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vetinarivimesy · 1 year
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Kenobi-centric fic recs
Everything here will heavily feature Obi-Wan Kenobi in some fashion, and will vary wildly by ship, tone, and fic-type though I'll do my best to give little blurbs/not-too-spoilery summaries.
The fics range from gen to explicit, in some cases pre-date tagging ettiquette, and, no, no I have not re-read them all (ye gods have you seen the word counts).
In a few cases I'm basing my summaries on very hazy memory and I have a noted bad habit of skimming straight past explicit porn when I don't want to read it, then forgetting its there entirely - so caveat lector!
These are mostly fics that I currently mentally catalogue as Wonderful Obvious Obi-Wan Kenobi Goodness fics rather than expecting to dig up any obscure hidden gems. The list would probably look very different on a different day. It's far from comprehensive, and the categories are loose at best. But here it is!
I've been contemplating putting something like this together for a while but been a bit nervous of sticking my head up above the metaphorical parapet. As, follows my fave character around without caring overmuch about the ship trash, I've got quite a list of Star Wars fics inhaled/rediscovered.
(Wee bit too used to coming into very dead fandoms long after everyone's left, put the chairs up on the tables, the metaphorical lights have been turned off... and the not so metaphorical bills have stopped being paid. More than once I've stumbled into a wonderful old fandom fic archive only for it to vanish into, Only What Was Saved on the Internet Archive Remains status. Even when the archive isn't actually an ex-archive, many don't actually allow for interaction. Apologies to the authors I've never worked up the courage to comment on, this is an explanation not an excuse!)
Obi-Wan's apprenticeship fics:
Commander Kenobi - norcumi (complete, 9646 words)
Obi-Wan gets de-aged in the midst of battle. Cody gets to find out what teenaged Obi-Wan was like. Given Obi-Wan thinks he's fresh out of Melida-Daan, nothing like whatever Cody might have been expecting.
A Town Called Stagnation - deniigiq (complete, 33,000 words)
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan take a trip to Stewjon, to let Obi-Wan get in touch with his roots post the horrorshow of his early apprenticeship. Smalltown thinking and the trauma of recent events clash horribly for everyone involved.
Another brilliant author who's whole fic-output is well worth checking out. Their wry utterly charming character voices never fail to amuse, even when the POV character is one I'm currently in an... actually I wouldn't mind some bashing of this guy kinda mood. I draw amusement and sympathy for Qui-Gon's character in every single one of their immediately post-Melida Daan fics for context here, with my knowledge of that event thoroughly warped and contaminated by the current popular fanon take on the matter too.
Though more Cody-centric, and thus Clone Wars era, than anything parallelogram (Complete, 33,000 words) and they're neutral (complete, 9900 words) by the same author are also wonderful.
poisoned chalice - qigiined (Complete, 9900 words)
Another author with the wit and deftness of characterisation to make immediately-post-Melida-Daan Qui-Gon's POV both amusing and sympathetic. They've also got quite a few other gems!
Qui-Gon's very wry POV as he tries to navigate raising a very traumatised child, and appeasing his various lineage members.
through hardships to the stars - kivaember (WIP, 148,000 words)
Canon divergence where Obi-Wan's apprenticeship snafu on Melida-Daan went just that much worse than those Legends-were-never-technically-canon novels would have it.
As a result Obi-Wan and a very young Jango Fett end up on the run from a terrifying darksider, whilst Jaster Mereel and Feemor despearately try to catch up with the pair.
Little Lights Stories - ms_nawilla (WIP, 628,000 words)
Qui-Gon neglected too much of Obi-Wan's training, so Obi-Wan isn't immediately knighted post-Naboo despite saving Qui-Gon's life and defeating the Sith.
Anakin goes to the creche, Qui-Gon's in utter denial, and Obi-Wan begins the rocky process of finding his own feet post-Naboo, getting through the thorny process of working out who you are as your own person after living under someone else's oppressive shadow for far too long.
Super detailed epic detailing all sorts of wonderful possible jedi-culture headcanons, illuminated manuscripts! beer! force-manipulation games! communal caring! crystallography! sex ed! old-people's homes! the engineers! clerical branch! outreach via art! dance instruction! reincarnation! politics! spies! terrible james bond esque spy films to hide that the spies were really real! lightsaber classes! non-jedi temple residents! U and L leaning prejudice! Alderaan!
Just what would happen if Qui-Gon Jinn were exactly the sort of irresponsible unpleasant adult who should never ever be given a child a lot of fandom suspects he is. His implied treatment of Obi-Wan here can be fairly harrowing, for all that its emotional neglect rather than anything graphic.
The jedi are never depicted as anything less than trying their best, unfortunately no matter how thorough the system tries to be, sometimes people do just fall through the cracks. As was v.nearly the case for Obi-Wan in this verse.
Mostly character driven, though the hints of the greater plot bubbling away underneath all of this glorious worldbuilding and character growth are both ominous and intriguing. The pairing is a hell of a spoiler, but also one that could potentially be a bit of a squick, I don't want to spoil the slowburn of this thing but I do want to give fair warning. Does tumblr offer spoiler tags?
Preventing Order 66 fics:
When Duty is Done - thosenearandfarwars (WIP, 257,000 words)
Wonderful long-form piece - technically a WIP but all installments so far are complete - a what happens next post-Palp's getting his comeuppance, messily. Features Codywan, grief, internalised ableism, jedi order reforming in a very nuanced 'we were this close to the brink' and lost so many people to the war sense *not* the sneaky 'jedi-positive but actually bashing' sense.
Hell I wholeheartedly reccie just about everything this author's ever done tbh!
(This Too Was a Gift (Complete, 69,000 words) is also utterly wonderfully done, and a complete fic in a similar vein, albeit much more focused on the ramifications for individual characters than the ensemble cast of thousands that is Star Wars.)
I Got My Head Checked - frostbitebakery (Complete, 79,000 words)
Codywan Sith!Obi-Wan AU. Cody falls for the hot Sith in the next cell...
Light of the Mists- Snowy Egret Chimes of Kyber, Songs of Kyber, and Anthem of Kyber (Complete, 166,000 words)
This one technically also fits the Obi-Wan's apprenticeship category too. Bit of an epic of, what would happen if Obi-Wan never made it to Bandomeer, and instead trained under a force sect with rather different ideas about how things worked than the modern jedi order?
Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi - stonefreeak (WIP, 113,000 words)
Wonderful crackfic premise done mostly seriously. (WIP)
By an extremely obscure bit of Senate Legalise, Obi-Wan finds himself thrust into the role of Supreme Chancellor. Palpatine is furious.
How A Romance Novel Saved The Galaxy - Ariana Deralte (WIP, 184,000 words)
The galaxy takes a left turn when a popular novel takes the world by storm, and the Jedi and Mandalorians mutually discover their two cultures aren't so different after all...
sanguine - glimmerglanger (complete, 158,000 words)
In which Obi-Wan being a vampire, with all the nasty prejudices that come with being a non-human in the GFFA, somehow saves the galaxy.
Just Go Kill Palpatine - nevertheless_turtle (WIP, 6662 words though this is likely an underestimate due to formatting of a wonderful epistolary/OutsiderPOV social-media-centric chapter)
Just as the title says. Obi-Wan goes and attempts to do just that. Wonderful and hilarious.
The More I Live the More I See this Life is Not About Me - K_R_Closson
Another de-aged Obi-Wan fic. In which post-Melida-Daan suspicious of everyone and everything Kenobi somehow fixes things. Everyone around Obi-Wan is suitably horrified by the news of just what his apprenticeship under Qui-Gon entailed.
Not Quite Sure How to Catergorise these...
This category is the equivalent of the draw marked 'misc.' sorry! Mostly a mix of action/adventure stuff and fics I suspect will turn into, and they prevented order 66 fix-its, but maybe not, with some other truly misc. things thrown in.
backdrop - esama (Complete, 2300 words)
Short and sweet self-contained little tale. Very succinct, but what the author does with those words...
Gunslinger's Paean - Idiot's Array + Homeworld Elegy - Ashcroft_Writes (WIP, 299,000 words)
Epic, what if Obi-Wan post-Rako Hardeen paired up with Cad Bane action adventure tale. Mistrust. Violence. Gunslinging. Espionage. Murder attempts galore!
We Brothers, We Sisters, We Vod'e Few - infinitecompositions(WIP, 322,000 words)
Hell of a fic. WIP. What if canon were to take just a step to the left... Post-Naboo Obi-Wan finds himself recruited for the Shadows branch of the jedi order...
Another epic, cough, can you tell what style I like yet? Uh, starts off as a bit of a dark action adventure romp, rapidly morphs into a detailed dissection of spy-craft, espionage, and galactic politics - but becomes no less tense for it.
Kneading - Threebea O (WIP, 79,000 words)
Manages the miraculous trick of being canon, whilst seeming to be a fluffy bakery AU for a significant chunk of the first few chapters.
Jango/Obi - Jango falls for a local baker whilst hanging out in small town with Boba. Increasingly important to the fate of the galaxy shenanigans inevitably ensue when aforementioned baker turns out to be Obi-Wan Kenobi undercover.
Be Your Love - glimmerglanger (complete, explicit, 9000 words)
I tend not to go for 'real world' AUs but this author's work is so very excellent that I'm reccieing this one - hell I think most of their work is well worth a look through, and every fic-genre they've attempted has proven very fun indeed.
Heed the tags. Explicit Codywan BDSM stuff contained within.
Wizard of the Jundland Wastes - phoenixyfriend (complete, 3200 words)
Obi-Wan on Tatooine, outsiderPOV.
One of many wonderful Star Wars fics this author has written. If this one doesn't catch your fancy, one of their many delightful utterly bizarre premise taken to logical conclusion fics probably will.
Father of the Year (Not) - phoenixyfriend (complete, 2430 words)
Obi-Wan and Jango find out they're each other's soulmates. Mostly they're furious.
Wonderful very pointed skewering of all the usual soulmate and Jango is actually a decent dude tendencies in fic-writing.
Time Travel fics:
I thought I fought this war alone - stonefreeak (Complete, 3783 words)
Wonderful short and sweet Obi-Wan time travelling to his padawan days fix-it.
this is unexpected - MarbleGlove (Complete, 4461 words)
Very succinct and perfect with it time travel what if. Old Ben Kenobi goes back in time and immediately ruins Palpatine's day.
This author tends to be delightful no matter the fandom.
The Sun Swings East - kj_feybarn (Complete, 33,000 words)
Brilliantly done timeloop story of woe and hope. As much about recovery as the initial plot-driven despair. Mind the tags, Obi-Wan is understandably severely depressed throughout much of this fic.
The Making of Mavericks - AppoApples (complete, 146,000 words)
It was extremely difficult to choose just the one time travel fic from this author. Their output is wonderfully varied, don't like their particular take on the Jedi Order and/or the Mandalorians in this fic? Pick another, and odds are they'll have explored the concept from precisely the opposite angle.
This author has a wonderful exploratory sense of, okay okay, so how do we fix this thing/how do we make it worse?
In this case, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Cody, and Rex time travel to the past. This creates broad sweeping changes to the timeline, not always for the better.
The Desert Storm (complete, 1,144,599 words) & Rise and Fall series (WIP, 396,000 words) - Blue_Sunshine (WIP)
Wonderful epic-length time-travel fic. Highly recommended. Technically a WIP, but what there is already is well worth the time.
Ben Kenobi, now Nasaade, in utter furious despair finds himself back in time, pre, well, everything. He decides to take matters into his own hands and change things.
Gorgeous character-work, where by the end of the piece the characters are all in very different places than where they started out. And you utterly believe the growth (positive and negative) that got them there.
Draws from both legends and canon in a bit of a hodgepodge approach - despite drawing from a few of the more leaning towards the jedi were the bad guys sources in legends, impressively manages to tread a nuanced stance on, okay so what if the jedi and mandalorians did decide to start reforming in the face of this grave existential threat that's been brought to their attention?
Wonderful utterly enviable pacing - I know this one's extremely long. But at no point do you ever feel/notice the length when reading this thing.
It Was Another Time and I Another Man - Pell_Binterhol (WIP, 196,000 words)
Multiple Kenobis time travelling. Absolute chaos for absolutely everyone else; fellow time travellers, fellow Kenobis, and plotting Sith alike.
the massive machinery of hope - Killbothtwins (Complete, 150,000 words)
Obi-Wan travels back to his padawan days and annoys everyone else into helping him save the day. Wonderful sense of wry humour throughout this fic.
Living Memory - elsa3beth (WIP, 363,000 words)
Epic very detailed wonderful fic detailing just what General Kenobi would do if he had to fight the war again.
Deals with just what could happen if Anakin had ever had to face his fellow jedi with even a few of his flaws laid bare, and the fallout.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan, just barely managing to hold himself together, fresh out of the middle of his exile to Tatooine, is desperately playing four-dimensional chess against Palpatine and trying to use the awful structure of the Republic's Army to save both the Jedi and the Clones.
The 212th Attack Battalion's Guide to Saving the Galaxy by Accident - antigrav_vector & quarra (WIP, 783,000 words)
Long, character driven fic that's an incredibly fun take on just what might happen if Obi-Wan and a bunch of Ghost Company stumbled into Jaster Mereel's True Mandalorians and get themselves adopted. Heed the tags wrt pairings!
All the complications that come from being an adult stuck as an apparent child ensue. From being squicked out about being a kid again, to having other people being concerned that a kid is behaving like an adult, to just... time travel complications, kidnapping, force esoterica, and fighting a small war.
Plenty of Jedi thoughtfully staring at this strange miniature jedi master, lots of Mandalorians being both stunned and horrified by these tiny soldiers, and Dooku/Sifo-Dyas being a surprisingly lovely central pairing.
Not Qui-Gon friendly in the least, and in this verse you can't help but feel he very much deserves it.
Suicidal Misunderstandings - nevertheless_turtle (WIP, 67,000 words)
Obi-Wan spends much of this fic convinced he's hallucinating and on a bad spice-trip. The trigger warning is very much in the name here.
That said, wonderful, often hilarious time travelling Obi-Wan fic, as the jedi desperately try to work out 1) what's wrong with Obi-Wan, and 2) how to stop Palpatine.
Re-Entry (Complete, 568,000 words) and Re-Entry Journey of the Whills (WIP, 889,000 words) - flamethrower
Fair warning, might turn into a deadlink fairly soon. The author's stuff is in the process of being transferred to another archive. Not a big deal (though fandom being a collective arse is, ffs), as with many older fics this one has moved home fairly often! (Squidgeworld.)
Wonderful absolute epic time travelling Obi-Wan Kenobi fic. Even if you're not a fan of the central Qui/Obi pairing it's written from a very believable perspective, of you can see precisely how these two adults got there, and an extremely enjoyable read with it.
Starts off as a fairly character-driven piece, as the plot slowly builds into something extremely ominous indeed, though once the plot momentum gets going ye gods it gets going.
Another case of technically a series that's a WIP, but every individual story that's up is complete and a satisfying individual whole.
Filled with all the things I love in a Star Wars fic, Obi-Wan getting to be awesome, force esoterica, Obi-Wan getting to be a little shit, plotty plot, the jedi getting to be nuanced and awesome, canon and fanon star wars lore all over the place, and plenty of action adventure and gorgeous character work.
I don't want to go into too much spoilery detail here, but suffice it to say this one is a classic in the fandom for a reason, and deservedly so.
Warning that the dark stuff in this fic can get dark, the level of whump Obi-Wan endures goes all the way up to extremely creepy Palpatine-torture on par with the Ventress/Sith-mask/Alpha-17 situation. It's never gratuitous with it, but in places this fic is explicit, at turns in both the fun porny way and the whump sense.
Star Wars crossovers and fusions:
Alas this section will be shorter than I'd like it to be - unlike a lot of other sci-fi fandoms Star Wars fandom seems to shy away from crossover fic by and large. There's both less of it, and what there is seems to get a hell of a lot less interaction than it would in a different fandom. Not guilt-tripping, again, I am very very guilty of failing to interact myself, just a weird, 'huh, where are all the crossovers?' thing I've noticed.
Rouge Handed - nevertheless_turtle (complete, 2190 words)
As the name hopefully implies this one's kinda sorta a Moulin Rouge crossover. Ish. In that it's firmly set wholly in the GFFA.
