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#but I should maybe add like... ducks and frogs and stuff

iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia · 1 year

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Hmm, I've been thinking about MC who can knit/crochet.

I thought this up with specifically Asra in mind since we know he can knit as well. Maybe on lazy days they both lounge around and make silly clothes for Faust (and maybe matching lovers bracelets?). I also think they get really unique yarn textures/colors on their trips, cant wait to come back home and brainstorm what to make with them(Fausts wardrobe never runs out. she's a fashionesta, all the others snakes stare in envy!)

Though I can also see MC knitting tiny hats and socks for Malak, and maybe a human sized version for Julian so they can match. julian insists MC make one for themselves as well so they can all match together. (I see him as an enjoyer of cheesy matching couples outfits, if MC makes one with an inside joke/romantic phrase on the shirt, he will not take it off until its basically a part of his skin)

Or maybe crocheting an elegant lacy sash for Nadias lovely owl (I'm sorry I forgot the name😭), and I think if MC made a similar one for Nadia she would not pass an opportunity to wear it, she styles it beautifully with casual outdoorsy clothes. (She was debating wearing it to a formal meeting with other world leaders, it so pretty she can't help it!)

And making tiny sweaters for Pepi? Portias in love. I think she would either 1)also know how to knit 2)make MC teach her how to so she can reciprocate the love by also making MC sweaters. They all end up warm and fuzzy at the end of the day. (Definitely makes MC and Pepi have a photo shoot/painting shoot?? Something to eternalise the memory basically)

And also, knitting a matching set of cowls for Innana and Muriel to fight off the cold in the forest, it's easily his favourite thing to wear, if it get caught on a brach and tears, or Innana accidentally claws through it he will be eternally guilty, even if MC reassures him that they can just mend it or make a new one. (Would also love if MC made little sacks for his herbs and protection charms)

And I can see Lucio clipping little crocheted charms on his gold arm, what do you mean? it cute and his MC made it for him of course he's wearing it! Also asks (forces) MC to buy neon red yarn so they HAVE to crochet stuff for him. (He went in public one day with little frogs and ladybugs and ducks dangling from his arm, got many stares, refused to give one of them to a child who then started crying, it was a whole thing, im not sure how he would feel if MC made a goat charm though)

Expand/add onto these if you want (i would like to know your opinion about the goat charm thing) , thought they were too sweet not to share, also had to get them outta my system😅, I love your content (just as much as Julian loves the sweater) sorry this is a long one and i hope you have a nice day<3

-🐍

Hello, snek friend!

Don't apologize for the long message, these ideas are all lovely! I can definitely see Faust and Malak flaunting their outfits whenever they can wear them. You already know Asra would set up a catwalk (or should I say snekslither?) for Faust to model her looks.

Careful with Julian though! He's better with his hands than he lets on, if you give him a crash course he might get even better than you are and start showering you with odd little crocheted inventions.

I expect Mercedes and Melchior would be better off if MC finds a nice, tough twine to make chew toys with XD

And oh goodness, you already know in Muriel's route how long he wore the scarf MC got him at the marketplace, if it was homemade he'd store them on the mantle with his tapestries.

Both Portia and Nadia would definitely find a book of patterns and gift it to you to help you explore new ideas! The difference is that Nadia would shower you with supplies, while Portia would challenge herself to master every pattern you can. ^.^

As for the goat charm, oh dear. He'll wear it because you made it but he'll clip it somewhere less noticeable XD

Thanks for sharing these wonderful ideas with me! They're so fluffy it makes me wanna melt :)

Cheers!

- brainrot

#ask arcana brainrot #the arcana #the arcana hc #the arcana headcanons #asra the arcana #julian the arcana #nadia the arcana #muriel the arcana #portia the arcana #lucio the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana fluff #asra alnazar #julian devorak #nadia satrinava #portia devorak #muriel of the kokhuri #lucio morgasson

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cara-kira · 2 months

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Hello again its your rwby exchange buddy. 😎

I have more questions. Like a lot. Sorry I hope I'm not annoying I just have a lot of thoughts.

Do you have a length preference for the fic or just whatever I'm feeling up to? I know some people don't enjoy long fics

Do you see Oz as the kind of fella that would be in a polycule 👀

I like your grim au so much it's changing the idea I had. How do you feel about letting me put my own twists on it? I know some people are protective of their AUs so I don't want to overstep.

Do you have an ao3 you'd like tagged? I tend to post stuff on there if that's alright

Also I'd love to hear some fun facts about yourself you seem very friendly and I'd like to get to know you lol. Sometimes it's fun to incorporate a bit of the giftee in the story. Like how do you like your pizza, if at all? Do you like frogs? Whats your favorite word? You know. Important things. Nothing scary or personaly revealing, just the important stuff.

If this is too much or you don't want to answer this whole thing I'm sure Zac can send me a message lol

I hope you're having a great day!

Hello again! No need to apologize for asking questions, you can ask me anything anytime!

As for my answers:

Nope! I don't really mind long fics, but it might take me a while to finish reading them since I unfortunately have the attention span of a goldfish

I kinda do actually. I haven't really made any fanart yet nor did I ever mention it, but I actually enjoy IronOzQrow quite a bit, or perhaps ozqrowbleck.

This kinda depends on what you plan to twist it into. I'm fine with some add-ons or small changes, but would like the overal base of the au to remain the same, if that makes sense.

I do have an ao3 account, but I don't use it all that much -and quite frankly know next to nothing on how it works either lmao. Feel free to post your work on ao3 and tag me, but I do suggest tagging me in a post here on tumblr as well so I won't accidentally miss it😅

And man, I suck at small talk lmao. Especially when it's about me XD

But anyways, as I'm sure everyone knows by now, I really like to draw. I've been drawing for as long as I remember, and I've been drawing fanart for rwby again since late 2019 I believe. (Yes again, the first time would've been around 2014/2015(?), of which some posts still exist on my instagram page haha). And like every media I've ever created for, I tend to latch onto the (often tragic) side characters with little screentime. Because of that, these characters usually don't have a lot known about them. So I usually tend to fill in the rest with headcannons. I actually have a few for Oz here as well, should you maybe want add some of those to your work👀

As for favorite foods, I love a good lasagna, or a nice pepperoni or shawarma pizza. Melted cheese is my kryptonite, and so is garlic bread lol.

My favorite color is purple. And my favorite animal changes from time to time, but usually goes from dogs to crows or ducks :>

I listen to a wide variety of music genres, but I think the majority of my playlist exists out of metal music.

I am also genderfluid, and go by she/he/they!

And I'll stop there or this post will go on forever lmao. I hope you're having a great day too!

Should you ever feel stuck on something or need more information, feel free to reach out! :>

#asks #anon #remnants of rwby: fanworks exchange #leave it to me to say lmao three times in one post-

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tamagochiie · 3 years

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pairing: timeskip!kenma x fem!reader synopsis: You come home late from your cousin’s funeral, and though Kenma didn’t expect much from you but perhaps a few leftovers you’ve managed to steal away from the dinner, he finds you with a surprise: a sleeping child cradled around your neck and a teenage boy hovering behind you. Your poor boyfriend wondering what in the hell it is you’re plotting… tags: angst and fluff, time skip!, slight spoilers if you squint warnings: mentions of death, mentions of depression, cursing, mentioned homophobia w/c: 3.6k

tagging list: @angrylittleriri @chims-kookies @gooseyhouse @kiyokoscunchie @unhappyraspberry @elianetsantana

a/n: welcome to the THIRD chapter of the fic! i hope you’re all doing well since i’ve last posted. I genuinely apologize for the delay! a few personal things kinda popped up, and it kinda derailed the process of posting this fic, but at least we’re here now! this is a bit longer compared to the other chapters, but i hope you all enjoy! please ignore any grammar mistakes, i proof read this to the best of my ability and it’s currently 5 in the morning :’)

see you all next week for the final chapter. p.s. I do have a smol surprise, so stay tuned for next week!

back to master list

<< life as she’s known it | life as they’ll know it >>

Kenma had always been aware of the common misconception people had of him, and the lack of interest they had to confirm it: that he had the inability to express his thoughts and feelings let alone identify it.

In a way, he did find it rather difficult to open up. Being bullied as a child silenced him into the dreading assumption that anyone who was kind to him or showed any interest in him were only doing so just to mess with him.

It took Kuroo quite a lot when he first met Kenma. He bent his little body over and under, jumping through hoops like a show pony just to get Kenma to even blink his way. And though all that effort strained him, he wouldn’t hesitate to tell you he’d do it all again if he could.

But it wasn’t a question of whether or not Kenma could identify what he was feeling and thoroughly express it. He had the right words, all of which were hanging off the tip of his tongue. He just didn’t know how to say it without sounding insensitive or heartless.

So as he stares at Yuki twirling in a dress you found digging through one of your old childhood clothes, his lips run dry. His words tuck behind the swell of his heart because though Yuki does indeed look like the cutest child he’s ever seen, his thoughts are full of concern, worried about what people say to a little boy showing up in a jean overall dress with purple and yellow flowers embroidered at the hem.

His eyes gape onto the sight before him, flickering over to Eiji when he hears him clear his throat. He seems just as troubled, quieter than usual while he watches over his brother. Not a single trace of amusement is seen in Eiji’s face. He doesn’t seem happy at all, and it phases Kenma; he’s usually stoic if not smiling in the presence of Yuki.

Yuki continues to giggle himself, gripping onto the material of his dress to have it flow in the air. He looks up to meet your eyes, oblivious to the two boys muddled in their own distress.

“I’m sorry, Yuki-chan,” You huff, smiling down to the little boy running circles in the middle of the living room. “If I had known the preschool was gonna accept you so soon, I would’ve brought you to the mall...But this should be fine for now, right? Is this okay with you, Yuki-chan?”

Yuki disregards your apology, holding up your old frog raincoat as he beams at his “new” found clothes.

“Plus, these don’t look so old, and it doesn’t look too girly, don’t you think?” You turn to Kenma who spares you nothing more than a nod. You follow his gaze and find it etched into the embroidered hem.

It doesn’t pass off as boy clothes, he thinks, letting your words breeze past him.

Kenma isn’t shy with breaking gender norms; he’s worn a few skirts and dresses himself, all that are still sitting in his closet to be worn again. His qualms aren’t with Yuki wearing a dress, but the treatment he’s expected to get when he shows up to his first day of school. He’ll be bullied into the same silence Kenma faced, and he’ll amount to nothing more than rubble beneath their judgement.

They say times are changing, so the people must be too, right? But there’s a persistent constricting feeling building up in his chest as if it comes as a warning sign. And the fact that Eiji looks just as uneasy as himself hints that maybe Yuki should change out of something less...worrisome.

“Mmm, Yuki,” Kenma clears his throat, trying to subside the build up of his uneasiness, “maybe you should wear something else…?” Yuki’s smile falters at his words as confusion colors away his joy. “I think you should wear the pants with the little frog shirt you picked out instead.”

He doesn’t mean for his words to come out bitter and cold, and the momentum of his panic leaves a lump in his throat he isn’t too sure he’ll be able to swallow if he keeps his silence.

Yuki looks up to him, blinking away at his words with glistening eyes. “I don’t look pretty?” Yuki’s voice comes out small--smaller than his fingers and toes. Smaller than his ability to comprehend where Kenma’s truly coming from. “You don’t like it, Kenma-san..?”

Oh no, he thinks to himself. Panic rises from his stomach and climbs up to his chest; a tightness in his throat soon follows when Yuki begins to blubber, telling him how mean he’s being. I didn’t mean to make him--

“Kozume.” You chide, looking at him quizzically. He meets your eyes and he instantly freezes up, thinking you, too, have come to misunderstand him. “What are you doing? Do something.”

But he can’t. If he opens his mouth, he’ll only sound meaner than before, and he’d rather not add any more confusion or any more pain to the little boy.

“Say something,” You push, glaring at him. “Kozume.”

His throat goes dry as well as his lips, and when he finally does gain enough courage, Eiji takes a step forward beating him to the punch. “Yuki, I think it’s better you just wear pants. Dresses are for girls, and you shouldn’t be wearing this kind of stuff.”

Your eyes widen and so does Kenma’s. Eiji’s is stern and clear in contrast to all the other times he’s spoken since he’s arrived. You watch as he kneels to meet Yuki’s eyes, placing a hand on his shoulder before running it up to his cheek to wipe away his tears.

“There might be some problems if you wear a dress to school, Yuki-chan. And didn’t we promise each other we wouldn’t cause them any trouble for Oba-san and Kenma-san while we’re here?” Eiji’s voice is a lot soft, yet his words are still firm. Yuki quietly submits to his brother, hanging his head low as he continues to cry.

You stand there both stunned.

You want to speak up, but you’re still unsure of your place; who you are and what you can say. So you stand there with Kenma tightlipped at your side with tension hanging above your heads, watching as Yuki quietly sniffles to himself as he hugs the pile of clothes he’s picked and carries it into their shared bedroom.

Needless to say, everyone goes to bed tucked beneath the covers of their guilt.

❁ ❁ ❁

Quiet mornings with a steaming cup at hand while treading lightly through the endless sea of emails in his iPad brought Kenma an odd sense of peace, and he looked forward to it every morning. But much to Kenma’s dismay, the apartment is too quiet and the coffee bitter; the chill in the atmosphere is unsettling as he falls into deep thought.

He thinks back to the events of last night; Yuki’s crying face, your contorted look of confusion, and Eiji’s words. It all comes pouring down on him like a bucket of cold water.

