do enjoy a good tragedy every now and then, I always prefer it all to turn out right.

Now the masked ball scene! Oh this scene! Phantom of the Opera has quite literally from birth been my favourite musical of all time (but that’s another story for another time!) so you throw anything remotely resembling a masked ball into a piece of media and I will go wild! Add in ‘As The World Falls Down’ sung by the one and only David Bowie himself while dressed in a jacket literally encrusted with sapphires and I’m sold!

Also, as a cosplayer/fashion history/theatrical costume enthusiast, THE DRESS!!!! Aaaagghh!!! That dress is the dress of my dreams! I’ve always wanted a wedding inspired by this scene from Labyrinth so thus, reader got one!

The most romantic thing in the world in my humble opinion is dancing together! Even more so if it’s in a domestic situation!

I really feel like Eddie Munson is the one to make everything feel magical. I know I crave adventure and romance like in stories and I really think he does too! I really wanted to show him as a person who brings that fairytale feeling even after coming home from a hard day’s work with nothing more than a song and a memory. Ultimately, it’s my absolute dream to find someone like that in real life, but until I do, I’ll settle for writing him!

Oh my gosh that was long! Sorry if it was too much. Again, I’m so pleased you liked this one. I’m always afraid when I write something so specific to me that it’ll be too niche or personal that no one else will enjoy it but I’m learning that often the more personal a work is, the more people resonate with it because it has heart.

Like how Taylor Swift’s music works! It’s so personal and true to her yet it connects with so many people on such a deep level. I can only dream of being as good a storyteller as her one day.

But anyway, that’s it I think. Sorry it was long, my high school English teacher had to force me to stop rambling in my essays but here we are!

Thanks for asking about this one and thanks for reading if you got this far!

Fanfic Directors Cut

#fanfic directors cut #I love getting to talk about my writing so much! #thank you zoe!

[novelmonger]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

-@rainintheevening

I've answered this once already, so I guess this will be my second-tier choices ;)

Not Done with You (Captain America oneshot) - Steve has an encounter with God, due in part to a conversation with Louie Zamperini (historical figure of Unbroken fame). Later, Steve's witness leads Bucky to find salvation as well. I've always daydreamed about my favorite characters becoming Christians, but this was the first one I ever wrote out in this kind of detail, where the way it happens is actually believable and not rushed (in my humble opinion). I like to say that Steve and Bucky were already halfway there anyway, they just needed a little push.

All We've Got to the End of the Line (Captain America/FMA oneshot) - Steve and Bucky are alchemists who have given up parts of their bodies in a botched attempt to resurrect Steve's mother. Ed is a supersoldier desperately trying to get his brainwashed little brother Al to remember him. Basically just a shameless self-indulgent excuse to smush my two all-time favorite bromances together, making them take each other's place and say each other's heart-wrenching lines.

Everything I Touch (FMA oneshot) - AU where Amestris and Drachma went to war, and Ed and Mustang were among the soldiers sent to the front lines, leaving Al and Hawkeye Mrs. Mustang behind (because Al is recovering from getting his body back and Mrs. Mustang is pregnant). This oneshot is about Mustang dealing with PTSD upon his return, and how that affects his home life. I still think I did a decent job of conveying what I wanted to, which I'm especially proud of because this was one of my first experimentations with second-person POV.

The Flame (FMA chapterfic) - Modern-day AU where Mustang is a firefighter who gets an eye injury and is stuck in the hospital for a while, where he meets Ed, a young wheelchair-bound boy who lost an arm and a leg in a terrible fire that killed his mother and brother. Mustang starts telling Ed a story he makes up on the fly, the epic tale of the Full Metal Alchemist. This fic's plot was inspired by my favorite movie of all time, The Fall (an idea that came to me because one of the main characters in the movie is named Roy). It's not exactly a recent work, but I still quietly geek out to myself when I think of how perfectly these two stories mesh together.

