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herrmannhalsteadproduction · 1 year

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Congratulations on Not Dying (Happy Birthday, Chris!) [Chapter Four]

Summary: This is Part Sixteen of my series A Herrmann/Halstead Production. It is an AU where Christopher Herrmann's mom had an affair with Pat Halstead resulting in a baby. The series follows this OC character (Rebecca "Bex" Herrmann) as she grows up and gets to know her brothers and the various Chicago teams. It is very much an AU, just to underscore that. It doesn't follow the same timeline and characters will follow different paths.

Click here for the Series Rundown where you can find the links to read all of the previous installments (which I highly recommend you do so that this one makes sense.)

Rating: Teen and Up

Relationships: Christopher Herrmann & Original Female Character, Christopher Herrmann/Cindy Herrmann, Jay Halstead & Original Female Character, Will Halstead & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Will Halstead, pre-Greg 'Mouse' Gerwitz/Original Female Character, pre-Will Halstead/Connor Rhodes, Assorted OC Couples

Warnings: Language, Light Angst, People Making Bad Decisions

A/N: To underscore my previous note, this is an alternate universe so things have unfolded differently. This will not follow the canon arc exactly by any means. But I hope you'll still enjoy it!

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Mouse

Mouse couldn’t stop replaying the last session he’d had with his therapy group over in his brain.

They’d been after him for not talking to Jay or Bex yet.

Chris was better.

The big case against Dr. Reybold was done.

In their minds, he had no more excuses left. And they were right.

It was time.

If he wanted to try for something with Bex—and he did, he wanted more than he’d ever dared—now was the time to say something. He’d just been waiting for his moment. He couldn’t mess this up.

“What are you afraid of?” Ed had asked him.

The list was endless.

Upsetting Jay. Damaging their friendship.

Losing him.

Losing Bex.

Losing his whole damn family.

That’s what Mouse had told him—the small amount he’d allowed himself to share with the group—but there was so much more he couldn’t even find the words for.

He was equally afraid of being with Bex.

That she’d say yes and he’d fail at being the partner she deserved.

He was scared he’d mess up. That he’d end up hurting her and losing everyone just the same.

His group was right about one thing. He needed to talk to Jay first. He was his best friend and he knew Mouse better than anyone.

Like Chuck said, he had to trust in their relationship and the strength of their friendship to ‘navigate the discussion’. Give themselves both a little credit, according to Ed. Jay would be honest with him. If Jay could see it working...

But first, Mouse needed to help Bex get this party to the finish line and that task was looking more difficult by the minute.

The rain had begun and Bex was standing there, face tilted up, hands clenched at her side as she muttered to herself.

“Bex?” He stepped over to her tentatively.

“This party’s cursed,” she said, voice thick and face wet with more than just rain. “What are we going to do? Get a tent? We can’t get it set up in time and the ground will be all wet and gross by then—”

“Bex,” Mouse said gently. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but out of every problem you’ve had today, isn’t this one the easiest fix? Can’t you—” He waved a hand at the sky. “—do the thing?”

A pained look crossed her face.

Oh, shit. “Did you already use it up for the year? I’m sorry. I didn’t think—I shouldn’t have suggested it. Listen, we’ll figure this out.” He pulled out his phone, ready to start searching for tent rentals.

“No,” Bex said. She hugged her arms tightly around herself and sighed deeply. “It’s not that. It’s—I haven’t done that since last year.”

Last year. Mouse thought back and it hit him: when Lily died.

The little girl Bex knew from volunteering at the hospital.

He remembered that day.

Bex had been a mess even with the best efforts of Jay, Will, and himself to help her through it.

And now to find out she hasn’t used her power since then? Mouse was familiar with the habit of locking things away because they hurt too much. He also knew it was a bad fucking habit to get out of.

Bex was staring out at the rain looking lost and Mouse—

He couldn’t stop himself if he wanted to.

He pocketed his phone and reached out to wrap his arms around Bex, pulling her close. She rested her head on his shoulder with a little sigh.

“Let me help?” he asked.

***

Bex

This day was officially too much.

And now—

Now!

Mouse had his arms wrapped around her and she couldn’t even enjoy it because she was stressed and crying and sad.

And kind of mad at herself for letting something that used to be such a joyful thing become a source of sadness for her.

Lily would hate that.

“Let me help?” Mouse had asked.

It felt like every time she stumbled lately, there he was, ready to help her back up. Funny, twitchy Mouse being solid as a rock for her.