Not even his coffee can spare him from the chill down his spine.

He mentally kicks himself, thinking of all the other ways he could’ve said it better. How he could’ve prevented him from breaking Yuki’s little heart and avoided your cold shoulder as you left in a hurry to take the kids to their schools.

Kenma sucks in a breath as the stinging spreads across his chest. The weight of his cup grows heavy and he shifts his grip to a more comfortable hold. Nothing about the morning is comforting, and it leaves Kenma in distress, the feeling spilling into his work as he continues about his day.

He can barely read a single line of an email let alone write one; his senses aren’t as sharp as he struggles to smoothen his hand-eye coordination during gaming; and he catches himself zoning out in the middle of his online meetings, barely humming responses to questions he pretends to hear.

Kenma wonders how Yuki’s doing, and what he could do to apologize and gain his trust back. Maybe he’ll get some strawberry milk on the way to fetch him, or buy the little duck umbrella he caught him eyeing at the convenience store.

Kenma isn’t good with words if one were to ask him to be gentle and kind. He’s blunt and straight to the point, and it took him more than just a while to get used to softening the blow of his words and how he delivers them.

And now, as he muddles in his misery does he ingrain those habits deeper into thought until it becomes muscle memory to his lips.

He’s only then pulled from his squabbles when the doorbells rings throughout the apartment. His feet drag him to the door as his mutters in his resentment. What in the hell could be here--

“You’re shitting me.” Kenma grimaces at the sight of the cheeky grin plastered across his best friend’s face as he opens the door; his hair tousled to the side and his usual business attire unkempt. “What the hell do you want?”

Kuroo pouts, pretending to be wounded by the bitter greeting as he holds a hand to his heart. “Is that how you greet an old friend?”

“Not now, Kuroo-san.” Despite the bite in his words and his half-hearted attempt to shut the door, Kuroo welcomes himself in, kicking his shoes to the side before trailing behind him.

“I miss your calls,” Kuroo teases, eyes wandering about the apartment, “you don’t even text me back anymore.”

“I don’t have the time.” Kenma grits as he pinches the bridge of his nose. A drunken, dizzying feeling whirling in his head; probably because of all the coffee he’s downed and the little water he’s consumed. “Whatever it is you’re here to pester me with, please save it for another time and leave.”

“Why? Stay at home daddy roles keeping you occupied?” The cushion of the couch bends beneath Kuroo’s weight as he leisurely raises his feet to the coffee table, arms relaxing over to the arm rest. “I wasn’t so surprised when you became a CEO, but this--fatherhood was something I’d imagined you’d do much later...”

Irritation seeps through Kenma’s skin in the form of tense muscles and a clenched jaw as Kuroo continues on to pass cheap jokes and badgers him. He swipes a bottle warm from the fridge before joining Kuroo on the other side of the couch, kicking his foot off the table on the way.

“You’re so cold to me.” Kuroo whines, ruffling Kenma’s pudding head hair, earning a disapproving tsk. “Seriously, how’s it someone like you skips the step to marriage and dives straight to having kids? I’m a bit hurt. I had to hear it from Shoyo. Like, seriously? Shoyo? I thought I was your best friend?”

“Self-proclaimed.” He corrects, unbothered by Kuroo’s sore expression as he untwists the cap from the bottle before chugging the water down in one breath. “Will you leave now?”

“Why are you so keen to push me out?” Kuroo lifts himself off the warmth of the cushions, moving closer to his evidently troubled friend as he picks off the seal from the plastic bottle. “Kenma, are you okay? Kyanma?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose once again, Kenma shakes his head as he leans his head back. Kuroo tilts his head, watching as his friend unravels in his pain; manifesting both metaphorically and physically.

“I’ve said something mean to a little boy and he didn’t even deserve it.” Kenma fiddles the empty bottle, tossing it to the side before anxiously fiddling with his fingers.

“What happened?”

A deep and heavy sigh escapes him, “He was wearing a dress and I told him he shouldn’t. A-And, And it’s not like I didn’t want him to. I don’t mind it all, but people are mean and the thought that he might face the same kind of treatment I did--Kuroo-san, I don’t want that.”

“You only meant well,” Kuroo places his hand on Kenma’s shoulder, rubbing circles against the material of his old Nekoma sweater. “Though, you could’ve said it better--”

“You know damn well I’m not good at that!” Kenma spits, cutting him off.

“But the point is, you meant well!” He reiterates. “Might’ve come across as a lil douche-y, but the intentions were there. But I think you of all people know that no matter what, there’ll always be someone mean. And I don’t think you can shield him from that. Maybe temporarily, but not forever.”

“I don’t want that kind of pain for him!” Kenma abruptly stands from his place, frustration tingling at his fingertips as it spreads throughout the rest of his body. “He’s so small, Kuroo-san. You should’ve seen him. I said one thing and it already looked like he was gonna break. What happens when he hears words worse than mine? What’ll I do then? What can I do for him?”

Sniffling. It is the sound that follows after Kenma’s voice breaks and causes Kuroo to raise his brows. At first he thinks his ears have tricked him, but when he finds tears pooling down to his chin as he collapses back onto his seat.

And it is at this moment, after all the time that has passed, has he seen him break.

“I-I don’t know how to do any of this. I’m so confused.” Kenma babbles on, stumbling on his own words and choking in between his sobs. And all Kuroo can offer is a soft, rhythmic pat on his back to try and calm him down.

“I’ve been doing some reading about how to understand children or how to raise one, but it's so different. There’s all these theories and guidelines, but no one tells you that you forget everything you read the second they appear in front of you…”

Kenma holds his head in his trembling hands, crying even harder. All the while he wonders what the child version of him would think if saw him as fragile as the fallen leaves that’d crunch beneath his feet. He’d wonder if he had known the stress he’d fall prey to, would he have continued?

But as the image of you bleed through his worries, he’s more than sure of his answer.

Yes.

Yes, I would.

Over and over again in one breath.

“You will be to that child what you needed when you were bullied.” Kuroo’s words are steady, matched with an endearing smile to comfort Kenma’s crying as he meets his glistening gaze. “You needed someone to reassure you that all you heard were nothing but lies, so you do that for him.”

“Ah, my dear friend, have you not heard of the phrase ‘It takes a village to raise a child’?” Kenma merely blinks at him quizzically as Kuroo snakes an arm around him to bring him close. “What I’m tryna say is: stop acting like you don’t have me, and Shoyo, and the rest of your friends who’re just within your reach. No one ever said it was only just going to be the two of you.”

Kenma swallows thickly, nodding in agreement as he wipes away the snot dripping from the tip of his nose. He says his thanks that’s quieter than a whisper, it comes airy and a bit croaky from crying.

The words of his best friend doesn’t immediately fill his heart with peace, but it does lift a little weight from his shoulders. It does give him the sense of security he’s been searching for. And all Kenma wants to do now is apologize to Yuki--

“Speaking of,” Kuroo clears his throat, wandering his eyes around the expanse of the apartment. “Where are the kids…?”

“Oh, shit.”

❁ ❁ ❁

Kuroo and Kenma’s feet click clack against the pavement as they run down to Yuki’s preschool. The cool afternoon air winds past the pair; Kenma’s chest is heaving in pain while Kuroo barely breaks a sweat.

“I can’t believe you forgot the child!” Kuroo shouts behind him, laughing at Kenma struggling to catch up. “How could you forget a child?”

“I was pretty preoccupied today!” Kenma countered between ragged breaths. “If your ass didn’t show up I would’ve remembered!”

“Not with all that crying!”

“Don’t you dare bring that up ever!”

Kuroo’s hyena laugh carries two blocks over. Head turn as the two continue to bicker all the way down until they arrive at the preschool. Children clamoring before the gate, mingling with their parents and Kenma’s hooded gaze sweeps through the crowd to find a familiar tousled head of hair.

“What’s he look like?” Kuroo towers over Kenma and the children, squinting his eyes and looking around as if he’s got any clue.

“He, uh, he should be wearing jeans and a frog shir--” Kenma’s attention is pulled from a string of voices singing praises to find Yuki proudly twirling in his embroidered dress, basking in their compliment.

It becomes clear to Kenma you dire need to leave the house immediately was because of this. Because you were being coy.

But Yuki’s joy is short-lived, locking eyes with Kenma huffing for air after all the running. But to the young boy gaping up at him, it looks as if he’s ready to yell. So he stops his twirling, his smile slipping away as the rest of the kids’ turn to face him.

Yuki straightens himself, adjusting the straps of his backpack as he carefully walks towards Kenma with his head hung low. Kuroo elbows his side and nearly knocks out the little air he has left.

He swipes his tongue across his lips before he speaks, But before he can even utter a sound, his train of thought is pulled from him once again.

“Disgusting.” An abrasive, disembodied voice grimaces. Not a single care if they’re heard.

“Why the hell is he wearing a dress?” Says another.

“Honestly, this generation…”

“Boy’s aren’t supposed to be wearing dresses.”

The chattering picks up and soon all the parents are ogling at Yuki who can hear them all so clearly, and Kenma notices him shrinking into his froggy raincoat, trying to hide from their judgemental stares.

This, Kenma thinks. This is exactly what I mean.

Kenma is not an emotional person, and not once did he ever raise his voice or act on what he was feeling without thinking it over. And as much as he’d like to throw his hands and cause a scene, he remembers Kuroo’s advice.

“Who’s child is this?” One of the mothers questions. “Who does this child belong to?”

“He belongs to me, Miss.” Kenma rasps, taking Yuki’s hand in his before turning to the woman. “I am the guardian and this is my child.”

“And you allow your child to wear a dress?”

“Yes.” He answers, finding the footing in his confidence to talk back to a woman who can easily tower over him if she steps closer. “Yes, and what does that have to do with you?”

“Have you no shame?” She glares at him in disgust, sighing. “He’s a boy! Boy’s shouldn’t be wearing dresses! It’s for girls! What kind of message are you trying to teach him?”

“And what about you, Miss? Are you proud to show your kid and all these other young minds that its okay to be a bigot? That it’s okay to be uneducated?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Then beg.” Kenma spits, his cat eyes burning holes into the mother’s skin. He’s completely unphased by the growing whispers exchanged between the parents. Kuroo watches proudly in the background, quietly cheering him on. “Skirts were worn by both men and women during the prehistoric times, and biologically speaking, it makes more sense if men were to wear skirts. They only stopped because people as close minded and uneducated as you feared femininity.”

“So I should ask you the same question, Miss: have you no shame? Telling a small child he’s disgusting because we wanted to wear something that made him happy and comfortable. Is he hurting you?”

The woman’s lips fall to an ‘o’ as she’s at a loss for words, and Kenma relishes in his growing confidence, bending down to Yuki to pick him up and rest him onto his hip.

“You have no right to talk to my child that way.” Kenma clears his throat, taking a step back as he maintains eye contact with all the parents at sight. “Let me make this very clear: should you feel the need to take my place as his guardian and try to speak for me, I suggest you don’t.”

Kenma let’s his words linger in the air and begins to walk away, Kuroo slipping through the sea of parents to walk alongside him.

A smirk slips across his lips, looking down to Yuki clinging his around Kenma’s neck.

“Wow,” Kuroo breathes, amusement lacing in his tone. “I didn’t think you had it in ya.”

“Oh my god, I never wanna do that again.” Kenma twitches the cringe out from his body before pressing Yuki closer to him. “I hate talking to people.”

“But you did a very good job, I’m actually super proud.”

“Shut up,” Kenma mutters, locking his eyes onto the pavement ahead of him.

He’s still shocked, unable to believe what had just transpired. He hated the feeling of everyone’s eyes fixed on him, and how quiet it was when he spoke. He hated having to speak up.

But if had to do it again, he would.

He’d do it again and again in one breath.

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shoichee · 4 years

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GoMs + Kagami as Persona Users

Headcanons on the Generation of Miracles (and Kagami) if they were to become a persona user in the world of the Persona series (Kuroko and Momoi included)

@akichan-th THIS IS FOR YOU

Warning: KNB series spoilers !!

