#it would be impossible for me to list all my fandoms lol

[theeblackmedusa]

hey guys! i'm going to make a few general taglists for my fics. reply below to let me know which one(s) you'd like to be added to?

fandoms

-black panther

-chris evans (characters only)

-criminal minds

-daniel kaluuya (characters only)

-john boyega (characters only)

-jon bernthal (characters only)

-marvel/mcu

-oscar isaac (characters only)

-pedro pascal (characters only)

-the bear

-the mandalorian

-the walking dead

-tom hiddleston (characters onlg)

-winston duke (characters only)

ships

-attoye

-ayoneka

-fangcycle

-finnpoe

-ineffable husbands

-richonne

-sarahbucky

-sydcarmy

-sydrichie

i'm also going to start writing with more OCs, so if you're interested in being tagged in those let me know too🫶🏾🩷

#also pls rb this post if you don't mind? i'd appreciate it a lot!! #it would be impossible for me to list all my fandoms lol #richonne #sydrichie #sydcarmy #pedro pascal #the bear #oscar isaac #chris evans #jon bernthal #fangcycle #attoye #ayoneka #ineffable husbands #sarahbucky #finnpoe #black panther #john boyega #winston duke #bpwf #criminal minds #tom hiddleston #x black!reader #black!ofc #taglist #x black reader #fanfiction #fanfic #black writer #theeblackmedusa🐍🐍

[mylittleredgirl]

Hello friend! A friend of mine is doing a Stargate SG-1 rewatch and lamenting the slim pickings of fic on AO3. Do you know where she can find fic that perhaps is still on some old archive of yore? Or have any recs? She's mostly interested in Jack/Daniel and Jack/Sam. Ty!!

oh my. with all the love in the world to your friend visiting us from a very different fandom tax bracket than i have ever had the fortune to participate in (those two pairings have well over 6k fics each on ao3), i'll see what i can do!

[several hours of looking around later] bad news!! not much!

most of vintage sg-1 fandom was wiped out by expired domains, struck-through livejournals, ff.net's porn ban, yahoo lists, etc. some pages are still preserved in the wayback machine for heliopolis, the massive het-and-gen archive, and area52, the slash counterpart, but with the search and directory functions pretty much toast, they're almost impossible to navigate.

fanlore has an old list of archives (including plenty of jack/daniel ones). some smaller archives might yield wayback paydirt, especially if they were hand-coded. samandjack.net is still alive!

and, hate to say it, this was peak era for ff.net and they have like 30k fics over there... but all the explicit fic is gone.

i recently learned some people are still doing het-reccers (user-submitted fanfic recommendations, LJ archive is here). i don't know if any slash equivalents are still around (and i haven't looked at this site for genuinely fifteen years, so i can't speak to the quality of recs).

some sam/jack recs of mine; some of these authors multi-ship:

nanda: her resolution series especially should not be missed and i can't stress that enough. smut and action. fics great fics across the board.

it's kind of difficult to express how popular Salr323's fics were (under a different name) back in the day. i'm told that archive servers would crash when she posted something new. low on smut, high on PINING. rec: it was admittedly 1 am but as i recall this one made me feel like i'd just seen the fanfiction mona lisa

there are quite a few multifandom wonders who cut their teeth in this fandom, including missparker (rec: a small crime)

this cassandra fraiser fic dealt me some damage: nobody dies tonight by isawet

someone who's still in touch with her please harass splash_the_cat for writing 99 sg-1 fics and then walking away without cracking 100. lots of fun little snacks in there including this one

everything anr touches is gold <3

starting to get stressed out about who i'm missing!!!!

if your friend likes D/s this one is fun by tremontaine

lol read my stuff (i never wrote smut for sg-1 though)

hey everyone, please add recs in the notes/reblogs, especially jack/daniel recs because that's out of my wheelhouse but we aim to serve

#chatter post #marmolita #uhhhhh tell your friend there really is gold on ao3 but i do understand #any pairing over a certain level of popularity seems to churn out some weirdly skewed top pages in the sort-by results #especially when the fandom heydey predates ao3 #sad again!! about all the vanished archives!! #where are jojo and elly i hope they are having good lives :( #sgwun #fic rec

[shoukiko]

Hi, you can keep this unanswered and not post it, but I want to help you understand the thought behind some of the points in your criticism post. Before I start I want to apologise if I come off as blunt and rude, that's not my intention and I'll try my best to show my tone as unthreatening but I'm autistic and not a native English speaker, which complicates things lol

*general you used throughout the ask

First, I want to start with this: they all are part of the army. You don't need to dig much to see you'll rarely see a "morally upstanding" person in the army, be it because they're cheaters, abusers, compliant with all that or they're (insert -ist/-phobe category here). UK military spouses are 3 times more likely to experience intimate partner violence (IPV). I'm not saying the COD characters need to be written like that, but it wouldn't be "unrealistic" if we take real life statistics into account.

Second, and maybe the most important thing, everyone writes COD characters OOC. The majority of the active fandom on Tumblr and tiktok have seen gifs and 10min out of context clips from the game at best. It's to be expected to not frequently find something actually in character for a lot of the guys. Especially with characters that are just operators like König, Nikto and Krueger. In their case everything is and isn't OOC at the same time because we just... Don't know these characters. We lack characterisation past maybe 1-3 traits about them. I'd argue that's why the fandom liked König so much, other than being masked, he's the perfect paper doll! You can dress him up in whatever characterisation you want and it probably won't contradict his canon (because he barely has one and what he has is quickly misinterpreted (anxiety disorder turning into shyness for example)).

Now specifically on your "How are you going to hc a victim as the abuser?" - simple, whether you like to accept it or not is up to you, but it's not far fetched for victims to become abusers later in life. Just look at serial killers statistics - 74% of US serial killers were psychologically abused and 42% were physically abused as children and later in life followed a similar pattern brought to an extreme. Or on the other hand, a tamer example would be generational trauma because that's how we get that (grandparent was abused and because that's all they know, they implement it in bringing up their child who, for the same reason, implements it in bringing up the grandchild and so on).

The final thing I want to say is, it's good to block people who you don't vibe with. Doesn't matter if it's because they wrote something that personally disturbed you or you simply don't like their blog theme or you see them too often in the tag. Personally curating your experience is key in fandom, utilise the tools Tumblr has given us. Of course as you and others have mentioned that's impossible without some assistance from the other side. Tagging is extremely important (tagging with the correct words without censoring!!! Or the filter won't catch! Rape, noncon, incest ✅; r@pe, n*nc*n, 1nc*st ✖️✖️).

I hope this isn't too messy or long aaaa

I really appreciate you taking the time to type this up and actually speak to me about this, your input is very appreciated. /gen

I do think I could've done better on that post since I wrote it in the heat of the moment, all characters are written OOC and it was ignorant of me to say

"Maybe read the characters backstories and actually take their past into consideration because you guys kinda look dumb for making these characters so OOC."

I hope ya'll can really take the time to see my POV, I did not mean. any harm, I've come across some gross things, but blocking and filtering tags so much as begun to be tiring.

My main issue is tagging, without tagging I am left with getting triggered by random posts because the first few sentences may include something on my trigger list.

That's all I want and also what a lot of other people want.

Writing is meant for anyone and everyone, a form of art and perhaps a for of therapy.

Please tag your work, you are not the only person on the internet.

Thank you for reading!

#call of duty #cod mwii #cod mw2 #cod #simon ghost riley #cod mwiii #konig #kiko asks #shoukiko

[struggling-author]

Hey what are your avatar otps besides azulaang?

oh umm… I wouldn’t call them OTPs since that is exclusively Azulaang, but my bi Azula headcanon lives in a variety of ships. Azutara, Azuki, Maizula… not Tyzula tbh because that feels like… imbalanced? and not Tophzula because they are menace-besties but not romantic, but with any of the other girls I think it could be great. Azutara has the enemies to lovers from Azulaang but with more spice and less forgiveness, they‘d tear eachother apart first but that makes it even sweeter if they eventually fall in love. Azuki is kind of different because Suki is more rational and holds less of an emotional grudge, it‘d be difficult for Azula to earn her trust but she would not be openly hostile to her unless necessary. I imagine this one could only happen if Azula is already in the middle or post redemption though, because Suki would not put up with any EtL shit. I guess that is exactly why it intrigues me too, I feel Suki would be more willing to give Azula a chance, more than Katara for example, but at the same time it would be impossibly hard to win her trust and I‘d like to see if Zula can manage it. Lastly Maizula, and I prefer this one over Tyzula because I feel Mai is more capable of holding her own against Azula in a relationship. It’s a complicated version of childhood friends to lovers and I‘m kind of here for it. No idea how it would work though lol.

Aside from Azula ships, I think Zutara is pretty cool and works well alongside Azulaang. Kataang is kinda cool in theory too, but I don’t like shipping Aang with anyone except Azula, it feels wrong 🤷‍♂️ The only other Aang ship I can imagine liking is Zukaang, but I don’t talk about it much.

Oh and I have to give a shoutout to Sokkla, I don’t particularly vibe with it but they’re the sister ship to Azulaang and I do see the potential of the two genius strategists, so if Aang didn’t exist I would definitely ship Sokkla instead. Nothing but love to the comrades over there. 🫶🏼

edit: totally forgot this but I actually also love Tylaang aka Ty-Lee and Aang, it just has absolutely no fandom so it’s hard to get the ball rolling. I just feel they would be such a wholesome bubbly cute ship, and I dig the Ty-Lee airbender ancestry theory so she‘d love to learn all about airbender customs and they‘d have so much fun and probably a huge family 😅 anyway I think party of why I ship this is just because I think these two deserve the world and it represents my wish for them to be totally carefree and happy. you can also add Azula and make this a throuple, I think that would work because you have Tyzula as the polar opposites and Aang in the middle to bridge the gap.

speaking of throuples I enjoy the idea of… Azutaraang? (Azula/Katara/Aang) but it is very difficult to make work. The only way I can see it is if Azula and Katara fall in love first because nothing good could come of them fighting over Aang. or maybe I could see like a stranded on a deserted island AU where the three of them have to work together and learn to rely on eachother… idk, difficult but not impossible.

Oh and I love Zuki too (Zuko x Zuki) …damn I guess I do have quite a few non-Azulaang ships. anyway this is essentially a bodyguard AU and it’s actually my favorite Zuko ship (sorry Zutara) not much to say about it cuz I’ve barely engaged with it, but I love the idea and think they would just work really well together. I also can see this as a throuple with Sokka again. I don’t really vibe with Zukka on their own but if you add Suki then I love it, because Suki deserves two good boys and it’s more fun for everyone involved if those two good boys are in love with eachother too.

final edit hopefully: Sokka Azula Aang is good too, for the same reasons listed for Zuko Suki Sokka, I swear that’s it now. goodbye lol.

#azulaang #azula #aang #aang x azula #avatar the last airbender #atla #azuki #azutara #maizula #zukaang #sokkla #tylaang #zutara #zuki #azutaraang #tyzulaang #sokklazulaang #if I didn’t know the ship name I just made them up #no idea for sukka x zukka #but that

[nekropsii]

this blog is awesome but jas the horroble side effect of making it so anytime i see alpha trolls stiff i get unreasonably mad like. They Are Not Like That. i saw someone call damara chaotic evil and it made mw sooo mad. like i GET IT i get it no one wants to read a billion pages but like. NO ONE IS MAKING U MAKE THESE POSTS... rauaugh. sorry lol

Inflicting you with the horrible knowledge that almost nobody in the god damn fandom actually knows anything about the Alpha Trolls, nor do they care to. And if they do know anything, they often strip them of most if not all of their traits- including their most interesting ones!- for the sake of shipping and/or making an OC with their face and name. It blows. Why do you think you just about never see me reblogging Alpha Troll content? I don't visit any of their tags because if I do, it's just beams of pure unadulterated psychic damage blasted directly into my fucking eyes. Genuinely it feels like people were better at handling them back when Homestuck was still running and the community was still actively a cesspit. At the very least there were some oases of people that had actual brain cells. They've all died out now. They were either chased away by Homestuck's Postcanon- which caused a very real and very, very large exodus- or by the absolutely horrific harassment you'd receive for liking the Alpha Trolls- ESPECIALLY Mituna.

Swerving off topic for a moment to talk about the harassment: I saw a significantly higher number of people that were genuinely normal about Mituna back in the day that handled his disability with more grace than God. Diehard Mituna fans- especially diehard Mituna/Latula shippers- were people you'd be getting intricate guides and long lists of resources surrounding TBIs- including genuinely helpful stuff like the care and treatment of them for anyone who had suffered one recently, that kind of thing- and some of the most touching portrayals of mental disability I'd ever seen. It's a shame a lot of their stuff is either gone or nearly impossible to find nowadays, on account of Tumblr's search system prioritizing new content, and... You know... The vicious harassment people would get for even saying they liked him in the first place. I'm talking, like, Cronus-tier shit. People were getting called slurs and being told to kill themselves, even when what they made was handled with the most tact physically possible. It still happens to this day, at least to me. It's pretty deranged! Always has been.

Back on topic, though... Urgh. Damara being read as Chaotic Evil... Me when I take the bait of a blatantly abusive misogynist with zero ounce of critical thought. Damara isn't evil, she's just reactive. There's a big difference. "Evil" implies she struck first and is totally unjustified in her actions, and is only doing them because she wants to. She's an incredibly tortured soul who is, in my honest opinion, reasonably responding to her situation. If anything, I think she should have done worse. I think she should have straight up killed Rufioh. Meenah too, but... Well, she definitely tried to do that, and almost succeeded, but Aranea put her in her Quest Cocoon, so... She's here and Godtier, instead of dead in the ground. Unfortunate. Damara both needed and deserved that kill more than anything else in the world.

#homestuck #homestuck fandom #homestuck meta #homestuck analysis #alpha trolls #beforan trolls #dancestors #mituna captor #damara megido #cw ableism #cw misogyny #cw abuse #<== all only mentioned. but still. tagging for those who dont wanna hear about that today. #homestuck.pdf #mituna.pdf #damara.pdf #nekro.pdf #nekro.sms

[katiexpunk]

Going anon because I don’t want you to focus on who sent you this (although I’m sure something I’ll say might give me away <3), but rather, I want you to focus in on your amazing self.

Something I like to do in my daily practice is write down a few things of what made me most happy that day… but for purposes of this, I’d like you to tell me which fic (can be multiple) that you wrote makes you the most happy!

Ignore the notes, ignore the traction — which fic of yours makes you the most happy and warm and all the good feelings, and give an explanation (however long you want) as to why🩶

A lot of times, especially in a world like this where the internet and other’s creativity is so accessible, we forget to give our own selves the credit we deserve. This is my way of sprinkling around that little bit of gratitude.

I hope you have a beautiful day wherever you are.

Endless love🌙

^ me to you right now. The positivity and love in this message are so lovely and much appreciated. Thank you, thank you, thank you for filling my inbox with love. Ily.

My favorite fic of mine is probably Desert Dust.

I wrote it shortly after getting married and was just in such a happy head space. It was probably the best time I had writing a fic. I hit the flow state so easily, and I 100% fell in love with both the reader and that version of Joel.

I don't really go back and read my fics (even though most of what I write is for myself), but I read that one regularly and it still just fills me with all the warm fuzzies.

Sex on Fire was a close second (but I have a uniform kink so that's probably why lol). Because this wouldn't be a gratitude post without sharing a little love, I also have immense appreciation for the following fics/creators: + @endlessthxxghts L is a gem of a human, probably one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure to know, and pretty much everything they write makes me fall to pieces. I particularly love Breakfast.

+ @syd-djarin Sydney is literally my slutty smutty sister, and always goes toe to toe with me in the naughty thoughts department. Y'all should see some of our text messages. Sugar, Spice & Please Fuck Me Nice lives rent-free in my brain.

+ @auteurdelabre is not only such a kind soul, and incredibly talented, but completely rewrote my brain chemistry with their series Please, Mister Miller? Like I actually screamed into my phone practically every part. + @morallyinept Jett is the ray of sunshine we all need in our lives. Not only is she a talented writer, but she has one of the most comprehensive recs series I've seen on this platform. Every fic on her master is a work of perfection, but especially her Joel fics. + @atticrissfinch Wowwwwwieeeee, there is nothing that Katy writes that I won't immediately devour. Her Meet Me In the Back series has me feeling some type of way about sleazy Joel. + @javiscigarette Cami is an absolute sweetheart and a phenomenal writer. Her Teacher's Pet series is a work of art. @toxicanonymity wrecks me every time -- mind, body, soul. What I wouldn't give to just experience her genius brain for a day. Her Vampire Joel series makes my younger emo teen self so happy, and her raider!Joel series broke my brain in the best way possible. ...there are so many more, it would be impossible to list them all. But while I'm on the gratitude train, I want to show some love to some new-ish and upcoming writers in this fandom. Keep on writing babies! I'm so proud of you. @chulopascal @yxtkiwiyxt @bellamese @mermaidgirl30 @artsy-girl-76 @burntheedges @forthetears @hellowoolf @suzdin @miller-n-morgan

#hugging you through my screen #gratitude #fic recs #katiexpunk answers

[lorata]

Twenty Questions: Fic Author Edition

tagged by @bodyelectric77 :)

1-How many works do you have on ao3?

