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hollowed-theory-hall · 3 months

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re.: the weasleys + parenting

what's always bugged me most abt percy's fight with arthur (especially in the fandom, where everyone's like 'oh, he turned his back on harry and betrayed his family to side w the ministry) is that. that's hardly what the fight is about at all. the fight is about the fact that percy, an 18yo kid who just got promoted to his dream job instead of straight up losing any chance at ever being Minister (because they tried to scapegoat him into taking the blame for the crouch business even though he managed to keep the whole department running while his boss wasn't even there), comes home all excited to tell his parents that "Hey, he's not unemployed and bereft of any and all hope for his biggest dream", but rather that his skills and competence got recognized by The Most Important Man In The Government, and molly and arthur look him straight in the face and go—"no you didn't."

there is no mention whatsoever that they even try to be gentle about it, that they congratulate him first and then bring it up later like "just be careful around Fudge, he's always looking for people to get information from and you are the best of both worlds, close to the action and actually good at the job he hired you for", nothing of the sort. they straight up don't even consider how any of those factors might've weighed in Fudge's decision to hire him.

and, perhaps worst of all, they have no faith in Percy. he tells them "I'm working for the minister", and not only do they not spare a second to be happy for him over this frankly momentous achievement (or at the very least concern for the position it puts him in), they jump straight to conjectures and accusations. "you only got this because of Harry" has got to crush Percy, who was raised to believe that good things come to honest, hard-working people and who has been working for this since he was a small child. and it digs the knife deeper when you realize that most of his siblings have basically replaced him with Harry. Harry, who also plays Quidditch and also keeps throwing himself into death-defying dangers and overalls fits much better into the family dynamic than Percy ever has.

and there's just this. crystal clear implication that they do believe Percy would spy on them. he's so Different and Other and Un-Weasley/Gryffindor-like and they've alienated themselves from him so absolutely that they can't see any reasons he wouldn't willingly and consciously jeopardize his parents' livelihood and Harry & his siblings safety just to stay in the Minister's good graces, when if anyone's actually at risk of losing their job for siding with Dumbledore is his father, who's still working there quite merrily and continues to so for a long time afterwards.

Percy, who runs into a freezing lake mid-February while attending an international event as Crouch's replacement to make sure Ron is alright, who pesters Ginny to eat and have a pepper-up potion most of her first year bc she doesnt look well, who tails Harry and Ron a lot of their second and third years bc there's something petrifying kids and then Dementors on the grounds and a mass murderer on the loose and they all just think he's being willfully bothersome like no you idiots he's worried.

of course he left. of course he left. what did he have to gain by staying at the Burrow, beyond fresh home cooked meals harassment and disagreements? why wouldn't he leave?

sorry I have a lot of feelings about this.

No need to apologize, this is brilliantly written!

I don't even feel like I need to add anything as you summed up the Percy situation perfectly.

But I can't help myself because I love discussing the Weasley family dynamics, so it's a bit more rumbley than my usual...

Percy cares so much for his family. When Voldemort is revealed and the war actually starts, he puts all his disagreements with his parents aside to come and help and make sure they're okay, because he cares. And still, he is being shunned and treated like an outsider.

Arthur and Molly Weasley are just really good at alienating their kids because it isn't just Percy.

Somehow all of them succeded in feeling like outsiders in a family of 9. Bill shows frustration with his parents and only returns to Britain because of the war, Charlie's in Romania for most of the series. Fred and George run away the moment they can and are treated like trouble by their parents most of the time (Molly and Arthur assume they are selling stolen goods from Mundungus when they hear they have money, not that they, idk, somehow earned it), Ron has a whole complex of low self-esteem and a tendency to blame himself for everything. Ginny is isolated from her brothers as the only girl and youngest...

And Percy cares and tries to be the best and most responsible sibling and gets scorned in turn.

Harry and Ron do acknowledge Arthur's and Molly's accusation towards Percy was awful and that he was right to respond negatively in OOTP. Ron is just sensitive about their family's financial state which soured Percy to him after Percy blew up at their dad (rightfully so, honestly, I'd say way worse to Arthur if it was me).

The thing is, Percy also gets scorned by his siblings, not just his parents (like Fred and George do). He gets grief for trying to be responsible and for wanting his siblings to do well in school and not get in trouble, Fred and George lock him in a pyramid...

That being said, do I think Percy is perfect? No, he is pretentious and overbearing at times, but he is a child in a large family who tries to find a place to fit himself in. According to child psychology, usually when it comes to siblings, the eldest would usually (at least in childhood) try to be everything the parents want (Bill), and then each next sibling will carve a different niche for themselves, and we see this with the Weasleys. I think the twins being born right after Percy and demanding a lot of attention from their parents from a young age as they were little troublemakers from the start is a big reason why Percy chose the niche of being bookish, ambitious, and responsible for himself. To contrast himself with them and his older brothers and get some attention from their parents.

I'm not a fan of the epilog (like everyone), but I find it hard to imagine Percy being close to his family post-books. I think he never fully got over the sting of not being seen as skilled and competent and that his parents believed he'd turn on them all without a second thought. Nor do I think he should just get over it.

Like, I'm really salty that Percy was the only one to apologize:

“I was a fool!” Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph. “I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a—a—” “Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron.” said Fred. Percy swallowed. “Yes, I was!” “Well, you can’t say fairer that that,” said Fred, holding out his hand to Percy. Mrs. Weasley burst into tears. She ran forward, pushed Fred aside, and pulled Percy into a strangling hug, while he patted her on the back, his eyes on his father. “I’m sorry, Dad.” Percy said.

(Deathly Hollows, pages 512-513)

Like, yes, it's great he was smart enough to realize the ministry is corrupt, but this demand only for him to apologize when Molly and Arthur Weasley were just as much in the wrong. Fred and George weren't beacons of sainthood here either. But none of them have apologies demanded of them. None of them are demanded to confess they are "morons". Just Percy.

Who even after his apology is still an outsider. Probably always will be one.

You said it best: "Why wouldn't he leave?"

And that's what we see him do (if temporarily).

#harry potter #harry potter thoughts #harry potter theory #hp theory #wizarding world #percy weasley #the weasleys #arthur weasley #molly weasley #asks #anon ask

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wolfytae-exe · 6 months

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alr cici listen its nothing nsfw but i heard u like dark content n i just had to share this silly little thought with you lol

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGe1KnknY/

when i heard this remix i INSTANTLY thought abt one scenario -> it’s the middle of the war n prince!beomgyu finds out that his s/o (reader) was a spy the whole time..like just imagine a scene where they stand face to face, his sword inches from her face + both of them breathing heavily, the look of betrayal on his face cuz the love of his life did sum like that..

idk its silly

AURA OH GOD- brb time to write a drabble-

Love knows no bounds (a) (d)

Warning: Blood, Betrayal, Descriptive Death,

In the fight for his palace, Beomgyu, the only prince in line for the throne, lies bleeding in the grass, caught off guard while cutting through his enemies with his traditional blade, forged by bits of blade from his ancestors and various rare metals to signify his importance. The nasty gash across his chest up to his lip, eye, and brow bone, bleed excessively.

Tears well in his eyes not for the pain of the wounds that stained his body but for his home, his family, village, palace, and most importantly, his lover. You pleaded with him not to leave for battle, warned him of his death you swore a teller informed you about. If only he had listened, he would be able to hold you, his dear wife, with child and anxiously waiting for his arrival.

“Please.. Spare me..” Beomgyu shuddered to the knight adorned in full black, features covered, however, this being stayed quiet, looking down on the prince as low as dirt before dropping their sword. “I have-“ The prince started before coughing harshly, blood bubbling up his throat. “I have a wife. She’s with child, please spare me, allow my family to not live a life with one parent.” Beomgyu begged.

Tears fell as the knight crouched down to his level. Hand reaching for the prince's specially forged sword. “I know.” Said the knight, voice echoing within the helmet, yet still distinct. Beomgyu found it familiar and confusing, a female's voice. The prince went to question it before the knight ripped the helmet off.

No..

No!

He refuses to believe this betrayal. “Y-You..” You look him in the eye, his disbelief and horror paints a terrifying smile on your face. “I know, dear. I’ll be waiting for the news of your death.” You whisper as you raise his sword from the nasty ground. “You will die an honorable man, my king.” You continue while Beomgyu hyperventilates, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his bloody cheek. “How..” Is all he can get out, stunned, heartbroken, betrayed.

“I am not with child, my king. This was my assigned mission, I apologize.” You sigh and pull back, grabbing your helmet and putting it back on. “I loved you..” Beomgyu sobs, the heartbreak finally setting in. “You betrayed me.. You betrayed our palace.” Beomgyu’s hand reaches for you, as if to take you with him to the afterlife. “I love you, Beomgyu, I’ve always loved you, but it is not my choice how this goes.” You frown, you tried to warn him, you tried so hard to keep him away from battle and prevent this, but unfortunately, your king was too headstrong to listen.

“I’m sorry, my king.” You finish before pushing the specially forged blade through your husband's chest, the feeling of his heart piercing doesn’t miss you, and only hurts you more. “I love you.” You said as his eyes went blank, staring you in the face, looking for your eyes behind the helmet. The disgust, sadness, betrayal, and love lasted in his eyes even after the let go of the sword that stuck out his chest. You truly do love him, it was not supposed to end up this way, you were not allowed to love him, but love knows no bounds.

#beomgyu angst #beomgyu imagines #beomgyu x reader #beomgyu scenarios #character death #txt angst #txt fic #txt drabbles

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xiao-come-home · 1 month

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hiiii!!!! if you’re comfortable with it, do you think you could do sum hurt/comfort hcs about getting into an argument with itto, and the aftermath? maybe he says something he doesn’t really mean and feels awful about it or something? my brains just been buzzing w this scenario and so i’m curious on what you think :)) thank you so much, i love your work btw :)

hurt/comfort meaning my worst fear but i tried my best pensive emoji :(

Arataki Itto:

it's quite unusual for itto to feel genuine anger or even worse, say things in the heat of the moment because of it - things that he's had in the back of his mind, that were never supposed to be said out loud.

it truly has to be a day, when everything goes wrong - whether it's actual trouble or a fight with his gang members - itto would never lash out purposely or take his anger out on you, but when you scolded him for his childishness that day, it broke camels back.

itto stopped as soon as he saw you tear up and wipe your eyes; his breath hitched in his throat, the look of regret on his face took over and suddenly - no words could go past his lips, despite his mind spinning and trying so desperately to find something.

for the next few days, itto is nowhere to be seen - neither alone, or with his gang - he's actually silently processing past events at grandma oni's home. the scarlet eyes stare at the floor helplessly, switching between determination, wanting to do something to make it up to you, and sorrow - the thoughts whispering that you won't forgive him anymore; the guilt of bringing up your worst insecurity weighed on his shoulders more day by day, forcing his eyes to tear for hours - only to harshly scold himself and thinking how undeserving he is for crying, when it was you who truly got hurt.

the moment Grandma Oni asked itto what happened - itto told her everything, but declined her help; it was his responsibility to fix this, and finally, finally - he felt the strength to do it. the same day, Arataki Itto ran past the city to complete the first mission of his "Please, I'm begging you to forgive me sugarplum" plan.

He spent an entire day making the most beautiful bouquet of flowers that he laid his eyes on - dendrobium, sea ganoderma, fluorescent flowers he found on the way, hell, on his way back he probably got scammed by a fontainian merchant for rainbow roses with his few mora left. also, probably got slightly hurt by specters while collecting sango pearls to use it as finishing looks for some flowers.

what's next? a letter! except it's a letter from itto, and wording what he truly feels is worse than getting beaten up by kairagi. it's actually worse than climbing up inazuman hills and fighting whoever "wanted to take his flowers because he was first." either way, after spending hours, itto wrapped the letter in an envelope, careful not to tear the paper with his long nails.

since he had the spare key, he decided to bake you a cake at your place while you're at work. you can probably guess, we're about to witness a disaster.

is itto good at cooking? mm, yes, but baking... is a different story. let's say, at least you're impressed at how much you can mess up a cake, after seeing a green blob on a baking tray and depressed itto crying into your wooden table.

"m' sorry sunshine, i tried, i really really tried, but the greatest arataki itto has been defeated by a cake. A CAKE!" itto sobbed, "after all my hard work! listen, maybe i added too much flour and i almost grilled the onikabuto i caught for you, and the cinnamon that spilled in the bowl was a liiiiitle bit too much, but-"

before he could continue, you made a decision to cut his rambling short with a kiss.

after you pulled away, he cupped your cheeks and nuzzled his forehead into yours; "im sorry sugar. i really am, i-" itto let out a sigh, "i shouldn't have said that. i don't mean it. i didn't mean it. i was frustrated, but it was wrong of me to take it out on you."

the oni was prepared to hear rejection, but feeling you embrace him, he hugged the life out of you back, placing small kisses on your shoulder and twirling you in the air, before yelping and falling on the floor from his injuries.

well, at least you liked the flowers.

please treat his injuries with cute bandaids.