Kuroko Tetsuya

since his presence is nonexistent in the real world, as a phantom thief, he’d probably desire to be a noticeable hero, you know? even in the 22.5 OVA, he told Kise that passing around wasn’t fun but he was going to do it for the sake of the team

his phantom thief outfit would be flashy in a sense of maybe eye-catching color schemes, or bold patterns

his attire could be baggy/oversized navy blue/black street clothing with TASTEFUL neon-colored accents and his mask would be a neon-colored huge sports shades/goggles situation (i was about to say some trendy sunglasses but sunglasses don’t stay on at all); he’s a skater boy ???? basically??

like, his PT attire could very well be a Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight DLC outfit 👀 it has those vibes

persona element is curse and let me explain why: he doesn’t have the gifted physique like the other GoMs and he’s cursed to rely on others for him to make a difference, and his motif has always been “shadow” ALSO he’s the PHANTOM sixth player YOU CAN’T CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE

he’s a front-line battler, but his skills are very support heavy: support skills that increase attack and defense for his teammates; i also wanna say he has spells that inflict dizziness ailments because in the anime, players are always losing their shit and whipping their heads around to find this tiny boy LMAO

he would definitely have a signature move that would direct all enemy attacks and status moves to himself for a set amount of turns to aid his teammates

his persona would have an extremely high Endurance and higher than average Luck stat but everything else is an all-time low

i’m going to say it, his shooting weapon is gonna be a paintball gun filled with neon paint just to fuck with the shadows and still make it HURT

code name would be “Umbra” (which means innermost part of a shadow) or “Ghost;” imagine some PT member shouting, “Oh no! Umbra’s knocked down!” and all the shadow sees is this brightass, neon kid on the floor

i would love his codename to be “Shadow” but there’s already the term shadow to describe the monsters in the metaverse

Kise Ryota

he views a “rebel” as your basic punk

since he’s a model, he knows japanese punk fashion very well

guess who’s gonna come into the metaverse being this hot ass punk boy? Kise motherfucking Ryota

black spike collar

lots of those tiny chains and harness/buckle action somewhere

ripped black leather pants that give Joker’s own leather pants a run for its money PLUS WITH SHINY BLACK BELT

lots of patchwork and stuff

THIS IS WHAT MORE OR LESS I’M TALKING ABOUT IF YOU WANT VISUAL REFERENCES

his mask would totally be a visor goggle to add further to the punk theme

part of me is biased that Kise is a blondie and “kise” is based off of “yellow” and Ryuji is blonde and so now i headcanon him as the electric element

okay, but since he’s an “all-rounder” he’ll probably be able to access mid-tier level attacks of all elements, including almighty to an extent

but if i was basing his element off of personality, he’d be ice for sure; he’s actually cold-hearted to people whom he doesn’t consider “worthy” and the anime only showed his friendly side because most of the time, he’s shown talking to his friends and people he respects

speaking of all-rounder, his stats would be all high all around, with his Magic stat peaking the highest

Midorima Shintarou

this boy is a bit tricky to figure out what his PT attire would be

he doesn’t have any time to think about “what he would be as a rebel” type of thing

however, if he were to desire to become something, i’d say he would want to be a supernatural being who can distribute good luck for himself every day

think of those JRPG wizard/mage/warlock outfit motifs (and they match up nicely with the idea of astrology and horoscopes); probably lots of brown/beige/hues of green scheme? or a black/various colors of purple for a FULL on witch vibe

it makes sense too because as someone who always shoots from afar and never dunks, mage classes always cast from afar and never attack up close to their opponent

and his frog puppets remind me of a witch’s animal familiars LMAO

there you have it

his mask would be a dark dark purple or a pure black domino mask that has little stars littered sparingly everywhere on said mask

his shooting weapon? my guy is stacked on staves ready to cast long-range spells

wind element for sure (because his basketball shots all catch air with lots of hang time | (• ◡•)|) with tons of gun skills

signature move would be a magic skill that never misses no matter what (his range is the entire metaverse)

his persona stats are also pretty well rounded but his highest stats would be Magic and Luck, with Endurance being a close runner up

Aomine Daiki

also hard to figure out a PT attire for this guy

according to KUROFES, his alternative career would be a police officer so i would think he despises criminals and the Phantom Thieves altogether ?

if anything, he’s more suited for the S.E.E.S. investigation team in Persona 3

Aomine doesn’t give a fuck, but he has a soft spot to protect others so like having a gun evoker definitely suits him more than a mask summon BRJWBDJW

i see him as a fire element, but his persona would have a lot more physical skills than anything else

bonus: since he used to be Kuroko’s “light,” he can have some mid-tier level bless skills

to make a reference his “formless” shots and forms, as well as his rapid changes of pace, his signature move would be a 5-hit physical skill that changes targets with every hit

statwise, his Agility stat is the highest out of everyone in the GoM, and his Strength and Endurance would be runner up stats; his Magic stat would be extremely dismal

Murasakibara Atsushi

this guy thinks about nothing but food and how he hates Teppei-species people basketball, so honestly he’s not interested in the Phantom Thieves business

like what? Murasakibara dressed in a getup? it’s a big “press X to doubt”

so i envision him to be more suitable for Persona 4, where he has to confront the other self that loves basketball and truly does care about people, and he had to be honest and accept that side for him to attain a persona

would he ever go back to the said “persona world” to go fight some shadows? unless there’s a good reason why he should or you bribed him with snacks, he won’t budge an inch

just give this man a Persona 4 school uniform and he’s ready to fight

his persona would primarily have physical skills, with lots of “wall” support skills, element “break” skills, and lots of passive skills (lots of nulls/resists) available for it to learn

highest stat for him would be Strength, then Endurance, and surprisingly have Agility as the runner up

he’s a huge tank of a persona user

Akashi Seijuro

i’ve talked about his PT outfit in this headcanon here, including his mask and why

hear me out, since this man is good at everything in school, and since there are archery clubs in Japanese schools, i wouldn’t be surprised if he was a Robin Hood with the scopes; what am i tryna say? his shooting weapon would be bow & arrows

i feel like people would automatically think he’s a bless/curse element like Akechi since “he has two sides,” but i feel like it’s not exactly right? if anything, i headcanon him to be more of a psychokinesis element

why? i want to attribute that to his emperor’s eye and his perfect passings, both each specialties from their respective “sides” of Akashi, and that requires extreme precision, almost to the level of “telepathy”

there’s also everyone thinking he can see the future too i mean

in the end, Akashi’s dual sides merged into one again, so having a whole bless/curse element wouldn’t even make sense anymore

but i will say, this man deserves to have a persona with almighty skills back to back

this guy isn’t the captain for no reason

so his persona would utilize psychokinesis and almighty skills, with special buff skills that increase critical rates for his allies (to refer to the fact that his passings enhance other players); his persona would also enjoy a large selection of passive skills to choose from to either be ultimate support or ultimate offensive sweeper

to also reiterate from the mentioned headcanon i linked, his code name would either be “Crimson” or “Scarlet”

his persona is a literal glass cannon, referring to the fact that Akashi is actually a mentally fragile basketball player; extremely high Strength, Magic, and Agility (but not as high as Aomine though) stats, average Luck stat, but extremely low Endurance stat

Momoi Satsuki

Momoi, i think, would envision herself in the metaverse as someone who’s never underestimated because of her usual demeanor or physical looks

even me, i got fooled thinking she was just only a fanservice girl and not this incredibly intelligent girl who was critical to her teams’ successes

so i would think she would imagine herself to be in a huge respectable position of power, like a lieutenant or general, who can command others and strategize to victory

her outfit would be similar to the attire from the Assassin’s Faith set from Love Nikki with the black Army Floppy Hat from the Army Major set on top (also from Love Nikki)

color scheming i can imagine a lot of black/white with gold trimmings/accents here and there

her mask is a Venetian eye mask i can literally see it; it’s so pretty with the gold plating !!

her role would definitely be a navigator + analyzer/tactician from the backlines, so while she isn’t in the battle most of the times, if worse comes to shove, she’ll be in the frontlines as a last resort

in other words, she’s a Futaba, but she isn’t a sitting duck and can fight if needed

she has an incredible Luck stat, higher than average Agility stat, but average stats for the rest (Magic, Strength, and Endurance)

ailment, healing, support, and buff skills are all at her disposal, along with some gun skills (which can definitely be broken when paired with her high Luck stat)

“Duchess” (a woman having a noble rank) would be a really cute codename for her

Kagami Taiga

why do i literally see him as a shinobi (ninja)

i have no idea why i do, but i think it’s just his name:

“While Kagami's name is associated with the ‘tiger’, Himuro's name means ‘dragon’. In Chinese mythology, the Azure Dragon of the East and the White Tiger of the West are eternal rivals. This rivalry is further expressed in their surnames: ‘Hi (氷)’ means ‘ice’ while ‘Ka (火)’ translates as ‘fire’.” - KNB wiki

so i literally see both Himuro and Kagami as rival clans duking it out

jokes aside, Kagami is a very honorable player, but he did at one point exhibited a “darker side” to himself, playing selfishly and being arrogant in the beginning

shinobis were considered to be “dishonorable” and “beneath the honor” of the samurai in their eras, so i feel that this could be a great image for what Kagami thinks is a “rebel”

being a ninja would make use of his jumping skills too

i imagine him in a fitted black halter neck top (so his abs are for us to see), with an iconic long red scarf wrapping his neck and hanging down to his waist at the back side

black forearm guards/wraps?

and then he has mahogany/dark red??/black???? loose cloth wrapped around his waist, like how you would tie a jacket over your waist ?? and then black nu-bakama pants and finally some dark boots for those pants to be tucked in

no one can convince me otherwise, but he’s gotta have a red full-face oni mask with black horns and some golden tiger stripes on the sides of the mask and around the eyes

HIS PERSONA ELEMENT IS BLESS BECAUSE HE IS KUROKO’S “LIGHT”

he would totally have some almighty skills and “Heat Riser,” a move that raises all of the user’s attack, defense, and accuracy/evasiveness (because the colors of the move’s animation remind me of Direct Drive Zone, something that was pretty much unlocked by Kagami for the team)

his persona is one of the OP/late game personas where all their stats are amazing across the board; even if his stats were high all around, his “lowest” would be his Luck stat

codename for him is “Tiger” no one cannot argue with me for this one NRNEIJFEO

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logicalbookthief · 4 years

Note

76 on the prompt list :>>> excited to see what u come up w/

Anon, your faith in me was truly misguided. I saw this prompt and went, “ooh, ok, let’s do some heartfelt angst,” and then as I started that my brain went, “nah, this instead.”

And by this, I mean “domestic & married Reddie being gross and in love and having a drama queen for a kid”

Prompt: 76 – “It could be worse. They could be dating.” “Wait. They are?!”

Summary: “Our daughter is dating a nose-picker?!” Eddie says it with the disdain of someone describing a serial killer.

Richie kicks the door closed with his foot, already slipping it halfway out of his shoe. He dumps his duffel on the floor, which Eddie’ll chide him for later. That’s a problem for future Richie, not present Richie, who’s running on pure caffeine after his non-stop flight from Atlanta to LA.

The distant thump of 80s music lures him to the kitchen. Eddie’s humming along to the radio as he rinses lettuce for one of his seasonal salads. Richie would bet his life it includes pine nuts.

Padding quietly across the hardwood, Richie warps his arms around his husband from behind. “Honey, I’m home!”

Eddie jolts, relaxing the minute he feels the frame of Richie’s glasses against his head. “Jesus,” he sighs, dropping to a whisper. “Jack, what’re you doing, you know my husband’s coming home today!”

“Jack?!” Richie squawks, twisting him around by the lapels. “As in, our mailman?”

“Oh, whoops,” Eddie feigns shock, the facade lasting all of a second before he throws his arms around Richie’s neck, swooping in for a kiss.

Richie moans, a little satisfied hum against Eddie’s lips. “Where’s my other sweetheart?”

His husband adjusts his shirt where it’s riding up, due to his Richie’s wandering hands. “Moping,” he explains, delicately.

“She’s seven. What does she have to mope about?” Richie deadpans. His mouth twists into a grimace. “Wait. Are you trying the tuna casserole recipe again?”

Eddie whips around. “What the fuck’s wrong with my–?”

“Nothing!” he answers quickly. Eddie narrows his eyes, wielding the salad-spinner like he wants to use it on something besides leafy greens. “So what’s eating my little Spaghetti-o?”

“Mrs. Diaz separated her from her cubby-buddy, Jonas,” Eddie informs, eyebrows rocketing to his hairline. “Apparently they were too disruptive as a pair.”

“Jonas? Isn’t that the nose-picker?” He regrets this observation as Eddie gags over the croutons.

Everyone has a thing, a thing that trips the gag reflex. Many things bring out that response in Eddie, yet none so viscerally as his aversion to snot, boogers, and the like. Ever since they were kids, it was the surefire way to make him heave. Even if the snot in question was connected to their child.

So when it came to boogers, Richie was the go-to parent, while Eddie graciously agreed to handle the diaper meltdowns. After all, the key to a successful marriage is compromise. Compromise, and lots of Clorox wipes.

At the school’s Christmas pageant last year, the boy standing next to Nina started digging for gold halfway through Twelve Days of Christmas and found a nugget before they hit two turtle-doves. Poor Eds nearly hurled in Richie’s lap.

“Don’t remind me,” Eddie shudders. “Anyway, she’s heartbroken over it. As soon as we got home she ran to her room. I tried to talk to her when I brought her a snack and she asked me to please give her time.”

Richie imagines that coming out of his seven-year-old’s mouth and snorts. “Sorry,” he adds. “Not funny.”

Eddie ducks his chin to hide his smile. “Even for her, it’s a tad overdramatic,” he admits, glancing up at Richie through his lashes. “I didn’t have the heart to pester her, but, maybe since you’re home…”

“I’m on it!” Richie stretches the lingering kinks out of his neck. “I’m a world-famous comedian back from a sold-out show. Cheering our daughter up should be a cinch.”

“Mhm,” Eddie intones, not sounding very confident. Which, rude. He seems rather distracted by the length of Richie’s biceps as they stretch over his head. His eyes gleam with an anticipation that has nothing to do with salad. Richie’s got the same itch crawling beneath his skin and he’s very eager to scratch it. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and the dick grow harder.

His knocks at Nina’s room are ignored, so Richie gently pushes the door open to peer inside. At the sight of his daughter curled up on the bed, he breaks into a smile.

“Eyyy, there’s my girl!”

Nina raises her head from the pillow, uttering a curt, “Hi, Dad.”

Well, that’s far less enthusiasm than he was expecting. Considering he was gone for almost a week. Nothing like a child’s indifference to keep you humble.

“Aww, sweetie, what’s wrong?” His ears perk at the soft croon of Whitney Houston in the background. “And … what the heck are you listening to?”

“Playlist,” she mutters, blindly flinging an arm toward her device. She’s got it open to his Spotify.