111, lol

2-What's your total AO3 word count?

1,389,833 on AO3 officially

3-What fandoms do you write for?

Hunger Games by a wide margin, and then if I get rid of the one-offs here are the fandoms I've written for at least twice:

Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins (75)

Temeraire - Naomi Novik (6)

Marvel Cinematic Universe (4)

Wynonna Earp (TV) (3)

Dragon Age (Video Games) (2)

King Lear - Shakespeare (2)

Wonder Woman (Movies - Jenkins) (2)

The Deed of Paksenarrion - Elizabeth Moon (2)

Star Wars Original Trilogy (2)

Stranger Things (TV 2016) (2)

4-What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Slow Work (Steve/Bucky)

you can take the boy out of the desert (Luke Skywalker post-ANH)

Patience, Friend (Temeraire, Volly's hatching)

Embrace the Fire: The Avenger Games

welcome to your gory bed (Hunger Games, victor backstories)

5-Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I really, really want to, because comments make me SO SO SO happy, and I occasionally have some wonderful people who go through and comment on every single thing I've written which is the DREAM -- but I don't always have the mental bandwidth to do it. So let me just say right now that if you've ever left a comment I have read it, and I loved it, and you made my day better.

6-What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uhhhh .... there are a lot. People can cast their votes on this one, but I'd say maybe Ambrosia or Don't Flinch?

7-What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I had to leave THG for this one, lol. But I think Impossible Magic, which is a fix-it for the Enchanted Forest Chronicles that solves something that bugged me about a series I otherwise adore.

8-Do you get hate on fics?

the real ones will remember, lol. I had one specific reader who would leave, like, novel-length comments on every single chapter of every single fic about everything he hated / disagreed with. My favourite was the list of my D2 victors in order of who he hoped would get killed off from most to least (Petra was at the top and Emory was at the bottom SORRY MAN). I honestly don't know why he was still reading if everything annoyed him so much, lmao.

If ever I get a mean anon I delete it though. You won't catch me responding to anon hate.

9-Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Not....... really. I write sex in very specific situations but it's usually to serve a purpose and I'm kind of ... vague about it, even when I think I'm being explicit (for me). I'm sure people could pick out sex written by me pretty easily. It's not exactly fade to black because that implies skipping to later, this is more like ... elisions, I guess.

10-Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Very famously, yes. I'm not sure what I'd consider the weirdest one. Temeraire / THG victors as dragons? Watership Down / THG rabbits?

11-Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Fanfic, no, I don't think so, but I have had original stories stolen and put up on Amazon. It's the reason I took down my FictionPress account and have all my original things locked on LJ / DW.

12-Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have!

Я хочу увидеть тебя храброй | I wanna see you be brave

【授权翻译】Don't Flinch/无所畏惧 | Don't Flinch.

13-Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yes, several! My usual co-conspirators are azelmaroark, @kawuli, @penfoldx and @xanify

14-What's your all-time favorite ship?

96 out of my 111 fics on AO3 are gen, so that should give you my answer on that one, lol.

15-What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Never say never???? But sadly, probably the Portal/Emory's Games crossover if only because all the notes on the super complicated Arena were on a computer that died and I don't remember anything

16-What are your writing strengths?

Character and feelings, babeyyyyy. Also my hallmark is making people care (or at least think) about characters they absolutely despised before

17-What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot is hard. Every time I think I've done something complicated I'll read a book by someone with an actual intricate plot and need to lie down for 500 hours

18-Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Nah. Generally I use dialogue tags to tell the reader what language is being spoken

19-First fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars, when I was 12, though it was just me and my bff. Dragon Ball Z was the first time I actually realized fandom was a Thing

20-Favorite fic you've ever written?

I will always have a soft spot for Fixed to a Star, I think

tagging whoever wants to play -- I've been offline for a while so i don't know who's done it!

#meme

[generalallxsanjishipper]

Hi! Welcome.

This is Generalallxsanjishipper's blog

(A long ass nick, I know.)

*stares at the (not many) but 100% "Yes" votes that was in the poll* (How the hell am I supposed to introduce myself? I have no idea, but okay, whatever—)

Killian here! It's not my real name, but it's my art name. I can be called Isa or Bibi as well. My real name is Barbara.

I'm from Italy and I'm a 2001 girl, She/her pronouns, bisexual, introverted, Virgo (too much of a perfectionist sometimes. Ops)

I am a Writer, a Screenwriter and an Artist. I even went to an art school, but the only thing that I learned there is anxiety. Yey.

I love reading. Like tons of books, but for whatever reason I stopped entirely reading books written in Italian and now I'm constantly binge-reading english stuff.

As a Writer, I create tons of Own Characters, yes. I have honestly so many OCs that it's hard to keep track of them between Original Works and Fanfiction. I have to admit that I never wrote as much fanfiction as I'm doing during those last years, mostly for bad experience with criticism in my first fics. But apparently I got over it after randomly starting to write little One Shots of a few different fandoms. It excalated, now.

To read my stuff, you can find me in AO3, Efp, Wattpad, and soon (I think) on Fanfiction.net under Killian44peeta's nickname. Even as an Artist, you can find me with that nickname on Instagram. I DO NOT have TikTok and I DO NOT intend to have it. If I change my mind, it's gonna rain for months lol.

I have many, many fandoms.

Listing them all is impossible, but my obsessions usually stuck the most when I have a "main crush" in said fandom. If not, they are fleeting at best... And usually the same main crush is the one that I ship with most people (Not always though).

Yep. I'm a multishipper, pro LGBTQ+ and I love polyamorous relationships.

When I hate a ship, I just hate it. No matter how hard you try to change my mind. Still, I'm of the "live and let live policy" because, damn, ship wars are boring and if you dislike something, YOU BLOODY IGNORE IT.

YOU DO NOT STUPIDLY FIGHT SOMEONE AND SAY TO THEM TO K*LL THEMSELVES BECAUSE THEY DO NOT SHIP YOUR PAIRING. THOSE PEOPLE YOU SHIP DO NOT EXIST. THEY ARE JUST A WRITER'S FANTASY. NO NEED TO BE SO STUPIDLY CHILDISH. JUST CALM DOWN.

*takes a deep breath*

Thanks.

A few examples of my main crushes:

Animated ones first.

Sanji, Corazon, Reiju and Vivi (One Piece), Douxie (Tales of Arcadia), Zuko (Avatar), Mika (Owari No Seraph), Levi, Jean and Yelena (Shingeki no Kyojin), Akashi and Kise(Kuroko no basket), Gwen (Total Drama), Megara (Hercules), Dark Bloom (Winx Club), Hijikata (Gintama), Hyoga, Eden, every Virgo Saint ever except Shun (Saint Seiya+), Shiro and Pidge (Voltron), Lust and Roy(Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)

Not animated crushes (directly the person, not the role, because if not the list would be sooo much longer, ok)

Daniel Sharman, Danielle Campbell, Colin O'donoghue, Richard Armitage, Ian Somerhalder, Josh Hutcherson, Zoe Kravitz, Tom Ellis, Hayden Christensen, Bridgette Mendler

(am I forgetting someone? Probably. Sorry)

Welp. I dunno what else to say. Hope you have fun inside my blog? If you wanna be friends (chat here, on Discord, WhatsApp... ) and ask questions I'm okay with it? If you wanna talk with me about (my, yours) stories, I'm DEFINITELY okay with it.

:D I love to rant about fanfictions and original works. I love ranting about ocs and headcanon about characters. Yes.

(do not kill me if I don’t answer immediately, I have a life/I need time to draw/I need time to write)

Bye.

-Killian

#Killian'sthoughts #my blog #my post #artists on tumblr #writers on tumblr #intro post #introduction #blog #blog intro

[misc-obeyme]

anon that asked about lord diavolo's spotlight event here! (LONG rant incoming, hope you don't mind)

first of all, oml thank you so much for going out of your way to do this much research on it! certainly, if we count the events that aren't necessarily listed as spotlight events, there are bound to be more for some of the characters, and that's the point; i don't even want an official spotlight event for diavolo or luke (though deserved), even just one that is focused on them would be enough for me at this point, because the constant "pushed into the sidelines" treatment given to characters like beel, belphie, luke (poor child is literally neglected) and especially diavolo is exhausting! diavolo's treatment might even be worse with the mischaracterisation and lack of effort to actually analyse his character and see why he does the things he does (by even the devs sometimes -> being written off as "wow so kind", "wow so childish", etc. etc.) running rampant in the fandom (warm hugs to the lovelies who actually care). i'm overjoyed that my love solomon is beginning to get the recognition he deserves, but my god you have such delicious characters like dia with such delectable flaws due to past trauma in front of you, and you just choose to...ignore them?! don't make a game with FIFTEEN characters if you're not gonna care about half of them!

the way people (understandably) want to see all these guys like michael and the demon king while i'm here profusely sweating with worry about the game's already declining writing quality going further downhill with these additions ☠️ like yes, i wanna see them too, but PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF DIAVOLO. FIRST FEED YOUR BABIES BEFORE BRINGING IN MORE.

Oh welcome back, anon! And no, I don't mind long rants, so no worries there!

There are definitely more events that had "spotlights" if not officially I guess?? I dunno how to describe it lol. But you are correct, from what I can remember they didn't have one of the non-spotlight character focused events for Diavolo.

I was curious about the events that didn't have a spotlight listed and how that would change the numbers. I've added them into the list, which I am again putting below a read more at the end of this answer lol.

There was one Celestial Blessing event with outfits in OG after the spotlights began. It was called Valentine's Day Canceled?! and I would have considered it a shared event for Levi & Beel.

Most of the ones in Nightbringer have been for the entire cast, but there was The Demon's Gambit which I felt could have been a Belphie spotlight. Then there was Blue Spring Paradise which could have been a Levi spotlight. And The Scroll of Thirst that could have been a Solomon spotlight. The rest seemed to be mostly about everybody from what I remembered, except for the Vampire event which seemed to focus more on the side characters.

So if you count those events, here's the updated list:

Lucifer - 1 solo, 1 shared Mammon - 2 solo, 2 shared Levi - 1 solo, 2 shared Satan - 2 solo, 1 shared Asmo - 2 solo, 2 shared Beel - 1 solo, 1 shared Belphie - 2 solo

Diavolo - none Barbatos - 3 solo Simeon - 1 solo, 1 shared Solomon - 2 solo Luke - none

It's really confusing, honestly. I don't know why they haven't done Diavolo yet. I always thought he was a pretty popular character??

Anyway, the non official spotlight events seem to be few and far between, so I think we might get an actual spotlight for him sooner? But maybe not??? It's impossible to say with this game, honestly.

The only event in which Diavolo had a more prominent role was A Star for You. I remember it because I loved that event. But they didn't list him as sharing the spotlight with Satan for some reason. I kinda feel like they could have.

ANYWAY not to get overly detailed about which events had who in them YET AGAIN lolol I'm sorry this is just my default mode.

But anyway, I have to agree with you. They've never paid equal attention to their characters. It's always bothered me. Lucifer is their sweet baby boy and while I like him nowadays, I don't like how they focus on him so much that it takes away from the character development of the others.

I also agree about new characters. Like please just give us some development for the characters we already have, thanks. No need to add more, as interesting as it would be to see the designs and what not, I'd rather have further development of the current characters.

Especially the side characters. There is so much potential that they just waste and I think maybe that's why I like writing fic for this fandom lol. That's a little weird, I guess, but it's a lot more fun to take an underdeveloped character and give them all that extra nuance that they're lacking in the source material.

I have my own characterizations and headcanons that fill in that missing stuff because otherwise my brain is like, this doesn't work. Though to be fair, I think a big part of the issue with the writing quality is the format of the game. And my brain is always thinking in terms of an actual novel.

I'm still holding on to hope for Solomon and Barbatos having decent backstories when they're finally revealed. I'll rewrite them both if I have to, though.

Non spotlight events indicated with a ~

Starting with events that were only in OG.

Satan: A Star for You Barbatos: Super Smash Devils ~Levi & Beel: Valentine's Day Canceled?! Mammon & Asmo: Princess Rose Simeon: A Weird White Day

The rest of these were in NB as well.

Lucifer & Asmo: The Cursed Seed and the Fertilizing Flame ~Belphie: The Demon's Gambit Simeon & Mammon: RAD on Stage Satan & Levi: Whisked Away ~Side Characters: The Vampire Special Mammon: Hell Marine Festival Lucifer: Terrible Time Trouble ~Levi: Blue Spring Paradise Asmo: Devil's Water Panic! Barbatos: Fangol Ultra Bowl ~Solomon: The Scroll of Thirst Mammon: An A-mazing Adventure ~Everybody: Trick or Treat Asmo: Fabulicious Beel: The Great Devildom Outdoors ~Everybody: Happy Holidays! Satan: Exciting Inn-cidents! Solomon: Bon Voyage! ~Everybody: Absolute Zero Belphie: Poison Hunting & Candy Making! Barbatos: Dust Storm Panic

#we'll see how it goes I guess #they gotta be coming up with a Dia event soon right?? #obey me #obey me nightbringer #anon asks #misc answers

[saturnskyline]

top 10 female characters

tagged by @dummerjan, thank you!!! <3

rules: name favorite female characters from 10 different fandoms, then tag 10 people

this was unreasonably hard but that's what i get for watching so much bl gkshsjd. anyway this list is about to be wild but here's some of my faves 😄 (i say "some of" bc if i am asked to make a definitive list for anything i will literally die lol)

in no particular order:

1. clarice starling (the silence of the lambs)

not to be a filmbro on main but. i really do love this movie (certain trans stereotypes aside), and clarice is an absolute icon. jodie foster you will always be famous <3

2. tiffy (lovely writer)

she makes me absolutely feral at all times?? bisexual biker girl with the most beautiful smile in the world???? yeah we stan

3. yoon ji-woo (my name)

i'm just saying, i would not complain if she beat me up. in fact, i would thank her for the privilege!! on my knees for her any day, han so hee my beloved

4. toni shalifoe (the wilds)

mean lesbians deserve the world methinks :) love how strong and authentic she was, miss her every day 💔💔

5. shiv roy (succession)

she's a girlfailure, she's mother, she's the loml, she makes me blush whenever she's on my screen bc she's JUST TOO FINE! sarah snook the woman that you are!!

6. ink (bad buddy)

MY SUNSHINE GIRL MY EVERYTHING. love her so dearly, blowing lots of kisses to her at all times 🥰

7. amma crellin (sharp objects)

amma is so layered and compelling and just the best ngl. i've never seen a character like her and idk if i ever will again. legend

8. kate sharma (bridgerton)

i mean. she looks like she walked out of a fairy tale. how am i supposed to not fall in love with her. (answer: it's impossible, she is an angel)

9. fiona gallagher (shameless)

my queen. my ride or die. literally what didn't she do. increased my bisexuality by tenfold, i'll tell you that!

10. miw (3 will be free)

100/10 i would die for her!!!! and btw she has never done anything wrong in her entire life, which is so cool and valid of her

tagging @vegasandhishedgehog @leporschespam @stillqueerstillhere @negrowhat @askanis @waitforthestars @a-slut-for-vegaspete @i-got-the-feels @salamander89 @shesaboozle with zero pressure 💌💌

#spent way too long on the gifs dsjdfsdf paula i relate #but yeah! #love how over half of these are just me going “i just think she's neat” to a hot woman onscreen #which. love that for me #gay rights amen #tag game

[chickensarentcheap]

Lost and Found- Chapter 22

Fandom: Extraction

Pairing: Tyler Rake and Esme Drummond (OFC. But you do not have to read the others in the series to understand this fic.)

Warnings: some profanity, angst

ALSO, IT'S A LONG ONE, FOLKS lol. Sorry.

*Includes Extraction 1 and 2 canon mentions

Tagging: @tragiclyhip @munstysmind @themaradwrites @youflickedtooharddamnit @secretaryunpaid @kmc1989 @thebejeweledwatercat @asirensrage @theesirenteller @residentdormouse @arrthurpendragon @ocappreciation @occommunity @karimac @alisbackalleybbq @ninjasawakenedmystar

Link to Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43179357/chapters/130239049

My tag list is OPEN. Please just let me know if you'd like to be added :D

****

He lounges in the room Millie shares with Abuela. Stretched out on his side and propped up on his elbow; watching as his daughter quietly and contently plays just mere inches away. The four-year-old clad in her choice of attire for the day; consisting of a red and black button-down shirt paired with extremely bright and bold leggings with cat faces splashed over every inch. Her hair loose and unruly; falling into her eyes and over her face as she kneels in front of a large plastic tote box. Holding a treasure trove of belongings that Yaz had managed -after he and a small team had successfully broken in- to gather from Alessio’s home. Her entire collection of GI Joe dolls and My Little Ponies, more art and craft supplies, and a handful of Barbies and accessories.

