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writermai05 · 25 days

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Arsonist's Lullabye

Chapter 3: Smelling like a Bonfire, Lost in a Haze

Summary: Y/n and Zuko get to know each other.

Pairing: Zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated)

A/N: Point of view switch starting now! Hopefully this works better than the previous chapters. Based heavily off of "Too Sweet" by Hozier (Yeah this entire series is based on Hozier's discography, SUE ME!). Very excited about this. Next chapter is probably gonna be shorter, but I promise I'll make it worthwhile. Should I make a taglist for this series??? As always feel free to leave comments or constructive feedback, as it helps me grow.

Word Count: 1,211

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol.

Warnings !: Insecure Zuko, mentions of burns, I think that is all?

Wednesday came a lot faster than you had anticipated.

The mundanity of Tuesday felt like nothing compared to the stakes of today. Perhaps delaying a conversation about whatever had happened between Zuko and yourself for another two days wasn’t the best of decisions.

Your professor broke you from your worried state, explaining about some assignment you were meant to complete in pairs. Perhaps it was the sour mood you were in, but frankly, even you were over these icebreaker activities.

Gathering your things, you began searching around the room for someone to work with. Before you could actually move, you spotted Azula heading straight for you, the same standoffish girl you had met on the first day, with familiar golden eyes and her long black hair in a top knot, held with the same gold pin. Taking a seat right in front of you, Azula neatly laid out her things in a sort of rehearsed way.

You hid the surprise that filled your body at the sight of her. Staring at her, you raised your eyebrows inquisitively. She merely stared back, with an expression of many layers. You relented, putting all your things where they were before, and slowly retaking the seatright across from Azula.

“So are we going to get started or…” Azula trailed off, seemingly indifferent.

You were utterly confused. Admittedly, your guys’ first meeting was shaky, filled with a sort of aggressive energy and tension that most people would wish to avoid. “Yeah…Can I ask you something?” Azula raised her eyebrows in approval.

“Why partner with me?” Such a simple question, but you were sure that the answer would be interesting.

Azula rolled her eyes. “No one in this class is worth talking to. I just chose based on convenience.” She replied pompously.

Much to the confusion of Azula, you smiled at her response.

“Really? Here’s what I think. You partnered with me, even after our awful first meeting, because it was convenient, but also because you secretly think I’m really nice and cool, and that we should be friends.” Your sarcastic and dry humor, paired with complete honesty and optimism was quite polarizing. Azula scoffed at your statement.

“You psych majors are always so weird.” She replied, yanking a sheet of paper from you and beginning the assignment.

“Why thank you Azula, I also think it would be cool if we were friends!” you replied before also getting to work on the assignment.

Little did you know, deep down, Azula was grateful for the connection.

Zuko had been anticipating class all day. He was just trying to enjoy his walk in the cool autumn air of Ba Sing Se. Unfortunately, everything in his brain was telling him that this was not going to go well, and that eventually, you too would come to see him the way that everyone else does. ‘No, she’s not like that!’ he screamed back. If she was, why would she have even bothered trying?

By the time he had reached class, his thoughts were going a mile a minute. A back and forth of thoughts about you, questioning your character, and attempting to quell the darkest thoughts within his mind. That was, until he spotted you.

You had sat in the same spot from the first time, but this time, your backpack was saving the seat to your left. Seemingly sensing his presence, your gaze moved from the notebook on the desk in front of you to Zuko. He sheepishly waved, and you smiled, gesturing for him to come as you moved your bag off the chair.

Everything that Zuko had been feeling a couple minutes before this moment had stopped. The smoke-filled haze of his mind had been absolutely soothed at the sight of you. Moving as calmly as he could, he made his way to the seat next to you.

“How were your classes yesterday?” You asked softly. This type of gentleness was unfamiliar. It was the kind of sensitivity Zuko had only ever received from two people in his life. He gulped back some air before answering.

“It was fine. I worked at the shop after.” You nodded, going back to whatever you were writing down in your notebook earlier.

Class went by without a hitch. It felt casual, as if it wasn’t a big deal, and maybe it wasn’t. This sense of normalcy was almost unheard of when it came to Zuko’s life. After the professor dismissed the class, you spent a little extra time packing all of your supplies. Zuko stood beside you, waiting patiently for you to finish.

“You didn’t have to wait for me, but thank you.” You said, slinging your bag over your shoulder. Zuko shrugged.

“It’s alright. Do you have any other classes today?”

“Nope. I’m done for the day, why?”

“Let me walk you back to your dorm?” He asked, in a timid manner.

“Really? You don’t have to-”

“I want to. My classes are done for the day, and the shop is right next to the dorms.”

You were flattered by the sincerity in his voice.

“Okay.”

The two of you took your time, basking in the cool afternoon air. The falling leaves and luscious greenery, even in the city, was absolutely breathtaking. You and Zuko had polite conversations, just learning more about each other. He told you about moving to Ba Sing Se, and how his uncle had come to own the Jasmine Dragon. You told him about growing up in the north, and how you ended up transferring to the University of Ba Sing Se. As you reached the doors of your dorm building, the conversation fell quiet.

“Thank you, Zuko.” You said earnestly.

“No, Thank you, Y/n.”

Confusion flooded your features. “What for?”

“For giving me a chance. I know I’m not the best person to talk to.”

“Maybe you’ve never known the right people.” You replied. He laughed, somberly in response.

“No, it was definitely me who was the problem.”

You shrug, making proper eye contact with him. Within your eyes held a look that seemed to hold something akin to a sky full of stars. “Isn’t it interesting how eventually, you will meet people that see more within you than you see in yourself?” Zuko felt like his heart was about to explode.

“Goodbye, Zuko. Get home safely.” And with that, you entered your dorm hall, leaving the fiery boy at an absolute loss for words.

You will meet people that see more within you than you see in yourself.

You had said it so casually, so nonchalantly, as if it wasn’t some new and big concept. For Zuko, it was. He had never felt the warmth of fire, just the searing burn. He was never able to breathe through the haze, rather he choked on the smoke. How could anyone possibly come to see him as the man he became rather than the boy that he was? Has he always been worth the time and trouble? Was this what Uncle Iroh had been trying to tell him? Was his therapist?

As he mused over these questions, Zuko couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, he'd been underestimating his own worth all this time…and he definitely needed to schedule another appointment with his therapist.

#arsonist's lullabye #writermai05 #atla x reader #avatar the last airbender #prince zuko x reader #zuko x reader #aang #atla #atla live action #atla netflix #college au #modern au #katara #sokka #atla suki #toph #atla azula

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avkima · 5 months

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~invisible strings:jamie flattersxreader~

Chapter 1

Summary: after Bailey drags Reider (reader) to meet Britain’s friends for a little hangout a quick bond is formed between her and Jamie. Doesn’t matter though, she’s so in the friend zone. P.S summary will change chapter to chapter as new info is given

tags:friend groups, Bailey Bass is your bff, Avatar cast, Sam and Zoe are your parents simply because they can be, fluff, friends to lovers, angst, love triangle if you squint, unrequited love but it’s really not, closed door smut. Stay tuned for some Easter eggs of secret characters and plot lines.

wc: 1.2k

tag list↯

@neteyams-wh0re

💌💌💌💌

truly don’t think I’ve lived before I found you.

But it was always meant to be

I never saw the world until I looked into your deep brown eyes.

You were there in the little things, but how had our paths never crossed?

I never felt alive until I felt your touch.

As a connected duet we preform this experience together.

I wish to dance with you forever.

For eternity—

Not just till death do us part.

-jamie flatters

* “Shall I compare the to a summers day?”

“I’m more of a fall to be honest”

——————

I really needed to get out of my dorm. Or at least that’s what Bailey had been telling me when she caught me talking to myself while folding laundry. She would barge in unannounced when she felt the need. Today I had been home alone all day so ranting to myself about horrible Professor Quaritch was inevitable.

“I was winning an argument—now I’m off track” I glance at her as she strolls in.

“Oh my apologies weirdo.” She sits down next to me and begins folding too, “Have you been in here all day? It looks spotless!”

My tiny 250 square foot dorm could be cleaned top to bottom in an hour if I was being a perfectionist about it—or I had neglected it that week. But I wasn’t about to go through my whole list of antisocial activities which only included an hour or two of actual school work.

“Yeah mostly, that and Gilmore Girls”

“You live like you have no friends”

I chuckled, “I live like an introvert who has been with her friends all week!”

She frowned.

Bailey was the most bubbly extrovert I’ve met. Most of the time she was very understanding of our opposing personalities but to be honest I think she saw I was more in the dumps than I was letting on.

“Come on, you need to get your mind off of Chris and have some fun tonight!” Bailey gets a twinkle in her eyes, a plan is forming as she pulls me off of the beige couch. “It’s party time!”

I groan “I’m all for a little get together but I don’t know if I’m party ready.” Bailey tugs on my arms back and forth to get me to dance with her.

“Britain invited some of his friends and the group to his apartment. It’s gonna be like so chill, I promise no more than like 7 people.”

I frown, mulling over how truthful that statement really was and how uncomfortable I would be if it truly was a party.

She notices I haven’t exactly been won over and back tracks. “I said party but I didn’t really mean party. It’s so casual and you know me, you know Britain, and you know Jack.” She meets my eyes for the selling point blinking her big green eyes “plenty of people to hide behind.”

I sigh. I hadn’t met any of Britain’s friends but I knew Bailey hangs with them too so they couldn’t be too bad. If anything I can just be introduced and then let Bailey and Jack do all the talking.

“Ok sure.”

“Yay! We can bring drinks, our wine is gonna go bad soon.”

>——————>

October In LA proved to be colder than I usually is. I regretted my sleeveless top but the jeans made up for it. With some chilled Merlot and some odd white claws or two in tow me and Bailey headed out to Britains apartment just off of 110 not far from campus. The smooth car ride in Bailey’s Camry proved useful for my mascara application. She had mentioned some of her boyfriend’s friends were single and encouraged me to at least get out of my sweat pants. I wasn’t getting my hopes up but I guess I was expecting something…maybe.

Britain’s apartment always smelled like something was cooking even when there was no food in the house. Tonight it smelled like burnt…toast?

Bailey scrunches her nose upon entering, “What did you burn?”. She asked Britain who opened the door for us.

“Popcorn.” He kisses her cheek and takes the drinks to the kitchen. “At least we have these” he tosses the bag of popcorn into the trash and takes some plastic cups out of the cabinet.

We set our bags down on the couch and look around at the seemingly empty apartment.

“Where are the boys?” Bailey asks, stepping closer to me. I know what she’s doing.

“Not sure actually,” he looks towards the hallway that led to his and his two roommates rooms. “Party’s here bros!”

My stomach flipped as a guy emerged from the hall, thankfully followed by Jack.

Jack greeted me with a smile and hug, “hey bro.”

The other guy he was with looked pretty friendly, a big smile on his face as he introduced himself. “Hey I’m Duane.”

“Reide.” I smile and shake his hand.

Britain calls out for ‘Filip and Jamie’ who we could hear laughing in one of the bedrooms down the hallway while we had been making our introductions.

One Filip and Jamie come walking down the hall—though I do not know which is which. They were still chuckling to each other from their conversation.