“Come on, Bex,” he said, giving her a squeeze. “You can’t throw in the towel because of a little rain. That’s just when you need the towel, right? Or we’ll need the towel after you use your very specific super power. Like, actual towels, not just metaphorical towels…”

He trailed off when he felt her laughing against his chest and she looked up to see him smiling at her. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she replied softly.

“Feel ready to do this?” he asked and she nodded. Mouse looked around, frowning at the rain. “What should I do? Want me to stand back? Or—”

“No,” Bex said, holding him tight. Stopping the rain worked a bit differently every time and she always went with what felt right. And this…felt really right. “Just stay here with me and close your eyes.”

“I can definitely do that,” Mouse murmured against the top of her head.

“Picture the rain stopping,” Bex whispered. “And the sun coming out. Imagine the warmth and how good it will feel.” She could already feel it working as the droplets tapered off, but she wasn’t quite ready to let go yet.

***

Mouse

If he didn’t know how much this party meant to Bex, he’d be putting his energy into wishing for the rain to stay so he could hold on for that much longer.

Instead, he followed her instructions and thought about the warmth of the sun and how good it would feel. And Bex.

Just Bex.

***

Shay

Shay watched from the window as Bex did her thing to stop the rain with some assistance from Mouse.

“Kiss, kiss, kiss,” she whispered.

The blind abruptly came down and she whipped her head around to see Julie beside her, barely able to keep a smile from displacing the frown on her face.

“You are the definition of incorrigible,” Julie said.

“That means cute, right?” Shay grinned at her.

“Sure.” Julie leaned in to kiss her and then went back to helping Trudy put the finishing touches on the salads.

Shay pulled the blind back up, making room when Boden sidled in beside her.

***

Bex

The rain was gone.

The sun was shining.

She should probably let go of Mouse now.

But to be fair, he hadn’t let go of her yet either.

Bex pulled her arms away from Mouse’s waist and reached up to cup her hands on either side of his face. His slid down to her lower back, pulling her back in close again. She caressed a thumb against his cheek.

They’d been doing this more. Touching. Being comfortable in each other’s space.

Circling, circling, circling and then pulling back

She was done pulling back.

“Thank you,” Bex said, trying to put everything into those two little words. For helping with this, with the whole day. For being so Mouse which more and more lately was exactly what she needed.

He smiled his crooked little grin and gave his head the smallest of shakes. “Pretty sure I had the easy job,” Mouse said. “You did all the work. Bringing the sunshine is still one amazing superpower.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you today,” she said. Not without that push.

“Bex,” he said her name so quietly, tilting his head to press into the palm of her hand holding his cheek before looking down at her with an intense look in his eyes.

“Mouse—”

“Hey, we’re here! How do you get this gate open?” Bex looked over Mouse’s shoulder to see Hailey fiddling with the backyard gate with one hand, a bunch of balloons in the other. She looked up to see the position Mouse and Bex were in and her eyes went wide. “Oh, crap, uh—”

Oh, crap was right. The outside world suddenly came rushing back in with the whole ‘party to set up’ and ‘house full of people’ and Bex reluctantly stepped away from Mouse.

A thump on the kitchen window made her jump, but when she looked it was empty.

Hunh.

Mouse looked just as reluctant to let her go, reaching out to give her hand a squeeze before heading for the gate to let Hailey in.

“Thanks,” Hailey said, jerking a nod over her shoulder. “Jay’s right behind me with another bunch and we have one more in the truck.” Mouse saluted her and headed out for the driveway.

Bex thanked her lucky stars Hailey had come through first, especially when her only reaction was to wink at Bex as she came into the yard. She didn’t know Hailey that well yet, but she was receiving Very Good Friend status just for that.

“You guys got here a lot faster than I was expecting,” Bex managed to say.

“We were able to pass the case off to some detectives who were actually on shift,” Jay said as he came through the gate, half hidden by the balloons he was carrying. “The party place manager took care of our order super quickly. I think he wanted to get rid of us.”

He set his balloons down on the patio, making sure the weights weren’t tangled, and came over to give Bex a gigantic hug. “Sorry I’m late,” he whispered in her ear, giving her a squeeze. “Didn’t mean to add to the stress.”

“I know,” she hugged him back. “And you’re here now. With balloons which is amazing.”

Mouse came through with the last batch and she laughed.

“I think I may have gone overboard? Just a bit?”

“Nah,” Jay said, eyeing up the yard. “It’s going to look great.”

Kevin came through the back door at that moment. “We’re back,” he said, carrying a couple of bags out with him as Sylvie and Adam followed with a few more.