“Tyler?”

He helps himself to one of the wine gums from the open carton that sits between them. Even in the midst of all of his prepping and immersing himself further in the role of mercenary, he had taken the time out when she’d requested his attention. Unable to resist that tiny voice, that hopeful smile, and those brilliant blue eyes. “Yeah?”

“Do you think that Barbie…” Millie holds up her favourite doll; baring beautiful dark skin and shimmering black hair and wearing a sparkling gold mini dress. And a matching pair of impossibly high heels. ”...THIS Barbie…would like GI Joe?”

“Which GI Joe are we talking about?”

“This guy!” She picks up the action figure in question; tall and muscular with blond hair and green eyes, clad in his fatigues. “He’s my all-time fave! The rest are just…I dunno…too basic for my best Barbie.”

“Basic?”

“Momma says that, in a nutshell, someone who is basic is VERY boring. Unoriginal. They don’t offer anything new. They can put you to sleep with how ordinary and vanilla they are.”

“She says that a lot about people?”

“Just the guys who try and date her. And you know what? She’s right. They’re basic as hell.”

Smirking, he pops the wine gum into his mouth.

Millie lowers her voice. “Momma actually calls them a bad word. Can I tell you what it is? Without getting in trouble? Or without telling her I said it?”

“I won’t give you any grief for it. And remember what I told you? About how snitches get stitches? Your secret’s safe with me.”

“She calls them ‘basic bitches.’” She dissolves into giggles, both hands covering her mouth, her eyes narrowed and sparkling. “Isn’t that hilarious? Basic bitches. It’s mean, but it’s funny too!”

“Does your mom date a lot? Has there been a lot of guys? Before Alessio? That come around?”

“No. Not really. Not a lot. Just a few. And momma didn’t date. They TRIED and date her.”

“Gotcha. So they ask her out and…?”

“And she always said ‘no’. That she wasn’t interested. She was nice when she told them that. She said just too busy with work and taking care of me. But once they were gone? She told me the real deal.”

“She told you? Or did you hear her telling someone else?”

“You’re good. You’re REALLY good. Don’t tell her that either, okay? That I spy sometimes? I hear things. Mostly when she’s talking to Auntie Nik on the phone or Facetime. Sometimes it’s Uncle Yaz. Mom thinks I’m asleep, but I’m really sitting at the end of the hall. She can’t see me if she’s in her room, and I’m hiding there.”

“This is when you lived in your old apartment?”

Millie nods. ”I LOVED that apartment. It was nice. Better than living at Alessio’s dumb-ass house. I wasn’t allowed to do anything there. I wasn’t allowed to make crafts because they were too messy, I wasn’t allowed to listen to music and dance, and I definitely wasn’t allowed to have a pet. I had a cat. Before we moved in with him.”

“Where’s the cat now?”

“Uncle Duey took her. Her name is Beatrice, but everyone calls her Bea. Like how my name is really Amelia, but everyone calls me ‘Millie.’ She’s super cute; she’s black, but she has white under her chin and near her nose, and she has white socks. We got her from the shelter.”

“You miss her?”

“I miss Bea all the time. She used to sleep with me. Every night. Right by my head. And she was a lot of fun! She would play fetch; I’d throw her favourite toy, and she’d run and grab it and bring it back to me! And she LOVED to sit in the window and yell at the pigeons that came on the balcony. I bet she would have grabbed ‘em and beat ‘em up if mom let her outside.”

“That wouldn’t have been good. What if they beat HER up?”

“Do you know who the Bowery King is?”

“I know a bit about him.”

“Momma and Uncle John know him. I only met him once. Momma took me to where he lives. He has tons of pigeons! And mom said if Bea ever got out and caught one of his birds? We would have been in big shit!’

Tyler gives a small chuckle. “I can imagine.”

“Uncle John said we would have been fine. He would have protected us. He would have told the Bowery King to take a hike! He didn’t say it like THAT, though. He said the ‘f word’. Do you know what word I mean?”

“I do. Very well. So about these guys your mom would date…”

She stares at him pointedly. And in those narrowed eyes and furrowed brow, he immediately sees himself.

“That tried to date HER,” he quickly corrects himself. “She didn’t like any of them?”

“I mean, I guess she liked them enough. To at least give them a chance.”

“What happened? Things didn’t work out?”

“She got bored with them. They weren’t interesting enough for her. And they all had boring jobs; lawyers and doctors and guys that work on Wall Street. Yawn city! And they weren’t even good-looking to make up for it! But there was one guy, though. That was pretty cool. I liked him.”

“What was he like?”

“He was super nice. He would always bring us takeout; pizza and Chinese and fried chicken and even tacos!”

“Everything is about food with you, isn’t it.”

“It’s my love language. It makes my tummy AND my heart happy. I don’t care if I get fat when I’m older. I’m gonna eat as much as I want. Whatever I want, too!”

“So this guy…”

“He used to take us to Rangers hockey games and to see the Mets play baseball. And sometimes, he’d take me places all by himself. We’d go to the movies and bowling and to the arcade!”

“Your mum was okay with that? Just sending you off with him!”

“She trusted him. He was a policeman!”

Tyler frowns. “He was a cop.”

“Not like a regular one. He wore normal clothes. Sometimes a suit and tie. And he would go to accidents and murders and stuff and ask people lots of questions.”

“He was a detective?”

“Yeah! That’s what he was! He was an alright guy, though. He was nice to me. And I think he REALLY liked mom.”

“Did he ever stay over?”

“Hell no! That’s a big no-no! Momma NEVER let that happen. She would always say that ‘Millie isn’t ready for that kind of thing’. And she was right. I didn’t want to see some guy walking around in his gitch first thing in the morning!”

“What happened? With your mum and this guy? She wasn’t into him?”

“She seemed like she was. They spent a lot of time together. It’s kinda weird, right? That he was a cop? ‘Cause momma’s job is totally illegal, and Auntie Nik is a criminal! Did you know that? That she was in jail?”

“I did know that, yeah.”

“Totally badass, right? But the guy? He found out the truth about what mom does for a living. And everything about Auntie Nik and Uncle Yaz. After that, he couldn’t date momma anymore. If he did, he’d have to arrest her.”

“That wouldn’t have been good.”

“No. But instead of doing that, he just decided not to see her anymore. He said he would pretend he NEVER found out the truth. That’s good of him, I think. ‘Cause then momma would have gotten in trouble, and I never would have seen her again. That would have made me really sad. Not to have my momma. And you never answered my question.”

“I forgot what it was.”

“Would my favourite Barbie like my favourite GI Joe?”

“What do you think?”

“Well, he seems nice enough. He’s definitely not boring. Like Ken. Ken is definitely what mom would call a basic bitch.”

“Yeah, he’s always been a drongo.”

“What does that mean? drongo?”

“Stupid. An idiot.”

“A dumb ass?”

“Basically. That’s what we call them. In Australia. Drongos.”

“Does everyone in Australia talk like you do?”

“Maybe not exactly like it. But we all have accents. They sound a bit different; depending on what area you come from.”

“And are there tons of cool words there? That you say different than us?”

“Way too many to count. Once you get settled, I’ll teach you all kinds of cool slang.”

“Will you teach me the swears too?”

“I don’t know about THAT.”

“Please? Pretty please? I want to learn the swears! I promise I won’t repeat them. Not in front of other adults or kids. And especially not in front of momma. It can just be for us!”

“We’ll see.”

“And am I really going to get to see kangaroos and koalas?”

“I get them all the time around the house. The koalas love the trees in the backyard. They’re always hanging out in them. You’ll have to be careful, though; they’re cute, but they can be nasty. Don’t go around chasing them and trying to pick them up, alright?”

Millie nods. “Momma said there’s lots of snakes there, too. Will we get to see those?”

“Sometimes they even get in the house. Then I have to grab them and take them back outside. Are you scared of snakes?”

“Nope. Momma is, but I’m not. I think they’re cool.”

“You can help, then. We get any in the house, you can be the junior snake wrangler.”

“Is it true that the spiders are the size of dinner plates? That’s what mom said.”

“They can be≥ d. They won’t hurt you, though. They’re huge and ugly, but they’re not dangerous.”

“I wanna see one. Really bad!”

“Tell you what, first one I have to relocate ‘cause your mom is threatening to burn down the house? I’ll let you hold it. Get you used to handling them. So you’re not freaking out when you see them wandering around the place.”

“So I’m not a ‘fraidy cat like mommy! When we lived in our old apartment, we’d get spiders! Just little ones, though. And daddy long legs. She was even scared of them! I’m the one who had to get them for her. And she would always want me to kill them! ‘Millie, get him! Squish him!’ Mean mom! But you know what I did instead? I saved a spaghetti sauce jar and cleaned it all out and that’s what I’d put them in. And then I’d take them outside and let them go!”

They lapse into a comfortable silence, and Tyler watches her as his little girl neatly arranges her toys and craft supplies in the bin; not having the heart to point out that all the transporting during their relocation to Australia would no doubt leave the bin in a disorganized mess. She hums while she works; a trait she’d inherited from her mother, and he’d both discovered and fallen in love with- during their year together.

Yet despite the similarities to Esme, he sees more of himself inside Millie than anything else. The identical profile -before his nose had been broken and left him with the bump in the bridge-, the same furrows in the brow, the brilliant blue eyes, the curve of the jaw line, the slim, slender neck, and long, almost gangly limbs. And it’s almost unsettling; sitting across from his ‘mini me’ with all their likeness and her resemblance in physical appearance, personality and likes and dislikes she shares with his son. Their love for drawing and crafts. Their care and compassion for animals. Their endless curiosity and love for life and everyone in it.

Sitting back on her heels, she shoves her hair out of her face “Tyler?”

“Millie?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You’ve been on a roll so far. I don’t see a reason for you to stop now.”

“It’s kinda personal. And touchy.”

“Personal and touchy for who?”

“Me. I might get emotional.”

“That’s okay. You’re human. Nothing wrong with being emotional.”

“I don’t want to embarrass myself. In front of you.”

“There’s nothing for you to be embarrassed about. It’s normal; to get emotional and show and talk about feelings. Even guys like me do it.”

“Really?”

He nods. “I didn’t do it for a long time. I was always scared to. And then I met your mum, and she taught me that it was alright to show that side of myself. To get angry and sad. To even cry sometimes.”

“YOU cry?”

“Everyone does. Or everyone should, at least.”

“And mumma taught you that?”

“Your mum taught me a lot of things. About myself. And about others and how to treat them. What do you want to ask me?”

Millie releases a long, heavy sigh as she steels her emotions. “Do you think he’ll like me? When he meets me?”

“Who is ‘he’?”

“My dad.”

His entire body tenses; throat and jaw tightening, stomach clenching.

Millie continues, not noticing his sudden discomfort. “My daddy lives really, really, REALLY far away. We’ve never actually seen each other. And momma said that when I’m a bit older, she’s going to take me to meet him. And I wanna meet him, but I’m scared. That he won’t like me.”

“Why wouldn’t he like you? What’s not to like?”

“What if he thinks I’m annoying? ‘Cause I talk so much? Or what if he thinks I’m too noisy and too messy and too bossy and that I need to go live somewhere else? Away from mom.”

“Did someone say all those things? About you? Is that why you’re afraid he will?”

“Alessio. He didn’t like me being around. He said I was ‘too much’. That I needed to be taught how to behave ‘cause mom obviously never bothered to do it. He wanted to send me away. To a special school. Where I’d have to live. Instead of with momma.” Her lower lip and chin wobble as tears sparkle in her eyes. “I don’t want to be away from momma. I’d miss her too much. I’d cry all the time.”

“No one is going to take you away from your mum. You’re going to stay with her. Until you grow up and you meet some nice guy and…”

“Or girl. It could be a girl, too. That’s okay, you know. If girls love girls and boys love boys.”

“...and you have little ones of your own. Then you’ll want your own space. To raise your family.”

“But somewhere close to mom. Real close. Maybe next door. ‘Cause I don’t want to be far away. What if I need her? Or what if she needs me?”

“Then you live as close as you can to her. But still be under your own roof. No one is going to take you from your mum. She’d never let that happen. I’D never let that happen.”

“He was mean. Alessio. Mom and him fought all the time. Is it my fault? That they did?”

“No. It’s not. And nothing that happened the other night is your fault, either. You know that, yeah?”

She nods.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t cause them to fight. They fought because your mum was sticking up for you. Because she would do anything to protect you. And he didn’t like that.”

“And because he’s a drongo!”

“He definitely is. A big fucking drongo.”

Clamping a hand over her mouth, she giggles at his words.

“And why would your dad not like you? What’s not to like?”

“Because I can be super loud. And messy. And a bit too much.”

“You’re four. You’re supposed to be loud and messy. And a bit too much.”

“So you think he will? Like me?”

“No. I don’t think he’ll like you. I think he’ll love you. How can he not? You’re his little girl. His baby. So unless he’s a complete asshole…”

“He’s not. Momma said he’s a really nice guy. And momma wouldn’t lie about that. If he was a jerk, she’d say so. And she wouldn’t take me to meet him, that’s for sure.”

“What else has your mum said? About your dad?”

“Just that he lived really far away and that he was a good person with a really good heart. That she wished things could have been different and that she never had to leave. It made her sad, you know. That she couldn’t stay. It made her cry. Talking about it. I don’t like it when mom cries. It hurts my heart.”

“Hurts my heart, too.”

“And she said she loved him. Very much. And that she always would.”

He noisily clears his throat in a desperate attempt to wash away the lump of emotion that threatens to choke him.

“Do you think he loves her? Still?”

“Maybe. You’d have to ask him that.”

“Can I tell you something?”

Tyler nods.

“I’m also scared that he’ll want momma back. ‘Cause we’ll be living with you. And you love momma, and she loves you, and we’re gonna be a family, right?”

“That’s what I want.”

“But what if he wants momma for himself? And you have to fight over her?”

“I’m not worried about that. I already know I’d win.”

“I don’t want to be away from momma, but I don’t wanna be away from you, either. I want to meet him, but I don’t want to live with him. I want to live with YOU. You wouldn’t let him take us, would you? You’d stop him, right? If he tried to force us?”

“He wouldn’t stand a chance. I’m not giving you or your mumma up. You guys are stuck with me.”

“If he doesn’t like me, will you punch him in the face?”

“If you ask me too. But you don’t have to worry about that. He’ll like you. He’ll LOVE you.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“And you promise you won’t let him take us? To live with him? Like I said, I wanna meet him, not live with him.”

“You and your mom aren’t going anywhere.”

“What if mom goes? If she does, can I stay with you? I’m sure my dad’s a good guy, but he probably can’t protect me like you can. He’d probably be scared of the bad guys. And he’s probably not as awesome as you. With the cool hair and all the tattoos and stuff. I bet he’s not like that. At all.”

“You won’t know until you meet him. But even if he is cool, there’s no way he’s as cool as me.”

“Oh god…” Millie gives a dramatic gasp. “...what if it turns out he’s a basic bitch?”

“No one as awesome as you could ever come from someone that’s a basic bitch.”

“That’s a really good point.”

“Your dad is going to love you. Don’t ever doubt that. And don’t ever doubt how much your mum already DOES love you. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for you, Millie. You’re her baby. You always will be. No matter how old you get.”

“Momma always wanted to be a mommy. Did you know that?”

“I do. We used to talk about it. And we used to talk about having babies. Together.”

“Really?”

Tyler nods. “We wanted to get married. Have a family. And then things fell apart, and we broke up.”

“But if you didn’t break up, she never would have met my dad. And I wouldn’t be here.”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Let’s just say that if something is meant to be, it’ll be. If someone is meant to be in your life, you’ll find your way back to them. No matter how long it’s been since you last saw them. And I haven’t seen your mum in a long time.”

“But you still love her?”

“I love your mumma very much. More than I ever thought I could love someone. And you know who else I love?”

The four-year-old shakes her head.

“You.”

Millie squeals when she’s scooped up and thrown high over his head; dissolving into giggles when he effortlessly catches her effortlessly and then tickles and lightly pinches her sides. He switches to pressing endless kisses over every inch of her face until she’s laughing hysterically; squirming and complaining that his beard is scratching her. And when he at last collapses onto his back, bringing her tiny body to rest on top of him, she wraps both arms around his neck. Noisily kissing each of his cheeks, and then beaming down at him.

“I love you, too.”

*****

After helping settle Millie for the night, he meets with Nik and Yaz in the former’s hotel room; slowly and meticulously going over his end of the extraction. Pouring over the blueprints of the hotel’s ‘bowels’ spread across the table as Yaz paces the floor; laptop in hand as he verbally rifles off pertinent information. Nik stands alongside Tyler; hunched over the papers, using a red marker to circle and isolate important spots on the map.