#might be rough bc first thing i wrote in a while but i hope its ok </3 #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #arataki itto x reader #arataki itto #.headcanon #clearing my ask box so i can take new reqs woohoo

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theoddcatlady · 5 months

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The Strangest Roommate I’ve Ever Had

This took place all about three years ago. I was going to college at the time and was living with two of my friends, Phoebe and Macie, along with Macie’s boyfriend Joe. I’d been friends with Phoebe since we were kids but only recently befriended Macie within like a year of agreeing to move in together, and Joe was sort of a last minute addition.

Well, to sum it all up so we’re not here all day, Joe was a jackass. He was a lousy roommate, but he was even worse to Macie, who’s a pretty meek person and a doormat for Jackass Joe. It was the third time Joe was caught sleeping around that Macie finally snapped and broke up with Joe. He responded by taking off and leaving us scrambling for a new roommate so we didn’t end up losing our place. I think it was Macie who posted the ad on our school’s Facebook page as a last ditch resort. It didn’t matter if they smelled like ham or were up all night blasting Marilyn Manson, we just needed someone to pitch in with the bills.

The next day I answered the door to Miss Dorothy Ball.

I could already tell she was a weirdo off the bat- she was wearing a floor length navy colored dress with long sleeves and a high neck and didn’t seemed bothered at all by it considering it was almost ninety freaking degrees out. Not a blonde curl was out of place, not a drop of sweat on her paper white skin or rosy cheeks. Her large blue-green eyes stared at me as I stared at the trunk and suitcase she had behind her.

Her head bowed down, speaking so quietly her lips barely moved.

“I’m Dorothy. I’m here about the roommate ad?”

I only let her in because I felt bad about how hot she had to be in that get up. When she sat across from me I noticed she even had white gloves on, she seemed to be doing all she could to hide every inch of skin she could.

“I have the money here.” Dorothy sat down an envelope on the table. “I intend on staying a full year, minus any unpredictable happenings. I would like to stay in a room by myself, and I promise that I will be silent as a church mouse and that the rent will always be on time. Will that be fine?”

I cleared my throat. “I’ll have to talk to everyone else.” I opened up the envelope and nearly choked on my spit as the crisp one hundred dollar bills fell into my hand. “Is this for half the year?!”

“Just the first month.” Dorothy cocked her head to the side. “I found out the cost of rent, is this too little?”

“You’re only supposed to pitch in a quarter-” I cut myself off as I realized Dorothy knew exactly what she was offering. “You’re paying for all of it?”

“The first month at least.” Dorothy laughed quietly, her lips not even twitching. “My family is quite wealthy. I would just like to live close to the campus and this is such a nice area, I want to show my appreciation for letting me board here.”

I had a meeting with the other roommates after introducing them to Dorothy. I showed them the cash. Phoebe’s eyes filled with dollar signs as she was clearly imagining what she’d do with all the spare cash she had while Macie seemed a bit more hesitant, but we’d not had any other offers. Most people by now had a place to call home while they went to college, and someone offering to pay all of this month’s rent? You’d be an idiot to say no to that.

Dorothy was pleased as punch to be allowed to stay here, even giving us all a hug as she thanked us again and again. Phoebe tried to bolt from the hug but Dorothy insisted on it. We did have to move things around a bit, Macie moved into my room while Dorothy took her old one, but I didn’t mind since Macie and I basically had the same sleeping schedules anyway.

You know how I said I wouldn’t have minded if we got a roommate from hell as long as they paid the bills? Well Dorothy was basically the roommate from heaven. She kept to her promise, she was so quiet she’d sometimes scare me because I didn’t even realize she was there. Not to mention she was a neat freak- there was never a dish in the sink or a speck of dust on the shelves. I swear it was how she had fun, well, that and shopping.

There wasn’t a week that went by that we didn’t have a bunch of packages on the front porch. All cloth or dresses, Dorothy was quite the seamstress. Her closet quite literally overflowed with dresses, all long sleeved with floor length hems. The few that didn’t have high necks she’d pair with chokers or scarves, again, she didn’t want to show any skin. Not like she minded us dressing how we did, I think Phoebe nearly cried with Dorothy presented her with a crop top she made that was hot pink and had her name on the front. She made me something too, this summer themed dress printed with lemon and lime slices. I still wear it whenever I can, and it fits perfectly. She could guess a person’s measurements just by looking at them.

Not to say I wasn’t still a bit offput by her. Something was just not right about this perfect roommate. Any time we’d ask a question about her family or her past, she’d give a half-answer and change the subject, usually by offering to buy us dinner. Even though she did that I never saw her eat, although she enjoyed tea twice a day, once at ten and once at three, like clockwork. I never caught her in the bathroom, although I did hear the shower run late at night when we’d all gone to bed, even Phoebe who’s a night owl and potential insomniac. Whenever she talked she’d bow her head down so I couldn’t see her mouth clearly, she’d never complain about being hot or cold, hell, she never complained at all. And her face was practically frozen. She’d blink, but she had no real expressions from what I could tell- again, she’d always bow her head down so I couldn’t get a clear view of her face past the curly hair.

Again, all of this is weird, but harmless. I chalked up my willies to just Dorothy’s weirdness and did all I could to be friendly to her. I never wanted to be an asshat.

Dorothy was closest with Macie. After Joe left her Macie was pretty messed up, she cried nearly every day and Phoebe said she was afraid Macie was going to drop out and leave us too.

That changed after Dorothy moved in. I think Dorothy sensed how sensitive Macie was and focused a lot of her energy on becoming her friend. Macie never told me what they’d do when they hung out, but Dorothy made it a habit to enter our room and just… talk with her for hours. I’d usually just excuse myself to the living room to binge Netflix and well, whatever Dorothy did worked. Macie got out of her funk, her self esteem shot way up, and she even began going on dates. All the while Dorothy was just basking in her glow, just happy that Macie was happy.

Of course, something did happen. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten Jackass Joe from the beginning of this story. For a little more context, Macie’s old room was on the ground floor, while my room that I now shared with Macie was on the second floor.

Waking up to hearing Dorothy scream bloody murder at around three AM was not a welcome sound.

I jumped the stairs three at a time to rush down there, and when we threw open the door I saw Macie was hiding under her quilts while Joe was sitting in the center of the room completely flummoxed.

“I thought it was Macie!” He tried to explain as Phoebe dragged his ass out of there. Naturally, no one was interested, even if it was Macie it’s gross as hell to just crawl into bed with your ex girlfriend who wants nothing to do with your ass anymore.

I approached the bed, Dorothy still shaking and crying. I tried to draw the blankets back but the blanket bulge flinched back. “No! Don’t take away the blankets!” She screamed.

So I just sat by the bed and waited for her to calm down. Her crying did slow but she refused to come out.

“Are you okay?” I finally asked.

“… He almost saw me.”

The very top of Dorothy’s head peeked out from under the blankets, I did absentmindedly note how her eyes weren’t bloodshot and her face wasn’t red and blotchy, but she was still shaking. “I know… I know if anyone sees what I hide, they will never want to come near me again. And to suddenly have a man in my bed, I… I was frightened. I am so sorry for screaming.”

“Don’t be, I think most girls would freak out with a stranger suddenly climbing into their bed,” I rested my hand on the side of the bed. “It’s okay. You’re my friend, no matter what you’re hiding.” I meant it too. Sure, she was strange, but she was nice. And I prioritize nice.

Dorothy slipped back under her blankets, but I heard a muffled ‘thank you’ as I exited the room.

Of course Joe wasn’t going to stop being the worst because he accidentally got in bed with the wrong girl. He began harassing Macie, saying he was ‘sorry that she felt hurt’ and he’d ‘never do it again’. A quick Facebook check revealed that he was about to get kicked out of his dad’s place for being a shithead, so it made sense he’d go back to his doormat ex to get a new place.

Cept of course, in the few months Joe was gone, Macie had grown a backbone and she was just not interested. Neither were the rest of us, Dorothy especially. The first time I heard our strange roommate swear was when I heard her call Joe a bastard over breakfast, which nearly made Phoebe choke on her Cheerios. Joe could rot in hell. Joe probably sent over one hundred texts asking Macie to kick out ‘the weird chick in your room’ so he could move back in. Macie just ignored him, blocked his number and then every social media profile he tried to reach out to her on. She kept blowing him off, and we all figured sooner or later Joe would get bored and leave us alone.

Oh boy. Not even close.

Phoebe was out that night. I just went out to go pick up some frozen pizzas at the corner store, I was probably gone for like ten minutes. When I got back my heart sunk in my chest when I recognized Joe’s truck out front. I didn’t even enter the house to hear them arguing.

I bolted up the stairs to see Macie and Joe screaming at each other. One of Joe’s friends was there too, a guy named Derek. From what I could make out apparently Joe did find another place, but they needed one more roommate to make it work, and apparently Joe was back to harassing Macie about it. Macie’s face was bright red as she yelled at them both to get the hell out of her house, she wasn’t interested in ever being near Joe again, and if he didn’t leave she’d call the police.

That police threat seemed to really rub Joe the wrong way as he grabbed her arm and squeezed it so tight I thought he was going to break it. I tried to step in, but Derek actually pushed me away, stepping between us so I couldn’t get to my friend to help her out. My cellphone was in my pocket and I was considering just running for it to call 911 when I heard someone walking up the stairs.

I turned to see Dorothy, her head bowed so I couldn’t see her face. She was dressed in a white nightgown that reached just past her calves, I could make out what I thought was scarring on her ankles and toes as she paused at the top of the stairs for only a moment. The next moment she stormed up to Joe and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him towards the stairs, clearly intent on throwing him out herself.

“Get out of this house. Right now. And never step near Macie again.”

Her voice was cold and grating, far from the typically soft mumbles. Joe was probably frozen in shock at first, but he reacted with violence. He shoved Dorothy with all his might, Dorothy stumbling for a moment at the top of the steps before losing her balance and falling down the stairs.

When her body collided with the steps, it sounded like someone had taken a stack of china and thrown them down to the ground.

Dorothy rolled down the rest of the steps, the discordant sound of smashing glass causing all of us to freeze in our tracks. Dorothy finally hit the bottom step with her head and stayed all too still at the foot of the stairs.

Joe shot us all a ‘what the fuck’ look before Dorothy stirred. With the rattle of broken glass, Dorothy got up on all fours. For a nauseating moment I thought the side of her nightgown had been pierced with a piece of bone, but with a sickening grinding sound, Dorothy grabbed onto her gown and ripped it down the side, grabbed the loose shard of white porcelain in her hand, and began the painful looking process of crawling up the steps.

Now I could see what Dorothy had been insistent on hiding, now that her gown had been ripped to ribbons thanks to her shattering. Each of her joints was like the ball joint on a doll, a dip in the skin that now made more disturbing grinding sounds as she hauled herself up the steps. Slivers and pieces of porcelain continued to fall from her body, the biggest missing part nearly taking up her entire right side. Inside of her I could make out incredibly lifelike imitations of ribs, lungs, all cracked and breaking apart. Her right cheek was horrifically cracked, her eyelid hanging half down, unable to fully shut or open. Her chin hung loosely open, her mouth a black, gaping hole. But that still open eye was focused right on Joe, and it was full of loathing.

Macie acted first, bolting into her room and turning the lock. Derek screamed in horror and shoved me forward to act as a shield. Dorothy hauled herself up that last step and I nearly fell on top of her, barely managing to catch myself as I stepped on another piece of porcelain and sliced my foot open like butter.

Dorothy paid me no mind as she managed to push herself to her feet, swaying as she tried to regain her balance before she began to limp over to the terrified men. Joe looked at me and I think I remember him saying ‘help me’.

I responded by crawling into Phoebe’s room and locking the door behind me.

They weren’t screaming for much longer.

I hid in there for hours, clamping my hands over my ears to block out the worst of the wet ripping and tearing. I didn’t leave until I heard Phoebe enter the house, call for us, and then shriek when she saw all the blood.

And there was a lot of blood. It soaked the carpet on the second floor, with bits of flesh and muscle embedded in the fibers. But other than that and the shards of porcelain scattered about the stairs, there was no sign of Joe, Derek, or Dorothy.

We never heard from Dorothy again. An envelope containing enough money to cover a few more months of rent did appear in our mailbox, but the police couldn’t even confirm Dorothy Ball was a real person outside of her school registry. I never even told Phoebe the entirety of the story, only that Dorothy had attacked both Joe and Derek.

I still don’t know what I saw, not really. The image of her shattered body crawling up those stairs, the hate in her still working eye as she stared at Joe will never leave even as I try to rationalize how on earth that could happen. People don’t shatter like… like that.

But I do know Dorothy was real. I know she was.

And I’m thankful for her. And she’s still my friend. Wherever she is.

#my stories

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mephinomaly · 6 months

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[TL] BIOHAZARD/Chapter 5

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Time: That night

Location: In living quarters of the AIIE experiment grounds

Rei: Uwaa, we’re having a sleepover with all of UNDEAD~♪

Fufu. The SS preliminaries was the perfect opportunity for one, but Kaoru-kun was thrown into a desert and separated from us.

I’m happy that the four of us can have a sleepover together peacefully– gah!?