Bailey linked arms, probably trying to ground me with all these new people…new boys.

“So this is Jamie,” she gestures to the brunette with the sharper features who also seemed to be a few inches shorter than “and this is Filip.”

“this is Reider.” She finishes

“Everyone just calls me ‘Re or Reide.” I smile at them giving him my best attempt at confidence.

“Good to see you Reide.” Filip says he seems less chummy with me but this almost gives me more solidarity with him.

Jamie’s eyes catch my attention. They are blue or maybe hazel. The apartment lighting is still enough to see that he’s pretty. One of the hotter guys I’ve ever seen on campus.

“That’s a pretty name, ‘Reide.” He shakes my hand.

My flick wider and my cheeks grow hot.

He’s fucking British.

“Oh wow you have an accent.” Shove my hands in my back pocket, again posing myself as confident to make up for how frocking nervous I was to be talking to a cute boy.

“Yeah I’m from London.” His smile tells me he’s had this conversation a lot.

I panic a bit, not knowing whether he rather me just move on from his Britishness or if it would be rude to be so disinterested.

Bailey comes in to save me. “Well Britain burnt the single snack he had so is anyone up for a snack run?”

We all agreed the night would end in a movie and some games as we piled into Duane’s van.

He graciously offered to drive us to Walmart. Jack jumped in the passenger seat and immediately grabbed the auxcord.

The seating arrangement left me sitting in the middle of Jamie and Bailey. He smelled good though like cinnamon, vanilla and maybe pine. I hoped I smelled good, seeing as my body was so close to his. He was even cuter up close.

Jack started playing Get Him Back by Olivia Rodrigo and from there the chaos sprung. The boys belted the lyrics as if they had just been through some gut wrenching break up with their gaslighting boyfriend.

I giggled with Bailey, content. They seemed pretty cool but the night has just begun.

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skylermadness · 4 months

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Glitched-In Gator - Brok the InvestiGator TF/MC

(Original Date of Upload: December 20, 2023)

Original Description:

Secret Santa gift for my close friend! So this was a story I had planned for a few months, almost abandoned because I didn't feel it, then I went back to it because I had the perfect chance to do something for it! I originally wasn't feeling the whole VR shtick, but I kind of realized while doing rewrites that it was because I had no idea what I was really doing for it. Having an established OC like my friend's Parker character actually helped me do something more interesting besides 'generic non-descript person gets transformed randomly'. So I'm actually quite happy at the end result of this! Besides that though, I want to write out more Brok TFs some day. RJ's been on my mind for a long while too as well, but I'm unsure when or if I'll get to him.

There was a certain level of eeriness that penetrated the room that Parker was currently in. It was large and empty with the insides of its hemispherical appearance only being illuminated by small lights that were embedded periodically within the geometrical platings of its walls. It didn't even feel like enough to light up the entire room. All of this made the young adult feel small when compared to the sheer size of the room, which was far from a pleasant feeling.

The eerie silence of the room was then broken by the sound of some mechanical whirring coming from the middle of it. Turning around, Parker found a small rectangular pillar rising from the ground. Atop that pillar was a VR headset alongside its associated hand controllers.

"Please remember that all of this is purely for testing purposes, Parker," a feminine voice rings out from an earpiece that had been in their right ear the whole time.

"Yeah, I remember…" Parker responded as they stepped towards the small pillar. They were personally reached out to a few weeks back by the CEO of a company named ScyBr Essence Technologies, said CEO named Mrs. Wynn. That company has requested them to arrive at their facilities to further test their new VR systems. It was an odd request considering they didn't have any prior experience in game testing. And despite their profession as a video game streamer, nothing about the request or contract were laced with mentions of promotions or sponsorships to be done by them. It was just strange to say the least.

They picked up the headset and placed it onto his head, then took hold of the hand controllers. "So uh, Mrs. Wynn, what exactly are the activation controls of this thing?"

"I can have the testing program activated remotely from here,” she responds, "Just give me a second…"

In one second following that statement, Parker's ocular senses were instantly assaulted as all of a sudden the supposed program was activated. They stepped back a bit as they found themself a little disoriented, especially because they had to get used to the… virtual brightness that was now being created by the endless expanse of pure nothing that headset was subjecting him to now.

"I-is it meant to just be a white void!?"

"Apologies, wrong program."

The brightness suddenly died down as a different program was loaded. In a millisecond the white expanse was replaced with a room. In comparison to the room they were in in reality, this one was a lot smaller. More akin to that of an apartment space actually. The furniture around the place was rather standard: a door with a fridge to its left and a very messy sink to its right, another door on the wall adjacent to that sink. As Parker turned they found a rather lengthy bench behind him, and beside it was a bed. Lastly was what seemed to be a punching bag to the bed's left. Something about this room actually seemed rather familiar somehow. Before Parker could come to a conclusion however, they realized that a table had generated around their body.

"Please step out from the table so we can activate the collision from our end. We don't want you getting bisected!"

"Eheh, sure…" Parker responded with a nervous laugh. Something about the woman's comment was a bit too serious, but they complied with the request and stepped away from the table's insides and towards the dirty sink.

A few seconds passed before the voice spoke again. "...okay, collision should be on now. For the time being this program is mostly meant to test the boundaries of a virtual world for a planned VR port of a game called Brok the InvestiGator. It's more proof of concept than anything else, but we want to at least get the world up and running before we move on to anything more complicated."

That was when everything finally clicked for Parker. That's why this room was familiar, it was Brok’s apartment! Admittedly they didn't instantly jump to that conclusion, especially since they only did one or two streams of the game before life problems got in the way and they just never got back to it. For a second their brain drifted to adding it as an option for a ‘game to stream’ poll on their Patreon, but they wrangled their wandering thoughts before they could have a chance to think about it more intensely. Although they did have one question they wanted to ask before getting into this testing session…

“Was there any reason in particular you guys had in picking me to test it?”

Parker was given a rather lengthy pause before the CEO responded. “We at ScyBr Essence Technologies like to take in consideration our buyers, and one way to do this is to contract people who would be perfect fits to test our products. Seeing you are both a popular streamer and someone who has played these kinds of games before, it was only an accurate choice to pick you.”

Parker hummed, deciding not to dignify that with a response. Something about the statement was definitely a manufactured corporate dialogue. It also made a part of them want a pay raise for this session. Sighing, they disregarded that thought and began to look around. They were rather impressed by how the models of the furniture looked life-like, so much so that the messiness of the dishes in the sink they were near was a bit too real to look at. Disgusting…

Parker proceeded to spend the next few minutes exploring the room and trying to interact with whatever they knew they could. Pulling open the fridge and grabbing and moving around the fruit in it. Playfully giving the punching bag a few good jabs and watching it swing around as a result. They did try to interact with both doors, but the doors didn't really seem to react to them. Locked maybe, probably so the creators of this VR system didn't have to render areas outside the apartment yet.

During the process of their exploration Parker came back to the table to inspect what was on it better. Mostly random objects like a fruit basket and a magnifying glass. The only object of interest that was on it was a small picture frame showcasing a picture of Brok, Graff, and Brok’s… wife was it? Parker couldn't remember due to how long it's been since that incomplete stream attempt…

Their random interactions were cut short however as the silence of the room was yet again broken. However instead of it being the voice of their contractor, it was the sound of static crackling nearby. Putting down the picture frame Parker looks up to find where the crackling was coming from. The source was from a newly manifested object that was in the space between the punching bag and the fridge: a coat rack stand (and a hat that was hanging on one of its hooks) that was just glitching in and out of existence.

"Uhhh,” Parker starts to speak into the earpiece, “There seems to be an object here that just appeared and started glitching…”

It takes a few seconds for the woman on the other side to respond. "Hm. That might be some leftover code from an object that we had to remove. If the sound annoys you just touch it and it'll disappear. I'll make sure to have my technicians deal with it after this test…"

Parker rolled their eyes. Just touch it and it'll disappear? Something about the flippant lack of protocol didn't sit well with them. They stepped over towards the glitchy coat rack and tried to wave a hand through it to dispel it. However the moment their arm touched the pole they, just for a second, felt the hardness of the pole meet their arm before they were given a sudden and rather violent shock.

"AGH-" Parker yelled out, the young adult quite literally stunned by the interaction as they felt electricity(?) flow through their body.

Their earpiece activates again with their contractor plainly saying, "I suggest immediate removal of the headset and vacating the-" before her voice got cut off, as if the connection got severed.

Before Parker got much of a chance to try and do the few instructions they could hear, the object blipped out of existence and they were promptly sent flying onto the ground. And in just the few seconds they spent in the air the physicality of the space was made tangible as the feeling of the headset and hand controllers faded away. The initially virtual world around him was realized in a literal way, and their physical body seemingly manifested into it from the shock. They then fell onto their back, Parker groaning out in pain. It also seemed that the purple fedora that was perched on the coat rack remained in reality, descending onto Parker’s chest as they laid flat on their back.

Slowly, Parker got up as they scratched the back of their head. "What happened there…" they asked to themself, the overall bizarreness of the previous chain of events making it take a while before everything clicked in their brain. "Wait a moment-"

They stopped scratching their head and brought their arms forward, and then they slowly lowered their gaze to their body.

"...did- did that thing digitize me or something!?"

Ignoring the fedora that was perched on their chest they quickly stood up, slight panic starting to course through them. This shouldn't have been possible… right? They were well aware that strangely advanced technologies existed, especially since their whole channel was built on one, but something like this did feel a bit… much.

“Aw jeez, how am I going to get out of this…?” they posited. While the idea of being in a video game sounded kind of fun, they weren't really sure if they wanted to be stuck in one. Much less without their permission!

Parker’s eyes were brought to the front door of the room. Curious, they walked over towards it and gave the knob a shake. They could hear a series of clicks signifying it could open.

"This isn't bound by the confines of code anymore…" they observed. Was he digitized or was this place made real around him? Were they placed in the game or did they somehow get transported in the reality the game had been based on? Lifting a hand up, they scratched their head in thought. “Jeez, this is getting confusing now.”

Parker's mind begins to drift, thoughts of concern filling their head as they try to fully process what is going on and how they're even meant to interact with this world now. Was this the actual reality of Brok now? Or was this some strange empty space in a harddrive? It couldn't be that second thing, but even then what would this even be considered if they weren't digitized in the first place!? Their thinking left them distracted and unaware, something that allowed the true effects of the shock steadily become more tangible without Parker noticing yet.

A bright shade of green begins to creep in from the tips of their fingers, slowly but surely spreading across them with ease. This change in skin tone was caused by their skin itself altering, the softness of it getting tougher as it was steadily getting transformed into what seemed to be scales. This wave of scales continued to move its way down the fingers of both hands, a secondary change being added to them as they began to thicken as well. Each finger swelled up with size getting thicker and longer, and it didn't take long for them to get fat to the point of being almost sausagey. It would also seem two fingers on each hand got squished into each other, Parker now being left with only four-fingered hands.

