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#so if they run into danger and someone comes looking for them
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Favoritism
Levi Ackerman x Reader
Summary: Captain Levi wouldn't let his feelings for a scout under him get in the way of his professionalism, right?
Warnings: Minimal use of Y/N, Levi being a dick to others, implied smut, making out, nudity, titan deaths, drinking.
Word Count: 2.5K
Masterlist
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Y/N sat in the conference room, tapping her foot nervously. It was time for assessment of the newest scouts and she was the last to go. Every single one of them had come out of Captain Levi’s office either looking dejected, shaken up, or outright crying. She had no clue what he could possibly be saying to everyone to elicit such reactions. Everyone had been nervous and she had no idea why. Captain Levi had been nothing but decent to her but her former classmates didn’t seem to share her view. In contrast, she wasn’t nervous for her meeting until she saw everyone else’s reactions.
As the door opened across the hall, she could hear quiet sobs followed by footsteps running down the hall. After a couple minutes, Captain Levi appeared in the door frame. “L/N?” he called before turning on his heel and walking back into his office. She followed after him quickly, stepping into his office as he held the door for her. Once she was inside, he shut the door behind her and gestured for her to sit. She complied as her captain took a seat across from her behind the desk. He took a moment to look through some papers before speaking. “So going over what your instructors had said when you were a cadet I’m not at all surprised you’re doing so well. You work well with the team and communicate. You’ve shown just how skilled you are in titan combat and you’re very professional in the workplace.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“My only suggestion is to stop taking such big risks. Your actions have never risked anyone else’s safety so I’ve never felt the need to say anything. But for your sake, make sure you’re not putting yourself in any unnecessary danger.”
“Understood, sir.”
“And with that in mind, I’d like to offer you a spot on the Special Operations Squad. We could use someone like you,” he said with the slightest ghost of a smile.
Her breath hitched and she was pretty sure her eyes widened. A spot on Captain Levi’s team? The Levi Squad, as it had been dubbed, was the best and most exclusive unit in all of the Scouts Regiment. “I’d love to, sir. Thank you.”
His shadow of a smile grew into a small one as he sat back in his seat. “Good. Seeing as I have nothing else to complain about, you’re dismissed.”
Not wanting to embarrass herself out of joy and excitement, she hurried out of the office. That was the meeting that had sent the rest of her teammates off crying? She didn’t dwell on it as she walked back towards her living quarters. As she walked through the hall, she could hear faint sobs and hushed, angry whispers coming through the doors. She ignored them until suddenly one of her classmates left her room with slightly red eyes. “Oh, Y/N,” Zelma greeted. “How was your meeting with the captain?” she asked, pity already creeping into her expression.
The newest member of the Special Operations Squad froze. Did she tell people? It would seem like she was rubbing it in everyone else’s faces. But they’d all find out eventually, right? Still, there was still time for her to tell them. It didn’t have to come on the heels of everyone else’s tears. “It was fine. He just chewed me out a bit for taking risky moves.”
“Yeah, well you got the best of it then. Mandel got chewed out for a full ten minutes about writing the date on his documents incorrectly.”
“Oh god.”
“Yeah, well, I’m going to see if Rose is okay,” Zelma said, brushing past her. As she continued onto her room, she thought about her interactions with Captain Levi. Nothing about him seemed like he’d do that to a person. When she first started, she screwed up about ten pages of reports but rather than scream at her, he had spent the whole night helping her fix them.
“What’s this?” a deep voice rang through the nearly empty office. Her head snapped up towards the door, finding easily the most feared man in all of the Survey Corps… scarier than Commander Erwin Smith.
“Uh… hello, sir,” she stuttered out as she tried to covertly cover up the paperwork she had messed up and was trying to redo.
He said nothing as he approached her desk. Before even looking at her piles of paper, he lit the candle on her desk, making her realize just how late it was and how dark it had gotten. He then observed her papers, easily identifying what she tried to cover up. Wordlessly, he pulled up a chair to sit on the side of her desk, grabbing half of her pile. She looked at him perplexed until he finally explained. “I’ll do this half so we finish quicker.”
“Oh… uh… thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”
“No problem,” he replied, the phrase seeming too casual for Humanity’s Strongest Soldier. “I’ve made these mistakes before.” No he hadn’t. But he wanted to make her feel better.
~
A week later, the Levi Squad was heading out on a mission to reclaim the Scout Regiment’s old headquarters outside Wall Rose. This would be her first time fighting since her cadet class had attempted to retake Shiganshina.
“You ready, brat?” a deep voice asked, coming up behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, finding Captain Levi approaching her.
“Yes, sir,” she agreed, standing up straight and turning to face him.
The Captain stopped in front of her, taking a moment to observe her. A slight frown adorned his face as he stepped closer. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to the straps wrapped around her thighs. Unable to find her voice, she just nodded. He knelt down, grabbing the strap wrapped around her left leg first. He tugged at it, finding that it was a bit too loose, as well as throwing the wearer off balance. She fell forward, catching herself on Levi’s shoulder. She immediately moved to steady herself but another tug seemed to bring her closer.
Levi kept his face straight as he moved on to her other leg. He enjoyed the closeness of her. Ever since that night they spent filling out her paperwork, just reveling in each other’s company, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. He had justified it in his mind as simply admiring her dedication, enabling him to invite her onto his team. And he couldn’t just let his newest member slip out of her ODM gear, right?
Moving on from the straps around her thighs, his hands wandered up to her waist. He was still kneeling before her but now that he was no longer pulling her leg forward, she stood on her own. He kind of missed her gentle yet firm grip on his shoulder. Nevertheless, he tugged at the straps around her waist, finding them perfectly snug. Satisfied, he finally stood, pulling her attention up with him. “You’re all set.”
“Th-thank you, sir,” she said, slight nervousness creeping into her voice. He just gave her a soft smile before heading over to his own horse.
~~
It had been a long two days. The Special Operations Squad had fought long and hard to clear and secure the Survey Corps’ headquarters but they did it without any casualties. Now, locked safely within the walls of the old castle, they celebrated.
“Oh my god, did you see Ral take down that five meter?” Bozado practically shouted in excitement. “Hell, she tripped the thing and still cut it’s nape.” Everyone cheered on Petra as she blushed.
“Did you see the rookie, here?” Jinn caught everyone’s attention as he nudged her shoulder. She blushed as well as everyone looked at her. “How was your first solo kill?”
She smiled, trying to hide her embarrassment. “Not enough,” she declared, eliciting a cheer from everyone. Across the table she caught Levi’s eye, giving her a smirk and nod of approval, the biggest reaction anyone had gotten out of him.
After a while of celebrating, everyone else was drunk with the exception of her and Levi. Needing a moment of quiet, she slipped out of the room, everyone else too drunk to notice. She made her way to the upper floors until she found a balcony in what was probably the commander’s room. Stepping outside, she just took a moment to breathe in the cool air. Fortunately all the titans had dissolved into nothingness, leaving the view almost beautiful. The only damper was the damage the titans had created.
“Mind if I join?” a low voice came from behind her.
Startled, she jumped, relieved when she saw that it was only Levi. “Oh, you scared me, Captain.”
“Did I?” he said, coming to stand next to her. “Didn’t take you as one to be scared easily. You did just stare down the jaws of a titan today.”
She shrugged, the blush returning to her cheeks. “Yeah well, I’d sooner face a titan than the infamous Captain Levi.”
He chuckled. “You did good,” he praised.
“Thank you, sir. Thanks for inviting me.”
“Your record speaks for itself,” he dismissed.
Turning to face the outside world again, a sudden breeze caught her, sending a chill down her spine. Noticing her movement, Levi unclasped the cloak from around his shoulders before placing it around his newest soldier. “Oh thank you sir but-” He waved his hand, dismissing her before going back to looking over the castle’s grounds, sipping on his tea. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find the words. Clenching her jaw, she pondered all of his actions. Taking a deep swig of the whiskey Jinn had brought, she worked up the courage to speak. “Why do you treat me so well?”
Levi’s blood went cold. It was the question he dreaded and the opening he craved but still never hoped would come. Choosing to deflect, he spoke casually. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I treat everyone the same.”
“Sir, with all due respect, no you don’t,” she countered sheepishly. “When others in my class screwed up they were punished, you helped me. You invited me to your squad even though I wasn’t first in my cadet class. You don’t even really interact socially with your squad but you’re out here with me.”
Levi sighed, considering his next words. She had him pinned on this. “You… I…” he took a breath. “You impress me,” was all he said. “More than anyone ever has.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she pressed further.
Levi groaned internally as she kept pushing. Unable to say the words, he decided to show her. Resting his cup on the thick railing of the balcony, he stepped right next to her, grasping her face softly. Her doe like eyes stared up at him innocently until they fluttered closed as Levi leant down, connecting their lips. She parted her lips, granting him access to her mouth, which he took eagerly. His hands fell to her hips, pulling her in eagerly which she took as an invitation to reach for his coat. He helped her shed the clothing before he worked to unbutton his own shirt, still kissing her. Once it was off, he returned his hands to her hips, pushing her into the room and onto the bed. In a flurry of lips and clothes, Levi had her naked underneath him. Pausing for a moment, he pulled away just to observe her. “God, you’re so beautiful,” he breathed before returning his lips to hers.
~~
Laying in the bed that had been prepared for him earlier that day, Levi stroked his newest squad-member’s hair. Her bare skin bathed in the moonlight as she slept peacefully on his chest. He couldn’t help but smile into the top of her head, feeling like a giddy teenager. He couldn’t believe he had finally found the girl of his dreams. In the Underground he had had no time for and therefore no consideration of love. He knew he’d have to keep her a well-guarded secret. Sometimes there were bigger threats than titans.
Continuing to enjoy the weight on his chest and the feeling of her soft hair running through his fingers, Levi stared out into the night. He could get used to this. One day they’d have to kill all the titans, right? Then they could get a nice little house out here in the country. Where it could just be the two of them.
Checking the clock that had been wound to the correct time, he could see that the sun would be rising soon. He hadn’t slept at all but that wasn’t out of the ordinary and he didn’t mind. He had more important things to think about than sleep. A small, irrational part of him worried that someone or something would come snatch her from him in the night right as he finally had her. But for the sake of keeping his reputation, he reluctantly slipped out of bed, gently replacing his chest with a pillow so as to disturb her as little as possible.
~
Given that the balcony doors had been left open, the object of Levi’s affection woke with the sun. With a gentle stretch, she soaked the sun in for a moment, inhaling the scent of her commander on the sheets. Despite wanting to lie in bed all day, she’d much rather avoid someone bursting in and asking her why she was in Levi’s bed so she got up reluctantly. Looking for her clothes, which had been shed on the balcony, she found them folded neatly at the foot of the bed. Smiling to herself, she put them on and fixed her hair before heading down to the kitchen.
Upon entering, she found all of her teammates grabbing food from the counter before sitting at the wooden table in the center. They all grumbled good mornings to her as they served themselves and sat. Still standing in the doorway, she saw her captain standing at the stove in an apron. “More pancakes are coming,” he announced.
There was a quiet cheer from the rest of the team as they were already digging through what had already been made. Sitting down, she helped herself to some of the fruit on the table before a plate full of pancakes appeared in front of her. She looked up, finding Levi sitting down beside her at the head of the table with another plate for himself. She just sent him a smile and said a quiet thanks as she dug in.
Meanwhile the rest of the team stared at the pair in shock. Seeing them first, Levi sent them a glare. “What? She hadn’t gotten a plate. Feed yourselves,” he barked before returning his attention to the woman sitting beside him.
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creauchiergh · 2 days
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guys, guys, guys. jax isn't an npc; he's a game dev/mod who got trapped in the circus.