“Cake is in the kitchen,” Sylvie reported. “We have the plates, cutlery, cups, napkins, tea lights for the tables, and fairy lights for the yard!”

Bex sagged against Jay in relief. “Amazing,” she said. “You are all amazing.”

“Let’s get going,” Jay said, ruffling her hair before reaching out to take some of the bags off Sylvie’s hands. “Fancy this place up.”

Under Bex’s direction, Sylvie and Kevin started string up the fairy lights while Mouse, Hailey, and Adam worked on arranging the balloons.

Cheers sounded from the kitchen and moments later, Gabi and Stella emerged, carrying boxes out onto the patio. “We come bearing booze!” Gabi shouted and everyone in the yard cheered as well.

Getting closer, Bex thought as Gabi and Stella started setting up the bar in the far corner of the patio. She didn’t want to say they were in the clear because they still had no tables and she didn’t want to jinx it, but—they were definitely getting closer.

“Hey, hey!” Otis called out as he finally returned. He had an armload of equipment and…a teenage boy in tow?

“Uh, Otis?” Bex was a little afraid to ask.

“Right,” Otis said, with what she was sure he thought was a winning smile. “This is my cousin’s kid, Alex. He’s the replacement DJ. He’s got experience!” Otis continued quickly before Bex could say anything. “He’s done parties before, he knows how to work the equipment, I swear it will be okay.”

At this point, Bex was finally starting to believe those words. “That’s great,” she said. “Alex, thank you so much for helping out. Make sure you help yourself to the food, but no booze. There will be plenty of cops here so don’t test that. And please don’t play anything with swears. The birthday boy is an old man.”

Alex shrugged and nodded which she took as acceptance of the terms. “Where am I setting up?” he asked.

She got Otis to show him the corner of the yard they’d marked out and recruited Adam to help them bring in the rest of their equipment and the dance floor pieces.

Soon enough, the yard was looking very nearly party ready. They just needed—

“Knock, knock!”

Bex looked over to see Kelly and Matt standing at the gate, wide grins on their faces.

“Oh, my god, you’re here!” She ran over and swung the gate open, tackling them into a group hug. “Amazing! Thank you! Finally! This is so great! Where are the tables! Come on, everyone! We need to unload it all!”

Kelly and Matt laughed at her as the rest of their yard crew hurried over to help bring everything in. And finally—finally!—the yard was ready.

Party time, full speed ahead.

They had about an hour until Chris and Cindy were supposed to arrive which left just enough time to get changed.

The backyard team left to go and get ready while Bex went inside to check on the amazing, never needed any supervision and did everything perfectly kitchen team.

And everything there was ready and looked amazing, of course.

“You are all lifesavers and I love you so freaking much,” Bex said as she went around giving them all hugs. “Now go get ready so you can come back and enjoy eating all of this deliciousness.”

“Happy to help,” Uncle Bo said before pulling her aside. “We’re definitely all set here, Bex, but there is one thing.” He led her over to the end of the counter where the cake box sat. “Have you had a chance to take a peek at this yet?”

“No,” Bex said. “The way things have been going, I was just glad it arrived. Sylvie said they had the right flavour and style that we needed though. Why? Is something wrong with it?”

Uncle Bo just hummed noncommittally and lifted the lid.

Bex looked down at the cake.

“Adam!”

***

Adam

Adam sat in the passenger seat of Atwater’s car and twitched.

“All good, man?” Atwater asked, shooting him a sideways look.

“Yeah,” Adam said. “Just got like, a shiver down my spine. Weird.”

***

Connor

Four pm on the dot and Connor was free and clear of cases, but he had one more assignment left.

“Have you seen Will?” he asked Maggie as she gathered up her things from the desk.

“Have you tried looking exactly where you know he’ll be?” she replied with a fond eyeroll.

“Right,” Connor nodded, not able to keep the grin off his face. “See you at the party later?”

“You know it,” Maggie said, waving over her shoulder at him as she left the ED.

Connor went to the lounge to gather up his stuff plus Will’s. If Will was outside at this point, that meant he was clear of cases as well. Or at least, most of them.

His last case of the day was going home with him.

Will’s patient had unfortunately passed away a few hours before and he had no next of kin that they’d been able to track down. Last time Connor checked in, they still hadn’t heard back from the SPCA either.

He waved at the remaining staff on his way out, a few of them confirming they’d see him later at the party as well. Will was easy to spot once he was outside, sitting in the same spot as before with Kol cozied up beside him. He had an arm slung over the dog and was talking quietly to him.