Richie should probably delete the app from her tablet, like, yesterday. If she ever stumbles across his “Songs to fuck Eddie to” playlist he’ll have to commit samurai-suicide.

However. Given this playlist is called “Sad love songs to cry into your Chipotle burrito,” Richie has a better idea of what type of crisis he’s dealing with here.

“Sooo, uh. Your daddy told me. You and Jonas, you two are…?” He winces at her lip-tremble, which confirms his worst suspicions. “That’s rough, kiddo.”

“I’ll never be happy again,” Nina sniffs miserably. “I love Jonas and now we’ll never see each other!”

“You are still in the same class,” Richie points out.

She whirls on him, eyes flashing lividly.

“We sit by last names! His is at the beginning, mine’s at the end!” With more venom than a child should be capable of, she hisses, “I hate the alphabet.”

“O-Kay,” says Richie, truly at a loss. Luckily, she doesn’t seem inclined to talk about it anymore. Instead she stuffs her face back in the pillow, not quite fluffy enough to absorb her lovelorn sigh.

He pets her hair, curling it around his fingers, until the sniffles eventually dwindle. “Do you want us to make you a special dinner? Anything you want,” Richie cajoles.

Nina thinks it over, tilting her cheek enough to say, “Can you ask Daddy to make tuna casserole?”

Richie blanches. “Wha– Why?”

“I want my belly to feel as bad as my heart,” she mumbles.

He manages to keep a straight face as he bends to kiss her brow and leaves her to sulk, but it’s a close call. When he reports back to the kitchen with his news, there’s no tact necessary.

Eddie laughs ‘til he’s out of breath. “It isn’t funny,” he repeats, slightly winded.

“Of course not,” Richie agrees, failing to stifle his own grin.

“I love her, I’m sorry she’s hurting, but she’s so–”

“Theatric?”

“She gets that from you,” Eddie accuses.

“Excuse a moi?” Richie balks. “This, coming from the guy who kissed me out of the deadlights like some low-budget horror rebut of Sleeping Beauty?”

“What, should I have let the clown eat you?” Eddie glances his way, slyly. “I was referring to middle school. When you spent an entire night cranking your mom’s Bonnie Tyler records because I said you kind of looked like a frog, and you remembered how three weeks ago I told Bev I’d never kiss a frog even if it turned into a handsome prince?”

“Fucking Stanley,” Richie huffs. “I swore him to secrecy. We spit on it and everything.”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “At least for Nina, it’s only a crush. It could be worse,” he scoffs. “They could be dating.”

Richie tries to school his expression, he does, but – the thing is. After spending almost their whole fucking lives together, minus those twenty-two years of amnesia in between, Eddie can spot his tells from a mile away.

“Wait. They are?!” He slaps a hand over his mouth, aghast. “Our daughter is dating a nose-picker?”

He says it with the disdain of someone describing a serial killer.

“Ugh, Rich, that–ew! What if they hold hands after h–he–”

The suggestion of it alone has Eddie bending over the sink.

“Babe, c’mon.” Richie soothes a palm up-and-down his spine. “You’ve drilled the importance of hand-washing into Nina since she could walk. I doubt she’s carrying around any clingers.”

On cue, Eddie lets loose another dry heave.

“Will you stop?” he groans, glaring over his shoulder at Richie. “This is awful. Literally, of all the kids in her class, why this one?”

“You’re blowing this way out of proportion,” says Richie, though Eddie’s eyebrows beg to differ. He loves his husband, deeply, irrevocably, but he’s also one of most ridiculous people on the planet. “Remember, we like Jonas? Jonas is nice! If a little unsanitary… He’ll grow out of it, though. Like I did.”

The words leave his mouth before his brain can flash any of the red warning signs. Slowly, ever so slowly, Eddie turns. They lock eyes. His gaze brims with the horror of this realization.

“Are you saying,” Eddie begins, dangerously low, “that you used to pick your nose when we were kids a-and then, you’d touch me?”

“Used to?” Richie grabs the fleeing Eddie and hauls him back before he really does leave him for their incredibly buff mailman.

“Babe!” he chuckles. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding, I swear! I swear on Ben’s chiseled abs!”

“Disgusting, you’re disgusting,” Eddie grumbles, wriggling in his grasp. “Let go of me, don’t even think of touching me with–”

All of a sudden, Eddie squeals, wracked with a full-bodied spasm.

“With what?” Richie taunts, continuing to tickle him. “With these filthy, boogery fingers of mine?”

“St–op!” Eddie wheezes. “I’m gonna piss my pants!”

“Don’t exploit my pee kink,” he snaps, which only makes Eddie wheeze harder.

“I’ve had my fingers in your ass,” Richie reminds. “In fact, you love my fingers in your ass.”

Whether from embarrassment or exertion, Eddie flushes. “Fuck you, that’s extremely different!”

“You’re right, it’s probably more disgusting.” Teeth skirting over his earlobe, Richie leans down, his voice a sultry hush, “Because I like to use my mouth there, too.”

Eddie muffles a moan into his fist. “I see what you’re doing,” he grits out. “And it won’t work. No way I’m sleeping with you now, nose-picker.”

Richie makes a wounded noise, clutching him more firmly to his chest. “Please, Eds, baby, I can change! I’ll go to meetings, therapy– I’ll never stick my finger anywhere you don’t want again!”

“I don’t know if I can ever look at you the same.” Eddie’s reply cuts off into a giggle as those fingers attack his flank. “Seriously, Rich, I am going to–!”

They’re interrupted by the violent swing of Nina’s door against the wall.

“Will you two keep it down?!” she shouts. “I’m trying to mourn!”

The door slams shut again. They gawk at each other in silence. Finally, Richie pools enough blood into his brain to speak.

“Are we terrible parents?”

Eddie kisses the underside of his chin. “Ask me that when your semi isn’t plastered against my ass,” he says, flatly.

@trashmouth_tozier

Hi my name is Richie and I’m a recovering nose-picker. Ages 3 thru 9 were rough, but with the support of my dear husband, I’ve managed to keep my fingers clean. Hope my story can help inspire someone else xx

Bev: why did Eddie ask for the number of my divorce lawyer ?

Bev: nvm I saw your tweet

Am I projecting my own snot-induced gag reflex onto Eddie? Yes. Do I still believe my characterization was spot-on? Yes again.

#reddie #reddie fic #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #it chapter 2 #canon fix-it #asks #prompt fic

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tisfan · 4 years

Text

Flying My Way

Title: Flying my Way Written by: @tisfan Card: 3023 Square: S2 - AU: Star Wars Rating: teen Triggers/warnings: Tags: star wars au, spice runners, hutts, mechanic!Tony, flirting Created for: @tonystarkbingo Word count: 1484

Pralla the Hutt was typical of her species; fat, slug-like, and an unappetizing shade of purple with green splotches that made her look rather like some fruit gone soft and rotten.

Tony hadn’t even realized Pralla was female until she spoke, and not even then, until the translator droid started yammering. As a point of honor, most Hutts spoke exclusively Huttese, even if they understood many languages. It was frequently the only such point.

Besides, the talk-droid made the Hutt look important.

“The magnificent Pralla the Hutt gives you greetings, star captain,” the droid said, “and she hopes you will enjoy your stay at her palace. Make yourself comfortable, and she will be delighted to discuss business with you in the morning.”

She wasn’t, thank the Maker, talking to Tony.

Tony wasn’t the star captain. He wasn’t even a crewman on the ship. He was, in fact, a hired mechanic, brought in specifically to work on the specialized divan that Pralla used to move around her palace. Tony’s father had designed the thing, and been richly rewarded for it. But Hutts lived a lot longer than humans, so here was Tony, hoping he could fix it.

Because the Hutts did not like being disappointed. And there might have been that small incident with some damages in a bar fight -- totally not his fault, the other guy was cheating at Sabaac, and Tony did not like a cheater. He’d thrown Justin Hammer through a window. But it was Pralla’s casino, and she might still have been offended.

In either case, he needed to fix the divan. It was his only hope.

The space captain gave Pralla a quick bow, graceful and somehow sarcastic, like the Hutt didn’t deserve the respect she was demanding, but in such a flowing manner that Tony was pretty sure Pralla didn’t realize he was mocking her.

I like you already, Tony thought, watching him go, wearing all black and walking like people had damned well get out of his way. Tony wondered what ship he was flying. And why. And what cargo he was taking on.

And reminded himself that curiosity about a gangster’s business was likely to get him into trouble.

The line of petitioners moved forward, and Tony moved with it.

Finally, it was his turn. He presented his gifts and his best wishes, and allowed that he would be delighted to assist in the manner of mechanical difficulties with the repulsor tech that kept the divan floating.

“Her most excellent beauty, Pralla the Hutt, welcomes such a brilliant mind to her palace, and hopes you will be pleased to join the festivities this evening. She entreats you will stay behind as petitions are dismissed, to look over your father’s work.”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Tony said, trusting the talk-droid to add all the accustomed flattery and honorifics. Since the talk-droids were the ones who bore the first brunt of disapproval from the Hutt, he was pretty sure the droid was doing its best.

When the room cleared of everyone except her magnificent slugness and the talk-droid, Tony was beckoned forward. Obviously, it was very difficult for the Hutt to move off the divan. At least Tony had thought ahead and brought his portable lifts. “If it won’t trouble you too much, I’ll just slide these under here--” Tony was already moving “--and take a look at what the problem is.”

The problem was a squashed Klatooine paddy frog -- honestly, the Hutts ate the most disgusting things, which was only made more revolting by the terrible liquor they drank. Perhaps Tony should feel grateful, since the Hutts ate things that most civilized races wouldn’t touch, and therefore rid the galaxy of it.

Didn’t matter. Pralla needed a maid, not a mechanic. But Tony could fix it, quick enough. Consider his debt to the Hutts paid, and then get the kriff back to his shop before anyone could say anything. Pack his stuff onto a couple of veractyls and make for the jungle. Get as far away as possible. Because paying off a debt with the Hutts was almost as dangerous as getting into debt in the first place.

Hutts collected power and favors; and there was nothing they liked better than to reel back in a sure winner.

Staying overnight, drinking Pralla’s wine, partying with the gangsters; Tony could almost guarantee he’d do something stupid, and end up owing the Hutts. And this time, more than was fixable with a bucket and a scraper.

Maybe he could dodge the party entirely. Go see what ships were in the Hutt’s hangar bays. Looking at new ships could distract him from drinking and playing cards, at least. Maybe he could even find a ship looking to leave the planet and needed a good mechanic.

There was an idea. Ships. Off world. Find a new life somewhere away from this stinking swamp.

He carefully lowered the divan to the floor. “There you go, your magnificence,” Tony said. “Go ahead, give her a test ride, see how she holds up.”

Pralla’s talkdroid expressed the Hutt to be pleased, and Tony let another droid take him out of the throne room. “You mind if I duck into the hanger a bit, there, Shiny?”

Tony didn’t know if the droid had an objection. He wasn’t listening. He walked away from the beeping mechanical, gazing around.

One Radiant VII, blue with yellow accents. Hideous, but a good workhorse of a ship. It could use a new landing gear. A few more bumps and hard landings, and that baby wasn’t getting off the ground again. But the ship didn’t really speak to him -- it had modified weapons that had been badly installed -- and the crew was almost entirely Gand, which meant Tony would probably need an atmo suit to live on their ship.

Two non-standard light freighters, and then--

“Holy hell, that’s beautiful,” Tony said, stopping dead to stare at the gleaming ship.

“Thanks,” the star captain Tony had seen earlier said. “She’s my pride and joy. The Winter Soldier. A HDR-32 Dynamic. With modifications.”

“Of course,” Tony said. “You… uh… looking for crew? I’m a top-rated mechanic. Starships as well as weapons and droids.”

“My name’s Captain Barnes,” the man said, offering a-- cyber arm. “Why don’t you come aboard, and we can talk about it?”

“Sure thing, Droideka.” Tony nodded before he remembered that this was the man who was captain of a starship and who worked for a Hutt, and who might not appreciate Tony’s sense of humor about nicknames. Too late now, and while he didn’t exactly brace to get shot, he noted a certain amount of tension in his shoulders.

“Most of my crew’s not currently here, taking advantage of the Hutt’s hospitality and doing some trade,” Barnes said. “But I’ve got a co-pilot, a gunner, a reclamation expert, a drop-trooper, and Peitro.”

“What’s his job?”

“He doesn’t have one, he’s the boss,” Barnes said. “We’re here at his word.”

“Yeah? So, sounds like you could use a mechanic,” Tony said. A reclamation expert was smuggler code for salvage. Usually illegal salvage. People who wouldn’t ask too many questions. “And I want to get off the planet. So--”

“Sure,” Barnes said. “We’ll do a test trip, we’re headed to Taris, and then a restock at Nar Shadda. If it doesn’t appeal, you can probably get on another freighter from Nar Shadda, and we’ll part ways.”

“Sounds good,” Tony agreed, not missing the sharp look that Barnes shot him. “We can discuss pay after I look at your ship.”

“You in trouble with the Hutts?” Barnes surmised.

“Not. Yet,” Tony said. “But I don’t hold out hopes for my chances, unless I get out of sight, and hopefully out of mind.”

“Well, we have trouble onboard already, so you’ll fit right in. Come on, I’ll show you your bunk.”

“You could show me yours,” Tony suggested, because his mouth just did that sometimes, whenever he was looking at someone who was attractive and just a little bit dangerous.

“I only cohabitate with people who can dance, and drink, and still fly a starship,” Barnes said.