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i'm sure someone has already put forth this theory, but with the series still being in its early stages, it's hard to say exactly which direction it's going. while i don't think the npc theory is bad, i think it lacks a foundation and is more so the fandom's attempt to justify jax's moral greyness or give him depth where there currently isn't any. i just wanted to share some of my own thoughts about what his deal might be.
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firstly, his design, which is honestly just my own speculation but bear with me. i know goose made some jokes about his clothes being farmer's overalls, but when i look at him, i almost get mechanic vibes? like if he wasn't such a prick, he'd be in charge of fixing any bugs that crop up during the adventures, which is pretty much what a moderator does.
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speaking of which, he has keys to all the rooms, which is already pretty sketchy in itself, but it makes sense if you consider that he helped make the circus. naturally, he'd have them on hand in case he needed to access any areas of potential danger. to me, it's a bit like having cheat codes, which definitely gives him an upper hand above the other circus members. (but again, it's not like he's ever going to do his job.)
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there's also the "figurine thing," which is probably either a throwaway joke or a thinly-veiled attempt at foreshadowing the npcs-- since their models resemble figurines-- but it's still worth noting. if we assume that the "figurine thing" is referring to the npcs-- which it probably isn't, but again, bear with me-- then it shows just how much jax knows about the circus. as far as i remember, none of the other characters have ever brought up the outside of the map, but obviously, if jax made the game, he's going to know its layouts and inner workings like the back of his hand. i won't go so far as to say he's all-knowing, but i'm sure he knows a lot more than he lets on, and i have a feeling we're going to see that in later episodes.
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if he really can predict caine's adventures and whatnot, since he designed them, it explains why he's so unfazed by everything that happens at the circus, from zooble getting taken by the gloinks to running into the gloink queen. the only time he really seems to be surprised is when the game glitches-- when the one gloink started bugging out, when kaufmo abstracted, etc.
i think the mod theory explains jax's personality and motivations. when he first arrived at the circus, there might've been a time when he acted more responsibly, fixing all the bugs, trying to stop the abstractions, etc. he could've been caine's right-hand at keeping everything under control. but maybe he slowly gave up these responsibilities when he realized that people were going to get abstracted no matter what, as we can see from the crossed-off doors in the pilot. it's very possible that he became consumed by his mod privileges when he began acting more recklessly and faced zero repercussions for his actions. essentially, he's a step above everyone else in terms of knowledge, awareness, and grants of power-- probably just below caine on the power ladder, though pomni could also rival him as she comes to learn more about the circus. depending on how jax uses his abilities, he could either help everyone find the exit or slowly lead them towards abstraction, and given what goose has said about the future of the series, it's not looking very optimistic for anyone involved.
but what do i know? this theory could be completely nonsensical and riddled with plot holes. i just like to hyperanalyze jokes 🥲
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teriri-sayes · 1 day
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Reactions to Crazier Bastard's Chapter 300 + Author's Note
Brief summary: Game tries to eliminate Cale. Tutorial boss saves Cale. System AI makes a deal with Cale.
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Cale entering the game world was confusing to his ancient powers who were unfamiliar with it. Cale and DA then discuss the possibility that the saint and GoC were related to the game world. But Cale made a mistake here. He should have kept his conversation with DA to himself and not spoken it aloud. 😂
Cale: I think there's a high possibility that they (GoC) are at the center of it. Game: Would you like to use the nickname "I think there's a high possibility that they are at the center of it"? Cale: Damn it. Game: Would you like to use the nickname "Damn it"? #%f@%fd Cale: Huh? Game: $#&*#%System^%error^%^#occurs$%$^ Cale: ???
The game then classified Cale as an unauthorized user and proceeded to eliminate him. Cale thought he was just going to be kicked out, but his meeting with an NPC made him realize that something dangerous might happen if he did not escape here.
The NPC was a demon dressed in aristocratic attire and described as a masculine, "decadent", and handsome man. In Korea, having a "decadent appearance" could mean several things:
Black theme - black hair, black clothes, dark atmosphere
Mature look - sensual or captivating eyes
Gloomy air or drowsy look - dark circles on eyes, uses goth or emo makeup
Some are described to be yandere or have mental health problems
This new NPC fit the black theme definition because he was the Count of Darkness, Lupe II. Cale thought Lupe II had come to attack him, so he tried to defend himself. But Cale and the APs were shocked when he couldn't use any of his powers!
Why? Because Cale was inside a game and was in the process of creating a new account. He still did not have a level or any skills. So he couldn't use any of his "outside" powers inside the game.
Fortunately, Count Lupe II was not an enemy. In fact, he was urgently trying to save Cale from the game which wanted to eliminate Cale. But something seemed to be hindering him from approaching Cale, so Cale had to run just to grab Lupe's hand. 🤣🤣🤣
Game: *tries to eliminate Cale* Cale: Ah, seriously! *runs to reach the demon's hand* Cale: (If I want to survive and not get destroyed, I have to catch that demon's hand!) DA: *scared* Hey, hey! Catch it! Cale, catch it! Shield AP: You should have exercised. Narrator: Cale somehow ran. Yes, his Kim Rok Soo self that contained all of his long years of life experience did. And he believed in the physical talent of Cale Henituse contained within him, in the power hidden within his muscles. Cale: *finally grabs the demon's hand*
Glutton priestess, what? 🤣🤣🤣 Why did you have to bring up Cale's lack of physical exercise? 😂😂😂 And the narration wasn't helping. 🤣🤣🤣 DA though. I noticed this in the past chapters... but wasn't he actually a coward who liked to bluff? DA was always portrayed as someone who loved to dominate people, but in the recent chapters (their encounter with the gods, and now this game), DA kept getting scared easily. 😂 A coward who liked to bluff? Wasn't that CJG? So was DA really CJG? 🤔
Back to the topic, the game's elimination mode was turning everything around them red and having alarms sounding off all the time. The red sky split, and a red hand with vein-like red tubes filled with black liquid descended, trying to grab Cale.
But Lupe II managed to escape with Cale from the red hand, teleporting to his dungeon, Hell of Darkness. It turned out that Lupe II was the tutorial NPC final boss. Befitting his Count of Darkness title, his room was full of dark/black furniture fit for a noble. And despite his dark theme, he was an emotional man who easily cried.
More surprises appeared. Lupe II was an NPC who was aware that he was an NPC and in a game. He knew about the hunters and the world outside the game. It all started when the game's System AI, the one in charge of managing NPCs and giving quests, began acting strange. This led to Lupe II becoming self-aware and gaining outside knowledge. And Lupe II was frustrated because no one knew about the System AI acting strange, even the game developers.
Lupe II was hostile to the hunters, so he almost cried in relief when Cale said he "hunted" hunters. And as if the System AI was watching them, a system window appeared in front of Cale, giving him 2 quests.
[Quest 1. Find the hero with Count Lupe and stop the terrifying @#%&^* god who is trying to destroy this world!] [Quest 2. Please find my 'oppa' with Count Lupe]
In the end, Cale figured out that there were two AI involved here. One was the AI that Ahn Roh Man (ARM) considered as his "hyung", the AI his parents secretly hid in the game and mentioned in previous chapters. The other was the System AI mentioned today, who called ARM's hyung as her oppa because she was an AI created after the first one.
Ooooh... Since Alberu was the "hero", then the System AI was making Cale the "hero's companion" together with Count Lupe. Would Cale meet Alberu soon in the game world? But what happened to her oppa? Did something happen to ARM's hyung?
Cale told the System AI that he would tell her information about her oppa. In exchange, he wanted her to create a user account for him without the knowledge of the hunters. Of course, this wouldn't be TCF if there wasn't comedy... 😂
System AI said she couldn't do that, but because there was a huge update patch coming soon to the game, she sneaked in Cale by making him a half-demon and giving him the account of a... Tutorial Hidden Final Boss NPC. 🤣🤣🤣
Meanwhile, Cale's second group arrived at Exion's place. It had been 6 hours since Cale fainted, according to Raon's timer. Ron was gently smiling while cleaning Cale's bloodstained clothes, and Eruhaben was staring at Cale as if he was a cute grandchild.
Ending Remarks
Why does this chapter feel like an info dump? But I never expected Cale to become an NPC, a hidden final boss at that. 😂 I'm excited to see Alberu's reaction when he meets NPC boss Cale. 🤣🤣🤣
Oh yeah, the author posted an Author's Note, celebrating the 300th chapter of Part 2:
Author's Note Greetings, this is Yoo Ryeo Han who doesn't know when Part 2 will end. To celebrate the 300th chapter of Part 2, I bring you this author's note. It seems like only yesterday that I left a note for chapter 200, but it's already chapter 300... Every time I leave a note like this, it feels new and I am grateful. Maybe I'll give my greetings at chapter 400 soon, right? Hahaha! Thank you always for being with us. I will continue to work hard to write this series so that it can be a small joy in everyday life. Thank you. -Yoo Ryeo Han
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theladyofbloodshed · 3 days
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Imagine if feyre gets a surprise fourth book depicting that she is actually with the wrong dude and was with the right dude the first time
Oh my goodness!!!
Frustation bubbles away because Feyre must stay at home with their son. She is his mother. She knows what he needs. Illyria is too dangerous to take him to. The Hewn City will not welcome him. Now that Keir has access to Velaris, even that isn't safe for Feyre and her son. So they stay in their home. And she absolutely despises it.
As soon as those thoughts come, they're brushed away. Feyre has every comfort. She's happy. She loves her mate and son. It's necessary.
One day, Rhys is injured. He loses consciousness. And in that moment, the grip on his magic recedes.
Feyre feels cold. Part of her is missing. The shadow that's been in her periphery for a few years has gone. A weight has been lifted.
Rhys is no longer in her head. But she loved having him there. Didn't she?
He was always there. Always there to listen. To help. To be there.
She builds her mental shields up because there's a doubt - a tiny doubt - that something isn't right. As Rhys recovers, she can feel him there, scratching at the walls that she built. She doesn't mention it. Doesn't mention that he isn't in her head anymore. But it feels different. Instead of knowing instinctively what to do, Feyre ponders over her choices. She pushes back on a few things then feels her mate's power pushing harder against her walls. It makes her push back, makes her fortify them.
She notices the changes in him. That he stiffens when she disagrees. That he doesn't like her to be alone with his friends anymore. And he especially doesn't like it when she speaks to Nesta. As for Lucien, Rhys will not let her even look at him. He's subtle. He finds reason to engage her or Lucien.
When she looks at her son, she panics. Feyre wasn't ready for this. She had an eternity for a child. Her life had ended once then it was almost taken from her again. The knowledge was kept from her. Her son would have killed her. Were it not for her sister she wouldn't have known... because her mate kept it from her. They all kept it from her.
She'd wanted to wait. Wanted to have a life without taking care of someone.
She glances around the room and wonders if her mate is in everybody's head. Is that why everything is perfect? Not a crack to be found. Except in her sister. The one mortal who a high lord's glamour didn't work on. The one who Rhys continually battles with.
Feyre stares at herself in the mirror, horrified by what she's become. Where did her fight go? She runs through the events of the last couple of years but they feel blurry like viewing them through a dream. A pregnancy unexpected and unwanted. Until suddenly she decided it was what she wanted. The same clothes she'd first worn to the Hewn City. Too tight, too ostentatious to wear whilst pregnant. Until suddenly she decided they were what she wanted. The crowns and dresses. Not her. Not her.
This was what she had run from. An irritational fear that Tamlin would force her into a crown, that he'd present her only at parties, that he'd keep her to produce little heirs.
But that had never been him. He had been the one to send her home. To write her poems. To encourage her to paint.
He had not wanted that life for himself, far less for her.
In that dungeon, broken and afraid, Feyre had let the monster into her head. What had he done to her?
