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#Gah too many tags
astrolavas · 1 year
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thinking about the... potential clawthorne woodcarving mentorship.
+ bonus cuz also thinking abt how if hunter ever met dell's palisman and got reminded of flapjack, he'd probably feel bad abt making that association cuz he knows what it's like to be seen only as someone's different version (even though the bird wouldn't mind much so lol)
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#eda having that palistrom seed.. hunter saying he wants to learn how to carve palisman... his relation to clawthornes. it HAS to mean STH js#the owl house#toh#hunter toh#toh hunter#hahaa always thinking abt hunter growing a soft spot for palismen and loving creating and bringing them to life#but never being able to replace flapjack no matter how many palismen for other ppl he carves. I'M GONNA-#:((((( :///#like he's not going to want to replace flapjack just like that rn. cuz he LOVES that bird. it's gonna be so hard for him to just.. Move On#and flapjack's a PART of him.. so very curious where they'll go with this because..... HM. HM like he serves as his disability aid almost#and he can't just REMAKE him. but he cannot also just.... ignore what happened straight away. but it's also important to heal#but whatever he decides to do i feel like he'd love to just............ create. whether it be for himself or others#BUT GAH. ANYWAY XKJSJSK wrote an essay abt this already don't need to write one in the tags TOO. so uh .. yea#little guy.. pls find happiness#my art#fanart#hunter#hunter noceda#hunter wittebane#eda#eda clawthorne#dell#dell clawthorne#dell's palisman#toh art#edalyn clawthorne#also like...... if flapjack and dell's palisman were caleb's and evelyn's palismen...... and knew each other........#and while flapjack was waiting for his new person at the bat queen's cave dell's palisman was being passed down clawthorne generations#OUUHGHHHHGHHHH they were probably friends..... they Knew each other#what's up with you you mysterious yellow bird with eyebrows...... what's your story
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What I love about the elders is that it goes:
Dawn vs Dusk
Day vs Night
What I do not like about the elders is that it also goes:
Rain vs Sunset
Like?? Wtf is rain???? I'd be more happy with Forest being something like Moderate Afternoon— not rain.
Everything else is opposite-y and then there's those two, being special eggs, lanky cretins.
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marrfixated · 17 days
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(More thoughts and drafting! Some weird formatting I know but it was all one block in my notes)
Emma is doing just fine. Average. It’s really not so bad.
She’s just been dealing with a lot of change. And with too many things not changing.
Which is… an odd thing to struggle with.
Because she likes hange. Daunting challenges. The unpredictable. Doing new things every day and never being scared of them. And she likes independence.
She had thought so, at least.
After the show, she had been hit in the face with just how… isolated she was. She had only had two friends before the first season, but she had left them behind. Her mother wasn’t doing the best, and she didn’t have any nearby family.
She found herself laying in her bed in the middle of the day most of the time, scrolling through her contacts and old conversations.
Or scrolling through her comments on TikTok.
A few weeks ago, she had tried some stunt involving a motorcycle and an inflatable pool. She probably wouldn’t have messed it up if her hands weren’t trembling.
(She had forgot to check the breaks, and wasn’t sure if they were working.)
(They were.)
The blood dripping down her face and the gash in her lip didn’t sting as much as it did watching the video.
She looked ridiculous, and she probably always did. It was better when she had someone else to do it with. Maybe she was losing her touch.
She didn’t post the video.
She turned back to dancing instead, which did feel less embarassing, despite the constant mocking feedback. Sure, the jokes were “funny”, but she didn’t care about any of it. She didn’t feel the rush, she wasn’t planning every day, and she wasn’t known or loved for anything.
Except for what she lost.
And, the show, to an extent.
-Ugh, she misses the show. She shouldn’t, but as stupid as it sounds, she missed doing crazy things and talking to people. Having a chance of winning. Beating everyone. Being cheered on. It wasn’t always great, but at least it was something. She misses doing something.
And she really misses Bowie. She missed Bowie, but she knows better than anyone that she can’t go back to that. They just- have better things to do now. He probably does.
He’s got Raj- which is great! And she’s happy for him! She’s happy for everyone. For Wayne, however he’s doing, for Julia, despite everything.
And Caleb. For having Priya.
Emma is jealous that Bowie gets to have someone.
Emma is jealous that everyone else gets to have someone.
Emma is jealous that, unlike everyone else, winning the show probably wouldn’t have made her any happier.
She isn’t sure what would.
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spiderwebd · 2 months
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i wanted to thank you for all ur nice words on my posts aaaa! i rly wish i could directly reply to ur tags but i don't wanna be annoying lol <:] ur seriously wonderful
Its 1 am right now thank you thank uou thank you slash gen
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anotherscrappile · 8 months
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A review of a horror-yuri visual novel by @futures3lf & @ruinedpowers:
I can’t properly put into words my emotions on playing through this piece beyond “Wow. That was incredibly fucked up. I loved it.”
I’m a sucker for charismatic robots, horror stories, & transgender characters. This story truly has it all. Sex, blood, mad science, psychological manipulation, but also a journey of self discovery & self acceptance. Our poor protagonist is doomed, but her tragic end is cathartic.
Definitely heed the content warnings for this one, but if you’re able, I wholeheartedly recommend playing through “Absolutely Perfect Specimen.”
You can see more info about the game on this post & on its page on itch.io
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bugging-around-town · 9 months
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Here I am again! And I’m here with something some of you might know!
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I thought it would be a good exercise to draw all of the wonderful Welcome home Characters! (Plus adding my own little spin to them!)
so here are all of them I have so far (color coded! Made it more pleasing to the eyes I feel)!
I feel I must mention that this is a WIP! They aren’t finished , they are still baking!
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Character Opinion Bingo: Tommy
Ah yes, Big Man himself.
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licolobodos · 2 years
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HHUHHVBSHBU HHSH YHZJ YSHBHUSHBUVUHSHAUHUH
A. H U N D R E D OF YOU.. YOU MENACES
MY GOD ITS ONLY BEEN 4 MONTHS OF INCONSISTENT DOODLES YALL ARE MADLADS
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dragonbard · 3 months
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uuyuomi · 2 months
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LOVERS’ MORNING TEA.
ᡣ𐭩 •。ꪆৎ ˚⋅ ━ as a new dawn greets the quaint settlement of qiaoying village, you and gaming prepare for your shared morning breakfast together. but it appears man chai’s antics this morning are much more mischievous than usual. much to gaming’s displeasure. (or craving love and attention)
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gaming x reader | w.c: 879 | tags: gn reader, est. relationship, fluff
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sunlight filters through the tree leaves above; soft bright streams pouring out of every gap as a mellow summer breeze travels through the air that becomes sweeter with the passing of time.
chin resting on your hand, a brief sigh escapes through your nose as you gaze upon the unperturbed green tea fields and azure skies.
compared to the ever lively and bustling dawns of liyue harbor, mornings in qiaoying village are always so serene and full of bliss tranquility.
tea merchants rise with the sound of birds chirping in the distance, greeting them anew as they prepare for the day’s work that lies ahead. meanwhile, the locals step out of their homes one by one, preparing to either hang their washed laundry or indulge themselves in a refreshing cup of fine morning tea with savoring dim sum—much like yourself.
you watch as a faint steam continues to emit from your untouched cup of tea, patiently waiting for the heat to simmer down a bit.
although many would argue that tea is best enjoyed when it’s piping hot (much to the point of burning your lips upon first sips) you prefer to have a lukewarm tea and therefore, a lighter start to your mornings.
you feel a slight nudge on your leg, drawing your attention beneath the table and at the small critter cuddling up around your feet, purring softly.
smiling, you reach down, brushing down its fur in gentle caresses, “good morning man chai.”
“gah…that’s the third time that little rascal beats me to give you the morning greetings.”
several steps away, you see gaming who appears slightly short of breath. taking a moment to steady his breathing, he eventually makes his way over to you, wasting no time to engulf you in a loving hug, resting his head above yours.
“and good morning to you gaming.” you laugh, rubbing his arms that remained wrapped around your neck, consciously leaning back into his embrace.
“oooh is that sunglo tea i smell and…” he takes a sniff at the air once more and his face instantly brightens up as he looks down at you with expectant eyes. “steamed dumplings?”
you nod. “yup! steamed dumplings made especially for you.”
a wave of happiness now surging through him, gaming gives you another tight hug before taking a seat in the stone chair beside you, fully prepared to stomach as much as he can for today’s breakfast.
the critter from before slowly begins to peek its head out from under the table, particularly eyeing the fresh batch of dumplings in gaming’s hands.