Koga: ...

Rei: Koga? Don’t throw an omanjuu at me? Is this your way of telling me you want to play?

Koga: Stop bein’ so happy-go-lucky, vampire bastard. The hell you mean, pajama party.

Rei: Oya, how nostalgic. Could this be that you want me to call you ‘wanko’ for the first time in a while?

Koga: I ain’t callin’ you that for nostalgia purposes, I’m insultin' you.

Rei: How troubling. Please don’t take your frustrations out on me.

We’ve all given our consent to take part in this experiment.

We can’t complain now, can we?

Koga: We was basically forced to? If it hadn’t been us, it woulda been like, Ra*bits who haven’t done nothin’ wrong.

Then we’d hafta live with the knowledge that them lot are now the victims whilst we watch from the sidelines.

It’s better for our own mental health to just do it for real, right?

‘Cos I don’t like this at all. Don’t forget that.

Kaoru: Ahaha. It’s definitely a little off putting and shady sounding, but it makes for an interesting story, right?

AI idols and stuff– no, technology and science in general has come a long way. Really, it’s like an old sci-fi movie.

If this was just a movie, or even just someone else’s problem, I think it could have been a lot of fun.

Adonis: I also don’t feel great about this but I am interested in terms of the development of science and technology.

This is the future we thought of when we learnt about Voc*loid and drawing AIs, and it’s becoming a reality right in front of our eyes.

We’re now living in a near sci-fi world that people from the past could only imagine.

It’s like a dream, whether that’s a good or a bad thing.

I’m excited.

Kaoru: Ahaha. That totally has the vibe of a boyish heroic novel.

I don’t particularly like that sort of thing either. At the end of the day, I’m still the son of an academic who reached for the sea in search of romance and mystery.

Adonis: I also dislike jumping into areas I don’t know about.

Rei: If we think realistically, if we had refused to take part, there was the likelihood of RhythmLink turning their backs on us.

I suspect they would be rather unpleasant in the matter.

This is a necessary step so we are not thrown to the side. The compensation is rather impressive, and, in simple terms, profitable for us.

Well, we made quite the sum of money during the SS, so we have some to spare.

If an experiment such as ‘AI idols’ is successful, implemented, and announced to the world, won’t they look to us as we were the test subjects? Doesn’t that make this all worth it?

Koga: But this doesn’t solve the problem we’re havin’. They’re just killin’ time, it literally has nothin’ t’do with our situation.

This better not turn into a goose chase, wastin’ time runnin’ ‘round lookin’ stupid.

Rei: Umu. We should all brainstorm some ideas in order to solve the root of the problem, as Koga said. Fortunately, we have been blessed with plenty of time to do so.

Kaoru: Mmm… I was kinda on guard when they said experiment, but if they’re just asking us to stay the night here?

Rei: Umu. We will be given medicine, which will cause us to sleep for about half a day. In that time, via the devices connected to our heads, data will be collected and compiled.

During the time we are not asleep, we will exercise to prevent our bodies from weakening, and eat to keep up our energy levels. Let’s all get on, the four of us.

The testing period will last approximately one week. During this time, any other forms of work are banned, as the extra stimulus may skew the results.

Our phones will be confiscated, and we will be separated from the outside world.

Kaoru: Kinda feels like being a prisoner or a hospital patient… Welp, this’ll be easy money if all we’ve got to do is laze around.

Rei: Umu. I suppose we can take it easy. We will be paid regardless as to whether the experiment produces useful results or not, so it’s not a complete waste of time.

Fortunately, this location is better than a hospital or a prison.

Look, there are some cards and board games we can use to kill time. Let’s play until it’s time for us to sleep.

Koga: Ain’t you bein’ too relaxed ‘bout this whole thing?

Rei: That’s a good thing, is it not? I’ve been acting unusually mature since my youth, so I do not have many experiences like this. Such as having a sleepover with friends of the same age—

That’s why. I can’t be sure of the future, but I know I am very happy right now ♪

[ ☆ ]

Chapter 4

Chapter 6

#ensemble stars #enstars #translation #rei sakuma #koga oogami #adonis otogari #kaoru hakaze #mephi's translations #undead climax #biohazard

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kapapi-o · 10 months

Text

Heaven Sent Pt. 5

FemReader x Cyno (Brothel AU)

=================================

Previous parts: Pt.4, pt.3, pt.2, and pt.1.

word count: 2.2k (oh waw)

unapologetically not proofread, *evil hamster laughter*

des: A continuation of my on-going series with Cyno and Femreader in Brothel AU. They finally get a slice of peace in this one, yay

warnings: None. Just awkward Cyno and bad attempts of the funny.

it took so long to get this out, lawd almighty...

Nonetheless, I hope you like :>

=================================

“Luckily, there’s only a light bruise on her right ankle. So she’ll have to apply this salve for a few days,” the fennec man pulls out said salve that’s in a container, and places it on the nightstand.

“If she does, it’ll heal like nothing had been there in the first place.” He says as he turns to gather his things. The general watched from the doorway, his arms crossed in his usual stern manner.

“Thanks, ‘nari.”

“Of course, so why don’t we talk about it?” He finished packing up and stood to look at him directly. Cyno sighs, his body now leaning by the door.

“Can’t we do that another time? There’s a more pressing matter.”

“Hmm, so pressing that rather than moving onto the next step, you’ve stopped by yet again to check if she woke up. Very pressing, indeed.” He mumbled sarcastically, narrowing his eyes in doubt at his companion, who shrunk a little at his scrutinizing gaze. In doing so, he proved to the foxian that his doubt was not misplaced. Raised brows followed by an even more doubtful ‘uh-huh,’ came from him as he approached the exit.

“You have the audacity to visit multiple times throughout the day, —I know you’re not questioning my medical experience now, Cyno.” He rests a hand on his hip and eyes him again.

“What is with you, nowadays?” He tried to come across as lighthearted as possible, like how any friend would when something raises some concern. However, no matter how he would’ve phrased it –this was obviously a confrontation.

The gray haired man looks pressed at the question at first, not really knowing why he himself is more anxious…more restless these days, either. Just a while ago, he was in the exact state—moving around without settling, going at the racing pace of his thoughts and before he knew it, his feet led him to her. Where he subconsciously waits for her to open her eyes…

Even so, the only thing he could say from what little he could gather for himself —of himself, is “I don’t know…”

A bit of shame came with that feeling of dejectedness at his own answer. But truly, that was all he could sum it as. Crossed arms and heavy sighs, the pair of men resembled each other in the room. Cyno’s days when everything was clear and easy to understand seems blurry now. Seeing how things are, Tighnari decides not to press any further.

With one last heavy sigh, he glances towards him again, eyes much softer compared to moments ago. He figured the last thing his friend needed was more things to take up his well over occupied mind.

“If you’ve spared room for her in that knocker of yours, you won’t have to for too long. She’ll wake up any moment now.” Tighnari places a firm grip on the general’s shoulder, pressing a thin line of a smile, hoping to reassure him. Even if that reassurance could barely be felt, the general could use every ounce he can get right now. He passes him by the door, saying lastly before going,

“You should get some rest too. Nights for us are getting shorter.” Cyno nods, no words needed to be further exchanged. A feeling of gratitude surrounded them briefly. A quick ‘good night’ later and he had gone his way. Leaving him in that pure silence that was unknowingly needed. Why he suddenly felt steady, well, he could owe that thanks to Tighnari for reassuring him that she will be fine now that she’s here, in Aaru Village.

His eyes eventually wander over to the resting village, and the serenity that swept it when night falls. These are times that are rare and worth treasuring. In the days to come, all the amount of work that he and his colleagues have compiled for months will finally come to fruition. Everything has been set into place so…why was there still something to worry about?

He shuts his eyes. Inviting the world around him to reach his ears instead, and potentially aid him in his focus ... .And sure enough, the twinkles of sand falling against the wind, the soft running of water in the laid out pipes lined within the walls can be heard. Along came the lanterns with their fire emitting a slight crackle, and he could practically visualize the flames flickering ever so slightly with the palm leaves swaying in the air…

The sounds of the desert made a symphony to lull his mind, finally enough to calm…

He opens his eyes again, sighing as he does. But amidst the quiet, a gentle rustling of lenin sheets is heard from behind him.

“I’m not dreaming, am I?” Your hoarse voice rang in the ambiance, one that quickly brought Cyno to your side. He moved from the window and towards you, helping you sit up. Your vision was a little blurry of sleep, not so much that you couldn’t tell that the figure in front of you is Cyno, but you couldn’t quite make out the details of him just right so you rubbed your eyes.

After doing so, you took a good look at the figure in front of you and it became increasingly apparent that he looked far more exhausted than when you last saw him.

“General, you should sleep—“ He raises his hand slightly to stop you and opens his mouth, muttering something too soft for you to hear.

“Uh, come again?” You tilt your head a bit to his direction, trying to get a better hear of him.

“Cyno.” He breathes out, eyes drooping slightly as he begins to ease more and more, “Just call me Cyno.”

You couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on your lips, a warm and comfortable feeling invoked at this sincere, albeit, simple gesture.

“Alright then, so now will you rest?”

“I will, since it seems you’re all set for the night.” your brows furrowed, wondering just how long he had been waiting on you.

“Gener-“ you paused before correcting yourself, “Cyno,” you said carefully, “-were you… waiting for me?”

“Ah, so it seems.” He nodded more so to confirm that himself before looking back to you, answering in certainty, “Yes, I was.”

“But there was no need to…” You uttered, becoming a little bashful at the fact.

“That may be true but…” the man in front of you tried to come with a reason but just as before, and with his mind running to exhaustion, nothing came up. Instead he turned away, clearing his throat and looking back to you as if he had forgotten something.

“Right, Candace, the woman from earlier had drawn a bath for you. You should probably take it…” Your lips turned downwards. Had a couple days gone by while you were asleep? If so, did your hygiene really deteriorate to this extent? –you could only frown at the thought and asked, seeking in all honesty,

“…I don’t smell that bad..do I?”

Cyno gazes at you in confusion until realizing and internally cringing over his poor choice of words.

“Ah..that’s not what I meant—It’s…” he stops to actually consider what he’d say next, before carefully glancing in your direction, “—you’d feel more comfortable if you did. –In fact, you smell..-fine.”

Not that you could tell, especially with his back turned at you, –the poor man’s composure is shaking at its pillars.

“I’ll walk you there.”

He offers his arm to you, a slight gesture for you to take it and in some unexpected way, you did. A bit entranced —maybe near fond of this charming hesitancy that he was displaying.

Stiffly, he led you from the room and into the evening. A sweet stroll had engulfed you as he set the pace for you both, however awkward it was. But…you didn’t seem to really mind. Well, you couldn’t really put yourself to. Not when the common stars bear witness to your new freedom, not when you can bask in an eve as pleasant as this one, one of thousands that you’ll undoubtedly have, — and most especially in an arm’s length of the one who promised you so…

That in mind, you turn your glance from the floor and onto the one who was exhausted on your behalf, who relentlessly still, watched over you as he acted as your guide. Nothing but the deepest depth of gratitude filled you. As clear as the sky, the exact words you wanted to say resurfaced in your mind, and wholeheartedly you retraced them with your lips–

“Thank you, Cyno…” you softly spoke, sincere as it was from your heart. He however, only answered with,

“I haven’t done nearly enough…”

“What do you mean?” you questioned genuinely, your feet coming to a stop and with him still wrapped to you, he did as well. Red eyes escaping yours, seemingly avoiding your gaze as his words avoid the tip of his tongue. Unreasonable guilt having sit on his lips, leaving you with no answer.

“Do you…even realize how much you’ve done?” He pondered it for a moment before ultimately resigning to just hearing what you had to say,

“Cyno, you’ve given me hope in a place that forced me to abandon it.” You unhooked your arm form his and spaced into the memories of you both, recounting with a gladdened tone–

“You’ve reminded me that I still have strength.” You turned back to him, eyes graciously expressing that gratitude,

”Were it not for you, I wouldn’t have been able to find my way out of that hell…”

“So for you to say you haven’t done enough,” your tone suddenly took a shift, one that went serious as you stared at him, “--are you invalidating what I’ve gone through?”

In both visible and audible panic, Cyno jolted to change your mind, “No–That’s not what I think–”

At his raised shoulders and widened eyes, you did little to fight the snicker that made way across your features.

“Cyno,” You brought up from your chuckles, a lighthearted smile on your face, “I was just pulling your leg.”

“Oh.”

You hummed at his blank face, and still with a smile you said, “You’re not the only one who can make bad jokes.”

“Are…my jokes not that funny?”

“Well, I’m sure if you keep trying, you’ll strike a gold one, no doubt.” A sigh escapes your lips, seemingly content with the more comfortable air that surrounded you two. Staring up into the sky with a longing from far away, you spoke with a lighthearted tone to you,

“In all seriousness, I meant what I said earlier. Cyno,” your glance leaves the stars from above and turns to look into those flickering flames for eyes, filled with might for righteousness, and still yet, even they’ve grown tired. In all sincerity, from the depths of your being, you uttered to him, “Thank you. For all that you’ve done.”