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artinvain · 2 days
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vampire!sevika x witch!reader who runs into you at the library when she’s returning books. (no smut … yet!??!) men and minors dni
✧・゚: *✧・゚:*✧・゚: *✧・゚:*✧・゚: *✧・゚✧・゚: *✧・゚:✧・゚:
Vampire!sevika who smells you, sickly sweet smell of a bakery, cigarettes and coffee. whose mouth starts to taste metallic. standing there and scenting the air, her eyes scrunched shut so no one sees the whites have turned crimson and her pupils are blown and black.
who tries to smile at you but feels her fangs extending a pain of hunger growing in her so she has to feed before she even comes near you.
vampire!Sevika who ignores all your advances with a smile and flippancy because she’s afraid she’ll hurt you if she gets too close.
vampire!Sevika whose hunting and spots you on a picnic, and has to claim she was hiking because she was caught staring.
vampire!Sevika who has to join you — seeing you alone in the woods too worrisome for her to leave you.
vampire!Sevika who then warms up to the idea of being around tou, not because she was dangerous but because she could protect you from things much worse than her
vampire!Sevika who starts leaving flowers at your work.
vampire!Sevika who is so used to providing she nearly cries when you send her your favourite book you “think you’ll really enjoy. It seems to match your old soul” with a plate of baked cookies on top.
vampire!Sevika who has her team watch out for you (as in stalk you 24 hours and report your movements back to her)
she thinks it’s the way you get to know someone — watch you , learn what you like so that she can anticipate your needs and be a good partner.
vampire!Sevika who thinks she’s ready to have dinner at your place when you offer.
and is stunned to see the sigils and candles, books and herbs inside, crystals lining the walls and refracting light into your living room.
When you stand silently at the door until she asks to be invited in, she’s immediately suspicious.
vampire!Sevika who’s been around long enough to realise you have a cloaking spell rune above your fireplace and knows she fucked.
because she doesn’t know anything about you — all her intel was messed with by your spell.
vampire!sevika who is now an entirely new level of nervous because not only are you intelligent and interesting and funny — you’re also more gorgeous than any face she’s seen in decades. eyes so unwarded and honest, skin soft and dewy. and your hands on hers — god it’s so soft—
and then she realises you’re asking about her daylight ring, you’re very fascinated you know about the type of rock that was used, it’s more popular century, the tiny runes inscribed de dismissed as aging.
vampire!Sevika who doesn’t stay for dinner when she smells your tea, the scent like burning razors in her nostrils. Vervain. A plant near deadly to vampires.
vampire!Sevika who excuses herself saying she has a cold and then receives a care package for her, which makes her realise the cookies you baked didn’t have any vervain in them. So she tries the food and it’s fine. more than fine it’s incredible. It makes her so hungry she has to feed.
vampire!sevika who only feeds on what she declared “scum of the earth,” she didn’t do it often at the risk of being caught but some nights, (like where she sees two men pulling a knife on a woman walking home from work — well with a knife it’s easy to make the deaths look … natural) she’s lucky.
vampire!Sevika who invites you over to her loft, it’s actually more dated than you’d expect. gold-yellow and red lilac and columbine flower wallpaper in the living room’s feature wall. With more modern pops in the furniture and essentials.
“A lot of your stuff is… antique,” you say smiling politely, a furrow in your brow. and Sevika laughs at the way you sit very very carefully on an old chesterfield sofa.
“I’ve reinforced them,” Sevika explains “they are old but, I can’t seem to let them go,”
“Family heirloom?” You guess, a lot of the stuff in here was too fancy to be sold at regular antiques in your area, which meant Sevika was rich, according to her furniture you guessed old money rich.
“that’s insane to have a family tree you can trace so far back you could have your own heirloom”
it was her brothers. they sat on it every night together in his first and only home, and talked in depth about nothing at all.
“My family is close, I am grateful,” Sevika says
the look in your eye. a twinkle of playful curiosity,
“and the ring is an heirloom also?” You ask, standing up to take another look around.
“this stuff if very english — your accent —“
”we moved when I was very little,” she interrupted quickly, that wasn’t entirely false. “I’ve lived here all my life,” that was lie.
you smile at her and quirk your head. she was so… guarded.
“what about your family?” Sevika asks, stepping toward you and guiding you with her hand on your lower back to the sofa. she opens a bottle of wine and pours it for you when she hears you say “salem” and nearly spills. you pretend not to notice and take the glass, thanking her.
“yeah, we fled during the salem trials, there was a much bigger pool of people then, than what’s documented,” you say and Sevika turns to you
”witches then,” Sevika says and lets a giggle slip when you say “of course, have you seen the way I dress?” so wooed by your boldness because yes, she has noticed the way you dress and she thinks you’re some kind of deity, the way your dresses and skirts fall over your thighs, and the way your jean overalls highlights your arms. she’s always mesmerised.
“you are a little whimsical, you sent me the metamorphosis by Franz kafka!” She rolls are eyes at the memory, she was kind of offended when she got it because really? but then when she read it with your note at the end she knew you were referencing yourself, explaining the way your mind works without really having to tell her. So Sevika is gentle with her words around you, makes sure your needs get catered to and makes sure that you always feel secure and loved. 🏷️ @archangeldyke-all @sexysapphicshopowner @iamaboringrattat @sapphicsgirl @sevsbaby @bimboprincezz @opropheticsoul
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luminiamore · 5 hours
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ex husband eren yeager x black fem reader
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warnings: reader may have gotten pregnant again (she definitely did), ur daughters name is raqi
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“Sweetheart, please let me put your shoes on so I can bring you to your daddy.” You try to tell your gorgeous four-year-old for the fifth time in one minute.
“No, mama! Daddy says he’s coming here because he misses you.”
You observe as she escapes your grasp again after kicking her tiny feet in different directions. You groan both inside and out loud because you have to repeat, “No, he’s not Raqi.” Mommy needs the house to herself tonight-”
“Uhuh, and Uncle Connie is coming too! He’s taking me to, um-Nick- um-” You watch as she looks at you, waiting for you to help her finish her sentence.
You stifle a giggle at her pout, “Nickelodeon?”
“Yeah!! It’s in Spain, mama!”
You heave a sigh once more. It’s not uncommon for Connie to take your daughter on expensive trips such as this. He probably indulged your daughter more than you did. Not more than Eren, though. Even though Eren didn’t live with you, he made sure to come by and see his baby girl every day, even if it was just for five minutes. Each time he came, he would have a new gift in his hand.
Connie gave your daughter gifts like trips, taking her around the world, and first-class only reserved for the princess. As she ages, she definitely won’t be impressed by someone’s son taking her to Miami.
However, Eren spoiled his girl with jewelry, bags, the newest edition of Hello Kitty plushies, and anything else. To be honest, you need to begin the process of finding her a larger room.
You’re not so sure your daughter is lying. It’s unlikely that she would lie about something like this. Your frustration has changed from being directed toward her to your ex-husband for not informing you. This was actually one of the reasons why you guys split up. He would always make plans and decisions regarding your daughter without letting you know first.
Although he didn’t make any bad decisions or put her in danger, it’s upsetting to know that you rarely had any say in what your daughter did, except for the things she wore.
You remember vividly handing him the divorce papers and standing in front of him in shock as he laughed right in your face with mumbles of, ‘Must be crazy’ and ‘Never in a million years.’
And so the divorce was never finalized because he refused to sign the papers, but you and he were through as far as you were concerned. He had no problem letting you run around thinking that, though. It goes without saying that he never took off his wedding ring. Yours has been on for so long that it’s like muscle memory to slip it on every time you go out.
To this day, his Instagram page is filled with pictures of you and only you. Shit, both of your parents still invite you guys over for dinner, and Eren never told them what you presented him with. You absolutely didn’t have the guts to tell them unless he signed those papers.
You didn’t have the guts to prevent your daughter from having a good time and living out her childhood, a chance you, unfortunately, weren’t blessed with.
“Okay, baby. Well, you still have to put your shoes on if you wanna go with Uncle Connie, okay?”
That seemed to do it. Your daughter headed to her bed and began bouncing up and down with joy before finally settling down and waiting for you to put them on.
Just as you were finishing, you heard the doorbell ring. You rise to your feet and fix your silk robe and matching silk bonnet. Kissing your daughter’s head and lifting her up in your arms, you walk barefoot on the cold tile floors of your penthouse— that Eren pays for.
It’s no surprise when you open the door and find the men of the hour. They were matching. Your ex-spouse appears in all his splendor, sporting a gray beanie that conceals his natural hair, a black hoodie, and black sweatpants that match. Connie’s attire was the opposite: a black beanie covering his buzz cut, a grey hoodie, and grey sweatpants that matched.
“Daddy!”
“Baby!”
Your daughter is quick to jump onto her father, and Eren easily catches her. It’s almost impossible to deny how similar they look. It’s as if she left you out of the gene pool altogether. All his facial features were present in her, including his curls, eyes, and face. Her skin color was the only thing you could vouch for.
Eren catches your eyes, and you look away quickly. His stare always gives you an intimidating feeling. You disregard his glance and turn to Connie with a smile, kissing him on his cheek and leading him inside, “Hey, Con.”
He reciprocates the gesture, albeit with a friendly tone. He was aware of how possessive his best friend can be towards you, and he didn’t want to be a part of that today. After playing with your daughter’s flushed cheek, you turn around and leave Eren outside, letting him invite himself in. Your hostility causes him to furrow his brows.
“What, I don’t get a kiss too?”
While still ignoring him, you direct your buzz-cut friend to your child’s room. “There should be a bag already packed with her things in her closet. I know how much you guys love these trips.”
Connie grins and nods. Your daughter demands that Eren put her down and runs after him, yelling that she wants to show him her new plushies. Now, there were only you and Eren in your living room, alone. Great.
It was impossible for you to function when it was just you and him. Eren’s presence always made you nervous and hot. No matter who was present, he always made his attraction to you known. Your daughter thought you were still together for that reason. Eren Yeager was an elusive figure. He was a force to be reckoned with. The feelings you have for him are still harboring, even though you tried to push them away.
They persist, and it doesn’t seem like you made any effort to remove them. You have been separated for a few months now, but you have never attempted to move on. Whenever your friends asked why you never went on a date, you would always answer that you’re ‘just not ready.’ You never actually moved on from him.
Your friends knew it was bullshit, but you would never admit it. You wouldn’t admit to missing him, missing him holding you, sleeping with you, fucking you. You went from getting your fat cunt stuffed every day to only cumming once a week due to a vibrator going high speeds on your clit. Eren knew you weren’t stupid enough to give his pussy away. You knew you weren’t stupid enough to give his pussy away.
Eren, of course, would never move on from you, either. He genuinely doesn’t believe that you two are separated, as you’re still together in his mind. You will be his forever.
He slowly stalks towards you, watching you intently focus on the wall. You probably hoped he would disappear if you didn’t pay him any mind. He knew how your mind worked.
“M’still waiting on my kiss, mama.” He raises your chin towards him when he reaches you, and his green eyes don’t skip over the little bra you had on beneath your lace robe.
“Eren, move.” You glare at him, but it really isn’t doing much but making him hard.
“Wassup with you?”
“You! You are ‘wassup’ with me.” You whisper so as not to alert Connie and your daughter in the next room. You try to match his tone, lowering yours in pitch.
“What did I do, baby?” His deep voice speaking to you like this always makes you squirm, but you suppress it to express your anger at him.
“Don’t call me that. How many times do I have to tell you to let me know when you make plans to take our daughter somewhere.” You grit your teeth.
He simply gives a sly smile, “Are you really upset about that?”
Once again, he pretends it’s not significant. You’re not even asking for much. Is it really a death sentence for him to inform you of where your daughter might be going? Why do you always end up being the last one to learn? You believe it’s not difficult to give you a week’s notice. You won’t have to be worried about looking silly when your daughter tells you. You don’t think it’s fair to you at all.