“The route will take you through a few different places,” Yaz announces, pausing his pacing in order to take a swig of coffee. “This is the order: secondary kitchen, boiler room, laundry facilities, and an underground bunker.”

Tyler uses the tip of his index finger to trace the path. “What’s the bunker? What’s the story of that?”

“It’s where Winston hides out during ‘intense situations,’” Nik explains. “It’s highly stocked; every handheld weapon you can possibly think of. And its corresponding ammo.”

Tyler smirks. “Something tells me it’s not your basic ‘shelter in place.’ I highly doubt he hangs out somewhere with concrete walls and bare lightbulbs.”

“It’s as luxurious and over the top as you’d expect from him,” Yaz pipes up. “He’s known to hold ‘executive meetings’ and talks with weapons dealers in there. It’s how we first met him. Years ago.”

“There’s no other way to the loading docks? That doesn’t take me right past his little hideout?”

Yaz shakes his head. “None. When it comes to the blueprints, what you see is what you get. Everything that is available to us is right there. There’s no secret passages, no hidden hallways, no indirect path. It’s this way, or no way.”

“And there’s no other options? When it comes to exits?”

“This is the safest route out of The Continental. There’s too much foot traffic if you go in any other direction. This is the only path that’s NOT heavily patrolled by security. And trust me, this place doesn’t just have regular, run-of-the-mill guards to keep things running smoothly and make sure people stay in line. They’re heavily armed. AND expertly trained. You take a different way and run into half a dozen or more…”

“Yaz and I have walked every possible path, documented every step,” Nik says. “None of them give you even the slightest chance of going unseen and unheard like this one does. It’s too risky any other way.”

“Can’t exactly go unseen and unheard if I have to go right past it. I’m leading her right to the wolves. If Winston is hanging out in there and he hears us…”

“It’s a secure room,” Yaz explains. “It’s essentially a vault; with walls thicker and more secure than anything you’d see at even the most high end of banks.”

“A bomb could go off right outside the door, and whoever’s inside wouldn’t even hear it,” his sister adds. “There is no way if he WAS holed up inside, that Winston would know you’re even out there.”

Tyler sighs. “Just the thought of taking her right past his doorstep…”

“This whole place is his doorstep,” Nik reminds him. “There’s no one hundred percent foolproof way to get out of here. In the end, it comes down to picking the least of the evils and just going with it. Hoping for the best.”

“That’s hardly reassuring. This isn’t exactly the job I want to resort to just ‘hoping for the best’. I can’t just cross my fingers and hold my breath and pray that everything’s going to work out. If it wasn’t so personal…”

“We wouldn’t have decided on this route if we had any other option. You know that we’d never put you at risk. That we’d…”

“I don’t care about me. This comes with the territory; putting my ass on the line. But taking her right into the lion’s den? And just hoping nothing goes wrong? That’s not good enough, Nik. That’s not NEARLY good enough.”

“If there were any other options, we would have found them. But this is it, Tyler. It HAS to be this way. There’s nothing else. It’s this way or no way.”

Heaving a sigh, he runs his hands through his hair and down his weary face. Stepping away, he pours himself a cup of coffee from the carafe on the window sill; his back to the others as he nurses his drink and stares into the night. And he finds himself marvelling at the neighbouring buildings; blazing pillars of light that climb high into the black canvas of sky. And in that moment, in a city of millions and in the midst of the hustle and bustle, he’s never felt so…done. Tired of the job and everything that comes with it; the danger and the unpredictability from one moment to the next. He finally feels ready; confident in the decision to -when the final mission is finished and the coast is truly clear- to walk away from it all. To concentrate on creating a normal life; pouring his attention and his energy into firefighting and running his own business. And being a husband and a father. Someone that Esme and Millie can rely on. Not just to protect them, but to provide for them.

Love them.

Nik joins him at the window, uncapping a bottle of water and taking a sip. “Talk to me.”

“About?”

“You’re unsettled. This isn’t like you. You’re usually focused. You have your head on straight. You never break a sweat. Now…”

“This isn’t a regular gig, Nik. You can’t expect me to act like it is.”

“I HAVE to expect it. In the same way YOU have to treat it like you would any job I give you. You can’t let your heart overrule your brain. It’s dangerous. Life threatening. If you start feeling too much…��

“How can I not? This is as personal as it gets. This isn’t just random people I’ve been hired to help. It isn’t my ex-sister-in-law and her kids. This is MY kid. And it’s Esme. MY Esme. These aren’t regular clients.”

“You have to treat them like they are. If you don’t…”

“I can’t just turn it off. Maybe six, seven years ago, I would have been able to. I would have been able to separate THAT Tyler from THIS Tyler. But now…”

“This was a bad idea. Getting you involved. And I told her that. That calling you was the worst thing we could do. That I had other people that could handle this sort of job and…”

“Calling me was the best thing you could have done. For more reasons than one.”

“We’re not going to talk about that. Now isn’t the time. Now…”

“You should have called me a long time ago. About Millie. You had every chance to tell me; that I had a kid out there. And the least you could have done was tell me Esme was alive. You have had every opportunity to put my mind at ease. To let me know that she was okay.”

“I already have explained. Why I did what I did. And I’ve already apologized. I’ve…”

“I don’t care about your apology. I don’t need you to keep saying, ‘I’m sorry.’ Remember when you gave me shit? For not telling you it was my ex-wife who hired me in Georgia? How you talked about not needing my apology but my trust? That should have went both ways. Because now? After everything you’ve done? Everything you COULD HAVE done? How am I supposed to trust YOU?”

She blinks, taken back by his honesty.

“I can’t do this anymore. Not even as a side gig. I can’t keep putting myself out there. Everything’s changed. The second Esme walked back into my life…”

“Don’t make any hasty decisions. Right now, you’re running on pure emotion. You’re…”

“She’s going to need me, Nik. And not like THIS. She doesn’t need mercenary me. She needs a partner and husband and a father to her little girl. And any kids that might come after that. She needs me home. Safe. She shouldn’t be watching me walk out the front door and then spending days…weeks…wondering if I’m going to walk back in.”

“You’re going to have all the time in the world to think about quitting. When this job is done and I’ve taken care of things here in the city, and there’s no more threat…”

“I don’t need any more time. My mind was made up the second I saw her. As soon as she walked into the room and I realized she was the one who hired me, that was it. I don’t need to think about it.”

“Is it what she wants? You walking away?”

“It’s what she deserves. This life? It’s not good for her. And it’s definitely not good for Millie. It’s time, Nik. This is it. No more. No more calling me and asking for favours. I’m done. And if that means you lose my number and forget I ever existed, then that’s the way it has to be.”

“That would never happen. Whether you work for me or not.”

“Esme and Millie have to be first. I made that mistake with Mia; putting the military before her and our boy. I’m not going to do it again. Not with Esme. Not with the love of my life. I lost her once. I’m not going to lose her again.”

“And you’ve talked about this? With her? You’ve…”

“We’re getting married. As soon as we can. Just something small. The two of us and Millie and a couple of witnesses. We have five years to make up for. We’re not going to waste any time.”

“And you’ll be happy? Giving this up? Entirely?”

“Maybe not at first. But it’s something I HAVE to do. I have a family now.”

“You’ve had a family all this time. Yaz and me and…”

“It’s not the same, and you know it. I have a daughter. I’m going to be a husband. And those are the two things I have to concentrate on. I need to give them a normal life. Away from all of this. They deserve better. From me.”

Sighing, she nods slowly as she considers his words)

“You’ll find someone else. That annoys you as much as I do.”

“Maybe that’s true. But I definitely won’t find someone that can do the job nearly as good as you.”

“Maybe it’s time for you to move on, too. Do something else with your life. Remember what you told me? In Austria? About how my entire life fit inside one little box? And how I should do something about it. Well, it’s taken me a couple of years, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“If anyone deserves a shot at a normal life…”

“And maybe you should take your own advice. You can’t tell me this is all you want. Being caught up in all of this. You can’t tell me this is the only kind of life that makes you happy? What about filling your own boxes? When are you going to start on that?”

A smirk tugs at the corner of her mouth. “I’m not taking personal life advice from you. Considering the mess you made of things by getting hooked up with Delaney…”

“I know I’m not the guy who should be talking. I don’t exactly have the best track record; when it comes to women and marriage and having kids. But this can’t be it. This can’t be all you want. And don’t even try and lie; I know when you’re full of shit.”

Managing a small laugh, she reaches out to rub his upper arm. “I hope it all works out for you. I hope you and Esme go on to get married and stay that way for a few decades. I hope you have more babies. And grandbabies. I hope you get your happily ever after.”

“So do I.”

“But for now, can we concentrate on other things? On what’s in front of us? Because none of that will happen for you if you don’t get Esme out of here. If that goes wrong…”

Tyler sips his coffee. “I’ve got…concerns.”

“About the plan? The route?”

“I’m not thrilled with having to take her that away; parade right past where Winston might be hanging out. But if there really is no other choice, I’ll make it work.”

“There Is no other option. Believe me, I would have given you one if there were.”

“It’s more than that. Something doesn’t feel right. Something ISN’T right.”

“In what way?”

“Winston’s been way too quiet. Since that sniper tried to take Millie and me out. He hasn’t come up to the suite once; to see how she’s holding up. Don’t you find that a little odd? Considering he calls her his granddaughter? You don’t find it strange that he hasn’t bothered to check if she’s okay?”

“It’s more than a little odd. Much more.”

“All he cared about was the room getting shot up. Us ‘making a mess’ of things. Bringing trouble here. Other than taking the time to try and reem you out…”

“He learned very quickly. That NO ONE speaks to me like that.”

“...he hasn’t made any attempt to contact Esme. And I know that should make me happy; considering he’s got some kind of fucked up old man crush on her…”

“It’s unsettling.”

“Very. He spent how many months keeping her safe here? After that adjudicator showed up at our place, and Esme took off? Better part of a year, yeah?”

Nik nods.

“Even after that, when she finally could go on with her life, he kept tabs on her. Made sure that no one was watching her or causing her trouble. And look how fast he came to the rescue this time. When she and Millie needed a place to hide out.”

“He isn’t just seeing her as a daughter. I’ve always said it; that the way he feels goes far beyond what a parent would feel for a child. It never sat well with me; how much he doted on her and needed to be around her.”

“It’s fucked up. Not just how he feels about her, but how far he’s willing to go to keep her here. Under his thumb. And away from me. Offering me the money to walk away, threatening me, having a sniper try and take me out…”

“We don’t know that was him. That organized that. We…”

“All of that, and now suddenly he’s disappeared? Gone silent? He doesn’t give a shit about her anymore? He hasn’t bothered to check up on her or Millie? It doesn’t make sense. Something isn’t right, Nik.”

“Is that your brain or your gut telling you that?”

“A bit of both.”

“I’ve already told you to listen to your instincts; that they’re very rarely wrong. And if something doesn’t feel right to you…”

“It feels FAR from right.”

“You think he knows what we’re up to? Do you think we might have a mole? That’s tipped him off?”

“It’s possible. He could be just lying in wait. For us to make a move. Is there anyone that you don’t trust? On the team? That sat in on the plans and might have shared the info?”

“I wouldn’t have them here if I didn’t trust them.”

“If he knows what we’re up to, we’re fucked. He’ll be on us before I even get Esme anywhere near the exit. And if he knows what day and time…”

“You’re thinking he might ambush you.”

“Not just him. If he does have a small army of these highly trained security people…”

“Should we change the date? The time? We can’t change the path. There’s no other route to take. And if we’re not out of here before the deadline he’s given us…”

“How comfortable do you feel going to him?”

“It’s pretty much the last thing I want to do, but…”

“What if I asked you to go and talk to him? Try and find out what he knows. See if you can convince him to give us some extra time?”

“Stay here even longer? Tyler…”

“Not actually stay here. But put it in his head that we’re going to, then leak a fake date and time. If he thinks we’re taking off then, that opens the door for the plan we already have. Puts him off our scent.”

“You think he’d fall for that?”

“I don’t know. But at this point, I’m willing to try anything. I HAVE to get her out of here. Without him knowing. Because if he catches on and tries to stop me…”

“If you kill him, you’re just opening up a whole new world of hurt for yourself. And for Esme and Millie.”

“If he gets in my way, I won’t have a choice. Because he’ll stop at nothing to keep her here. And I can’t let that happen. I can’t let him get his hands on her. She’s not his to have.”

“The High Table will come for you. If you kill him, they won’t let you have a moment’s rest. They will track you down. And what kind of life is that? Living with that fear?”

“I’m not scared of them.”

“You should be. Because they won’t think twice about using Esme or Millie to get to you. If you kill Winston and manage to get out of here, you will have a target on your back for the rest of your life.”

“I’ve had one on my back for years.”

“Not from THEM you haven’t. Why would you want to take that risk? Having The High Table after you? Why…?”

“He gets in my way, I will take him out.”

“Don’t do it, Tyler. You may not care about your life, but it isn’t just you anymore. Think about Esme. And Millie. They don’t deserve to live with that kind of fear. And they certainly don’t deserve to lose you. You just got Esme back. You just found out you’re a dad again. Why…?”

“If he doesn’t give me a choice, I’m doing what I have to. To get her out of here.”

“You won’t be safe anywhere. Wherever you run to, they’ll follow. They WILL find you. I’m warning you, Tyler. Don’t do it. Find another way. To deal with him. IF it happens. But don’t do THAT. Anything but that.”

“I can’t make any promises, Nik. Because if he tries to stop me or he hurts her in any way…”

“I am begging you NOT to do it. To not go that route. You can’t take it back. You can’t make things right. If you take him out, you’re signing your own death certificate. You know that, right?”

“I’ll do what I have to do. To get Esme out of here. And if they come for me…”

“Not if. When. WHEN they come for you.”

“Then I deal with it. I pay the price. But you gotta promise me one thing. If that happens.”

“I’m not putting my support behind this. I can’t. I can’t give you my blessing. Not for this. I’m sorry. I…”

“I want you to take care of them. Esme and Millie. Make sure they’re alright. If I’m not around to do it…”

“Don’t talk like that. Don’t…”

“Just promise me, yeah? You’ve done it before; made sure they were safe and taken care of. I’m sure you can do it again. Promise me, Nik. That if something happens to me and I can’t do it myself, you’ll take care of my family. For however long you have to.”

“Tyler…”

“Promise me. That Esme and Millie will be okay. That you’ll keep an eye on them.”

Nik relents. “I promise. But let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that.”

“Yeah…” Sighing, he turns back to the window. “...let’s hope.”

******

It’s after midnight when he returns to the suite; quietly letting himself into the bedroom and then navigating the space by way of the moonlight streaming through the gaps in the curtains. Slipping out of his clothes and tossing them in the open suitcase near the window, he gingerly pulls the blankets back and slips in next to her. A hand on her stomach as he presses his front to her back; eyes closing as he buries his face in her hair and inhales deeply. Taking in that familiar scent. Desperately needing the comfort. The closeness.

“You’re making a habit of this,” Esme teases, her voice quiet, laced with sleep. And she pushes her fingers through his; giving an initial squeeze and then tightly holding his hand. “Coming to bed really late.”

“I’m sorry.” He presses a kiss to the nape of her neck. “It ran longer than I thought it would.”

“Everything went okay? There’s no major changes I need to know about?”

“The plan’s staying the same. I’m not hundred percent on board with it, but considering there’s no other options…”

“Nik wouldn’t take unnecessary risks. With either of us. If she’s adamant that this is the only way it can go…”

“I think I’m just being paranoid. If it wasn’t you and Millie caught up in all this, I’d just go with whatever idea Nik drew up. But seeing as it’s so personal…”

“But do you feel better about things? Then you did last night? Because that spooked me; you questioning everything and not having a lot of confidence in how it’s going to go down. You’re not like that. Not when it comes to the job.”

“This isn’t just any job,” he reminds her.

“You’re going to have to try and focus. You’re going to put your feelings on the back burner and just go with your instincts. Pretend that this IS just like any other job. Because that’s what I need from you. When the time comes. I need THAT Tyler.”

“I’m fucking trying, believe me. But it’s a lot easier said than done.”

“I trust you. To get it together. When it comes to work, you’ve always been able to shut everything else out. Maybe not get rid of it entirely, but at least put it on the back burner. You’re going to have to treat this like it IS just another job.”

“You have a lot of faith in me. You always have.”

“Well, someone needs to.” She rolls over onto her side, eyes briefly closing as he places a kiss on her brow). “How DID it go?”

“It went. We finalized things. And got some loose ends tied up.”

“So that means you’re more confident? About how things are going to go?”

“Yeah…” Leaning in, he nuzzles her temple with the tip of her nose and then pecks her cheek. “...much more.”

“Everything’s going to go nice and smooth,” she enthuses. “According to plan. We’re not going to have any setbacks, no one is going to fuck anything up, people aren’t going to get in our way. Things are going to be perfect and uncomplicated.”