Their hands themselves weren't left unscathed either as they too got affected by the scales overtaking them. The backs got consumed by the rough greens, meanwhile the palms maintained a level of softness as they got taken over by a brighter shade of green. Their size underwent the same types of changes as well, their once flatter appearance filling up and bloating to become of equal density with his fatter fingers. They were also stretching out in all directions and enlarging to a much wider width. It didn't take very long for both hands to garner a significant, almost cartoony plumpness that looked humorous when compared to their thinner arms and body.

That disparity didn't last though. The cuffs of the sleeves of their jacket began to tighten as the changes in their skin started to cascade upwards onto and beyond their wrists, steadily increasing the diameter of each wrist in the process. The main site of importance was Parker's forearms however. Bulk began to pile onto them as an odd feeling of strength was coursing through them and their muscle mass was shifting as a result. Their forearms were thickening in size due to their muscle mass getting more developed. This all caused the lower ends of their jacket sleeves to get filled as a result.

Their upper arms weren't left out either as they too began to quickly swell in size. Greens moved beyond his elbows and layered onto his flesh, and beneath it all their biceps bloated with their triceps increasing alongside them. The fabric of his jacket got indented with the ridges of their muscles, and it would seem that the short sleeves of their undershirt were quick to fill. This progressed further as their deltoids bloated up and got rounder, their shoulders now broadening as a result. The once lanky form of Parker’s limbs had already gained a substantial difference in size, now almost reaching a point that they were double their previous size thanks to this instantaneous workout. While the sturdy denim of their jacket just barely managed to hold their muscled arms, the much softer material of their undershirt wasn't faring as well and had already begun to split across their bigger biceps and shoulders.

The sound of tearing piercing the air snapped Parker out of their spiral of confuzzlement. “Did my shirt just- whaaat the hell-”

The sight of their arms was a strange one. What had once been unimpressive, average-sized limbs that allowed their jacket to hang off them had now been replaced with firm, muscular, stronger arms that practically stretched the denim of their jacket with ease. For Parker such a sight wasn't necessarily off-putting, mainly considering their usages of Change4Change on their livestreams, but the fact it's happening is a reason for concern.

Parker eyes one of their arms, giving it a flex and watching as the muscles of it further press into the material of their jacket. “Maybe digitization isn't the only thing that's happening,” they then unflexed and held the arm out, inspecting their hand next. Green and scaley with such fat fingers. It was a sight that made deducing what was happening a rather simple task. They were transforming to fit this new reality they were shunted into it seemed, and the person they were becoming was the titular protagonist of the game the original simulation was based off of…

“...fuck that sounds cool actually-”

The air of confusion and concern had begun to fade in that instant as Parker came to some kind of internal ultimatum. Especially since the idea of becoming the InvestiGator himself was not an unappealing one by any means…

Meanwhile, the changes had not halted during Parker’s form inspection. Especially since it didn't take very long for the scales to jump from their arms to their chest, their frame now widening beneath the shifting skin and formulating a broader appearance. And as the scales crept onto the front of their body, the appearance changed as the color shifted from a standard green to a more yellowish-green tone. This was more than a change in tone as well, the original hardness of the scales now instead becoming a median between the softness of human skin and the toughness of gator scales. Parker was effectively getting a reptilian underbelly, something that was also causing their chest to fill out substantially.

At first it began with a growth in muscle mass, Parker’s pectoral muscles steadily growing in size and muscularity with ease. Swelling out thicker and stronger, the core of their body heating up as the shelf of their chest extended forward with each passing second. It wouldn't take long for their undershirt to already get indented with Parker’s newly deepening cleavage. However it was evident that this wasn't the only change happening to the upper portion of their body. While the firmness of their chest existed, it didn't take very long for it to start getting shrouded beneath another layer of something.

Formulating around Parker’s chest was a layer of fat, one that was quick to accumulate around their new muscles. This resulted in a significant softness forming in their chest, the previous raw meatiness getting melted into something more squishy and flabby. The upper body strength still existed of course, but it was accentuated with pudge that made their pecs absolutely squeezable in contrast to the scaliness of it. All the while their chest still grew in size a bit more, growing in tandem with Parker’s wider frame. Although for the most part it was causing their chest to press against their undershirt even more. It was a wonder that the torso section wasn't splitting as well…

Concurrent with the changes of Parker’s upper torso, the lower half of it was undergoing a similar if not more drastic change. As the yellowish-green scales of their new underbelly grew more prominent, their abdominal muscles began to harden and solidify while strength coarsed through them with ease. However it was quick to garner a layer of fat, and in this region of their body it was quickly evident it wasn't just going to settle as just a layer. A bloating sensation was quick to fill their belly as it began to swell outwards. With each passing second, the hem of their shirt steadily rode up their stomach as it grew bigger, rounder, fatter. And it would only progress that way for a while. More and more fat just filling up the area, the sheer roundness of their belly getting increasingly more prominent to the point that it was easily becoming more of a gut than anything else. Ample size, soft yet firm, and hiding some level of muscle beneath it all. By the time this portion of the changes slowed their newly developed gut had pushed their undershirt completely above it, exposing it to the air and showing the scaley and segmented appearance of what was now their underbelly.

Parker found themselves leaning against the door, feeling the weight steadily piling onto them thanks to both their muscle and fat. “O-ough. This-” they paused, a light tingle entering their throat and forcing them to clear it to try and dispel it. “This feels kinda good…”

Blinking a few times, they register the throat tingle a second time. They also noticed a chance to their voice seeming to begin kicking in. It was beginning to sound a little bit… deeper? And the tone of it was a bit off. “It's getting to my voice too, huh?”

Parker couldn't help but smile though. “Brok did have a pretty cute voice from what I recall…”

With that they go from leaning to their side to leaning on their front, their forehead on the door as their gaze was fixated on their belly. They give it a nice rub with one of their hands, feeling up the softer feeling scales. By this point a level of grogginess was beginning to set into their brain. A light fog slowly rolled into their mental space, that lightness very slowly intensifying as seconds passed. It was steadily getting harder to focus on the transformation process, especially with this growing feeling of… something in their mind. Familiarity? Normalcy? It was hard to discern.

At the very least that mental haze made Parker unable to notice that their height had been altering all this time. Their back had already grown rather broad at this point to fit with Parker’s now wider form, and their trapezius muscles were already pushed up against their undershirt and indenting their jacket. And it wasn't very long until this already garnered wideness forced the back of their undershirt to split open, light blue cotton tearing to reveal dark green scales. Their spine had decompressed a bit with the discs of each vertebrae growing a little larger to fit their new proportions. All the while a pair of blunt spikes lined the region of scales above their spine, steadily forming down until they found their way to the base of it. Once it did reach the base however, something strange began to occur.

At first it only felt like a tug. A small amount of pressure in their tailbone that only gave mild discomfort. But with the progression of time that small feeling got bigger. Pressure was constantly building up, a growing lump forming above their rear, and that lump growing larger and larger as the pressure continued to grow linearly. Parker could only grit their teeth as they felt this happening, the once minor discomfort now becoming a major one. They could feel the lump start to push against the back of their pants, pull against their belt, and in general just exert immense amounts of force on their legwear that it was not accustomed to. This tug of war would only continue for a few seconds more though, as once enough pressure finally built up…

SHRRRP!!!

THUD!

“GRRAGHH!!!”

Shards of denim fly from behind them as a massive, spiky tail unfurled its way out from the base of Parker’s spine. It lands on the floor with a mighty thud and its length still increases for a few seconds more. Although it would seem its impressive girth was shrinking, already tapering to a rounded tip. Nonetheless, Parker now sported the lengthy tail of a gator. One that they were checking out, the transforming adult seeming to already get a hang of moving it.

“Heheh, quite the trouble you caused there, huh?” Parker said with a smile, their voice continuing to deepen more with each word. The tone had now been given a more masculine edge as well. They didn't seem to care though, instead choosing to give the base of their tail a nice rub. This distracted them from the fact they were now losing height.

The green scales were quick to find their way to Parker’s legs, now rapidly overtaking the skin of them. Beneath it all came another slew of physical changes not unlike the ones that happened in their arms. Leg muscles began to grow, quadriceps and hamstrings bulking up and easily making indents within the denim of Parker’s jeans. All while their muscles were maturing, they pressed up against the bones of Parker's legs and changed them. Where they gained some wideness they also lost some length. An event that had caused Parker’s initial height loss, something that gave them a more top-heavy appearance as a result. The same structural changes to their leg bones would also happen to their lower legs as they too were consumed by scales. This also caused the feeling of the crus of their legs starting to swell, calves ballooning outwards and their jeans continuing to strain over their legs in a futile attempt to contain their thickening form. It wouldn't take very long for a few tears to form to the sides of their legwear. Now the only area of their lower body that was not washed over by the sea of scales were their feet. This wouldn't last long however…

Spreading across their soles was a pale green, meanwhile a standard shade of green was forming down from the sides and over the upper portion of their feet. Concurrently they were also growing in size, getting thicker, larger, longer, and wider. Unfortunately however, their feet were confined to their shoes. As their size increased it caused the material to bulge and strain in an attempt to continue to contain them. As their toes pressed into the toecap the amount of bulges in the cloth shifted from five to four, and then to three large bumps that were now just aching to get out. The sides of their footwear were expanding and steadily starting to split and crack, and they could feel their fatter heels dig into the back of them as well. The strings that held them together creaked and snapped with ease as the newly forming wideness of their feet was becoming too much. Then rips started to form at the front as their toenails sharpened, their composition shifting and hardening into something more boney, now poking out and becoming a triad of claws. Soon enough the bulges that were caused by his toes were too much as well, the fronts of their shoes splitting open and finally giving them some air. This then caused a chain reaction in the rest of his footwear with it steadily breaking apart and shattering in one large burst that sent pieces of blue cloth flying in the air.

The sound of Parker’s shoes exploding took their attention away from their tail. Looking down at their feet they were greeted with the two being fully transformed and covered in shreds of cloth and string. Although all they really did was shake the destroyed remnants of their shoes off each foot. “Havin’ trouble recalling why I was even wearing those…”

They cleared their throat again. The strange sensation from earlier was fading, and it was evident their voice was settling to that new tone. Deep and masculine with a certain quality to it. Caring, but able to switch to something more aggressive at the flip of a dime if need be.

Perhaps the weird part however was the fact they were just… unable to view their voice as anything different now. There was a part of them that could just barely breach the topic to themselves that this was Brok’s voice and not theirs, but at the same time their brain just had trouble discerning their original identity. Like it was getting muddled beneath all the fog in their mind. And even then when they could think of something it was something different and more natural…?

“Come to think of it, I'm having trouble recalling a lot of things right now…” they- he raised his hand and started to scratch his head in confusion. He could've sworn he was just thinking about… leaving a… something or other…

As his mind drifts to another bout of confusion, the scales slowly move beyond his neck and onto his head. The yellowish-green scales were perhaps the first to make the transition by going from beneath his jaw to layering his chin, and then easily surrounding his mouth. As the scales in this shade gained more surface area around his lower face it prompted a dramatic shift in his skull structure. Slowly his lower face pushed out, lower jaw jutting forward as the region beneath his eyes followed suit. This was causing a gator-like muzzle to form out from his face, his jawline restructuring to fit this new animalistic appearance while it also gained a certain broadness that managed to grant him a more masculine visage from the jawline alone. Meanwhile as the upper portion of his muzzle grew forward, his nose steadily merged into the tip of it until there were nothing more than two holes at the front of it. The bridge of the muzzle’s upper half got consumed by darker green scales as it bubbled, getting rougher and bumpier in the process of the changes. Meanwhile within his mouth all of his started to shift, changing and sharpening while repositioning and misaligning. A few teeth even poked out from between his now longer mouth.