Honey, I've Been There (Captain America oneshot) - Set in my AU where Bucky reunites with Steve shortly after TWS, and Steve and Sharon get married and have two kids. This fic focuses on their daughter Juliet, whom Bucky utterly adores and dotes on like she hung the moon and stars. I just love imagining big, tough, brooding Bucky with the metal arm and all his scars and trauma just lighting up over this sweet, innocent girl full to the brim with love. Also, the whole thing was inspired by a beautiful song by one of my favorite artists, so now every time I listen to it, I get to think about this lovely little headcanon.

#ask and you shall receive #rainintheevening #fic recs #captain america #full metal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist #fma #(also what the heck how did i not know i haven't posted honey i've been there on ao3 yet?!?!)

[mister13eyond]

💀 and 🍺 and ⚡ for both Asphodel and Vin

AYYY THANK YOU <3

💀 If they were one of the 7 sins, what sin would they be?

Vin would try to tell you "all of them", but don't believe him. His is fully and completely "sloth", although it's probably as much a case of "perpetual burnout" as it is "laziness". He was a very industrious and hardworking demon back in Hell, and while he still cares about his job, now that he's in the human world and has a chance to do things like play video games, draw and sleep (dear god, sleep) he's constantly longing to lay around and relax and game and eat snacks and do nothing. All his ambition to be the most terrifying, vicious and respected demon in Hell kinda blew directly out the window once he was introduced to the joys of leisure time and he's not really looking back in the least.

Asphodel would tell you angels don't commit any of the deadly sins, but once again: don't believe them. They're definitely smack-dab in the middle of pride as a sin; despite being generally withdrawn and keeping to themself, they do have that nasty judgemental streak a mile long. They're used to judging other people's morals, actions and intentions, and it shows- they will quietly pass judgement on everyone around them. It's not necessarily that they think they're superior to anyone, but they have this kind of humble-pride where they're all "I'm just a humble scholar I just form my opinions from the data I'm given" and have a PRETTY bad blind spot to their own subjectivity. (To their credit- this is part of the reason they left Heaven to begin with; they realized they were not a perfectly objective, inherently moral being with no flaws and no emotions. It just, uh, takes a while to FULLY leave behind the tendency to judge.)

🍺 If your OC drinks, what is their go to alcohol?

Vin hates the taste of most beer and red wine, but he likes white wine and sweet mixes like vodka seltzers or fruity cocktails. Given the option, though, he prefers cannabis to alchohol, and would rather smoke or have an edible than drink. If he does drink, it's mostly for taste.

Asphodel never drinks to get drunk.... but that doesn't stop them from accidentally doing so anyway. They're especially fond of red wines paired with food and with mead, as they've got a soft spot for honey. They have a bad habit of finishing their glass of wine too fast in social situations because they're nervous, and then downing another and another in an attempt to keep their hands busy and/or to loosen up, after which they become a wine-drunk hot mess, which is incredibly funny in contrast to their normally buttoned-up and withdrawn persona.

⚡ What mythological god would you associate with your OC?

THIS ONE IS FUN SINCE THEY'RE ALREADY ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHRISTIAN GOD BUUUUT if we're not counting that, and we're associating them with other mythologies-

I think I associate Vin most with a god of the dead like Hades, in that his main job was always mostly dealing with keeping record of and tracking the dead- his main job was (and still is, though he works remotely across dimensions) simply logging records of the damned, keeping track of numbers and sentences served and records of who comes and goes. He's not necessarily a psychopomp style death god, as he has nothing to do with escorting souls to the afterlife, judging them or anything like that- he just helps keep records.

Asphodel is fun, because in their original iteration/origin story they actually had some direct interactions with a few mythological figures, including Kali, Frejya and Hera- I'm not 100% sure how much of their original story I'm keeping intact, but they spent a lot of time with many of the goddesses of mythology in it, and so I almost always think of them in relation to Asphodel!

#i would write more but my brain just kinda fizzled out #my ocs #my oc #asphodel #vin #oc ask meme #headcanons