Tony’s eyebrow went up, because he was pretty sure Barnes was actually flirting with him. Which was… nice.

“I’ll buy the first round,” Tony offered.

Barnes grinned. “In case you’re flying solo after dancing, this is your bunk--” he jerked a thumb at a fairly standard rack. “--and that one, at the end of the tube? That one’s mine.”

Tony stuck his head in through the hatch, just to be an ass. “Oh, that’s a nice bed. I definitely want to be sleeping in that.”

“Come on, then,” Barnes said. “Let’s see you put your money where your mouth is.”

“It’s a bargain, Captain,” Tony said, offering his hand.

“You can call me Bucky,” he said. “I only make people call me Captain when they’re under me.”

#tonystarkbingo2020 #tsbingo #winteriron #star wars AU #bad flirting

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quicksilversquared · 5 years

Text

Superhero Lessons

Every superhero needs a nudge or two to keep growing, and Chat Noir is no exception.

In which Master Fu actually mentors and Adrien gets the positive adult guidance that he so sorely needs.

Some people were born natural heroes, while others need to be taught and molded. Some needed to be pushed to act, and others needed to learn restraint. Some were quick on the uptake, while others were slower to learn.

Still, all of them had something in common- they needed occasional nudges in the right direction to make sure that they developed to their full potential.

And it seemed as though Chat Noir perhaps needed some guidance to stay on the right track and let go of some of his less desirable behaviors. Master Fu had had his eyes on the young heroes, and he had been getting concerned about letting the superheroes continue as they were, especially with how Hawkmoth seemed to be getting stronger.

Now was not a good time for the superheroes to trip up. Normally Master Fu would encourage self-discovery and letting the superheroes learn how to better themselves on their own, but they didn't have that luxury with the Butterfly Miraculous out and attacking the city, and with the Peacock also on the supervillain's side. Ladybug and Chat Noir's partnership would have to be flawless with the deck stacked against them- and Master Fu had a nagging suspicion that Chat Noir might need his partner's support before long.

It seemed as though he would have to extend his tutoring beyond strictly Miraculous-related lessons.

"What are you going to cover, Master?" Wayzz asked curiously as Master Fu scribbled out a quick outline of his thoughts. He could feel his kwami settle down on his shoulder. "Helping others? But Chat Noir already does that!"

"Yes, but I want to ease into it. If we start with the things that Adrien struggles with, he might catch on that we're talking about things that he needs to improve on and be more resistant to listening. It is like the frog in a pot of water: if we drop him in at a boil, he will want to jump right back out. If we start at a cool temperature and work our way up, he will stay and listen."

Wayzz giggled. "I've never heard of a frog in a pot of boiling water being a positive thing before."

"Yes, perhaps I could find a better example." Master Fu smiled at his giggling kwami before turning back to his page. "I might have you duck into the school and do a small bit of spying for me. Talk to Plagg, too. I know that he is normally obstinate, but he does care for Chat Noir and will want to see him grow."

"Of course, Master!" Wayzz said at once. "And should I talk to Tikki as well? She might notice different things."

Master Fu didn't even need to think about it. "Yes, that would be wise. She was the one who mentioned her initial concerns to me, after all."

"I can do that tomorrow!" Wayzz promised. Then he glanced towards the door. "But for now, I think you have a customer here, Master."

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Wayzz." Master Fu waved his kwami into hiding and then headed for the door. Before he opened it, he glanced back one more time at his notebook.

He hoped that this would work like he wanted it to. Otherwise, all of Paris could be in trouble.

Master Fu's meetings with Adrien had moved out of Adrien's house, partly for safety reasons and partly because neither of them much liked being in the mansion. Rather than having Adrien come back to his shop, the two of them met up in a private room in the library.

He had persuaded Adrien's normal Mandarin teacher to do the same, just so Mr. Agreste and his assistant wouldn't be able to track how many times the "substitute" took over the lessons. It made things quite a bit easier.

After all, Master Fu didn't want his friend fired for excessive absences. There would be no easy way for him to meet up with Adrien then.

"Wait, everyday superhero lessons?" Adrien asked as soon as Master Fu had introduced the topic, his brow furrowed. "Not more lessons on Miraculous superheroes and our powers? Wouldn't that be more useful?"

"Being an everyday superhero can diffuse or prevent situations where someone might otherwise get akumatized," Master Fu explained. "Having the knowledge means that you can teach others, and you might even be able to talk an akuma down or prevent reakumatization. Now, when I say everyday superhero, what kinds of actions come to mind?"

Adrien hardly had to think about it before he was off, listing things like listen to other people's problems and cheer people up and help others resolve fights. It was quite a good list, though sometimes a little skimpy on the details.

(Sometimes a lot skimpy on the details.)

No matter. Everyone had to start somewhere, and Adrien certainly had a good base.

The lesson went by smoothly, with the two of them discussing ways to help others in class, in lessons, and on the street. After his initial confusion, Adrien had jumped into the lesson, listening and contributing ideas instead of checking out, as Master Fu had feared he might.

"That went well," Master Fu told Wayzz as they watched Adrien leave. They were going to stick around in the building for a while yet, to ensure that Adrien's caretakers didn't make any connection between Master Fu and Adrien, just in case. "We still have a lesson or two to go before we can get to the lessons that will make a real difference, but he's interested, at least. He's open to listening."

Wayzz nodded. "But we need to balance a careful approach with speed. Tikki has said that there have been a few near-akumatizations with Ladybug, and Chat Noir has been oblivious. Tikki said that if he had acted, it is likely that Ladybug would not have gotten as upset as she did."

Master Fu let out a long breath. "Ladybug had mentioned at least one of those. We may have to switch from taking over one Mandarin lesson a week to two. My friend will not be pleased, but if things have gotten to that point, it is critical. Chat Noir will simply have to pause his progress with learning the language."

"Doesn't Ladybug's mother speak Mandarin?" Wayzz suggested. "We could advise that he add conversing with a native speaker to Adrien's homework. That's most of what he's missing out on when you take over lessons."

"That is good advice." Master Fu started packing up his things, tucking his notebook back into his bag and slowly getting to his feet. "And it's possible that I'll only have to do two lessons a week for a couple weeks."

"So we're decided?" Wayzz asked, ducking into Master Fu's collar as they started making their way towards the door. "Two lessons a week, until Chat Noir is at Ladybug's side in both civilian and superhero forms?"

Master Fu nodded. "Let's hope that it's soon enough."

Lesson Number Two moved into discussion about other forms of helping people, when it wasn't just too much stuff to carry or a bad day that was causing bad feelings. They talked about addressing the root of the problem, and Master Fu brought up bullying. He started listing ways to recognize most bullies- the insults, the name-calling, the threats and intimidation and trying to make people feel bad about themselves. He could see Adrien's expression turn a little uncomfortable, and it only took a moment for Master Fu to figure out why.

Ah, yes. The childhood friend had turned into a bully, and he seemed unwilling to completely disassociate himself with her.

Well. Perhaps they had to cover when to let go of old friends who were no longer good influences, too, and how continued association with bullies could affect his new friends.

Undeterred, Master Fu continued. He mentioned how important it was to intervene when he saw someone bullying another person, and how repeated rebukes and consequences could potentially change a bully's ways, reducing the number of akumatizations that they caused. Even if not, seeing that they had another person's support could keep the person being bullied from getting upset and akumatized.

"And what if they don't change?" Adrien wanted to know. "Are you just supposed to give them up as a lost cause?"

There was a muffled "Yes, idiot" from Adrien's shirt pocket. Master Fu chose to ignore that.

"It depends on what you mean by giving up on them," Master Fu told Adrien. "Give up on correcting them and protecting their victims? No, never. You must continue sticking up with the bullied, clearly and loudly. Give up on them becoming good friend material? Yes, that would be smart. Trying to become or stay friends with someone who insists on bullying others also hurts their victims, because then the message that you're giving off is that you're minimizing their pain and saying that it doesn't matter."

"But if they could become a better person and you know they have it in them somewhere, deep down?" Adrien pressed. "If they used to be a go- a decent person?"

"I believe that then, the best course of action would be to inform the bully that you will not be friends with them again until they change their ways for good- and then stick to that," Master Fu added. "If they relapse, they will not have your friendship. Refuse to turn a blind eye to what they do to other people. It is not a personality quirk to ignore."

Adrien worried his lip, but didn't protest further.

"If they truly value your friendship, they will make the steps to become a better person," Fu assured him. "And if they don't- well, there are plenty of people out there who don't bully others for you to befriend. It is not your duty to put in a ton of work to try to change someone when they have no interest in changing."

Adrien was pretty quiet for the rest of the lesson, but the toothy grin that Plagg flashed Master Fu and Wayzz as Adrien packed up at the end of the lesson encouraged him. Adrien would no doubt do some self-reflection tonight, and maybe tomorrow he would do better.

"I will pop in late tonight and check in with Plagg on how Adrien is responding," Wayzz told Master Fu once they had returned home. "If we can continue forging forward, or if we're perhaps moving a bit too quickly."

"I want to get to the next lesson soon," Master Fu said, frowning slightly. "The one that would address Ladybug's biggest threat at the moment. After that, we can maybe take a step back before approaching the issue that could drive Ladybug and Chat Noir apart."

"Hopefully he'll still be open to listening by that point."

Master Fu glanced at the gramophone hiding the inactive Miraculous. He could remember his worries when he had stood in front of the chest, hoping that he would choose good candidates. "I think he will. Chat Noir isn't perfect, but we have to believe that he will be open to improving himself."

"After all, Paris could depend on it."

Adrien couldn't help but be nervous as he headed into school. Today was the day that he would confront Chloe about how she hadn't gotten better at all, and if it didn't go well- and who was he kidding, it wasn't going to go well- then he would stop being her friend, full stop.

He didn't want to lose a friend. But he had talked to Plagg last night, after getting home from his time with Master Fu, and his kwami had pointed out that if he hung on too hard to a friend that was a bully, he could risk losing his other friends, as they were a target of Chloe's bullying, and he could miss out on making other friends in the future because of her, too. And Adrien didn't want that to happen.

So even though Chloe had been the one to get him enrolled in public school in the first place, he had to admit that she only cared about a few people and treated the rest of the world badly. He couldn't tolerate that any longer.

He really, really wanted to put it off. He wasn't good with confrontations. He had been encouraged to avoid them for his whole life, but he trusted Master Fu.

And then the first thing that Adrien saw when he stepped through the school doors was Chloe bullying a younger student, sneering over her outfit.

"When was that in style?" Chloe was saying, gesturing to the ruffled skirt with a sneer on her face. "Sometime last century? Or never, probably. It's super ugly."

Adrien felt the superhero blood in him boil. Frowning, he made a beeline over to where Chloe was. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Marinette approaching, too.

Good. Maybe they could tag-team the situation. Adrien would deal with Chloe, and Marinette could comfort the girl.

"That's enough, Chloe," Adrien scolded as he drew closer, crossing his arms. "Cut it out. Everyone has different taste."

Chloe sniffed. "Yeah, and? She has terrible taste."

"So do you, if you think that shade of lipstick really goes with your complexion," Marinette chimed in, glaring at Chloe. She rested a hand on the bullied girl's shoulder, gently drawing her away. With the two of them gone, Adrien turned his full (very displeased) attention back to Chloe.

"Don't act like I wasn't right, because I was," Chloe sniffed, turning her attention to her nails. "Absolutely atrocious."

"What is your issue?" Adrien demanded, scowling at her. "Did you really need to make any sort of comment at all?"

Chloe actually looked startled. "No, but- they're ugly, someone needed to tell her that she was being an eyesore-"

"No, you didn't," Adrien told her, crossing his arms for emphasis. "No one did, so don't act like you were doing the school some sort of service. Her outfit wasn't actually hurting anyone, andI think even you knew that. You just wanted to hurt someone, because you think that it's fun. That's not cool, and- and that's not what a superhero would do."

For once Chloe seemed at a loss for words. "It- I mean-"

"And I'm not interested in being friends with a bully, I already told you that," Adrien continued. "So I'm done being friends with you, Chloe."

That shook Chloe out of her shock, and she sniffed, turning up her nose. "But you promised that we would always be friends, remember? I was better. You're not breaking your promise, are you?"

Adrien nearly flinched because, yeah, promises had been a big thing for them. But he was on a mission, darn it. He was being an everyday superhero, and he had to stand strong. "You broke that promise first. As soon as I said that we could be friends again, you decided to be awful again right away. That wasn't what we had agreed on. Not being awful meant in the long term, not just for a day."

Chloe looked at a loss for words.

"So I'm not being your friends again until you can show that you've actually become a better person for good," Adrien finished. "I'm not interested in being friends with a bully, Chloe. You've hurt too many people for me to turn a blind eye to it anymore. And I should have realized that a long, long time ago."

And with that, he turned and walked away. He didn't stop until he had reached his locker.

He was shaking with nerves.

"You did a good job, kid," Plagg encouraged him, peeping out of Adrien's jacket. "Now you just have to stay strong. Chloe'll probably try to win you over again, just like she did last time, but don't fall for it. And don't forget- if you see her bullying anyone, step in."

Adrien nodded, trying to think past his buzzing nerves.

That was why he didn't like confrontation with his friends. Akuma attacks? No problem at all. Making small comments to Chloe? Not bad at all. Scolding people like Lila- well, being disappointed in them, at least- for what they did? She wasn't his friend, so it wasn't hard.

Or, well, it didn't feel bad. It was hard to argue with her, since she tended to manipulate the conversation into making him trip up.