While the lighter colored scales stayed at the lower half of his face, the darker colored ones made the remainder of his head their territory. The sides of his face extending a bit and rounding out, the anthropomorphic qualities of his appearances yet against being accentuated thanks to the fat accumulation around his cheeks. Despite that, the structure of his skull still shifted as the humanity of it was lost to the more reptilian appearance it was taking. As the scales reached the direct sides of his head they also consumed his ears, the process shrinking them rapidly until he was just left with small holes for auditory intake.

Meanwhile he continued to scratch his head, the initial act now changing to him dealing with a major itch on his scalp. Something he was unaware was being caused by the roots of his hair getting pushed out by his scales. It wasn't even a slow experience as, thanks to his massive hands, large chunks of his long hair sloughed off with ease. Brown strands and follicles slipping away due to his touch, the side bangs dropping away while the portion of his hair that was above his forehead slid off his head in an instant. His bun wasn't even given time to unfurl as in one fell swoop it disconnected from the back of his head and dropped to the ground. It wouldn't take long for all of his hair to drift and fall off his scalp and onto the floor, now leaving him with the scaley dome of a gator.

As his eyebrows succumbed to a similar fate, the ridges of his brows pushed forward and above his eyes while also getting thicker and more rectangular. Meanwhile his eyes themselves changed, sclera going from white to yellow as the blueness of his irises faded to black. Although it would seem the changes to his eyes represented something more significant.

“Urgh, I- I had a job I was supposed to do, right…?”

His thoughts and memories only continued to change beneath the haze in his mind. He could just barely recall the idea of a VR test supposedly happening, but the details were practically non-existent now. Something was pressing into that part of his brain, saying it was too early for something like that and that he had to do something else. He had other jobs he was meant to be doing that day.

Wasn't he called in for an investigation…? He could've sworn he was just hired for something.

The gator let out a growl. “These memory lapses can't be getting… that bad, can they…?”

Right, he could recall he had the occasional loss in memory. But that usually came up with stuff from his past, not something that should've happened just a few minutes ago! Something about this just wasn't adding up. Maybe he should just check his phone again, try and shuffle through his messages or call history.

He tries to shove a hand in one of his pants pockets, but quickly finds that he can't even jam in all his fingers. That's when the gator looks down at his body and notices his clothing. “W-wait, I didn’t- a-argh-”

A piercing headache suddenly wracked his brain, the anthropomorphic gator shutting his eyes while squeezing the side of his head with a hand. The haze in his brain intensified and the rest of an entirely new identity was getting shoved into him.

With his mental changes intensifying there was one last visible change occurring, this time to his extremely ill-fitting clothing. A single dot of dark coloring formed in the middle of his undershirt, and soon that splotch spread across the material at a rapid pace. Said shirt was growing as well, sleeves and back repairing and restitching while the hem unfurled and stretched over his stomach more easily. The dark coloring proved itself to be a simple shade of black that overtook the shirt’s original light blue and white coloration. In the end it was a relatively simple change though, his undershirt eventually settling into a black t-shirt that still was a bit small on him judging by the bottom of it revealing a sliver of his stomach and the top of it still having an indent of his chest.

His jacket was mirroring the size changes as well, growing larger to fit his new proportions (and in this case seeming to actually fit them properly). Shades of reddish-brown etched their way across the once blue denim, and everywhere the brown touches changes material to a harder leather instead. While his jacket collar extends a bit, another part of his jacket split folds beneath it and forms a lapel. The pockets of his jacket seal shut to the point they've never existed, and a pair of leather epaulets bulge from the jacket shoulders. Lastly the sleeves of his now brown leather jacket roll upwards and cuff above his elbows. Additionally, the multi-colored bandana that was on his right arm unfurled itself and started to whisk itself to his neck. The soft material shifted and thinned dramatically, practically dethreading in mid-air until it was just a black string that tied itself around his neck. Then came a bright yellow glow above his chest, an almost silvery pendant materializing onto that string.

The very last piece of clothing that changed was his pants. While they remained jeans, they also lengthened to fit his bulkier legs while fixing themselves of the damage they got during his initial transformation. As the legs of his jeans lengthened, they also rolled up and cuffed at the bottom of his own legs. As the back of his pants rethreaded to allow a tail-hole to exist in the seat of his jeans, the belt loop stretched above the very base of his tail that allowed for a brown leather belt to snake its way around his waist. A soft clink was then heard as its silver buckle fastened. The very final change came to his pockets where the four of them merged and bulged into thick and bulky gusset pockets, one of which now holding his new phone.

A metal plate slapped itself onto the gator's snoot as the last of the mental changes were hauled in. A new identity and memories whirling around the reptile’s brain, filling in blanks and replacing what was originally there with ease. Thoughts of his original humanity were getting buried under a new perception of humanity. One that was more animalistic and diverse in forms. Meanwhile his own knowledge was getting overhauled, technological experience being dulled drastically. If anything he garnered a certain level of disdain for more complex works of technological advancement that he could never get working right. Although that may also be because he gained a little over ten years of age both physically and mentally.

This all caused his previous job as a streamer to get flushed down the mental drainpipe. Instead all he could recall was his typical work as a handyman, the knowledge required for such a profession replacing the mental spot that his technological expertise had once resided. However, the most important aspect of his personhood soon followed. That being the justice-seeking desires of his detective work, and the slightly aggressive tendencies of his brawler persona. Such aspects of himself that mixed and meshed on a frequent basis, so much so that they were ingrained in his personality. Traits that made him Brok. Of course there were still multiple other personality traits that got overloaded into him though. Self-doubt and worry, a crippling fear of being alone, a slight hair-trigger temper that he has been attempting to suppress more and more. But despite all of that, he had an intense level of care and love that existed within his mind.

Brok continued to hold his head in his hands as his brain was absolutely overladen with details and info, something that almost completely scrubbed whatever prior thought patterns he had had before this. It also left his attention almost completely dulled.

“Ough, head… spinning…”

“...rok?” a voice echoed from near the gator.

“Whuh… who-”

Suddenly the gator’s mental haze was shattered as a finger tapped his shoulder a few times.

“What the-” Brok yelled out, the spirals in his eyes being blinked out as he was startled by the sudden touch. “O-oh, Graff!”

Having been standing behind him for the past… who knows how long was his feline step-son Graff. Said feline had a slight look of concern on his face. “Woah- you looked a little zonked there.”

“I- wuh…” Brok scratched the back of his head in confusion. “Admittedly I… don't remember what I was doing just about now,” the gator gave a nervous smile.

Graff raised a brow in suspicion. “Oookay then. I just heard some yelling and…” The anthropomorphic cat began to trail off as he looked down to the floor and noticed what seemed to be brown fur(?) and shreds of hard blue cloth cluttering the area around Brok’s feet. “The heck went on there?”

Brok looked down as well. “...I'm not quite sure about that either.”

“...right,” at this point it just seemed like Graff was giving up on questioning whatever went on in the past few minutes. “Guess we'll just need to have the cleaning bot fix it?”

Brok’s eyes widened at the mention of the cleaning bot. Nervously rubbing that back of his head he said, “O-oh, about that…”

“You didn't get it fixed yet, did you?”

“...no. I was going to have Shay do it but got distracted with… work stuff.”

Graff just rolled his eyes, the sight making Brok cringe. An extremely strange stray thought at the back of his mind made him wonder how many relationship points he just lost. Weird…

Brok still mustered a smile. “I'll make sure to try and get it repaired while out today! Consider that a promise!”

Graff didn't look convinced, but judging by his ears perking up a bit it would seem he was hopeful in his step-dad’s making it a promise. “Alright, alright… just uh,” he smirked, “Don't forget the hat.”

Brok raised a hand to the apex of his head and gave his scalp a few pats. “O-oh! Where did…” his gaze wandered to the area of the room with the punching bag and found the fedora on the ground. Walking over towards it he commented, “How the heck did that thing get off me without me noticing!”

He then placed the fedora onto his head and smiled. “Okay, now I'm gone!”

Graff just gives the gator a nod as the reptile starts to make his way to the door and leave the apartment. Although he does smile at the sight of Brok pausing as he kicked some ridiculously large looking furball. Brok just sighed as he watched the furball roll into a corner.

“Seriously, how did this mess get made…”

#character tf #tf #transformation #species tf #weight gain tf #reptile tf

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find-your-wings · 14 days

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Vee already dating someone? Is he cheating on his girlfriend with Valain? /genq

[I had to look up genq to answer this cuz I didn't realize that meant genuine question LMAO]

BUT ANYWAYS- he is not!

It's hard to explain the nuance of notseanis [the elf species that makes up most of the population in my fantasy world, 'nis' for short] romance/dating societal rules, BUT I'll try and summarize!

Short version: People in Olmia aren't usually Monogamous! [only married to/in an active relationship with only one person at a time] Polyamory is very common, and nis have a loose relationship with romance and sex. The only thing they want you to do is 'produce at least 1 child in your life, even if you don't raise it.' Cheebi [Vee's partner] is supportive of him looking at other people, so long as they're good for him emotionally. Now, I can't make any statements on how she feels about Valain specifically, but you'll find out that stuff in the books. :)

Longer answer below the cut!

Longer answer: Olmia's societal rules are sort of like a fun-house-mirror version of my limited American [raised 'christian'] upbringing. But one of the things they differ the most on is the 'rules and expectations' around dating.

Many people in Olmia have multiple partners or random 'lovers'. Messing around [hooking up with random people] is seen as completely normal and is not considered 'cheating' if both people have consented to their relationship being open [which is the default expectation. Usually a couple will have conversations about being MONOGAMOUS and closed, instead of IRL where being Poly is the 'unusual' occurrence.]

However, 'traditional' folks in Olmia also have an unfair expectation that in order to 'earn' your right to be freely romantic or sexual with people, you need to reproduce with an itsu [one of the three sexes among nis, and the only one that can produce offspring]. Even if you just hook up with them and they agree to carry the child, you've 'done your job'. It comes with some pretty negative connotations and is pretty unfair and unbalanced, but that's how things are.

Because of this, it's common for people to start dating someone and have multiple other partners of various levels of romance/attachment. Nis highly value freedom [which is ironic considering some of their laws >>;;] and fulfilling their emotional nutrition needs with multiple partners. Because of this, the rate of failed relationships is actually super low compared to the real world! People aren't expected to 'settle and put up with each other'. If you commit to someone, it's usually expected that you've thought it over for at least a few years.

The only exception to this are 'high born' nis. These are high-class families that have much harsher expectations on them, and their whole goal is making as many heirs as possible to their families and businesses. However... high-born children are arranged into marriages where they are 'paired up' with their future partner in their mid teens, and expected to spend years bonding with them until they eventually are married, and then are expected to start creating heirs and raising them [or sending them off to be raised by nannies near the main home.] High Born families have really messed up rules about romantic relationships that I can't fully get into without spoiling some things about FYW.