“no way man chai!” gaming quickly snatches away the basket of steamed dumplings away from man chai’s prying paws, “first you steal my morning greetings and now you want to steal my dumplings. well not this time, buddy.”
another small chorus of laughter sounds from you. “c’mon gaming, don’t you think you’re being a little too unfair with him?”
“unfair? if anything he’s the one that’s been unfair for the last three days!” gaming argues, much like a child bickering with his siblings, “maybe now he’ll think about his actions.”
though you know he’ll never admit it, you can’t help but find it adorable at how he constantly vies for your full undivided attention in small but subtle ways.
for starters, gaming has made it his sole mission to be the first person to greet you a good morning at the start of every day before he heads to yilong wharf for work. something that naturally became routine.
apart from that, he absolutely loves returning home to talk with you about any and all he’s heard or experienced on the road for that particular day. or when he’s prepared a new performance for his hobby of wushou dancing, he wants you to be one of the first ones to see it and hear your instant feedback or high praises—more so the latter.
you on the other hand, always find his cheerful demeanor and glint of excitement that appears in his eyes each time he talks to be quite endearing. and while for the most part, gaming is usually the one talking the most between you two, you’re more than content with just listening to his musings.
seeing a disheartened man chai, you give the small creature a reassuring pat on the head, offering him a piece of food from your own plate.
“there! a fed man chai is a happy man chai!” you cheer, watching him happily eat away at the food as gaming sighs with a small frown.
now in an attempt to appease an envious gaming, you slowly lean over and plant a small unexpected kiss on his cheek that catches him off guard.
“happy now too?” you ask with a soft smile.
all he could conjure up in that moment was but a small nod. however, seeing the way his cheeks slightly reddened and the way his eyes struggled to meet yours was enough to tell you he was more than satisfied with your actions.
as if sensing his pet’s antics from a mile away, gaming instantly moves to shield you, having no desire to share any more of your attention with anyone else.
“don’t even think about it man chai!”
sigh, what ever shall you do with him.
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end note: im on a streak rn of doing these late night writing sessions fr…and it’s lowkey not okay for my already sleep deprived self. BUT TBF i wanted to post something for valentines day which is now today even if it’s not entirely related to the holiday itself. i for one took this opportunity to write a little something for my son gaming :3
i absolutely LOVE his character and his story that played out during the lantern rite because as someone who had almost the exact same experience…that hit close to home. hopefully his character here isn’t too ooc and if it is well…sue me /j
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luckylzclerc · 11 months
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Hello!! I saw that your request was open so I wanted to request an instagram au where Charles gf who is a model gets caught wearing Charles clothes and accessories which some eagle eyed fans recognise and piece it together that you're dating. Thanks💗
unexpected | cl16 x model!reader
notes: hii tysm for requesting!! my first ever request so its a lil bad :((🤍 hope u liked it, this is my first time writing abt charles whoao😵‍💫 anyways ENJOYY🤭🩷
twitter!!
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yourusername
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liked by francisca.cgomes , charles_leclerc , pierregasly and 870,563 others
yourusername thanks @.nba for having me! and THANK U @francisca.cgomes for ditching me for ur bf 🫤🫤 couldn't have asked for a better partner 🤞 (jokes aside ily!!)
tagged : francisca.cgomes , nba
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francisca.cgomes LIAR!!! I only left you for a while to ask pierre about the game 👎👎
yourusername sureeeee
charles_leclerc I thought you enjoyed my company while she was gone??
yourusername i lied
liked by pierregasly
hotbot.1010 i want their friendship so bad.
333ella_ real😔🫂
beachgirlguide so real!! they're adorbs
charles.wdcwhen LMAOO CHARLES COMMENT AND PIERRE LIKING IT😭 FOUL
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charles_leclerc
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liked by pierregasly , yourusername , lewishamilton and 512,720 others
charles_leclerc Let's just say I better stick to driving. Had a great time though @.nba 🏀
view all 401,628 comments •
lewishamilton Let's play
pierregasly La garde rapprochée ⚔️😂
yourusername u suck lol 😵‍💫
charles_leclerc why are u hating?? i did nothing
yourusername ok
charles_leclerc ???
henah1._f1 never thought I'd see the day y/n and charles interact ngl
ayrt0nsenz forreal and im loving EVERY second of it soo whos complaining (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)
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a few months passed!
yourusername added to their story!
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seen by charles_leclerc , francisca.cgomes and many other
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yourusername
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liked by charles_leclerc , pierregasly and francisca.cgomes and 729,271 others
yourusername happy birthday to ME! and my birthday twin @.pierregasly !!! had such a great time w u guys 😘🥰 Thank you so much for coming guys🫶🏻
📸 @.landonorris
tagged : francisca.cgomes , charles_leclerc , landonorris , danielricciardo ..see more
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landonorris I should get paid for this y/n!!
landonorris happy birthday though 🤣❤️
yourusername grazie lando 🤣🤭
francisca.cgomes HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👭👭🩷🩷
pierregasly are you talking to me?
fransisca.gomes no, i was obviously talking about y/n
yourusername graziee kika🫶🏻🫶🏻 my loml😘
pierregasly happy birthday to my birthday twin!! 🥳🥳🥳
yourusername GRAZIE!! happy birthday to you too mr.tripod 😂😂🥳🎂
charles_leclerc tanti auguriiii y/n 😘 hope u enjoyed your birthday day!! wishing u all the best and thank u for the invitation🥳
yourusername grazieee charles🙏🙏 thank u for the birthday gifts i love them all🥰🤍
emmy.lovesfashion GIFTS?? PLURAL?? gah damn im jealous 😀😭
twitter!
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yourusername
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liked by lilymhe , francisca.cgomes , pierregasly and 821,620 others
yourusername summer in paris 🫶🏻🫶🏻
view all 271,920 comments •
estabanocon You should visit Elena and I soon!!
itselenaberri Yes!! A cute double date😘
yourusername would totally love to!!
jjynri are we missing smth???? HUH?????
fwphoe check twitter babes
charles_leclerc bwoahh
lclrvslvrss hes so real for this
yourusername 🥰🙏 missing u !!
francisca.cgomes MY GIRLFRIEND RIGHT HERE
pierregasly kika????
yourusername ily😘😘😘😘
pierregasly ooh merci y/n
yourusername huh?? it was for kika.. 🥰🥰🥰 love u kika
liked by francisca.cgomes
lando.norisssie88 LMAOOO THIS IS SO FUNNY I CAN'T-
sainzlovebot 😭😭😭
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summer break! (ending)
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yourusername
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liked by charles_leclerc , arthur_leclerc , f1 and 937,920 others
yourusername what a weekend⭐🏎️💨
tagged : franciaca.cgomes , luisinhaoliveira99 , charles_leclerc , f1
view all 811,901 comments •
charles_leclerc cute shirt and cute girl😂❤️
f1.loverr7 😦 are u saying that delulu sia bitch on twitter might be correct??
sialovestheseaa I MIGHT.
luisinhaoliveira99 lovely meeting you y/n🫶🏻
yourusername miss youuu
-end-
notes : IM SO SORRY IT HAD TO END LIKE THIS. tumblr only allow 10 pics max on one post and i guess i went a little overboard 😭.. but don't you guys worry! part 2 is posted and you can read it hereee 👇
part 2 !! | unexpected ii
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radio-navlee · 2 months
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Not so tough now huh?
I really wasnt expecting the poll to get so many votes!! Heres what you guys have voted on <3
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Lee!Jax Ler!Ragatha
Summary: Jax finally pushed Ragatha over the edge causeing her to find something out about the annyoing rabbit.
Jax smirked to himself, setting up the most diabolical prank on his dear ol’ friend.
He’d been planning on getting Ragatha for weeks. He had completely transformed the rag dolls room into something you’d seen out of home alone.
String and marbles practically covered her room. Foam balls, feathers, water buckets and paint set up to hit her as she walked in.
“3…2…1” Jax counted down watching Ragatha close her door behind her. He could hear a muffled, ‘What the?’ Come from the doll herself. The marble rolled into a small hole triggering scissors to cut string sending the bucket of water over her bed, the water spilled everywhere and into a lower placed bucket below activating the foam balls to sore through the air hitting targets around the room. Finally it ended with a bucket of paint spattering on her head with another balloon filled with feather to pop.
“…..JAX!!!” Ragatha screamed causing Jax to chuckle to himself already booking it down the hall.
Ragatha, surprisingly, cleaned herself off quickly and darted after him
“JAX YOU JERK!!”