“What you have achieved so far, has helped, and will help many more who has walked a similar path of life as I have….so please,”

Your hands found his’ and held them in a firm and warm grasp. Your face illuminated by the bright night lured him out of that senseless guilt.

“-take this much to heart.” The winds, just as before, carried your voice to his ears like an answer to a prayer, and it seeded a way to sooth whatever uneasiness that lay dormant in his mind. It wasn’t a whole lot, but still a start. With that, his only response was a nod to show for his understanding. You yourself weren’t sure if your words carried any weight to him, so at least for now, this much will have to do. You took his arm again, as well as his attention as he glanced to you wordlessly asking what you were doing with him,

“You still have to escort me the rest of the way, right?”

“That’s right. Apologies.” He’s quick to respond and in a shaky manner too, as he tries to stand tall and walk you the rest of the way without shrinking in place. Concern becomes you as you worry over his wobbly stature.

“Are you sure you’re alright? Maybe…it was a bad idea to drag you with me.” Your hold on his arm loosened the slightest and in less than a second, Cyno had gone from weak to stern-sure, his voice coming in like a thunderclap as he spoke solemnly,

“Y/n,”

“Yes?” you answered in uncertainty, still eyeing him with worry.

“Even if I lost a limb, I’d still be here escorting you.” His brows cast downwards in a manner of seriousness, staring only straight ahead into the distance like a man on a mission. Voice giving anything but silliness.

And yet, you laughed. He turned to you in bafflement, “...what was funny about that?”

“Ah—No..no, sorry—you losing a limb is not a laughing matter at all—It’s just, you say the most out of pocket things..” you giggled, amused by the strange specimen beside you. That apparent seriousness melted away immediately as his face warmed at the sight of you chuckling. Eyes softened as he watched for what you said next, walking beside you arm in arm.

“If people were around to witness, they’d probably mistake us for lovers.” Your little mindless comment echoed in his mind. It was now completely blank up there, and if you hadn’t called his name repeatedly, he’d likely walk you both out to the desert.

=================================

A/N: So much has happened in these couple of weeks that has kept me from getting this one out.

I won't delve into it tho, i gotta finish this so i can rant to my mother and commence our ritual nightly watching of cringey ahh chinese dramas.

Thank you a bunchies to those who come back to this little 'ol thing I got going on here :< <3

Stay safe out there and remind someone that you love them <3

Until then,

-Kapi

================================================

#cyno #cyno x reader #cyno x fem!reader #rescue #brothel au #genshin #sumeru #genshin impact #wholesome #y/n #y/n x cyno #love and redemption #brothel

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elleinmotion · 5 months

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What do the queens of green and black think of Alyssa? Like as a person? I'm so excited/scared for her!!

I could sum up all of Alicent's feelings about a good-daughter in this amazing post by Pendragora as it's a very spot on angle of approach that I'm taking in graves in many, many ways.

They also echo the sentiment I hold that Aemond is the paramount favorite of all of Alicent's children. I know from Aemond's POV in Graves it's his repeated conclusion that Daeron is her favorite (bitterly) and he stopped being her favorite a while ago.

That perception of his is tied into his very complicated and very low self esteem buttoned up behind that wonderfully arrogant and cold veneer, but since we get no interiority from Alicent as Graves is 100% Aemond or Alyssa POV, you're left drawing your own conclusions.

(spoilers: Aemond is her favorite, you're not SUPPOSED to have favorites as a parent but Aemond is abso-fucking-lutely her favorite, Daeron is her baby that she spared a life in King's Landing by fostering him with her kin in Oldtown, Aegon is her constant woe and worry and Helaena is her befuddling joy even if her foresight is a bit confounding)

There was a lot of day dreaming and outlining spent around Alicent and Alyssa's relationship all the way to the epilogue - with the wedding festivities in full swing since she arrived in the capital and all the chaos that entails, of course, it's hard for Alyssa to get to really know her good-mother in a one on one fashion but I think the latest chapter in Graves was our opening salvo of actually establishing a personal connection when Alyssa reached out and touched Alicent by the hand and thanked her for her gift of fabric towards the bridal cloak.

(just imagine Alicent getting a goddamn break for once, or being force marched to a summer vacation by Aemond bundling her up onto Vhagar despite her protests, flying her north to Runestone during warm summer years, Helaena and the children already in residence and the whole lot of them enjoying the peace, the change of scenery; they'll have respite outside of the heat and stink of King's Landing and all the politics in the rolling countryside.

She can pray in the tiny sept at Runestone, or take morning walks through the godswood with her good-daughter. She will see Aemond come into his own as a lord in his own right as Alyssa's husband, managing a household and his own affairs, finally out of the constant monotony of his life in King's Landing. Just the bliss of going from a madhouse of the Red Keep to a tucked away corner of the realm where living is slower, simpler, some place that gives folk the freedom to breathe and watch her grandchildren grow unencumbered, be able to freely move about without a whole coterie of Kingsguard, her children and grandchildren safe and happy and well-loved by all around them, which gives us such a peace she's not felt in years when she lays her head down at night.

Runestone becomes a "Balmoral" sort of retreat for her if I'm throwing around any sort of analogy.)

With Rhaenyra's opinion on Alyssa, it's more of an informed take from a distance in its current state in Graves. Certainly the friendship between Lucerys and Alyssa gives her some insight on the person that Alyssa is as a positive spin, especially as Lucerys and Alyssa have remained friends despite the betrothal not working out in the long run and Alyssa largely trying to make like Switzerland amidst the turmoil of Aemond's feelings towards Lucerys out of sheer terror of what would happen if Aemond were to give in to the violence he feels towards Luke.

As an added layer of complication, Rhaenyra no doubt would want to be very careful about alienating Runestone or any major stakeholders in the Vale due to the mood around Daemon and the shady, suspicious death of Rhea Royce. (my tinfoil says that Rhaenyra probably has an inkling that Caraxes is very, very fast and Daemon was very, very sick of his Bronze wife and her accident was very fortunately timed - Gerold Royce showing up at Rhaenyra's goddamn wedding feast all those years ago to lay down some pretty forward implications against Daemon can't just jettison out into the ether for those who know Daemon well enough. as the saying goes, my Nyra was born at night, but she wasn't born last night - just a question of what she would even do with that information if it's confirmed he killed Rhea)

Jeyne Arryn can only hold so much of a support effort as Rhaenyra's cousin and liege woman. Nyra has to get her hearts and minds campaign underway.

✨thank you for such a lovely question to pop in with, anon!!! ✨

#two graves inspo #my fics #asks #HOTD

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myfriendtheghost · 2 years

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alrighty, so I met Josh in mid April this year and honestly I have half of the interaction blocked off my brain cause I'm embarrassed as shit but here goes nothing. We met a bar and before my friend and I ran into them I had already drank a couple of shots and had a gummy edible that was kicking in, so I was a bit buzzed. So, my friend and I (who's also a greta girly) we go in and they are playing pool and we just walk beside them pretending we don't know who they are, while we are freaking tf out internally, and the bartender is yelling last call so we took a shot and turn back around they (josh, jake, and danny) are gone. We are like goddamn! cause we didn't get to talk to them and we get out of the bar and as we are walking down an alleyway there is a door with like lights inside, seemed a bit sketch, but we go in to drown our sorrows in alcohol. We get in and instantly I see josh with jita with a friend of theirs I assume, so I'm like this is a sign of the universe like be fr. My friend didn't notice him since she was getting a drink and the place was pretty loud, so I was like I'm going in. I don't know if it was the alcohol, weed, excitement, or dumbassery rushing through my body, but I just turn to josh and go, yooo I fucking love greta van fleet, your music makes me not want to die. He laughs and is like thank you, and after I introduce myself and my friend (she was in shock man the only thing she could do was smile and nod lmao we laugh about it now) I'm like when I listen to tbagg I see a movie in my head fr, and he seemed super flattered and giggly; then I go like what are you doing here🤨 (in the city I study in cause it seemed a bit random cause they didn't have a show there) and he laughs again and goes to my EAR and says, If I tell you I might have to kill you, when I tell you my body FROZE I was like sir? pls spare mercy sir. So I was like kill me then, and he giggles again and says we are recording some stuff enjoyng the city, and I was like I really like the trees here, do you like the trees? bruh WHAT KIND OF QUESTION??, like bffr and he was like yeah i do lol, and then I ask him if he knows spanish, cause our native languages are spanish; and he said that he took spanish in highschool but he doesn't really remember much, so I go, do you wanna know insults in spanish😏? BRUH??, he laughs and goes alright, so I was like ight what you wanna know, and he said some weird shit sum sum bastards, so we just told him to say something in spanish, and I kept high-fiving him for some reason? idk. After that my friend was finally able to say something to him and told him that she saw them in vegas with metallica, and I was like yeah we are going to see you in jacksonville in october, he was like no way cool! and so I go... play flower power in jacksonville or else 🔫 while pointing a finger gun at him. BRO EYE---? He laughs and was like well see😏, and my friend told him you guys should make a song in spanish and he said jokingly that they've tried that but didn't work out. And I as I said before, the place was pretty loud so he would constantly say, this place is too loud and motioned me to talk in his EAR? bruh when I tell you I died saw heaven, hell, god, jupiter, man I was dying inside gawddamn; bruh I felt his hair on my cheek I can die peacefully fr. So I ask him like, I hate to be that person but can we take a pic 👉👈, he said what? and I repeated the question, and he said what? and again said this place is too loud, and I was like don't mind if I do😏, and tell him in his ear if we can take a pic. We take it, and they came out sick, and finally he asks if he looks good, and I told him that he looks fabulous and he laughed and said thank you to us, and we were like? THANK YOU, sir wdym thank us? he looked genuinely thankful it was an out of body experience fr. And what I gotta say about him, the rumors are true people is he pretty shy, and very giggly, he was laughing at everything I said and I'm not funny bruh, maybe because I was making a fool outta myself but, idk. He is probably 5"5, no taller than 5"6 :)

SHUT UP OMG THANK U FOR SHARING THIS WITH ME 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 if Josh whispered in my ear I would be meeting Jesus as soon as it happened I’m so serious

#I was live reacting to reading this on my priv twt LMAO #I loved every second of it like seriously thank u for sending this to me #also I KNEW THAT BITCH WAS 5’6 #gvf #joshua #greta van fleet #josh kiszka #asks #anon #long post

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whumpsday · 1 year

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I get that noble vampire families are Like That and they're what your story focuses on but. How about commoners families? Are they more Normal TM?

Thinking how humans used to keep chickens and pigs and other animals for food until fairly recently (we still do, but most of our meat comes from big farms and not like, a family keeping chickens and eating only what they raise), but still they befriended them/grew attached. And thinking about so many humans eating meat without thinking/purposefully ignoring the fact that they are eating a creature that was killed for them, technically.

Since commoner vampires generally eat bagged blood, are they the same level of being "unaware" of the fact that human blood comes from humans? How would a working class vamp react if they randomly inherited a human from their distant eccentric uncle who died with no close relatives/heirs?

(Apologies if you've been asked this before and for any mistakes in your lore - too many vampire media makes it hard to keep track)

Also sorry if this doesn't make much sense - I have acute brain wormitis tonight

great questions!!! :D sorry you've activated Fantasy Politics Mode

it varies! just like you'd find more conservative and more progressive people anywhere. nobility culture just tends heavily toward conservativism, and while vampire culture at large tends to be more conservative than whatever humans have going on, it's much more balanced outside the nobility, even among non-noble upper-class vampires (though in any society obviously you'll find more progressives in the working class).

more... 'traditional values' type vampires might have a mindset like "vampires are inherently superior to humans and it's fine for us to keep them as livestock", while liberal vampires might have a mindset like what you were talking about with how humans ignore the cruelty of factory farms because chicken yummy (this is the reason jim goes vegan post-escape. he can't help but think about it, now.) these two would probably be the most dominant mindsets.

much less common, but more progressive vampires (like bellamy) might have the mindset of "this whole thing is fucked up" and try to only drink ethically-sourced blood, if it's available to them. which it might not always be, depending on the vampire's location and how much money they have to spare. vampires are definitely all aware of where their blood comes from, but those that don't keep their own humans don't really have to think about it unless they choose to.

the scenario of a working-class vampire randomly inheriting a human from a rich distant relative is fascinating! obviously it'd depend on their personal political beliefs, but the fact is that there's a reason vampires without a lot of money don't tend to keep captive humans- they're expensive! humans eat a LOT and if you don't feed them properly, you're not gonna get all your nutrients either. like, think about how much a human spends on food for themselves vs food for their dog or cat. humans eat a ton! they take a lot of upkeep to take care of! it's cheaper to buy blood than keep your own human, because the blood factories can feed humans in bulk. so if the eccentric uncle didn't also leave behind a sum of money, probably gonna have to either sell the human or let them go, depending on the vampire's personal moral standing.

but if the eccentric uncle did leave some money too, this vampire could keep the human. could go a number of ways. keeping and using the human as food, trying that for a bit and then feeling guilty and letting them go, just letting them go to start with... possibilities are endless. but now i am very intrigued by the idea of a vampire caretaker inheriting a human, taking care of them until the long-term effects of persuasion wear off, and letting them go free.