“When did the roles suddenly reverse? Aren’t I normally the one trying to convince you?”

“I can admit, I am usually a touch neurotic…”

“That’s the understatement of the century.”

“...and you are usually the one talking me down off a ledge. But I feel good about this. I feel like everything is going to be fine. That we won’t have any roadblocks. We’ll just get the hell out of here…”

“While I want to share your optimism, when do things ever go smoothly? On the job?”

“I mean, I’ve had a couple of gigs that weren’t major disasters. They weren’t flawless by any stretch of the imagination, but…”

“Remember Dhaka? How easy we thought it would be? After I got a hold of Ovi? That we’d get him to the boat, and we’d be free and clear? Do you remember that?”

“Unfortunately, very well.”

“Believe me, I WANT this to go nice and smooth. No hiccups, no one getting in my way and trying to stop us from leaving. I want that more than anything. But you’ve said it yourself; these people don’t accept defeat easily. They’re not just going to roll over if we DO get out of her.”

“WHEN we get out of here,” she gently corrects. “WHEN.”

“I just don’t want you putting all your eggs in one basket. It’s good to be confident and optimistic, but…”

“It can lead to bad decisions. Stupid mistakes. You get too cocky…”

“Just err on the side of caution, yeah? That’s all I’m asking.”

“Are you asking or telling? Because if it’s the latter, you’re starting your bossiness a little early. I technically don’t have to listen to you until it’s ‘go time’.”

“Who are you trying to kid? You’re not even going to listen to me AFTER that.”

“I promise I will be on my best behaviour.”

“I know what your best behaviour is. And while it’s a step up…”

“I will be completely unproblematic. I will listen to every word the big, bad, mercenary man has to say.”

Grinning, he presses a feathery to the corner of her mouth. “You are so full of shit.”

“You just want to be the boss of me,” she chides and wraps both arms around his neck. “You don’t get to wear the pants very often, but when you do…”

“I wear the pants all the time.”

“You keep telling yourself that. Everyone knows I’m the one in charge. That I’m the boss. I just let you take over every now and then. Stroke your ego. Feed your masculinity.”

“You’re just a regular bleeding heart.”

“And, there are times I DO like you being all aggressive and assertive and bossy. You have to admit, it’s always at the best possible times. The naked ones. Not even you can deny that’s your favourite time to be in charge.”

“I’ll admit to nothing.”

“You don’t have to. The evidence speaks for itself.”

“What evidence is that?”

“I’d say eleven inches poking me in the stomach, or the ass is usually all the proof I need.”

“Eleven? Come on now…”

“Ten and a half? Ten?”

“You are really good for my ego.”

“We’ll have to get an official number. An accurate measurement. I’m sure we’ll be able to track down a tape measure or a ruler when we get to Australia. Inquiring minds want to know.”

“You’re an odd duck, you know that?”

“I like my weirdness. All my quirks and eccentricities. You’ve missed them. Over the course of the last five years. Admit it.”

“I have, actually. I’ve missed a lot of things.” Hooking a finger under her chin, he tilts her face upwards; covering her mouth with his in a long, soft kiss. So pure and beautiful; nothing hurried or aggressive, nor teeming with unbridled lust or overwhelming want and need. A kiss at its most innocent point: adoring, tender, languid. Yet somehow enough to curl her toes and take her breath away.

She gives a sigh when it ends, her eyes remaining closed when he rolls over onto his back; settling her much smaller, lighter frame on top of his.

For five years, she’d longed for this; the smoothness of his skin and the hardness of his muscles. The way his calloused fingers tip continuously skim up and down her spine, his familiar scent and the sound of his voice and how she is able to feel its rumbling deep within his chest. Desperately missing him nearly every second of every day; wanting nothing more than to pick up the phone and beg and plead for forgiveness and end up in his life and his arms and his bed once again. But it had always seemed so far out of reach; believing she was past redemption. Even if he could accept her running away, there was no way he’d ever forgive her for keeping his daughter a secret. Not after the tremendous loss he’d already suffered; still wracked with guilt, regret, and profound grief when it came to the death of his son.

****

“Did you talk to Millie?” His fingertips drift down her spine and briefly settle at the small of her back; a lone fingertip commencing the tracing of the elaborate tattoo that stretches from one hip to the other. “About going with Alcott.”

“I was going to do it tomorrow. Well, today now. After breakfast.”

“I want to be there. When you tell her. I mean, as long as you’re okay with that.”

“Of course, I’m okay with it. You’re her father.”

“Only she doesn’t know what, does she? She has no clue.”

“We’ve talked about this. About when we’re going to tell her. I thought we agreed that…”

“She asked me about him today. Her dad.”

“What do you mean she asked about him? She brought him up out of nowhere? Why did she want to know? What…?”

“She asked me if I thought he’d like her. When she got to meet him. Can you imagine being a little kid and wondering something like that? If your old man is even going to WANT you?”

“No. I can’t even begin to imagine that.”

“She’s four years old. And she’s asking stuff like THAT? She’s worried that she’s going to meet him and he’s going to hate her? Find her a nuisance? Think she’s too loud and too messy and…”

“A bit too much,” Esme finishes for him. “She said that to me once. When she asked about him. About YOU. She said she was worried he’d find her annoying. I just chalked it up to Alessio being a total prick to her. I didn’t think she really felt that way. About herself.”

“She’s just a little girl. And she's carrying around shit like that? How could you have him around her? How could you put her through it? Him treating her like that?”

“I didn’t have a choice. I was in the middle of a job, and if I let my guard down or he found exactly who I was…”

“You should have told Nik you wanted out. The second he started treating Millie like that. As soon as he tried breaking her spirit, that should have been it. You should have got the fuck out of there. She didn’t deserve any of it. Being treated like that.”

“I thought we weren’t going to do this.” Moving away from him, she slaps and shoves his hands away when he tries to prevent her from sitting up. “Not here. Not right now. I thought we were going to wait until we were in Australia and somewhat settled before we talked about all of this. I thought…”

Sitting up, he stretches out his legs and leans back against the headboard. “I can’t do it, Esme. I can’t pretend that everything’s okay. That I’m not pissed off. That I’m not hurt. Do you know what it’s like? When everyone around you has a bigger role in your own kid’s life? All people tell me about is what Millie was like as a baby, all the things that they’ve done for her and with her.”

“They’re not telling you those things to hurt you. They’re just sharing what they know about her. So you can get to know her better.”

“All I hear from people is how they’re her family.”

“It’s because they are. Maybe not a conventional one, but…”

“I’M her family. You didn’t make that baby alone. And I didn’t see any of them making that kid with you either. So unless there’s someone you’re not telling me about…”

“Don’t do that. Say shit like that. I know you’re upset. And you have every right to be. I’ve never once tried to take that away from you. Or tried to downplay it. But you have no reason to question whether or not she belongs to you. Just look at her! She IS you! From head to toe. You’re just lashing out and trying to hurt me, and you know exactly how to do it.”

“I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m…”

“Just admit it, Tyler. Just admit that there’s a part of you that wants to punish me. Make me pay for what I did to you. I’m not going to judge you or hate you for it. I get it, alright? I did a horrible thing; keeping Millie away from you. And you have every right to want to punish me for that.”

“No. I don’t. I’m not like that. I’m not that kind of person. I would never hurt you.”

“I see it in you, sometimes. I’ll catch you looking at me a certain way. And I’ll see it; all this hurt and anger that you’ve got built inside of you. So just tell me the truth. I’m a big girl. I know my mistakes. I admit to them. I own them. So don’t…”

“I don’t want to fight, Esme. That’s not why I brought any of this up. That’s not why…”

“If you didn’t want to fight, you wouldn’t have thrown Millie in my face like that. You don’t think I know how badly I fucked up? Bringing her into that kind of life? You think I don’t feel like complete and utter shit for what happened? What she went through? What she KEEPS going through? You think I like any of this? Having to hide here? Having to hire a fucking mercenary to get us out here and…”

“So that’s how you see me. That’s all you see me as?”

“I never said. Don’t put words in my mouth. I’ve never seen you as JUST that. It’s part of you, but it’s not ALL of you. And I’ve never once thought it was. Who was the one who always talked you down? Every time you’d mention that you did nothing but kill people for a living? Who was the one person that reminded you that you did so much more? Who always tried to convince you that you weren’t the monster you saw yourself as?”

“You.”

“I stayed on that bridge because you deserved a second chance. Because you made your amends. And selfishly, I stayed because I wanted more of you. I wanted more time. I wanted all those plans that we made; I wanted to travel and see the world and fall in love. With YOU.”

“It didn’t exactly go that way, did it.”

“No. It didn’t. But you know what? What we had was good. It was so good. It wasn’t perfect. But neither are we. We had what we needed, and that was enough. We were happy. Weren’t we?”

“We were.”

“I love you. I have always loved you. I always WILL love you. So don’t you ever accuse me of anything else. And never…and I mean never…try and tell me I don’t love my daughter. OUR daughter.”

“I would never say that.” He slides down the bed and reaches for her when she begins to cry; frowning when she pushes him away and stands. Moving to the table in front of the window and leaning back against it; sniffling noisily as she wipes at her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to be honest. I need that from you, okay? I know you’re afraid of hurting me; it’s why you won’t just come right out and tell me how you’re really feeling or what’s really going on in your head. But I NEED that, Tyler. Because until you’re truthful about it, I can’t start to make amends. How can I move on and heal when you won’t even acknowledge what I did to you?

“I don’t understand why you need me to be angry. Why..?”

“Because it’s holding me accountable. For what I did. I don’t want you coddling me and holding my hand and patting me on the head and treating me like I’m some fragile little thing. Do you think I’m not going to love you? If you’re honest about everything? Is that what you’re afraid of?”

“I don’t know,” he admits, and swings his legs over the side of the bed. “I guess. Maybe? I don’t want you to think I hate you. Because I don’t. I never could.”

“I know you love me. I know it without you even having to say it. It’s in everything you do. It’s like those five years never even happened. The way you look at me and the way you touch and kiss me and make love to me. It’s like none of the bad stuff ever happened. And I don’t know what I did to deserve that. The way you feel about me. Or if I even DO deserve it. But I don’t question it. Sometimes it’s the only thing I’m sure of.”

“I just don’t see what good can come of it. Me just letting it all out. I don’t understand why you need me to be out there with it. Why can’t you just let me deal with this alone and…”

“That’s the old Tyler. The one that existed BEFORE me. He’s the one that died on that bridge. You’re not HIM. And you haven’t been him in a long time.”

“Maybe I went back to it. Being him. During the last five years.”

“There’s no way. Because you weren’t happy. Being that way. Being HIM. And you worked way too hard after Dhaka. To become better and DO better. There’s no way you’d go back to that.”

“I think you have way too much faith in me.”

“I think you don’t have enough. You would never go back to being like that. I know you. I know your heart. I know…”

“You don’t know a thing about my heart. And you know why? Because you broke it. You fucking tore it out of my chest and stomped all over it. And you expect it to be what it was before you did that?”

“If you were the old Tyler, you wouldn’t have stayed. When you found out I was the one that hired you. You would have turned around and walked out, and that would have been it.”

“I would have stayed. For Millie. I would have done it for her.”

“No, you wouldn’t have. It wouldn’t have mattered. Millie or no Millie, you would have left. The old Tyler? The one with the death wish? The one who didn’t give a fuck about anything except catching a bullet? He would have been long gone.”

“I would have never walked away from her. Even if I wanted to walk away from you, I’d never turn my back on my own kid. I did that once. I wouldn’t do it again. I learned the first time.”

“Is that why you’re here? Why you REALLY want things to work with us? Is that…?”

“I wouldn’t be sharing a bed with you and fucking you. Don’t insult me like that. I know I can be a real dick sometimes, but I’d never lower myself to that. And I would never use you. No matter how pissed off I am.”

“I was just asking. I was just…”

“I’m here because I love you. Because even though you ripped my heart out of my fucking chest and ruined my life, I still want you. In every way. And maybe that makes me a fucking idiot. Maybe I’m just pathetic. A simp. I don’t know. But I love you, and I never stopped loving you. Millie? She’s just this extra piece. This fucking amazing, beautiful, perfect piece.”

“She is pretty amazing, isn’t she.”

“I would never…EVER…accuse you of not loving her. I see you with her. Your entire face lights up when she walks in the room. And every time she hugs you or tells you she loves you or even just calls you ‘mummy’? To me, you’re beautiful all the time. But when she does those things? You’re the most beautiful I’ve ever seen you.”

“She’s my baby. I had wanted to be a mom for so long. And you gave me the chance. You gave me HER. And I could thank you enough for that. For giving me her. Because aside from you, she’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“I know you love her. More than you love yourself. More than you love me. And that’s how it should be. You’re an amazing mum; no one could ever deny that. Or say anything different. Everything you’ve done for her; taking care of her on your own, keeping her safe, managing to bring up this awesome little human. You know how many women wouldn’t have even had her? Considering the circumstances?”

“There was no way I wasn’t going through with it. She was my connection to you. My ONLY connection.”

“Thank you, Esme. Maybe that sounds weird; considering I AM angry and I AM hurt. But thank you. For her. I know it wasn’t the most conventional of ways to find out I’m a dad. But still. Thank you.”

“Please don’t say that. Not after everything I did. Please don’t…”

“She wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. I wouldn’t have gotten a second chance at this; at being a dad. It’s just the truth.”

Sniffling, she uses the bottom of her t-shirt to wipe away her tears. “You’ve always been nothing if not honest.”

“You broke us. What we had? You destroyed that. And you’re right; it wasn’t perfect. But it WAS good. It was so fucking good.”

“And now? You don’t think it’s good NOW? You don’t think we can get back to that?”

“I don’t want to go back to that. I want to be BETTER than that. We’re not those same two people anymore. We’ve both changed. Mostly for the better, I like to think. Do you want that? For things to be even better?”

Esme nods. “That’s all I want.”

“Then just look at me and tell me why. Why did it have to get to this? Why did five years have to go by? Why…?”

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”

“That’s not an acceptable answer for anyone over seven, and you know it.”

“I was scared. I was selfish. I was so worried about being rejected. And I couldn’t get past that feeling. That fear.”

“I never would have rejected you. Or her.”

“Logically, I knew that. But sometimes, logic isn’t an easy thing to come by.”

“How could you do that to me? Leave like that? After everything we’d been through. After nine months in that fucking hospital. Three quarters of a year, you stayed there. You fought for me. You were the only one who didn’t give up. And then you go and do something like THAT? Just leave?”

“I wanted to protect you. You’d already been through so much. You shouldn’t even have been alive. But you WERE. And I didn’t want it on my conscience; losing you because of something I did.”

“You didn’t do anything. You thought you were in the free and clear. You were told that you were. Long before you met me. It wasn’t your fault; that The High Table went against their own ruling and came for you. You know that, yeah?”

“I think I do. I think I know that.”

“Why didn’t you just give me a chance? To get you out of that fucking mess? I would have done anything to protect you. If that meant packing up and moving thousands of miles away and hiding out? I would have done it. And if they found us, we would have packed up and found somewhere else to hide. Other people could have dealt with it. The bullshit here.”

“I didn’t even think of that at the time. I was more worried that you’d try and go against them. Physically.”

“Esme, I knew my limits. I was clinically dead a year before. Do you really think I thought I stood a chance against The High Table? Alone? I know I’m not the smartest guy on the planet, but give me SOME credit.”

“You always said you’d do anything for me. To keep me safe. Why wouldn’t I think that?”

“If you had told me what happened…with The Adjudicator…we could have talked about all of this. Avoided you taking off. But you didn’t even give me a chance.”

“I just wanted to protect you.”

“And I love you for that. For thinking you had to. But you didn’t just ruin my life when you left. You ruined yours, too. That’s not protecting me. You should have known that’s the last thing I would want. Hurting yourself like that.”

“It’s just such a mess,” she tearfully laments. “A big fucking mess.”

“And if that wasn’t bad enough? You couldn’t even let me know that you were alive. That something horrible hadn’t happened to you. Do you know what’s been going through my head? For five years? The horrible, gross shit it came up with? Even if you didn’t want me back, the least you could have done was let me know you were alright.”

“I fucked up. Badly. I’m the first to admit that.”

“And then you got Nik and Yaz involved. They’ve had to lie for you. Do you really think that was fair? Getting them tied up in this shit? All you had to do was let me know you were alright. You didn’t have to drag it on. Make things even worse.”

“I didn’t know what else to do. I thought I was keeping you safe. I had the best of intentions. I did. But…”

“Even after things settled? And there was no trouble? You still thought there was a reason to keep me safe?”

She shakes her head. “That was just me being a stupid, selfish bitch.”

“You should have told me about Millie. You know everything about me. Every ugly, deep, dark secret. I’ve never hid anything from you. Especially when it comes to my son and what I did. I was always honest about that. Right from day one. In Dhaka. And you knew I wanted to be a dad again. We talked about it. Having kids. I was scared shitless, but I was willing, wasn’t I?”