“THAT WAS SO WORTH IT!!” Jax yelled back
After 5 minutes of Ragatha chasing Jax, he started to get tired. He felt like it was the longest game of tag, where Ragatha was it and he was playing for his life.
Jax, now starting to panic, realizing that Ragatha was not slowing down. Regatha was so determined to catch him. Every time Jax would fumble over himself he would scream. Scared to what would happen if he did fall with the doll hot on his trail.
eventually he backed himself into a corner. He spun around to try to run but Ragatha was already there.
“Raggs…. Please… it was…. Just a joke!” Jax panted, catching his breath
“Oh that was no joke, that was a prank! A prank you fully thought out!” Ragatha pointed out
“Look, let’s… talk about it! How about we make a deal?” Jax suggested
“I’m listening”
“Okay, how about this! You let me go….” Jax inched his way slowly trying to get past Ragatha, “and I promise…. TO RUN- EuGH!” Jax ran full speed thinking he was getting away, only for a plushy hand to stop him.
“Not a chance” Ragatha said holding Jax by his upper arm.
“Let go!” Jax tried to pull away
“No!” Ragatha squeezed his arm causing Jax to let out a yelp
“…..”
“…Jax?”
“..what….” Jax face got hot, he didn’t know he could still be ticklish after entering the digital world!!
“Jax what was that?”
“.. a cry for help?” Jax tried to excuse. Ragatha squeezed again causing Jax to yelp again
“Are you-?”
“No…”
“Because you sound like your-”
“I’m not..”
Ragatha smirked, "You're not what?"
"uhhh.." Jax blanked, too embarssed to say anything just in case it wasnt that. Ragatha spun Jax grabbing both arms pinning them both above his head. Jax gave her the most panicked look he could give, seeing as Ragatha didnt give him the 'you ok?' look, Jax was doomed.
“So if I do this” Ragatha pinched at Jax’s sides “you’re sure you're not..?”
“gAH- Rahahags!!” Jax nearly jumped out of his skin. He started to squirm and giggle as Ragatha continued to tease and tickle him
“Oh so you are ticklish?” Ragatha smiled moving her way up and spidering across the poor bunny’s ribs
“NohOHO! WAIHAhaeheHAT!!” Jax complained and groaned through his giggles, he shook his head frantically as Ragatha moved up.
“Somebody’s sensitive!!” The doll teased, tickling right below where his ribs meet his armpits. The anticipation was literally eating at Jax.
“RAhaHags!! PLEheEase!!” Jax panted, trying to make himself sound as tired as possible.
“Shouldn’t have set that prank up, this would have never happened!” Ragatha growled, remembering the mess she gonna have to clean up when she gets back.
Jax shut his eyes as the rag doll massaged into his armpits. Jax nearly screeched, he turned his head into his pined up arms to try to muffle anything. He’d hate it if somebody came looking for them to find the predicament he was in.
“RAHFAHFAHGS!!” He stomped his feet below himself to try to diffract himself from the tickling
“Sorry, am I in a bad spot?” Ragatha teased
Jax sighed as Ragatha slowed down her torturous hand. Jax’s cheeks turned pink straight out of embarrassment. Just as Jax thought Ragatha was done, she put her hand on the side of his neck. Crap
“Wha- what are you doing?” Jax asked nervously
“Take a wild guess rabbit!” Ragatha stated as she tickled into his neck
Jax squealed scrunching up his neck and throwing his head back. Ragatha immediately noticed how Jax no longer wanted to muffle his laugh. Jax just chucked freely as Ragatha moved her hand to his ears.
“AH- Waitwaitwaitwait!! Ragatha!! Ihavetowarnyounowpleaseimgoingtoscream WAIT!!” Ragatha held his two ears in place and slowly blew air onto them. Jax screamed followed by loud laughter, he squirmed and shook his head but he couldn’t shake her off
“RAGAHATHAHA!! *Squeal* GAHAHA!!” Jax, now more embarrassed than ever, sat there laughing seeing as there was nothing else he could do. Ragatha tickled the tops of Jax’s ears, still blowing onto the bottom part.
Jax was in practically in pieces giggling and taking deep breaths when Ragatha would inhale giving him time to breathe before she would exhale again. Ragatha stoped once Jax started to get wheezy
“You ok?” Ragatha asked as Jax sat on the floor
“I uhh, *HIC* ohmygod” Jax completely shut down covering his face with his hands while his embarrassment covered his face
“Did I go to far?” Ragatha giggled, she never saw Jax like this. She laid her hand over his shoulder causing Jax to jump as the sudden contact
“No uh *HIC* you’re good it’s just- *HIC* these damn hiccups.” Jax explained, his frustration only getting worse as he continued to hiccup
“Stay here, I’ll get you some water” Ragatha smiled. She was back to her old self again, Jax didn’t complain and watched her run off.
He rubbed his ears free of the ghost tickles, bringing one down to his vision. ‘Weird’ he thought. He leaned up against once of the walls and eventually fell asleep.
Jax shot up, expecting to still be sat up on a wall, instead he was in his bed. He looked around confused, until spotting a glass of water and a note on his night stand. He sipped the water and opened the note
“Hey Jax,
I saw you were passed out so I brought you back to your room. I also brought you the water I said I was going to get. You might have been confused how you got back in your room, that’s why I’m writing this. I’ll be in my room tidying up YOUR mess.
-Doll Face”
Well, that solves that mystery…Jax grabbed a pen and paper.
He opened his door carefully looking to see anybody, but nobody was there, good. He found Ragathas door and crouched down. He slid the note under her door with a knock and booked it back to his room.
———————
Ragatha heard a knock on her door while cleaning up the mess Jax’s prank caused. ‘Probably just a dig dong ditch’ she thought hearing the sound of feet running away. She looked over to the door anyways, ‘a note?’ Ragatha walked over picking up the note and opening it up.
“Hi Rags,
Thanks for not leaving me in that corner and I guess thanks for the water. You better not mention this to anybody. I mean it. It was already embararsing enough,
-Jax”
‘he missed spelled embarrassing’ Ragatha giggled. I guess he was right, he did look really embarrassed. But this is the first time he’d thank Rags for something, this was once in a life time.
Ragatha looked at her trash can, then her storage box. She thought for a minute, then put the note in her box.
(I AM SOOOOOO SORRY FOR HOW LONG THIS TOOK😭🙏 lots of stuff has happened but do not worry! Your goul is back🩷)
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ckret2 · 10 months
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This chapter is a whole lot of Bill and Ford talking and I couldn't think of a good illustration for it, so have a funny comic instead.
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Here's chapter 9 of The Pines Have Captured Human Bill Cipher And Nobody Is Happy About It (Title TBD), recent chapters are in my #my writing tag and on god I'll have a master post before chapter 10.
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Ford knocked on the bathroom door. "Time's up. You've had your two hours, Cipher."
There was no reply.
Ford glanced at Stan.
Stan grumbled under his breath and cracked his knuckles. "BILL!" He pounded on the door. "Either you come out of the bathroom, or we're dragging you out by your ankles!"
No reply.
"That's it," Stan snapped. Ford nodded in agreement and took a step back to cover Stan as he opened the door.
The bathroom reeked of chemically-enhanced rotten eggs. From knee-height down, every single surface in the room was plastered with curly blond hair. Behind the bath tub—naked, curled up in a ball, and hiding beneath a towel like a child—was Bill.
Stan and Ford gaped at the scene. And then they cracked up.
"Most—" Stan wheezed, "Most people just use shampoo! But hey, whatever floats your boat!"
Trying to sound stern and failing, Ford said, "You'd better help clean this up."
Bill didn't reply. 
Stan coughed and pounded on his chest. "Gah. Almost choked on my dentures."
"How did you do this? I know we removed the blades from the room." Ford was glad he'd put on his boots. He picked up a bottle of hair removal cream from the bath tub and tested the weight. Almost empty. "You didn't use this on your scalp, did you? It's far too caustic for facial skin."
Stan asked, "How do you know?"
"I've experimented with many shaving techniques, Stanley."
Bill didn't reply.
"Bill?" Ford's smile faded. "Did you burn yourself?" If he was burned badly enough, that was an infection risk—the last thing they needed was to haul their prisoner to a doctor...
Ford took another step toward Bill. Bill tightened his arms around his knees and retreated further into the corner. And still he said nothing.
####
Stan and Ford agreed that dragging Bill's naked butt out of the bathroom wouldn't do anything to help protect Gravity Falls from the horrible alien triangle menace, and also wouldn't make them feel particularly noble; so they left the door open, told Bill to get dressed and get out, Stan went back to bed, and Ford sat in the attic window seat to wait.