But Chloe? She had a much more dominant personality than he did. She was pretty intimidating, and after her being his only friend for years, he hadn't wanted to upset her. She was a lot less approachable than his other friends, even.

But he could do this. Maybe it made him feel a little ill, but that- that was something he would have to improve on.

He hadn't picked up many new ways to be an everyday superhero from his first lesson from Master Fu, but this- this was new to him. It was something that he could do differently.

Adrien was still off in his first class, distracted and trying to calm his nerves. His fight-or-flight response had really kicked in, and then he had chosen fight when his natural instinct in those circumstances had been flight. Still, he was resisting the urge to glance over at Chloe and see how she was faring.

If she was going to change, he would notice it over the course of several weeks, not over the course of an hour.

"You all right, dude?" Nino asked as they headed to their next class. "You're acting weird."

"I'll be fine," Adrien assured him, flashing a quick smile. "There was just some stuff that I had to deal with this morning."

Nino nodded wisely, probably assuming that Adrien had had trouble with his father again. Adrien wasn't going to correct him.

Hopefully whatever suggestions Master Fu had for next time wouldn't be so nerve-wracking to actually implement.

"This is starting to feel a little heavy-handed," Wayzz commented as he watched Master Fu put together the last of his outline for Adrien's next lesson. "We're essentially pointing a big, flashing arrow at the major issues Adrien has had, without any filler. At some point, he's going to see these lessons as a criticism of his personality, and then we might be dealing with an akumatized Chat Noir situation."

"I can emphasize that most people do not do as much as he does, and we're focusing on going above and beyond what normal people do." Master Fu sighed, massaging his temples. He should have maybe started with these lessons earlier, spacing them out more so that he could address issues as they came up, instead of needing to rush through things now. But hindsight was 20/20, and he shouldn't beat himself up about it. "Plagg can warn us if Adrien starts feeling down, and we can emphasize the he should not beat himself up over the learning curve. That's what the teenaged years are for, to learn and grow and improve oneself. He just needs the process helped along a bit because he is a superhero."

Wayzz said nothing.

"I would not push so hard if it weren't for Ladybug being in danger," Master Fu added. "Tikki has been quite concerned about this whole thing, and so I'll take my cues from her. Chat Noir is in the unique position of being able to help, and so he should."

"That is true," Wayzz admitted. "If Ladybug gets akumatized, we will be in trouble. And Chat Noir does need to learn many of the things you have on your plan. I just worry."

"That we could cause a disaster through our intervention? I worried about the same thing." Master Fu let out a long breath. He did not want to think about the consequences of either of the city's main superheroes getting possessed by an akuma. But the fact remained that Ladybug was the only one capable of purifying akumas, and so he had to take that into account when planning his lessons. If Chat Noir did get possessed, they could always call on the three temporary superheroes to come to Ladybug's aid.

Adrien seemed to be in good spirits when he joined Master Fu in the back corner of the library, which was an encouraging sign. When they got settled, Master Fu found out why.

"I confronted my friend- well, my former friend- who's a bully a couple days ago," he reported. "And I told her that we weren't going to be friends unless she improved. She did the same thing that she did last time, with trying to 'prove' that she could be good, with doing something nice for our classmates to try to win me back right away, but I didn't fall for it." Adrien's smile grew. "So she's had to keep doing it. She's slipped up a few times, but she catches herself."

Plagg snorted. "Sometimes."

"Well, it's better than before!" Adrien protested. "And I'm not going to count her as a friend again until she keeps it up for a longer time."

"Good, good." That was a good sign. Adrien was willing to change his behavior and confront outside bullies. "And people seem happier around her, I'm sure."

"There's fewer tears," Adrien agreed. "And less frustration from- from my friend who usually tries to stop Chloe's bullying. I should have done this ages ago, but I- I just didn't want to lose her as a friend, I guess, and I don't like confrontation, and I let that get in my way." He made a face, then refocused his attention on Master Fu. "So what are we covering today?"

"We're continuing our discussion of how to recognize and deal with bullies," Master Fu told him, smiling. "As they come in many shapes and sizes, and they cause a lot of distress to people. So we have the normal schoolyard bullies, who push others around with words and actions that have an obvious and immediate negative impact. They're also the easiest to confront, because the people around you can also recognize the bullying for what it is and also want it to stop."

Adrien nodded.

"There are also bullies that are craftier- they do veiled threats, or abuse positions of power to get others to do that they want, or use their words to try to alienate others. They aren't always as direct, but their impact can be just as bad." Master Fu waited for Adrien to nod before continuing. "Do you know of any examples?"

"Chloe's father," Adrien said immediately. "The Mayor of Paris. He always throws his weight around to get what he wants. He's pretty obvious about it, though."

"Any others?"

Adrien frowned in thought before shaking his head. "I- I don't think so? I don't know that many people."

Master Fu let out a considering hum. "All right. Well, we can't quite approach the Mayor's bullying in the same way that you approached your friend's, but you can still can out that kind of bullying. For a public figure like the mayor, calling them out in a group or crowd will have the most effect, because they can be shamed into backing down."

Adrien frowned. "Shamed? Isn't- isn't that a bad thing to do? Since they could get upset and get akumatized?"

Master Fu frowned. He could see where Adrien was coming from, but it was important for him to be able to recognize when that wasn't the case. "In this case, the Mayor knows full well that what he's doing is wrong. He might get embarrassed, but hardly to the point of becoming akumatized. Here, speaking out lets others know that you noticed the same thing, and they'll not be alone if they speak up about it. It's hard being the first person to stick your head out, but someone has to do it if there's to be any change."

Adrien nodded, looking nervous.

"There's no need to go seek out confrontations, but if you're there, speaking up can make a world of difference." Fu smiled at him. "But that can come later, really. It's easier to start at school and work up later."

"Unless I'm transformed," Adrien spoke up. "People might not listen to a teenager protesting something, but if Chat Noir says that something isn't cool… well, people would listen, right?"

Master Fu nodded. "Right." He checked his notes. They had gotten a little sidetracked with the discussion about the mayor, but that was fine. "There are also bullies that use emotional manipulation to get what they want. They try to make people feel bad for them or feel bad about what they said, particularly if that person said something in opposition to what the bully wanted."

Adrien nodded. It didn't look like things had quite clicked yet, so Master Fu had to be a bit more heavy-handed, it seemed.

"Those kinds of bullies may lie a lot to establish themselves in a higher position," he prompted, trying not to sigh in relief when the light finally went on in Adrien's eyes. "And in that case, it's important to call out both the lies and the emotional manipulation and make it come to an end."

"But isn't it important to take the high road sometimes and let them get caught up in their own tangle of lies?" Adrien asked earnestly. "Because if you call them out, they might get akumatized, and that wouldn't be good. You should encourage them to change, because what they're doing will end up backfiring on them, and then if they don't- well, they're bound to trip up on their own web, right?"

This was what he had heard from Wayzz, and it was what Fu had most wanted to address. This high road of Adrien's wasn't that at all, and it needed to end.

"Even if it's not immediately apparent, the emotional manipulation and lies is not without consequence," Master Fu started out. "Liars like that will go to great lengths to keep the fact that they're lying a secret. If people protest, they might try to threaten them into secrecy. And there is a very fine line between taking the high road and simply being inactive."

From Adrien's shirt, Plagg snorted loudly. "He means there's a fine line between taking the high road and being a doormat. And you're being a doormat."

...well, Fu supposed that it could be said that way, too. From the irritated look on Plagg's face… well, he would wager that Plagg was rather fond of Tikki's Chosen and wanted to make sure that she wasn't at risk of being akumatized.

"I am not a doormat!" Adrien protested. "But Lila's already been akumatized- what, three times? Four? More than that? I've lost count. And her lies are so outrageous that people are bound to pick up on them eventually."

"Do you not think that people might be upset when they discover the truth and find out that not only they were lied to, but you knew all along and didn't warn them?" Master Fu prompted. "I feel like that would be prime akumatization potential there, particularly if your liar implied that she would get people connected to others."

Adrien's expression dropped at that. "She told Nino- my friend who wants to maybe go into movie production- she told him that she knew a bunch of movie and music producers. And I know that he was really hoping that maybe she could arrange some Skype meetings or something so that he could pick some hints."

"If you let the lies grow for too long, there will be more disappointment at the end, when people have built up dreams and have had them for a while." Fu let that sink in, then continued. "If the lies are clipped, perhaps there was a momentary hope, but people won't have the time to base all of their hopes and dreams on that one lie. It hurts momentarily, but heals more easily."

The determined look on Adrien's face as he nodded made Fu's spirits lift. "Okay. But what's the best way to address that? She's just going to cut me off and deny everything if I try to call her out in front of other people. I already tried talking to her in private, and it didn't do anything. She just basically told me to stay out of it"

"I'm glad that you asked." Master Fu set his notes aside and sat up straighter, smiling at Adrien. "We can spend the rest of the lesson discussing strategies for dealing with your situation, if you like."

Adrien had to admit that he hadn't been entirely convinced that the "everyday superhero" lessons from Master Fu were entirely worth the time when he had started. He already knew how to be helpful and kind, didn't he? It was what had gotten him the Miraculous in the first place. But with every passing lesson, Adrien found himself learning things. Big things.

He had cut things off with Chloe, of course, and ever since there had been less bullying than before. She seemed a bit down most of the time, but she was doing better. People were more willing to work with her and help her now that she wasn't going to cut them down.

Approaching the Lila situation was taking a little more time and planning. Since Master Fu had suggested not doing it alone- and it would feel wrong to not include Marinette in the process, since Adrien had told her before that they should leave things alone when she had wanted to expose Lila's lies right away- Adrien had pulled Marinette over and they had ended coming up with a plan over lunch at the Dupain-Cheng house.

Instead of trying to confront Lila directly or in front of a crowd, they had decided to take the approach of quietly spreading doubts about Lila's stories. It wasn't hard- there were a lot of loose ends to her lies that were easy enough to point out when they had a bit of time. They had gone to people individually- Max, Alix, Nino, the teachers- to point specific things out, places where the stories didn't quite make sense or match up. There were a lot fewer rapt faces listening to Lila now, though there were some people who just didn't seem willing to listen.

(Like Alya, for example. She seemed so used to dismissing Marinette's concerns about Lila that she waved Adrien off before he could finish talking. He and Marinette had exchanged an exasperated look over Alya's shoulder at that.

If she wasn't willing to listen, Alya would have to deal with the crushing disappointment of discovering Lila's lies once that time came. And it would come soon, if Adrien was right in how seriously the teachers had taken what he and Marinette had told them. They had shared their doubts about Lila's so-called trip and presented what evidence they had, and the allegations that a student had been skipping class….well, those weren't going to be taken lightly.)

Marinette seemed a lot happier now that people weren't listening to Lila, practically glowing as they went through their day together. Adrien wondered if maybe Lila had been trying to keep her silent, and that had been affecting her.

He should have noticed earlier. He should have helped earlier. But now they could be their own little everyday superhero team together. Marinette was fun to hang out with, and as someone who seemed to already have the contents of Master Fu's lessons down pat, she was a fabulous influence to be around.

Besides, hanging out in the Dupain-Cheng living room to work on their homework together was so much fun.

Adrien made sure to tell Master Fu about his progress at their next lesson together.

"Between Marinette and I, I think we've gotten half of our class to stop listening to Lila," Adrien reported. "My friend, Marinette, I mean, since I guess you wouldn't know her. She was the one to come up with most of the plan, really, after I suggested taking a less direct approach. We just keep track of Lila's lies and then go to the people most likely to listen and happen to mention that hey, that doesn't sound quite right, does it? And then we mention that we looked it up, and what we found instead. And then people think about it, and kind of go-"

Master Fu exchanged an amused look with Wayzz as Adrien kept talking, telling him who in their class they had already approached and how there were still some people who weren't listening to them, and how that was super frustrating but they had gotten to the point where there were other people talking about Lila's lying, so he and Marinette weren't the only ones. And the more people there were who talked about it, the more the original naysayers were willing to listen.

"Marinette's been making sure that people don't directly approach Lila, so that Lila doesn't try to make them a target," Adrien continued. "Which is super-smart, and I wouldn't have thought of it. I think she's persuaded people to talk to their friends and classmates, too, so that we don't have to try to hit everyone up individually since that would look weird. I wouldn't have been able to do it without her, really."

"She's a good leader, then?" Fu asked, even though he already knew the answer. Marinette was a fantastic leader, and she was still growing into her full potential.

Adrien lit up. "She really is! She already knows everything that you've been teaching me, so that's been super-helpful to have. When I get lost or confused about what I should do in a situation, I just ask her and she helps! She can be a little impulsive at times, maybe, or gets stuck on how she wants to do something, but I think we balance each other out really well. She would make a fantastic superhero if we need to add another person to our team," he added. "Maybe with a longer-range power, since she can be a little clumsy sometimes, but that's just part of who she is! It's really cute, actually-"

This time, the look that Fu and Wayzz exchanged was full of amusement. Even if Adrien hadn't admitted it to himself yet, someone definitely had a crush.

Plagg's head popped out of Adrien's collar as his Chosen continued prattling on about his friend and how she kept so many people from getting akumatized and how she was so much fun to be around and how Adrien was glad that Marinette seemed to be relaxing around him now because they were great friends and had a ton of fun hanging out. When he was sure that Fu was looking, Plagg heaved a dramatic (but silent) sigh, rolling his eyes before slowly sinking back down into the jacket.