Delightful little crackfic.
The weeping stone - Gabriel4Sam (complete, 6965 words)
A wonderful crossover with The Mummy that somehow manages to thread the needle, hitting the humorous tone of those films perfectly whilst simultaneously making you feel very sad indeed for Obi-Wan.
A Star to Steer By - dogmatix, norcumi (first fic in the series is complete, second a WIP, 109,000 words)
Absolutely wonderful Stargate crossover/fusion - it somehow manages to be both a crossover and a fusion at once.
Largely told from Jack's POV, the Jedi are symbionts, with all the misunderstandings that would imply, given the SGC are much more used to dealing with malevolent parasitic Goa'uld than benevolent symbiosis.
Lost Jedi - Augusta Pembroke (complete)
A Velvet Goldmine crossover fic. Curt Wild meets Qui-Gon Jinn, and things get complicated. Qui/Curt with implied unfulfilled Qui/Obi feelings.
All the unhealthy messy relationship stuff the Velvet Goldmine tag and the age of the fic implies is probably present and correct here.
Qui-Gon ends trapped on the wrong side of the galaxy, he finds Curt who's force sensitive, and trains him to help him get back home to Obi-Wan... Things get messy.
Snow and Cinder - MrsHamill (explicit, complete, 16,000 words)
The pre-requisite wonderfully done Highlander/Methos crossover fic. Obi-Wan hangs out with the ROG for a while post-Naboo in a bid to get over a falling out with Qui-Gon Jinn and work through his own messy feelings on the matter. The main pairing is Qui/Obi as many older Master&Apprentice archive era fics are.
All you really need to know about Methos is he's very old, and very cynical. He's literally seen and done it all.
This one doesn't fall into the all too easy to fall into trap of having Methos, understandably an extremely old and cunning immortal being so much better at anything and everything than everyone else around him that it stops being fun and starts bashing the other-verse in the crossover, for which I'm extremely grateful. It's a difficult balance to tread and this author manages it wonderfully. (I say this from first-hand, I have tried and failed to airdrop this character into other sci-fi fandoms you'd think he'd work well in, fic-author perspective rather than as a crit of anyone else's work!)
Look at the publishing dates please.
A few of these fics pre-date Attack of the Clones. They were written in the 90s.
If I find out someone's been bashing an author for outdated terminology or characterisation or for not using the current 2022 language, or a character the fic pre-dates in a fic they've not looked at for over twenty years, or how they wrote the central pairing in the era when the punchline to every single joke in Hollywood was 'haha they're gay!' I... Well... I won't be writing another one of these rec lists. Which isn't much of a threat I realise, but please, be civil.
I could probably easily fill a couple more of these lists tbh, and get more specific with it genre-wise... But as a general, here's a few fics I remember fondly often. I can feel myself getting neurotically 'this has to be perfect' at this thing, so, this'll do for now.
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photogirl894 · 1 year
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I am one of the authors participating in the @cloneficgiftexchange and the person I had the wonderful pleasure of writing for is @embeanwrites 💜💜 Her Clone of choice was Tech...which admittedly, was hard to write for after the recent finale, but I got through it and hopefully, this will be heartwarming enough for Em as well as all of you to make you forget about all that at least for a little bit 😊
Hope you like it, my dear!! 💜
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"Logical"
Prompt: "You could've died! Did you even think about what that'd do to me?"
Pairing: Tech x gen neutral reader
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“Tech! We’re pinned down! We need air support!” you heard Hunter cry out on comms as he and you ducked behind cover to avoid getting shot. 
You and Clone Force 99 were trapped due to an influx of Imperial fighters flying around and trying to shoot at all of you from above. You all sought cover behind some pillars of the base you had infiltrated, hoping to wait out the attacks, but the fighters kept coming and were not letting up. Tech was still back at the Marauder on standby as backup while you were waiting for Captain Rex for a pickup. 
“Hang on, I’ll draw their fire away from the base,” you heard Tech respond in your helmet comm. 
You activated your comm and replied, “No, Tech, don’t! There’s too many of them! They’re going to overpower you!”
“There’s no time. It’s the only logical solution,” he said back. “Captain Rex is on approach. Be ready for extraction.”
“Tech!” you cried into the comm with worry. 
Though just then, the Marauder came zooming overhead, flying in front of the Imperial ships and nearly clipping the wings of one of them. As it soared away in the opposite direction, you saw a lot of the other ships starting to change course and turn the other way to follow after Tech, shooting at the ship. Your heart was pounding in your chest, fearing for Tech’s life. You didn’t doubt that he was a skilled pilot, but there were a lot of Imperial ships on his tail and even he had his limits. 
Activating your comm again, you pleaded into it, “Tech, please, don’t do this! You can’t outrun them! Just get out of here!”
His voice came back through, “Negative. If their attention is not diverted, they will compromise the success of our mission. I will hold them off as long as I can. Don’t worry about me.”
Just as he said that, a shot from one of the ships made a direct hit on the Marauder and its flight pattern faltered slightly, causing your heart to jump up into your throat.
You were in love with Tech. You had been for some time, but could never find the courage to admit your feelings. The two of you had a close bond, at least, and he knew you cared about him, but he just didn’t know the full extent of them, as far as you knew. He was extremely intelligent, maybe he already knew. Though, he also processed thoughts and feelings differently than most people, so there was also the possibility that he maybe had no idea at all. However, if he were to get shot down now, he would never know the truth.
“Tech!” you screamed just as you felt someone take you by the arm.
“Rex is here! Come on!” Echo cried out, tugging you back with him. 
“There’s nothing we can do for Tech, (Y/N). We need to go,” you heard Hunter say to you on your other side. “He knows the rendezvous point. He’ll meet us there.”
When you turned around, you saw that Rex’s ship had indeed arrived, but you had been so fraught and consumed with terror over losing Tech that you hadn’t even noticed it was hovering above you and there was a line hanging out of the entryway where Rex was looking down on all of you, motioning for you to climb. Wrecker gave you a boost up to the wire and you along with the rest of the Batch climbed to safety.
You could only hope that Tech was safe, too, wherever he had flown off to.
Quickly, you all retreated to your rendezvous point on the other side of the planet, waiting for Tech to arrive. Minutes passed by and with every second, your anxiety began to spike more and more. Where was he? Why was he not back yet?
“Why hasn’t he come back?” you asked aloud nervously as you paced the platform.
“He’ll be here. Don’t worry,” Hunter reassured you.
“But I am worried, Hunter!” you blurted out. “I…can’t lose him.”
He came up to you and laid his hands on your shoulders. “I know,” he simply said. 
When you looked up at him, there was an expression of understanding in his face. Did he know how you felt about Tech? If anyone from among the squad were to figure it out apart from possibly Tech himself, it would’ve been Hunter. You weren’t sure of how to respond to him, so you just turned away and resumed pacing back and forth, hugging your arms tightly.
Time continued to pass; time that made you feel as though your insides were twisting and eating themselves out of worry. The sun was setting as evening was approaching. What had happened to Tech? It had been too long.
“He should’ve come back by now,” you commented, your voice choking.
Finally, Hunter took out his comm and spoke into it, “Tech, come in. Where are you? Tech, do you copy?” 
There was silence.
“Do not fret, Hunter. I am approaching the platform.”
The sound of his voice almost made you fall to your knees with relief. Just after that, you heard distant engines and then the shape of the Marauder came into view on the horizon. Tech was okay!
Within a minute, the ship landed and you could tell it had definitely taken a few hits to the exterior hull and possibly one of the thrusters was damaged. Though, as soon as the ramp lowered and you saw your beloved goggled Clone exiting the ship, all your worries about the ship disappeared immediately.
“You made it,” Wrecker observed as Tech made his way over to all of you.
“Of course, I did,” Tech replied, adjusting his goggles. “The ship took substantial damage, but not enough to impede my piloting. I managed to shake them in a highly mountainous area close to the base and I escaped.”
“Nice work,” said Hunter. “The ship’s going to need repairs before we head out, but we’ll deal with that tomorrow. For now, let’s all get some rest.” 
He turned back to Rex and thanked him for his help. Rex saluted them gladly and before long, he departed their company. After that, the rest of the squad got back onto the Marauder with Echo electing to keep the first watch. Once all the boys were in their bunks, you stormed into Tech’s bunk. Now that you knew he was okay, you needed to have a word with him…or several words.
He looked up at you, having stripped down to just his blacks, a bit startled as you walked into his room and the door closed behind you. “I do believe you have wandered into my bunk by mistake, (Y/N),” he stated.
“Oh no, this was no mistake, Tech,” you said back. “What were you thinking back at the base?”
“I was utilizing the best solution for completing the mission,” he answered.
“Putting your life at risk? There were a lot of Imperial fighters back there!” you cried out. 
“I was not concerned about that. I managed to do exactly as I said and drew them away,” he simply said back.
Your teeth clenched and your hands curled up into fists of frustration. “For someone so smart, you’re still not getting it!” you exclaimed. You strode up to him until you were directly in front of him. “You could’ve died! Did you even think about what that’d do to me?”
For once, Tech was rendered speechless.
Then you blurted out, “I’m in love with you, you idiot, and I thought I was going to lose you today! I can’t go through that again!” After that, unable to stop yourself, you grasped the front of his blacks, pulled him forward and crashed your mouth into his with desperation and need. You kept your kiss brief so as to not startle Tech too much; or at least, more than you probably already had. When you pulled back, his eyes were wide with surprise.
He cleared his throat and adjusted his goggles. “I see,” he replied after a moment. You were about to yell at him for such a casual response to your confession and your kiss, but then he spoke up again, “I will admit: I had not taken your feelings into consideration earlier. I was focused on the mission to consider much else. However…I was also unaware of how you truly viewed me. You had not said anything on the subject before so I was under the impression that we…were only friends and there was no other underlying factor behind your fear on my behalf.”
That, you knew was on you because he was right: you hadn’t confessed your feelings and so he couldn’t have known how his decision would affect you. “Well…I’m saying something now,” you said back to him with a sigh, hoping he would catch on and give you some sort of answer in return. 
He looked down at you and, with a slight newfound confidence, he stated, “Then the only logical reply on my part is this: I must now declare that your affections are requited for I too have strong feelings for you...feelings I had struggled for some time to understand until this very moment.” He reached up and ever so slightly traced your cheek. “What I feel for you is indeed love. I cherish every glance I receive from you, every word you speak to me, every moment you laugh and every second you smile. You have a genuine heart that is kind and generous. What I believed was simple fondness and adoration, I now realize was something more all along. I just needed you to open my eyes.”
Nothing in the world felt as wonderful to you than that very moment, hearing such heartfelt words of love from Tech, which was something you never expected. He was not always a man of such flowery language, but it appeared he could still surprise you.
His hand came to rest on your cheek as he then asked you, “My darling…may I return the gesture and bestow a kiss on you?”
With a huge smile forming on your lips, you answered him, “Tech, you never need to ask me that.”
That being said, he leaned down and brought his lips to yours, gentler than you had done previously. With how lovingly he kissed you, you felt as though you could sprout wings and fly as high as the Marauder that he was so good at piloting. It was far better than you could’ve ever dreamed of.
When the two of you came apart, you said to him, your lips just hovering above his, “If you scare me like that again…it’s not the Empire you’re going to have to worry about coming after you.”
He responded, “That notion does indeed strike fear into my being.”
You couldn’t help but laugh at his reply…a lovely sound that brought an endearing smile to Tech’s face.
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deconstructthesoup · 4 months
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The Hexsquad + Vee in different D20 seasons:
This was an idea I came up with in my brain. If I could draw it, I would, but I can't, so... settle for this massive fucking block of text. Have fun.
Fantasy High
Luz: A human wizard (Evocation) whose life goal is to be the greatest adventurer the world has ever seen, and that all starts with Aguefort Adventuring Academy. She was always considered the "weird kid" in middle school, but she's confident that she'll find her people at Aguefort, and she's ready to take the school by storm... or, at least, find some friends who she can connect with. Luz is definitely the type of person to get her magic-studying done ahead of time, so she's a little bit ahead a lot of her classmates---mostly due to the fact that she keeps on trying the more complicated spells instead of starting with the basics.
Vee: Luz's adopted sister and a changeling sorcerer (Aberrant Mind). She's less keen on the whole "adventuring" thing, preferring a more mundane life, but she and Luz are thick as thieves, and she knows that her sister is definitely still going to get bullied at Aguefort---better to be there so she can have her back. Vee doesn't really remember a lot of her life from before she got adopted by the Nocedas, though she does know that something happened in those lost years that gave her the powers of the Far Realm... powers that she still can't quite control.
Willow: A dwarven druid (Circle of Spores) and barbarian (Battlerager). She's a case study in what happens when the shy, awkward girl from middle school discovers roller derby over the summer and transforms into a confident, punk-rock powerhouse... who still has some of those old insecurities lingering underneath the surface. Not to mention, pretty explosive anger issues. Willow is more than ready to form a kickass adventuring party on top of starting a roller derby team at Aguefort, but so far, she's only got one member...
Gus: A halfling rogue (Arcane Trickster) who skipped two grades due to being a quote-unquote "prodigy," which is a nice way of saying that he's struggling with severe gifted kid syndrome. He and Willow have been best friends for years, to the point where ending up at Aguefort is kind of the best thing that happened to him, even though he's still pretty insecure about his rogue abilities. Since he's younger than almost everyone else, Gus doesn't have a lot of friends to start outside of Willow... so, of course, the best course of action is to join literally every extracurricular. Despite already having a packed schedule. Yeah, he's overworking himself.
Amity: A high elf artificer (Battlesmith) who's built up a reputation as a top student at Hudol---a reputation that, according to her mother, she's completely throwing away by not only choosing to be an artificer instead of a wizard, but purposefully failing the Hudol entrance exam so she could go to Aguefort Adventuring Academy instead. Amity's really just learning how to be rebellious, so she's taking small steps---different academic path, exploring her own passions, dyeing her hair a different color---before she can hopefully build up enough disrespect for authority that she can move out, or at least help her dad work up the courage to ask for divorce papers. She's trying.
Hunter: A tiefling bard (College of Valor) who, like Fig, has only recently discovered that he's a tiefling. Rather than going straight to the rebellious route, though, he's kind of at a loss as to what to do, to the point where he even drops being a paladin in favor of being a bard---though, of course, still within the standard-hero vein. He's been raised by his uncle his whole life, and while their relationship has been pretty positive up until now, it's become fairly strained due to Belos never telling Hunter that his mom was a devil ("I don't give a fuck about safety, Uncle B, the fact that I am literally a spawn of hell is something that I should know"). But he's got an outlet. He's learning guitar and some bard spells.
A Starstruck Odyssey
Captain Luz Noceda: The Amercadian girl who always dreamed of becoming a spacer, she's now the captain of her very own ship, The Selkie, at the age of twenty-six... and she's struggling. Sure, she's joined every union she can, got all the insurance, and has really been trying to keep the ship on the up-and-up, but every time she takes a risk and goes for a more dangerous job, things fail drastically. Luz loves her crew and her ship, and she really doesn't want to give any of it up, but she can't ignore the little voice in her head that's telling her that she might not be as cut out for the spacing life as she originally believed. As luck would have it, though, her new hire has some excellent skills up her sleeve...
Amity Blight-Deamonne: The youngest daughter of renowned inventor Alador Blight and high-society fashion designer Darius Deamonne, Amity's got money, mechanical skills, and a sense of style that's the envy of every femme in the galaxy. She was apprenticing under both of her fathers at the same time, but after hearing that her older siblings had apparently made quite a life for themselves as spacers, she decided that there was no way she was going to miss out on the fun and joined Luz's crew as a mechanic and a "crew diplomat." Of course, Amity isn't the most prepared for the combat that they wind up in more often than not, but she is prepared to do some handy repairs and a lot of smooth talking when necessary. Which is almost all the time. (Also, she lost a leg and an arm in a childhood accident, but her family could afford to have her get fitted for cybernetic replacements without going into massive debt. This has caused her to be a major advocate for cyborg rights.)