“I trust Connie, and I trust you with our daughter, but I just want to know where she’s going. Preferably before she goes! That’s all I ask for, Eren. You can’t keep doing-”
“Are you mad at daddy, mommy?”
You freeze.
Your daughter rested on Connie’s back as he held her mini Disney Princess suitcase. She was gazing at you with a pout, and you didn’t want to be the one to put that expression on her face. You’re about to respond when Eren suddenly opens his mouth, condescending tone and all,
“Yeah, mama. Are you mad at me?”
You try and force a smile for the sake of your daughter, even though every part of you wants to wring your ex-husband’s neck.
“No, baby. Are you ready to leave with Uncle Connie now?” As if it were never there, the frown is replaced by a fit of giggles, a bright smile, and a frantic nod of her head.
Connie gives your daughter a small rub on her head, “We should head out now. The flight’s in two hours, and we don’t wanna get stuck in traffic.”
You hurriedly nod and lead them both to the front door. Your daughter is smothered with kisses after you hug her and whisper a sweet ‘I love you.’ Eren presents your daughter with a mini Chanel box just before Connie puts Raqi in the child’s seat in the backseat of his Scat. You manage to make out his little whisper to her, ‘Don’t open it until tomorrow. Daddy loves you.’
Together, you love them, and you have no regrets about giving this man a child. It’s something you could never regret. Marrying him wasn’t a regret for you either; truly, he treated you like a princess. It’s just that you want him to dedicate more time to you.
Eren spent a lot of time outside before having your baby, whether it was with his friends or his job. He was always dedicated to providing you with everything you needed, but you never asked for any of those tangible things. The only thing you wanted was your husband. It took you some time to communicate your feelings to him, but eventually you did.
As a person who was understanding, he listened. For approximately a week, before he did the same shit again. You were worn out and reached a point where you couldn’t keep going any further. Although Eren wouldn’t give you the divorce you wanted, he was accommodating and allowed you to move out of his home. Provided that he will get the apartment and pay your rent. ‘Safety measures,’ he calls them.
Even now, Eren still acts as though you’re married, and you still pretend that it’s bothering you. You’re snapped out of your thoughts when you hear your door slam shut, with Eren still inside your house.
“You really mad at me, mama?”
You merely sigh, “Eren, why are you still here?”
With his hands on either side of you, he stands in front of you while your body presses flush against the front door. You feel a slight tingle, aware that you’re inhaling the same air as this man. You give a quick glance at his pink lips and hope you look away swiftly enough so he doesn’t notice. He does.
His lips curl, and his voice becomes low and breathless when he speaks again, “Answer me, baby.”
You sense that Eren is talking about more than today for some reason. He’s talking about everything that led up to it, including his absence and negligence. He’s asking if you’re still upset about the way he influenced you to want to divorce him.
A tear that you didn’t even realize was forming slips down your face. Eren doesn’t miss a beat when wiping it away with his thumb and delicately kissing your cheek as well.
You whisper shakily, “I don’t want to be. B-But you make it so hard, Ren.”
Ren. You called him Ren. He fails to recall the last time he heard the nickname you gave him flutter past your pretty lips. He derives pleasure from it and longs to listen to it again.
“I know, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, mama. You have to believe me. I never want to see you cry, baby. And I’m so sorry for making you feel like this.”
You attempt to move away, but he grasps your hands tightly, causing you to remain still. He understands your struggle, but you don’t trust him. And you’re trying to run away from him again. Eren has apologized before, but he wants you to acknowledge his apologies this time.
He kisses your cheek again, “I’m not working as much anymore, and I even cut back on dealing. I’m sorry I didn’t get it before. I know you just wanted me to spend more time with you, and I swear I’ll make it happen. Just take me back, please.”
Another kiss, this time on your neck, “I miss you so much, mama.”
Your breathing is intensifying, and your hold on him is gradually diminishing. “Ren, please. I- I can’t.”
“Let me make it up to you, hm? Show you how much I missed you. Let me, mama.”
You’re so weak, you scold yourself. So, so weak. He shouldn’t be able to get you like this easily. It shouldn’t be this easy for him to slip off your robe, letting it fall on the cold floor. You should have more resistance. You should make him work for it.
But how can you? 
How can you resist when he’s on his knees, letting his tongue push in and out of your wet hole, unashamedly moaning as you twitch and buck your hips into his mouth. He’s entirely too nasty and too careless when he laps up everything your addictive pussy is pouring into his awaiting mouth.
You’re shaking, your body shivering so much you have goosebumps everywhere. He just doesn’t let up. Each time you try and push away from his pleasurable onslaught, it’s just,
“Quiet, mama. Daddy can’t make it up to you if you’re running from him.”
Your eyes are starting to hurt so much from the way you’re rolling them back into your skull. You’re heaving, squealing when he suckles harshly on your poor clit. Not even your vibrator made you feel this good. 
“G-Gonna cum- Ah! Oh fuck, Rennie!”
You hear the slurping sounds as he eats you, and he never once removes himself from your cunt as he whispers, “Not my name, mama.”
God, you can feel the vibrations, can feel his long tongue covering every crevice inside of you. You grip his head, his beanie barely hanging onto him with how much you both are moving. You wail when he inserts two fingers in at once after he slips his tongue out of you, a precious and weak “Daddy- shit!” released into the air.
He hums against you, against your wet mound, and for some reason, that’s what pushes you over the edge. Your stomach clenches, and your entire being feels like it’s being set alight when you cum on his big fingers. Eren swears he’s fallen in love all over again. It’s been months since he’s tasted you, tasted your sweet cream. He’s missed it. God, he missed you.
As soon as he senses you’re too weak to stand on your own, he rises to his feet and immediately lifts you up by your legs. His lips are brushing against yours now, still wet from your essence.
“You never gave me that kiss. C’mon, baby, kiss me.”
And you do, moaning when you immediately taste yourself. Your breath caught in his mouth as he pushed your legs back against the wall, and he didn’t hesitate to swallow your sounds, sucking your tongue and biting your blushed lips.
Time slows when Eren finally pulls his sweats down and nudges his fat cock in you. He’s holding you so gently like you’ll break in any moment, and honestly, you feel like you will. It’s been so long, so long since you had something this big stretching you out. You can’t help but whimper out pretty cries of ‘Daddy!’ or ‘Rennie!’ against his panting mouth.
You’re so stuffed. So full that you can’t think of anything but how good he feels, how good this intense euphoria streaming through your body feels.
Eren is the same. He’s fisted his cock red to thoughts of having you like this once more. You were the only one who could ever make him feel like a wimp whenever he fucked you. Your pussy just feels so perfect, squeezing around him so tight, like you want him to put another baby in you. Actually, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea.
He gives you slow, deep strokes that make you keen. The sound of his voice is groggy and slurred as he grunts against your throat, “God, you feel so good. Please, baby, forgive me. Say you’ll take me back. Say it. Say it.”
Through your haze, you still manage to have a few brain cells still working, barely. You’re trying to speak out, but every time his hips press flush against your own, it’s like your breath gets caught in your throat. Still, you stutter out,
“C-Can’t- Hah! Oh, right there!”
“You know I’ll never leave you alone. I can’t, mama. Rather die before I ever let you go. I’ll get on my knees again if I have to, baby.” He sounds so pretty, begging for your forgiveness like this. You don’t know how long you can hold out. You’re not sure you even can.
“You’re c-crazy.” You utter, completely breathless, when he hits your g-spot.
Eren’s response is immediate when he reaches down to rub your clit in tight circles, “For you. Crazy for you.”
Whining, your squirt splashes all over his hoodie, and your body is twitching because it won’t stop. Your supposed ex-spouse groans as he spills his seed past your splashing pussy lips, right into your womb, while whispering unsteadily, ‘I love you so much.’ Shakenly, you pull his face toward yours and kiss him, drool pouring out of both your lips. It’s almost as if you’re trying to devour each other.
When you reluctantly pull away from his lips, he speaks once again, “Please, I need you. Just want you in my arms again, mama.”
You sigh, and honestly too exhausted to argue against him, you answer,
“If you start going back to your old habits, Eren-”
“I won’t. Swear on my life- on our daughter.”
You hum, fingers now combing through his loose curls. You gasp against his lips, feeling him shift inside you, “I love you too, Ren. Always did.”
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nicolinocolino · 18 hours
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@wolfstarmicrofic | May prompt #22: locked in a room | word count: 806
“You look silly like that.”
Sirius, with James’s invisibility cloak pulled up to his neck, was just a floating head bobbing next to Remus, following him around like a puppy on his prefect rounds.
Sirius winked and pinched Remus’s cheek. “Well, I’m out past curfew. Wouldn’t want to be caught.”
Remus blushed. Potent satisfaction swelled in Sirius’s chest.
Yet with only a week left until the end of their sixth year, he was tired of playing this game. Remus was never going to make the first move, which left the life altering decision on whether their friendship could survive love — requited or not, forever or not — up to Sirius.
“Stupid,” Remus mumbled, smiling.
Sirius pulled the cloak over his head and completely disappeared.
“Sirius. Stop it.”
Sirius giggled.
Remus stretched his arms out, trying to snatch the cloak. “Sirius, c’mon, where are you? You know what, whatever.”
Still hidden and following several long paces behind, Sirius let Remus walk all the way up to the seventh floor. “Moooooony,” he’d call every few minutes in a hollow voice, like a ghost. “Oh Moooooony.”
“Fuck oooooffffff,” Remus would sing back.
He acted annoyed, but Sirius saw the smile on Remus’s face. It was starting to feel dangerous being alone with him. Many a daydream involved this very scenario, with Sirius pulling Remus under the cloak, unseen, kissing him hot and fast until they were out of breath.
Sirius contemplated. His own thoughts made his face warm and zipped an energy through him he didn’t know what to do with, so he took off running. He didn’t try to hide the sound his pounding footsteps made.
“Sirius? AAHHHHG!”
Sirius tackled Remus around the middle, cloak slipping off his shoulder, knocking the wind out of them both. “Gotcha, Moons!”
Remus grabbed his shoulder and tried to pry him off. To Sirius’s surprise, he also pulled out his wand.
Sirius cackled. “Gonna hex me, Moony?”
“Thinking about it,” Remus exhaled, but pocketed it quickly. “You drive me nuts.”
“Tell me about it.” No, really, please tell me about it.
Arms still wrapped around Remus’s middle, their faces a breath away, Sirius could feel his heart beat incessantly in his temples, his longing almost giving him a headache. It would be so easy to kiss him right now.
“That’s odd.” Remus pulled away and Sirius let him.
“What?”
“The room of requirement just appeared.”
An intricately carved door, which was not there a moment ago, had nestled its way between two sleeping portraits.
Remus pulled the map from his pocket. Studying it, his eyebrows pinched together. “No one is around,” he said, looking up again and peeking down both ends of the hall. He turned back to Sirius. “Did you need something?”
“No,” Sirius lied. He was very certain he knew why the door had appeared.
“I wonder what’s inside…” Remus trailed.
Sirius very pointedly did not indulge him.
“Don’t you wonder?” Remus asked him, his annoyance turning playful. “Let’s go inside.” Remus held the door open for Sirius, and they both stepped across the threshold.
It was simply a broom closet. Cramped, dark, dusty.
“Well, this is stupid,” Remus mumbled. “Perhaps someone’s jinxed it?”
Sirius doubted it. “Maybe.”
“Let’s go then.” Remus reached for the door, but it was gone, as if it had never been there at all. He palmed the wall in a panic.
Sirius groaned and tipped his head back.
“It’s gone,” Remus breathed. “The door is gone.”
“It will come back,” Sirius calmed him.