It took almost twenty minutes before Ford heard Bill shuffling around, and another ten before he finally emerged. Bill had dressed, thank goodness, but still had the towel draped over his head, like a Victorian widow in a mourning veil. Ford wondered if it was bad to find the sight of Bill's obvious distress so, so funny, or if the fact that it was Bill made it okay.
Bill got close enough to his window seat nest to spy Ford's boots from beneath his towel, veered off to the side, and curled up in a corner of the attic.
"Well," Ford said, to say something; and then drew a blank. Finally, he said, "The next time you claim you don't know how to bathe correctly, I'll believe you."
Ford could have sworn he heard the towel-covered lump hiss like a leaky tire. Had he gotten a laugh?
The ice broken, Ford went on: "Are you injured? That stuff can burn even when used correctly. And—you did not use it correctly."
No response.
"Just—why did you—why?"
No response.
"Say something so I know I don't have to call an ambulance and tell them you're in shock." Ford did not relish the idea of explaining a mysterious woman with no ID to a hospital.
Apparently, neither did Bill, because he muttered, "I don't need medical assistance." And then, "So I didn't want hair. Baldness isn't a sin. Get off my back."
"That's a heck of a way to get rid of it."
"Yeah, wow, I guess so. I wonder why I didn't just use a razor."
"You could have... You could have asked for a shave."
Bill let out another tire-wheeze laugh. At the thought of asking for help, or at the thought that he'd have received it?
"Bill—"
"Go away."
Ford frowned; but he got up, shut the bathroom door so Bill couldn't go back in, and went downstairs.
And a few minutes later, came back with a sandwich made out of the first odds and ends he could find in the fridge, and a six pack of hard apple cider. "Here." He set the plate and six pack on the floor near Bill. "Mrs. Ramirez hasn't touched it, I promise."
Bill didn't move, not even to see what food Ford had brought.
Ford shifted his footing nervously, his common sense insisting that he'd demonstrated all the common decency he was obliged to and that it was time to go; and then he sat down again on the window seat. "Listen," he said. "Bill." (He shouldn't be doing this, he shouldn't be talking to Bill Demon-Triangle Dimension-Destroyer Cipher, eternal nemesis, ruiner of Ford's life, threatener of his family; but right now, it was hard to see Bill Cipher beneath the hurting human.) "I've—been here before. I know what it's like to—to be trapped in an alien dimension, surrounded by hostile locals, with no way home." He tried not to think about the fact that Bill was the main reason Ford had been trapped, or that Ford was now one of the hostile locals, or that the locals (and Ford especially) had a damn good reason to be hostile to Bill, or that they all didn't want Bill to get home. He was kind of curious find out where the heck he was going with this conversation. "I know what that... grief is like."
Ford thought it might be an insult to suggest Bill was capable of grief; but Bill didn't twitch. Ford went on. "I know how tempting it is to—to ignore everything but the fight ahead. Never mind hot food, shelter, showers, fresh clothes, a comfortable bed. Luxuries you can tend to when your work is done. But—a fire can't keep burning without fuel and fresh air. Depriving yourself those 'luxuries' doesn't turn you into some ascetic warrior-monk. It simply... burns you out. It makes it that much harder to achieve anything." Ford shrugged. "I—learned that the hard way."
He tried not to think about the fact that Bill had been the fight Ford had burned himself out for. Or the fact that Bill no doubt saw Ford as his fight. Or the fact that Ford didn't want Bill to achieve anything. He immediately regretted the decision to find out where he was going with this conversation. What was he doing?
Voice muffled, Bill said, "You think you're the only person who's ever had to get used to an alien dimension before?"
And Ford remembered—a moment too late—that Bill had destroyed his home. It was so easy to take that information, the horrific enormity of it, and stop there; but follow the implications one step further, and that meant Ford had never once seen Bill in his own dimension. As long as Ford had known him and billions of times longer, Bill had been a stranger in a strange land. Ford should write off this conversation as a loss and leave.
"This isn't my first rodeo," Bill said. "But hey, thanks for coming back up just to patronize me. It's really what I needed tonight."
To hell with leaving. Ford wasn't letting Bill get the last word in after Ford had tried to do something nice. "This is your first time being a human in an alien dimension," Ford pointed out. "You said it yourself earlier—I bathe hundreds of times a year and you don't. As an energy being, you've never had to make time for daily showers, or sleep, or exercise, or..." He almost said food but paused. He'd seen Bill eat as a triangle. Was that fun or necessity? Never mind. "You probably think those chores are beneath you—but your body needs them whether you like it or not."
Bill laughed harshly. "Wow, this is rich coming from you. 'Eat better and bathe more,' says the guy who locked me out of the fridge and bathroom."
"I—" Well. Ford couldn't really argue with that. And he didn't regret it. "I know it's... not an ideal situation." The opportunity hung in the air for an and I'm sorry, and Ford self-consciously hurried past it. It was the thing one said in these situations, but it wasn't true. He wasn't sorry, he shouldn't be sorry, Bill was here on death row. "But I'm just trying to..." The sentence died. Why, exactly, was he trying to help Bill?
"Why would I want any help from you?" Bill's voice was venomous; and under the circumstances, Ford couldn't fault him for that. "Even if you didn't kill me and capture me! For all your talk of needing shelter and comfort when you're stuck in another dimension—you never accepted any help from me. But you think I can't take care of myself?"
Ford stared at Bill. (Not that there was much to stare at, except the top of a towel.) "I never accep—? You never offeredany help!" Not that he would have accepted it if Bill had, but just the outrageous suggestion that Bill had been—what?—charitably offering interdimensional refugee services that Ford had stubbornly turned down—?
"I never got the chance! You dove into the first wormhole you could find—you didn't even bother to say 'hi'!"
"Why would I say 'hi' after everything you—! Plus, you placed a bounty on my head! Within thirty seconds of my arrival!"
"So I got excited!" Bill uncurled just enough to shrug. "Anyway, the bounty was to bring you to me alive! C'mon, Stanford, I know you steered away from the frats in college, but you know what a little friendly hazing is, right?"
Flabbergasted, Ford echoed, "'Hazing'?" And then, even more disbelieving, "'Friendly'?"
"Wh... Sure!" One eye, almost luminescent in the shadows beneath the towel, peered over Bill's knees. As if Bill was as baffled as Ford and needed to see him for himself. "You built us a portal, you got cast out of your dimension into ours—you were gonna get a hero's welcome! You'd joined the gang! You were one of us!"
"I'd—spent weeks trying to stop you!"
"So?"
Ford gaped. Bill was a liar, he reminded himself—a liar, a manipulator, and a conman. He'd say anything to portray himself however he thought most useful. Ford remembered arriving in the Nightmare Realm. He'd relived it over and over—in hundreds, if not thousands of nightmares. "That was no welcome party. You were surrounded by an army of monsters."
"Hey, those are my pals you're talking about!" Bill laughed—a sincere, easy sound. It was unnerving, how real that laugh sounded. "Hate to point out the obvious, Sixer, but you've got a handshake that '30s Hollywood woulda designed a whole movie monster around. Who are you to judge appearances!"
Ford's thoughts flashed briefly to the Glass Shard Beach freak show he'd met as a child—the humans who'd called themselves "monsters" and who'd called Ford their "abnormal ally," the frightening friendly freaks who'd welcomed him warmly. He pushed the thought away. Bill wasn't running some kind of weirdo sanctuary; he probably just thought making Ford think he was would win him some sympathy. "You were sitting on a throne. Made out of optical illusions. Like a self-appointed tyrant."
"Oh, you noticed my throne!" Bill's head lifted a little more. "I got that custom made! It's upholstered with the torn fabric of reality! Say, did it look three-dimensional to you? I'm told it looks 3D if you cross your eyes just right, but, well, you need two eyes to cross 'em."
"Wh—" Ford blinked, trying to remember what the throne had looked like. "Was it... not 3D?"
"No way! Do you have any idea what it'd cost to upholster a whole extra dimension in the fabric of reality? I'm not about to drop that kind of gold on a feature I wouldn't even use!" Bill grinned up at Ford. All Ford could see was the one eye and his teeth. "But hey, if you couldn't even tell the difference—I guess the autostereogram detailing was worth it!"
And Ford thought, he means it. Bill, mad thing he was, never thought that being Ford's friend and destroying Ford's universe were mutually incompatible. When Ford had arrived in the Nightmare Realm, Bill hadn't been hunting him, he'd been welcoming him. Lounging on his stupid tacky throne, hanging out with his terrible friends, feigning a punch at the new guy to make him flinch before laughing and inviting him to the party. And Ford—sleep-deprived, terrified, paranoid—hadn't seen it.