Deep-Sea Volcano Eroded By Time, human name "Vee": An Aguatunisian who set off on her Galivant several years ago, she's been exposed to how dishonest, selfish, and uncaring the world outside her home planet can be, which has led her to becoming quite the nervous wreck. True cynicism is something that's pretty much impossible for Vee to really achieve, due to being a psychic being who can tell when people are lying and being fortunate enough to land among folks who are pretty open with each other, but she's still wary of new people until she gets a chance to communicate. Because of this, being the comms officer was the perfect choice, and Vee's pretty comfortable on The Selkie. Still doesn't stop her from going into a panic attack every time the crew gets into combat, though.
Gus Porter (soon-to-be Dr. Porter): Youngest of the crew, Gus is a medical grad student who's interning on the ship for his thesis project---which basically translates to him being the ship's doctor. On paper, he doesn't mind doing the medical stuff, since his entire thesis is on how spacers can maintain a healthy lifestyle while in a fairly dangerous occupation, but more than half the time, he's stuck doing emergency surgery and trying his damnedest not to remind everyone that he's studying to be a doctor, not a surgeon. Despite everything, Gus is absolutely enamored with the spacing life, and he's probably gonna stay on The Selkie well after he finishes his degree.
Wondrous Willow: The beta version of a battle droid that eventually got remade and rebranded as an assistant, Willow has long since given up attempting to fulfill that function and has fully embraced herself as part of the crew of The Selkie. She's a gunner, a heavy-hitter, an extremely loyal friend, and is surprisingly good at cooking---all of which makes her a crew favorite. Of course, despite technically fulfilling what she was designed for, she's still trying to find herself beyond just claiming agency, and it's slow-going for our girl. But she's not called "Wondrous Willow" for nothing, and if there's anything she knows, it's how to tough it out in this galaxy.
Hunter "Lucky Number" Seven: A supersoldier clone turned rugged mercenary, Hunter was designed to save people with smarts as well as brawn, as part of the renowned Hunters For Hire. He and his fellow clones were incredibly adept heroes who helped out anyone in AnarchEra that were in need... until a mysterious individual slaughtered almost all of them, with Hunter Seven being the only one to escape. Currently, he believes that the culprit is his now-slain creator's brother, the elusive and infamous mad scientist known as Dr. Philip B. Wittebane, but that may be a red herring, and the real killer could still be out there. For now, Hunter's found a new squad in the crew of the Selkie, a sister figure in Luz, and a girlfriend in his fellow gunner---and until he gets his revenge on, he's happy for now.
A Court of Fey and Flowers
Luz & Vee: The "twin" daughters of Trickster Court nobility, the two are a rare example of a human and a changeling who decide to remain in the Feywild rather than the Material Plane. While Vee fits in seamlessly in a court of shifters, pranksters, and folks who enjoy nothing more than mischief, Luz stands out in fey society due to her magic not coming naturally and the simple fact that she is a human---despite her parents having blessed her with an unusually long life. As such, she's in the rare position of being more nervous than her sister from the prospect of attending the Bloom, but while Vee has no other intentions than to just have a good time with members of other courts, Luz dreams of potentially finding a match at what some call the most romantic occasion the Feywild has to offer. Though it's uncommon for a fey to fall for a human, maybe Lady Luck is on her side...
Amity: She and her family are all that remains of the Court of Craft, and her father Darius disappeared some time ago. Having only recently come to the conclusion that his husband is dead, her other father, Alador, has agreed to form a marriage alliance with the lady Odalia of the Court of Wonder, something that Amity knows will destroy their court---and she believes wholeheartedly that Darius is still alive. She's at the Bloom for the sole purpose of finding out how to save her court and her father, and romance is the furthest thing from her mind... until she meets a kindhearted individual from the Trickster Court, who seems to not care about the pressures and expectations of fey society. And more than that, she wants to aid her in her cause.
Willow: The niece of Queen Titania and a duchess of the Seelie Court, Willow has attended many a Bloom, and she's used to the whole song-and-dance routine by now. However, her aunt has advised her that this year, the Bloom will be quite a different affair, and it would be in the Seelie Court's best interest for Willow to try and find a political match by the end of the celebration. Of course, Willow's a very free-spirited individual and is adamant about marrying only for love, so she's really just looking for a way to prove to her aunt that she's quite capable of being a high-society woman on her own... until she meets a certain individual.
Hunter: Heir to the Unseelie Court, Prince Hunter is attempting to put his past of just being the nerdy teen who talks about his interest to anyone who'll listen behind him, and in doing so, goes full Mr. Darcy---closed-off, socially awkward, and barely capable of making actual conversation. He fully intended to just spend the Bloom waiting for it to end so he doesn't have to keep on being "a shining example of the values of the Unseelie Court," but on his very first day, he meets the wisecracking and whip-smart Willow, and develops a big ol' crush on her almost instantly... though it takes him a while to figure out how to word it, because, y'know, zero social skills.
Gus: Pretty much the only person who's here for the social drama rather than the romance, Gus is an up-and-coming diplomat of the Goblin Court who's writing a book on the intricately woven fey society---he's intending it to be an anthropological study, but it's slowly starting to become a tell-all expose. Because of this, Gus always has his ear to the ground when it comes to secrets, and it's very rare for anyone to be able to tell him a successful lie... so, needless to say, when he catches wind of Amity's plan, he is one hundred percent on board. (Also, he and Vee become friends almost immediately. Chaos recognizes chaos.)
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hobiebrownismygod · 5 months
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Miles-42 x Gwen-42; Silent Sketches
Mini-Fanfic Part 2!
Synopsis: Miles G. starts seeing Gwen around more often, but can't work up the courage to talk to her, Fluff
Warning: Tied back to Part 1 of this series, so if you want to have a better understanding of the story, I recommend you read Part 1 first!
Part 1: Miles-42 x Gwen-42; First Look
I got the idea from the art above! Its from @nightowl374art, go check them out, their art style is beautiful! <3
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He looked up from his sketchbook, trying his best to stay as discreet as possible while he reached into his bag to grab a different colored pen. He scrummaged for a second, keeping his eyes on the girl sitting only 10-15 feet away from him as he pulled out a light blue pen. Perfect, He thought to himself. It matches her eyes.
Before he could look back down to continue his drawing, he was startled by an unwelcome Ganke. He'd only recently met Ganke, but they'd become pretty close considering the fact that they were roommates at Visions.
"Miles? What're you doing?" he asked with a confused look on his face, leaning down to sit next to him. Miles quickly hid the sketchbook, his eyebrows raising and his face feeling hot as he tried his best to cover his drawing. Too late.
Ganke rolled his eyes as he caught a glimpse of the drawing. "You're drawing that girl again? You're so predictable" He said, shooting Miles a teasing grin. Miles promptly smacked his arm, shushing him with a pleading expression on his face. "Shut up" he muttered, shoving the sketchbook back into his bag.
"Gwen. Gwen Stacy."
His heart fluttered as he remembered the handshake she'd given him. The little smile on her face when he handed her book back to her. The way she'd said her name. He decided to take another look at her sitting across from him, just for a moment, just to have her face fresh in his mind before he went to class.
She was talking with her friends, her expressions changing almost animatedly as she spoke, soft blue eyes squinting slightly when she smiled and even more so when she laughed. He watched as she tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear before she continued to talk.
A moment turned into a second. A second turned into a minute.
"You're drooling."
Ganke's sarcastic tone cut through Miles' thoughts, causing him to jump slightly. "I am not!" Miles replied indignantly. He wiped his mouth just to be sure, immediately feeling embarrassed as Ganke's eyebrows raised in amusement at the action. Miles groaned. "Can we just go?"
As he and Ganke walked toward their next class, he decided to look back at Gwen just one more time. He found himself snapping his head back quickly when he realized...she was watching him leave.
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Code Words | Risk Assessment
*materializes into existence* Okay, I don't want to overwhelm you or like, spam you. I've already requested something before that got answered (which was a very cool and awesome fic, btw). So yeah. But if you are taking requests (if not, it okay. Take care), may I suggest some h/c with Logan comforting Roman? Idc about plot. Just a general ask. I just finished the most recent addition to Code Words, so I am still recovering from that entire masterpiece. Anyway, take care of yourself! Have fun :D – oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat
Read on Ao3
Warnings: described past torture, mention of past relapse, some violence, non-explicit
Pairings: none, all gen
Word Count: 5987
    I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. Roman's hands clench and unclench at his sides as he stares at the closed door. It looks so innocuous; it's just a conference room, on the second floor of the main compound building. There's a window on one side. He can see silhouettes through the cloudy glass. He knows exactly what's about to happen. He all but asked for it to happen. There's no reason for him to believe he can't do this.
Footsteps to his left and he turns to see Logan walking toward him. He's all buttoned-up again—slacks, badge, even the familiar dark blue notebook tucked into his hand. The only difference between this and all the other things Roman's seen him go to is there's a soft smile on his face. Something that unconsciously relaxes his shoulders as Logan draws closer.
"Good morning," he says, still speaking in the soft voice from a few days ago, "how are you feeling?"
"Like I just swallowed a bunch of stinging nettles."
Logan chuckles. "I have forgotten how well you use your words in unexpected ways. Despite that, I'm—well, I'm not surprised to hear it."
Roman glances at the door again. As if sensing how much he's trying to make it disappear with nothing but his glare alone, Logan rests a hand on his shoulder.
"You are not being punished, Roman. You will not suddenly become 'in trouble' over the course of this meeting. No one is expecting perfect behavior or complete recovery. You are hurting, we know. This is—"
"To help make it go away, yeah, I know." He hunches his shoulders. "Sorry for interrupting."
"It might be time we retire that one too," Logan mutters, mostly to himself, before he gently bids Roman to look up at him. He cups the side of Roman's face. "I'm here for you. In whatever capacity you decide. It would be best if you spoke for yourself as much possible, but if you want me to say something for you, I will."
A lump forms in his throat. He swallows it down. "Thanks, Logan."
Logan offers him another one of those soft smiles and pats his shoulder. "Whenever you think you're ready."
Roman looks back at the door and with a surge of courage he doesn't feel, reaches out and pushes the door open.
As soon as he spots the three people already seated inside, he wants to run away again.
I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
"Roman," the man sitting at the head of the table says, smiling, "good to see you. Would you care to have a seat?"
Roman glances around and picks the seat the furthest away from the others with his eyes firmly on the door. He gives a quick nod to the man who spoke and directs his gaze down as Logan comes in too, murmuring a greeting to the others. Roman wasn't quick enough to control himself not to see the mustachioed man in a cargo jacket and Janus watching him sit down. He curls his hands together under the table and picks at his palm.
I can do this. I can do this.
"Well," the man at the head of the table says, prompting Roman to look up again, "just to get us started, I'm Patton. I work in the Psych department. I've worked with Logan numerous times in the past but as of right now, I'm unfamiliar with the rest of you, except by name. Would you care to introduce yourselves, or shall we proceed?"
Roman glances around at the others who are doing a great job of pretending they're not looking to him for cues. He swallows. "Roman. Agent 34689. Level 3."
"Logan," Logan says next, "Agent 7985. Level 8."
"Janus." I'm not there. He's not Deceit. This is what needs to happen. "Agent 1432. Level 9."
"Remus," says the last man, shifting slightly in his chair. "Agent 69420. Level 9."
"Pleasure to meet all of you, though I wish it had been under different circumstances." Patton adjusts his glasses and sets a pale blue notebook at his elbow. "To give you a bit of background, I'm here on behalf of the Psych department to clear both Roman and Janus out of their last mission, and to figure out what happened with the initial debrief to plan an appropriate course of action. Under normal circumstances, of course, much of this information would be Level 6 only, but those restrictions are temporarily suspended for this meeting."
Something catches on his fingernail and Roman looks down to see he's picked one of his calluses down to a blister. He smooths his thumb over it as though that would make it go away.
"Roman?"
He jerks. He looks up. They're all staring at him. Why are they all staring at him? They need to stop staring at him.
"If you wouldn't mind," Patton says, "could you tell us how the mission went for you? From the initial brief to arriving back at campus."
Roman's back tingles. He swallows. "You want—all of it?"
"If possible yet."
"You—um, I don't think—" he swallows again— "I don't think me saying everything Deceit did to me would be good for either of us."
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Janus shift slightly and Remus rubs his thumb against his forefingers. Patton nods. "You needn't go into explicit detail if you don't wish to, but as thorough of a timeline as possible would be helpful."
I can do this. I can do this.
"I—I was told that there was an up-and-coming member of the gang that needed to be stopped. They were—he—the gang was looking to expand their operations into a new territory and was threatening the civilian population. I was to uncover how far they wanted to go and how much they knew about—"
"It's simple," Deceit remarked almost conversationally as the other goons sniggered, "you tell me what you know, and this stops."
Roman grits his teeth, arching at the pain in his spine—stop, stop, stop—
Logan lays a hand carefully on his and interrupts some kind of feedback loop. Roman takes a deep breath.
"How much they knew about us."
Across the table, he hears Remus bite back a curse as Janus fully closes his eyes. Even Logan looks pained.
"What? Why do you all look like that?"
"I believe they're trying to understand why you were assigned the mission in that way," Patton says, drawing Roman's attention back to himself, "would you like to continue?"
"I was given a rough location of where the gang's prospective headquarters were and an apartment in the area they were looking to take over. I was told not to contact the Agency unless it was an emergency or I was submitting the reports at the request of my handler."
"And how often was that?"
"Every few months on a non-schedule schedule. The longest gap was eight months."
Patton writes something down in the notebook. "Alright, thank you."
"I—do I keep going?"
"Yes, if you wouldn't mind."
"I first—um—we first—the first time I saw—" Roman sighs in frustration before turning across the table. "Am I calling you Janus or Deceit for this?"
"Whatever you want, sweetie."
"That's not helpful."
"Deceit, then, for undercover work, and Janus when we're here."
"Great. The first time I saw Deceit, then, was at the Skyrail Bridge. We'd gotten a tip that the gang was smuggling its weapons over the bridge to take root in a new warehouse and I went to stop it."
"Did you receive any direct correspondence to do so?"
"No, I just said I wasn't supposed to talk to the Agency. They didn't talk to me either."
"Why not just follow the truck, then," Remus asks, "to see where the new headquarters was?"
"Yeah, truck chock full of volatile explosives traveling through a heavily populated civilian area, why wouldn't I want that?"
"We're not here to discuss how the mission should have proceeded," Patton breaks in, quietly yet firmly, "Roman, if you would?"
Remus looks not at all chastised and returns to rubbing at his fingers. Roman takes another deep breath. "There was a way to trip the signal tower to shut down the bridge for the night. It wouldn't do anything against the truck if they chose to—I don't know, drive it through the barricade, but I figured they'd want to prioritize discretion over—whatever the hell you'd call driving through a bridge barricade."
Logan turns away to hide a smile.
"As the barricade came down, I saw Deceit get out of one of the cars next to the truck. He looked at me and said something to one of the other men he was with. I saw a car following me as I went home that night. I managed to get through two weeks before they held someone hostage at the bank nearby the apartment and used it as a distraction to get me somewhere they'd jump me."
He shifts in his chair and, despite himself, glances over at Janus.
"That's the first time we met face to face."
Janus nods silently. Patton writes something else down. "And how did that go?"
"I have a new aversion to jumper cables and a few burn scars on my back, that's how it went." Patton just nods and motions for him to continue. "Uh—he wanted to know what I knew about the gang and how I knew about the truck."
"And did you tell him?"
"Fuck no."
Logan doesn't say anything, but he's only had the privilege of knowing that Logan's proud of him a few times in his life. He'd sure as shit known to remember what it feels like.
And so it goes. Despite the way his hands shake and the way the scars start to ache again, he makes it through the painful years. How he'd been captured, interrogated, tortured, over and over not always at the hands of Deceit, but enough to make it known. How every time he'd try to do something to stop the gang, they would always know he was coming at least two hours beforehand. Sometimes that was enough for them to get away clean, other times things got really, really messy. By the time he gets to his capture at the gang's compound, he's trembling.
"I was kept in an isolated ward. I only saw Deceit. I—I tried to escape once but the terrain around the building was—I didn't make it." I'm not there. I'm not there. I'm not there. "There was a raw end to the bedpost."
Patton frowns. "I'm sorry, there was a what?"
"The bed. It was made of metal. One of the edges was still sharp. It didn't—like it was unfinished."
"I see."
"I cut up the mattress to make shoes. I used the springs inside to make them stronger. I tied them onto my feet and ran away in the middle of the night when the coast was clear."