Esme nods.

“And yet you kept her from me. For five years. You knew I wanted another kid. That I wanted a chance to do things right. Yet you couldn’t even tell me about her.”

“I didn’t do it to hurt you. I WAS going to tell you. I was going to bring her to Australia. Right to your doorstep. After this job was done…”

“It shouldn't have taken this long. You know there was no reason… REAL reason…to keep her from me. Were you scared? The fact you had a kid with a mercenary? One that’s burned a lot of bridges and…”

“No! That never even crossed my mind. I knew what you were. It was never a secret. I knew what you did for a living. It’s how we MET. And I never once worried about you being her dad.”

“So it was just you being scared. Of being rejected.”

“That’s all it was. I’m telling the truth, Tyler. I know I kept a lot of secrets and I’ve told a lot of lies, and I even made a living out of doing things. But I am telling you the truth. That is the ONLY reason.”

He nods slowly, considering her words. “I believe you.”

“I am so sorry. For everything I’ve done. For hurting you like I did. And I know I can’t go back in time and change it, but…”

“No. You can’t. And I wouldn’t even ask you to. Change one thing, it changes everything. I’ve always said that.”

“...but I can spend the rest of my life making up for it. Or at least trying to.”

“You don’t have to. I don’t want you holding onto this for forty, fifty years. Or more. That’s not what I want.”

“What do you want?”

“I want you. I want US. I want to get married. As soon as possible. I want us to raise Millie together. Be a real family. That has normal jobs and fairly normal lives.”

“That’s what I want, too. I want you to be my husband. I want you to be able to be Millie’s dad. Not have to hide it. I want us to have a home and a nice little backyard with chickens and goats and…”

“And more babies. I want more babies.”

“How many more? I do have to draw the line somewhere.”

“I don’t know. Three. Four.”

“You just want to wreck my vagina, don’t you. You’re determined to do it.”

“Why would I ever want to ruin my favourite part of you?”

She gives a derisive snort.

“I’m kidding.” He holds out a hand; a silent request for her to join him on the edge of the bed. And he gathers her close when she sinks down beside him; both arms wrapping around her tiny frame as he drops a kiss on the top of her head. “It’s not my most favourite. Second favourite, maybe…”

Laughing, she playfully elbows him in the stomach, then tilts her face up towards him. “Do you feel better? Getting all that out?”

“Shockingly, yeah.”

“Me too.”

He kisses her softly; the long and languid press of closed mouth upon closed mouth. “I meant what I said. Five years ago. When I told you that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“I’ve never doubted it.”

“I will get you out of here. Away from this place. This life. And I’ll stop at nothing to make that happen.”

“I believe you.”

“You’ll never have to think about it again. It’ll just be us. And Millie. We’ll make a new life. The one we were supposed to have. Before this all happened.”

Smiling, she presses a series of feathery pecks along his jaw, then rests her head on his shoulder. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

#Tyler and Esme series #Tyler Rake #Tyler Rake fanfic #Tyler Rake fan fiction #Extraction #extraction fanfic #Extraction fan fiction #Extraction 2 #Rake Lives #Chris Hemsworth #Tyler Rake x OFC #Esme Drummond #Esme Rake

[rainbowcrowley]

For the GO ask game — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15 please :)

thanks, ginger! that's a lot and i'm sure i've already answered a few of those - let's see!

1. when did you first watch/discover good omens, and how did you find out about it?

already answered here!

2. do you have any merch?

besides the book itself: a bentley enamel pin a friend gave me as a birthday present and some prints of fanart on my cupboard.. not really, sadly. i should get one of those bildad the shuhite t shirts i've seen people wear in tiktok videos lol

3. have you created any fanart or fanfiction, or really any content for the fandom?

already answered here!

4. what is (if you read) your favorite good omens longfic?

ho BOY here we go. there's a few, and i can't list them all bc that would take forever, but i also can't just list one story bc that is nigh impossible, so i'll give you my top 5: Slow Show, The Anon Before Christmas (by the incredible @foolishlovers!), The Grindr Logo Doesn't Even Have a 'G' In It, Or Be Nice & (just finished and i am Not Okay) Good Expectations.

i consider everything multi-chaptered and over 50k words as a long fic. some of these aren't that long and one is over 200k, so.. yeah. also, heads up, always read the tags first and also most of these are rated Explicit. :)

5. what is (if you read) your favourite good omens one-shot?

again, i've read some many fantastic one-shots that i lost count. but the first thing coming to mind (yes i know i'm biased shh) is the first story of my best friend's ( @beccibarnes) series Not A One-Night Stand: 14 times they canonically fucked ("naons" for short). i remember her pitching the idea for this series to me and it was/is so much fun brainstorming all the ideas with her. i'm honoured that she let me beta-read them all and i can't wait for the future fics to come :') (no pressure tho, becci, i know how busy life was recently <3)

6. who is your favourite side character?

already answered here!

9. have you seen any other work by david tennant and/or michael sheen?

already answered here!

10. have you ever imagined or created a crossover with another fandom for good omens? which one, and what was it about?

i haven't thought of any crossovers - tbh they're not really my cup of tea - BUT imagined two au's, one more or less as a joke, and one "serious" one. the first, joke-y one is a human au that takes place in the city i live in (hamburg, germany) (don't ask) (idk how i came up with that). this one is mostly in my head, but even tho it's kinda silly, i really like it.

the second, more serious one is, again, a human au: a ballet dancer au. just bc i watched some documentary about ballet and the one male dancer they interviewed looked somewhat like david tennant... you get the gist. i have some idea written down in a dusty google doc, but that's it.

14. what is your favorite good omens-coded song?

already answered here and here!

15. do you have any good omens playlists?

not my own ones - but i saved some made by others on spotify heh

ask game for people in the good omens fandom!

#damn that was a lot - thanks! #this is so much fun ahh #ask games #answered #celestialcrowley #good omes

[bonsaiiiiiii-fics]

Eggs: chapter 2

Here we goooooo with chapter 2 of Eggs! I'm glad you liked it so much it bought me to make another chapter. I hope you like this one too <3

here you have it on Ao3!

Words: 4200-ish (too lazy to count the exact words. still a lot lol)

Genre: fluff on the long run, slice of life.

Fandom: Thunderbirds are go!2015

Characters: of course all of ‘em, again. some more oc’s this time, Quinn’s parents, plus Laurie again! She's part of the family now hehe.

Aw. This wasn't the best outcome ever that she imagined. 

So donor mommy is dead, she ponders as she checks Lucille off her bucket list, this inconvenience making it impossible to ever meet her. She honestly didn't know what she expected until now, but she has no choice in feeling disappointed; after all, this woman gave her a chance to live, a chance into this world, and without her she wouldn't substantially exist. Like Jeff said, they and her parents knew each other from school, more specifically high school, losing gradually contact with each other once they got into college, so she was very pleased when she asked her parents about Lucille, receiving some answers about who she was and why she did this. She already knew why Lucille did this to her mom, because her mom wasn’t able to conceive, but it all gave her some more clearance.

“Basically you’re supposed to be the same age as his eldest son, babe…” She remembers her mom’s words as she scribbles the key parts of the conversation on a piece of paper, near some physics equations. “...’cos we decided to get pregnant together. But I had some heart complications, so she gave birth to her baby and the egg she gave me got frozen, some crio-crap or that stuff; so when I got better the egg had this defrost and I finally got the chance to have you in my life.” Her mom has never been this great with wording, despite her line of work needing a specific vocabulary- after all, it’s not like a flight attendant can use words like babe during pre-flight organization. Hm, she needs to scribble this important piece of information down too. After that, there hasn’t been much her mom was able to tell her, so she kinda has to resort to Jeff to get to know more about her. But, the question is, does she want to know more about Lucille?

She doesn't really want to be a part of that family, keep them close, because she already has one, the ones that grew her and educated her into who she is now, and it would be weird to go back and forth between a family and the other like it's normal business. But still...they're her half-siblings. Man, it's weird as hell hearing that, like it is coming to the conclusion she indeed has another family. Her parents hugged her when she bought her problems to them, telling her that, even if she has some more relatives now, this won’t mean they’re being replaced, on the contrary.

Her attention turns back to her list and her pen lands next on Clinton Smith's name, her donor daddy. She has yet to meet him, and Jeff promised he would find him upon her mentioning she has troubles doing so on her own. Well, she hasn’t asked him yet, but they basically live just next door; if she faces the window she can see the house’s silhouette, the same house her biological mother grew up in. Crazy how near she was all this time…did she get to even meet her, even if it was just a glance on the street? Did Lucille ever manage to see her, if from afar, if her parents accepted a meeting between them and she was too little to remember? Did…Lucille even want to see her in the first place? Sure, Jeff said that she wanted, but Sally also said Lucille never expected for her to come visit her. Let’s scribble this down.

"Man, I'm getting really sappy." She rolls her eyes, dumping unceremoniously the pen on top of the sheets spread all over her blanket, on the bed. She had always been a logical mind, and calculations have always been a passion for her. She would turn everything into something physics, logical, she would find a math formula in everything, a thing she now discovered she inherited from her biological mother. "Hm," she eyes one of those sheets, displaying lots of calculations and formulas scribbled messily. "I need to update Pot."

Her phone ringing, blasting a rock tune full sound, distracts her from the task she currently set herself to do now, her face lighting up at the caller ID. 

"Rie!!! My sis, my precious bestie!" She fake sobs into her phone. "I missed you!" 

"Are you crying?" Laurie's voice sounds cheerful, not seeming worried with that. "Is it me you're missing or tacos?" 

The reply is a moment of silence. "Now that you mention it..." 

"Traitor." She laughs it out. "Well, I'll be there in 5, so it's better if you find yourself ready." 

"Oooooh, I live to see the day Laurie Charter herself takes me out on a date, never thought the roles would reverse so much! Missing me so much already?" 

"You've been closed in your room for 4 days, now it's the moment to cut loose. Hurry up, I have a surprise for you." And with that, she hangs up. 

Quinn shrugs, hauling herself off the bed and going cheerfully towards her closet, her mind set on going eating. She needs nourishment, and if they're under the form of tacos then who is she to refuse them precious carbs? After 34 minutes, her mom’s advice on a hairstyle, Rie’s advice on what to wear after she came and knocked on her door several times, her not being ready in 5 minutes like Rie wanted, Quinn’s finally ready to come out of her room and accept Rie’s surprise- what’s supposed to be breakfast, that now turned into a simple brunch.

“So?” Laurie starts, taking a sip of her pomegranate tea. “What’s been on your mind lately?”

“Ah-” She messily spits out, her mouth full of tacos; after she gulps down what was in her mouth, she speaks again. “I was thinking of inviting them to dinner. Or to meet somewhere.”

“When?”

“I was thinking tonight? The sooner the better. I don’t know why, but I think of it as a band-aid I have to rip off ASAP.”

“Hm.” Laurie takes a gentle bite from her donut. “But how does this make you feel? The whole thing, I mean.”

“Well, I don’t know why…but I’m disappointed. I know I shouldn’t be, I mean, I have a family of my own that raised me to be the woman I am now, even if I don’t look like either of them. The fact one of my biological parents, if not both of them, is dead…it shouldn’t mean anything to me.”

“Hey, don’t say that!” Rie protests softly, getting up from her seat in front of her bestie to go sit near her. “Sure, they’re not the parents who raised you up, but without them you wouldn’t be here.” She places her arm around Quinn’ shoulders, pulling her into a half-hug. “And you don’t know if your biological dad is still alive.”

“Well, even if he is, what should I do then? I don’t picture myself staying with him or visiting him just because he contributed to my creation…I mean, I didn’t.”

“Finding Lucille, or her family, changed this thought of yours?”

“I don’t know…the fact I had a chance to meet her, and from this chance I gained some step-brothers…y’know, I regretted for some time the fact that I didn’t open the documents as soon as I got them.”

“Well, everybody can understand that, not everyone is ready to have their life turned upside down like this.” She pauses, and for a few minutes they both sit in silence, soft chewing noises that make it more enjoyable. “I think you should give them a call and have dinner with them.”

Quinn pauses, cleaning her dirty fingers with a napkin. “It’s stupid for a brilliant ivy league brain like mine, but…you don’t think I’m replacing my parents this way, right…?”

Laurie’s half-hug turns into a full fledged one, hug-crushing her bestie. “Absolutely not! Even your mom told you this.”

Quinn sinks into her bestie’s embrace, pondering. Her mom… “Hang on!” She detaches, a crazy glimmer in the brown eyes she inherited from her biological mother. “I can invite them to my house! Jeff said they knew each other, so they’ll have the chance to talk again, and I’ll treat them like family friends instead of family! I mean- until I’ll be ready to see them as family.”

“Well-” Laurie starts tentatively, not colliding with Quinn's plan. But after all, if that's her wish, if that's what makes it easier for her… “-sure, why not?” She takes another sip of her tea, finishing it. “When do you plan on calling them?”

“Honestly, I don't know if I should call them or go to their house…what do you think it's best?” Quinn ponders, playing with her straw and twirling it around the rim of her glass. Having another family to think about has never been so stressful.

“Well, personally delivered news is always better. You can stop by just to tell them and you'll see them tonight.” Rie replies, patting gently her bestie's shoulder. “You also have their contact numbers, right?”

“Yeah, but I think what you said is best. Wanna go now?”

“Oh!” She mutters, checking her clock. “Sorry, I can't. I gotta give an exam next week and I want to study a little, just to be sure. But if you want to go now you totally can!”

“Oh, well, that's perfect, no worries! Then I'll let you know what they said.”

Aaaand there she is again, in front of that fateful house that holds an important piece of her. This time she's not so nervous to let her presence known, so she knocks on the door, waiting for an answer. It takes a little, and she scrunches her nose; are they gone already? Gone where? Isn't this their home, where they grew up?

Just when she shrugs, about to step away from their porch and go back home to contact them via holocall and update Pot, the door opens, revealing one of her step-brothers. The one she shares the eyes with.

“Hi, how- oh, it's you!” Virgil's eyes glimmer at the sight of his new sibling, his first sister by blood- apart from Kayo, his sister by soul. “Sorry it took me a while…how can I help you? Do you wanna come in?”

“Oh, hi, Virgil! Yeah, it would be nice.” Unconsciously, her eyes glimmer too. “How are you guys?”

“Oh, all fine, thank you. How are you, how's your family?” Wow, this sounds exactly like a question a family friend would say, and not her family by blood. Hm, it'll be easier than expected to pretend with them a little before facing the cold, harsh truth.

“Oh, all right. Apart from some pretty stubborn calculations for my midterm, I'll eventually figure my way out of that one too. If I flirt with it, chances are that it might soften a little.” She jokes, allowing Virgil to crack a hearty laugh. “Is your dad home?”

“Ack, you just missed him! He had to go to Washington with Scott for a meeting. If you want you can leave me a message for him.”

“Ah, that's alright.” She accommodates herself to a comfy seat on the couch Virgil pointed her to, him sitting right beside her with some distance added for comfort. “Do you know when they'll be back? I want to invite you guys over for dinner…” For reasons unknown to her, she shies out a little, the words not coming out with her usual confidence.

“Oh!” Virgil is taken aback by this request of hers, finally happy she decided to reach out for them after giving her space. He thought about it, about her, in these 4 days she's been radio silent; they all sat down and talked together about this the same night after she visited, and after that there's been some chats between the three eldest, Scott taking the lead for the times he butted himself in wherever the topic or her name has been mentioned.

After much research on her and some records from their dad, all of them eventually became convinced she shares half their blood, therefore she's family, even Scott after a looooong while. Scott was skeptical at first, wary even, because she's still a stranger, a thunder in broad daylight, and just like that she flipped their lives upside down with their mom's perfect resemblance; it took a lot of time and evidence for him to relax his shoulders and finally accept her.

John, silent as usual, trusted his gut for once instead of his brain, his logical core receiving the proof he always seeks in everything upon seeing her face for the first time. He didn't do any further research, if not to calm Scott down, and that has been more than enough for him to trust her. He revealed to Virgil, in one of their 3 eldest conversations, that he's curious to get to know her, to know if she shares their and their mother's same interests, apart from the aspect.

Gordon…well he knows Gordy like the back of his hand, his well trusted copilot, and to say he was absolutely mesmerized by her from the first time he laid eyes on her is a misunderstanding; after all, if you place them side by side, it looks like they could be twins for how dangerously identical they are, just opposite sexes.

And Alan, what to say about him. His big sister!, he excitedly said, another part of his family! Yeah.

“Well,” Virgil starts again, recollecting his thoughts. “They actually have to eat dinner at some place or something, but they'll be way happier to dine back home. I'll call them and let them know to not make any stops.”

“Oh, but if they're busy dining somewhere else I can arrange for another night.” Quinn says, remembering the speech Rie gave her about who they are. Millionaires. Possibly freaking billionaires, that have countless houses, a freakin’ Island and giant ass ships, all in one! And here she got her suspicions confirmed, just by looking at this house she figured already they're rich, just not this important. Motherfrikin’ International Rescue!