“Hey,” Connor said as he stepped over to them. “How’s it going over here?”

“Trying to explain what happened,” Will said with a sigh. “Not sure he gets it, but I’m hoping I can still get him to leave with me.” He looked up at Connor. “We checked again. There’s no one to take him—either through family or friends or the SPCA and Lanik wants him gone so he’s coming home with me.”

“Did you let Bex know yet?”

“I feel like this is a better to beg for forgiveness situation,” Will winced. “I think she’ll be okay. Probably. Hopefully.”

“Being on time will help your case,” Connor said. “So we should get going.”

Will clambered to his feet. “Yeah, let me just…get my stuff,” he said, smile spreading across his face as Connor passed over all of said stuff. “Wow, thank you.”

“Just doing my job,” Connor grinned at him. “Official party business. I was on ‘keep Will on time’ duty.”

“I feel like I should be offended,” Will said slowly. “But I’m going to choose to rise above it.”

“As long as you’re rising above it and leaving at the same time.” Connor tapped his watch and raised his eyebrows at him.

“Bossy,” Will grumbled, pocketing his stuff and taking Kol’s leash in hand. “Come on, boy. Don’t want to be late and make a bad impression on your other new roomie.”

Connor followed the two of them and pulled out his phone to text Bex.

Mission accomplished. On our way.

***

Chris

He grinned down at where Cindy was snuggled into his side. “You know, I don’t remember you letting me get that far in high school,” he laughed as she swatted at him. “Pretty sweet birthday, all in all. Five stars. Ten out of ten.”

“It’s not even done yet,” Cindy said, straightening up to peer over the seat at the clock on the dashboard. “Ooh, we’ve got to get going. Don’t want to be late.”

“For what? We meeting everyone at Molly’s?” Chris asked, pulling his shirt back into place and buttoning it. “Going somewhere else? What? Cinds! Tell me. Come on.”

She mimed turning a key against her lips and throwing it away. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

If it was anything like the rest of his day, he couldn’t wait. Chris grabbed Cindy, pulling her into a hug and smooching her face and neck and everywhere else he could reach.

“Christopher!” she laughed. “We’re going to be late!”

He stopped, brushing her hair away from her face so he could see the smile lighting up her eyes. “What if I need to thank my wife for this amazing birthday I’m having?”

“…we could be a little late.”

Click here to read Chapter Five

Click here to read Congratulations on Not Dying (Happy Birthday, Chris!) on ao3:

And here is the tag list (let me know if you wish to be added or removed):

@sorry-i-spaced, @iunnowatuwant, @thegirlwhowishedeveryonelived, @ivyalmighty, @thewannabewriter, @lexhalstead3, @multifandomgrl08, @foxes-and-cats, @sensitivemallysix,

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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 9 months

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Up High!

[First] Prev <–-> Next

#poorly drawn mdzs #mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #'I'm going to truncate this episode' -> immediately draws a second comic about Xue Yang's arm getting ripped off #This was the original no.88 and i think i COULD have merged them but I rather reflect then fully re-do it.#The crushed up candy in XY's hand makes me miserable and melancholic. So I need to make it funny.#The callousness at the candy is so interesting to me. I think on some level he understands why #but he's equally disgusted by Xue Yang's actions at this point #WWX in general has *no* tolerance for twisted affections. 'Don't care if you fell in love. Get Better Asshole.'#Kind of a consistent motif in how he reacts to other peoples feelings of affection #maybe his own too? Later in this episode and ep4 we see him very conflicted about his own affections #god maybe he earnestly doesn't really understand affection in any form. This....this makes sense.#not even going to get into the yumeng sibling drama. That's prob the most affection he allows and even then....its a mess.

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scintillyyy · 2 months

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can you really talk about tim's tendency to idolize and place dick on a pedestal and his semi-entitlement to understanding dick without also talking about dick's tendency to project his own feelings and insecurities onto tim and also his semi-entitlement to his right to try and micromanage how tim should feel and react about things. i, personally, cannot.