“It’s jinxed,” Remus said to himself. “It’s a prank. Oh Merlin, is this what James was trying to tell us he was working on? I’m going to —“
“Moony. Moony.” Sirius grabbed Remus’s chin to turn his face towards him. They both stopped breathing. “It’s not jinxed.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I summoned the room,” Sirius grimaced. “On accident, but I think I did. And now it won’t let us out until I get what I asked it for.”
Remus’s eyes bounced across Sirius’s face. His stare lingered on his lips. “What did you ask it for?”
Sirius’s heart ambled up his throat until he was choking on its pulse. His grip, still on Remus’s chin, slid up to cradle his face. Sirius smoothed his thumb across Remus’s cheek, who leaned the weight of his head into Sirius’s hold. Fuck, why was this so easy and yet so hard?
“The courage to do this,” Sirius whispered, guiding Remus down to kiss him. Soft, slow, scared. When their lips met, his stomach flipped and his knees might’ve buckled.
Sirius felt Remus sigh in relief across his cheek. He threw his arms around his shoulders and felt himself be tugged in by the middle.
When they broke apart, amazed and grinning and on the verge of disbelieving laughter, the door was back.
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violetashfall · 3 days
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Holding it together.
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Where Carl cannot stop staring at the wrong person.
┊ ➶ 。˚
!basically fem reader - 3rd person!
[name] is described as strong and midsize. (My attempt at an) unmedicated ADHD-coded personality - comes off as someone with high anxiety.
Special tag: @elisiassideb1tch (Hope you like it)
Be warned 5k words.
Slightly Pretend Warnings;
The ‘misunderstanding’ trope is buried in here
Lots of Insecurity & Anxiety (She’s stressed as hell)
Idk, Carl’s a loser PT2 and putting his one eye to use!
It’s so damn long, the opener is mad. I highlighted the part where Carl finally comes in, but it’s very focused on “[name]” instead of Carl through most of it.
lil angsty
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The apocalypse wasn't an easy place, filled with more highways that killed you than took you anywhere needed, all roads tattered with dangerous potholes, deadends, or an invisible line that when crossed filled your stomach with animalistic fear, begging you to turn back.
That's what [names] mind felt like to her, each thought always led somewhere it shouldn't… and the only way she could turn it off was by hunting, she had to be quiet and precise, her thoughts stayed on the tracks she followed - and there was always a goal she could reach.
She couldn't say that about anything else, it didn't feel like it, nothing felt like there was an end to it, not even the end of the world.
…Throw yourself into something and you will succeed, that's what her dad always said - the man had problems but he knew how to teach her to hunt, to identify what mushrooms could be eaten, and what plants to nibble on for some extra energy. 
Wake up, get ready, go hunting, catch something, eat, bring some back, settle down for the night - and then repeat. Never. Stop. Moving. Never start thinking about what she could never forget… because she knew if she stopped, that inevitable burnout would hit far quicker than she could handle, that suffocating knowledge of what would happen when she stopped terrified her because then all she could do was think, lay there - isolated as she always was, and just think.
Since [name] always brought back food to share with Alexandira, people noticed the only thing that never seemed to start moving was her mouth, when someone talked to her she stayed quiet, her mind screaming at her to just run, to make them stop speaking to her, stop acknowledging her…
It became a rule in her mind to not acknowledge something that didn't want to exist, that shouldn’t exist, and in [names] mind, that was her - the thing that shouldn’t be, just like the virus, the walkers, the collapse of everything… It didn't just stem from simple teenage insecurity, it was born from the world killing itself around her, there was no security to be found in the decay, the security she desperately needed and others somehow found.
While she tried not to look at herself, acknowledge she existed, that she could be seen and heard, felt, touched, she still knew her capabilities - you didn’t need to look in the mirror to know how far you could push yourself until breaking point, to know you’re already being pushed, how that band squeezing you, keeping you together would soon snap. 
[name] knew she was strong, strong as whatever held her together, and even though she could hear that band around her groaning and feel it tightening, she didn’t stop moving, because if she kept moving then she didn’t have to think about the things that haunted her. 
She was glad she could still find some light, tracing through the forests, each and every sound filling her mind instead of her overwhelming thoughts… even the fear was downed out.
So when Rick Grimes asked if Carl could accompany her on her hunts, asking her to teach his son a thing or two about tracking and foraging - [name] had to make a decision.
It gnawed at her for nights, she never felt right telling someone no, and it felt selfish to know she didn't want to take Carl, to teach him something so vital to survival, the guilt ate her up, the countless hours her stomach turned and her hands perspired from knowing her safe place would be filled with a watcher who had one piercing blue eye. She couldn’t concentrate during the days that slowly passed… she never could unless she threw herself into whatever finally stuck… all to be unforgivingly spat out without warning whenever her mind decided it was time to let go of everything, anything but the worry that ate her alive.
Ultimately, [name] felt she had to say yes, that week Rick gave her to mull it over got cut short when she agreed after three days.
It was just helping out a boy her age …Still, she was expecting the worst from their first hunt, praying the day never came and also begging for it to be over with already.
Carl wasn’t late, but [name] was early, she had waited and waited until the day came, beating herself up over how this little thing was affecting her so much. She had been standing and watching the gates from afar, the restless half hour already making her pacing feet sore. She wasn’t impatient, she swore it… so why couldn’t she wait like a “normal” person? That was a question she didn’t want to hear the answer to, and luckily the thoughts were interrupted by a sheriff’s hat catching her attention - Carl Grimes moving up to the gates with a pip in his step.
Carl was a… cool kid. He talked a little funny and always wore a goofy grin around his small family… That was pretty much all she knew about him as she tried not to know who she was feeding - she could imagine feeling that anxiety of someone you know going over the walls, risking themselves, so she tried not to know anybody.
“...So, uh… do you like comics?” Carl asked after many minutes of complete, tense, silence. They had gotten past the gates 30 minutes ago and all [name] did was throw him a nod and a ‘let's go’ It was not what he expected from a girl with eyes as full as hers were.
Similar to [name], Carl had been counting the days too, how couldn’t he? She was such a mystery… one he had the opportunity to learn from.
The voiceless silence held for another minute, the sounds of Carl’s boots stumbling over a tree root broke through the atmospheric sounds, prompting [name] to finally answer, “...No.” her voice was quiet and her eyes kept locked forward - She didn't mean to seem so standoffish, or rude, she just couldn't help but feel panic when someone, anyone, questioned her… she didn’t get how she was supposed to teach him anything, trying to figure what to point out, trying to catch a trail to even begin the “lesson”.
Carl's lips parted and closed several times as he tried to figure out what to say - he hadn't met a kid his age who just didn't like comics or was so blunt about it, every teen in Alexandria had opened one, it was one of the only forms of entertainment for them. “Have you ever read any?”
[name’s] jaw tightened a little. It wasn't like she wanted to seem unapproachable, she just didn't want to be approached… “No,” She answered again, it felt odd to say no, the words didn’t quite fit her tongue. That time her voice had a slight waver of nervousness Carl didn’t catch.
“Can you say you don't like them if you've never tried?” Carl questioned, wanting to start something friendly, lips twitching as he tried not to speak more and more. He didn’t even see the anxiety in all her movements or catch the uneasy glances she threw around the forest. 
What would a girl like her have to be anxious about? …Other than the obvious of an apocalypse... she just seemed capable enough to deal with it on her own. Carl thought so, most people did, but [name] knew she wasn't. She resented herself for it - these were things she didn’t want anyone to uncover, so she didn’t answer his question with anything more than a shrug, keeping it short, nothing to grab on to and use for more conversation… more guilt inevitably built up.
Carl moved beside her as they walked, eye soon trained on her arm as her unbuttoned flannel draped off it. A part of him wanted to feel jealous that she was obviously stronger than him, insecure that the girl was in much better shape for the apocalypse - but instead, all he got was a lousy crush, one he had held for a few months, he was very curious about the girl who could out-hunt Daryl Dixon, had been since he saw 2 guards help her lug a deer into Alexandria.
[name] looked at Carl, feeling a slight glare coming along as she tugged her dropped sleeve back over her arm - feeling something she could only describe as insecurity crash over her in a heated wave. She finally realised how much Carl was eyeing her - looking at her more than she had herself in weeks.
She kept moving, hoping that embarrassed blush wouldn't follow her, that the worries and stupid insecurities wouldn't either, but they all followed her… reminding her of each and every emotion she was trying to suppress so desperately.
It was supposed to be her time, hunting, alone as always, the one thing she could do without losing interest, without failing - but now she had a watcher, someone trying to learn off her - someone acknowledging every move she made, all while trying to perceive her. She felt so weak when she realised she wanted to cry, that it was too much, that she was so overwhelmed - she didn’t know how to cool down, all she could do was wait.
Carl quickly diverted his attention when he realised he got caught staring - not quite feeling like the blind idiot he should have, he didn’t know she was insecure, didn't even think she could be. 
She reminded him of certain women in his vintage comic books, the statuesque aliens from female-dominated planets, how they were drawn with strong, rounded arms and shapely legs with wide hips he just wanted to touch, how they dipped before meeting outer thigh. He quite liked those comics and began favouring them the older he got, looking over the pages for longer than he’d care to admit… Looking over [name] more than he’d care to admit.
These women were always depicted with poisonously neon skin and skimpy studded outfits, completely unrealistic, in all ways–Carl assumed. He didn’t believe he’d actually see a body reflect the shapes on paper so well, but there [names] body was, hidden under loose clothes that draped over her hips as if it were carefully chiselled marble, Carl was sure she was Aphrodite’s favourite creation.
[name] peeked over her shoulder to see Carl staring at her legs, lips closed yet jaw slightly slack… [name] thought he was about to talk with such an expression on his face. She looked forward again, cheeks flushed red and suddenly everything sounded too loud, time passed too slow, and she felt too seen, too judged. How was she supposed to believe she had caught an admirer when she was hellbent on pretending she didn't exist?
“You see everything around us? Can you tell how many animals and how little walkers move through here?” She asked Carl, desperately trying to get his attention off of her. She was not so subtly directing his attention to some animal tracks they could follow, anything to get his eye off her. Carl tore his stare away from her legs, her hips - looking around at what the hell he was supposed to find, “I think there are some rabbits that pass through?” He questioned, pointing at the small uneven breaks in the dirt, printed with hops of lucky little rabbit feet, he could also catch some chew marks on low plants - didn't that mean they were safe to eat?
[name] nodded her head, a slight shrug to her shoulders as her fists clenched and unclenched. “Mhm, good job.” She began walking to find a fresh trail to set Carl on, but Carl found it hard to walk without his knees wobbling for a second. Her murmured praise doing things to him - the person he admired so fully had complimented him. 
Maybe his desperation to know her was from how aloof she seemed, how she didn’t look him in the eye or make conversation, she just seemed so uninterested in him - it made him want to get her attention so badly. He was so oblivious to how nervous he made her, everyone made her… So he started conversation again.
“So, how’d you learn this stuff?” He asked, following after her as he secured the bandage around his eye again, trying to stop his gawking by only looking at her face, he needed to see her rounded cheeks swell with a smile someday. 
[name] tried to take some inconspicuous deep breaths, frustration flooding through her since he kept prying at her. [name] was trying to find the rabbit's tracks, trying not to break down and cry like the little child she felt she was... All she felt like she did was try sometimes, try and fail, but she didn’t fold that time, she kept a straight face, unaffected, “confident”...
“Let's follow these tracks.” She diverted - not wanting to answer his question. [name] found herself unable to straighten her neck from the slouch she walked in, an attempt at looking intrigued by the rabbit tracks she’d seen thousands of times before.
Carl nodded his head, once again failing to make eye contact with her at the rare time she wasn’t ahead of him. He shook his head, ready to try again any chance he got.