"So that's how you did it," Janus says under his breath. Roman glances up. Janus doesn't quite meet his eyes but the ghost of a smile plays on his lips.
"I laid low for a while after that. I had to figure out how to restock my first aid cabinet, but—"
"Sorry," Logan interrupts, sounding equal parts regretful and suspicious, "what do you mean, restock your first aid cabinet?"
"One of the first things I did when I got the apartment was cobble together an at-home pharmacy, basically. So I had to—"
"You weren't given a safehouse with proper medical equipment?"
"This place barely had working walls and roof, it sure as hell didn't have anything that could possibly be considered medical grade." Logan's mouth tightens. "Why?"
"Sorry for interrupting," Logan says lowly, turning away, "please."
Roman eyes him for another moment before continuing. "So I restocked—I think I may have traumatized the person working at the 7/11 nearby, though."
"How so?"
"I mean, I stumbled in at three in the morning covered in blood asking about liquor and dental floss, probably not the greatest first impression. I don't think I got too much blood on the floor, though—oh, shit, I definitely did. Oops."
Logan pats his knee.
"Um—the next time we met was at the docks."
Janus, who had been listening to his whole spiel, suddenly looks down and away, his mouth tightening. No small part of Roman surges at the sight of him so visibly uncomfortable, after all the times he's sat back and hurt him, watched him be hurt, laughed at him being hurt, how does it feel? How does it feel to get ripped apart while other people are watching? Does it hurt? I hope it hurts. I hope you hurt as badly as I do.
But the smaller part of him, the part that's still curled up on the cold dock floor, swallows.
"Do…do you want me to stop?"
He doesn't respond for a moment, not until Patton prompts him softly. He looks up. "You're asking me?"
"Yeah."
"Don't worry about me, sweetie." Roman just glares at him. "What?"
"Kid's right," Remus says, his voice suddenly softer too, "this meeting's supposed to be for both of you. No sense in you getting hurt here too."
Janus turns to look at Remus with such a vulnerable expression that Roman's skin crawls with self-disgust. As Remus leans closer to whisper something to him, the two of them craft such a bubble of intimacy that he feels like a voyeur, stealing something he isn't supposed to see. He turns and Logan's there, reaching to sling an arm around his shoulders and let him rest his head against his chin. The hand on his back rubs in soothing circles.
"You're doing so well," Logan whispers, his voice a little thick, "so well, little one. I'm so proud of you."
"This is hard. This is really hard. I'm—I can't help it."
"Shh, shh, it's alright. You're doing spectacularly."
They sit in the quiet for a few more moments before they hear the rustling of someone sitting up. When Roman looks over, Janus is nodding with his eyes closed. He looks at Roman and Roman's heart twists at the sudden redness of his eyes.
"Whenever you're ready."
Roman swallows. "There was a ship. It was supposed to come in. It carried thousands and thousands of pounds of amphrilax."
Everyone in the room apart from Janus tenses.
"If it got into the city, it would—even if only a fraction of it was actually used, it could wipe out the entire population in one of the wards in a matter of days and would get into the whole city proper within a week. And it would be almost impossible to ensure the water supply was clean."
He shifts. The fabric rasps across his lower abdomen.
"I couldn't let that happen."
He can still feel the wind on his hair. He can still smell the stench of the harbor. He can still see the massive silhouette of the ship in the dead of night, acrid smoke billowing into putrid clouds. He can still hear the hustle of the gang members as the ship sailed into port, as it drew alongside with its terrible cargo as fleets of trucks arrived to deliver the poison into the city's bloodstream.
He can still feel the hand that grabbed the back of his collar as he pressed the distress beacon.
"They dragged me down by the ship."
The henchmen laughed and leered as the gang member held him up like a mangy dog.
"They beat me."
They took pipes and wrenches to his back. They wore steel-toe boots. They laughed and jeered and spit on him.
"One of them had a knife."
They don't tell you that it doesn't feel like you get stabbed. It feels like you got punched until the fire spreads and you look down to see red all over your hands.
"He just watched."
It was so cold. It's so cold.
It's so
cold
cold
cold
"Roman," Logan's calling, "Roman, little one, you need to breathe."
He is breathing, isn't he? He was talking. Also he needs to breathe so he doesn't pass out from blood loss. Wait. Is he bleeding? He doesn't think he was sitting down when he got stabbed. He's not at the docks. Where is he? Oh, right, he's in a conference room. He's at the compound. Logan wasn't at the docks. Logan is here. Logan's right here. He's in the compound. He's in the meeting. He's…he…
…he can't breathe.
"Look at me. Look at me, Roman." A hand on his face and he looks at Logan. "That's it. Focus on me. You need to breathe, now. In for three…out for five. Good. It's alright, try again, in for three…out for five…in for three…out for five…"
"I'm alright."
"Are you back with me?"
"Yeah…yeah, I'm here." He closes his eyes and rests a hand on his stomach. He's not bleeding. He's safe. He's not there. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize, little one. It's alright. You're doing so well."
It's safer to talk just to Logan right now. He fists a hand in the fabric of Logan's sleeve. "The sirens started and Deceit—Deceit said they had to cut their losses and go. He argued for a long time but eventually they just took a few barrels and left. He—when he was about to leave, he leaned down and told me that I owed him a favor."
He tries to choke back a sob. He fails.
"It hurt so much, Logan."
Logan doesn't say anything, but a hand slides up to the back of his head and cradles him there, gentle fingers carding through the hair at the nape of his neck. He struggles to hold in the rest of the tears and just manages to choke down the lump in his throat.
"Okay. Okay, I'm good. I'm good. I'm good now."
"Let's take a break," Patton says softly, "I need a moment to organize my notes and grab a drink."
"Come, little one," Logan says, beginning to stand, "let's get you a drink too."
Shame burning in his cheeks, Roman closes his eyes and lets Logan bundle him out into the hallway, down past the doors, to one of the bathrooms. The lights flicker on as the door shuts behind them and he can't hold out anymore.
"Hey, hey," Logan murmurs as he all but throws himself into his arms, "shh, I'm right here. It's alright, little one, you're safe now. I've got you. You're doing so well, I'm so proud of you."
"It hurts, it hurts, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't do this, I can't do this—"
Logan just wraps him up in a strong embrace and oh, if this had happened half a dozen times when he was still training, he swears he wouldn't be as fucked up now. Logan is big and soft and warm and he smells like coffee and Roman's getting his shirt all gross and he's a complete fucking mess and absolutely not something to be proud of but Logan said he is proud of him and—and—
He collapses into a heap of tears in Logan's arms.
Logan just holds him. The anchor in the storm, his arms tightly around Roman's shoulders and waist, his mouth pressed near his ear. He lets out soft shushing noises that wriggle into the tight spool of tension in his chest and dissolve it bit by bit. When Roman's sobbed his heart near free from his mouth, he adjusts his grip slightly and begins to whisper.
"Listen to me, now, little one. Just listen. You are doing an incredibly difficult thing right now. This would be challenging for any operative at any level. And you have done it admirably. Shh-shh, you have. Do not hold yourself to the standard of doing this perfectly. There is no perfect way to do this. You are doing it, that is the most important thing."
He pauses before continuing.
"I know in the past I have caused you to doubt my faith in you. My trust in you, the pride in you I have. I will do my best to make sure you never doubt it again."
"I'm scared," Roman whispers with the last of his hitching breaths, "I'm so scared."
"I know, little one. I'm right here."
Fuck it. I'm scared and someone is offering to comfort me. I'm staying here for as long as I fucking want.
So he does.
In truth, he has no idea how long it's been until he can move without feeling like he's shattered into a million pieces, even if bone-weary exhaustion traces every step he takes until he can stagger to the sink to splash cold water on his face. He grabs the paper towels and pats his face dry, wincing at how puffy he looks in the mirror.
"This looks bad—" sounds bad too— "right?"
"It does look as though you've been crying," Logan says softly, "but it doesn't look 'bad.'"
"Well, fuck it."
Logan chuckles softly as they leave the bathroom, stopping for a drink before returning to the conference room. Roman reaches out to turn the handle, but something makes him pause. After a moment, he knocks.
"Come in."
He opens the door and takes his seat, mumbling an apology about taking so long.
"No worries, kiddo. Do you feel up to continuing?"
"Yeah." He glances over at Remus and Janus—the latter of which gives him the smallest of smiles. Remus has one hand dropped beneath the level of the table and it doesn't take any special deduction to figure out why. "Um—so after the docks, I didn't see Deceit until you came by for dinner."
Remus barks out a laugh. "Wait, you're serious?"
Roman nods. "It was December. I went to go visit my family. And then my mom opened the door and there he was. And she invited him to dinner."
"Did you go?"
"I wasn't about to turn down a home-cooked meal," Janus says with a glimmer of amusement, "and I had a feeling she would…persuade me."
"Oh, she would've knocked you out and sat you up at the table, for sure."
"Your mother truly is an excellent cook."
"She wants you to come back, you know."
"Does she?"
"Mhm. She wants to know when your birthday is too." When Janus makes a face, Roman shrugs helplessly. "I don't know. It just—she's—I don't know."
"So," Patton says, getting their attention, "was this…planned in any way?"
"No. I thought—I thought he'd found out about my family and was going to threaten them if I didn't cooperate. But he said he'd just run into my mother at the store and didn't know it was my mother." Remus is still trying and failing to stifle his snorts. "We, um, went for a walk. And then he came to dinner. And then he left."
Remus snorts. Then he starts laughing properly. After a moment, Roman joins in. Then Janus, then Logan, and eventually Patton starts laughing too. It's surreal, really, but then again so was that dinner. They needed it.
"I think I still have the photos in my phone," Roman says through his giggles, prompting Janus to sober a little.
"You do?"
"Yeah."
"Wait, there are photos?" Remus leans across the table. "Show me."
"Remus," Logan says quietly but Roman's already pulling out his phone. Patton leans in as well as Roman finds the photos.
He pauses for a moment, looking at them. They really do look happy in them. A perfect postcard. Unbidden, Logan's words about them getting along if they'd met under different circumstances drift through his mind.
"Don't hold out on me, kid."
"Right, sorry."
Remus peers at the phone. His eyes widen and his mouth drops open. "Holy shit."
"They really are good photos," Janus says as Roman turns the phone to show Patton.
"Would you mind sending me a copy?"
"Sure. Uh, now?"
"Later is fine." Patton writes down something on another line and turns the page. "Was that the last time you saw each other?"
In an instant, the humor fades. Roman goes to pick at his palm again when Logan catches his hand and holds it. He swallows.
"No."
"When was the next time? Or what happened next in the course of the mission?"
Roman swallows again. He just had a drink too. "Gredence Square."
"And what was Gredence Square?"
"Sweetie," Janus says softly, "you don't have to—"
"Don't fucking speak for me."
Janus goes silent immediately and Roman closes his eyes.
"Sorry."
"No need."
I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
"Gredence Square was the next place rumored to be attacked. I went to scout the location but I was captured. I was interrogated by Deceit. I was emotionally compromised due to our previous interaction. I was—I was relieved of my misconceptions. Deceit left. The other two gang members tried to kill me. I escaped. I returned to my apartment. I sent off my report."
Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't—
"—and I relapsed."
A group passes by the conference room. One of them asks where everyone else wants to go for lunch.
A cloud passes over the sun.
Patton's pen scratches against the notebook.
Logan squeezes his hand tightly.
"We met twelve more times. None of them resulted in my capture. Two months ago I was told the mission was over and to report back to campus. That's it. Until someone told me Deceit was in the meeting room and—we know what happened next."
"I don't," Patton says quietly, "would you mind telling me?"
Anger flares on the tip of his tongue. "Hasn't the gossip gotten to Psych yet? About the stupid fucked up agent who didn't know another agent was undercover? Who got tazed by Security and laughed at? You sure you don't know what happened?"
"You were tazed?"
"Yeah, I was tazed, because apparently bursting into a room when a gang member is in there warrants me being tazed when I don't know shit. And then they fucking laughed at me and I ran away because apparently that's all I know how to fucking do," he spits, "that and fail to kick people out of my room."
Logan's hand flexes in his and he squeezes in silent apology. Patton writes a few more things down and nods.
"Thank you, Roman. I appreciate the time you've taken to go through this for us. If you'd like to leave, I understand, and we can—"
"No."
Patton pauses. "No?"
"You made Janus be here for mine, I'll be here for his. That's fair."
A pained noise comes from somewhere and he only belatedly realizes it's Janus when Remus turns to whisper to him again. Janus shakes his head and waves him off. He looks at Roman. "Only if you're sure."
"We got into this mess 'cause I didn't know shit. I'm not going to make that mistake again." He scrunches down in his seat. "And it's only fair."
He can feel Remus looking at him.
"Janus," Patton says softly, "whenever you're ready."
A shaky breath across the table. "I was given a mission about six years ago to infiltrate the gang to gather intel to eliminate the caucus that runs it. I was given regular drop-offs with other members of the agency, a set of code phrases to use with them should my situation change, and an emergency comm."
You got all of that? What the fuck?
"Integration took about two years. By the third, I was given direct oversight of certain operations. I began to sabotage them carefully in line with the instructions given by my handler but not at the risk of exposing myself. I would regularly smuggle intel back to the Agency. At the end of the twenty-ninth month, I was informed that a safety would be deployed to help maintain my cover."
Roman's stomach sinks.
"I…incorrectly assumed that the safety had been given the same code phrases I was," he continues, his voice growing thicker, "or any code phrases at all. I did not ask my handler to confirm it."
It's your fault, part of Roman screams. He doesn't say anything.
It's the mindfuck of a lifetime, hearing Janus describe everything that happened from his perspective. How he tried to throw the others off Roman's trail, how hard he worked to make sure he wasn't compromised and Roman wasn't taken in his stead. How much it hurt now to know that Roman had no way of telling him that it was too much, that it hurt, that it hurt so much, please, please stop—
He squeezes Logan's hand.
"I told Roman this the other day, but I'll say it here as well—" Janus gives him a little nod— "I had no intention of barging in on his family celebration. Truly I was in the neighborhood for reasons unrelated to the mission and his mother spotted me from her front window. I offered to leave them once I realized the truth but Roman…invited me inside."
"It was a good dinner," Roman mumbles, "and you were…nice."
"I wanted to make up for the docks," Janus whispers hoarsely, "so I…I tried to let as much of the disguise slip as I could. But I let it slip too much and I was pulled in for questioning as soon as I left his mother's house."
He was what?
"Was your position compromised?"
"No. I managed to assure them that I was just there to gather intel on Roman, but the next time we found him, they asked me to…prove it."
Gredence Square.
"I'm so sorry, Roman," Janus whispers, his eyes squeezed shut as Remus shifts toward him protectively, "I thought—I thought that it would be safer for you if I didn't physically hurt you, but the things I said—"
"You said what you had to to keep us both safe."
"Yes."
He gets it. He does. He hates it, he feels it crawling under his skin, but he gets it. He hates himself for getting it so quickly and he hates the world for putting them in this position.
He doesn't listen to the rest of it, despite his best intentions. He's too busy trying to stop himself from drifting back into the cold, dark, wet apartment and so he can't focus on the words coming out of Janus's mouth until he hears:
"I told Roman that I understand if it takes time for him to be alright with me, and I stand by that. Regardless of culpability for everything else, I have hurt him. He has the right to assert his own boundaries."
Roman just nods. Patton writes down one last thing before he sets down the pen and steeples his fingers.
"Thank you both very much. I understand that this is not an easy thing and you both have done it. I can officially end the previous missions—which means you are both out of the debrief period and are once again free agents. With your permission, I'd like to take this and set about moving this investigation forward. No action will be brought without your knowledge and consent, but I would like to begin nonetheless."
Roman nods. So does Janus. Patton smiles.
"That brings us to the end of this meeting, unless you have anything else you'd like to discuss?" Roman half raises his hand awkwardly. "You don't need to raise your hand, kiddo, what is it?"
"The rules about agent-on-agent violence. Janus shouldn't be punished for what he did."
Janus's head whips around and Remus's eyes go wide. Even Logan squeezes his hand a little tighter. Patton tilts his head curiously. "Can you say more?"
"Janus was operating under the assumption of basic competence. If an agent is found to be willfully negligent in basic duties and capabilities, the perpetrator can't be found liable." He takes a deep breath and fights the burning in his stomach. "It's not—it's not fair to him if he's punished for something he didn't know, just like it isn't fair if I get punished under reckless endangerment."