#ask #k&j ask

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carlosfruitsnacks · 2 years

Note

Hello! Can I request jealous carlos x reader headcanons?

Jealous! Carlos Madrigal x Reader Headcanons

summary:

— Some headcanons of what will it be like to have a jealous lover named Carlos Madrigal

genre:

— headcanons

notes:

— gender-neutral reader.

warning/s:

— none

a/n:

— I really think Carlos is the jealous type like c'moooon

When Carlos began to woo and court you, his ability to get envious isn't obvious yet. He's aloof to other people besides you, that's when you know you mean a lot to him. Later, after some dating, you two formed a relationship

However, if you're in a room filled with other people, especially if some of them are flirtatious, get ready for Carlos to seethe and glare at everyone else.

Like if someone looked at you for under five seconds he's starting to think of ways to dispose of a human body LMFAO

Carlos "I'm not jealous, I'm only protecting what's mine" Madrigal

Sure, at first it's adorable because mans just want to have you for himself. He's just like a cat that would claw and hiss other people who would try to take its toy away. But if he was feeling tested, his jealousy would progress

Bro I'm talking about he won't let you out of his sight, ever. Even if it's just a quick second. Carlos would make sure he has his eyes on you, he'd even go and grab your hand and pull you close.

Now, if someone had the balls to flirt with you, there would be two ways how Carlos would react. It's either he'd cuss that someone out and scare them away with intimidation or threats, or he'll pull off a petty stunt like pull you close or let you sit on his lap while that someone is staring or he'll snake a hand around your waist and kiss your earlobe as he would glare at them.

Carlos can get jealous to the point that his shapeshifting gets out of control because he's too frustrated.

Sometimes his jealousy would get out of hand and annoy you in some way. Carlos would restrict you from being on your own in a crowded room and not giving you some space

If you decide to confront him about his envious tendencies, Carlos would be quick to deny it despite the blatant evidence.

[Angsty] Carlos would be too prideful to admit his fault and then start a sudden argument like "I wouldn't be like this if you didn't flirt back at them, [Name]". You'll call him out and he'll get angry. It could result in a nasty fight which would result in you two cooling down for a bit

Carlos won't realize the hurtful things he said to you during the quarrel until you start to avoid him. Of course, bb would try to make it up to you in various ways, he won't stop until he wins you back

Once both of you in good terms, he'll say something about learning how to control his jealousy little by little. He won't promise that it will be completely gone but he'll try to slowly calm it down.

There are moments when a jealous Carlos can be hilarious. Like, you would mess with him by not giving him attention while you're doing work/chores, and he'd turn into a complete cat and would try to mess with your belongings or push an object off the table just to get your attention lmao

Speaking of attention, my boy thrives from your attention only. It's like oxygen and if you don't give him it for less than a minute, he'll get all dramatic and say he can't breathe or sum LMFAO.

HE LOVES IT WHEN YOU WEAR HIS CLOTHES!!11!!. Like it could be his ruana or a shirt. Carlos would lend you the perfect spare clothing and insists you keep it. So, when you happened to wear his borrowed clothes in public, it gives him the reassurance that you're showing off who you belonged.

I feel like other than lending his clothes, Carlos would love matching jewelry. Maybe a necklace so he can show it off to other people like the smug mf that he is. To him it's kinda like a watered-down version of an engagement/wedding ring, who knows, he might give you the real one someday ;)

During dates, it wouldn't be easy for Carlos to avoid getting envious. He'll try to get boastful and overprotective, but both of you know that he's just afraid that he'll lose you HUHUHUHUHU

But definitely, you'll reassure him a million times that you won't leave him and that you love him dearly :,)

So, Carlos invites you over for dinner with his family, and oh boy when I tell you as soon as you meet eyes with Camilo, he goes goblin mode lmfaooooo

Camilo would try to mess with him and flirt with you, for instance, like giving you a kiss on the hand. Carlos would immediately clench his fist and prepared to throw his hands

Throughout dinner, Carlos keeps a close eye on Camilo, the latter is incredibly entertained seeing Carlos get so jealous in a span of seconds. Carlos would act petty and 'accidentally' spill food or drinks over his brother. Sooner, a fight breaks out between the two, causing chaos.

The twin's quarrel only stopped when you sighed and grabbed your boyfriend by his ear and dragged him away. You'll pull him to the side and patch any of the available wounds on him, Carlos would try to push you away but you won't let him until he gives in.

The shapeshifter would apologize for his behavior and you'll forgive him by drowning him with hugs and kisses. After all, you'll love Carlos just the same despite his jealous nature <3333

taglist: @pochi-moochika , @cahmilo , @vanevafu , @irisia-ckzkb1109 , @elegantkidfansoul , @candykamikun , @justzei , @try-cry-why-try , @nanaisheretomessupthings , @eichenhouseproperty ...join here

masterlist

#encanto #disney encanto #encanto headcanons #carlos madrigal #carlos my beloved #carlos madrigal my beloved #carlos madrigal x reader #carlos madrigal x y/n #carlos madrigal headcanon #carlos x you #carlos x y/n #carlos x reader #jay's headcanons™️

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nuoyipeach · 3 months

Text

Carry My Name

Chapter 3

Park Sooyoung X Nakamoto Yuta

warnings: mature things;)

Much to their delight, both Sooyoung and Yuta matched each other's pace in many aspects, from humour, to antics, to love language, and even love making. Just a week into their marriage, and the young mafia leader couldn't keep his hands off his wife, needing to have her within reach almost all the time. He just wanted to be able to feel her whenever he desired.

But he knew his promise for her comfort, to keep her out and away from the works and involvement of the mafia life. They had moved back to Osaka on the third day, and he allowed her time to get accustomed to the new environment with the help of his stepbrother.

In the meantime, he also prepared to grant her wish, an admission to the best degree for business, where he might have made a large donation to let her finish faster. When revealing the surprise to her, Sooyoung was over the moon in joy, tearing up as she crashed into him for a hug, causing them both to fall onto the ground. She didn't care, sitting up on his pelvis and proceeded to kiss the life out of him all over his face, cheeks, lips, nose, forehead, wherever possible.

"I love you love you love you so much." she continued professing her love in between kisses, and Yuta simply laid in delight, hands resting on her hips, enjoying the moment to the fullest.

"You can attend online too if you want." his sudden words caused her to stop and look at him confused. He caught her doubtful eyes, and quickly answered. "I mean, you can go to campus, but you'll have at least two guards with you all the time you're out, and I know you won't like that every minute you're there. Plus, I just thought doing it online would give you enough spare time to work on your business."

He saw her eyes widen as Sooyoung sat upright, and he followed pushing himself up on one arm while the other kept hold of her hips still.

She was further confused, but also shocked if he meant what she thinks he meant. But she also didn't want to have high expectations. Then again, Yuta seemed to raise them every time anyways. Her mind became clouded as too many thoughts ran through, and as always when deep in thought, she bit her bottom lip.

"Sweetheart no." he whispered, and took his arm off the floor behind him, and like before, pulled her lip out, thumb grazing over it. "I'm setting up a start up for you. I know you want the certification, but we all know you're much more experienced already by now having followed around your father all this time. I trust that you'll make it big, so I figured it would be good for you to start the business now."

Her hands which had been resting on his chest the whole time dropped down to her lap, gripping her shorts as she processed everything he had just said.

He's starting up the business... my business... but it's his start up...

"Yuta but..." she shook her head, "I don't want you spending so much on me like that. I don't mind working a few years and building from ground myse-" she stopped, getting cut off when he pushed his thumb over both her lips, his now common loving smile appearing on his own. His hands moved to cup her face, pulling her in for a quick kiss, before he spoke as their noses still touched.

"I know you can do all that. But, you were stripped away your chances for many years now, and I want to be the one to give them to you in the best way possible that you deserve." his thumb stroked her cheek as they stared into each other's eyes, and Sooyoung felt like it was no one but them in this world. "I'll be investing in it from now, but it's completely yours, and once you build it up I'll become a shareholder."

Her brows furrowed hearing the long term plan. "Why?"

"I know you'd feel this way, as if taking advantage of my help. By becoming a shareholder not only will you be protected in case some other groups get the idea to come at you, but I'll also be getting back a small sum to put away for savings." he watched her expression, relieved when she finally smiled and nodded. He released her face and pulled her into his embrace, both their arms wrapped around each other in a tight hug.

Sooyoung never thought she could feel this content and comforted, in the arms of a man with her head pressed against his chest, able to hear his heartbeat that oddly calmed her more. And she definitely never thought she would be able to finally reach so much of her dream in a somewhat fair manner all thanks to a mafia leader.

She snuggled into him more as he laid back down on the rug on the floor. "What would you be saving all that for?" she asked out her inner thoughts, smiling when feeling the vibrations of his chest as he chuckled.

Yuta sneaked a hand under her shirt, tracing her back while the other went up to her hair and pet it. "Well, you're doing this business clean for other children, so I thought I'd do my part for our own." he laughed more when her head popped up and she stared at him shocked. "We don't know when it'll happen, but when it does, I want to be able to give my children the best things away from our line of work."

Sooyoung scoffed, laying her head back down while her fingers played with the pendant on his necklace. "Aren't you already rich?" she asked a little sarcastically, until she noticed the serious look on his face.

"I am, but you told me about how you wanted your career to be cut from all this, and I decided I’ll do the same." he dipped his head down a little to face her, their eyes meeting in their favourite loving gazes. "The money I invest in yours will be from my personal savings, which is still a lot so don't worry about that. And whatever I have left and still grow, I want to use on our children. It won't be mafia or family money, but their own parents'."

After many months of spending this new life, Sooyoung couldn't have been happier finally being able to do whatever she wanted all this time. She figured out about Yuta's donation to let her graduate faster too, and though a little reluctant at first, she figured what good was it having a loving mafia husband if not enjoying the advantages.

One of those being weekly dates. Yuta would be taking her out every Saturday to make up for the weekdays he was busy, spoiling her with the best food, or renting out an entire store just for her to have privacy to shop. On the occasions he had the chance to, he'd even whisk her away on his jet to trips around the world, usually to accompany him on work trips.

Like this day, as the couple retired to their hotel in Rome after an event he had been invited to, Sooyoung suddenly pushed her husband to sit on the bed before climbing on his lap and crashing her lips onto his, grinding her hips against his pelvis.

"Oh God..." Yuta groaned, hand doing quick work at removing the clothes off his wife, then his own. She suddenly pushed him to lay down, hands grabbing his beside his head, and he could only smirk. "What's on your mind, Mrs Nakamoto?"

Nearing two years of being together, Sooyoung had grown confident in herself after spending time with him, including in bed. She smiled seductively, hands tracing down his body, continuing movements of her hips causing her husband to groan and his hands flying down to grip her hips tight.

"You're always so good to me, Yu-san." she had picked up the nickname for him a few months into their marriage, and has used it ever since when seeing how much he loved it. "Let me take care of you today." her words came out breathy.

"Oh sweetheart..." Yuta spoke through groaning and gasping. "F*ck I'm the luckiest man in the world." he smiled up at her, his stomach feeling as if several animals had been released inside let alone butterflies. He was so irrevocably in love with his wife, sometimes being made fun of when he couldn't keep his hands off of her in public, but he didn't care. There's no shame in showing your wife you love her no matter the location.

Few hours later, the couple laid in bed under the duvet naked, Yuta on his back with his wife on top of him, holding her close to himself with her head resting on his shoulder. He turned to her, leaving soft kisses over her forehead and head, wherever he could reach, causing her to stir half asleep with a smile on her face as she snuggled closer.

Sooyoung felt her life was almost perfect to the final dot. She had an amazing, loving husband who spared no expense taking care of her, while also helping her reach her dream career without pushing boundaries. Her business was slowly taking off as well, and she had just attended her graduation two months ago. She was also finally able to untie herself from the daily mafia life, leaving her a sense of calm and peace. Sure she attended a few events with Yuta, or would be involved during super important things like family meetings, but otherwise she was kept away just as he promised.

"Yu-san..." he hummed in response to her soft calling, and she slowly lifted her head slightly to look at him, a lazy smile on her lips. "I love you." >>>

#nct #nct 127 #red velvet #kpop fanfic #nctvelvet #fluff #angst #park sooyoung #nakamoto yuta #red velvet joy #nct yuta #mafia au #romance

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skornheim · 1 year

Text

huge jotunheimr worldbuilding and biology + culture headcanons post

compiling the worldbuilding ive done for a wip i have that will probably never actually be completed. sort of comics based but not necessarily relevant to comics in any way, just largely contradictory to movie canon and predicated on the idea of a loki who knows his heritage and didnt come to live in asgard until he was a school-aged child

-jotun weapons and jewelry are traditionally made of stone or bone. asgardians take this as evidence the jotun are primitive savages barely capable of craftsmanship, but this is entirely a practical consideration: mining is hardly worthwhile when the ground is frozen solid. traditional jotun bone jewelry is quite elaborately carved, and there are many skilled artisans, highly respected in jotun society. but metal weapons and trinkets are not unheard of on jotunheimr. jotun engage in some trade with the dwarves of nidavellir, exchanging pelts and whale oil (which the dwarves use for their lamps) for weapons and jewelry, and these steel weapons are coveted status symbols among the jotnar.