But yeah! Cheebi would be fine with Vee having other partners! So long as she still knows he loves her, it doesn't bother her at all. She's had a few casual 'partners' here and there too!

#writeblr #writing #fantasy #urban fantasy #LGBT #OC #Find Your Wings (story)#Find Your Wings #story development #worldbuilding

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bthump · 1 year

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I was wondering if you could help me understand this scene where the king tortures Griffith in volume 9. I really don't want to draw a parallel between Griffith and Guts and incest. But is there a parallel here? Do you think Griffith by asking "don't you want her to have you?" is implying that he understands the king? if so, in what way? He then tells him "how worthless…" and pages later he is talking to himself saying "this is worthless". What does this scene imply? Does this have to do with Guts?

btw I love your blog :)

Thank you!

I actually have a pretty thorough interpretation of this near the end of this post, but since it's long and also the third part of a 4 part essay lol I'll give you a shorter version of my interpretation here too.

So basically I do think Griffith is comparing himself to the King and his incestuous feelings, but I think that parallel exists only in Griffith's own self-loathing mind, not as an objective statement from the narrative.

Guts has just left, which, to Griffith, feels like a very personal rejection - he trusted Guts to see the real him underneath the image he projects to others, and, to Griffith, Guts left him because of it. Griffith also tried and failed to keep Guts at his side through force, with the second duel, and then Griffith functionally threw his dream away over Guts by sleeping with Charlotte in a fit of despair and getting caught.

So what Griffith calls the King out on in the dungeon also applies to himself.

He calls the King a lonely miserable man with no reason to live beyond his daughter, derisively pointing out that he has the power of the throne but has failed to harness it for anything - “How worthless.” And that applies perfectly to himself - he threw his chance at the throne away because of Guts, because ultimately Guts, rather than his dream, is what Griffith has found himself living for, and he - wrongly - considers that to be pathetic. (I would love to be able to link you to a short explanation for that assertion lol but it’s basically the thesis statement of my 18k monster up there.)

And when it comes to the King's fucked up feelings for Charlotte, the parallel is with Griffith's falsely negative perception of his relationship with Guts, imo.

It's very easy to apply Griffith's "wouldn't you rather she have you?" line onto his attempt to force Guts to stay with him through a duel. The concept Griffith’s getting at there is the difference between forcing someone to be with you vs that person actively choosing you, as is thoroughly demonstrated when the King tries to rape Charlotte, then abandons the attempt and flees when she fights (rejects) him. And I think it makes a lot of sense for Griffith to feel a ton of self-loathing for the second duel, because he sees it as Guts rejecting him, and he sees his own attempt to keep him at his side by force as more of the “cruelty” that drove Guts away in the first place, in his incorrect opinion.

We know that Guts admired Griffith, that he actually left because he wanted to be better friends with him, and that he was actually reassured by Griffith’s challenge, because it meant that he was still important to him. But from Griffith’s perspective he tried to force Guts to stay by his side to prevent him from rejecting him and failed, and that false perception is paralleled in the King’s attempt to rape Charlotte. And yeah the parallel is made pretty clear through the repetition of “worthless,” as what Griffith calls the King and what he calls himself.

Idk how much sense this makes lol, it’s kind of hard to discuss without a thorough explanation of my take on Griffith and the story overall to accompany it, but yeah, basically I think there is a deliberate parallel there between Griffith and the King, but it’s not a commentary on Griffith’s feelings for Guts, but rather on Griffith’s biased, negative perception of those feelings.

It’s good that Griffith came to rely on Guts more than his dream as something to live for, to derive a sense of worth from, but Griffith doesn’t see it that way. He sees it as a betrayal of his ideals, and the fact that he threw the dream away over Guts, because he cared too much about Guts, makes him feel worthless. And then add some guilt for trying to demand that Guts stay with him, and you have a pretty thorough parallel that illustrates Griffith’s self-loathing quite well.

Thanks for asking! lmk if you have any follow up questions since yeah I’m not sure this is super coherent lol.

#ask #anonymous #a #b #scene: second duel #theme: parallels #character: griffith #character: the king #theme: self loathing #theme: guts leaving

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marley-manson · 2 years

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@elakki said in response to this post: Would you consider hawkeye telling BJ in 4x02 that he’s “closer to these people than i’ve ever been to anybody else in my life, or ever expect to” one of those missteps? I found that line super jarring coming from hawkeye, even tho i appreciated the sentiment as a shipper lol

ooh good question, that’s a tough one lol. I did actually think about Hawkeye’s speech in Chief Surgeon Who about how they’re all probably closer to each other than anyone else except their families when writing that, but I forgot that bit in WtK.

And like... lol it feels pretty damn nitpicky to criticize it, but honestly yeah if I was writing it I’d def at least phrase it a little differently. I don’t mind the Chief Surgeon Who line because Hawkeye says their closeness is a result of the “cruddy situation” and is just heartfeltly acknowledging it, whereas in Welcome to Korea the line is “Crazy thing is, hell though it is, I think I feel closer to the people in this hospital... than I've ever been to anybody else in my life... or ever expect to.”

Which frames their closeness as more of a silver lining of hell and even arguably a bit of a selling point lol, like sure the war sucks but I made the best relationships of my life here soooo. So I guess yeah I’d say it’s a misstep in that vein, but like, tbf it’s pretty minor all things considered. And in a sitcom about a bunch of friends in hell it’s probably a pretty tricky line not to cross, to celebrate those friendships while never incidentally referring to them as a ‘well at least we got this out of the war’ kinda thing. The fact that the show doesn’t do it more often and more directly is legit pretty impressive imo.

Honestly I’m not even sure where that line necessarily falls, like it’s kind of hard phrasing all this lol. I mean it’s true and fair and realistic that the friendships are a positive aspect of their being there, but imo they shouldn’t be something that justifies it or makes it feel worth it or that they’d value more than going home or that gives them mixed feelings about the war ending or something that makes them miss the war afterwards. It’s like, BJ missing Hawkeye and going to Maine? I’m cool with that. BJ thinking that he’s glad he got drafted because it brought him and Hawkeye together? Too far for me, at least if it’s meant to be positive or heartwarming or romantic or whatever. The 4077 getting super close in large part because of trauma bonding and trying to find ways to keep sane in the middle of horror? Great! The 4077 getting super close framed as a way the war enriched their lives? Not so great! Like, I know it’s basically the same sentiment, but it’s just about what aspect the narrative (of the show or fanfic or w/e) chooses to emphasize, I guess, for me.

But also I guess this is why I personally like to read negative stuff into the show’s relationships sometimes too lol, especially the later seasons when defying the army is less of a bonding activity. That’s just a me thing, not something I think everyone should do ofc.

And to that line in WtK’s credit (and a few others, like Hawkeye’s “there’s nothing here I’m gonna miss except you” in GFA) they are always pretty consistent about emphasizing how much being there sucks while acknowledging the friendships, so at least that’s something they never lose sight of and tend to add in juxtaposition.

ALSO all that aside I agree with you that it’s kind of a jarring line lol, imo it’s a very exaggerated statement. I mean he’s closer to them than his dad? Than he was with Carlye? But considering Trapper just vanished on him and Henry died I guess it’s a pretty understandable exaggeration. Plus I do kind of think/headcanon that Hawkeye has a tendency to overemphasize his immediate feelings with hyperbole. Like it’s what I thought when he told Carlye that everyone since her has been a pale imitation eg lol, like I truly don't think he's been sadly pining ever since and comparing everyone else he dates to her, but I think it feels that way when he's right in front of her again. And same when he’s reflecting on his war friendships after losing the two closest, maybe.

Like idt that’s necessarily a strong interpretatation of the text lol but as a headcanon it helps it work for me.

#marley on mash #mash gen #hawkeye mash #now if i ever write the hawk/trap post-war thing i wanna include something like... the two of them dealing with war trauma issues #and thinking about how much better it would've been if they'd met at a boston gay bar instead #ideas ideas #also i'm sorry i can't be concise lol this is way longer than it needed to be #i answer the question then i just navelgaze for a while

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loregoddess · 2 months

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head empty, no thoughts, only Ori (this is a lie, I have several thoughts about Octo2 yet again, specifically about Tanzy and Ori)

Agnea's final chapter was fun bc I was keeping such a wildly close eye on Tanzy bc, of all the foils, she was one of the least developed and therefore most confusing/enigmatic (Petrichor gets the crown for literally not existing outside of hearsay, but Tanzy's pretty weird too).

So anyhow, every time Tanzy says something about her goddess I know she's talking about Arcanette now, which makes her statement to Agnea about "even the goddess is watching you" pretty ominous, but aside from that Tanzy is? literally impossible to read. Unlike Trousseau, who we see in the Winterbloom flashback to be a little unhinged before Castti meets him (and therefore making it not as surprising that he was so susceptible to Claude's logic), we really aren't shown any indication that Tanzy isn't doing well. I mean hell, even Ori, with her happy-go-lucky scrivener mask, slips a few times, and her "true" personality comes through a bit if you're paying attention (more on that later). But not Tanzy, which I guess makes sense, given that she's the "dancer" and I seem to recall that she was an actor at some point?

Also, Tanzy literally sees Agnea's entire performance of the Song of Hope. Y'know, the same song that saves Dolcinaea, and even pulls La'mani out of his hatred. And yet, Tanzy is entirely unfazed, and I think this speaks a lot to Arcanette's approach to manipulating people by appealing to their emotions. Unlike Ori, who is acting on her own alongside Oboro, and who isn't deeply connected to Arcanette or Claude (really, I'd argue Oboro is more using those two for his own game rather than the other way around), Tanzy gets pulled into this entire mess by Arcanette, who preys on Tanzy's grief. So I guess it's not surprising that Tanzy is entirely unfazed by the Song of Hope, because in a way the hope that Agnea could have given her has already been given to Tanzy by Arcanette, even if Arcanette's hope is a falsehood meant to manipulate Tanzy. Which is...really interesting, because really, Tanzy doesn't crave or desire the shadow the same way most of the other foils do. She's just in love with Arcanette bc Arcanette filled a void left by Tanzy's grief.

I dunno, Tanzy just seems really tragic.

This brings me to Partitio's final chapter, which is also really interesting for getting some insight into Ori. Because I think this is the only time we really see her mask slip for a second. Her little speech to Partitio before running to distract the guards with a fake stomach ache is just...really out of place compared to the mood of the rest of the chapter. Sadder music plays, and Ori acts like this is the last time she's going to see Partitio, despite wanting him to succeed.

There's also the whole "putting herself in harm's way for Partitio" thing which is...I dunno, interesting but concerning, because I get the sense that, like Oboro, Ori has this self-destructive streak at the start of the game. We even see this later after Roque pulls out the train to try and kill Partitio, and everyone but Ori and Partitio run away, and sure Ori says she wants to stay bc she "smells a big scoop" but her hesitation and some of the stuttering make it seem more like she was either too shocked by the train's appearance to react, or that she really planned to stay by Partitio and possibly die to protect him. And it's Partitio who talks her into saving herself and living, like he literally tells her to go and live.