[name] knew she had to find a way to get behind him, let him feel like he was accomplishing something so he didn’t focus on her so entirely.
The little silence didn't last long, and neither did [names] mock interest, looking around the forest like she was trying to find something - only seeing trees, more trees, and maybe an extra tree. 
Carl snuck up beside her as they slowly followed the trail, eye smoothly travelling to her after pretending the sky was so interesting, “The– uh, how you learnt?” He quickly fumbled what was supposed to be a smooth reminder, “--to hunt?” he cleared up like he meant to, cheeks puffing for a split second as he awkwardly coughed. “How’d you learn to hunt?”
[name] actually sighed at that, her step buffering for a moment when she realised what she had done, “Um, my dad?” She said, actually replying in a clearer tone, voice surprisingly gentle, subtly apologising for the irritability she showed, even if he may not have caught it, “He taught me, we lived in a small place… our backyard was basically a hunting ground.” To anyone, she’d sound friendly, open–but she felt like a Gecko dropping its tail, she was giving herself time to escape, to think of a plan to answer the least amount of questions she could while he thought on the one she had already given him.
Carl’s eyebrow raised, looking around at the tracks again as he subconsciously led, not noticing how she purposely kept dragging on a step to slow down and get behind him. 
“That’s cool, deep in the woods?” He questioned, rolling his shoulders as he took more notice of the forest around them. [name] nodded her head, finally looking at him now he wasn’t staring at her, “Yeah, a super shabby cabin.” she rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the ache slowly subside.
Carl knew better than to ask about family, even though he was so curious. “That’s cool, you must feel more prepared than all of us.”
[name] wanted to disagree, she wanted her opinion known to such an assuming boy, but at the same time, she couldn't find any real desire to speak, not enough. Not nearly enough.
Carl realised she wasn't going to answer, what was he supposed to ask next? “Do you think these trails go on for long?” he thought that probably sounded like a stupid question, but what else was he supposed to ask? When he looked back at her, he managed to catch her eye contact for a second before she looked away. He had a little smile trying to curve the corner of his lips, finally... She had looked him in the eye.
“Maybe, they’re new…ish, we’ll see.” She tried to urge him to continue walking by picking up her pace, hoping he’d copy. The day had already been too long and it was only an hour since they left the walls, more and more were to be accumulated.
 “...You’re out here a lot,” Carl murmured. Simple enough, as long as he got a few mumbles back he’d keep speaking. His mind raced with other questions though, mouth barely parted to prompt more and more, already itching for another answer. [name] wanted to roll her eyes again, feeling guilt pooling out her palms as she rubbed the anxious dew off and onto her jeans. “Mhm, Gotta be.”
“You sound like Daryl,” Carl chuckled, shaking his head a little at his thought, “do you know him?” He slowed his steps, trying to walk beside her in the awkwardly small path, a hand on the top of his hat so it didn’t get knocked off by all the tigs knocking his head.
“No.” She didn’t know anyone, Carl was bound to find out what a loser she was that day, something she didn’t want - why couldn't she just ghost her way through life? It’d be easier. She rubbed her eyebrow and took a big deep breath - Carl seeing what a nervous move that was got comforted by it, he wasn’t alone in his awkwardness anymore, “Oh… Have you ever talked to him?”
“No.” When was the last time she said ‘no’ so much? When she was a toddler throwing a tantrum after wearing the wrong socks? “--He grunted at me once, after I spooked him while sitting in a tree, I didn’t mean to - he didn’t know I was there until I snapped a twig.” She hated how much she was talking, it felt wrong, everything felt wrong.
Carl laughed a little, watching as her movements grew more anxious the longer she spoke - he assumed he’d get the reverse effect - how was he supposed to get her comfortable around him? She was out of his league, he didn’t get her, but he was hellbent on trying, “Sounds like him… You climb?”
Of course she climbed, you needed to climb better than you could run in the apocalypse, “Do you?” She asked, looking around again - clearly not focused on the trail at all, barely following after his steps. Carl didn’t know he’d be leading so fast, he didn’t mind though - it was nice to believe she thought him capable. “Yeah,” He nodded, voice cracking slightly - his freckled nose scrunching as his throat betrayed him, he wasn’t all that good at climbing, but he had to butter himself up.
[names] brows cocked with a lazy nod, once again Carl realised she wasn’t about to add anything else. She wasn’t a very talkative teacher, a part of him liked she was just letting him find things out on his own - he hadn’t got such aloof treatment from anyone else, and he didn’t seem to be a helpless kid in her mind. “You just sit in trees, huh?”
[name] felt his tone was mocking, creating trouble in her mind that wasn’t real. “Mhm,” She murmured her eyes moving to him and settling on his shoulders.
“That, that's cool…” He mumbled with a shrug, looking back to the trail as he tried to salvage the situation, why did he feel like he said the wrong thing? He was confused. “I bet you.. See a lot…” He dryly ended, mentally facepalming at his dull observation.
“Sometimes.” [name] replied, on the verge of becoming completely monosyllabic. She felt her stomach twist further, the back of her throat burning as the pressure to keep talking kept getting harder and harder to ignore, “Better to take a break in a tree than on the ground, don’t want to get eaten.”
Carl had a hard time listening to her mumble, but he caught it enough to reply, “Oh, right. Yeah, that’s true.” He sniffled airily, following the rabbity trail around a tree as the animal seemed to have drifted to the right. “Better safe than sorry,” He had to suppress the groan that wanted to come out–using parental sayings would totally woo her, right?
[name] hummed softly, a short moment that seemed to make all the sounds in the forest go silent for Carl. “My dad used to say that,” She said a little too naturally for her own liking. Carl peeked at her from the corner of his eye, did he ask about her father now? Would that be too much? 
“My dad does too,” Safe enough, he thought, nodding his head as he picked up his pace to get some of that uncomfortable energy out.
The trail went on and on, and so did Carl’s thoughts the longer voiceless time seemed to pass, wondering who he was alone with.
…did she have friends? Who were they? Why were they her friends and he wasn’t? His thoughts bounced around–It’s not like he knew many people his age, there was Ron, dead. And there was Mikey but they drifted apart, luckily Enid stuck around - his second best friend after Michonne… Maybe [name] knew Enid? The two girls were practically the only ones in Alexandria. “Do you know Enid?” He broke the silence that had stretched for half an hour while they slowly trailed after the rabbit prints. [name] jumped a little, getting reminded she wasn’t alone as they had stopped for a minute. Carl searched around, trying to recatch the trail that went cold while she knelt to examine some mushrooms growing near the trees. 
“...Your girlfriend?” She questioned - Carl was close to going red, his head whipping around to look at the girl who was poking at ghostly white mushrooms. “No! No–” He said, desperately trying to sound available to her - it didn’t help that [name] finally looked over her shoulder at him, eyes meeting his one. He was frozen, quickly cracking that ice that caused his muscles to go stiff and looked away. “She’s my best friend…” He mumbled, glancing at her to see something he didn’t expect - a cheeky fucking smirk that made his heart drop.
“Oh,” [name] said, examining the mushrooms once more, believing Carl just had a thing for the girl if he was acting shy and defensive. “No, I don’t. She’s sweet though, I’ve heard her laugh.” 
Carl's brow furrowed, that was… cute. Would she say nice things about him to someone else?
[name] plucked a mushroom from the ground, standing up and moving towards Carl, twirling the capped fungi between two fingers. “You know what this is?” She asked, the prior silence that settled on them got her to calm some nerves, the deeper they got into the forest the more and more brush built up, and the closer the trees got - the harder it became for walkers to get through. Semi-safe, bustling with wildlife and plants that caught her eye… easy to ignore Carl’s presence that made her so nervous.
“Um,” He blinked, watching as she walked close - trying not to check her out anymore than he already had. “Is it... Edible?” He questioned, almost trying to get a hint, he wished he listened to Maggie more when she pointed out mushrooms to Glenn.
“No,” She said, “It’s very poisonous,” She told him, a brow raising. Carl saw how the plant interested her - finally, he found something she liked. Now he had to know everything about mushrooms. She spoke up again to his delight, “They’re usually just called Destroying Angel mushrooms, they're very pretty - right? But they can kill you.”
‘Like you’ Carl wanted to mutter, wondering why she was touching it if it was so poisonous, but he would touch her even if poison seeped from her skin, so… “You can touch it?” He asked, stepping closer to look at the mushroom, forgetting about the trail completely. “Yeah, but it’s best not to, just in case.” She shrugged, Carl unable to look away from her face again as his heart did flips - maybe all she needed was a mushroom to talk about and she was off - like him and his comics. He found her too sweet, “Oh, so… It’s only dangerous if you eat them?”
[name] nodded, catching his piercing blue eye for a second before her stomach got all tight again - quite mortified she was speaking so freely, having forgotten Carl was an actual person with thoughts, and quickly remembering his staring problem that got insecurities to swallow her whole. “Yeah, I’ve seen some deer nibble on them, I’m not sure if they’re edible to them or if they don’t eat enough to get sick.” She decided to throw some more information out, she was supposed to be teaching him after all… 
Carl couldn’t figure out how to respond, what was happening? Did he throw out another “cool”? A “that's so awesome”? He stayed quiet to his horror, but [name] didn’t seem to mind at all, if anything she preferred the silence. 
“Have you lost the trail? Need me to help?” She asked, moving away from the boy as he fidgeted with his sheriff's hat.  As Carl stuttered a sentence, brain lagging as he tried to say no - but she had already pinpointed where it started again, little black boots continuing through the uneven grass the rabbit had hopped through. She decided to say some more, figuring out just how to keep him quiet, she’d try his ego next - giving him another compliment to fill his mind instead of curiosity, “You’re doing really good, I thought you’d lose the trail much earlier than this.” God, she felt so awkward.
“Thanks?” He said as he caught up to her, not knowing if she was dissing him by assuming he’d lose it quicker than he did, but he couldn’t deny how happy he felt that she said he was great… well, doing great. “...Say we do find rabbits, do we just… bring them back? Do I get to shoot?” He asked, not exactly wanting to kill fluffy little creatures, but he knew he had to suck it up, he planned on living until his last elderly breath - and he had to be able to hunt if that was going to happen, scavenging was already becoming harder and harder.
“Sure, If you want.” She agreed, nodding her head as she answered his questions, “They’re just rabbits.. they shouldn’t be hard to bring back.” She shrugged her shoulders, feeling more comfortable around him if she ignored how he had stared at her… But she wasn’t the best at ignoring intrusive thoughts, the ones that told her he was judging her.
“Right, yeah.” Carl nodded, eye flickering with a blink as the sun that leaked through the forest's canopy pooled into his pupil, if only he didn’t look like an idiot when wearing sunglasses. “Um, do you take many breaks?” He wondered, he didn’t want to seem weak like he needed breaks - but he was one-eyed with a dodgy ear canal: he got dizzy easily - it meant he did indeed need breaks, the ones he usually refused to take…
[name] wanted to say no, tell him the truth, but Rick had warned her about his son's difficulty after the poor boy got shot in the face - Carl had easy enough needs to accommodate, god knows she had them too, ones that weren’t as simple as his. “Yeah, of course.” She nodded her head, she was ready for one thing - and that was making it easy on Carl to get through the hunt - because if she was easy on him, that meant less would go wrong, no extra difficulty to overcome. “Would you like one now?” She questioned. Carl shook his head - playing it cool, “No,” He told her before reluctantly adding, “Maybe in 20 minutes?” He knew his limits, and he couldn’t risk pushing them too far with [name] bearing witness.
“Sounds good,” She agreed, not knowing how she was supposed to have a break, what was she supposed to do? Just sit..? What if it turned into her never wanting to get up again? That had happened more times than she could count.