“Nah, no worries! Their stop was kind of forced, since they're probably gonna finish late and want to rest a little, especially dad. You've seen him these days, haven't you?” He asks, finding that his dad's health is a great topic just to keep her here some more.

“Yeah…what's happening with him? If I can, uh, ask.”

“Of course.” He takes a deep breath, trying to lay this on her as gently as possible; it's probable she's been living under a rock, hence why she doesn't really know them and what they do, except from her best friend who seemed to vividly know who she had in front of her at their meeting. “He's had kind of an accident in space.”

???!!! “Space??”

“Yeah. He's slowly recovering now, so he'll get better, but the therapy is an exhausting path for him.”

“Yeah…” Quinn shifts her legs uncomfortably. “I'm sure he'll get better.”

“Thank you.” Virgil smiles at her. Just as he's about to say something else, he gets interrupted by one of his brothers entering the living room after what seems like a deep slumber.

“Hey Vì, who was at the doo…oh!” Alan gasps upon laying his eyes on Quinn, suddenly aware of the oversized Hard Rock Cafe shirt he's wearing, some neon red trunks that look like a punch in the eye in contrast with the plain cream shirt, foot bare and bedridden hair. Yup, that boy sure had the best reboot of his life.

“Hiii!” Quinn energetically waves at him, doing the same weird bro handshake they did the first time they met, Alan regaining his usual smile and playfulness.

“She has just been inviting us for dinner tonight.” Virgil says, smiling at their cute and natural interaction, like they knew each other since they were little.

“Ooooooh, nice! Where are we going?” He makes that happy puppy face, happy that he gets the chance to see her again, that she wants to reach out again.

“I was thinking over at my house, y'know? Your parents knew mine, so I think it's a perfect chance for them to meet again.”

“Actually that's a great idea, how thoughtful of you.” Virgil answers, making Quinn crack a smile.

“Hey, sometimes my brain seems to poop out these genius ideas, what to say?” She confidently says, swishing her hair again.

“Well, nothing more to expect from an ivy league brain.” Virgil laughs it out, totally on board with her confident sense of humor. “By the way, can we offer you something? Like some water, a snack?”

“Oh, yeah, some water would be awesome! Have you checked how hot is it today? It's like Hell on Earth today.”

“Not hotter than other days, you gotta see Hell on Earth next week or something.” Alan says, shrugging the upcoming sleepless and sweating nights off his mind, just for now.

“Ah, don't I know it…” She rolls her eyes, thanking Virgil who in the meantime just bought her a nice blessing disguised as a glass of water. After she gulps it down in some big chugs, she wipes her mouth, placing the now empty glass on a nearby tabletop. “Well, I'll go on my way now, I gotta prepare for later. Is it okay around 7PM?”

“More than perfect, actually. Do you want me to get you at your door?” Virgil offers, getting up from his seat, Alan instantly near him too.

“Me too!” The youngest adds with his usual puppy smile.

“Why not? So you can see where I live anyways, not that it's that far.” She gets up, putting her usual paperboy hat on, a necessary measure to keep her beautiful and brilliant blonde head from the scorching sun outside.

“Alright then, I'll put my shoes on. Allie, go get dressed.” He speaks to a puppy that precedes him, already up the stairs to freshen up and scroll the nappy time off.

And moments later, they all were at her door. “Do you want a snack? Some coffee?” Quinn says while unlocking the door, allowing them to get in first.

“Now you’re speaking my language!” Virgil smiles broadly, stepping aside to allow the housekeeper to enter first, ever the gentleman.

“Well, nothing wrong with a little snack!” Alan takes the initiative instead, strolling into the room just before Quinn. He stops a few steps later, not familiar with the ambience. “Uhhh…”

Quinn laughs it off, pointing them to her living room, while Virgil scolds him lightly for barging in and not greeting her family.

“Ah, don't worry, they're not home right now. They'll be back in about…” She checks the wall clock. “...2 hours? Give or take. Momma’s gone shopping, ‘cause tomorrow she works, while dad’s working right now. This evening they’re all gonna be there.” Her voice gets weaker and weaker while she goes into the kitchen to provide some coffee and snacks for her guests.

While they wait for their ‘sister’’s return, they look around the living room, commenting quietly on it. “This house is not too bad either. Very big…” Alan absentmindedly says, making a mental note that Quinn can know too what it’s like growing up rich, like them.

“It’s all in shades of gold, somewhat matching with everything.” Virgil’s artistic side breaks loose, his eyes scanning the room with a killer precision, stopping on a specific painting to admire it. Quinn is portrayed on this canvas, and you can see it’s handmade and mesmerizing, with her color palette very brilliant and vivid, the blues, reds and blacks of her graduation coat complimenting the gold, the brown and the blonde of her figure, pearly white teeth smiling at them and a very brilliant bouquet of colorful flowers that are so realistic you could almost smell them. For some reason, it’s almost as if he's looking at his mom smiling for him yet again. That smile she has in the painting is different from the one she usually sports in front of them, more genuine, warmer…mom’s.

“How much sugar in your coffees?” Quinn shouts from the kitchen, making both brothers straighten up and look towards the source of her voice, the kitchen.

“Alan doesn’t take it, mine with just some milk, cold if possible.” Virgil shouts back after debating quickly with Alan, him shaking his head.

“Comin’ right up!” And true to her words, some moments later Quinn returns into the living room carrying a big tray full of snacks and other drinks; Virgil is quick to jump up from his seat, helping her place it on a coffee table in front of the couches, where she sits down too. After a coffee with some milk for Virgil, a caramel macchiato for Quinn, some cranberry juice for Alan and some chocolate chip biscuits for everyone to feast on, they get back into conversation.

“What job do your parents do, by the way? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.” Virgil starts, the doubt not leaving his mind since she mentioned why her parents aren’t home.

“Oh, my mom is a flight attendant, while my dad is a game engineer, or some sort. He builds special plushies and games for children.” Quinn broadly says. “While yours?”

“Mom was an aerospace engineer, dad is a retired astronaut. Retired for obvious reasons.”

“Yeah, I get it. I suppose it was awesome to grow up with parents with these jobs.”

“Meh, partly yes. Sometimes, they were really busy or away from work to stay with us, and Grandma was with us most of the time. But on the other hand, yeah, it was awesome because they would always bring us lots of things and pictures from where they went and what they did.” Virgil explains, remembering fondly the old moments together. Quinn, though, doesn’t fail to notice Alan’s pained and awkward expression with the corners of her eyes, like he’s taking part in a conversation he can’t contribute to. “But after Gordon, mom left her job, staying at home full time with us. Then…things happened.”

“Yeah…can't say I get it, but in some way I suppose I do.” Now that she thinks about it, she doesn’t know the reason Lucille’s dead yet. Welp, it’s not like she can openly ask them, considering how they all shy out at even the mention of her name.

“How did it make you feel to know about mom?” Alan asks curiously, just to check if she shared or shares their same sense of loss.

“Well, uh…” She nervously chuckles. “...we can say I'm pretty sad I didn't get the chance to meet her sooner, especially considering the fact we lived so close to each other, but really I think I shouldn't be feeling like this. After all, I've got parents on my own.”

“It's perfectly normal for you to feel this way.” Virgil simply dissipates her doubts, leaving it at that.

“Yeah…well!” She deems it safe to change conversation, trying to bring some lightheartedness to the ambience. “So this is my house! It’s not as big as yours, but it’s still a nice place to live in.” What a kickstarter…she quietly sips her coffee after that, somewhat embarrassed to be with them.

“Yeah! I honestly didn’t expect us to be so close, who knew we could have met a long time ago?” Alan adds, making it difficult for Quinn now to picture them just as some family friends. Dang.

“Yeah…” She laughs it out sheepishly, adding to it another sip of her coffee. 

Just as Virgil is about to speak, his holocomm rings, beeping noisily enough for everyone to notice. “Ah, sorry, gotta take this. It's dad.” And after excusing himself, he distances himself from them. Moments later, and many biscuits later, he returns with a smile. “Allie, we gotta go. They finished their meetings earlier and are heading home now.”

“Well,” Quinn gets up from her seat in unison with Alan, who approaches his big brother. “It's been a pleasure to welcome you home. I hope to see you later for dinner.” She smiles broadly.

“Of course! I already told them, we'll be all here this evening. 7PM, right?”

“Hmm-mh! But it's okay if you'll be late, at least it will make up for my stunt a few days ago.” She jokes, earning yet another laugh from both brothers. They look like they don't smile that often these days.

After waving them goodbye, her petite figure half leaning on the door, she closes it with a big sigh. Now, to let her parents know…hm, but what will they be eating? Her fridge isn't that full…maybe a pizza? Uhhh, pizza and tacos! “I'm a genius!” A beep on her phone notifies her that her beloved AI, Potatoer (shortly Pot), requests her attention. Girl, please update me. I hate it here, feeling like a grandpa.

“Ahhhh Pottyyyyy! Lemme give you some software updates for dinner!” She shouts while sprinting upstairs to her bedroom.

#thunderbirds are go #iris writes #everydayiris #fluffiris #jeff tracy #sally tracy #lucille tracy #scott tracy #virgil tracy #john tracy #gordon tracy #alan tracy #oc #quinn prescott #not my oc #laurie charter #hell yes chapter 2 🤠🤠 #it's on A03 too moots

[sailorstarr-chan4]

Of Kisses and Treasures

I meant to post this weeks ago.... Oh well lol. Here's part 2 of my 12 ship fics for 12 years of friendship project! @risingfire17-the-weeb-trash, here, you can finally share my Amuto trash on your blog lol. ❤

Posted on: ff.net and AO3 Fandom: Shugo Chara! Pairing: Amuto (Amu/Ikuto) Word Count: 2,609 Rated: K+ Genre: Romance & Humor Setting: Post Shugo Chara! Doki Warning: Dubcon kissese (at first)

Disclaimer: Yes, this fic features Amuto. I am deliberately vague about their ages, so you can imagine them as closer-in-age teenagers, if you wish, but their dynamic is still inspired by canon. This fic was written out of love for my best friend, who adores this ship and has every right to. Don't like, don't read.