And like! Between the fact that she actively involves herself with helping Partitio, that she has to act out the fight for hope and therefore actually gets a taste of trying to do good and actually being able to do good, that she gets to participate in hope, but also that Paritio shows that hope towards her, that he actively reaches out and tells her to live is just...! Especially after all she's gone through like, damn.

It makes sense she's the only one of the "order" of character foils who actually survives the events of the story, like. First there's the oddity that all the flames are extinguished via murder (Oboro kills Ageha, Petrichor is killed by the Darkling, Arcanette kills Tanzy), but then Ori has to go and kill herself to extinguish the flame, and while her attempt of the act is despairful enough to douse the flame, her desire to live because of how she's changed during her time with Partitio is enough to save her. She gets the second chance that was afforded to literally every single character in Partitio's story, and that's just, I dunno. That gets me, I guess. I'm really glad she gets that second chance.

Anyhow now I just have Temenos and Ochette's final chapters, and then I can wrap up the side quests and...well I think I'm gonna try fighting Vide before Galdera, bc as fun as it was to accidentally steamroll Vide for my first run, I would like a bit of a challenge this time around (and if it doesn't work I can always level-grind anyhow, since I do all my grinding at night bc of that one skill that increases JP and EXP acquisition at night). I think I'm gonna try walking around during the eternal night phase and actually talking to NPCs to see if there's any unique dialogue...maybe.

#hey did you know? I love Ori?#also Tanzy's fascinating for the incredibly small amount of writing she gets #love me some weird women side characters #oracle of lore

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bestcokevendor · 6 months

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william26guzman · 2 years

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koolfrogz · 3 years

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Misconceptions Regarding MCC14

Recently there have been a load of misconceptions regarding many of the controversies that happened this MCC, especially on Twitter and Tiktok, so I thought I would make a giant post detailing these and why they are wrong so I can scroll through my dash in peace.

1. Hbomb purposely abused a glitch in HITW that got Illumina and Mefs banned from MCC on the practice server.

This one can easily be broken down into three components: 1. Misinformation about the glitch itself 2. Misinformation about the Mefs and Illumina incident 3. When does abusing a glitch count as cheating?

Firstly, the glitch Hbomb used is actually very common in HITW and has been around since the game was first introduced. The devs know about it and have not made any complaints about it because the usage of the glitch itself is heavily luck based (depending on the ping of the player) and does not guarantee a win to any player who does get it. Take for example PearlescentMoon who has used the glitch repeatedly throughout many competitions (i.e MCC 11), yet has not gained any significant advantage through it because, again, there is still an element of skill required to use it. This glitch is not only known by the devs, but has been used before in HITW. It is not something new that Hbomb exploited as a means of getting ahead.

Secondly, the Illumina and Mefs situation is not at all comparable to the Hbomb one. Illumina and Mefs were using a completely different glitch which did guarantee a win to the player because it allowed the player to afk on the platform and allow the blocks to pass through them. They were not banned for exploiting this glitch, but rather reprimanded by Scott and the devs for not reporting it to them sooner. Mefs and Illumina are still allowed in MCC and only didn’t compete this time because the teams had already been formed.

Finally, in regards to the idea of cheating itself when using such a glitch, the idea that what Hbomb did counts as cheating is absurd considering past MCCs and the various glitches which have been abused as well. I’ve seen a lot of people mention the infamous Wilbur Glitch and I think its a perfect example. The Wilbur Glitch is from the game Rocket Spleef which was not played this MCC but certainly will be in the future. The glitch involves the player becoming stuck in a block and seemingly floating in the air allowing them to basically secure a win without admin intervention. This glitch is much more OP than the glitch Hbomb used, and we have even seen admins purposefully try to kill players for using it (i.e Philza MCC11). However, even when players have purposefully attempted to get it (Wilbur, Phil, Quackity, etc.), I have never seen the fandom react so negatively as to accuse them of cheating. It is not fair to accuse Hbomb of cheating when he abuses a glitch which has been in the game for ages and not do the same with your favourite creators who do a much more busted glitch as well. Personally, I don’t consider either of these cheating, but that’s my opinion.

2. They removed Parkour Warrior because Dream was too good. That’s not fair.

Okay, this one is very simple as its just not true. This falls under the assumption that Dream was the only player to finish Parkour Warrior which is not true (PeteZahHutt completed the course twice and was the first to ever complete it in MCC 6). While the reason the Parkour Warrior map was destroyed in MCC 11 is said to be that EpicLandlord destroyed it because “he was annoyed at how good Dream was at it”, this is mainly a joke (think of the Ranboo being banned from MCC situation, while Ranboo isn’t in MCC there’s no actual beef and he’s not actually banned.) Secondly, if you weren’t around for Parkour Warrior when it was still in MCC, or have only ever seen Dream or Pete’s POV, you might not know, but Parkour Warrior was a miserable game mode (think Build Mart/Bingo but ten times worse because there was no chance to improve your placement other than just being good at Parkour). The game was 10 minutes of pure rage and frustration from competitors, which while entertaining at times, wasn’t the best for content when only two POVs in the entire competition were deemed watchable. This also wasn’t good for a competition because it meant that only two teams at most were progressing (and by a large amount) due to one player while the rest lagged behind. It gave the teams which had Pete and Dream a huge advantage and made the game unfun and unfair to everyone else, so they revamped the game (to Parkour Tag) to make it an even playing field where everyone had a chance to win (in the spirit of MCC).

3. Scott had an unfair advantage in the competition and should be removed from the Dev Team or the Participants List.

This one is slightly more nuanced and may not have a definitive answer. Yes, Scott does have a slight advantage due to being a part of the dev team in every MCC. However, this MCC was definitely an outlier in that fact. Scott has been known to share info and tips with his teammates in past MCCs, but it has not truly impacted their performance on a significant level because the players knew a majority of the information anyways (the game rules, maps, etc). This MCC was unfair because Scott had a bigger advantage than originally assumed (it doesn’t mean he did it with malicious intent, it just means there was a severe oversight when designing the maps and explaining the rules to players). Also, the idea that Scott was guaranteed a win because he was part of the Dev Team is ridiculous and untrue.

Scott has always been treated on the same level as any other player and has not been giving special privileges because he helped work on the tournament. Take for example MCC 8. Scott was teamed with Tommy, Philza, and Wilbur, and they were doing very well! Then came (wait for it), Ace Race. Scott experienced a glitch which allowed him to remain with his Elytra activated for half the course and allowed him to skip over multiple checkpoints and placed him in first. However, by skipping over these checkpoints the game corrected his placement and put him in last. This was seen as not fair at the time and the Red Rabbits did complain, to which Noxite responded that there was nothing they could do and Scott would just have to finish the round as normal. This glitch severely impacted the Red Rabbits standings and possibly led to them not being able to compete in Dodgebolt that MCC. Yet, Scott was never treated differently than any other player throughout the glitch despite being a part of the Dev Team.

For the next MCC, I certainly think that Scott should be allowed to play as normal. I truly believe this MCC was a fluke, and although I too felt a little salty seeing my favourite go from 2nd to 30th, I believe that it is not worth getting up in arms about it because at the end of the day there is a whole season of competitions where any team has a chance to win.

4. They should have restarted the round and allowed the participants to retry the map.

While I too would have loved to see a rematch for Ace Rae, I would like to say that I, and probably many of the people playing, knew that it wasn’t going to happen. Noxcrew is very strict about the way MCC is run, it’s why I think it works so well. However, this means that they will not budge on these rules even in the face of something such as this competition’s Ace Race debacle. In the entire time of MCC, Noxcrew have only once ever restarted a round. This was in MCC 7 during Battle Box after there were server issues causing extreme lag for everyone (and Wilbur and Magistrex blew up their own teammates). It was unlikely that they were going to restart the round due to the mistake, and honestly, it might’ve caused more trouble than good to reset the points and the entire round of Ace Race.

5. The Spirit of MCC

This last one is more of a general statement than a misconception, but I would like to say that I have seen a lot of newer fans confused and upset about this MCC’s outcome. However, I would like to remind everyone that at the end of the day MCC is a for-fun tournament which brings MCYTs of every background to compete and have fun. Yes, there is an element of competitiveness as it is a competition, but it goes against the very spirit of the competitions to be toxic and rude in spite of not winning or placing lower than you expected. At the end of the day, it is a MC tournament that has no monetary prize other than a golden coin. It is immature to slander, spread misinformation, or send death threats and harassment over such a tournament and I wish shame upon anyone who’s first reaction to not winning or their team not winning was to do such a thing. MCC is a brilliant tournament that has changed the game for how MC Competitions have been done, and it is disheartening to see the hard work Noxcrew and Scott have done be disrespected as such. I hope next MCC the fandom can come together and make this the lovely fandom event it once was.

#MCC #scott smajor #hbomb #dreamwastaken #mcyt #wilbur #tommyinnit #philza #quackity #sapnap #georgenotfound #tubbo #mcc 14

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iamthemain-character · 2 years

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Could I get a Merlin x reader but make it a masquerade ball. Kinda like where Merlin and the reader are servants and aren’t invited but since it’s a masquerade the reader decides to sneak in with him disguised. They end up being the like center of attention the entire night. The next day Arthur is just like “who were those two” and merlin just kinda chuckles to himself. I hope this is an okay request! Thanks!

hello, and thank you for requesting! i hope this is to your liking, and enjoy! :)

The Magic of Midnight

bbc merlin x reader

gender neutral pronouns

TW: none

requested by @mythandmagik

highly recommend listening to “Merry-go-round of Life” from Howl’s Moving Castle while reading this.

It was finally time for the annual Camelot Celebrations, a time of music, food, and fun for all in the kingdom. It took place a little after the harvest had been brought in by the farmers, and it was a way of brightening up the winter days to come. For a week the market square was full of color and flurry of activity, and for those who resided in the Castle it meant hoards of nobles would come and reside. Many friends of King Arthur and his new Queen Guinevere were invited, and for the servants, their work nearly doubled.

And this is why Merlin and Y/n found themselves cleaning up in the banquet hall as the masquerade ball started up. As the last night of the celebratory week, it was the crowning jewel. For those who did not reside in the castle, they would be having their own personal feasts with friends and family, and small groups would gather around bonfires to sing and dance. But for the servants inside the castle, some were lucky enough to be serving inside the ballroom, whereas others spent the night tidying and readying everything for when their guests retired late into the night.

Carefully Y/n added another plate to the already comically tall stack Merlin carried. He grimaced as he tried to steady them, and then carefully walked behind his friend as they cleared off more utensils from the table.

“It’s not fair you know, that everyone gets to go enjoy the party except for us.”

“Merlin, you know we volunteered to stay behind and clean. We were some of the few to not have family or friends to go to. If it weren’t for us, they might’ve missed their special night.”

“I know I know, I’m just tired of picking up after these royal pains.”

Y/n elbowed Merlin in the side as they walked past him. “Hey, careful. Some of those ‘royal pains’ are your friends.”

“And so my statement still stands.”