And then Ford thought, he's lying. It was thirty years ago—almost thirty-one years (time ticks ever on)—and Bill could say anything he wanted about what he would have done if he'd caught Ford, because he hadn't caught him. Today, Bill probably thought his comfort, if not his very survival, was dependent upon convincing his captors that he was so much less a threat than they thought he was. It's all a harmless misunderstanding! It was no misunderstanding and Bill wasn't harmless.
Ford got to his feet. "We remember that day very differently."
Bill's smile faded into the dark. "Yeah. Guess so." And then his eye disappeared as well, as Bill curled in on himself and vanished under the towel. That wasn't like him. Ford had expected at least a little gaslighting.
Strange body in a strange land. And a recent death (metaphorical or literal, Ford still wasn't sure). Of course Bill was more subdued than usual.
Ford told himself not to worry about Bill. (He was unnerved that he had to tell himself.)
"Well." Ford gestured vaguely at the sandwich, decided against doing something nice like reminding Bill he needed to eat, and said, "Don't waste food."
Ford mentally chided himself as he walked downstairs. He'd been careless; he'd almost let his guard down in front of a friend who'd betrayed him. He'd been nice to Bill. He'd tried to encourage Bill to take better care of himself—when Ford was plotting to kill him, for crying out loud! Why? Because the human body made him forget this was Bill? No. Because Bill had tricked Ford into seeing him as a friend again, for just a moment, talking about parties and pals and—of all things—his stupid upholstery? No; that had come after Ford had offered compassion. It would have been nice if Ford could have blamed Bill. He'd like to think that he was being manipulated; it would free him from any personal culpability. But Bill hadn't done anything—except look miserable.
And that didn't line up with how Ford remembered Bill. Maybe that was what had thrown him off? But—he wasn't sure. Ford had spent thirty years with his thoughts spiraling around Bill, and now it was hard to think about Bill at all without second-guessing every thought that passed through his head. He'd have to talk this out with Stan.
Another question gnawed at him as he kicked off his boots and climbed back into bed. When he'd been cast from his dimension, the portal was still functional, just uncharged. There was nothing Ford could do from within the Nightmare Realm to either reactivate or destroy the portal. Bill had seemed in too good a humor to have punishment on his mind; and since Ford had been both useless and unthreatening, Bill probably hadn't wanted to recruit him for his help or eliminate him for Bill's safety.
So what had Bill wanted him for?
What had Bill wanted him for?
Probably just to kill him. For no particular reason. For fun. Bill didn't need any other reason, Bill was insane.
Ford tried to convince himself that was true.
####
Bill had gotten careless. He almost let his guard down around a friend who'd betrayed him.
He couldn't really blame himself. He was a consummate extrovert with nobody to talk to. Captivity in and of itself was bad enough; but without his friends, he was... bored. That was the word. Bored.
Bill's stomach ached. He peered at the food Ford had brought.
After a moment, he dragged over the six pack and popped out a can of cider.
That bathroom could be useful. He'd never be trusted in there for two hours unsupervised again, but if he mastered the art of the ten-minute shower and claimed he still needed an hour, that would give him some uninterrupted privacy. He could work a little magic in that time, even if he was limited to human capabilities. Most local female humans wore makeup, Melody probably kept hers in the bathroom; and in a pinch, there was toothpaste and shampoo; he could write with those. You could get a lot done with two mirrors, running water, a writing tool, and a human body full of blood.
Maybe he could call for help. Acquiring the supplies to get a call through to Hectorgon or Amorphous Shape would be difficult, much less calling any of his outerplanar pals; but Kryptos kept a psychic line open in dimension 46'\, if Bill got his hands on some candles he could reach him. At least, assuming Kryptos bothered to pick up the call. Bill hated the thought that his fate rested on whether or not the most annoying person in the multiverse felt like taking a call from an unknown number, but what could he do about it? If he could just reach the mindscape, this would be so much easier—
No, that wasn't quite accurate. He could reach the mindscape. He dreamed. He just... couldn't control it.
This body clamped onto his soul like an iron maiden. He couldn't just shed it like an old coat, the way he'd always effortlessly moved in and out of physical bodies before. He'd tried, curled up in the window for hours at a time, meditating silently, reaching for that point where he quietly detached from his borrowed form—but never grasping it. A couple of times the effort had exhausted him into falling asleep. He didn't know whether the Axolotl had done something to lock him inside this body, or if the difficulty in leaving it was a natural part of living in a human body rather than merely visiting one.
He'd probably have to figure out humans' techniques for controlling their dreams and shedding their bodies. He was sure Ford had done some reading on astral projection at Bill's suggestion, maybe he still had those books somewhere. Bill couldn't just ask for them. Ford wouldn't trust Bill with those books.
Not yet, anyway. But with time...?
Ford's little visit this evening had been... unexpectedly encouraging. Maybe the whole woe-is-me routine was working after all. Even if Ford had probably only pitied him because...
Under the towel, Bill's scalp burned. He could feel the alien contours of his head.
Never mind, never mind, never mind. This was all part of his strategy. This was his plan.
The point was—he thought, for just a moment, he'd gotten a glimpse again of the Ford that was his friend.
Bill could use that.
He'd keep working on Ford, softening him up. He'd already brought food. Rookie mistake. So few humans realized that once they'd done one favor for someone, they'd set themselves up to make every favor after that a little bit easier. He'd have Stanford Pines wrapped around his finger again in no time.
And until he'd worked his way back up to big favors, it might be nice to have someone to play chess with again. He was bored. He missed his friends.
He missed home.
He missed himself.
A lump formed in his throat. 
To drown it, he popped open the first can of cider, chugged it in several large gulps, and reached for the second.
####
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grippingbeskar · 11 months
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chapter five - married
warnings: canon typical violence, swearing, mentions of death (?) um idk i think that’s it???
a/n: gah. one of my fav chapters so far hehehehe ALSO PSA YALL— i’m trying to tag some of you in the taglist but your names aren’t popping up, i think this has to do with your settings?? i’m not taking anyone off i’ll retry to tag you ever chapter, but just so ya know!! if there’s like a line through it or it’s white instead of highlighted just have a look, or if i need to be following you just msg me and i will :)
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Just walk up there.
It’s nothing.
Nothing you haven’t done before.
You’ve been in front of thousands— millions of people before. You’ve been in arenas of people screaming and applauding, crowds swarming you as soon as you step out the door. This, being in a moderate sized room where half the eyes on you are stuffed in a helmet, should be easy. Child’s play.
It was nothing.
So why the hell are you feeling so terrified?
You were practically shaking— staring up at the set of stairs in front of you, leading to the Armourer who stood next to the original Forge. The one where every Mandalorian in the golden age would have been brought into the creed. And now, you were going to march up there and add your name to the list. You felt like an imposter, out of place in a flowing dress while you were surrounded by hard plates of armour and dark colours.
The only reason you moved was Bo-Katan behind you, a soft hand on the back of your arm nudging you in the right direction. You were grateful for her kind eyes as she nodded you up to the podium, and then your feet remembered they were attached to your body.
You met Din’s blackened stare, and started to move.
Your dress was loud. A brush of the light yellow fabric along the smooth granite ground sounded deafening. Like an alarm going off, alerting every watchful eye of the Mandalorian ancestors to your betraying presence.
Stars— you were starting to think like them, too.
It was hard not to get caught up in it all. The darkened room, soft whispers through helmets, and as you took the last step up, he was there. Your breath caught in your throat.
He looked the same as always. Of course he did, but it knocked the wind out of you all the same. Once he was in your sight, you didn’t look away. You couldn’t. His presence didn’t allow it. The Armourer said something, and the only reason you acknowledged her was because he did.
“This is The Way.” He says, the words sticking to you like glue when he practically purrs them out like that. This was the way it was now. You— a fake Mandalorian, unable to stand without everyone around you holding you up.
Swallowing hard, you felt Bo-Katan move away, but you were too busy watching Din take three steps to your side. His arm wrapped around yours, sneaking it’s way under the bare skin of your wrist, cold gloves skittering electricity up your arm.
And… oh.
It was like everything just stopped.
You could feel the press of his fingers, light but meaningful, like most of his small touches of you. He was careful not to wander the expanse of exposed skin, which he easily could, even in front of all these people. People who you’d… you’d actually almost forgotten everyone was there.