#dick and tim #anyways trust me when i say that none of this is meant in a negative way because this is what i Like about them lmao #forever thinking of the M/F fight where dick expects that tim will go alone with his line of thinking just because he says so #and is shocked when tim doesn't and instead has his own thoughts and feelings abt the matter #and babs has to tell him that tim isn't him & had a fundamentally different experience to him #it's like hmmm very realistic to me #the way they do this to each other in a way that almost is depersonalizing but like isn't actually #it's more just that they understand each other so well most of the time that it's easy to forget that they're their own person #with their own thoughts and feelings #like hm. there is something very realistically siblings about it in that #older siblings do tend to try and dominate the relationship with their thoughts and feelings because #their first memories are of being expected to lead their sibling and the sibling usually comes at a time when the older sib is v possessive #so the older sibling conceives the younger sibling as belonging to them and being kind of a hm extension of them vs their own person #meanwhile the younger sibling has no knowledge of a life where the older sibling doesn't exist #and the younger sibling's experience is that of observation of the older sibling from basically the very first day of life #so the younger sibling will often see and perceive the older sibling in very interesting ways #they're always learning something with thay observation good or bad #and thus probably develop more instrinsic understanding than even the parents do #and conflict comes because each is their own person but it's hard to see them that way sometimes #anyways there's also another thread where for dick it's hard to conceptualize tim's family of origin as real compared to them #but that's like mainly headcanon just know i'm right and it's interesting

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shiftywing · 4 months

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but what if i enjoy the concept of qibli being jealous/resentful of sunny...

#adopted siblings is nice but so is conflict :>#wof #wings of fire #qibli #sunny

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allieinarden · 6 months

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I also love the whole ship of Candace “trying to get her brothers in trouble for being young inventors, philanthropists and humanitarians” Flynn with Jeremy “has never considered that his baby sister might be evil” Johnson.

#they have so much to learn from each other #Phineas and Ferb #can’t wait for them + Stacy to adopt Vanessa into their fold because she was raised as an only and now has to be the big sister of a robot #and they’re all giving her conflicting advice about it #Jenny too!! Jenny is Django’s big sister they’re just one of those older sibling gangs that forms when everybody’s parents are close in age

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knight-of-skyloft · 1 year

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"Navani is a traitor for working with the enemy" this "Raboniel used her" that THAT'S NOT THE POINT THAT WAS NEVER THE POINT!!! It's the realization that they can accomplish more together than apart! They never could have made the Rhythm of War alone. They had to be in tandem, not fighting or trying to come out on top. That's what they taught each other! Raboniel was like "oh I'm totally not playing you, we can accomplish more together, wink wink" and the whole time she was playing herself, because she slowly came to realize that they could accomplish more together, that they were equals, that they could coexist, that the war can end.

#literally the whole point of that plotline is the shortsightedness in thinking that the war is the most important thing #and people are like 'navani backstabbed urithiru for her own ego'#NAVANI TRANSCENDED A MILLIENNIA-OLD CONFLICT TO FIND GENUINE CONNECTION WITH A FUSED #and it saved the sibling! it saved everyone living in the tower!#stormlight archive #stormlight archive spoilers #rhythm of war spoilers #navani kholin #raboniel

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khaosrealms · 8 months

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using syzoth x princess!reader's magnificent request; could you write a scenario where reader ends up arguing with her sisters, who were worried about her getting closer to the zaterran? — they are just wanting the best for their little sister.

LACERTA’S CROWN JEWEL. / SYZOTH X PRINCESS! READER.

a/n: now how did you know that i just absolutely adore family dynamics? of course i’ll write a scenario for this! it would be my pleasure 💙

“I forbid it.” Those are the first words that leave Mileena’s lips when you tell her of your newfound companion. Of Syzoth, the Zaterran you’d begun to make quick friends with. And, the same as many, many centuries of petty arguments and squabbles, you cannot say you are surprised. The only thing you can say you are, with certainty, is annoyed. Annoyed that you could already feel a headache stirring at your temples for what was to come. Annoyed that this was, without doubt, another lesson of Mileena’s you remember quite well from when you were younger.

“You— forbid it?” “I forbid it.” “And for what reason is that?” You can see the trepidation in Mileena’s features. Risen to Empress, she restrains better than she had before; but you know your sister, and you know Kitana, stood beside you, can see the very same thing. Musing with her hands, the same she often would her own fans. You three are alone here, no other company but the walls, but Mileena falls to a hush. Clutching your wrist; speaking beneath her chin. “He is a Zaterran, sister. Do you know what things the court would say if they were to discover who you make company of?” The court? The court which now fell beneath Mileena’s rule? The court that she, with a flick of her palm, could bend to her every will?

You despised the days in which fighting felt like the only way you could get through to your sister. Her problem. She started it first.