Carl began following the trail quicker than before, fumbling limbs rushing to impress her with pretend ease he didn’t really have. The longer he spent in the forest the more things he began messing up, he thought she'd be tough about it, but she just silently pointed to the tracks he missed when he got too twisted up. he needed a break half an hour ago, but he could push himself a little further - just for her. 
Tracking through the forest wasn’t easy for Carl if he wasn’t getting distracted by how [name] moved it was his headache that began building, it didn’t matter how many sips of water he took he needed to take a painkiller, ones he didn’t like using knowing someone else could need them more than him, but he needed to be his best self in front of [name] so he discreetly took a few when she wasn’t looking.
“Can we take a break?” He rubbed the back of his head, feet planted on the ground as dizziness fogged his mind, ready to sit and wait for the medication to kick in. 
[name] looked at Carl as she paused with him, seeing a small grimace on his face - Rick had warned her about the migraines. “Good spot to sit a while,” She agreed, kicking her boots through some fallen leaves, hand getting placed on the trunk of a tree she resisted climbing up instinctively - despite what Carl said earlier, she couldn’t imagine he’d be in a good place to climb. She could sit on the ground that once, she didn’t always need to be on full alert... Right?
Moving to a small clearing, [name] sat down on littered grass, able to see little bugs move through the dirt. Carl watched as she sat, not so sneakily trying to sit beside her… staring at her from the corner of his eye, yet he couldn’t do it for long, finally giving into the urge to lean back against a tree and cover his vision with his hat, blocking out the bright light that had been taunting him ever since he got shot.
[name] watched with some curiosity, seeing how the boy just… stopped. He made it look easy, like a choice, she wanted to copy him - to see if she could get used to breaks too. She took a tense breath, shuffling to rest against the tree closest to her. She leaned back, slowly closing her eyes, ankles crossed over each other as her head fell back against wood.
The more [name] thought about it the easier she felt around him, Carl was damaged too - maybe she didn’t have to wear a full mask around him, well, a full suit of armour was the better description... 
Maybe agreeing to Rick’s request wasn’t so bad after all, because there she sat - for once able to stop without her thoughts filling the depths of her mind with draining worry… Maybe the rest of her day wouldn’t be so bad…
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SO, I’m impressed if you read this far! I had so much fun writing this, I got stuck many times near the “end”… still, I’m hoping to make a little series :) Confession time: I haven't watched TWD in a year, I’m so scared to rewatch it because jesusss do I get jealous (Of a zombie apocalypse, I know..) I get a little crazy and so despondent, I think I’m gonna flip through clips so I remember how the characters act instead.
I’m so surprised I’m publishing another Carl story before I posted a Ron or Enid one, but It got prompted by a request from a lovely person so how couldn't I?!? It’s so long but I feel like I have much more I wanted to write anyway...
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pjohoo-reclists · 2 days
Note
hi! do you have any percico fic recommendations? i’m sure you do but i couldn’t find them, lol
Actually I dont have any posted yet!! Here you go. Thanks for the request. Enjoy!!
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo Fic Recs
A list of fics featuring the romantic relationship between Percy Jackson and Nico di Angelo.
Dog Sled Racing by robindrake93
T | 600 words | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Puppies, Fluff, Short One Shot
Percy and Nico try to train Mrs. O'Leary's puppies.
To Give Yourself To Someone by cabin13 (friendlypeach) 
T | 1.0k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo, Nico di Angelo & Grover Underwood, Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood
Wedding Fluff, Speeches, Married Couple
Percy laughs, watching one of his closest friends stand up, almost bringing the tablecloth with him. “You’re being ridiculous!” Nico yells as Grover runs to the centre of the room. Eyes alight, slightly shadowed by black curls, a smile pushing insistently at his lips even as he tries to tamp it down – Nico is glowing with happiness. They’ve come a long way. And there's longer to go, still. Percy grabs his husband’s hand, warmth blooming in his chest.
a well-known fact about feelings by nlieco (madin456)
G | 1.3k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Angst with a Happy Ending, Internalized Homophobia
The thing about being a boy and liking another boy is: it’s not supposed to happen.
A Happy Ending by HK44
G | 1.5k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Fluff, Happy Ending, Domesticity
People make jokes that Percy would never handle domesticity. That he attracts danger like Hazel attracts cursed metals. He laughs along because they’re not wrong.
Something Bitter by sulucandles
G | 1.9k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Canon Compliant, One sided, Coming Out
Percy's not as oblivious as everyone thinks he is. Or an examination into Nico and Percy's relationship through PJO and HoO
It's a Seal! by Takara_Phoenix
G | 1.9k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
AU - No gods, Merman Percy, Selkie Percy
Nico loves the aquarium, especially the turles and one marine biologist in particular.
My College Boyfriend by Takara_Phoenix
T | 3.0k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Good boyfriend Percy Jackson, Fluff, Age Difference
Nico is seventeen and the best damn thing that has ever happened to him is his five years older boyfriend, Percy Jackson. Now if only Nico's friends would believe him that gloomy, anti-social Nico could land a gorgeous college student... Something always came up when Nico wanted to introduce them and at this point, Percy is known as Nico's imaginary boyfriend. Good thing Percy is awesome and knows how to change that though.
Pass the Eggs by DancingInTheSliverGlow
G | 3.1k | Complete
Percy Jackson & Nico di Angelo, Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Canon Compliant, Protective Percy Jackson, Gay disaster Nico di Angelo
“Yes.” Percy says. “You don’t have to befriend everyone in Camp Half Blood. I just want you to have somewhere you feel safe and welcome. Okay?” A lump forms in his throat, and Nico looks away. It’s been a long time since anyone has looked out for him, the way Percy is doing now. He nods. “Great!” Percy grins, ear to ear, and Nico thinks that it’s a bit like looking in the sun. Beautiful in small quantities, but overwhelming and blinding in too much. Percy speeds off to his room to get changed and to get his skateboards, and Nico leans back against the wall in the hallway, head in his hands. He’s so, so far in over his head. Aka. Post BotL Nico visits Percy. They talk about how Nico's powers are perceived, and about how camp half blood treats children of the big three.
Perspective by chiiyo86
T | 6.0k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo, Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson
AU - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Outsider POV
Sally knows her son, knows that something isn't right. She just isn't sure what he could be hiding from her.
A Bat in the Hand by Takara_Phoenix 
G | 8.9k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Fluff, AU - Supernatural Elements, Vet Percy
Percy is a hard-working student, on his way to become a vet, because he loves animals. And then a cute, little bat crash-lands on his balcony. Of course he has to take the little guy in and nurse him back to health. Nico is a dangerous and powerful vampire lord. And then he has a run-in with vampire hunters and, in his bat-form, loses conscience and crashes on a balcony.
Some of Them by betsib
M | 11k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Abuse
Percy haven't seen Nico di Angelo in five years, then he suddenly turns up in Percy's living room in the middle of the night, injured and asking for help. At first Percy thinks it's a fight gone wrong, but he soon realizes the truth is far worse than that.
you're never lost at sea by kat777
M | 20k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Angst with a Happy Ending, Self-Acceptance, Suicidal Thoughts
The second time he tries to kill himself, Percy doesn’t talk his ear off, just gives him an ultimatum—he can either come live with Percy and Annabeth in their apartment in New Rome, or Percy will tell Hazel what he’s done. Nico pictures the devastated look on her face, the tears welling up in her eyes, her lips trembling and pressed in a thin line. Percy says he has a choice, and it makes Nico laugh for the first time since the battle at the House of Hades, because it’s no choice at all. OR, Nico attempts suicide, Percy saves him, and years pass before either of them are even remotely all right.
Kiss a Boy in Tokyo Town by antistar_e (kaikamahine)
T | 57k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo, Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase
Novella, Infidelity
You know what they say, Percy Jackson. If you can't stand the heat, get out of hell.
Enriched By Envy by HK44
M | 63k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Magic, Protectiveness, Dark Percy Jackson
Waking up at the bottom of the ocean was not on Nico's bucket list. Trying to figure out why Percy was suddenly so clingy and possessive of him wasn't on there either.
The Case of the Dying Flower by chiiyo86
E | 72k | Complete
Percy Jackson/Nico di Angelo
Murder Mystery, Slow burn, Soul Bond
It's not that Nico has been avoiding Percy for the past two years, of course not. It's just that he doesn't like to be reminded of the stupid crush he had on him when he was younger. So when Percy seeks him out with the message that the goddess Aphrodite wants to see both of them, Nico is less than enthusiastic. Before he knows it, he finds himself forcibly bonded to Percy and they're sent on a strange quest: solving a murder that happened thousands of years ago and whose primary suspects are gods.
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codenamesazanka · 2 days
Text
OKAY. Got it. Shigaraki dies, and goes back in time. To the day OFA was transferred to Deku…
rough idea/summary [part 1]
Shigaraki wakes up in a bed in the Doc’s lab, head pounding, crazy vertigo, feeling awful. Apparently he had suddenly collapsed. Kurogiri brought him to the Doctor, who didn’t seem to find anything wrong with him. AFO is there to check on his ward. 
As the Doctor runs some more tests, Shigaraki tries to regain his bearings. Try to make sense of himself, his surroundings, all the stuff swirling around in his mind. Shigaraki tells AFO that he had a dream, where he died. There was a war, a big one, between Heroes and Villains. He destroyed a lot of things. He fought until the very end to destroy. 
AFO listens, smiles, saying that it sounds like a good dream. Is that what you want, Tomura? To destroy everything? 
Shigaraki considers, and says, Maybe. He considers some more: everything that happened in his 'dream' - all his suddenly now-recovered memories, his new knowledge and experiences. A whole life he just had, and a death.
He's read about this before... mostly in badly-written online light novels. Someone going back in time and getting a second chance. Re-doing their life, with various cheats, to right everything. Taking a different path, taking missed opportunities, taking revenge; all to become a hero, fulfilling their dreams. Absurd power fantasy stuff.
So what’s his stupid power fantasy? What does he want? Shigaraki thinks, and out of everything that just happened/will apparently happen... there's only the League that comes to mind. 
In those light novels, the main character always has to tread lightly, has to keep everything a secret and pretend nothing is wrong and keep walking along the old familiar path until he has harassed the power to change things... But Shigaraki considers killing AFO (again) right here and now. So he confronts AFO the way he never got a chance to do.
Sensei. In my dream...You told me that you gave me my quirk. And not just that. You told me that everything that happened was because of you.
AFO is caught, smile frozen... but then relaxes to a real smile again; laughs. It's a surprise, to be sure, but it's wonderful. AFO has always looked for a time travel quirk. To think that one does actually exist...
Plus, it looks like AFO really had raised Tomura successfully. AFO thought such a revelation would shatter him, but Tomura braved through it. He's still here. A strong, ironclad willpower - exactly what AFO wanted, after all.
So let's get started.
Shigaraki tries to attack/defend, but AFO is faster, stronger, and has that Rivet Stab quirk, literally pinning Shigaraki down.
Foolish child, biting the hand that fed you. AFO monologues - without him, Tomura wouldn't even exist. AFO made him; he belongs to AFO, always had, always will. All that Tomura is, AFO gave to him. And now Tomura will give it all back. 
With that, AFO tries to take Decay—but for some reason, he can't. 
Because Shigaraki was the one who was able to steal Danger Sense from OFA; the one who was able to reject being given OFA, even. And now, if he doesn't want to let Decay go, then AFO can't take it. Shigaraki is the one with the stronger willpower, and he is so much more than AFO has made him. He's so much more than AFO can ever be.
Taking advantage of AFO being momentarily stunned, Shigaraki is able to free himself. He has to break and slice apart his hand, but still, he's free, so he proceeds to decay AFO. Hand to his head, hand to his chest, hand through to the heart. Decays every last bit of flesh he can grab and clench into nothingness. Super-regeneration can't help here.