Fu hid a smile. No doubt Plagg didn't appreciate having to hear Adrien's gushing about not only Ladybug but also Marinette. Still, it was a good sign that Adrien seemed so attuned to his friend now. No doubt he would catch it right away if she was feeling upset at all about anything at all. In that way, the gushing was quite sweet.

Still, Fu could barely resist the urge to whack his head against something when Adrien referred to Marinette as his "everyday superhero partner". After all, even a Turtle had his limits.

Fu's lessons continued, and now Adrien was paying rapt attention. It was clear that being homeschooled and only allowed out for photoshoots and sports had made him miss a decent amount of social lessons, and a lot of the stuff that Fu was teaching him hadn't exactly been shown in his movies and animes. Fu and Wayzz worked with Adrien to make sure that he could recognize when his own words or actions could hurt others, teaching him how to distinguish when he should get involved in something and when it was something that he should really leave alone.

Adrien hadn't thought that he had needed that lesson, really. Surely he could distinguish when something was wrong or right, right? But it turned out that the line was maybe more blurred than he had thought. Or not more blurred, necessarily, but he needed to take into consideration other people's points of view before fully judging a situation.

That- well, Adrien was working on that. It was a hard process to change to automatically thinking about where other people might be coming from. There weren't that many opportunities to practice that, really- especially not with Chloe working to be on her best behavior- and Adrien didn't have a lot of free time that he could use to try to think of past examples and reconsider his position on them. But he was trying to keep it in mind.

"What do you think will be this week, Plagg?" Adrien asked as he jogged up the steps to the library. "And how many more of these kinds of lessons d'you think there will be?"

"Learning is a lifelong process," Plagg droned boredly. "I don't know, kid, I don't make up the lesson plans."

"Yeah, but I know that you and Wayzz talk. Don't think that I don't see him in my bag at school sometimes." Adrien smiled at the librarian before heading up the stairs and into the private study rooms in the back. "And don't try to tell me that he just wants to hang out. I know that's not true."

Plagg yawned. "Oh, so now kwamis can't just hang out? We have to stay isolated, all on our own? Rude."

"You know that's not what I meant."

Much to Adrien's surprise, when he reached their back room, Master Fu was reading a newspaper instead of waiting for him at the table. Adrien hovered uncertainly for a moment, then entered, closed the door, and settled gingerly in his usual chair.

"Good afternoon, Adrien," Master Fu said after another minute, finally putting the newspaper down. Adrien chanced a glance downward at the article that Master Fu had been reading. He recognized it as one that he had skimmed himself over breakfast, but he didn't remember much about it other than the fact that some politician was being forced to resign over inappropriate behavior. "How are you today?"

"I'm doing pretty well," Adrien responded automatically. "And you?"

"Well, well. Business has been good, so no complaints there." Master Fu smiled, then gave the newspaper a pat. Now, down to business! I was reminded today that there was a form of bullying that we have yet to fully cover- harassment. We've spoken about some forms, but the big one in the public eye at the moment is sexual harassment."

Adrien nodded, glancing down at the newspaper again.

"The politician in this article is getting in quite a lot of trouble for just that," Master Fu added, noticing where Adrien's attention had gone. "He was on the severe end of the spectrum, as far as these things go. Have you read this article?"

"I skimmed part of it," Adrien admitted. "I don't remember much. I was in a bit of a hurry to leave for school."

Master Fu nodded as he turned the newspaper around for Adrien to read, pointing to one section of it. "This is what a number of women have accused him of doing, and he's going to be going to trial for it."

Adrien leaned forward to read the list. He winced at the things listed- those poor, poor women. That was awful.

"If you ever see those kinds of things happening- that's one of the times when punching someone in the face is entirely the right thing to do," Master Fu told him. "Anything physical should have immediate and painful consequences. If necessary, call for the authorities."

Adrien nodded seriously.

"I would hope that you won't have to deal with anything quite that severe for at the very least a couple years," Master Fu added. "But there are some less severe forms of harassment that might be affecting your age group already, so maybe we should focus on those for the time being."

Adrien nodded, eager to start the day's learning.

Ten minutes later, he was feeling a lot less comfortable with the day's lesson.

Master Fu had talked about inappropriate touches, and that had been fine. Then Master Fu had continued into how to recognize when a girl was uncomfortable with flirting or other advances, and how to avoid pushing to that point in the first place. That was followed by how to recognize rejections both verbal and not, and how important it was to actually listen to them.

And much to Adrien's growing horror, some of those things that Master Fu was talking about- they sounded like him. He was doing some of that stuff to Ladybug.

He hadn't ever wanted to recognize himself as the aggressor in any of Master Fu's lessons, and somehow he had ended up doing just that.

He didn't ask too many questions for the rest of the lesson, and it was definitely a subdued Adrien who bade Master Fu good-bye and left the library.

"My Social Studies homework is going to have to wait for tomorrow," Adrien told Plagg as soon as they got back to his room. He squared his shoulders, determined. Master Fu hadn't gone super into depth about some of the stuff they had talked about- there hadn't been the time- but now that Adrien knew that it was an area that he needed to improve on, he wanted as much information as possible to know what he should be doing before he next saw Ladybug. "I have some serious research to do."

Plagg couldn't help but smile as he watched Adrien work at his computer, two days after their last meeting with Master Fu. He had been concerned for a while there about his kid's behavior, but Adrien seemed to have his head back on straight now. He was standing up for what was actually right now, and it was clearly taking a load off of Marinette's shoulders to have the backup. And Adrien had chattered at length after one patrol about how he and Ladybug had talked about boundaries, and what kinds of teasing almost-flirts were okay and what wasn't, so that was all good, too.

Plagg had to thank his lucky stars that they had Master Fu to serve the role of mentor. It they didn't, he would have had to take over the task and heaven knew that that would have been an utter disaster. He just didn't have the right approach.

(After all, Adrien hadn't exactly been very happy about the "doormat" comment, and that was just Plagg's teaching style, really. Blunt and direct and to the point. Some people didn't want to respond well to that, and that was their problem.)

He knew that there might be relapses at some point- Adrien had had an image in his head about how to woo a lady thanks to all of his movies and animes and whatnot growing up, and reality tended to have a bit of a different view on persistence when going after someone who had turned them down- but Plagg was sure that Adrien would correct himself before long. He wanted to do his best, after all, and he definitely didn't want to lose Ladybug's friendship.

Adrien was well on his way to being a balanced, happy superhero. Now, maybe Master Fu should turn his attention to Ladybug and do some lessons on figuring out when she was actually to blame for something and when the adults (or people around her in general) were just being stupid and needed to take responsibility for their own darn selves, because he had seen that she had a habit of heaping all of the blame on herself and that was not healthy.

On second thought, maybe Plagg should do that himself. Fu and Tikki were too hung up on taking responsibility and being self-aware and yadda yadda yadda. What Marinette needed was a good dose of Plagg's laissez-faire attitude and a bit of Plagg's Patented Scathing Social Commentary on how dumb people were behaving instead of Tikki's thou-shalt-not-do-no-wrong scolding.

Plagg sniggered a little of the thought of him teaching anyone. He generally let the obvious teaching fall on someone else's shoulders and prodded his own charges to change via throwaway comments and sarcasm instead. Still, he could probably figure out some way to convey what he wanted to without changing and having to pretend that he was all wise and responsible. Ladybug was smart. She would pick up on things quickly.

Maybe he could find some way to suggest that Ladybug and Chat Noir switch Miraculous for a day or two so that they would improve their understanding of each other or some other mumbo-jumbo like that. If he just flat-out suggested that, Plagg knew that his motivations would be regarded with suspicion. But if he found an opening to sort of sarcastically make the suggestion, then they would probably be all over it, and Plagg would have his chance.

Look out, kid. As soon as I can manage to figure out how to spend a decent chunk of time with you, school will be in session.

#Miraculous Ladybug #My writing #adrien agreste #Master Fu #in which Fu mentors #....or in which I reach through the screen and use Fu as my puppet that works too

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quarantineculture · 4 years

Text

quarantine day 1

Honestly, it’s not even that bad. (I say now. It’s only day 1. Who knows if it’ll get worse.) I went to bed at like 3am last night because I spent hours reading articles about coronavirus (all of which furthered my conviction that I need to be quarantined to avoid potentially infecting people) so I ended up not fully waking up till nearly noon. Mom made nice ramen and left a bowl for me at the top of the stairs. I feel like a dog. I wait for the humans in whose home I must live (but am confined to a certain area) to give me the food they pick for me, in the container they pick for me, which they leave for me on the floor. I’m not complaining though. The ramen was REALLY good. I just think it’s hilarious that I have to wait for them to leave the food on the ground for me and then they all eat together and I bring my food down to my basement. They usually FaceTime me when we all eat together anyway so it’s not a big deal.

Having so much free time and not being allowed to really go out or socialize means I spend a lot of time cleaning. Maybe not even that much time. More like, the fact that I’m the only one who lives down here and now I have all the time in the world to spend here means I clean more than I usually do (compared to at school, when I’m only really in my room to sleep so I kinda leave things wherever because I’d rather spend my time outside my room with my friends.) But I want to have a clean living space and it’s only myself I’m cleaning up after, so it’s fine. I like keeping things neat.

One of the articles I read yesterday talked about how to keep up with your mental health while you’re practicing social distancing/in quarantine. They said you should make a schedule, so today I made a schedule for myself. It’s been less than a day and I haven’t really stuck to it much, but I like the idea of it, and the flexibility I have while still setting certain goals and allocating time for different activities. For example, even though I don’t do everything exactly at the time I set (especially meals – that tends to depend on when my family eats), just having an order to my day helps me. I like setting a goal of getting at least some school work done in the morning and afternoon, and having lunch and a walk outside to take breaks. Walking was nice – I went to the park and took a TON of pictures of ducks and turtles and frogs – but I found that when I got back I was too hungry to go back to doing work, so I ended up spending a lot of time eating and prepping food, and then went back to finishing a lecture after dinner and video games. So it’s flexible. But I really like the feeling of having accomplished some work so I can relax in the evenings without guilt.

Speaking of productivity, my friend uses this app/site called Toggl. I signed up for it for free. It basically tracks the amount of time you spend actually working on a project. You can start and stop a timer when you’re being actively productive on something and see how it adds up. Today, I spent 1 hour and 26 minutes total actively studying endocrinology. I got through around 21 slides. Some of them were pretty long. I’m pretty proud of myself even though I wanted to do another 42 slides because those slides were a lot and at least I finished one lecture.

My parents said I can go outside and get fresh air as long as I stay 6 feet away from everyone, so I went for a walk after I did a bunch of my slides. There’s a big park a couple blocks away and I spent an hour or so walking around, looking at ducks and turtles and squirrels, taking pictures of everything. So many people wear masks, especially on the streets – probably like 80% of the pedestrians I passed had them. I do live in a densely populated area. In the parks less so because there’s so much space, but as I passed one middle-aged/older man on the street he put on a mask. I also passed by a discarded mask on the street.

I wonder if people can tell that I’m supposed to be in quarantine when they look at me walking around by myself, crossing to the other side when I see someone ahead, avoiding other humans in general. I’m really glad this park is still open. Even when it seems like everything’s shutting down, it’s a relief to have at least some spaces that still bear some semblance of normalcy, where people can do yoga and play tennis and ride bikes and watch animals. The squirrels here are FEARLESS. I love them. I’m kind of obsessed with squirrels. I always have been. I’m not sure why, but I just love how cute they are! So fluffy! So quick! Their little bushy furry tails! How they hold the nut, and dig for the nuts, and chase each other around – it’s adorable! Some of them even pose for the camera and let you come really close.

Look at this good boy!

Anyways. I also made dumplings today. My sisters dropped off the dumpling wraps and the meat/scallion filling (in a metal bowl… very good for my “I Feel Like A Dog” sentiments…) at the top of the stairs and watched me looking up at them from the bottom of the staircase. I tried to use the pressure cooker. Did you know that when you’re using a pressure cooker, you’re supposed to keep the lid off when using the sauté function? Also, the pressure cooker does not have an on button. You just plug it in and push a button for the setting you want in order to activate it. It’s kinda scary. It started screaming and letting the steam out but the manual said it was supposed to be very quiet so that’s when I freaked out. You know you done goofed when the machine is literally advertised as Lets Out Steam Very Quietly and you hear WEEEeEeEeEeEEeeEEEshHhhshhhhHhshhHHHh!!!!! – less than five minutes after you turn it on. For a minute I thought it was going to explode and I would have to clean up sad deconstructed dumplings all over my makeshift kitchen area.

This post is already too long so here’s my ending summary:

THINGS I AM GRATEFUL FOR:

Sleeping in till noon. Having ramen delivered to me. The internet. Legend of Zelda. My family. SQUIRRELS! That the park is still open. That life goes on even in times of crisis. The crazy old men who were playing shuffleboard (I think that’s the name of it?) at the park today – fearless! My friends. Ducks and turtles too. The care package full of crochet materials that I have not yet been able to make anything resembling anything out of. Youtube for trying to teach me how to make a magic circle in crochet for maybe the fifth time. Free patterns on the Internet. She-Ra season 5 has a release date! The sleep function on iPhones.

QUARANTINE BY THE NUMBERS:

Time spent outside basement: approximately 1 hour

Screen time on phone: 4 hours 45 minutes

Toggl-logged time spent studying: 1 hour 26 minutes

Breath of the Wild: approx.. 2 hours

Explosions: ZERO!