“And what will your court say? When they find their Empress has been infected with Tarkat?” “Excuse me?” The expression on Kitana’s face is all you need to know you’ve pushed the discussion down a route of no return. Her scrunched features hidden behind her hand; shielding her eyes from the sight of you both bickering. So you continue. If arguing is the only way forth— then that’s your choice. One step forward is all you need to cross the distance between you and Mileena, in all her seething, withheld rage. “Or are you perhaps the only one worth defending amongst your court? Mother knows you’ve thought only of yourself!”

“Myself? Only of myself?” The royal fabric on your chest strains against your sister’s nails as she grabs hold. Forcing you to remain in place. Forced to look up at her. “The only reason why you have not endured the savagery of the court is because I protect you! All your dismissed suitors, all those soldiers of Shao— did you think you alone suppressed those whispers?!” Even Kitana’s intervention is not enough to halt Mileena’s barrage. The hand on her wrist nothing more but an assurance that she should continue; spitting her words in your face. “It was mine and mother’s burden, always. Tending to your whispers! Tending to your desires!” “Mileena, please, it’s enough.” “No Kitana, it is not enough! You indulge her, same as I have!” How easy it was for your elder sister to get a rise out of you. The bitter sting that forms tears at the corners of your eyes; gritting your teeth to push them down. But she continues. Mileena continues, because at the very sight of her, you can tell she’s scared. Just as scared as you. “A daughter of Sindel making close company of a Zaterran will ruin you, sister. Ridding yourself of what little favor you hold in the court— do you want that?” “Mileena.” The sound of Mileena’s bracers creaking beneath Kitana’s palm is warning enough. When you are pulled away, it’s Kitana’s hand that urges you to stay firm; set on the small of your back.

“We worry about you, sister.” Kitana’s even words melted out from between her lips. Coated in earnest worry, there, even in the crease of her brow. And though you almost bite back, retaliating against her kindness— you blink past your tears, clearing your throat. She’s a mirror; the words she speaks are a reflection of Mileena’s own. Only easier to swallow, sweeter. As needed as the bitterness of your Empress’ sister. “We know his intentions are well, but the court will make their assumptions of a Zaterran. Harsher ones, when a princess is involved.”

“His name is Syzoth.” You feel Mileena’s eyes flicker to your face. Watch as you direct your words to Kitana, who absorbs your words as they leave you. “And he helped in the battle against Shang Tsung. He was there— saving the people of Outworld. Fighting alongside us.” When you turn and lock eyes with Mileena, you know then that she is listening. “If the court you rule is one that won’t defend one of its own protectors, then I want no place in such a court with you.”

For a moment, there is silence.

Filled only by the wind and inhaled breathes your sisters and yourself take. Kitana surveying your reactions, Mileena scanning your eyes, and your own, staring right back at her’s. The first to break the quiet— softening her eyes at your refusal to let go. “You know I can’t lose you too.” And it breaks Mileena’s heart, as it does your own. “Do you believe he has a place here, in my court?”

“Of course I do.” With utter certainty. So much so, it almost embarrasses you how quickly it escapes; a gesture not so easily ignored by Kitana. That peculiar smile of her’s filling her lips— the same one she gifts Mileena when she speaks to Tanya. You ignore it, as best you can. “A Zaterran might just be what you need, in your new era, Empress Mileena.” She would never just used to it, no matter how much Kitana and you said it, but it’s enough to make Mileena smile. Clearing the air of its sharpness and melting it down into exhaustion. Mileena’s gentle hand fitting into your own, gifting it a small squeeze. “Syzoth is a good man, I promise, sister.” You squeeze back and Mileena’s exhaustion warms to acceptance.

“Only as your confidant, I hope?” “Surely, it couldn’t possibly be anything more, could it, Sister?” Elder Gods, maybe you should died during the battle. Spare you from your sisters and their smirks as your cheeks redden under their questioning. Impossible to hide, as they corner you with their frames. Kitana poking at your side, Mileena tugging at your cheek as you squirmed. “A hug from a Princess of Outworld could surely be considered more, could it not, Sister?” “A Zaterran winning the affection of Sindel’s daughter— what gasping rumor to be heard in the court!” “You two keep talking and you’ll be joining mother and father in the afterlife!”