He glances at Logan.
"See? I paid attention."
Logan doesn't say anything, just swallows heavily and squeezes his hand again.
"I'll make a note of it," Patton says, "anything else?"
"N-no, that's it."
"Janus?" Janus shakes his head, still staring at Roman. "Then you're all free to leave. Thank you for your time."
Roman stands up and Logan quickly joins him, holding his hand as they leave the room. He leans against the wall and scrubs his hands over his face. Tipping his head back, he draws lungful after lungful of the artificially cold air until he doesn't feel like he's on fire anymore.
"Fuck."
"Quite," Logan says, his voice a little thick, "oh, little one, come here."
"This level of hugging is really good," Roman mumbles, muffled against his shoulder, "you should keep it up all the time."
Logan's chuckle rumbles through him. He peers over his shoulder to see Janus and Remus emerging from the room too. Before he can think better of it, he taps Logan's arm to get him to let go and calls out.
"Remus?"
Remus pauses, turning as Roman walks up to him. "Yeah?"
Just say it. Just fucking say it. "I'm really glad Janus has you. Thank you."
Remus looks at him for a long moment. He's tall. Almost as tall as Janus, if not taller. And he's built like a brick shit house. Just as Roman starts to squirm under his gaze, he sighs. "Can I level with you, kid?"
"Yeah?"
"I didn't expect you. I thought you were gonna be some snot-nosed kid who didn't know how to deal with anything besides screaming and sulking."
"Ouch."
"But you're not." He steps forward and rests a hand on his shoulder. "You're a damn good person, you hear me? I don't care what sort of agent you are, you're a damn good person."
"Th-thanks?"
"And when all of this is over, and we've all had time to get our shit together, the four of us are gonna go out to dinner and I'm gonna tell you every embarrassing thing Janny did while we were trainees."
"Remus," Janus says from behind him but when Roman sneaks a look at him, he's smiling.
"Sound good, kid?"
"Yeah, that—that sounds really good."
Patton smiles as he hears Remus mutter something else to Roman before the four of them part ways. He looks down at his notes and adjusts his glasses, his temperament cooling rapidly as he rereads some of the sections. His mouth sets in a line and he stands, walking briskly toward the elevator banks.
He swipes his card at the last one on the left and presses a button. He watches in silence as the floors tick higher, and higher, and higher, until the doors open.
He strides down the vast hall to the burnished metal door. He presses the intercom button.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Sarah? It's Patton, I need a word."
"Buzzing you in now."
"Thank you."
He nods to Sarah as he steps into the first office, steeling himself before approaching the massive double doors. He pushes them open.
"Virgil, there's something that requires your attention."
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magicratfingers · 10 months
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It’s been about 9 months since I joined tumblr to start making comics. Which is a favorite number. So here’s a status report of 9 lessons (coincidence) from what is proving to be an awkward but fun process
No such thing as a bad drawing - it’s just expression and information. Is it “good”? No no. Does it have character? Personality? Am I clear enough?
The venn diagram of my favorite work and what was fun to make is a circle. I only started noticing this recently. Some styles or themes let me slow down and take my time.
There’s tons of ways to go about stuff and most aren’t for me or my brain. But some are. The most beneficial youtube tutorials weren’t always the ones with the most views.
If I’m not actively looking for and trying new techniques I don’t improve much at all.
I want the benefits of a sketchbook practice but a lifetime of buying cute notebooks to never use has made it too hard. Too much pressure. So I buy packs of printer paper and use a clipboard. This works fuckin great. Game changer. It’s also real satisfying to watch the paper stack grow.
Writing jokes got a lot easier when I stopped trying to ‘be funny’ and started trying to abuse the audience a little. Sorry.
Before I fell into a process I’d spend 10 minutes drawing the thing but then 2 hours tweaking details only to prefer the ten minute original.
It takes a lot of courage to post something without prefacing it with “I know this sucks but…” It’s forced me to accept and nurture my skill level as opposed to defending my taste level. Not yet ready to stop calling everything a doodle though.
Sharing & posting work really slaps the rose tinted glasses from your face, which is unfortunately necessary for improvement.
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jeannos · 5 months
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I'M CRINGE BUT I'M FREE.
every kid in this fandom MUST have their au phase where they make aus of this stupid skeleton, and I FINALLY got the courage to make one!!
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I lied actually... I have like 6 sans/skeleton ocs... and 2 of them are self inserts... BUT ANYWAY this guy is the only one I posting publicly atm
btw this reference specifically is really old (I started drawing this in like- 2021/2022 I guess?? Idk honestly) but I never actually finished it till recently bc, yeah, I got super lazy... ironic isn’t it? I don't even draw Sanses like this anymore -_-
SUPER AMAZING AU INTRO ↓
THIS HANDSOME FELLA IS- IS- is...
...
he does not have a actual name yet...
I mean- I call him Dreamer!Sans but I'm not really sure if I'm gonna set with that yet, since I don't actually have a story/plot for him besides his purpose in the multiverse, but I do have some other ideas ;]
Dreamer!Sans is basically a protector of dreams, he protects mostly the realities of dreams (or the Dreamscapes, is what I like to call them) to make sure everyone from his au and multiverse have sweet and safe dreams.
Theres this things called Night Spawns or Nightlings who feeds from peoples nightmares and trauma while they are asleep. They oddly look like spiders... Dreamer is responsible for defeating these pests.
"But why?" you may ask.
Well... the Nightlings "power" to manifest bad dreams in your sleep can cause you depression, anxiety, paranoia, and much more, if they stay too long attached to someone, AND since they are really hungry they are trying to consume the dreamscapes of the person they are attached to. If they succeeds, one may never dream again (or woke up, in other words)
"What are Dreamscapes?"
Every time someone dreams, that person's consciousness is "transported" to this place, and each person has their own dreamscapes!! They are directly connected to people's consciousness and that is why they are so important.
SILLY BILLY SKELE INFO ↓
Hes mostly like classic Sans, very lazy, laid back/relaxed, and he enjoys puns a lot
but it's a little more extreme-
• He is always tired and cannot stay awake for more than 20 minutes without falling asleep again
• He aways looks tired/sleepy
• Sometimes he sleepwalks, he can do unbelievable things while he's asleep, from knitting and cooking to physically fighting or writing a quantum science research, all unconscious!
• For some reason sometimes he sleeps in super specific and random places, once he slept for two whole days inside Nightmare!Sans' castle and no one ever noticed... strange right? He wasn't even in a room, he slept in the kitchen storage the entire time lol
• He has been in and out of so many people's dreams that he probably knows EVERYONE, he has an incredible memory too!
• Sometimes he can't tell if he's really awake or if he's still dreaming, so he doesn't usually take things around him seriously. Which can make other people upset or annoyed that they're not being taken seriously.
• He learned to never try to find meanings in dreams that don't make the LEAST sense, and since he cannot distinguish which reality he is in because he is almost always dreaming- he will always accept anything absurd you propose to him.
You wanna make a birthday party for a giant unicorn baby? sure sounds fun.
You think Shrek is upset and needs help? yeah lets cheer him up.
Several alternate versions of him are fighting for some bizarre reason he doesn't understand?? yeah ok he can help, he don't mind.
• He snores when he's having a really deep sleep, he won't believe it if you tell him that tho
THE END!?
Well thats it! These are my ideas and thoughts about this Sans I created, I might and probably will add more things about him and his story later in other posts, can't wait to finally see his au takes more shape hehe~
also I will make another post about his magic skills and possible weapon along with more illustrations of him, so keep a eye out for more~~
heres a old doodle I made of him before finishing his ref, bye bye!! :3
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ignore my old signature pls T-T
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greyennui · 6 months
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A Brief (and not at all comprehensive) Analysis of Triforce Lore in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom
The Triforce is such a massive piece of Hyrule's lore that it's been the focal point in every single Hylian royal crest in the games so far. Despite that, it's never mentioned by name in Breath of the Wild or in Tears of the Kingdom. Of course we see the Triforce on Sonia's tattoos (skin paint?) and when Zelda used magic in BotW, but the symbolism of the three aspects was furthered between BotW and TotK in interesting ways. Here's your warning for mild spoilers about the labyrinths and the Zonai armor set.
For those of you new to the franchise (and those who'd like a refresher), the Triforce is that fun triangle symbol made of three triangles forming a fourth with their points. Each of the triangles represents Courage, Wisdom, and Power, respectively. In BotW, we got a sacred spring for each aspect of the Triforce, though the Triforce itself is never mentioned. In the Zonai ruins in Faron we see carved dragons and owls and even the occasional boar, and it's easy to draw the meaning. Owls are often associated with wisdom, Ganon (the historical bearer of the Triforce of Power) often takes the form of a large boar, and dragons are scattered throughout various mythologies in stories of courage. The Zonai were clearly very aware of this symbolism and its history in Hyrule.
Tears of the Kingdom, while still not mentioning the Triforce by name, takes this even further. One hint we see, when looking closely, is that the Zonai armor chest piece has ornamentation made up of three mask-like objects, bearing resemblances to an owl, a dragon, and a boar. When beginning the quest at each set of labyrinths, Link hears a voice speak to him. These three voices claim to be the Ruler of Owls, the Ruler of Dragons, and the Ruler of Boars. Each labyrinth comes with a task that tests all the aspects of the Triforce: wisdom to locate the terminals, courage to dive into the depths, and power to defeat the enemy at the end.
What I find interesting is that Link is repeatedly tested on all three aspects—not only courage, which has historically been associated with the Hero. Considering Zelda attended and prayed at all the springs during BotW's story, and she bore the mark of the Triforce when sealing Dark Beast Ganon, I wonder whether the Triforce now exists more as a spiritual concept than a physical artifact. Link, who is continually proving his proficiency in all three aspects, bears his own Triforce in a way, living within a balance of the three just as Zelda has. This, essentially, makes him worthy of bearing the Master Sword, just as it makes Zelda worthy to wield the Sealing magic.
While this is a fun theory, it still stings that the Triforce has seemingly been ignored in the recent lore, and feels a bit reminiscent of the same treatment of the Golden Goddesses, who each created one aspect of the Triforce. They are not mentioned at all in BotW or TotK, save in veiled references by way of the dragons' names and names of regions: Naydra and Lanayru (Nayru), Farosh and Faron (Farore), and Dinraal and Eldin (Din). I've seen it mentioned that Nintendo may be trying to appeal to their Western audience by angling the franchise toward monotheism—which is a whole other discussion I'm not at all qualified for, but I'm mentioning it here for its vague relevance. It's disappointing, to say the least, and that the Triforce has been set aside along with the Golden Goddesses gives me cause to mourn a little. Here's hoping the next game brings them back in more substantial ways than vague references.
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closurechilde · 6 months
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Something about him...
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Inspired by "El amor de mi vida" by the Argentinian queen, Maria Becerra ft. Los Angeles Azules.
"Que yo ya estoy lista para amarte, sin olvidarme de mí"
[Translation: I'm ready to love you without forgetting about me.]
Cw: f.reader (I'm not sure about this one but I put it because he calls u "belladonna" once.) THERAPY (go see a therapist y'all, tumblr isn't free therapy.) Abusive relationship (not from Dazai obvi)
There's something about him...
That even during his gloomy days, he could light up your whole world.
When he appeared in the office suspiciously calm before flopping himself on his chair and roll with it to your desk to lean his head on your shoulder to 'recharge his batteries.'
At first, you were reluctant to his touch. Recently out of an abusive relationship has made you fear that this would end the same way, even as a friendship.
Dazai, as the perceptive detective he is, got the hint as soon as he felt you shiver when he put his hands on your shoulders and your breath hitched.
Soon enough, he started to make his way to your heart without you even noticing; brushing your hands until you intertwined your fingers with his hand, making you twirl around the office when you two were alone and making you laugh, and 'accidentally' making you bump against his chest until you started hugging him. First in secluded areas and then in front of the other members.
There's something about him...
That makes you wanna talk about it.
After years of not going, you gather up the courage to make an appointment with your long-term therapist.
She listens to you talk about how your life was during the years she missed of it.
"This Dazai you're talking about seems like a really nice guy, sweetie." She says. "Why don't you go on a date with him?"
"A-a date? I-I can't go on a date with him." You chuckle, nervously. The word 'date' makes you feel a pain in your chest.
"Oh? Why's that?" She asks as she sees you move your leg anxiously. "Does he have a girlfriend or a boyfriend?"
"No, not at all." You answer, looking down. "It's just that... I'm scared, you know? Like, my ex was also a nice guy at first and look how it ended."
"Yeah, but your ex never needed to gain your confidence." She explains. "Your ex never needed to do what Dazai's does. Sweetheart, as far as I'm aware, Dazai made everything within his power for you to be comfortable around him, giving you your space and time for you to get closer."
She's right, you think. Dazai was never obligated to do it. Atsushi and the president were the first ones to approach and you thought that they would be the only one to do so.
But then Kunikida did, and Dazai, and Ranpo, and Tanizaki, and Naomi, and Kyoka.
He never needed to do so. The whole office looked after you, but he was there at your lowest.
There's something about him...
That draws you close to him.
When your ex appeared again at your front door, he never hesitated to stay throughout the night.
"How did he even find my address? I've blocked him from everywhere, even texts!" You say as he fans you with a magazine he found nearby to try and keep you breathing in the middle of your panic attack.
"I don't know, but I can stay here if you want to." Dazai offers.
You let him and he gets himself comfortable in the sofa-bed that you have while you sleep in your bed, but something makes you want to sleep near him, feeling more than secure with him by your side.
You can't hide the blush that creeps into your cheeks when you wake up and find yourself curled into his chest and him with a wide smile, chuckling.
"Did someone miss me that much during the night, belladonna?~" He teases and you push his face playfully.
"Shut up, I was just cold." You say, getting up from the sofa to do breakfast.
For the first time in a while, breakfast was actually nice (even if it was a bit burnt).
There's something about him...
That surprises you when you say your feelings to each other.
You two were at your and basically his by how much time he spends there house, cooking together when you two suddenly say "I love you" at the same time.
He looks at you.
You look at him.
And simply laugh before you two hug tightly.
"I don't wanna push you to do this. You can take your time if you need to-" you cut him off with a kiss, giggling at his dumbfounded expression once you pull back.
"I think I'm ready... only if you want to."
The smirk on his face was everything you needed to know you'll be more than okay.
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0alanasworld0 · 1 year
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Coffee Shops & Life Drawing (Yassine Bounou x reader)
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Description: Yassine meets you for the first time as you're drawing in your favourite coffee shop.
warnings: none
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You were a dreamer from day one, so doodling came naturally to you. It persisted throughout your life. It kept you sane when the noise of the school overwhelmed you. It was your escape. Although you never pushed for art as a career, it was still a major part of your life as even throughout your time at university, your pile of sketchbooks still grew quickly.
You recently landed your dream job in Sevilla and only now do you understand the sheer amount of art you’ve completed over the years. You have to buy an extra suitcase for all of them, not daring to leave a single one behind. Once everything is finally moved into your new apartment, you’re able to free up some time to explore the place. It’s a busy city but you’ve found a way around that. Waking up at 07:30 am isn't the easiest thing in the world but it's worth it to get your favourite seat in one of the cutest little coffee shops in the area. You get at least a few hours to yourself before you have to move on to answering emails and taking part in meetings with your bosses. Every day without fail you bring your little sketchbook to your safe haven, put your headphones in and just do whatever comes to mind. It was the part of your routine that set your mood for the day, it was integral.
Yassine isn’t new to the little cafe either. He doesn’t come every day but he makes a beeline for the blueberry muffins if he thinks he has the time. One particular day, he manages to wake up earlier than usual. MUCH earlier. He really didn’t have to as Wednesday training sessions started later than the others but nonetheless.
For once, he’s able to sit down and just have some time to think for a bit, listening to his music, looking up every once in a while whenever someone walked in. It was a nice, rare, peaceful moment. He hears the quiet ring of the bell and sees what he can only assume is an angel on earth. He tries to be discreet in watching her. Seeing her pull the sketchbook, pencils and erasers from her bag. He smiles, noticing that the book looks like it's going to fall apart at any point. She looks adorably joyful and carefree and he’s trying to build up the courage to talk to her.