-jotumheimr ecology based on svalbard. tundra and permafrost make agriculture unfeasible, and as such, jotun are largely carnivorous. most of the flora is moss or lichen. there is some rather scant forest near the border with asgard. native animals include polar bears, caribou, arctic foxes, voles, puffins, seals, walrus, whales, fish, and migratory birds that spend the winter in asgard to the south.

-the primary occupation of most of the population is herding (of caribou), fishing, and hunting. as a small child, before he was taken to asgard, loki was quite an accomplished seal hunter (hunting seals involves sitting silent and still above a hole in the ice for sometimes several hours, waiting for one to surface so that you can spear it. thor was astonished at his new brother’s ability to sit so still for so long, a skill that, on asgard, young loki mainly put to use in games like hide and seek and in pulling pranks)

-shapeshifting is common and natural to the jotnar. its so widespread that its considered distinct from “magic,” which needs to be studied and learned and practiced. not every jotun can do it, but it’s common, no more remarkable to them than genetic quirks like red hair or being “double jointed” is to us. however there is no precedent among jotun society for conspicuous switching between male and female, even if it is possible. there is no “genderfluid” “role” jotun in society

-the jotnar are an oral culture, with no system of writing. This, like their lack of metallurgy, is seen by asgardians as primitive, but actually they have a very extensive oral tradition of skalds and storytelling and poetry. Story and magic are inextricably linked in jotun culture, and this is probably what loki would have been doing if he hadn’t been taken to asgard.

-loki could read and write before he came to asgard. he demanded his older cousin’s elvish thrall give him lessons in her spare time, and he would buy books from traders and devour them eagerly, didn’t matter what they were about, he wanted them. he surprised his asgardian tutors, who initially despaired the idea of teaching letters and sums to a “primitive savage”

-jotun pointy ears. jotun nictitating membranes

-jotun and asgardian royalty are much more closely related than either of them would like to admit, thanks to a long, tangled history of intermarriage, war brides, and dalliances. thor and loki are actually blood related; bestla and laufey are cousins, making odin loki’s second cousin, and thor loki’s second cousin once removed (as a side note, while incest is taboo on asgard, the population there is so small that cousin marriage is not considered incest and is occasionally practiced)

-prior to the establishment of the monarchy, jotunheimr was ruled by a loose coalition of clans and family groups

-jotun monarchy is a bit inbred LOL due to a lack of desire to forge marriage alliances that would dilute the power of the family. this is a contributing factor to loki’s small stature. jotun can be just about any size, but shortness is recessive compared to being giant.

-jotun put on weight in cold weather and lose weight rapidly in hot weather. this is a large part of why loki is scrawny compared to asgardian standards, he can’t bulk up in the temperate asgardian climate

-it’s also stressful in other ways, he gets migraines from the heat and its customary for prince loki to retire to his chambers for several hours in the afternoon and not reemerge until dinner. part of why he develops a disdain for physical combat is that sparring for hours in the hot sun is difficult for him to tolerate until he becomes advanced enough at magic to use tricks to regulate his temperature

-jotun cannot digest several common food items on asgard. loki’s first week in asgard involved a lot of trial and error and a humiliating amount of time spent in the privy. conversely, jotun can stomach a wider variety of meats, including raw meat, than asgardians

-jotun highwaymen are common in the unincorporated territory north of asgard and south of jotunheimr. but so are asgardian outlaws. the area is dangerous for both asgardian and jotun travelers. thor and loki sometimes ventured there as foolhardy, cocky teens, usually getting into a lot of trouble and more than once nearly starting an international incident

-farbauti didn’t know she was pregnant with loki until she was literally going into labor. despite the small size of the fetus, it was a difficult labor and nearly killed her

-farbauti dallied with some asgardian soldiers during the first war, just prior to loki’s birth. laufey knew about his wife’s infidelity and it hurt his pride significantly, and he became suspicious, even paranoid, that loki wasn’t his biological child (note: he is)

-after the second jotun-asgardian war, which resulted in odin’s victory, jotunheimr became a territory of asgard, ruled by a board of asgardian governors. it was, originally, odin’s intention that after loki came of age he would return to jotunheimr to act as a puppet king

-the jotnar practice harsh manhood rituals that involve, among other things, trekking out into the wild naked and killing a polar bear with your bare hands. as a symbol of manhood, after completing this ritual, the mature jotun has his teeth filed into points. asgardians are not generally aware of this custom, and those who have only met jotun on the battlefield think this is a natural feature of jotun physiology. the first time thor and loki were left alone together thor demanded to see loki’s fangs. this ended in a tussle, after loki hotly insisted he didn’t have fangs and thor sheepishly asked how he could drink asgardian blood if he didn’t have fangs, and loki told him he would show him. loki did his best to draw blood in the ensuing scrape, though obviously he didn’t drink any of it. both of them were flogged for this, and the shared indignity of the punishment made them forget their quarrel and established the foundations of camaraderie between them

-odin decided that the jotnar would be more accepting of prince loki’s return to them and his reign over them if he had undergone the traditional manhood rituals, so when loki was a teen, he was sent home to participate. thor was given a cursory explanation of what it entailed and he was worried sick about loki, sure that loki would be killed. when loki returned to asgard unharmed, thor was relieved beyond words. he concluded that loki must have used magic to kill the bear, because surely loki wasn’t strong enough to do it by hand. when he voiced this to loki (not actually meaning to cause offense but not really thinking how it sounded) loki was furious and their subsequent fight and estrangement lasted months

#txt #my fic #sort of #///#///////#////#thorki #loki #marvel

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nickhembery · 4 months

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2023 wrapped

Let's try to sum up the year.

First, the TLDR: a long, drawn out groan of "fuck".

Second, what actually happened.

Remember that blog from a while back where I had six goals and if I did them all then I'd customise my mechanical keyboard? That didn't really work out. The treadmill I bought was a bit of a lemon and had to be sent back. It was one of those machines that's not really built to be used, it's designed to sit in a corner and have the owner look at it and say "I should use that sometime", but they never do. It's documentation all pointed to it breaking down pretty quickly with the amount of use I'd put it through. Not in the documentation was that it switched itself off after 40 minutes without warning. Based on that, I sent it back and got a refund, minus the shipping cost because the refund label I was given wasn't enough for the damn thing's weight. Oh well.

The writing didn't go so well either. Stress ground that to a halt. Two things happened to spread that over the year.

First, I got solar panels installed on my roof. That's a good thing. They're cool and they've cut my energy bill down a lot. But to put the panels in I needed scaffolding in place. It couldn't be put up and put down on the day of installation because a) different companies handled the panels and the scaffolding, and b) in case something went wrong. In my case something minor did go wrong. One of the installers got lazy and instead of securing the main power cable to my outside wall, he zip tied it to guttering downpipe. As I explained on the phone when I complained, this makes a mess of liabilities if I ever need work done on that pipe. Fortunately, a couple of guys came out to fix the cable problem. But no one came to pick up the scaffolding... for three months.

Remember I mentioned that different companies handled the panels and the scaffolding? Well, I could only talk to the panel company as they hired the scaffolding company. It took a lot of phone calls, emails and Official Complaints to find out what happened. The scaffolding company ran into financial trouble and didn't tell anyone for a while. To keep the money coming in they kept installing scaffolding in properties and didn't bother collecting any. They had scaffolding to spare and knew that no one would dare/be able to take down the stuff left behind. Eventually, once the panel company found out what was happening they got the scaffolding company to start coming out and collecting again.

The reason this was a big problem was the scaffolding shut off access to a few things. Two of my windows, and my neighbour's garage. It's a bit of a pain trying to explain all the problems with the scaffolding company hired by the panel company over a text message. But... one day they finally showed and took it away. Stress over. Except.

Except, that day, the very same day, there's an all-hands meeting with work. Everyone tunes into the conference call to hear the news. The company's in trouble. Layoffs in the US office, redundancies in the UK office. The layoffs had already happened by the time of the meeting, the redundancies would be announced after call. When the call ended, I decided to give it ten minutes before declaring myself safe. I got the notification at about the seven minute mark. It was, indeed, fuck.

So, in the US they did layoffs. You're called in, you're told, you leave. No argument, no appeal. In the UK we do redundancies. That's a process about a month long where people are 'at risk' of redundancy and no one is officially fired until the end. For some, there are groups who have the same or similar titles, and the high ups have to decide who in the group to get rid of. For others, like me, you're a one of one, and you'll be gone, unless you can convince them to keep you on. This isn't even the shitty 'interview for the job you're already doing', it's argue that your job should even exist. In my case, the documentation about the redundancy said the plan was that my duties as proofreader would be split up between the writers. Mood: Pickard face palm.

So, got that news. That night I ordered a big box of grease in the form of a pizza for dinner and ate it all while feeling sad. The next day, I got to work. The amount of people at risk of redundancy in the company was so big that there were too many for the HR people to speak to, so we were split into sub-groups based on departments, and those groups would need reperesentatives to come to meetings with HR and then dissiminate the information back to their group. I volunteered to be a rep at is a) meant I was getting all of the information and b) meant I could channel all of anxiety about the process into being a control freak. I made spreadsheets, I kept masses of notes, I wrote up every single meeting. Half the questions I asked in the meetings I had come up with rather than people in my group.

About a quarter way through the redundancy process time frame, I got a meeting with HR to make my pitch. It was really pretty simple: You Need Me. The writers make mistakes, in grammar, in spelling, in simple facts. They don't have the time to research things properly so just it wrong sometimes, and asking another writer to check it won't work out because they won't have the time either. But, I needed some carrot with the stick so offered a solution. My utilisation was down, so I could go on part time hours for a while until things pick up again. They were receptive in the meeting, and asked for a written pitch. I wrote it, read it over, edited it, read it again, then sent it. They accepted. My job was saved, well half saved.

It was a good thing too, as my backup plan feel through. Just before the redundancy process had started, I interviewed at a science journal to do proofreading there. Say what you will about the business model of journals (it's all a bit predatory), but it would have been a big step up from marketing. It was really nice to be taken seriously as a contender for the role, but in the end they decided to go with someone who had basically done the same job at another journal before.

Back to the job stress. I had a half a job. Better than zero job, but still. Finances were tight. I had just enough to pay my bills each month, but that was it. I was not going on holiday or even replacing that crappy treadmill. I got very lucky with the situation. If I hadn't gotten the raise in January the cut to my pay wouldn't have been viable at all. I didn't mention the raise. Man, this is all over the shot, isn't it? Short version: company introduced system to get promotions for most roles, left me (and some other unique jobs) out. So I wrote my own job description for the promotion system in specific way so that they would have to promote me. I gave them plenty of chances to stop me. And the promotion went through in January with a nice raise. And then in May that raised pay was cut in half.

Being on part time isn't all it's cracked up to me. What do you do with all that spare time? Well, you stress out that the rest of the job will be taken away from you, that's what. I played a lot of video games, watched most of the MCU and watched most of Star Wars. The only thing from the MCU I haven't seen is Ms Marvel, I watched every other movie and show. I watched all of Star Wars except the Resistance show set around Episode 7. Only people who have seen all seven seasons of Clone Wars, all four seasons of Rebels, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett understand what's going in Ahsoka. It's like a soap twenty years long and suddenly plot threads from the entire run are all coming together.

Amongst all the TV watching, I gardened my garden. When I bought my house, there was decking in the back garden. But I quickly discovered that the decking was no good, it was rotting. Far too gone to Ship of Theseus it, I tore it all out, dug out the posts, lifted the gravel that was underneath the decking, lifted the second layer of gravel that was under the first, broke up some random paving stones that were in the corner, and cleared the whole area down to the mud. That took months of work. I filled my car three times with wood for disposing of and filled a four-tonne skip with the gravel and rocks. After the garden was clear, I got fresh gravel and membrane and covered it all over.

When November came around, I did NaNoWriMo again. I wasn't aiming for the full 50k though. It had been months since I'd tried writing and really I didn't have enough story to need that many words. So I went for writing every day. Late in the month I got sick, my first cold in four years. That knocked me pretty hard, so there was one day where I only managed 98 words. But I did manage to write every day, and a couple days into December I finished the first draft of the book I've been working on since 2019. It's gotten away from me a bit, it's 322,000 words long. I may try to cut it down to one big epic novel, or I may keep the length but split it out into a series of novellas. We'll see how editing goes.

That brings us to about now. Christmas is soon, and for the first time we're skipping presents. I'm actually relieved, I had no idea what to get anyone. Last day of work is tomorrow, then it's Christmas break.

This year has been stressfull. I'm seeing more grey hairs in the mirror than before. But it could have been a lot worse.

2024 is actually looking up. Going to do an editing pass of the mammoth novel, got a plan to do it in 100 days. Through a confluence of events, including metaphorically finding bodies stuffed in a cupboard, I'm going to be back at full time at work, so money will be okay again. I've got a plan to keep myself organised for the year, it involves a whiteboard and a physical diary. I'll do another blog later to explain that.