You stared up at him as if it was your first time seeing a night sky— entranced and all encompassed by the inky black and shining silver, and all the whispering voices faded away until it was just his rough breathing and his gloved hand on your feverish skin.
He didn’t look at you, just at where your own hand was placed, holding for dear life on one of the many plates of his armour. He led you with him over to the half sphere that sat in the middle of the stage. You peered in, seeing the eternal flame fluttering a reliable blue, with the water from the mines floating calmly behind it.
You grab him tighter— either out of reflex or wanting, but he leans into it. Lets you use him to stand, to stay strong in the face of the Armourer. You hope he’s strong enough to keep you standing on his own, because now he’s here, you aren’t sure how you stood without him.
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Din was speechless.
He was known as a man of well chosen words to most, so his silence wasn’t unexpected. He was grateful he’d built that reputation, because even if he had to, he wouldn’t of found words that described why he felt frozen at the top of the stairs.
When he’d see you walk in, he felt like time had… stopped. It was stupid of him. He was meant to be in control. He was a King. Standing in front of his people; leading. But… stars, you were the only thing in 20 years that had made him freeze.
You walked so easily, like you were made to be there. It was like that first day, watching you walk through the city like the ground was made to bear your weight. He couldn’t look away. Couldn’t tear his eyes away from your slow, swift steps or the way you gracefully floated across the hard floors. Neither could anyone else. Outside his direct view of you, he could see his people watching. Some eyes were evaluating; the hard faces and helmets looking you up and down like they were scanning the battlefield— precisely and with no mercy.
Others watched like he did. In awe. Some eyes were soft, some whispers drifted their compliments towards her, even though they wouldn’t be heard. That’s how he knew they were genuine. They fell on deaf ears, but they were supposed to.
When you crossed the stage to him, the only thing that snapped his attention away was the loud voice of the Armourer in his ear, telling him to move towards you.
He could tell you were nervous when he got closer— for once, your eyes betrayed you easily. He thought that he was the one that’s hard to read, considering you couldn’t see his face, but you had schooled yours to a point of contention. He knew if you could see him— really see him, you’d read right through him.
But your eyes now, even though they held his, were unsure. He was supposed to just stand next to you, walk with you to where you would touch where the mines water meets the flame, and then you’d be one of them.
But he couldn’t help himself. Your dress, draping over your skin like liquid sunshine, made something angry and foreign to him burn in his chest. He wanted to feel what it was to be that close to someone— someone, he had to tell himself. Anyone. Not just you. It was a lie, but it was one he’s going to have to believe himself.
He was jealous of your dress, gently grazing the skin of your hips, gliding against the softness of your thighs. You were covered, but he knew what was under there. What was in reaching distance for him. Instead, he settled for your arm. As soon as Bo-Katan released you, he took his chance, and for the first time in a while, he followed what his rapid beating heart was telling him to do.
When he reached for you, you answered in earnest. Your hands were nearly clawing at him, holding on to the thickest parts of his armour and pulling him close to you. He let you find purchase on his body— the line of yours tucking tightly into him, and he found himself hoping you held him harder. Dug your nails in so hard that he felt the lines being marked on his skin. He wanted you to need to lean on him— to need him like he found himself needing you up here.
You clung tightly through the whole ordeal, Din not being able to remember much about it other than how warm you were against him, and how close your skin was to his. Just a few inches of armour, feeling so heavy on his body, and he would be able to feel you. He hates that he thinks about that— a million eyes on him, and all he can think about is how soft you would be under the rough calloused palm of his hand.
He doesn’t remember the last time he’s thought of feeling that. Let alone… longed for it.
The longer you held him, the more Din thought it wasn’t real. Maybe you were trying to sell it. As far as the rest of his people knew, you were supposed to be in love. You needed to be seen united and together, leaning on each other. This was just business to you— he knew that. It was to him, too.
It had to be.
The alternative… it was better to be buried than brought to light. Din wouldn’t handle that disappointment well.
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The entire thing was a blur from the minute he touched you.
You remember the physical parts. Where he took you to the edge of the Forge, rested your hands on the edge of it. It was cold. Colder than he was, although he’d been pressed up against you so long his armour was as warm to the touch as your skin was. You wondered if he was that cold under that suit.
When you managed to shake that thought away, you remember him guiding your hand towards the flame. It was too hot, and you wanted to pull away for a second. You flinched, but Din kept you on the right path, guiding your hand and covering your reaction, and it ended up looking like a part of the carefully planned show.
The fire nearly licked the inside of your wrist— the water a sharp cold contrast. The Armourer spoke words, and you repeated them, but even they fade; pale in the shadow of the memory of how Din stood above you.
For the first time, he looked every bit the King you’d been told he was. He stood tall, watching as you knelt in front of him, never moving a fucking inch. Then, he reached out, gloved hand intertwining with yours as he led you down and out of the room, disappearing before you could speak again.
He didn’t have to do that.
He does everythin with purpose… and that little touch? That tiny extension of a person under all this? That was… well, it was enough to make you stumble out of the hall like an idiot.
It was mind numbing. How his fingers easily melted into the small gaps between yours, how eager he seemed to take your hand, how quickly he latched onto you and swept you out of the room, like he knew what you needed.
As you shuffled your way down and outside, you wanted to scold yourself. If anything, this was the part of the day you had to have a clear head about. You were left alone for this— it was just you, a short, isolated walkway, and a greenhouse in the middle of nowhere.
You’d asked about it. Why they had something like that out here— in an environment that seemed to harbour life well enough, despite the rumours of the toxic and cursed lands.
“It’s a symbol.” Din had replied, although when you’d asked him he’d just been The Mandalorian, the title feeling a little too official now.
“Of what?” He guided you with a hesitant hand, around the corner where the greenhouse came into view. It was small— modest, for the size of the population now. You could see the twisting vines and array of colours, though, and it was bursting with life.
“Of hope.” Din replied, and you chest tightened. “The Mandalorians that were left, after the Purge, they had nothing. Food reserves were scattered— the people were scattered. When a few banded together, this is was what came of it. It reminded them they were stronger together. Many think this was the place our true rebirth was born.”
The door was closed, but you could still see the colours bursting through it. You tried to look for him through the misted glass, but he was no where to be found. Your heart was racing— you had no idea what to truely expect in here. Would he say anything? Nothing? Would he whip out holochess to pass the time?
What made you the most afraid as you pushed the door open and stepped inside, would be that he was going to do exactly what that man said he would. That he’d share with you something you weren’t sure you wanted him to— something that would make you feel even less deserving than you already did.
It wasn’t that you didn’t want to see. It just felt too… too big of a thing to take from him. Despite the small conversations, you’d begun to respect the silent presence of him. And after today, you couldn’t deny the effect he had on you. You didn’t want to take anything from him, not when he’d been so giving to you.
The air felt fresher in here, passing through you in easy breaths, like there was a calming effect inside the four walls. It was bigger than it seemed, or maybe the winding vines and tall bushes that hid you in every corner made it feel more like a maze.
You let your eyes wander, a mirage of purples and blues bursting in between the brightest of green leaves. It seemed to overtake the greenhouse— it was clear there was very little maintenance on the inside, like they’d prefer to just let it run wild. It added to the atmosphere. It was almost a little… romantic.
You swallowed the burning in your throat, and shut your eyes tightly.
“Hello?” You called out, and mentally slapped yourself. It felt stupid. He was in here.
Probably.
Oh, stars.
If he was the one that left you at the altar you think you’d just crawl into a hole and die—
“Around here.” The sound of his voice sends relief rushing through your veins. You followed the sound of it, the two words enough to set you on the right path. As you rounded the corner, you could see him nearly shining, and your chest didn’t feel as tight.
He was there. Looking exactly the same, but somehow completely different in the light of the greenhouse, compared to the dark hue of the Forge room.
The darkness suited him. He was more intimidating that way— a King head to toe. But here, he was more human to you. As far as you knew, he was human, but either way, he was more approachable. Simpler. Here, he was just a man in a pretty suit.
It was very, very pretty in this light.
“I have something to show you.” He says as soon as he sees you. He spits it out like it was a loaded gun in his hand, and the sight of you was enough to make him pull the trigger.
You don’t nod, or shake your head. You just freeze. Staring at him, he turns around, and there’s no words to mince for the feeling you get in your stomach. Fear, maybe, and a little bit of simmering curiosity. You don’t want to see him out of obligation, but for a fleeting second— just for a moment, you know what you want. That you’re curious. You want to see, and you let your eyes flutter—
“AH!” You hear it before you see it.
Two giant ears stick out the sides of the helmet, and then two clawed hands hand below them. When he turns around, you notice how Dins hands hold it gently. Whatever the hell it is.