#syzoth #mortal kombat x reader #syzoth x reader #syzoth x princess! reader #feel like that one kermit meme #of him slamming away @ his keys #but it’s my dumbass on my phone #god i LOVEEE sibling conflicts #thank u so much again 4 the request!#i had a lot of fun w/ this 💚💚#and it’s to help segway into part 3 of the princess stuff!#i’ve written princess so much #it doesn’t sound like a real word LOLLL

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storgicdealer · 24 days

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ok guys. guys. guys hear me out right now. orange learning about c!alans horrendous torture on tdl & tco & victim that surpasses what he had experienced with him. how would he react oh my god

#like. i NEED to see second build a stronger bond with chosen for them to have conflicting feelings with alan #considering chosen had it worst + had a literal stick come to life just in order to destroy him + lived as an adblocker for 5 damn years #and orange is definitely wouldnt forget about this #i need to crush these siblings #animator vs animation #alan becker #ava orange #ava tco #ava the second coming

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zuko-always-lies · 27 days

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I swear people who don't have siblings are the biggest Azula haters.

#Azula #do only children really think sibling relationships are all lovely dovey?#As opposed to constant conflict over scarce resources?

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yunmeng-jiang · 4 months

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that man does NOT think of wei wuxian as his gege

#jiang cheng #wwx #twin prides #i have a whole post about how they both think of themselves as having an older-sibling role #but even if that wasn't true jc still always calls him by his full name and the one time wwx tried to call him shidi jc yelled at him #their relationship is not that simple! it's a huge thing that wwx occupies a weird in-between role in their family!#he's definitely not a servant but also definitely not a full member of their family and that's super important to the story!#even if jc WANTED to think of him as his older brother he would need to get past seven layers of trauma to even realize he wanted that #and then he would have to admit it to himself and then work up the courage to admit it to someone else #and even then he probably still wouldn't say it to wwx's face #sure yanli calls wwx her didi but things are much simpler from her point of view #plus she's one of those people - like lxc - that can hold an opinion deep inside herself and be at peace with it even if it conflicts +#+ with what the world says and what she's been brought up to believe #jc is not like that. he internalizes way more from the outside world and if he feels conflicted he just kind of implodes #he's spent his whole life being told that wwx is not his equal and is someone to compete against #and also secretly believing that wwx is eventually going to abandon him because he doesn't think anyone truly cares for him #plus wwx treats him like a bff who is also a liege lord rather than a beloved younger brother #he would Not form a secure attachment to wwx lmao #it also really annoys me that when people write/conceptualize him as someone who thinks of wwx as his real gege +#+ they tend to completely erase jyl and minimize her importance to jc. he HAS an older sibling who he trusts unconditionally and confides +#+ in and takes comfort from! that person already exists! and they ignore her in favor of the protagonist #it also really bugs me when they have him mourning wwx those whole 13-16 years but don't put in a single word about yanli #this kind of turned into a rant about jyl... i have a lot of feelings about her especially since i'm the oldest sibling in my family #anyway. that man does not think of wwx as his gege #haterade #(kind of)

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thenixkat · 2 months

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but also wild that Kabru 'murder is ok' of Utaya thought that Laios and Falin were bad people b/c they [checks notes] are disinterested in people and didn't notice that they were getting conned by an ex-coworker they thought had become disabled and needed help

(and also b/c Laios wouldn't give him the time of day every time Kabru tried to initiate a conversation with him on the surface)

#nix meows #dungeon meshi #kabru of utaya #touden siblings #like that's a very concerning mentality for someone who thinks murder is a good option to solve conflicts to have

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fromtheseventhhell · 2 months

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"It's normal for siblings to fight" Okay well it's not normal to be extremely classist and look down on your sister for being non-conforming. Or to go to the woman who ordered the death of your pet to tell her about your father's plans, when he specifically warned you against doing so, because you want to marry the boy you saw attack your sister and her friend (contributing partially to said father's death and your sister being unable to escape on the ship he chartered). Or to think of your sibling as unsatisfactory in comparison to another when you believe her to be dead. I notice that none of the "Sansa and Arya are going to reunite and instantly have no issues" crowd ever acknowledge any of this, which makes it seem like they don't actually believe what they say about their relationship being normal and easily reconciled. People wanting them to have no issues simply because they're siblings is another example of how fandom likes to flatten complex characters and relationships. They get reduced to being bickering siblings when their conflict runs deeper than that. If the author is telling you that they have "deep issues" to work out [X], I don't understand being so adamant about ignoring said issues. I also get the sense it's about ignoring the capacity for a certain character to be flawed, but that isn't going to change the fact that her "slip of the tongue" is very likely to be revealed and a source of further conflict 🤷🏾‍♀️