#writing #year in review #job trouble #star wars #gardening #stress

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kanerallels · 2 years

Text

It's The Way You're Smiling At Me

For Kanera Week day three: "What if/fix it". Set in a modern au

Rating/warnings: G (minor violence, some flirting)

Taglist: @laughingphoenixleader @accidental-spice @heckin-music-dork @opalknight @auroramagpie @firefoxtessa @day-to-day-thots @kaneraweek

Read on AO3!!

Hera Syndulla was something of a do it yourself person. Why hire someone to do a job that you can do yourself? Over the years, with the help of books, friends, a few random strangers, and plenty of YouTube, she’d taught herself how to do innumerable things. She liked being able to rely on herself, not the help of other people.

However. There were some circumstances where she couldn’t do it herself, namely because she had no idea how. And this was one of those circumstances.

“I can’t believe you locked us out of the house,” Ezra said, dropping his duffle bag by his feet as Hera rattled the doorknob, peering through one of the side windows.

“Neither can I,” she admitted, huffing in irritation. “Where is Sabine when you need her? I thought she was at home?”

“Probably listening to music in her room or painting,” Ezra said, and Hera bit back another sigh. That did sound like Sabine— the girl had an artistic streak, despite the fact she wanted to be a cop when she graduated. The two parts of her personality seemed so at odds, yet summed her up perfectly.

Right now, however, it was downright inconvenient. “Alright,” Hera said, gathering her thoughts. “We can’t get in through the back door since it’s stuck, and probably will be for the rest of time, and the garage door opener still needs batteries.”

“Can we break a window?” Ezra suggested, but Hera shook her head.

“Definitely a bad idea. Zeb would probably show up with a shotgun.”

Ezra winced, clearly just as opposed to the idea of their burly neighbor charging towards their house, ready to handle a burglar, as Hera was. “Okay, bad idea then.”

“I have a toolbox in the car,” Hera mused, studying the door thoughtfully. “I could take the door off its hinges—”

“Or we could call a locksmith company,” Ezra pointed out, holding up his phone. “There’s one like three minutes from here.”

Hera pursed her lips, lifting a skeptical eyebrow. “It would be a lot cheaper to just do it myself. We don’t really have the money to spare, Ezra.”

“We have to get inside eventually,” Ezra argued. “And getting someone to break in for us is a lot quicker than waiting for Sabine.”

Unfortunately, he was right. Letting out a long sigh, Hera pulled out her phone. “Alright. What’s the phone number?”

Ezra read it off to her, and Hera keyed it in, shifting from foot to foot as she listened to it ring.

Someone picked up on the third ring. “Kasmiri Locks, Plumbing, and Odd Jobs,” came a man’s deep voice from the other end. “How can I help you?”

“Hi,” Hera said. “Who can I talk to about a locksmith job?”

There was no response for a long moment, and Hera frowned, checking to see if she’d accidentally hung up. Seeing the line was still open, she said, “Are you still there?”

“Yeah,” the man said, his voice slightly strained. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“You alright there?” Hera asked.

“Words fail me.”

Hera’s eyebrows shot up, not quite sure what to make of the man’s statement. Is he— no, that would be ridiculous. “So they do,” she said wryly. “I don’t suppose they could fail you while you find me a locksmith?”

“Better yet, I’ll have them not fail me,” the man said. Seemingly recovered from his earlier shock, his voice had become light-hearted, almost teasing. “Okay, what seems to be the problem?”

Hera grimaced. “I’m locked out of my house,” she admitted.

To his credit, the man didn’t laugh. “Happens all the time,” he assured her. “I’ve done it to myself. Can I have your name?”

“Hera Syndulla.”

She heard the sound of a pen clicking open in the background. “Hera,” the man murmured thoughtfully. “The queen of the goddesses. Seems fitting.”

Hera’s eyes widened, and she felt herself flushing slightly. Okay, that was definitely flirting. Fantastic– what kind of guy flirts with someone he’s only ever met over the phone? For all she knew, he charmed all the people who called in.

“Address?” the man asked, and Hera rattled it off. “Okay, you’re pretty close— we can have someone there in about five minutes.”

“The sooner the better,” Hera muttered, and heard him laugh.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fast. See you soon.”

He hung up, and Hera had already put her phone back in her pocket before his last words registered with her— “See you soon.” Wait— he isn’t going to be the one who shows up here, is he? It seemed more likely that he was a receptionist or something. But she would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious.

Sure enough, it was five minutes later that a battered looking truck pulled up along the curb, and a tall man with a ponytail and jeans got out, carrying a tool box with him. His gaze moved straight to her and Hera knew, she just knew, that it was the man from the phone. There was something about the way his eyes held hers, the small, almost awestruck grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth. It almost took her breath away.

Which was stupid, because he was here to break into her house for her, and she had so many more important things to do than stare at random men she met.

“Hi,” he said, striding up the sidewalk to where she and Ezra were standing. “Hera? I’m Kanan—” his voice faltered when he saw Ezra, and a look that very clearly said “oh, crap” flashed across his face.

Before Hera could even begin to wonder what that meant, Ezra spoke. “Hi,” he said cheerfully. “I’m Ezra, Hera’s foster kid. Are you here to break into our house?”

“Oh,” Kanan said, glancing between the two of them, looking slightly relieved. “Got it. Yeah, that’s me. Lead the way.”

As Ezra headed for the front door, Hera arched an eyebrow at him. “Something wrong? Words failing you again?”

“Not at the moment,” Kanan responded easily. “Just worried for a moment there that you were married.”

“How do you know I’m not?” Hera pointed out wryly. “Also, why would that be a problem?”

A small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Oh, all sorts of reasons. Besides, you’re not wearing a ring, luckily for me.” Without waiting for a response, he moved after Ezra, who was waiting next to the front door, his duffle bag next to him. And Hera, who should have been following him, found herself rooted to the ground in… not quite shock. But something about this man had caught her completely off guard.

Don’t be ridiculous, she scolded herself. He’s just a man. A… very handsome man. Which should not matter. She’d just met him, for star’s sake. So try to focus on what’s important here, she instructed herself sternly.

As she hurried to catch up with Kanan and Ezra, she heard the boy chatting happily as Kanan opened up his toolbox. From the sounds of it, he was explaining how they’d gotten in this situation in the first place.

“—then when Hera got home from getting me at practice, she realized that the key was still inside, waiting to be brought to the copying place or whatever,” he said. “And Sabine’s probably listening to really, really loud music, so she’s not gonna hear us knocking or anything. Hera said she should just take the door off its hinges, but we decided to call you instead.”

“Taking the door down probably would have worked,” Kanan agreed. “But this should be a little less time consuming.” Taking a roll of leather out from the tool box, he asked, “What were you practicing?”

“Fencing,” Ezra said. “I’m in the club at school.”

“No kidding? I used to fence when I was your age.” Flipping open the roll, Kanan revealed a collection of gleaming silver tools. “What’s your weapon of choice?”

Hera saw Ezra’s eyes light up, like they always did when someone asked him about fencing. “I’m learning with a foil, but I want to try a sabre.”

“Foil’s a good starter, but I bet you could handle a sabre. You just need the right teacher.”

As Kanan started to select a few tools from the roll, Ezra asked, “What are you doing?”

“Picking the lock on your door.” Glancing over his shoulder at Hera, Kanan asked, “Are there any security systems I should know about?”

Shaking her head, Hera said, “The house is too old for that. Although that doesn’t mean we’re vulnerable.”

“Our neighbor Zeb used to be a Marine, now he’s a cop,” Ezra told Kanan. “And Hera owns a shotgun. No one should mess with her.”

Kanan chuckled, and Hera found herself smiling too as he said, “I can believe that.”

He started working on the lock, and Ezra instantly asked, “What are you doing with that? How’s that gonna open our door? Can you teach me?”

“Ezra, give him some space,” Hera said gently.

“It’s no problem,” Kanan said, pausing his work. “I mean, unless you don’t want me teaching him to pick a lock. It’s not as easy in practice, but still maybe not something you want your teenager knowing.”

“I promise only to use my skills for good and not evil,” Ezra said immediately, giving Hera a pleading look. “Please please please?”

Hera hesitated, biting her lip. Looking at Kanan, she found him already watching her. “If he’s any trouble—”

“He won’t be,” Kanan assured her. “I was a teenager once, too. My mom used to tell me I had more questions than there were leaves on the trees.”

Unable to hold back a laugh, Hera said, “Reminds me of someone I know.”

Looking unfazed, Ezra said, “There’s a lot of stuff to know. Can you show me?”

“Sure,” Kanan said, shooting a last smile in Hera’s direction before turning to Ezra. “Okay, the first thing you’re gonna want to start with is the tension wrench, to mimic the turn of the key.”

Hera looked on as Kanan slowly walked Ezra through every step of the process, the boy absolutely fascinated by every part of it. Kanan was incredibly patient with him, handling his questions and his excitement with humor and encouragement. It was something Hera so rarely saw in men who weren’t already parents. Especially presumably single men who’d been flirting with her minutes earlier.

Oh, don’t start this again, she thought at herself with exasperation. She was a single mother working full time— she didn’t have time for a relationship. And with her luck, this guy was probably looking for a fling that wouldn’t last more than two dates. He’d lose interest the moment he realized that that wasn’t Hera’s style.

And yet. Here he was. Talking to her son with shocking patience. Romance aside, it wasn’t something she saw every day.

After several minutes of Ezra slipping up and Kanan helping him fix the mistakes, Ezra reluctantly handed the picks over to Kanan. “I should probably let you get on with your job,” he said with a sigh.

“Don’t worry, kid,” Kanan told him. “It took me weeks to get my first lock open. Find yourself a padlock to practice on and some picks online, and you’ll be a master in no time.”

Ezra’s grin reappeared, and Kanan moved back to work, replacing the picks in the lock. Twitching one a few times, he cocked his head to the side, and Hera caught a barely audible click. He moved the pick a few more times, then turned the second tool, and the lock opened with a satisfying snick.

“That was AWESOME,” Ezra said, his eyes huge.

Replacing his tools, Kanan shrugged. “Part of the job.”

“Thank you so much,” Hera said honestly. “It would have been a huge hassle without your help.”

Kanan’s gaze moved to hers, and a smile crossed his face. “Definitely my pleasure.”

Oh, Force, do not blush right now, Hera instructed herself. Clearing her throat, she said, “Do you take checks? My checkbook is just inside, so—”

“Oh, of course,” Kanan said. Reaching for the doorknob, he pushed open the door, stepping forward— and was met by a frying pan to the face.

“What– SABINE!” Hera shrieked as he crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

“Hera?” the frying pan wielding teenager wearing paint splattered shorts and a t-shirt squinted at her. “What are you doing here? Also did you know we’re being robbed?”

“That’s not a robber, that’s Kanan,” Ezra said. “He’s a locksmith because Hera forgot the key, and also my new best friend. Oh, and he REALLY likes Hera. He called her a goddess.”

One of Sabine’s eyebrows popped up. “He did what?”

“He did not,” Hera protested, feeling herself flushing. “He— how did you even hear that?”

“I have the ears of a bat,” Ezra said. “Especially when I’m not supposed to hear it.”

“I can tell,” Hera said, sighing. Kneeling down by Kanan, she pressed two fingers against his neck. “Well, you didn’t kill him. Why did you think he was breaking in?”

“I heard someone down by the front door when I turned off my music,” Sabine explained. “That, combined with a COMPLETE STRANGER coming into our house kinda made me assume.”

“Yeah, that’s fair,” Ezra said.

“You heard the door, but you couldn’t hear your phone?” Hera said, giving her a frown. “I called you three times.”

“Phone’s dead.”

“Of course it is.” Letting out a sigh, Hera said, “Well, we can’t just leave him here.” Frowning thoughtfully, she studied him for a moment, then turned to Ezra. “Go get Zeb.”

Ezra immediately bolted across the lawn and into Zeb’s yard, dashing up to his front door. He reappeared a few minutes later with the big burly man on his heels, waving his hands animatedly as he explained the situation. By the time he reached the driveway, he was shaking his head with his usual “how do you people get into these situations” face on.

“I know,” Hera said with a sigh. “I know.”

“Your kids are ridiculous, Hera,” Zeb told her. He squinted at Kanan for a moment. “So this is the guy? The one Hera likes?”

“Yep!” Ezra said.

“What— oh, no, what have you been telling him?” Hera protested. “I don’t like him, I hired him to get me back into my house.”

Bending over, Zeb grabbed the man with a grunt, hauling him over his shoulder. “Well, I was told you thought he was cute.”

“Ezra,” Hera said, shooting him a look. Ezra instantly tried to hide behind Sabine, who stepped away from him.

“I’m sorry!” he said. “I was kidding. Well, I mean, you two were looking at each other a LOT and you were smiling at him and I haven’t seen you smile at someone like that ever and did I mention he called you a goddess—”

“Right, I’m putting him on the couch inside,” Zeb interrupted. “He’s not light. I’ll stay with you, just in case.”