Or rather, whoever.
All thoughts of the faceless man in front of you flood out for the first time in weeks. When two giant bug eyes whip around and stare at you, ears flapping with the movement, it’s impossible to have any thoughts other than—
“What… what is that?” You say before you stop yourself. “Fuck. Sorry— I didn’t mean that. I just—“
“It’s okay. He’s my—“ The little green thing wiggles around in his arms and then promptly drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes. “Foundling.”
“Oh. Oh!” You watch it stumble around, like it was formed out of proportion. The fast way it’s legs move seem out of alignment with its body, his head tipping forward, almost directing the rest of him, commanding it to follow.
With jagged movements, he ends up at your feet, where he promptly elevates upward, then plops back down again.
“Can he talk?” You say softly, not wanting to scare the little thing as you bend to his level. You look up to Din, who’s already watching you, and see him shake his head. “Well, that’s okay. I talk enough for the both of us.”
A metallic laugh echos from behind the small creature, and he babbles almost in response to it. The sound is infectious, making you grin as he waddles around, his ears tilting him to either side.
You reach out a hand, slowly, and instead of taking it he flies into you, resting in the crook of your arm. This angle gives you a better look, tiny hairs spiralling on his green head, a toothy smile and nearly wrinkled face. You’ve never seen anything like it before.
“He usually doesn’t take well to strangers.” Din says after a while, your body now curled half up on the floor to accomodate the tiny creature. “He likes you.”
“I can be very charming when I want to be.” You squint when you finally look up to him again, soft orange light pouring through the misted windows behind him. “He’s the little thing you were talking about, right? The found…”
“Foundling.”
“Right.” You stare down at it, watching its huge eyes blink at you, and the thing smiles. “Where the hell did you get him? I’ve never even seen… I’ve never seen anything like him.”
“He was a bounty.” You look up at Din, and clearly he can tell you’re horrified. “I didn’t know who, or what he was.”
You watch the little creature, who trusts you far too quickly for something that was clearly hunted by the likes of a Mandalorian. He yawns, speaking in little, incoherent mumbles before his eyes blink slower.
“Who would want to hurt a little guy like this?” His tiny hand wraps around one of your fingers, and you’re pretty sure you’re heart bursts.
“They’re dead.” His words are sharp and sure. It sends a cool shiver down your spine, but it’s definitely not fear.
You look back up at him, standing, and taking a step closer. Din holds your eyes for a moment, like he’s waiting for something.
You know he’s lethal. You aren’t surprised to hear he’s killed— he was a bounty hunter, and is a King. Neither of those titles are won by clean hands, not to mention the Darksaber at his side. If someone crossed him, or tried to take one of the few things he seemed to care about, you anything but surprised to hear they ended up dead.
“He’s sleeping.” You say to break the silence, and your voice drags Dins eyes away from your own.
“Here.” He reaches out, moving so close to you that you can feel the heat of his body. His real body— through the soft parts of him not covered by armour.
He scoops the sleeping form from you, and turns around, and it’s then that you notice the only other thing in the room. A hovering shape that opens on command, only to shut and float behind him once Din places his foundling in there. He’s so gentle with him. A man who just admitted to slaughtering what you can only assumed is dozens of people who got in his way, he’s surprisingly soft when he wants to be.
“Thank you. For letting me meet him.” You say, unsure of what to do next. Your hands go behind your back, eyes tracing the long vines wrapped around the frames of the greenhouse.
“I can never get him to sleep, but when I want him to stay awake, he passes out.” He stands in front of you, and even hidden under ten pounds of armour, he looks as awkward as ever. Your face splits into a grin, laughter softly shattering the careful barrier between you. “I wanted you to meet him. He’s… very important to me.”
“He’s very cute, too.”
“Grogu. That’s his name.” You try it out a few times, letting it familiarise itself in your accent.
“I like it. Nearly as much as Din Djarin. It has a nice ring to it.” You hum, and lean back against one of several wooden tables. It’s full of overgrown plants, some stretching onto the floor and splaying out under your feet.
Your hands dig into the wooden plank behind you, and the easy breathing from before is basically cut off the second he looks up at you again. It goes a little quiet, the whistle of soft wind floating over the top of the thin roof. You can’t stand the waiting around.
“Listen, you don’t… I don’t know exactly what you were planning; but I’ll say whatever you need me to when we leave here. The last thing I want to do is start this partnership off on the wrong foot.” He doesn’t say anything, conveniently finding the floor very interesting all of a sudden. “They told me about what you are meant to… do. And I don’t want you to— no, you don’t have to— can you say something so I can stop talking, please?”
Your heart was racing and you wanted to swallow your tongue if it would get you to stop throwing words around because yeah, maybe you did want him to take off that giant helmet because at the very least you’d be able to see if he was scowling or rolling his eyes or—
Laughing.
He was laughing at you.
Only a little, and you could only tell by the slight rise of his shoulders before he corrects himself and straigtens, but you catch it.
“Are you laughing at me.” You tilt your head, gaping slightly at him.
“No.”
“Asshole.” Rolling your eyes, you take a deep breath. An easier breath.
“It’s okay. We— no one’s coming.” You sigh and nod your head. “You did good today.”
“Seriously?” Now you’re the one who laughs. “I nearly froze the second I got up there! If you weren’t up there I would have fallen on my ass. It was like all those helmets were staring into my soul.”
“It’s an old tradition, but they were happy to see it revived. The Forge is special to my people. You being there— they were glad for it.”
“And this?” You ask tentatively, curiosity nipping at your heels and urging you off the wall a little closer to him. “Is this all an old tradition, too?”
He readjusts with your new closeness, but he doesn’t move away. Instead, he angles towards you, the crib his little baby was in only just visible behind his looming frame. He shrinks you with the long span of his shoulders, and you try not to let your eyes float lower.
“In the Old Ways, Mandalore observed very… reserved marriages.” He shifts again, nearly brushing you, and your heart beats audibly loud. “In most cases, a marriage was simply a well cooked meal and a question with an answer.”
“They just asked to be married. That was it?” He nods.
“Someone would present a gift, or a meal, some who were more intimate than others might try to make it special. But in most cases, nothing would change. They would just be. As they were before, but forever linked by the knowledge they shared. We would never know if anyone was married if they didn’t write it down, or share it with members of their clan. It wasn’t something that was shared in small groups, and no outsiders could ever tell the difference.”
“I’m guessing they weren’t fans of PDA back then, either.” He shrugs, the movement brushing your arm. “So, how’d they get to this whole thing, then?”
“As the Old Way shifted with time, so did their customs. Partners became more common, and they felt there was something missing from their relationship. Something that set them apart from the other members of their clan.” You go to answer, and bite your own tongue again before you can. “Physical touch. Intimacy. Simple touches, a kiss—“
“Partners didn’t kiss in the Old Way?”
“They never removed their helmets. Not to anyone.”
“So how did they…” He stares at you. He was really going to make you finish. “Or they didn’t…?”
“They did. At least, at some point, in some way probably. But mostly, The Way uses foundlings as a foundation for our people. Most Mandalorians’ don’t have any blood relatives in their clans, and if they did, they might not even know.” You make a small ‘huh’ sound. “But when the times shifted, it developed into the marriage system we have now, at least in the Old Way. The newer Mandalorians take on a more universal form of marriage, but the Old Way is still changed. A Mandalorian is to never remove their helmet in front of another living thing.”
“Yeah. I know that part.” You smile and gesture to him, and he stares back. He doesn’t move, his focus deadly and on you.
“When you become a partner of that Mandalorian, you are no longer another being. You become… one being. We remove our helmets, and all differences between us are bared. The things that keep us safe are torn away, and we rebuild to something new. Something connected— forever bound. You never take off your helmet in front of another living thing— but we are no longer seperate. They are a part of you until you take your last breath, and long past it.” You are spellbound. Mesmerised by his words— it’s the only way to describe it. He spoke so passionately about this, and it was hard not to feel the same. It was clear he took this very seriously, and although there was a bad taste in your mouth that you were taking this moment away from him, you couldn’t help but notice his word choice.
We are no longer seperate.
“You don’t have to show me.” You say softly, and he takes another step. He nods. “Ever. I wouldn’t take that from you.”
“This is The Way.” His hands hang by his sides.
“It’s not my way.” The slightest tilt of his head clues that you have his attention. “In my way of life, I don’t do anything I don’t want to do. And this— this is important to you. It should be something you share with someone special. Someone you care for.”
He says nothing, but his hands twitch just slightly, and for a second you think he’s going to go through with it.