But she looks so peaceful, I wouldn’t want to ruin the moment, he thinks as the waitress brings her a fresh scone with a pot of double cream and homemade jam. She teasingly nudges you and you smile softly and a hands covering your face as it heats up so he only sees it for a second. Stunning.
He couldn’t possibly impose on the little haven you’d created for yourself. Another time. He thinks, hoping that you’re a regular customer from that exchange with the waitress. He unfortunately has to cut his little daydream short, having to leave for training but as he walks through the door, he takes one last glance at you in all your beauty.
He spends the next weeks making an effort to come to the cafe in hopes of seeing you, especially Wednesdays. He also plans on trying to talk to you. Soon, he tells himself while begrudgingly leaving the store for the 7th time. 
He couldn’t take it anymore, he needed to talk to the beautiful girl who invaded his thoughts for the past month. He found his mind wandering to you whenever he got a second to think for himself. He meant it when he told himself, next time, as he made a not-so-foolproof plan for how he was going to introduce himself to you. 
The day finally comes, when he walks up to the cafe, he peers in slowly to make sure you were there and phase 1 is complete. You’re there, in a yellow sundress with your hair in the way he loved: adorable as always. His heart starts beating faster as he walks up to your table. He waits for a second and you look up, cocking your head to the side at the man in front of you.
“Is it okay if I sit here? All the other seats seem to be taken." The shop is indeed fairly busy considering the fact that it's 8:00 am but you notice that his usual seat is very much empty. You smile anyway and nod your head enthusiastically. 
Although you were very focused on your sketchbook, you had been glancing over at him over the past couple of weeks as well. He’s got a beautiful face: the most adorable mole on his cheek, deep brown eyes and gorgeous, dark, thick hair. You had definitely thought of drawing him before but the idea of being caught staring quelled that desire. 
“I’m Yassine by the way!” he reaches his hand over for you to shake and you oblige, giving your name as well. His heart starts beating quickly again: your voice is like honey and your hand is so small and soft against his. He holds onto it for maybe a second too long before letting go. 
You would be lying if you said you weren’t affected too: everything about him from his voice to his eyes had an intensity yet softness to it. And his smile is breathtaking, the little dimple that appears on the apple of his cheek piques your interest in particular. His hand is so warm and it completely dwarfs your own. he just had the essence of a Disney prince.
The staff behind the counter all smirked at each other. Weeks of pining between the pair of you without a single word, weeks of teasing you to talk to him and one of you has finally caved. Albeit with a plan as solid as a sponge but it somehow worked.
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A month into your relationship and you finally have Yassine over for the first time. You don’t know why it's never happened before if you’re honest. His place is nearer to both your work and his training grounds but you’re not sure how the prospect of going to your place has never come up until now. You returned from a little dinner date with him and you make your way to your place for the night. He brought up the idea a couple of weeks ago when he made the reservations and you happily agreed, taking a bag of his essentials, ready for that night.
On the ride back, he purposely messes up the lyrics to songs that you’re both less-than-fond of while you cackle. When you open the doors to your place, he’s immediately comforted by the vanilla scent and the soft decor. It's all so… you. He’s patting himself on the back for this idea. he felt at home already.
You take his hand in yours, rubbing hearts into it as you guide to your bedroom and you encourage him to take a seat on your bed. He looks up and around at all of the artwork you have displayed on the walls. He doesn’t recognise many of them. They’re mixed in with the matching reference photos: little polaroids and he even recognises a couple of the photos as ones he had previously taken and sent to you. You’ve printed them out and put them next to the art you created. He smiles at the idea that he’s inspired a small part of the hobby you love so much. Some are the usual carefully completed observational pieces but his favourites are the stylised pieces. where you just let your imagination and instinct run wild for it to materialise into something sublime. He doesn’t know how you do it.
His eyes then focus in on a pile of sketchbooks in the corner of your room. The drawer dedicated to your sketchbooks is full so they will have to wait until you find a better place for them, refusing to give them up. He asks if he can take a look at them while you’re doing your skincare routine and you agree. He’s never seen your sketchbooks before: still early days and he didn’t want to push you. He walks over and carefully picks up the one from the top. The spine was taped as it struggled to hold the contents, with the words ‘portrait no.16’ scrawled on in white paint pen and it’s heavy too.
Opening the first page, he’s in awe. He takes the time to read your little notes and annotations which accompany the sketches. He laughs quietly at some of the notes about how you didn’t like a certain method/process, some rather harsh critiques.
You walk back into your room nervously; you knew he didn't have a horrible bone in his body and wouldn't even think of being mean to you but still. the idea of him not liking your stuff make your heart heavy. He looks up and jumps to hug you.
“You’re amazing, Habibi! I don’t know how you do it!” he exclaims excitedly and you manage to relax a little. He grabs the next sketchbook, sits with his back leaned against the bed frame and ushers you to sit between his legs. You oblige as you go through this sketchbook with him, answering his questions as he enthusiastically listens.
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Your relationship was a very unexpected high point of your move to Seville and you both cherished every moment you spent together. It had really blossomed over the past few months. You were a blushing mess with him, he couldn’t go a minute without complimenting you. Your hair, eyes, lips, voice, clothes. Anything really. You never know how to respond so you bury your face in the crook of his neck but he cups your face in his giant hand before that and brings you in for a kiss. If he wasn’t complimenting you, he just stared. He had a soft look in his eyes that made your heart jump because you thought that love like this was for the storybooks. But he was real and yours and better than anything you could have imagined.
You weren't the best with your words so you made do with little handmade gifts: tiny canvases, little sketches of things you think he’ll like, hand-painted posters of his favourite movies. all of your and his favourite songs were illustrated into handmade comic books. He never failed to take them with him when he left for an away match and always took a long glance at them before leaving the locker room and heading onto the pitch.
You dedicated a new sketchbook to him and filled it with the things that reminded you of him: colours, song lyrics, movie stills, objects, stuff you thought he would like. Always sending him photos of new things you’re working on when you weren’t together. When you were, he was happy to go through his emails or play a video game while you worked on your projects next to him. Sometimes, you’d sit in his lap with his head resting on your shoulder, so he could watch as you worked, leaving little kisses on your neck and shoulders as you talked about your day.
He always talked to his teammates about you: about how smart and talented you were, retelling the things you told him about your job, showing them photos of your art. They were amazed too but slightly annoyed with how he managed to bring your name into every conversation. His family were all overjoyed by the relationship too as they fawned over your beauty and talent. His mom made it very clear that you were a part of the family now and he wasn't to let you go. When they all meet you for the first time, at Yassine’s Zamora trophy celebration he goes around to introduce you. An arm around your shoulders as he retells everything about you with a cocky smile on his face. Your face heats up quickly as they’re able to recall some of the pieces he had already shown them. It just couldn't be any clearer just how smitten with you he was.
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You’re sitting at the kitchen table, your head resting on your hand as you watch Yassine make you breakfast. You attempted to help but he insisted that you just relaxed while he did everything for you. The night before rendering your mobility temporarily limited. He has his shirt off in an attempt to cool off from the warm Spanish air and is humming softly to the music playing from his phone. You admire the muscles in his back, taking note of the freckles that are dotted around. Your attention then squares in on his face.  One of your absolute favourite things about his face is his brow: it’s heavy, casting a shadow over his gorgeous eyes. You love the fact that his nose is slightly hooked and the mole on his cheek. Another one of your favourite features is a dimple that forms on the apple of his cheek when he smiles. Its unique and you’ve actually never seen a feature quite like it on anyone else. You come back to reality as he sits in front of you, putting the plates down and the food will no doubt be perfect because he’s got a real knack for cooking. 
“Can I draw you?” you blurt before you can stop yourself. You’ve been thinking about that since the day you saw him in the coffee shop but were far too shy to actually ask him. He’s taken aback by the uncharacteristic forwardness,
“What?”
“Pleaseeeeee, I promise it won’t take long. Pleaseeeee…” you beg slightly, deciding to go with your statement. A small pout on your lips as you give him your best puppy-dog eyes/
“Why?’ he’s dumbfounded. You compliment him all the time, oddly specific ones that have him slightly confused but flattered nonetheless. He still doesn’t quite see himself as the ideal drawing reference. You like drawing all sorts of people but he’s still certain that there are much better people around to draw.
“Because you’re pretty! Have you seen yourself?” you ask. Yassine is beautiful. Head to toe. The first thought that came to your head when you saw him was about how “drawable” he was.  You’re quite shocked that he doesn’t see it.
After a bit of back and forth, he relents and agrees.
You have a lamp pointed towards him as he sits (shirtless obviously) and you’re opposite with your pencil and sketchbook. He’s got a book open so he isn’t entirely bored out of his mind but he can’t concentrate. His usual confidence is a little thin at the moment, feeling very exposed to you. Does he look good? Is the pose natural? He hopes that you would tell him if he wasn’t sitting normally. He hopes that the final result will be as beautiful as your other work. He trusts in your ability to bring out the beauty in all of the subjects of your work but doesn’t really trust himself. 
“Your brow ridge is so pretty” you mumble mindlessly as you try to register the shadow it casts. He blushes heavily and doesn’t dare to look up.
“Your hair is so fluffy and fun to draw!” the blush darkens.
“Your lips are so perfectly shaped”
“My god your arms and hands are so gorgeous.”
“You’re so perfect…” There are long pauses between the compliments yet that still isn't enough time for the blush to cool down before the next compliment deepens it.
You finish in a couple of hours but it feels like years for Yassine. He’s all hot and he hasn’t read a single page of that book. You notice exactly what you’ve done to him. The compliments were thoughts that you weren’t thinking hard enough to stop but there was also a part of you that was relishing the effect it had on him. You even register the blush on his cheeks in your drawing. You walk over to him excitedly and show him the final product with a a big smile on your face. You’re proud of it, you really think you’ve managed to capture his beauty. He wraps his arm around your shoulders, looking at the piece. He sighs in relief at how beautiful it is. You’ve made the colours more vibrant and blurred the background but he does see himself in the piece and he does look good. You’ve drawn closeups that isolate his face and hands are placed next to the full-body drawing. There are also some sketches of the rough skeleton of his body that only add to the beauty of the page. He loves that you lay out your whole process onto the sketchbook, he feels so much closer to you this way.
“Do you like it?” you ask nervously, a bit concerned about his silence.
“Habibi, this might be some of your best work!” he says, bending down to give you a kiss.
“Well, I had the perfect reference, didn’t I?” You teasingly ask, revelling in the blush that returns to his face.
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And that concludes my second ever fic! I hope you guys enjoyed it, I'm much more fond of this one than the first. Let's hope its in the tags lol. Thank you so much for reading, my lovelies xxx
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Marius - Tears of Themis (ToT) - You Shall Be Mine!
Pairing: female reader x Marius
Warnings: angst, make out
Word count: 2438
A/N: okay, that was not the fic I was writing for marius bday, but let's all pretend it is. I honestly can't believe it took me 4 months to finish this ahaha
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“Oh my, I’m so excited! My first art class with the one and only Marius von Hagen! I'll not lose this opportunity! He shall be mine!” you confidently say it to reassure yourself.
“Definitely! Keep your hopes high and you will get him! If Ms. Lauren said so, it will happen!”
“I hope so Amy. Because she did get it right that you were going to marry your now husband.”
“I know, right? She is indeed a great fortune teller.”
“What commotion is that over there? I think it’s close to my classroom. I’ll go check it out. See you later, Amy.”
“See ya!”
You head towards the commotion near your classroom to find out that this chaos was caused by Mr. von Hagen himself. Several women were screaming and some even fainted. All of them are your classmates by the way.
You were excited to finally get a chance to see in person the bachelor Ms. Lauren said it was going to belong to you, but, apparently, other women also had the same idea.
“I was so inspired to draw anything just to get a chance to talk to him, but look at this-”
With no other option, you go to class. At the end of it, Marius asked all the students to show him their drawings, and as expected, they were all in line fighting to see and interact with the youngest von Hagen first-hand.
It’s finally your turn to show your art, however, your excitement is no longer there, but you still put on your best smile in respect of Marius efforts to teach a bunch of noobies to draw something in only one class.
You briefly talk to Marius, he gives you a few suggestions to improve your art and after thanking him, you pack your stuff up to go home. While you are leaving Stellis University, you spot a few of your classmates chatting and approach them to ask their impressions about Marius and the reason why they decided to apply to his course.
Apparently, none of them was there because the fortune teller told them they would marry Marius. But, on the other hand, they told you that they recently saw an article in the most famous gossip magazine that a von Hagen expert affirmed that Marius wants to settle down for good, after years of being involved with several women.
The von Hagen youngest heir is no longer that young, but he still is the most eligible bachelor in Stellis. Some say that nowadays there are men at the age of 20 who are the new deal, but if those polls are indeed accurate, women still think that there is no one like 40-year-old Marius.
A week later, you are in his class, but, once more, there is no progress. It’s impossible to talk to Marius. You feel defeated and unable to come up with a plan B.
“I shouldn’t have trusted Ms. Lauren, but she hit the nail on the head when she specifically said who Amy was going to marry. I guess the seer just got lucky, although, at that time, Amy didn’t even know her now-future husband.”
“But you know what? I’ll talk to her again. Let’s see if she will have the courage to lie to me again after I tell her there are hundreds of women trying to seduce Marius.”
It’s still early, so you head to Ms. Lauren’s booth at Stellis Park for another appointment.
“Welcome, dear. It’s so nice to see you again. How is your friend Amy doing?”
“Thank you for having me. She is doing great. I suppose you know why I’m here, right?”
“Hehe, don’t tell me that you already gave up, sweety?”
“Did you read that article about Mr. von Hagen? Coincidentally, it was not long after I first came here.”
“I did not. What was it about?”
*sigh* “A supposedly von Hagen expert said he wants to get married for real."
"Oh, I see. Well, that's good news then! The cards don't lie."
"So you still believe he will be mine?”
“Of course, dear. I can see your souls are connected. But you seem dispirited. Be patient, okay?”
“Yeah…”
You left the appointment, but you’re still gloomy. You decide to buy an ice cream to cheer you up while you ponder on what to do from now on.
“I don’t think I should waste my time with Ms. Lauren. As I expected, she kept insisting I would marry a von Hagen. You know what? I’ll just focus on my art classes. It’s a lifetime opportunity for a Z fan like me.”
“Ohh… that’s actually an excellent idea. Focusing on your class, I mean.”
“Huh?”
You turn around to see Marius looking at you leaning on a nearby tree in the park.
“Shit… How much did you hear? Er… I mean… Nevermind. I… I better get going. I have to work tomorrow, so… Bye, Mr. von Hagen!”
You walk as fast as you can without looking back, but something tells you that he is making fun of you while you helplessly try to run away from him.
Outside the park, you finally stop for a moment to breathe properly. There is no sign of Marius nearby, so you finally allow yourself to relax leaning on a wall.
It’s a lovely sunny Saturday, the park is crowded, probably hundreds of people coming and going, but your mind is elsewhere. It seems that the more you try to approach Marius, the more bad luck you get.
In the end, you just feel frustrated that you wasted your money AGAIN to see the fortune teller, who basically said the same damn thing. And to make things worse, now your professor is aware that you are a terrible student who is only there to try to hook up with him.
A moment of clarity comes to your mind, and you realize that although you were now planning to just take his classes with no ulterior reason, Marius may expel you from his class as he already knows you are just wasting his time.
“Fuck… How did I manage to ruin everything so fast? I’m probably the worst stalker Stellis has ever seen.”
“ But- Wait! I can fix this. I KNOW! I’ll find him, apologize, and ask him to replace me with another student. I just took two classes so I’m sure he can find another person willing to join in the remaining classes, right? At least, there is a chance he won’t think I’m a gold digger.”
Resolute, you go back to where he saw you. Your ice cream melted at this point, but you just don’t care and eat all of it to give you the extra boost you need to face him again.
Finally, Lady Luck smiled on you. Marius is still there. It seems he is alone, so you take the chance to approach him before you change your mind.
“Ahem… Mr. von Hagen… Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Oh… I didn’t think you’d come back. Don’t tell me that you are here to ask me out…” says the bachelor with a teasing smile.
“No! I’m so sorry about that. I just came to apologize for earlier and also well…”
After explaining your situation…
“I see… I don’t need your apology though. You know, what? I know how you can make up for what you have done.”