“Thank you, Zeb,” Hera said, relieved to be changing the subject. Although, as the four of them headed inside, her mind strayed back to Ezra’s words. He was being ridiculous, of course. She hadn’t been looking at Kanan that much, and he certainly hadn’t been looking at her.

Well. Maybe they had been a little. She remembered the feeling of Kanan’s eyes holding hers, the way it had made her feel almost breathless. The way she’d almost wanted him to keep watching her, which was a feeling Hera was not familiar with.

Pushing the thought out of her mind, she followed the others into the living room, where Zeb unceremoniously dumped Kanan. As he flopped onto the couch, he let out an incomprehensible mumble, and Hera winced. He’d been incredibly kind and patient— but getting knocked unconscious by a teenager would strain anyone’s temper.

Rubbing her forehead, she muttered, “If we don’t get sued by this company, it will be a miracle.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Zeb said, dropping into a chair.

Shooting him a glare, Hera said, “Not helpful.”

“I don’t think he’ll sue us,” Ezra offered. “He seemed nice.”

“Getting a frying pan to the face isn’t really conducive to being nice,” Hera said, lifting an eyebrow at Sabine.

The girl shrugged. “I’d do it again.”

Hera sighed. “Of course you would.” Moving over to where Kanan lay, she knelt down, examining the already swelling bump on his forehead. Brushing a few strands of loose hair away from it, she winced at the sight. “Sabine, can you get an ice pack?”

Sabine hopped to her feet, her frying pan still under one arm as she strolled into the kitchen. Hera inspected the bruise for another moment, but found her eyes wandering as she studied the rest of his face— the slightly crooked nose, the small goatee he wore, the lips that curved so easily into a smile.

Really, Hera? she thought to herself. You’re not supposed to swoon over every man you meet. That isn’t you. For star’s sake, you’ve never gotten a crush so quickly.

Maybe that means something, a small voice in her mind whispered.

Before Hera could push the thought away, or examine it further, Kanan’s eyes fluttered open, meeting hers. Hera caught her breath. She hadn’t seen Kanan’s eye color earlier, not fully. It was a stunning, radiant blue-green.

For a moment, neither of them made a sound. Then, Kanan spoke. “Hi,” he said, his voice slightly gravelly.

“Hi,” Hera managed to respond, her heart rate pounding unreasonably hard.

“This is real, right?” Kanan asked, lifting an eyebrow, then winced.

Unable to hold back a laugh, Hera nodded. “Yes, this is real.”

“Good,” Kanan said. “I was worried I’d dreamed you up for a minute there. Glad to see I was wrong.”

Hera felt herself flush, her amusement replaced by a flustered warmth in her chest. Behind her, she heard Zeb snort. “Alright, kid. You didn’t exaggerate.”

Kanan’s gaze snapped away from her, confusion washing across his face as he took in his surroundings. “Um. Where am I?”

“Right,” Hera said, collecting herself. “You’re in my house.”

Sitting up slowly, Kanan nodded— then stopped, a grimace crossing his face. “Ow. My head— I feel like I missed something? I was opening the door—”

“I hit you with a frying pan cause I thought you were breaking in,” Sabine told him as she strolled back into the kitchen, a bag of frozen peas in her hand. Offering it to him, she said, “Sorry about that.”

After staring for a long moment, Kanan accepted the peas, centering them on the bump on his head. Wincing, he said, “No worries. It can happen.”

Nodding slowly, Sabine said, “Okay, I like him.” She dropped into a nearby chair, propping her feet against the arm of the chair, and Kanan let out a chuckle.

“Thanks,” he said. “I think.” Glancing at Hera, he lifted an eyebrow. “Is she yours, too?”

“Sabine is staying with us while she does college classes here,” Hera explained, Realizing she was still kneeling next to the couch, she rose, moving to stand next to Sabine. “Her parents are friends of my family.”

Kanan nodded, then froze, the grimace crossing his face making it clear that he’d regretted it. Hera winced. “I’m so sorry about this,” she apologized. “It was a complete accident. Obviously we can pay to have you checked out by the doctor—”

“Don’t sue us, though,” Ezra told him. “We’re broke.”

Before Hera could speak, Sabine smacked Ezra in the back of the head. “Don’t tell him that, idiot. It’s not his business.”

“And we’re not broke,” Hera added firmly. Which was true, it really was. Things were a little harder at the moment, but it wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle.

Shifting the bag of peas a little, Kanan said, “I’m not going to sue anyone. If I sued everyone who’d hit me in the face with a frying pan… I’d still only be suing three people. But I don’t have the time or money for it— and you had good instincts. And a mean swing.”

Sabine grinned, looking a little too proud of herself. Hera shook her head, feeling relief flash through her. “Thank you so much,” she told Kanan. “I’m so sorry about all of this— we’re not usually this all over the place.”

“Usually they’re worse,” Zeb told him, and Hera shot him a glare.

Chuckling, Kanan said, “It’s no problem. Force knows I’ve had days like this. Don’t worry, I still like you.”

Hera caught the look he shot her way, and hastily looked away. Unfortunately, Zeb caught the exchange as well, and lifted an amused eyebrow at her. Shut up, Hera mouthed at him.

The entire interaction went over Ezra’s head, who grinned. “See, I knew you were cool. You should come to my fencing match this weekend.”

This clearly caught Kanan off guard as well as Hera. She managed to recover first. “Oh, Ezra— he’s probably busy.”

“With what?” Ezra said. “It’s the weekend! You could see me kick butt, and meet my awesome coach! And tell me about the other two people who hit you with a frying pan, and you’d get to see Hera again.”

Hera didn’t dare glance at Kanan as she said, “Please stop trying to coerce him, Ezra.”

“It might be working,” Kanan muttered, and Zeb snorted.

“Oh, boy. I see what’s happening here. I hate to interrupt, but how’s he getting home? You probably shouldn’t drive with a concussion— which you probably have. And you definitely need to see a doctor.”

“Fair point— uh, what’s your name, again?”

“Zeb. I’m the next door neighbor.” Narrowing his eyes, Zeb added, “I also happen to own a shotgun that likes being used on people who play around with other people’s emotions, if you catch my drift.”

Oh, this is not happening, Hera thought.

“Consider it caught,” Kanan said, looking completely unrepentant. Okay it’s time to end this, Hera decided. Preferably before she died of embarrassment.

“I can give you a lift home,” she said. “Sabine can drive your car behind us— Zeb, do you mind watching Ezra?”

“Fine by me,” Zeb said. “But you should definitely get looked at, mate.”

“I will,” Kanan promised. “My next door neighbor is a nurse, I’ll check in with her.” Looking at Hera, he said, “I don’t want to inconvenience you, but I’d really appreciate that ride.”

“What, any more than we’ve inconvenienced you by knocking you unconscious?” Hera pointed out wryly. “I think we can manage a ride. Let’s get going.”

Kanan got to his feet, wavered, then nearly toppled forward. Darting forward, Hera grabbed his arm, steadying him. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” Kanan said, blinking hard. “Definitely gonna get checked out when I get home, though. Thanks for the save.”

He smiled at her, and Hera tried very hard to pretend like it didn’t make her heart flutter just a little. She failed miserably. “Let’s take things slow,” she told him, steering him towards the front door.

They made it to Hera’s car without further incident, and Kanan handed the keys to his truck over to Sabine. “Drive carefully,” Hera instructed Sabine sternly as she helped Kanan into the passenger seat. “Just follow us, okay?”

“Yes, Mom,” Sabine said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve done this before, you know.”

“Try not to wreck my truck,” Kanan requested, sticking his head out of the door. “It’s not as tough as I am— a frying pan to the head would knock it senseless.”

“You’re really weird,” Sabine told him.

“I’m less weird when I’m not concussed,” Kanan said.

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

Leaning back in his seat, Kanan said, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Shaking her head in amusement, Hera closed Kanan’s door, then headed over to her side and started up the car. A few moments later, they were heading down the road.

“I’m going to need your address,” Hera told Kanan, who was leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, you’re right.” Kanan quickly rattled off his address, and Hera typed it into her phone. As she followed the directions, heading towards the main road, she sent a side glance at Kanan, whose eyes were closed again. “Are you doing okay?”

“I’m a little dizzy, but I’ll live,” Kanan replied. “Um— I didn’t mean to make things awkward, with Ezra inviting me to his fencing match.”

“Ah. That.” Hera fixed her eyes on the road, firmly pushing back thoughts about what this could be leading up to. “You’re not in the wrong there— Ezra likes making new friends, and he gets attached to them very quickly. You don’t need to feel bad about refusing, he’ll be fine.”

For a long, long moment, Kanan didn’t speak. As they pulled to a stop at a stop light, he said, “What if I did come?”

Hera froze, her mind going blank. “I— what?”

For the first time, Kanan looked embarrassed, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. “Ah… well, he’s a good kid. And like I said, I was a fencer when I was younger. It might be interesting.”

“Oh,” Hera said, unreasonable disappointment flashing through her. “Right.”

“And it would be a good chance to get to know you better.”

Surprise crashed through Hera, and she stared at Kanan, whose expression was almost nervous. Registering that the light had changed, she started driving again, attempting to collect her thoughts. “I… I see. That explains a few things.”

“In my defense, I actually am interested in seeing how Ezra does,” Kanan said. “But… look, I haven’t really been subtle today.”

“Not really, no,” Hera responded wryly, receiving a grin from Kanan.

“Right. But if I can make myself very clear— I like you. You seem smart, you can clearly handle yourself if your kids are anything to judge by, and, if I may be so bold, you have the most stunningly gorgeous voice I’ve heard in my entire life.”

“Oh,” Hera managed, feeling herself blushing, again. “Thank you— you barely know me, though.”

“Exactly,” Kanan said matter of factly. “I’d like to fix that, if you’re willing.”

“I—” Hera hesitated, unsure. Because her head was telling her that she didn’t have time for this, that she barely knew this man and for all his charming words, he could have very bad intentions. But her heart was whispering that maybe, just maybe, this could be worth a shot. “I am flattered,” she told him, turning into a neighborhood. “But— I’m not exactly free. I have two kids I’m taking care of, and I don’t have a lot of free time. If this does end up being something, you’re getting them, too. We’re a package deal.”

Kanan was already nodding. “I know. I wouldn’t expect anything else. All I’m asking for is a chance. If it turns out that I’m more annoying than handsome, or that you don’t have time in your life, or that you’re just not interested, I swear I’ll back off.” As they pulled up next to one of the houses, he turned to face her, expression serious. “But I feel like this… it could be something. If we want it to be.”

Hera slowly put the car into park, allowing herself to think as she watched Sabine pull past her in Kanan's truck, parking it up ahead of them. He wasn’t wrong. Force only knew she was attracted to him— he was kind and funny and treated her kids with patience and kindness, and he was almost irritatingly handsome.

It felt dangerous, terrifying to even consider something like this. Hera hadn’t had a relationship since long before she’d taken in Ezra. Even then, she’d never found someone who wanted to take it seriously, wanted to take her seriously.

And yet, something about the way Kanan looked at her made her think that maybe he would. And if it didn’t work out, it didn’t. But Hera had a good feeling about this.

“Give me your hand,” she told him.

Expression startled, Kanan held out his hand, and Hera took it, turning it palm up. Plucking a pen from her cup holder, she scribbled a series of numbers across it. “My cell number,” she told him. “Text me, and I’ll send you the details about Ezra’s fencing match.”

The look on Kanan’s face was completely priceless as he stared at the inked words on his hand— a combination of shock and pure delight. “I— wow. Okay, I didn’t expect that.”

“I like to surprise people every now and then,” Hera said, unable to hold back a grin as she dropped the pen back into the cup holder.

Kanan caught her eye, giving her a warm smile. “Thank you, Hera. For trusting me.”

“I suppose you only live once,” Hera said, lifting an eyebrow. “Thank you for breaking into my house for me.”

“No problem,” Kanan said easily. “Uh— I should probably have my boss send you the bill.”

Wincing, Hera admitted, “I completely forgot about that. Yeah, please do.”

“I managed to distract you, huh?” Kanan said, a teasing smile playing across his face. It looked infuriatingly good on him, but Hera refused to be drawn in.

“Don’t flatter yourself, dear,” she shot back, lifting an eyebrow. “I was more distracted by one of my kids giving you a concussion. Speaking of which, please go get yourself checked out.”

“Your wish is my command,” Kanan said, opening the car door. Pausing, he said, “Thanks for the ride. See you Saturday?”

“See you then,” Hera told him.

She sat in the car, waiting for Sabine, and watched until he made it to the front door, just in case. And, she had to admit, there was a part of her that didn’t quite want to drive away yet. It was the same part of her that felt that she’d just made a decision that was going to change her life. And if she was right, she had a feeling that it was going to change for the better.

#kaneraweek2022 #star wars rebels #swr #kanan jarrus #hera syndulla #kanera #ezra bridger #garazeb orrelios #kanera is love kanera is life #modern!au #swr modern!au #flirting #lots of flirting #writing stories is a kind of magic too

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