“The only time I want you to take your helmet off, is when you want to. You’ve… you’ve been kind to me. Respectful of my wishes, and I want to do the same.”
“I’ve done nothing.”
“And it’s enough.” It was true. He had done nothing to make you feel out of place, or uncomfortable. He’d pushed none of your boundaries, and he’d offered to help secure a lead to search for your parents killers. This… it was the least you could do. “Besides. I’m traditional. If we’re going to do the whole ‘Way’ thing, we can do it the way those old dudes did. Helmet stays on. That’s the Way.”
“This.” He corrects.
“What?”
“This is The Way.”
“Stars. Okay, I’m going to whack you in the head with this olive branch I’m extending if you’re going to correct my grammar.” You raise your eyebrows, crossing your arms in front of you. “So… we’re good with this?”
He nods, and then says your name. His voice now is not wavering. It was full again, a brassy baritone surrounding the small space between you. “I had one more thing to say,”
You nod, and look down to your feet. He’d moved so close his beskar boots were nearly touching your toes. You didn’t move away.
“This is not how I saw myself getting married.”
“Great start.”
“I’m not— I’m saying it’s not what I imagined for myself. I’m not sure if I ever thought I would…” You nod. Wordlessly understanding. “When I agreed to this, I was still unsure. But, I I want you to know I have no doubts, now. Seeing you, hearing what my people think of you… your planet, your family— I will be what you need. I swear it on Mandalore herself. As long as it serves us, we will rule together, as equals.”
“Equals.” You blink at him, enthralled. It’s hard not to be. When someone as stoic as him speaks so passionately about you… it has an effect. Apparently, more of an effect than you were prepared for, because you find yourself having to think about the promises you made him yourself.
That this was just business. Just a professional contract.
“I want to rule with you. I won’t repeat my planets mistakes. I know an ally when I see one. A decent person. A good heart.” He faces you straight on, and it was the second time in the span of a few weeks you’d thought about how easy it would be for him to kiss you. If he was anyone else, you might have done it by now. “I want to do this with you by my side. And I want to be by yours.”
You didn’t have words. For a Queen that had an affinity for charm, to weave a web of intricate patterns of conversation and pull information out of the coolest of characters, Din Djarin left you utterly speechless. You couldn’t stop your hand as it reached for him.
He looked down instantly, watching the bare skin of your hand graze over the pauldron of his armour. The contrast did something to him. You know it. He locked onto it like a trained missile, tracking the light trace of your gentle fingers until they stopped just before his elbow. You shudder a breath, and whisper to him that you want that too.
His hand moves next, a calculated move that holds the wrist of your free arm. The shift means he has to step forward, bringing himself to press against you. Your eyelashes flutter, nearly brushing beskar, as he slowly tilts your arm up and intertwines your fingers. The melt of your hand in his rests between both your heaving chests, and he tries to speak. Whispers your name so lowly you wouldn’t hear it unless it was as deadly quiet as it is.
He raises your interlocked hands up higher, and there’s only one place they would be going. Only one destination that he’s chosen. When your knuckles bump lightly on the sharp edge of his helmet, you bite down your tongue. The cool beskar disappears as he moves your hands just a bit lower and dip them under… and he’s soft there. A soft, giving material hidden under the hardest metal known to the discovered universe, and then he pushes you up.
The whole thing probably takes less than a few seconds, but time nearly slows to a stop with his hands in yours. He was going to show you what equals meant. He was going to show you him. Your chest was tight, body locked in a way that only the parts he was touching were lose and mouldable. You want to… you want to see him. This is something you want, because he wants it.
Your own fingers stretch out, and the helmet moves half an inch upwards.
There’s a sliver of skin. A tanned, cut jaw that you catch, and you shuffle closer, entranced. It’s selfish and dangerous but you want to be closer, want to rip the helmet off him like a kid at christmas, impatient and shaking.
Just as you indulged your most selfish desire in the slightest, leaned forward so you could press the thin wave of your dress closer, an earth-shattering boom came from outside, and the sandy ash of the desert painted the entire world bright orange. You were thrown to the side, glass breaking under your weight as you went flying into the misted glass of the greenhouse. You heard him shout your name; something strong, something to cling to as your head slumped toward the concrete floors.
The last thing you saw was his gloved hands reaching for you before everything went black.
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dirty-bosmer · 1 month
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Wip Wednesday
Was tagged many weeks ago by many people. Thank you, friends <3 Let's see what you have this week: @skyrim-forever @thequeenofthewinter @elavoria @atypicalacademic @gilgamish @kookaburra1701 @tallmatcha @nuwanders @lucien-lachance @ladytanithia @saltymaplesyrup @miraakulous-cloud-district @sheirukitriesfandom @bostoniangirl21 @throughtrialbyfire
From chapter 6 of my Skyrim necromancer fic, Slither and Writhe:
Sylawen dreamed of a meadow and the spring smell of young grass, sunlight pouring through a white hole in the sky, around it only blue. She dreamed of home or something like it, something closer to it than the manor she’d left behind in Cyrodiil, and though it didn’t take on shape the way walls did in the waking world, she could feel it all around her, a swaddling presence, the air abuzz with the heady warmth of being wanted. Here, home was an open door and a hearth full of sweet cedar. It was gentle heat, the kind that nurtured and brought new life into being. Here, Sylawen felt its comfort like the delicate squeeze of a hand-hold, wordless in its confirmation that her life was interlaced with someone else's. How she wished to lose herself in it, to let her edges fade away, to dissolve and be carried off to whatever heights warm air rose to before it was scattered to the winds and pulled down to fill the lungs of someone who wasn't her. But like all other good things in Sylawen’s life, the dream was violently wrenched from her. She awoke to a calloused hand on her shoulder and the acrid smell of stale piss emanating from the basement corner where, predictably, she’d not been afforded the luxury of a bucket.  “Gah!” Sylawen reached out desperately for her bone and prepared to jab it blindly upward before she recognized the rough-hewn face of her captor. “Wh-what the fuck, Thrynn? Come to steal my restful night of sleep too?” Thrynn was a dark mass half-shadowed in the lantern light. “Where is it?” he growled, and even in this dimness, she could see his bruises, a purple blotch at the jaw, his right eye so swollen it was shut. Sylawen resisted the urge to gasp. If Garthek had done this to one of his own men, surely she should expect a treatment much worse. “Well, well,” she said, swallowing her fear. “Don’t you look like right shit today.”
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angelltheninth · 1 year
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Childhood Friends to Lovers with Nobara Kugisaki
Pairing: Nobara Kugisaki x Reader
Tags: fluff, childhood friends to lovers, kissing, reunion, confession, showing off, PDA, slight jealousy, protectiveness
A/N: Nobara doesn't get nearly as much love in the x Reader front as she should.
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Nobara has always been getting into trouble since you were little, most of the time able to get herself out of it by herself but other times needing your help
Because of that you've developed a habit of following her around to make sure she doesn't get in over her head
She thinks its cute of you but not needed, she'd much rather be the cool one that protects you
You were sad when she announced that she was leaving, she could see it on your face before you said it
One thing that she couldn't predict was that you would kiss her, on the lips, whispering that its a parting gift and for her to kick a lot of ass
Momentarily stunned by your actions she would blink slowly at you to try and process what you just did, her brain having trouble catching up and eventually sapping out of it
She can't kiss you back because she's feeling way too many things right now but she did give you a hug and promise you to come back with an answer for you
You were on her mind the whole time, even when she went to sleep
How long have you liked her and she just failed to notice? Gah, its messing with her mind so much
The first thing she does when she visits home is to look for you
After a few near death experiences she does have her answer for you, finally, only she's not sure if you still want to hear it, for all she knows you could have moved on by now
She never saw you hanging out with that many people before but maybe that was because you were always looking after her
Hopefully that's not the case and you're still waiting for her
Can't contain her joy when she sees you and fully tackles you to the ground in front of her friends
Now is not the time to confess she knows this but it won't get in the way of her sticking to you like glue, glaring at Yuuji when he tries to get close to you too
He might be her friend, one of her best friends in fact but that doesn't mean he gets to try anything with you
Her nerves get the better of her and she is unable to say anything about the kiss for the entire time that she's home
This leaves her only one more opportunity for a confession, the departure
Deciding to take a page from your book she pulls you into a kiss on impulse, not giving a shit about her friends seeing this side of her
She has to leave again but this time she swears that she'll come home sooner, or maybe you can visit and she'll show you all her favorite places to shop and eat at
And maybe kick a few demonic butts for you
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