Working on blog stuff: approx. 1.5 hours

Failing miserably at amigurumi: approx. 1 hour

Times I felt like a dog: Probably at least 3

#covid19 #quarantine #quarantine blogging

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vorthosthewillis · 7 years

Text

Laughter

The problem with becoming friends with planeswalkers, Finn thought to himself as he walked through Ravnica alleyways, was you never knew where the heck they were. Though it didn’t require more people, his super secret plan of the day would have been much more effective with others. He really should have talked to Lucion when he saw him a month ago about this plan, he knew about it at the time but it was in the back of his mind. Oh well, guess he was going solo. First thing first: find and obtain access to apple cider and pie. The pie was a bust almost immediately. Sure, he could get one, but everyone selling them wanted actual coins instead of simple bartering, and Finn didn’t have the time to legally obtain coins. Finn sighed in defeat as he went looking for apple cider. The first place being out of apple cider, sad coincidence. The second, annoyance. The third? That was getting unfair. By the seventh, it felt to Finn like the whole cursed plane ran out of that delicious liquid at the Worst Possible Time. Ugh.

It was alright, the extra people and food were small problems, not important. At least he could still acquire the item.

~*~

As he planeswalked back to Ravnica, Finn clutched the long, thin box tightly. It took him nearly three weeks to have it made, but the sword in the box was of a solid quality, created on the plane of Alara. While scouring the plane for etherium a few years back to make his mask, Finn discovered that the entire world of Alara was as if five mini worlds had been squished together. One of them, called Bant, was home to armor and weapons that amazed Finn in their.. Well, shininess. The Sigils, as they were called, were all over the place on Bant, and though no one would put one on the sword itself, the weaponsmith who made the sword still made the thing quite beautiful, for a hunk of metal used to stab things. Planeswalking was a tricky business. If you have gone back and forth to a place over and over again, you generally got better and better at aiming for it, for lack of a better term. Places like his home on Stawthese, and the alley near Saria’s home here on Ravnica, were perfect examples of that. However, sometimes even the most well known places got mixed up in your head, and… ….Finn found himself on the middle of the street in a Boros enforced district maybe ten minutes from where he had intended to appear. Jeez, add another happy problem to his list today. It was fine, just needed to take some back alleyways, and… “Excuse me, sir. That’s quite a large box you have there, do you have the appropriate papers for that?” a voice behind Finn called out. Finn turned to see a Boros soldier with short brown hair walk up to him. Great. “No problem sir, give me just a second to whip it out.” he muttered as he garbed a piece of paper from his page, quickly putting a illusion on it before handing it over to the man. The boros soldier looked over the blank paper, nodded, and then asked, “Alright, what’s in the box?” Finn inwardly sighed, and then opened it to show the sword to the man. He prepared a quick lie, and got ready to reply which weaponsmith in the precinct forged the sword… “Interesting sword. Looks like it’s from a place I know called Bant. Hope you know that bringing weapons from another world is illegal?” Well, shit. So much for that plan. Finn snatched back the box, closing it tightly as he threw up both a hexproof shield and illusions of himself running in four different ways at once, while the real him darted straight down the main road. “Stop!” the boros walker yelled as Finn darted into an alleyway, and began ducking and weaving his way slowly out of the boros precinct. Of course the one boros soldier to flag him down was probably the only planeswalker on their payroll. Man, his luck was off the chart today! He turned the corner, and then stopped as he noticed the Boros soldier leaning against the wall, a slightly annoyed look plastered on his face. “Imagine meeting you here!” Finn said sarcastically, cursing the situation under his breath. “Please, call me Marius. In case it's not obvious already, I am a planeswalker, and all I want is to protect Ravnica,” the soldier answered as if Finn hadn’t spoke up, “Now, perhaps you were not aware of the rules here, and are even new to this plane, though I suspect the second isn’t true. I won’t bring you in, this once and once only, if you just hand over the illegal weapon. And I won’t ask again.”

Finn almost shot off another sarcastic remark, but stopped himself at the last second. This… this was a delicate moment. He wanted, no, he needed the sword for his plan. What he didn't need was an enemy, someone out to get him. Especially one not only associated with the Boros Legion, as well as one who could travel the planes. He only had one choice… tell the truth.

Finn sighed and put the box on the ground before saying, “Marius, the name’s Finn. You’re right on both accounts; it's not my first time here, but I also didn't know about your… rule about stuff from other worlds… wait, how the heck does the Boros have a rule like that? Wait, no, that’s not important. I brought the sword here for a reason though. You see, I've been working on this plan…”

Marius listened to Finn’s plan and his luck so far, and at the end of his tale actually chuckled a little when Finn brought up the odds of running into the only Boros to be a planeswalker. “Sweet Sigarda, that’s a tale. Alright, I do have to take the sword, but I have an idea of how you can still salvage this. I know of a guy, he works with the Simic…”

~*~

When Saria opened the door to her apartment, Finn was sure she was going to look at him like he was an idiot, and was slightly surprised when Saria looked concerned. To be fair, he was soaking wet, with his right arm covered in some sort of goo and his left arm dragging his Stawthese coat behind him, so concern probably was the right emotion for the situation.

“What in the five suns happened to you?” Saria asked as she stared at him. “Well, it all started when I got into a fight with a snot elemental…” Finn began, and Saria just rolled her eyes and moved aside to let Finn in. He rushed into a small side room to change in drier clothes, and when he came back out, Saria was sitting on a comfortable chair, her face basically asking for the story. “All right, all right, what really happened. Well, it started this morning when I went to try and find Lucion…” Finn continued through the entire story again, adding embellishes and his own sarcastic remarks in places. “...so then I actually meet the guy down at the simic guildgate, and he’s like “I’ve got the goods if you got the cash,”, and I’m all like “yup”, so he hands me the furtle, only this weird turtle frog thing starts spitting out the goo and the guy is like “Sorry man, come back tomorrow, this one is sick!” Annnnnnnd then I found my way over here.” Saria gave him a look, and asked, “Why? What was the end goal of all this trouble you went through?” Finn looked at her, confused. How did she not realize it yet? “Well,” he started, “When we were both back home, you once told me your birthday. Now, calender's between worlds are slightly different, but a year is a year is a year, so I did the math and today is your birthday.” Saria’s face softened into an apologetic smile, and she responded kindly, “Thank you Finn, but… you got the math wrong. It was last week.” Finn just stared at her a moment, processing what she said, and then did the only thing left to do: he began laughing. Lucion belongs to @gigaguessmtg, Marius to @actualborossoldier, and Saria to @nantukohunk. This is the kinda/sorta the first part in a two part thing. As you’re probably aware, Finn has no family and no world, so his friends are his,,, well his lifelines to life in a way. Both stories, this one and the next which will release this upcoming week for sure, tackle just what Finn is willing to do for his friends. I won’t give any more spoilers towards the second tale, other than this: It is based off of @baldore-of-the-boros‘s prompt of Fury. Anyway, thanks for reading! Tagging those who have expressed interest in the past. If you want included, shout out! @foilmountain, @confused-phyrexian, @the-foxwolf

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shattered-catalyst · 7 years

Text

Worst fears: Drabble: rock dad

Shit so I had a dream nightmare and had to do a feeling induced Drabble. because ow my heart. Cats worst fears come true and holy shit. Shitty writing as usual but I’m tired and writing this emotionally wore me out. I added a happy ending at the end for therapeutic reasons.

Warnings: tagging this triggering for numerous things, no one normally reads these so uhh pm if you need specifics?? Id say heavy despair.

Rock dad AU.

Per usual Cadre is indicated by < and > respectively.

Summary: They came to take back Isaslan 3 and got a lot more out of him then they bargained for. And its all Julio Esteban fucking Richter’s fault. Fuck that guy.

Rictor’s voice was groggy, logical considering it was 3:45 in the morning. In fact Catalyst couldn’t even make out what his ‘father’ figure had said, it was just word grunts in three different languages. Of which he knew two. Glancing up from the phone he checked to make sure he had time to rouse Rictor’s brain. The splintered store front window was setting off the alarm. He had only a few seconds to issue his warning.

<Rictor. You must get Shatterstar and Julian to safety. Lord Mojo has tracked me down. They have come. You must stay awaa-> Shit!! He ducked as a well aimed shot ripped the phone and its receiver from the counter.

Thats not what made him swear under his breath. It was Scattershot stepping through the broken shop window that got his blood boiling. Oh shit. <Whats wrong? Don’t tell me you’re running?>

Oh that got the blood boiling, he unsheathed another pair of knives. < A true warrior never runs, you know this!>

He fucking should have run. In retrospect he should have high tailed it to Rictors apartment. Gotten help. Not acted like he would in the arena. He wasn’t alone anymore, but here he was fighting alone.

Sinkholes everywhere, shaken buildings, car alarms, and downed power lines littered the south side of mutant town. Looked like an earthquake had hit. It hadn’t, had just been him. Trying his damndest. But Scattershot had more experience and no amount of shaking the ground and wits was going to help him once Scattershot’s extensive back up arrived.

Damn he must’ve pissed someone off. Mojo, Scattershot? Fekt pick one he’d done a lot. A lot they considered wrong. What he now knew for a fact was that he had done the right thing. He wasn’t backing down from that. Catalyst’s eyes remained on the ground, half whispering for her to answer him. He could figure out a way out of this; he knew it. He was smart enough, but could he pull it off without the use of his lower body? Maybe if his shoulder wasn’t splintered in several places he could use just his arms. But no. Thanks. Scattershot. Bitch.

Two broken legs, a power dampener, and a hell of a lot of guards. Pretty sure his pelvis was down for the count. Lovely. Fingers digging deep into the earth, leaving deep gouges. Feeling the grains digging into his finger nails. Desperately pleading with the ground to open and just swallow them. Aching for the ability to move it again.

Wind picks up, portal opening, oh fekt no. His pleadings deepened in his uemeur; screaming for the earth to answer once more. It was silent, so very silent. His heart had never beaten this fast, he could feel the blood coursing through his head. The world sharpening to his senses as they fought to survive this. No he wasn’t going back. Not after all he had fought for. After all he’d fought to become. He wasn’t going back.

Now he’d tasted freedom-emotions. He will never be able to live without them, and he didnt know if he actually wanted to. Didn’t know if he wanted to live without Rictor in his life. That damn bastard ruined everything. Had Julio Esteban Richter not sidled into his life maybe he wouldn’t have fought so hard. But that asshole had to make things complicated and messy. Fuck him.

Thats when he heard the word ‘re-assimilate’. Oh. Fuck. No. No no no.

Now he felt it:Fear. Its claws ripping into his soul. It will be worse than the arena. It will be the arena AND worse. A motion picture show of horror began cycling through his mind, the torture awaiting him. They’d probably keep his power contained via technology the whole time. Possibly even a mind wipe. He didn’t want to forget.

He had no idea what missing something felt like until that threat presented itself. Losing the memory of that stupid face. The way he almost punched Catalyst when they first met. Buckets of frogs and dirty hands. He refused to forget him. The first person to support him so fully; maybe to love him? How could he. How that stupid stupid smile started with a gleam in his brown eyes and spread to his mouth. Or the way he would explode with emotion about things. Fuck he’d even miss the tequila.

Tears were stinging his face. Oh god. The thought of losing even the memory of the first important person in his life was earth-shattering. A heavy sob ripped through his chest, he couldnt stop it. Not like he used to, stuff it down, and hide it from himself. He’d die before he went back. He’d die before he forgot him.

“RICTOR!!” One sobbing scream echoed from his uemeur a crossed the empty lot. Bouncing helplessly off the buildings. He knew it would go unanswered. His uemeur splintered then and there.Ground heaving beneath mirroring his chest. Iridescent green flooding from his fingers. Fear. His powers activated on Fear. Pressure building, a loud snap resonated as the collar splintered.

Fissure ripping open the earth beneath their feet. Everything went black. He’d done it.

commercial break from bad writing: I had to give it a happy end my dream stopped there basically and transitions to rubber ducks so..Have a happy ending??

Light poured in. Eyes opening slowly, body tensing. He wasn’t on anything-someone was holding him close. His head against their neck as they walked, cradling him. Orange hair brushing against Cats face as he tried to move. He could feel the familiar heaviness of Rictor’s jacket around his own limbs, smelled the earth and leather. Trying to lift his head he stopped feeling a fissure of pain rip through him. A hum vibrating through the mans throat, head moving.

“Julio.” Voice deep and strong. A faint Cadre accent, barely discernible. But that wasn’t what awoke him.

“He awake?”

The voice sent his mind racing. Earth, wet ground fertile and beautiful. Stable. Warm. Home. “R-rictor?” Gods his own voice sounded like shit compared to Rictor’s. The man was there, beside him burying a hand in his hair to ruffle it. Small smile gracing his features.

“Dumbass.”

Shoving off the red head he tackled Rictor. Worth the pain, so worth the pain. Working arm latching tightly around his neck to grab his shirt. Hugging tightly. Burying his head against him trying to stop his chest from heaving. “They wanted me to forget you, papa.”

Comforting hands hoisted him up to hold his weight, however light it was. Supporting him. Caring for him. “Yeah well fuck those bastards.” Hand stroking his hair soothingly. “ We’re going home.”

“I’m already home.”

@shakeitrictor : I put a mention of Julian in here but I didn’t want to add him in the last part without your permission. I can always edit and add your cute little baby later. Or remove him completely. In the dream Cat was worried about him getting caught up in this and I’m sure he’d come help bail out his baby brother.

#Xshapedportal #my poor child he needs hugs more #transientmutantdrabbles

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