“What?”
“As you claim to like Z so much, you’ll help my assistant Vincent to organize the following exhibition we're planning. Then we'll be even as you took a place from someone who might actually come to study.”
One week later, instead of going to your class, you head to the exhibition’s location to help Vincent. This is your last day working with Marius' assistant. Since Monday, you have been visiting the location after work to help with what you could.
You had more fun there than you imagined. Having a chance to see so many captivating paintings and sculptures is only for a privileged few.
“And that’s the last one. I think I’m done here, Vincent.”
“Thank you so much, lady. Master Marius will be pleased to see everything is ready for tonight.”
“I hope so, I don’t wanna get in trouble again hahaha.”
“Hehe, don’t worry, you did a terrific job. By the way, here is the ticket for tonight.”
“Huh?”
“What? Is something wrong?”
“I didn’t… I was not expecting this, Vincent.”
“Huh? But that’s just a thank-you gift for your hard work. I thought you liked Master’s work.”
“O-Of course I do! It’s just that… I’m sorry, Vincent. I really can’t accept it. I hope you understand.”
“But… *sigh* Okay, lady. If you change your mind please let me know. You can still enter tonight without a ticket.”
“Thanks. Well, it’s time for me to go. It was a pleasure working with you, Vincent. Good luck.”
“Likewise.”
You nod to Vincent apologetically because deep inside you know you will not attend the event. You mentally thank Vincent for being so understanding. You haven’t seen Marius since he offered you this position to work with them to organize the event. It turned out that Marius even paid you to work there, even though he didn’t need to.
You take the money to treat yourself in a restaurant of your liking to chill. You have this sense of accomplishment and relief that you can close this Marius chapter in your life and move on from that crazy idea you’d marry him.
The following days would have passed by smoothly if it wasn’t for Mr. von Hagen's regular presence watching you leave work. The first time you saw him, you just couldn’t believe it. You had to look twice to make sure you were not seeing things. He was certainly looking at you inside of his car. That unmistakable seductive smile that probably all women in Stellis have seen at least once on TV or in person.
So many theories crossed your mind of why he was doing that, but you tried your best to ignore his presence. He never approached or got out of his car. Vincent also didn’t text you to ask for anything, so you were clueless at this point.
You tried to ignore him for a week, but it got to a point that you could no longer pretend he was not there, so you finally decided to question the man.
“Good night, Mr. von Hagen, may I know what’s the matter?”
“Oh, good night. What a coincidence, huh? I was just passing by. Do you work here by chance?”, he says playfully as if it was not a straight-up lie.
“Yeah, what a coincidence indeed. I do work here. Do you have a meeting with someone from my work?”
“Not really. But as we are already here, why don’t you come on in so we can chat a bit?”
Sighing, you enter his car. Marius laughs as if he was enjoying this whole thing. Before you can ask again what’s his problem, he shows you the fortune teller’s business card.
“What? How did you get this card?!”
“I think you are asking the wrong question here, missy. You should ask me what I was doing that day at the park. I was expecting you to figure it out, but apparently, you are too polite to ask anything about my personal life.”
“Well… after what I did it would be awkward to ask you that.”
“If you were curious enough we could be in a totally different situation now, missy.”
*sigh* “It can’t be helped. I’ll have to tell you. I also got an appointment with Ms. Lauren that day.”
“WHATTTT?! For real?”
“Why are you surprised?”
“Er… I don’t know, you don’t see the type of person who would pay for a fortune teller’s service.”
“Hehe, maybe you are right. The thing is, I was kinda bored walking at the park a few months ago and decided to give it a try just to see what she would tell me about my future.”
“I asked her about my love life and she had the audacity to tell me I would finally get married and that my future wife was one of her client' friend. Just like you that day, I didn’t take that seriously, but deep inside I wished she was right.”
“Surprisingly, not long after I talked to her, I saw you around here chatting with your friend when I was driving home, and you caught my attention. Since then, I’ve been watching you closely. The more I observed you, the more interested I got, to the point I decided to invest in OUR future. So I’ve been trying to lure you as you were so dense.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“Hahaha, that’s right, missy. I paid the fortune teller to tell you what I wanted. That day you saw me at the park I was going to thank her as she indeed brought you to me.”
“I was a bit concerned though when she told me you were discouraged to stalk me when you heard about that interview I gave and that most women in our class were there because of that. At the time, I was very frustrated about my personal life, so I said that to mock the interviewer. I have always lied about my private life to those journalists, so it never occurred to me this would shy you away from me.”
“As a von Hagen, I love to be challenged and I love to be surprised as well. So when I found out you went to her booth, I was soo excited to see if you were going to make a move.”
Unable to process what you just heard, you get in shock for a moment. Seeing you were not reacting, Marius makes his move, kissing your lips with no hesitation. Open-eyed, you look at him in disbelief, trying to mumble something, but he just keeps going and going until you finally give in to his charms.
Almost out of breath, the two of you stop for a second. There is no hint of embarrassment on you or Marius' faces. It felt so right that there was no regret. On the contrary, your eyes lock with his, giving him the answer he needed. He goes for it again. But, this time, you’re ready to enjoy every second of it, letting him touch you as he pleases. All the chagrin, desperation and bashfulness you felt in the past few weeks finally paid off. Marius von Hagen will indeed be yours.
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skyward-floored · 1 year
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Febuwhump day 11 - fever
Starting febuwhump in the middle of the month with my Links from my own au Courage of Ages, because I looked at the list and basically gave into temptation 😅
I’m going to try and keep these short so i don’t get stressed, just fun oneshots and an excuse to write my Links more :)
Here’s an explanation of courage of ages, as well as who’s who, but in this fic only four of them show up. Gloam is tp Link, Hue is albw & tfh, Era is hw, and Sprite is oot & mm.
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“Gloam?”
The Hero of Twilight blinked his eyes open, looking up at who’d addressed him. Hue stood next to the tree that he’d been dozing against up until a few seconds ago, looking like he felt extremely bad for disturbing him.
“Hey Hue, what’s up? You need something?” he yawned, and the younger hero shifted his weight nervously, and scratched the back of his neck.
“Era isn’t awake.”
Gloam tilted his head. “And..? Is that a problem? I mean, we weren’t going to head out until tomorrow morning anyways, he may as well take a nap.”
“No, I mean he hasn’t woken up all day,” Hue stressed. “I was going to tell you earlier but I couldn’t find you or anybody else, so I figured I’d just wait, but now...”
Hue glanced behind him at the inn in the distance where they were all staying.
“He’s barely moved. He was making weird noises before too, I’m... I’m kinda worried Gloam.”
The goatherd furrowed his brow and stood up, forgoing his comfortable spot against the tree to instead follow Hue back inside to where Era had apparently been sleeping all day.
If it were almost any one of the others Gloam would brush it off as them just taking a nap, but Era was one of the Links in their group who barely slept under normal circumstances.
Maybe he was just really tired?
They entered one of the rooms several of them were sharing, Gloam noting the lump on one of the beds. Drawing closer with Hue on his heels, Gloam saw Era tightly curled up under the sheets, already odd since he tended to sleep ramrod-straight on his back. His blanket was tight around his shoulders, breath wheezing in his throat, and when Gloam leaned closer he could see his face was flushed.
Wait...
Gloam leaned down and pressed a hand to Era’s forehead, then winced at the heat under his palm.
“Darn it, he’s got a fever,” he muttered, and at his touch, Era’s eyes flicked open.
He looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes and hair limp with sweat. He was always so put together, Gloam had to admit it was weird seeing him this... disheveled.
“We moving again?” the knight rasped, and made to sit up, arms trembling. Hue pushed him back down, and shook his head.
“No way, you’re sick Era. We’re not moving anytime soon.”
Era’s face paled.
“Sick? No. No way, I’m not sick I can’t be sick—” he said thickly, panic leeching into his voice.
“Era calm down, you’ve just got a bit of a fever,” Gloam soothed, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. “You only need some rest, you’ll be fine.”
Era swallowed, and Gloam could see him mentally push the panic down.
“But... we need to get going tomorrow,” he protested with a cough. “This was only supposed to be a quick stop, and then—”
“We can spare a day or two,” Gloam interrupted. “We switched pretty recently, I doubt we’ll leave this time for a little while yet. And you can’t go anywhere in this condition.“
Era looked like he was about to argue, but instead sneezed several times in a row, each one getting progressively louder.
Hue muffled a giggle at the surprisingly high-pitched sneezes, then shrank back at the look Era gave him.
“Umm, I’ll go get some soup I saved from the other night,” he said, then quickly escaped out the door. Gloam watched him go with an amused smile, then pulled a chair to Era’s bedside, sitting down as he looked down at the other hero.
The knight’s eyes were half-lidded and weary, but he made an effort to look more awake once he realized Gloam’s gaze was on him.
“I really am all right,” he rasped, and Gloam shook his head, sighing.
“No, you really aren’t,” he countered. “Hue said you’ve been sleeping all day.”
“So?”
Gloam eyeballed him. “You are always up at the crack of dawn, same as me. The only reason I didn’t notice you sleeping in earlier was because I was preoccupied,” he said a bit guiltily, then resumed his stern look. “You. Are. Sick.”
Era shrank in his blanket, looking away from Gloam.
“But I’m holding us up,” he rasped quietly. “We were going to try to make it to the castle, we might not have time if we w-wait—”
Era broke off into a stream of thick coughs, raspy and painful sounding. He groaned when he finished, and Gloam handed him some water, the knight weakly sipping at it. Once he’d finished, Gloam put his hand back on his forehead, trying to get a sense of just how bad his fever was. Era flinched, but relaxed after a minute, eyes drooping.
“I think your fever could be worse, but I don’t know how long you’ve had it either,” Gloam murmured, then pulled his hand away with a sigh. “Either way... it’s certainly not the greatest. We can see if this town has a healer, but in the meantime try and get more sleep?”
“Slept all morning,” Era mumbled. “Don’t need more.”
“You’re practically dozing off Era,” Gloam said dryly. “Just go back to sleep. Or I’ll get everyone in here and they can yell at you too.”
Era winced. “...don’t do that.”
The door creaked as he finished speaking, and Gloam turned, expecting to see Hue. But Sprite walked in instead, looking a little out of breath, like he’d run all the way here then stopped right at the door in an effort to seem nonchalant.
“Hue said you’re sick,” he blurted out, then crossed his arms and gave Era a foul look. “How on earth did you manage that?”
“You think I know?” Era croaked, and Gloam watched the worry in Sprite’s eyes grow more prominent at how weak his voice was.
The kid hesitated, then stalked over and jumped up on the bed next to him, ignoring Era’s immediate protests.
“Kid I’m going to get you sick, get off,” Era said sharply, but Sprite only crossed his arms behind his head and laid down.
“You shared your canteen with me yesterday, I’m probably already doomed,” he snipped back. “And I heard you and Gloam arguing, just go back to sleep, huh? It’s going to take you forever to get better if you don’t rest.”
“This from the kid who sleeps like two hours every night,” Era said with an eye roll, and Sprite elbowed him.
“Just go to sleep!”
Era still looked reluctant, and Sprite sighed, then creamed the knight with a pillow he’d grabbed without an ounce of apology. Era let out a affronted hey! and Sprite glared at him, holding the pillow threateningly under his arm.
“Era. Captain. Old Link. Go to sleep,” Sprite stressed. “Or it’ll be even longer ‘til we can leave.”
Era continued to glare half-heartedly at him, which Sprite returned with an equally fierce look, and Gloam decided to leave them to it.
“I’ll go see if Hue found that soup or not,” he said, trying not to smile, and began to leave the room.
“Wait, make sure nobody else comes in here,” Era rasped before he could go, grabbing Gloam’s wrist in a surprisingly strong grip. He gave him a serious look, and Gloam paused. “We don’t need it spreading. Keep Cloud out especially, you know h-how—”
He broke into a coughing fit again, and Gloam pulled his blanket back up around him, Sprite giving the knight a thinly-veiled look of worry.
“We’ll try and keep everyone out, calm down,” Gloam assured. “We’re serious though, obviously you need more rest. At least try and go back to sleep, I’ll go bring you some food in a bit.” Era didn’t reply, and Gloam left the room as Sprite rummaged in his pouch, already wondering how he was going to keep all the other Links out.
The sound of an ocarina followed him down the stairs, the slow notes of a lullaby ringing softly through the inn.
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thepinklink · 5 months
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It got too long and heartfelt in the reblog, so I decided it deserved its own post XD
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BOOM. MY OLD ART FROM LIKE 2018/19???
This is my bestie's Harry Potter OC that I drew for her! I actually had some similar drawings of both our OCs, but they're not in my possession right now XD and maybe they'll never be! But it's cool to see how very far I'll e come since then.here's some of my more recent art, just so you can see them side by side XD
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For me, personally, seeing them side by side makes me giddy. They're so different, it's hard to link them together, hard to look at them and think the same person drew them. But I did. And as someone who grew up with another fabulous artist (@/rustic-space-fiddle), | was always impatient, always discouraged to look at my own art and see everything it was missing. I wanted to draw like Rusty, but I was so very unskilled. I was very eager to reach the day when I could match her skill, when I could look at my art and see in it everything that I saw in hers.
And today, I can honestly, confidently, gratefully say that I have arrived.
Obviously, if you go check out Rusty’s art, you’ll see I am by no means as good as her. But I learned awhile ago that I’ll never be, no one will—not only am I biased that she’s the best artist in the world (because she is), but Rusty draws the way only Rusty can, and the way only she will. Others may draw similarly, others may copy her, but art is like a fingerprint. Each style and piece is unique to the person who drew it. Therefore, it’s unfair for me to compare myself to Rusty when I could never possess her fingerprint in the first place. But that doesn’t change the fact that I used to compare myself to her so harshly—and the fact that to a younger me, I have achieved exactly what I wanted.
2018 was not the year I started drawing. Was it perhaps the year of my first exploration into the digital realm? Yes, but before then, I was drawing horses. I love horses, and I loved them so much they were all I ever drew. My walls were adorned with dozens of drawings of horses. I’ve since fallen out of the habit of drawing horses so regularly, but all those drawings are what started me drawing. I learned to hold a pencil and put it to paper drawing horses, and then from there, I just started drawing everything else. I only recently started drawing in seriousness, in the grand scheme of things. A year or two ago. And then I was drawing people most of the time, and the occasional dog or cat. And there were many bumps along the way—my discouragement at my own ability, as well as my inability to draw digitally, as I was quickly coming to love. The iPad I used at the time simply didn’t support Procreate after awhile, so I was using my sister’s iPad.
There are also the artists which inspired me. Obviously, rustic-space-fiddle was—and still is—my number one support and inspiration, she was my goal. But then I got instagram and I saw people’s different styles, and while I don’t know where exactly the inspiration from them comes from, it’s certainly there, perhaps in the courage with which I now draw. The second biggest inspiration in my life has been, without a doubt, Jojo. Her art style, which I adore, is something I have tried to imbue in mine—I’ve been told before that it can be seen, but I’m unsure of that. Still, even if I do not draw in her style, I think I draw in her energy. In the way that I draw Legend, that style, that goal, that love for him and her art, I think it’s there every time I draw Legend, and even in the other things that I draw too. She may never know, but she is perhaps the only other artist in the world I have ever really hoped to be like.
Anyways. I guess what I am simply trying to say is I’m happy. I’m proud. I’m content with my art, in a way I once hoped I would achieve, and while I know I have many things to learn, I approach them without that lost hopelessness I used to feel, but with passion, curiosity, and the determination to grow better.
If you’ve read this far, thank you. You didn’t really have any reason to read this—even if we have talked, even if we are mutuals, I’m still a stranger whose ramblings about her art hold almost no weight at all. But you did anyways, because you were curious, because you cared, because it was interesting, moving, inspiring. Whatever it was, thank you :)
I’ve come a very long way. And I’ll go a very long way more. I hope you’ll be here to see it all!
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kriimhild · 2 years
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Im asking as anonymous because im have social angsiety and this is the only way i feel i can remotly do it i have debated around a month of how to just go about talking about this and today i tryed to join the security breach show server on discord and imiditly left cause of how scared i got i havent posted my own stuff on my blog bevause im scared and just wanted to know....how the heck do you do it how the heck do you have the courage to do what you do? Heck im trying to write i fan fiction only to scrap it like once every two days....