With that out of the way... Enjoy!

~~~

The showdown and aftermath of the final battle against Easter was so swift and confusing that Amu Hinamori collapsed on her bed in her clothes, finding it impossible to motivate herself to change. The revelations of everything, from Dia’s reappearance to Ikuto’s freedom from the corrupted violin, to the boss’s motivations…. It was all too much! 

Sitting up in bed, groggily kicking off her socks in a half-hearted effort to at least start getting ready for bed, Amu tried to wrap her mind around every major revelation. 

“This is all too much for my mind to hold in….” she grumbled without thinking. 

Luckily (and rather uncharacteristically), Amu’s three Guardian Characters intuitively understood her meaning. The three nodded to each other and flew to their Bearer, each with their own methods of helping her cope. 

“No worries, Amu-chan! Su will go fix you a nice, warm cup of tea!” Su squeaked cheerfully. She flew out of Amu's room (Amu didn’t bother closing her door, she was so out of commission after the battle).  Distantly, she wondered if her parents would notice floating ceramic tea cups and water boiling by itself, then dismissed it, remembering her parents were gone for the evening for their respective jobs, Ami in tow. Smiling wryly, Amu called out her thanks to Su. 

“Also, here!” Miki helpfully presented her Bearer a notepad and pencil. “Why don’t you write down everything that we found out tonight? It’ll help with the process of understanding it all.” 

“Go, go, Amu-chan! Amu-chan saved the dayyyyy!” Ran sang out in her usual fashion. 

“Thanks, Ran, Miki.” Amu sighed deeply, feeling Easter’s dismantled power and her Guardian Characters’s support lift a heavy weight off her shoulders. Regardless of how confusing the night’s events were, at least it was all over. She pulled her knees up to her chest, using them as support for her notepad, and jotted down a list: 

Easter’s “boss” was a seven-year-old boy, the grandchild of Ikuto and Utau’s stepfather

Said “boss” had been collecting shiny valuable jewels and demanded the Embryo because it looked interesting

Easter made countless X Eggs, tormented Ikuto, and nearly destroyed so many children’s dreams all for this petty reason. (That was something Amu could never forgive, but she mostly blamed the “boss’s” grandfather)

The “boss” (whose name was Hikaru, Amu needed to remember that) tossed away the long sought-after Embryo when its shine waned

Hikaru lost his own heart’s egg long ago and the “Embryo” they had spent the last year chasing was actually Hikaru’s heart egg, trying to return home?! 

Hikaru got his heart egg back and finally cried, something he had never been allowed to do since he was a baby 

Easter finally stopped all their nonsense and conceded defeat

Ran and Miki peered over Amu’s shoulder after Amu paused, pressing the eraser end of her pencil against her chin.  

“That’s a lot of information to take in at once,” Miki commented dryly. 

“Tell me about it,” Amu groaned, rubbing her other hand through her hair. “I feel like my head won’t stop spinning!” 

Her two Guardian Characters hummed thoughtfully, then Ran gasped. 

“But wait! Amu-chan! You forgot something very important!” 

“Huh? I did? I’m pretty sure I got the basics, at least when it comes to Easter-rrr….” 

But Amu trailed off as Ran took hold of another pencil and clumsily sketched out a large but distinct addition underneath Amu’s list. 

Ikuto kissed Amu-chan!! (★^O^★) 

“EHHHHHHHH?!?!” 

The notepad, pencils, and Guardian Characters went flying as Amu shrieked at the top of her lungs, flailing her arms and legs. Ran and Miki squealed in alarm as they went spinning, but Amu paid them no heed, her cheeks burning as she flusteredly snatched the nearest pillow and burrowed her face into it. 

“D-d-d-doesn’t count! He– he was only t-t-teasing me! Like he always does! The pervy cat! The stupid stray! That creepy jerk–!” 

“Now, now, if you’re gonna insult me, at least get more creative.” 

Amu froze. A shiver of horror slid down her spine. She knew that voice. She knew that voice quite, er, intimately, considering she spent many, many, embarrassingly long days holding him up in her room…. 

But that didn’t stop her from freaking out. She jerked up her head to glare at the object of her ire, mortification written all over her face. 

“IKUTO?! Wh-what are you doing here?!” 

Par of the course, Ikuto was leaning casually against her patio door, shamelessly smirking, like he owned the place! In just mere hours after gaining his long-awaited freedom, he looked healthier than he had been for months. His eyes no longer had the telltale bags underneath, and he was much steadier on his feet. In which, he was far too steady as he strode across the threshold and picked up Amu’s notepad from off the floor—

Leaping out of bed, Amu scrambled to snatch it back, but Ikuto, the cheating bastard, held it high out of reach, using his other hand to hold a flustered and angry Amu in place as she fruitlessly pushed against the palm firmly on her forehead. 

“My, my….” he purred in that despicably knowing way he always did whenever he teased her. He pretended to consult the list carefully, ignoring Amu’s shrieks and groans of effort to free herself from him holding her back. “You are such a kid. One little peck on the cheek and you added it to your special list–” 

“DON’T PATRONIZE ME, YOU-YOU-YOU SONUVA—” 

 “Ah, ah, ah, language. Do you kiss your mom with that mouth?” Ikuto was grinning openly now. If Amu had been paying attention (as if she could, through her utter humiliation!), she would have noticed that Ikuto’s eyes were surprisingly soft and tender looking down at her. 

As it stood, she was too busy blushing furiously and stammering to even notice Ran and Miki in the background, consulting with Yoru, who looked thoroughly amused. 

“I bet you’re glad you’re back with your Bearer, Yoru-kun,” Miki said. 

“Nya! Yoru is beyoooond glad-nya!” Yoru beamed happily, looking away from watching Ikuto teasing Amu. “But other than missing Ikuto, I always knew he was okay, deep down.” 

“Really? How come? You always seemed awfully worried…” Ran asked curiously, tilting her head. 

“Well, ya see-nya, if Ikuto had really gone to the bad side or had given up, I would have disappeared, right? Or at least got an X on my egg. But I didn’t! Nya, I searched for Ikuto and never once felt like I was gonna disappear or anything, cuz Ikuto is a good guy-nya!” Yoru spoke with so much pride and happiness, that even Amu was temporarily distracted from her fight for her dignity. 

“Really? You never gave up on Yoru, Ikuto…?” 

Ikuto removed his hand from Amu’s forehead, ruffled her hair, and handed her back her notepad. He put his hands in his pockets in his usual Brooding Fashion, and spoke in a would-be nonchalant manner, but his words sent Amu’s heart racing. 

“Yoru was staying with you, wasn’t he?” 

Did…. did this mean what Amu thought it meant….? Did Ikuto essentially Amu with his heart—? 

Shaking her head abruptly to get that thought out, Amu blustered and crossed her arms, putting on her Cool and Spicy act. “Well, I had no choice! Yoru is just like his owner, always crashing in my room without a word of consent from me!” 

Ran, Miki, and Yoru sighed discontentedly. Why was Amu so stubborn? 

At that moment, Su came flying up with a tray magically floating, holding several evening time snacks, a steaming teapot, and two cups, plus four miniature doll cups, no doubt borrowed from Ami’s dollhouse. 

“I heard Amu screaming and a boy’s voice and thought we must have company from Ikuto-kun and Yoru-kun!” Su announced happily to the room, oblivious to Amu’s furious blush and Ran and Miki’s giggles. “Here we go! Please, have some tea, Ikuto-kun! It’s been far too long!” 

“Thank you, Su-chan. You are far more reasonable than your loud-mouth owner–” 

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING LOUD-MOUTH?!” 

“Ugggggghhhhhh, this is getting painful….” Miki groaned, running her hands over her face. She turned to her fellow Character Guardian. “Ran, can you please do us all a favor and make Amu tell the truth?” 

For a moment, Ran blinked in confusion. Then, Su, who already set down the tray while Ikuto and Amu continued bickering, joined the conversation. “Oooh, yes, Ran! I don’t believe you ever Character Changed in front of Ikuto!” 

Something finally clicked into place in Ran’s head, and she gasped excitedly. “All right! Here we goooooo! Character Change from a Stubborn Girl to a Girl Who Expresses Her Feelings!” 

Sure enough, Amu’s hair clip magically changed into a heart shape with a cute “popping” sound. 

“Ikutooooooo, why didn’t you kiss me on the lips?! You had the perfect opportunity and you waaaaaasted it! Pleeeeeease gimme a real kiss!! Oh please! Oh please! Oh please!” 

Amu danced about the room, laughing joyfully, squealing, and running over to the very visibly startled Ikuto to lean down and give him the most eager puppydog eyes in existence. 

But of course, because her Character Change was with the enthusiastic Ran, despite her requests for kisses, Amu couldn’t stay still, hopping and jumping about the room, shouting out her love, squealing and spewing heart shapes everywhere. 

“Amu-chan….” Miki sighed. Su could only blush and hide her face in her apron. Ran, on the other hand, was so caught up in Amu’s physical hyperactiveness that she seemed to not notice her Bearer’s exceedingly bold and shocking confession, and only continued to cheer her on. 

(Yoru was busy drinking tea and munching on snacks to notice anything out of place.) 

Ikuto was the first one to snap out of it. He smirked. 

“If you insist,” he said in his usual smooth tone, standing up and catching Amu by the wrist and pulling her close…. and kissed her! 

Ran, Miki, and Su all screamed, causing Yoru to choke on his drink. 

Amu’s Character Change disappeared instantly, her eyes widening as she realized how close Ikuto’s face was to her own…. 

And wait….. was something…. against her mouth…..? It was warm and soft and….. Amu’s eyes fluttered closed, lost in the moment to comprehend anything alarming. 

The room around them disappeared, shimmering with a thousand radiant stars and hearts. Ikuto’s arm snaked around Amu’s waist and tugged her closer. Amu felt as if her legs were filled with jelly, only held up by Ikuto’s embrace. Who knew kissing would be so…. 

WAIT, WHAT?! KISSING?!?! 

Quickly she broke the kiss, gasping for breath. “I-I-I-Ikutooooo! How did — how dare you–?!” 

Further protests were smothered by another kiss. Amu’s whole body seemed to light on fire, but in… a pleasant sort of way. She only felt that way whenever Ikuto did other things to her in the past: biting her earlobe, holding her close in bed, lifting her up bridal style…. Amu whimpered against Ikuto’s lips (against Ikuto’s lips!) and found herself clinging to him, sliding her arms up his chest and clasping behind his neck as the kiss deepened, wondering how on earth she was supposed to live on knowing what this…. this…. this adult feeling was like! 

Finally, their kiss ended, and even Ikuto looked rather flushed. They stood, panting a little, gazing into each other’s eyes. 

“There. You finally came back down to Earth.” Ikuto’s tone was unusually hoarse, his indigo eyes burning intensely. 

“Th-thank you, I guess,” Amu gasped, feeling rather shaken by the intensity of his stare. Her knees wobbled heavily, threatening to give out any second. She clasped her hands tighter about Ikuto’s neck, longing to taste his lips again, but feeling far too flushed to do anything other than stare at the glistening moisture on his lips, knowing that she had caused that. “I— I don’t know what to say.” 

“If it makes you feel better, that was my first, too.” 

“Oh, was it —- EHHHHHHHHH?!” 

“Well. Only if you don’t count Utau being weird last year, which I really rather not count—” 

“W-W-W-W-WHOA WHOA WHOA, HOLD THE PHONE!” Amu shoved Ikuto away so hard, he toppled over one of her cushion chairs. 

“Your first kiss?! YOU?! Ikuto Tsukiyomi?! Y-y-you womanizing, perverted, flirtatious—” 

“Nice, insulting the guy who just kissed you within an inch of your life.” 

“---- all those times!! Flirting with me! A-a-and touching me! And m-making me f-feel things–!” 

“Oh, really? Do tell me more.” 

“SH-SHUT UP! YOU GET MY POINT, RIGHT?! How?! HOW?! Can that possibly be your first–?!” 

“Oh, just get over here,” Ikuto stood up and scooped up Amu in his arms, crossing over the room and sitting on her bed, positioning Amu so she was straddling his lap, her hands on his shoulders, looking down into his face. “Yes, you are my first real kiss, and yes, people can do other things besides kissing to know how to flirt, and I believe you are hot as hell for me right now, so why don’t you shut up and kiss me the way you want to?” 

Amu didn’t think it was possible to be more shocked, or to feel her body blaze up with that pleasant fire even more so, but gazing down at this mysterious, hot (yes, she could at least admit it now, after… everything), confusing, frustrating, lonely boy, she found herself ready to find out anything. 

“Ikuto…” she sighed, leaning down and meeting his lips, settling herself firmly in his lap as they expressed themselves at long last. 

~ 

Meanwhile, Ran, Miki, Su, and Yoru left the lovebirds alone, utterly embarrassed and unsure of how to respond. They eventually settled in the living room downstairs, hovering over the coffee table by the TV. 

Finally, after an uncomfortable silence, Miki spoke first. “W-well, Amu-chan is finally being, uh, honest….” 

“Y-y-yeah! Amu-chan spent too long being uncertain and confused and now she’s growing into the person she wants to be! Hehe…. yeahhhh….” Ran said in a half-hearted attempt of her usual boisterous mood, but trailed off, blushing furiously. 

“I think it’s so romantic, having her first kiss!” Su said happily. 

(The others sweated nervously, realizing Su was the only one oblivious of just how hot and heavy those two were getting it on.) 

“Ya know-nya, this is a lonnnnng time comin’,” Yoru said at last. “Ikuto has wanted to kiss Amu since the day they met.” 

“EHHHHHHH?!” Amu’s three Character Guardians exclaimed, all rounding on Yoru. 

“And you never told us?!” 

“Imagine how much heartache we could have avoided!” 

“Oh my! A kiss the day they met! How exciting!” 

“Ha!” Yoru scoffed. “Like telling y’all would’ve gone over well-nya! Amu-chan,” he added thoughtfully, “Amu-chan is…. Ikuto’s treasure. The only girl for Ikuto. So he was willing to wait, no matter how long it took. It just so happened that YOUR Character Change,” he rounded on Ran, who babbled nervously, “sped things up and now Ikuto is gonna feel bad!” 

“Ehhhhh?! B-b-b-but Miki told me to!” 

“Yeah, cuz I expected a confession, not a make-out session!” 

The three bickered and squabbled, while Su looked up towards the stairs leading to Amu’s room. Sure enough, another joined them, Dia, who had been resting in her egg during the earlier events, now looked far too pleased with herself to be anywhere near as embarrassed as the rest of them. 

“What makes you look so happy, Dia?” Su asked, flying up to greet her. 

Dia smiled serenely. “It’s more than just kisses going on upstairs. Amu-chan is opening her heart to Ikuto, and he, in turn, is doing the same. Her radiance is healing his heart.” 

#Starling writings #Shugo Chara! #Amuto #Amu x Ikuto #cw dubcon #(sorta) #StarlingChild4 #OP

[void-botanist]

i’d love to hear your answers for these for demon slayer actually too!

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

From this ask game.

Aw man this is gonna be a little hard because while I love DS to death I haven't actually been involved much with the fandom (and my memory of anything before entertainment district & swordsmith village is hit and miss). So I'm using your post + various explorations on the internet to answer these and remind myself of stuff. This is truly what "[character name] all moments" videos are for lol

Also high key did not realize Sanemi is Genya's brother??? Kinda forgot about him tbh but I guess it checks out that he's sir stabs-a-lot

What is your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn’t matter if it’s canon or not)

Uzui x his wives - it's probably the most obvious choice but they're extremely sweet and I like them a lot???

Tanjiro & Zenitsu & Inosuke - you're right about this one: platonic do not separate!

Nezuko x Muichiro - my entire impression is "it's cute, I'm in".

I tried to shake out my shipless brain and come up with something for Senjuro because he is my boy but no luck. But I do love his friendship with Tanjiro so much.

Likewise Genya has such Energy but I don't know where to apply that in terms of shipping.

What's your least favorite ship for this character?

Rengoku x Akaza - you are also right about this one like. they've got nothing imo. this is not a chemistry situation no matter what Akaza does or says. not interested.

Shinobu x Mitsuri - the thing that gets me about these two is that Shinobu has a completely different variety of cheerfulness than Mitsuri, and Mitsuri has a different kind of anger. Not that it makes it impossible that they would make a decent couple but I don't see the point of connection there.

Zenitsu x Nezuko - I love Zenitsu but he gets on my nerves so quickly when he's making a big deal about Nezuko. The more I think about it the more this one annoys me even though I don't Hate it, because Nezuko is also part of the Squad - in a different way than Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu, but still. In this case I don't like the idea of intrasquad shippery.

What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

Mitsuri x Obanai - I'm willing to give Obanai a chance based on the socks thing being cute. Otherwise he's kind of an asshole and if he continues being that way he can shove off.

Muichiro x Genya - I don't really See it but they at least have some measure of shared experience.

Tanjiro x Kanao - I agree with you that it is kind of boring. I think it could be more interesting, but I don't know. My vibe with Tanjiro is that either he's very aro or there just hasn't been anyone that's really brought that spark yet. They'd have to be pretty exceptional though considering how he treats everyone.

re: your list, I feel pretty neutral about Rengoku x Uzui and Giyu x Shinobu. If I see something good of them I would enjoy it but I don't care that much either way.

#my favorite article was the one that was like 'see these non canon ships? they suck. replace them with these canon ships' #me just like. I think I'm bad at shipping. and I think that's mostly true. I don't really actively ship a lot of the time #there's also just like a lot of friend/comrade energy in demon slayer it's hard for me to go 'yeah! ships!' a lot #but I also think if you handed me hxh 2011 and said 'talk about ships' I'd be like hell yeah let's go #hxh is like all intrasquad shippery lolllll #demon slayer #character ask game

[cornflowershade]

bad buddy fandom getting-to-know-you meme!

Thank you for tagging me @lamonnaie!

note: i consider "fanworks" to pretty much everything people create related to a fandom, including but not limited to meta/analysis/discussion, gifs, fanvids/edits/fancams, filk, fanart, fanfic, fan food, fan crafts, etc. please include this note with the meme unless you have a different definition!

name and whatever you want to share about yourself Sonia (she/her). 24. I love getting to know people & chatting about shows so lets goooo

when did you watch bad buddy/join the fandom? I watched Bad Buddy in one week, in late October 2022. I owe it to @airenyah honestly. I think I found their blog through an SPN post and clicked over for that reason. In my scrolling, I happened upon a lovely gifset (wish I could recall who made it) of InkPa. It was the scene where they're outside and Pa says anyone taller than her is fine and hops down off the sidewalk. :) Love that scene. Anyway I reblogged it and in the tags was like WHAT IS THIS I MUST WATCH IT. To which airenyah gave me a whole blessed reply telling me the show name, giving a small synopsis/what to expect from my first thai drama & telling me where I could watch it. I immediately watched the series and adored it. I've seen it twice thus far.

favorite ship(s) PatPran & InkPa :)

favorite character(s): Okay I adore all the main 4 but I'm gonna go with Pran. I love him. There's just something so soft about him and how on earth do his eyes communicate so much?? I think I relate to his messy little overthinking and silently in love brain—very "me the first time i had a queer crush and simply wallowed the whole time bc it was impossible" lol. Also, he's always making the funniest facial expressions which gets me every time. I could go on about everything I like about his character (for instance how clever yet sometimes oblivious he is & how he gets all annoyed lol). Though I do question his sense of interior design and that smiley face obsession.

favorite episode(s) Honestly I'm not certain if I have one?? It's all so good! I do really like their "whoever falls first loses" era though. Wait actually?? My favorite ep might be the early one where Pat thinks he's hitting on the "girl" across the hall and they end up running into each other on the roof. Also both of the beach episodes.

favorite scene(s) *pastes in the entire show* Okay okay I'll try to pick a few:

~ The scene where Pat is staying over and he and Pran are lying in the dark, counting down to say in unison whether they have a crush on Ink. Idk I remember that scene having an emotional impact on me. Pran's face??? Then when Pat asks "would you like me?" and Pran says "I hate you" and then he yanks the blanket away but you saw him crying?? ahhhghrhghgh

~ The scene in the darkroom with Ink and Pa. I remember getting so emotional. Pretty sure Pa's dialogue and acting made me cry. "I do [like you being nice to me]. I like it so much that I thought I was special to you." ARE YOU KIDDING ME ASDFGZ. And then Ink says she is special to her!! And it's so sweet!!

~ OH and how could I forget. This should be at the top of the list. I realllly like the scene where Pran stands up to his mom and they have that emotional fight in their front hall. That whole thing is just. AHHHHHH. AHHH. AHIOFJEIOsdJIO. SIJDGRIOGJRIGJORE

~ And the scene at the stairs where Pat yells how much he loves Pran in front of Pran's whole faculty. :)

(Also any scene where Pat & Pran are being silly. Like their dumb little chopstick fight :p omg or the designing the bus stop at night scene)

one thing you would change about the show if you could Ohhhh I don't know! Maybe I'd throw in a few more InkPa scenes :)

what are your some of your favorite fanworks made by other people? Ahh fun fun fun. Get ready for some fanvid recs! (What else do you expect from me, a fanvidder.)

• Just My Type (Pat x Pran) by samyvids • Physical (Pat x Pran) by coldties • Enchanted (Ink x Pa) by rheaprodz • I really like you (Pat x Pran) by dkyth73 • Rebels (Pat x Pran) by coldties • Dandelions (Pat x Pran) by hylian fanvids

(if you create fanworks) what are your favorite fanworks that you’ve made? I've made two fanvids for Bad Buddy, as well as one song cover haha. I'll stick to the fanvids here. :)

• All I Need (Ink x Pa) • That dimple is illegal (Pat x Pran)

a song that makes you think of bbs (the ones in the show don’t count lol) Physical by Dua Lipa. The fanvid using that song is my all-time favorite BBS edit, so hearing the song reminds me of it.

idk anything else you want us to know? Uhhhhhhhh. I mean I could ramble about BBS and why it means so much to me for a long time haha. Should I do that? I guess I'll do that.

Okay so BBS was the first Thai drama I watched. I was still feeling a lot from the SPN-finale/confession scene era (yes that happened 2 years prior but it's SPN okay iykyk) which had me especially sad about and aware of media censorship etc. etc.

On top of that I was still working up the courage to leave this group chat of childhood friends, some of whom liked to complain about media "making everything gay" etc. (Amazing how you can not know people are homophobic for the entirety of your childhood bc the topic just never comes up lol.) Which was of course upsetting to me for multiple reasons. However the universe decided to do something nice and Heartstopper was released. That series felt really huge to me, but after it was over, I was left with this feeling of like... what else is there to watch? Where else will I ever find a queer ship this canon where they're also the main characters?

That's when I came across BBS and it gave me this realization that OH WAIT we aren't limited to western media and OH LOOK there's so many great shows that I didn't even know about!! And they keep making them! Also it was a queer story where the main obstacle wasn't being gay (Plus, Asian leads!!). And BBS itself is just such a standout show. First of all, I love a good comedy and the series made me laugh so much. It's heartfelt but full of ANTICS [like yes lets have fun! Lets not take everything too seriously!], and Pat & Pran & Ink & Pa are just such wonderful and lovable and real feeling characters—who have this lovely friendship too—and the show is just! Such a fun ride. <3 I recall watching the series and feeling like my world just got a little bit bigger. Anyway Bad Buddy goes all in for everything it does and it's such a joy.

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Tagging @airenyah and @distant-screaming and @feralmuskyscentedhoepran if you haven't done this yet and would like to!

#bad buddy #bad buddy series #get to know you meme #mine