Both of the servants laughed as they set the last of their dishes on their cart and headed towards the kitchens. The long process of washing awaited them, but as they passed by the ballroom doors, the sounds of laughter and music called to them. Both Merlin and Y/n seemed to have the same idea, so they carefully and quietly snuck into the room.

The sight that greeted them took their breath away. Both Merlin and Y/n had assisted in decorating the ballroom, but to actually see it alive with people was incredible. Light filled every corner of the room, and everywhere you looked there was color and people and beautiful decor. The scent of sweet desserts wafted through the air and the music from the players filled everyone’s ears. It seemed almost magical, enchanting Merlin and Y/n.

Soon enough, they managed to drag themselves back out into the hallway before they got caught. The darkened hallway seemed extra cold and lonely compared to the ballroom, and the spirits they felt in there left them.

“Ugh Y/n, couldn’t you just imagine it? We could be in there, having fun, but instead we’re out here with stinky sticky dishes.”

“I know Merl, but even if we were invited, we wouldn’t have anything to wear. We don’t even have masks!”

Suddenly Merlin turned around, a great big smile lighting up his face. He pushed the cart into an alcove to hide it, and suddenly Y/n felt their hand grabbed by their friend’s as they were tugged along down the hallway.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

After a while, the pair arrived at what Y/n knew to be Arthur and Gwen’s chambers. “Okay, what are we doing here?”

Merlin opened the door and ran to the corner of the room, where he pulled out a large wooden chest and opened the lid. “The tailor made lots of outfits for Arthur and Gwen to choose from for tonight, not just one. These are all the extras they sent. We can take some of these and wear them tonight! They even have matching masks!”

Y/n slowly backed away from their friend. “No, Merlin, this is crazy. We have work to do okay, we don’t have time for this.”

“After the party is over we can just do our work while everyone is asleep. Come on, it’ll be fun! Please Y/n?”

For a moment Y/n just looked from Merlin to the mask in his hand, and then back to the door. Finally they took a deep breathe and knelt beside the chest. “Fine, but I better look glorious.”

———————————————————————

Merlin and Y/n did look glorious; the costumes they chose complimented them perfectly, and with a few adjustments they also fit. After a few final mask adjustments, Merlin took Y/n’s hand and entered the ballroom. No one really batted an eye at the newcomers, after all they looked like the belonged there, and so the pair was able to slip through the crowd easily. And so the magic began.

All throughout the night, Merlin and Y/n enjoyed this new side to life. They ate many delicious desserts and swayed along to the music. On occasion some royals would come to chat, and Merlin made it difficult for Y/n not to laugh as he teased them in a way that they couldn’t notice. The pair stayed by each other’s sides the entire night, laughing and reveling in the magic.

As the festivities started to wind down, it came time for The Last Waltz. As the first strains of music started, Arthur took Gwen’s hand and led her out into the middle of the floor. Slowly, they started the waltz, spinning around and around to the music. After they initiated the waltz, everyone else filled in and danced around them.

Merlin turned and offered his hand to Y/n, offering a very genuine smile. “May I have this dance?”

Y/n swore they felt their heart skip a beat, but the placed their hand within his. Merlin led them out onto the dance floor, and they placed their hands as everyone else was. Feeling a bit bold, however, Merlin slipped his hand from Y/n’s waist to their back and pulled them flush to his chest. So very close to each other, the pair could make out every single detail on the other’s face and mask. Butterflies filled Y/n’s stomach, and Merlin felt like he was walking on Cloud 9. Slowly and carefully they started their waltz, but as the music progressed they danced more and more boldly.

Both Merlin and Y/n became engrossed with each other and got lost in the dance, losing all sense of time and space. This didn’t go unnoticed by the other guests, and suddenly the mysterious pair became the center of attention. Their movements were so beautiful, so in sync, that everyone found themselves bewitched watching them. As the final notes played, Merlin twirled Y/n around and around before finally stopping them and dipping them.

Their noses almost touching, the both just looked into each other’s eyes. Their hearts racing, they only cared for each other, so many unspoken words waiting to pass their lips. The moment was broken, however, as the crowd started to clap. Straightening back up, Merlin and Y/n saw that they were the center of attention.

Leaning down and whispering into their ear, Merlin asked, “What do we do?”

Smiling and waving, Y/n replied through their teeth. “Run.”

And with that, hand in hand the pair ran off. The ran straight through the doors and out into the castle. Laughter burst out of them as they fled, and finally Merlin pulled them into the section of the castle that he and Gaius resided in. Before they went in the door, however, he stopped and ripped off his mask.

Pushing their’s off, Y/n started to ask why they stopped, but the words never passed their lips. Merlin had cupped their face in his hands and kissed them passionately, all the pent up feelings and tension from the dance going into it. Y/n reciprocated, for they felt the same about Merlin. This might wouldn’t have been as special without him, and for the longest time they had been madly in love with the young man.

As the couple parted, Merlin leaned his forehead against Y/n’s. A soft laugh escaped both of them, and for that moment, their magical night lived on.

——————————————————————-

Merlin and Y/n did stay up late to finish their chores, and they had only just collapsed on the staircase leading up to Merlin’s room before they heard Gaius getting up and calling to Merlin to get ready for the day.

After they bid farewell to the nobles, it became a difficult task to stay awake while they served lunch to Arthur and Gwen. Both Merlin and Y/n became invested when the royal couple started talking about the ball.

“I think it was a great success my dear.”

“Yes Guinevere, I think you’re quite right. Everyone said they enjoyed it.”

“Did you ever find out who that mysterious couple was?”

Merlin knocked over a cup at this, and both he and Y/n rushed to clean it up.

“Do be careful Merlin!” Shaking his head, Arthur turned his attention back to his wife. “No, no one had those costumes or masks. Nobody even got a name from them, instead saying they just, appeared and disappeared. They were a marvelous couple though, a pity they got away before we could make their acquaintance.”

“Oh they were just beautiful Arthur, I have never seen such dancing all my life. They seemed so magical, I could’ve watched them all night. It’s such a shame we shall never know who they were.”

Both Y/n and Merlin shared a glance and smiled. The secret of the mysterious masqueraders would remain with them, and the magic of the night would be theirs to keep forever.

#bbc merlin #merlin #merlin x reader #gender nuetral reader #masquerade #merlin x you

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fantastic-nonsense · 2 years

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can cry about Resurrection hours be a group activity? --> "trusting Tim to make the right decision even as he doubts" not *another* angle, because it's not contradictory, but an angle I like to look at this is this is him deciding that even if Tim doesn't end up rising to Dick's trust and making the right decision he's gonna be there to help him deal with the fallout. Like, ok I've decided I'd rather let you make a mistake and help you fix it if it goes bad than try and stop you in the 1st place

yes, it's always crying about Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul hours and those hours are absolutely a communal activity

Look! It's the way that Dick clearly absolutely does not know whether Tim will, in fact, make the right decision but he still explicitly extends that verbal trust anyway! And he so desperately wants Tim to make the right choice but has to make the active decision to let go and allow Tim to choose for himself, and it pretty clearly kills him just a bit to do so:

And I'm not sure what Dick's response would have been if Tim had, in fact, refused to dump out the Lazarus Water, but if anyone thinks for one second that he would have abandoned Tim they're crazy. So like, even if that moment wasn't Dick deciding to be there for Tim in the fallout regardless of what he chose, I think you can absolutely look at it that way without it coming into conflict with any other interpretation.

BTW, @upswings compared this uncertainty and Dick's "I knew you would make the right decision" comment afterwards in the tags on my post to when Dick catches Tim in Red Robin #12 and Tim's "I knew you would be there for me" moment in the Cave afterwards and said there's "something very Bat about lying and telling someone what they need to hear as a form of care."

And when I read that I just like.....BSOD'd for a second because I'd never made that connection. Full-on went "ohhhhhh my god, that's brilliant." And I go back and forth on RR #12 and whether Tim was actually lying or not of course, because he doesn't seem like he genuinely meant to die in that moment (the whole reason he went to fight Ra's was to buy Lucius time to sign over majority ownership of WE to him, after all, and he can't keep the company away from Ra's if he's dead), but whether he actually knew Dick would be around to catch him if Ra's threw him out the window, when Dick was halfway across the city at the time and Tim seemingly hadn't shared any info with him? Doubtful. Suspected, maybe. Hoped, absolutely. But knew? "Lying to your family by telling them something they clearly need to hear even if you don't fully believe it" indeed.

Anyway, yes, please come cry over Resurrection and Dick and Tim's relationship in it with me forever, we can bake cookies and talk about how there are never any qualifiers put in front of the "he's my brother" statements for once and other fun things.

#it's crying about resurrection of ra's al ghul hours everyone #one day I'll talk about all the things in Resurrection that AREN'T Dick and Tim lmfao #resurrection of ra's al ghul #dick grayson #tim drake #tim drake meta #dick grayson meta #dc comics #brotp: a thousand ninjas is just the start of what i would do #asks

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the-bau-quinjet · 3 years

Text

The Perks of Cold Weather

Hello! This is just a whole lot of fluff because I need some positive vibes this week. Feel free to send some requests my way if you’d like! They can be as specific or as vague as you want and I’ll do my best. None of my ideas are currently working for me.

Summary: Reader and Spencer have some fun in the snow in a small town in Alaska.

Words: 2996

Warnings: none I think

When you first started at the BAU, you were quick to realize the group was more like a family than coworkers. It was clear in the little things they did for each other on case, like the way JJ and Spencer would comfort each other on particularly difficult cases to the slight bickering that would inevitably start up between Derek and Emily about anything that didn’t really matter.

You were quick to find your place in the little family as well. Well, not find it so much as fall into it, but you didn’t mind. You were only 28 years old, meaning you were the youngest member of the BAU. Being the youngest meant a lot of teasing from the “older sibling” personalities of everyone except Rossi and Hotch. Their personalities were much more parent-esque. With how much they’d tease you, you were always quick to jump on the chance to tease them for a change. The perfect opportunity arose when a case came up in Alaska.

Penelope walked through the bullpen, calling you all into the roundtable room right before you left for the day. “Hello my wonderful crime fighters. I wish I had better news, but this case is a real whammy. Three women have been found stabbed to death in a small town in Alaska.”

The collective groans of just about everyone in the room were quiet, but obvious.

“I know, I know. Another freezing cold case. I wish I could send you to LA all the time, but alas bad guys aren’t deterred by freezing temperatures.” She went on to explain the details of the case before Hotch dismissed everyone with his typical “Wheels up in 30.”

The team dispersed to collect their go bags- and winter items for the cold weather they would surely be facing in Alaska- before meeting on the jet. When you got there, everyone else was already boarded, and you couldn’t help but feel the low energy of everyone on the plane.

“Don’t tell me the lot of you are afraid of a little snow?” You can’t stop the smirk from appearing on your face as you sit down across from Spencer and adjacent to Emily, Derek, and JJ.

“Big words from someone who hasn’t been on a case in Alaska yet.” Derek’s reply comes without hesitation. The grin on your face only grows when you realize that everyone really is feeling low because of the impending winter wonderland.

“Don’t tell me you’re excited for the cold weather?” JJ shivers just asking the question.