It's something that artists have to learn (if they want to). In order for people to remember you, they have to know you. And the easiest way to do that is to publish. I see a lot of people afraid to publish, and mostly because they're afraid of disappointment. The negative feedback they might get. All I can always say is think about what could happen. I've never written next to my drawings that I am in a developing phase, because I'll always be in a developing phase. Even now. But if you feel safer that way, Feel free to make a fine print stating that you are a beginner. But never write something like "I know I'm suck. Don't look at it, I'm so terrible." If someone still says it sucks, give a big, thicc shit. As long as they can articulate what they don't like about our art, we should be happy with that, because it smells like a constructive criticism, which is very important in development. And if all you get is "lol you suck, your art's suck!" kind of message, then…well…what do you do with that? Delete the hell out of it and ignore. Someone's not paying attention to what their kid's doing again. At the first hand, you work for your own entertainment. There'll be people who love you and protect from any bully. You know, one of the hardest things about being an artist is learning to hold up your middle finger when you need to. I'll tell you smth. My partner's one of the most serious critics I know. He looked at my recent animation and said it had little to do with the lyrics. Ngl, I felt like shit. It wasn't the art the main problem, but the fact that I can't English properly and I'm listening to the rhythm, because I'm an instrumental person. For almost two weeks I've been trying to figure out how the two are related. If it doesn't work out, I'll just do it the way I originally planned. The audience will decide if they like it. If not, I'll think about my next clips. Do whatever you want, it's your imagination, your hand, your pen.
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(I found this on Twitter, and I love it) We try to keep the server safe and clean, and the whole staff puts a lot of work into making sure that everyone's comfortable and has a good time in the community. It's not easy, because every day more people join and it's harder and harder to keep an eye on everything. Nevertheless, we're trying. If someone behaves rudely, we'll look at them with an angry-mom looking. I think the server is a safe place for a young, fresh newcomer to get to know people. We can't look after artists one by one, but we try to give out support and advice as much as we can. I don't know how much this message has helped, but I hope that I've encouraged you to share whatever you have with the world.
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Speaking of Death Battle thoughts on the 2000000000000000000000th repeat of Goku vs Superman? Good? Bad? Or exists?
//Ok, I have a lot to say about it:
//You know how I said that Scooby Vs Courage was my favourite episode of this season?
//It is genuinely at risk of losing it's title, and it's because of Goku Vs Superman 3. Let me break it down:
//Now, I did kind of mention this when I recapped Rick Vs Doctor, but even from the beginning, I was a big defender of the match. When Ben explained why they were doing this again, he made some really great points and convinced me that they had something good in the works.
//And for the people who say that the rerun was pointless, especially since Goku lost again, I need to point out that the SECOND fight was pointless. It happened one series after the first one and seemed to just be made of scrapped notes from the first episode, which, to its credit, I still think holds up today. The controversy surrounding the second episode was a bit intense, but sort of deserved, since the really only good thing about the second fight was Brandon Yates' "Alive".
//As for what makes the most recent episode so great, the analyses for both Goku and Superman are really well done and very respectful to both characters, much unlike the second fight where Goku just got fucked over and Superman got decharacterized like a motherfucker. They do a good job at bringing out both characters best sides and this is what is translated into the fight.
//Unlike the previous two times the two fought on Death Battle, Superman actually plays along with Goku's battle hungry enthusiasm, and the two are pretty chummy throughout the fight despite how they're trying to kill each other. I love it when there's no real animosity between fighters in DB and that they're just trying to test out each other's strength. I also think this shift in motives for Superman is great, because it brings out what I believe is his best side, that being his humility. Whereas in the previous two episodes he was kind of no-nonsense, overly stern and serious and just gave Goku shit for...being Goku, Superman is really nice to Goku in this episode and respects him right until the end, even agreeing to go round 2 with him. So even though the fight ends with Goku losing again, I saw this coming, and I'm at least glad it wasn't a fuck-you death like the last two times.
//Also, what helps is that the voice acting is amazing. Michael Kovach and Xander Mobus are two guys who I respect IMMENSELY, and this episode highlights why. They break off each other well, and Michael's final Kamehameha when Goku goes Ultra Instinct is incredible.
//The animation is the best of the season, bar-none, or at least the best 3D animation. If I talked about everything I liked about it, we'd be here forever, but you can tell the animators pulled out all the stops. The one scene I will draw attention to is when Superman starts to get serious and punches so hard, reality breaks and we see alternate versions of Goku and Superman fighting, like Goku Black fighting Ultraman. I think that was really cool and really clever and paid good attention to the legacy of both the characters.
//Lastly, the post-analysis was very well done. It seems to me that Death Battle really wanted to explain why Superman wins this time instead of just saying, "ugh, he's fucking strong and goku sucks" so they broke it down into categories, and Goku even outmatched Superman in skill. I liked that the fight wasn't a complete and total one-sided beatdown since Goku had a few edges, and that's enough for me.
//If I had to say there were any disappointments with the episode, I have two, and they are extremely minor. For one, I was really hoping that the battle track would be a remaster of Alive from the second fight, but upon reflection, Alive was more of a nitty and gritty and edgy track that suited the more savage mood of the second episode, whereas in this one it's more upbeat and powerful to show just how fun the two were having. So while my expectations were subverted, they were succeeded.
//The other thing I didn't like was how the episode ended. Wiz starts going on a panic and questioning what they're doing before Boomstick snaps him out of it. And the reason this makes me sad is because it feels like Death Battle is trying to justify it's reason for existing to it's audience, which...it shouldn't HAVE to do that. Death Battle exists to paint and show a picture of what would happen if the characters you love were to fight to the death using every ability they have in their arsenal, and use math, science and research to decide who. The people who right the show, in spite of what many people will tell you, are not biased against anybody, and even though they rely on facts to reach their verdicts, it's all about having fun and seeing these crossover fights with two powerful combatants duking it out. That's all there is to it and that's all there needs to be, and it makes me sad and angry to think about how these guys are getting chronic hate for their verdicts from toxic people, since it DOESN'T MATTER who wins! Oh, your fav lost? How sad! MOVE ON! You've got a life to live and if it pisses you off, watch a different series. It just made me sad, that's all.
//Anyway, in summary, top tier episode. 10/10.
//And for those who are curious, here's my current ranking of the Season 10 episodes from best to worst, not including Galactus Vs Unicron (which by the way, I have no say in, I'm not particularly invested in either character, so I don't really care who wins. Subtly rooting for Galactus though.) This season has been absolute fire from start to finish and I love every single episode so far though:
Scooby Vs Courage
Goku Vs Superman
Frieza Vs Megatron
Rick Vs the Doctor
Cole Vs Alex
Bill Vs Discord
Guts Vs Dimitri
Ant-Man Vs Atom
Gojo Vs Makima
Skyrim Vs Dark Souls
Phoenix Vs Raven
Martian Manhunter Vs Silver Surfer
Vader Vs Obito
Stitch Vs Rocket
Killua Vs Misaka.
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tomhiddlesmom · 1 year
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Sweet Boy (part 2)
a/n Let’s introduce our second babe. Again haven’t seen the resource material and this character is based off a real person but not about them i gave a twist to it. Hope ya’ll like it as this was self indulgent. @danobrainrot​
MINORS DNI! Dom/Sub dynamics 
gif by riddlersbimbo
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                                                                     David was happy to receive his letter from you as promised. The smell of your perfume enveloping his nose. He had waited patiently for your response to his question, after writing for a year he gain the courage to ask you to visit him, finally meeting face to face. At first he was reluctant when his family put his picture on the prison pen pal program site, he got a few letters but none of them captured his attention more than yours. It was cute pink stationary, your words so articulate and sweet yet shy. You told him you were lonely on the outside too and that you wanted to give this a try find a new friend. 'Thank you for writing me, you're actually the only person I've had the guts to write back something more thoughtful. Even with all the people I understand it can still feel like you're alone in the world. But at least we have each other now. I'd like be your friend and hope we can meet some day. Your friend David S.' That was a year ago and the anniversary of when you started writing each other was coming up so he thought what better way to commemorate that was finally seeing you. He kept every letter and card you sent. The little words of encouragement made him feel better about himself and he liked you were funny too. He was missing your pictures, you chose to keep yourself anonymous which he respected til now. In your recent letter he knew of you meeting someone and having an arrangement he could only dream of. For now, apart of him hope you wouldn't fall for the guy and it was strictly business. "Your puppy" you called him how pathetic. How was a guy referred to as puppy gonna protect you? He kept this to himself. Soaking in your response. "How does Thanksgiving sound? I don't really celebrate it. I'd like to meet you then." He was elated finally meeting his friend, he was quick to go to the office and put you on his visitation list, the first one he's had in years and fill out the necessary paperwork. Getting back to his cell to formulate a response but kept down his excitement, he was a tough quiet guy after all. 'That'll be great. I'll put you on the list for Thanksgiving Day and I know it's short notice for you to decide but tell me what you're wearing so I'll recognize you. Just call and make sure our visit is still on and no metal or drugs you know. You seem like a good girl. I await your response sorry it's so short but I wanted to get this out there, your letter was so nice. -Yours soon, David.' He sent the response that day hoping to shorten the wait time to five days.. the scent of your letter would suffice for now to ease his nervous mind besides he had all the time in the world to wait...
  Joby woke up to find you already gone, a note perched in his guitar. "Had to go back and take care of something, Be safe puppy. - drawing of a heart." Being alone now he decided to try to write new songs. Ones with more heart in them, he hope you wouldn't mind if he use you for inspiration. Going at it for awhile he took a break to text you. You never one to text or phone him first, you weren't the type. 'Hey wanted to tell you a couple shows got cancelled so we may be heading back around that way early. We got ask to play at venue where we met again, letting you know.' closing his phone, finish packing his bag, admiring the pink lace peeking at the top with his mostly black wardrobe. As he thought about the two of you together, the dynamic, rereading the lyircs he wrote was it too soon? Was he falling in love with you? You had this way of hynotizing him to do whatever you wanted. God he thrive in the embarrassment he felt when you showed up at the bar last night, he relive in his mind the whole morning. Even the thought of you warmed his heart the overthinking and subconscious thoughts filled his head. He can't be with you like that you weren't looking for a boyfriend or to be serious, he didn't want to take your freedom from being able to leave him anytime, you were your own people. yet he crave your attention and your tenderness, but for now he had to move on to the next city forget about his needs of you. He was with bandmate at the next place when you finally texted him back.. "Oh good I can you reward early. I miss you baby. Hope you're being careful." His growing smile didn't go unnoticed.. "Was that your girl?" 'Yea but she's not my girl.' "Come on we see how you look at her and the scene she cause last night. You went behind her like a little bitch instead of telling her to stop." 'She's not my girl, its not like that.' "I don't know man whatever it is she seems to be a bit of a control freak. Did you even know she was going to show up last night?" 'No, can you drop it? We have a show to play.' Joby smile to himself as he lead the way to the stage avoiding the tense conversation, they knew him to an extent and thought he would unwilling get into a situation he wasn't in control of? Then they didn't know him at all. The show was great, his confidence grew since being with you. He ate up your praise every time, you made him feel good about himself instead of being a mediocre musician and nicotine addict. Weeks passed of performing he was due back to your city and ready to see you. Thankful of having a place to stay, it was nearly midnight when he let you know he was almost there. "The doors unlock, just come on in." He didn't know you were planning his surprise and a big step of promise in your arrangementship. He was weary all he wanted was to lay in bed, have pets and praise... but upon entering your home he found it lit with candles , soft music playing.. 'Mistress?' he ask as his duffle fell with thud on the floor. "I'm in the bedroom, get comfortable and be on your knees for me." He took off his clothes leaving only his dark blue briefs with anticipation blushing his body as he took his position on his knees per your request. A sign of relief and bout of excitement overtook him as he bounced his body, when you made your appearance in your black silk robe and slippers, a wooden box in your arms. You hug his head on your legs as they were place in front of him. 'I've missed you so much mistress.' "I know I know. You've been so good for me. Do you think it's time for your reward?" 'Mmhmm, I'm ready.' "I wanted to make this special and a show of promise, acceptance and my ownership of you. But it's more for you than is it for me and I'm proud to be the one to share this with you." Lifting the lid of the box to reveal red velvet inside with a black spike collar embellished with a little silver tag in the middle. He didn't think he'd get this far into it, he read about being collared and how special it was.. he felt undeserving..But before he could process it.. "Would you like me to put it on you?" 'Yes please, please.' He close his eyes as you tighten it around his neck and took it upon himself to feel the tag and trace the spikes. "You look so handsome. It suits you so well my darling puppy." holding up the hand mirror you had on the coffee table for him. He admired himself, like the way it looked and it look like something that he could get away with wearing all the time. 'Thank you mistress, I love it!' nuzzling your thigh again. "What would my puppy want tonight as a treat?" 'Can we snuggle please? I missed your body against me and I want to be held if that's okay.' "Yes baby. Let's get into bed." at his own fruition he crawled alongside you as you walked to the bedroom, crawling up in bed, wait for you. "You're excited tonight aren't you?" 'Yes but I'm so sleepy. It was a long drive back. All I wanted was this with you.' while he was gone he a lot to think about...When you fell asleep he was restless, he knew he shouldn't have accepted this collar but you were so happy to give it to him and ready to take the step forward into a long term arrangement. How could he have that without falling in love or you breaking his heart? Besides you have your pen pal so you wouldn't be completely alone but he didn't know the dynamic you two shared. He quietly cried himself to sleep as he fidget with his name tag and held you with his other arm. The emotion still with him when he woke up to find you admiring him, you look so lovingly towards him. "I love your collar so much. You look even more beautiful." 'Thank you mistress..' stating quiet. "Is something wrong?" 'Just bummed I can't spend the day with you. It's nearly Thanksgiving and I have to see family moms expect me to stay with her. Wish I could take you with me get them off my back about finding a woman.' smiling into your neck as he nuzzled further in to hide his tears. "Aw I wish I could too but I don't really celebrate it so I'm not inclined to go. Maybe I can meet your family some other time." God he was glad you left him to go to the bathroom.. He couldn't keep it together. Now thoughts of you suggesting to meet his family, truthfully he was lying to you, he had to get himself away from you to protect his heart. He didn't have any family. Even after all this he didn't deserve your collar, he didn't want to be around when you take it off him before he could. He has everything he ever wanted and now he wants to throw it away, his fear and anxiety all consuming. "Want to have coffee with me before you go?" 'Oh yes sure.' He followed close behind to the living room, putting on his tank top and pants not ready to fasten them just yet. He took you in one more time the glow of the morning light on your silhouette, your soft humming to a song in your head.. "Here you go, how you like it." 'Got any plans for the day?' "Yes mailing a letter and probably a little shopping." 'How many times do you write each other?' "Well about once or twice a week depending on the post and the length of our letters. Why do you ask?" 'Wow and he's never seen your face and he probably knows you better than me.' "Are you jealous of my pen pal? We can't have that. I gave myself to you to be your mistress, I thought this was what you wanted?" 'I thought I did but being away I had time to think and I want a relationship some day how can I when I'm stuck in something like this?' "You're not stuck.. Is that what you think? I've done nothing but accepted you since day one and was so sensitive to your needs..Was I not good to you?" He reach up around his neck, removing the short lived promise and insulting your trust you had together. 'You deserve someone who doesn't want a long term relationship. Maybe your little pen pal can feed that desire for you.' He stood as you stayed quiet, tears rolling down your face. "Joby...Its not like that between me and him..I want to be with you, I want to have this with you. Please stay." You whisper, heart broken, voice trembling as he kept his emotions at bay. 'I can't. You need someone who won't fall in love with you so you can't break their heart first.' Joby fastened his pants, grabbing his things before rushing through the door. You didn't make a move to stop him but let me go the last memory of you holding his collar, crying. He left you thinking you meant nothing to him and he had to keep it that way. Going into his car, regret was quick to hit him as he pounded the steering wheel and cursed the gods for being such a dumbass. He would never find something like this again. He couldn't go back in there, he made his bed and now he had to lay suffering in it. He had to protect his heart even if that meant breaking yours but what he done was hurt himself, the last visual of you burned in his mind.
tags: @riddlersbimbo @finniestoncrane @sweetums0kitty​
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