#arya stark #sansa stark #house stark #asoiaf #also if it's so normal for siblings to fight then why are you guys losing your minds over us theorizing they won't get along??#the amount of condescending /that's just how siblings act/ takes I see 🙄#sorry I guess? that we read the book and don't just delete parts of the story because we find it convenient?#it's not even like takes about them being enemies is widespread the most I see is that they aren't instantly bffs when they reunite 😭#some people theorize they'll never be close but guess what? that's a completely fair and valid assumption based on their relationship!#personally I think they'll have a sweet reunion before the issues they have inevitably surface again because while they've been through #a lot they haven't fundamentally changed as people or the values they hold #and I think that's going to be very interesting to read about!#I can't figure out why people always take the most boring bland route for how things will play out #mostly because people seem to be unable to swallow the concept that Sansa is a flawed character who isn't perfectly sweet all the time #and the fact that their conflict is instigated by Sansa's classism #which is funny cause in the grand scheme of things her being mean to Arya is such a mild thing that opens the door to a ton of growth #never seen anybody but stansas equating her being a bully to her sister to her being evil/a villain #all we do is point out that it exists in the story...people in this fandom have no concept of nuance I stg 😭#anyways they're both complex characters and their conflict is interesting and I hope we get to see how it plays out #cause it's definitely going to be better then that trash d&d came up with 🙏🏾

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andersdotters · 9 months

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I think the thing that's easy to forget about Arlecchino is that she is not the original Arlecchino. The one that set up the House of the Hearth, the one that greatly abused its members, the one that lied to Freminet about his mother, the one that brainwashed the members to be willing to give their lives for their family was the original Arlecchino, not the current Arlecchino. The current Arlecchino was previously a child raised by the House of the Hearth that succeeded the original Arlecchino through some kind of "serious clash."

The original Arlecchino was painted to be a very cruel person. She'd would greatly punish members that did not succeed in their missions. She lied to Freminet that his mother abandoned him, then used his mother's well being as a way to threaten Freminet into obeying. Going off of one of her subordinates actions, she would've been fine with the creation of orphans if that met taking them in to become later members of the Fatui.

When the current Arlecchino got into power, she changed many things. Where the previous Arlecchino wanted them to give up their lives for the family, the current told them that they must value their lives. Every single one of them was important. Where the previous Arlecchino would punish members for failing missions, the current does not do so, but chooses to give missions suitable to the person.

What I find really interesting about the current Arlecchino is that she is not without morals. When Lyney asks to receive a delusion to help his sister, though she does not react outwardly, her eyes were described to be full of "wrath." She then shows a startling amount of emotional intelligence and asks if that is what Lynette would want. When it comes to Freminet, not only was she furious upon learning he was cruelly lied to regarding his mother, what I'm shocked is she knew about his mother in the first place. She knew what his mother looked like. Freminet entered the House of the Hearth before she became Arlecchino, but she still knew. If you want to look deeper into this, this implies that she purposefully looked into his past and sought out his mother for him.

People may say she's acting. People may say she is acting "nice" to groom the sibings her way, but anger is not something easily faked. Those seemed to be genuine reactions. I do not think that was a lie. However, I'm not saying that she's not lying or manipulative either.

What the most important thing to keep in mind about all of this is what Wanderer and Childe have to say about her. They both fully state that she is insane. She has no problems betraying people. She seeks to control others. She is insane. No ifs, ands, or buts.

I'm just really curious to see how Genshin will reconcile this conflicting information about her.

((check the tags for more of an analysis on her that goes a bit deeper))

#genshin impact #arlecchino #freminet #lyney #lynette #if you ask my personal opinion about the matter i don't think the siblings' view of her or the harbingers' view of her are wrong #i think she has morals #i think she values life #i think she genuinely felt disgust in both freminet and lyney's instances #however at the same time?#i do think she's insane #i do think she has no issues betraying people #i do think that she wants control over people #i don't these things conflict each other #another thing i want to point out? (tw abuse mention ahead)#she was originally a child brought up in the house of the hearth under the previous arlecchino #she grew up abused and tortured up until the point that she went against her abuser #so when you realize that she grew up in this environment it makes sense why she values life #it makes sense why freminet being lied to like that disgusted her so badly #it makes sense why she's insane bc u can't grow up in an abusive household and come out unscathed #but you sure as damn hell come out with the strongest morals in the world lol #did she 'groom' lyney to become her successor? i mean... it's clearly stated that she did i don't deny that #is she manipulating the siblings to her side?#uh yeah duh #but that doesn't make her actions and reactions all a lie #that's the point i'm trying to make here #idk if that make sense #it's just boring to paint her ONLY as a evil emotionless manipulator when like... she has potential for more

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