“Of course I am! I’ve always loved the cold. There’s something so magical about watching snow fall. It feels like Christmas!” The four of them stare at you like you’ve lost your mind. “You are seriously telling me none of you like the snow?” You scan all of their faces in disbelief, eyes landing on Spencer last.

“Don’t look at me. I’m from Nevada, it’s basically the desert. Winter in Las Vegas is comparable to fall in DC. The last time it snowed with any significance was in 2003 and that was only an inch.” Spencer nearly starts rambling about weather patterns across the US, but cuts himself off.

“You all are seriously killing my good mood with your bad vibes. I will change at least one of your minds by the end of this case” You say in a huff while putting your headphones on. You try to catch up on some sleep before you all reconvene to discuss the case.

After the briefing and right before landing, everyone starts bundling up in layers upon layers of sweatshirts, jackets, coats, gloves, scarves, and hats. You pull a sweater on over your long sleeve and zip up your FBI jacket, adding a cute beanie more for aesthetics than warmth. You’ve never been one to get overly cold, so you skip a few layers everyone else put on.

The rest of the team marches off the jet as if they would rather be anywhere else, but you don’t let it deter you. You exit the jet with a smile on your face, taking a deep breath of the cool Alaskan air.

“You really are enjoying yourself?” Spencer asks with a small smile. You meet his eye, the look on his face giving you butterflies, before responding.

“Of course I am. It smells like winter!” The two of you share a laugh as you get in the SUV headed to the police precinct to actually get to work.

The case only lasted two days. You were glad to have solved it so quickly, but you would be lying if you said you weren’t going to miss the snow. After the case files are all packed away and Hotch goes off to coordinate the jet, you head outside to absorb every last ounce of winter possible.

“I thought I might find you out here.” Spencer sits next to you on the bench as you stare at the flakes falling from the sky.

“What can I say, I just really love the cold.” You reply without turning your head. “Maybe it’s weird, but I would pick cold over hot any day.”

“I don’t think it’s weird at all! I think it’s kind of cute actually.” That gets your attention and you turn to see he’s looking at his hands in his lap, fiddling with his thumbs. “I like how happy you are when you look at the snow.”

Of course, that makes you smile again. “Thank you, Spence.” You can feel your cheeks heating up, but you’re quickly distracted by the sound of Derek calling the two of you back into the station.

“Hey lovebirds, Hotch needs us.” You roll your eyes at Derek before standing up, offering your hand to Spencer to help him up. He takes your hand, squeezing it slightly as he rises from the bench. He only drops your hand when he goes to hold the door open for you, leading you back inside. The team gathers in the conference room, Hotch walking in with a grim expression.

“I’ll cut to the chase. We won’t be able to fly home until this evening. The snow from last night on top of the storm that’s about to pass through is too much to clear right now.” Everyone, including you, sighs before nodding in understanding. As much as you would love to stay longer, you know it sucks that everyone can’t go home to their families. “This case is wrapped up, so feel free to just explore the town or relax in the hotel. We should be able to take off at 9:00 pm, so I expect to see all of you on the jet by 8:45.” Those words were music to your ears. As everyone begins to pack up to head out, you turn to Spencer.

“I can’t believe this. It’s like a snow day! I’ve always loved snow days! We would always go outside, have a snowball fight, build a snowman, and try to build an igloo but end up giving up when it collapsed for the third time.” He chuckles at your enthusiasm, but nods along as you both walk out of the precinct toward the hotel just down the street. “Then we’d go in for lunch, make hot chocolate and cookies, and watch all our favorite movies.”

“Is that what you want to do today?” Spencer asks as you both walk into the hotel lobby.

“I mean, in a perfect world, yeah. That is exactly what I would want to do today.” You smile wistfully as you think back to your childhood snow days with your siblings.

“Well then, let’s see how perfect we can make the world, just for today.” Spencer’s smiling as he says it, taking in the confusion and shock on your face.

“You mean… You want to build a snowman? With me?” Your heart is beating so forcefully, you wouldn’t be surprised if it flew right out of your chest.

“Yeah, and all the other things too.” Spencer’s words are soft and unsure, contrasting the confidence of his previous statement.

“But you don’t like the cold weather…” You simply can’t fathom why he would volunteer to do these cold weather activities when just two days ago he was talking about how little snow he experienced when he was younger.

“But you do, and we’re stuck here anyway. So, why not?” Hearing that he would spend his day off playing in the snow simply because you want to does things to you that you chose to ignore for the time being.

“O- okay… yeah, let’s do it! ” The two of you smile at each other for a few seconds before you each bring your things to you respective rooms with a plan to meet in the lobby in fifteen minutes.

When you get to your room you pull out the warmest clothes you brought to Alaska. Although it would suffice for walking down the street, it’s not exactly made for playing in the snow. After getting dressed you meet Spencer in the lobby. He is dressed in warmer clothes than you, but still not snow proof.

“I don’t know if this is a good idea…” Your excitement to start this day with Spencer has dwindled since imaging the cold, wet clothes you’d end up in. “The key to a good snow day is waterproof clothes and we definitely don’t have any. How am I going to make you like snow if you’re freezing and wet at the end of the day?” You would expect the resident genius to agree with you, but instead of a grim expression and a nod in agreement, Spencer’s smile grows.

“Don’t worry about it. Just come with me.” He leads you outside of the hotel with his hand on the small of your back all the way down to the town store. “What needs to be waterproof? We can find snow pants, jackets, gloves, and boots right here.” He looks so pleased with himself as he leads you around the store to collect all the items you’ll need. He even picks out a sled for the two of you.

After checking out, he leads you back outside where you pull the waterproof gear on over your warm layers, tossing the tags into a nearby trash can. Before you can say anything, he is again leading you through the town with his hand on the small of your back. He stops when he reaches the park, turning to you once again.

“Where do you want to build the snowman?” You mirror the grin on his face as you run across the park to a flatter area.

You begin compressing the snow in your hands to form the ball that would eventually become the bottom layer of your snowman. Spencer copies your actions, forming a lopsided ball for the middle. You leave Spencer to work on the head while you search around the nearby trees for sticks to use as arms and rocks to use for the eyes and buttons.

After finding the perfect set of sticks, you return to see Spencer adding a carrot nose right in the middle of the head.

“I didn’t even see you buy carrots!” He laughs at your childlike enthusiasm, moving aside so you can add the sticks to the middle. You also add the rocks you gathered for the eyes and buttons. Spencer surprises you again by pulling out a hat and scarf to add the finish touches.

After forcing him to take a selfie with you and the snowman, you walk across the park to find a good sledding hill. You find the perfect hill, and offer to go down first since it’s going to take some effort to form the path. Spencer watches you scooching your way through the snow, forcing the sled down the hill, laughing hysterically. You haven’t been able to enjoy snow like this for years.

Spencer was hesitant to sled down the hill together, but one pout from you and he climbed on right away. The sled picked up pace is you barreled out of control, flipping and rolling down the hill.

You took the opportunity of a distracted Spencer to form a snow ball, waiting until he was only a few feet away to throw it at him. Of course, as soon as it hits him it’s game on. The two of you are running through the park, hiding behind trees, and dodging each other’s snowballs. Spencer, being uncoordinated, mostly missed you. That is, until the very end of the snowball fight when he hits you right in the face, the surprise causing you to fall to the ground.

“Y/N! Are you okay! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-” He’s cut off by your laughter.

“Relax Spence, its fine! It was powdery snow. It’s not like you hit me with a chunk of ice.” You smile at him as he helps you to a standing position. You’re so focused on standing up without slipping on the compressed snow beneath your feet, you don’t realize how close the two of you have become. When you look up to meet his eyes, your noses are nearly touching.

Without much thought for the consequences, you lean a few inches forward, ever so slightly brushing your lips against his.

Spencer is so stunned, it takes him much longer than he’d care to admit to reciprocate your affection. So long in fact, that you’ve pulled away and are frantically trying to think of something to say to save your friendship when he pulls you back in.

The two of you don’t pull away again until the need for air overpowers your need for each other. You stay close though, foreheads pressed together.

“Let me take you on a date. A real one where we go into knowing it’s a date.” Spencer says it all in one breath.

“Oh, Spence. This whole day has been a perfect date, even if we didn’t say it at first. But I would love to go on another with you.”

The two of you are all smiles as you walk back toward the café near your hotel. You’ve been outside so long it’s nearly dark- granted it gets dark around 4:00 this time of year in Alaska. Upon entering the café, Spencer is quick to order two hot chocolates and cookies to go.

“I know it’s not the same as baking them ourselves, but we don’t have access to an oven in the hotel.” He says, squeezing your hand before leading you out of the café.

You would blindly follow Spencer anywhere, but that doesn’t stop you from asking him about it. “Where are we going now? I thought we were going to eat…”

“Back to the hotel. We have one more thing to check off the list for your perfect snow day.” Of course he would remember your list from earlier in the day. “So tell me, what’s your favorite snow day movie?”

“That’s actually a tough question. It changes depending on the mood.” You are genuinely trying to think of the perfect movie to end the perfect day as you walk back into the hotel.

“I’ll tell you what, why don’t you go up to your room and pick out a movie that fits ‘the mood’, and I’ll meet you there in a few minutes?” You simply nod in response, too lost in thought to contemplate where he could be going.

15 minutes later you have finally picked out a movie to watch when Spencer enters your room, carrying a takeout bag.

“I finally found a movie!” You smile at him as you show him your computer screen. Anastasia is queued on your Disney+.

“Perfect. We can now officially start our date.” He smiles, pulling the food out of the bag, he hands you a cup of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Your heart warms at the sight of it. You know Spencer has an eidetic memory, but you still get butterflies at the idea of him remembering your favorite cold weather food.

The two of you sit against the headboard, setting the computer between you to play the movie. After you’ve finished eating you shuffle around on the bed, moving the laptop so you could cuddle with Spencer.

“I’ve got another reason for you to like the cold weather.” You state matter-of-factly, eyes still trained on the movie.

“Yeah? What is it?” Spencer’s eyes are trained on your face.

“It’s better for cuddling.” A small grin appears on your face at the sound of Spencer’s airy laugh. He pulls you closer, both of you completely content.

As much as you love the cold and snow, dragging yourself out of Spencer’s arms and into the cold air to get to the jet on time was not an exciting task. In fact, it put you in a slightly sour mood, something Morgan was all too quick to pick up on.

“What’s the matter L/N? The cold weather got you down?” He laughs at your annoyed expression.

“Not a chance, Morgan. I quite enjoyed our little snow day actually.” You smile at Spencer as you pull your blanket from your go bag and sit on the couch.

“You actually played in the snow? It was only 22 degrees today!” You can’t help but shake your head. 22 degrees is cold, but nothing compared to how bad it can get in Alaska.

“We did indeed. I think I managed to turn Spencer on to the cold weather too.” Spencer sits down next to you encouraging you to share your blanket.

“How’d you manage that? I’ve been to on enough cases with Pretty Boy here to know he prefers the warmer ones.”

“It’s actually rather simple.” Spencer replies, shifting his arm around you on the back of the couch. You smile as you close your eyes and lean into his touch. “Colder climates make for better cuddles.”

tag list:

@mac99martin

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid one shot #spencer reid fluff #Criminal Minds #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid x y/n

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