(Moments too late, proto-Noumu is unleashed by the Doctor to stop Shigaraki, but Shigaraki decays them too. And part of the lab, for good measure.)
It's a bloodbath. ❤️
Afterwards, Shigaraki confronts a cowering Doctor, his aura of fear literally immobilizing the old man. Knowing AFO and the Doc, they probably have a backup plan or five. A copy of AFO (quirk) somewhere, obviously, but what else? A clone? Some sort of memory transfer to a digital brain? The Doc is unable to answer, but Shigaraki doesn't care too much about it right now. Just don't even try digging those out. Shigaraki will deal with him later - there are things Shigaraki needs to confirm and deal with first.
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dindjarindiaries · 2 days
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Din Djarin & Hunter: The Rhyming of Two Star Wars Dads (Analysis)
Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) and Hunter (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) are two Star Wars characters who both end up becoming a primary caretaker for, and ultimately adopting, a child in need. Their journeys share even more similarities than what meets the eye, telling a tale of love, loss, and eventual peace for each of them.
Both stories begin with Din and Hunter at their status quo. For Din, this is a lone life of bounty hunting, providing for his hidden Mandalorian tribe. He's good at what he does, and he seems to enjoy it. He's made a name for himself as "the best in the parsec" and he's proud of that reputation.
For Hunter, this is leading his squad to a 100% success rate during the Clone Wars. He's often described affectionately as a "frat boy" in this era for his behavior, which sees him acting much like an adrenaline junkie who truly enjoys the rush of battle and action. He enjoys the fact that the Bad Batch's reputation precedes them.
Then, both men come across a child. (Ironically, it's revealed that these children are both technically older than Din and Hunter, which is a fascinating similarity.)
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This complicates things for both men. Din is instantly conflicted by the morality of what he's doing; he's supposed to be turning this child in for a price. But as someone who lost his family at such a young age and would have been lost in the galaxy had it not been for the Mandalorians, how can he fathom doing that? Still, he does end up sticking to the Guild code and doing what he initially signed up for, and he turns in Grogu.
Hunter is genuinely confused about Omega at first, but the more she tries to fit in with their squad, the more that confusion is exchanged for worry. He knows the galaxy is changing quickly with the rise of the Empire and that his squad often brings trouble wherever they go. For her sake, he finds it best to have her keep her distance, and he leaves Kamino despite her warning of what's to come.
And when both men find out these children are at risk, they're faced with a life-changing decision: will they sacrifice the life they've always known for this child?
It's an easy yes for both.
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Both these men make major sacrifices to save these children. Din goes against his livelihood and even receives assistance from his covert on Nevarro, which puts them all in danger. He only narrowly escapes, and even as he does, he has no idea what his next steps are. His life is forever changed.
Hunter takes his squad back to Kamino and is immediately imprisoned with Omega. He loses Crosshair at the hands of the Empire because of this, and he has to leave him behind to get away safely. With no Republic backing them up anymore, Hunter now has to protect a child and care for his squad in an ever-changing galaxy.
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Their first stop is meant to help them lay low and start figuring things out. For Din, that's on Sorgan, where he meets Cara Dune, Omega, and the Sorgan villagers. He gets a glimpse at what a peaceful life would look like, and how Grogu seems to enjoy it. Din insists that's not a life he can ever give Grogu, and so he tries to leave Grogu there, but a threat to his safety (and no doubt some of Grogu's own desire to stay with his new father figure) leads Din to keeping the child with him.
The Batch's stop on Saleucami serves a very similar purpose. Hunter sees the life Cut and Suu have with their children, and he sees how happy it makes Omega to live amongst the kids and simply enjoy a peaceful life. He believes it's not something he and the squad can ever give her, so he decides to have her go with Cut and Suu. But just as with Din, the galaxy has other plans, and Omega stays with her new father figure and brothers.
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From there, both men struggle with two primary things: first, their new role as a protector to a child, and second, life on the run. Din needs a way to make credits, but cannot return to work from the Guild. He agrees to questionable jobs to make this possible, all to keep both himself and the child in his charge alive. In the meantime, he's constantly dodging betrayals, from Toro Calican to his old gang, all while Grogu is being pursued by various bounty hunters.
Hunter also knows he needs credits, or else his squad cannot survive. This is complicated even further by Omega being under threat by bounty hunters. It leads Hunter to agreeing to Cid's less-than-ideal partnership, which sees them completing mercenary work for a rather lousy share of credits. He also struggles with the betrayal of Crosshair, who catches up to them on two different occasions.
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Everything culminates for these men when it's time to return to the planets where everything started. For Din, he knows he cannot continue to outrun the Empire and their bounty hunters. The only way both he and Grogu will be freed is by taking out the Client. He gives himself up to get closer access, but this plan quickly backfires when the true mastermind behind it all arrives. Din nearly sacrifices his life to save Grogu and his allies, but in the end, a droid makes a heroic sacrifice to help save everyone and see them to the other side—keeping himself and his child safe for the time being.
Hunter doesn't get as much of a choice at first. He sacrifices himself to let his squad get away on Daro, and he falls into the Empire's—and Crosshair's—captivity. This leads them all back to Kamino, much to Hunter's displeasure. Though they survive through the Empire's and Crosshair's initial plan, they nearly meet their demise due to the destruction of Kamino. It is yet again a droid who sacrifices himself to save them, though he at least makes it through. Hunter has thus gotten himself, his child, and his squad on the other side safely, but only for the time being.
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It's at this point these men's stories begin to differ, yet still share many similarities in the process. Din has been sent on a mission by the Armorer to reunite Grogu with his kind, and this is what defines much of his journey in The Mandalorian season 2. The overall theme is the same, however: Din doing whatever it takes to protect Grogu, and even considering a life or a possibility that Grogu wants to stay with him for a lifetime.
Hunter's main concern in The Bad Batch season 2 is keeping Omega and the rest of the squad safe. He, similarly to Din but for different reasons, continues to lead his squad into missions, but at the core of it all is his desire to protect—and a search for a deeper purpose. Pabu is what helps him realize what that would be, and that a life of peace could actually be possible for him, Omega, and the squad.
(This is where things begin to get less linear. We'll be going back to The Mandalorian season 2 even as we discuss The Bad Batch season 3.)
Then comes a pivotal event for both men: the inevitable separation of them and the child in their charge. Din's is difficult for him in the way that he knows it's right, but it's still hard to give up the relationship he has with the child he's come to love. He's sacrificed so much for Grogu, and now he has to let him go. It's a devastatingly bittersweet moment that begins a new chapter for Din. Unfortunately, it's not a great chapter, as he becomes lost in his grief for the missing child.
Hunter loses both Tech and Omega, both of which he feels heavily responsible for. Neither loss is something he had control of. What's worse is the irreversibility of Tech's loss, and the difficulty of getting Omega back. He's at his lowest, having lost so much, and he too is overwhelmed by this grief—but also an intense determination to get back Omega, at all costs. Both men have now been changed, but not necessarily for the better.
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The path ahead is dark for both men. The Book of Boba Fett finds Din unable to do what used to be easy for him, nearly failing a bounty hunting mission and giving himself a horrible injury in the process. It's only made worse by him being excommunicated from his tribe for removing his helmet, sending him on an even worse spiral. He's certainly at his lowest, with only a few allies there to support him along the way. He's even refused a chance to see Grogu, and though he could go against this, he chooses what's best for his son again.
Hunter is making rash decisions in his and Wrecker's quest to find Omega when The Bad Batch season 3 rolls around. The usual level-headed sergeant is impatient and impulsive in his desperation, with Wrecker having to act as the voice of reason quite often. Like Din, he certainly isn't himself anymore, and the things that used to come easily don't anymore—even his enhanced senses. Though he still helps others and does what he thinks is best for the children, he's utterly lost.
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Then, a glimmer of light and hope returns. Din is suddenly reunited with Grogu, and even amidst the chaos of the battle for Mos Espa, Din stops everything to enjoy the moment. It's an emotional reunion which informs viewers that Grogu will be staying with Din for the long run.
Hunter also gets his light returned to him, and like Din, it's his child who finds him first. This reunion is nothing short of emotional, especially with the shared relief both Hunter and Omega have to be back in each other's arms. It's obvious at this point that Hunter and Omega (and Wrecker) want nothing more than to enjoy being a family for the long run.
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This is where The Bad Batch season 3 begins to echo the latter half of The Mandalorian season 2. Going back in time for Din, he's completing missions to get answers on Grogu, most notably about the Jedi and where he can find them. He helps his allies along the way, but his main priority is always protecting Grogu and getting the answers he's seeking.
This is much of what Hunter does with Wrecker and Crosshair after Omega's been returned to them. He and Wrecker even team up with Fennec Shand (an ally of Din's as well) to get the answers they're looking for regarding Omega. They also help Echo and Rex, but their main priority is keeping Omega safe from the Empire and finding out what exactly it is about her that they're so eager to get.
Then comes the pivotal capture. Din and Grogu are on Tython when the Empire catches up to them, and Din can't be in two places at once. He has to go out and fight, leaving Grogu vulnerable in the process. This allows the Dark Troopers to get a hold of him and whisk him away, just after Din's trusty ship—the one that was much like a home to him—is destroyed. By the end, Din is left with no leads on Grogu's location, and no ship of his own.
Hunter and the Batch are on Pabu when the Empire finds them. Their ship is also destroyed, taking away what was once their home—and their only means of escape. Hunter has to leave Omega in Crosshair's care as he tries his best to find them a way out. Rather than being taken by force, however, Omega gives herself up, but Crosshair's missed shot also leaves them in the same situation as Din: no ship, and no leads.
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Their journeys and plans then become very, very similar. Din gets the help of his allies Boba Fett and Fennec Shand to ferry him over to Nevarro, where he hatches a plan with Cara Dune to spring a prisoner who's a former Imperial. The prisoner is freed, but there are complications to getting the coordinates, and it requires the use of juggernaut vehicles to get there.
Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair get help from their ally Phee Genoa, who ferries them to a planet where they can also spring an Imperial prisoner. This is where the juggernauts factor in for them, as they must hijack one that holds the prisoner so they can get the coordinates from him. However, there are also complications with this, and there are extra steps they have to take.
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The stakes rise to their highest for both men. Din is faced with a harsh truth: if he wants to find Grogu, he has to break his Mandalorian Creed. He does it, removing his helmet for the first time in front of other living beings since he was a child and thus risking his identity for Grogu. He gets the coordinates, but it comes at a high cost. He also has to blend in as an Imperial to complete this mission, which adds to the already mounting stakes.
Hunter also has to strip himself of an identity, but for him, it's the customization of his armor that has long since represented his squad's history. This is to help him blend in as an Imperial as he and his squad gets the coordinates. The stakes mount even more as they discover the only true way to find Omega is to go to Tantiss themselves with no backup, and Hunter doesn't back down as they do just that.
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And then they reach the big rescue mission. Din has a slew of allies at his disposal, which makes the raid of Moff Gideon's ship rather easy. He earns the massive weight of Mandalore's throne by accidentally winning the Darksaber, but The Mandalorian season 3 resolves this by passing the responsibility on to Bo-Katan Kryze, which frees Din and Grogu for a future of their own making once the three of them at last take down Moff Gideon. This allows Din and Grogu to live a life of peace on Nevarro, even if they still have future adventures in store with the New Republic.
Hunter and the squad's mission isn't as simple. They nearly don't make it out, and they're tortured horribly in the process. Omega has a lot of agency in her freedom and their own, though it's still Hunter and Crosshair who get to take out Dr. Hemlock—also freeing them to a life of their own choosing. Hunter tells Omega that they can finally rest, and they at long last get to do so on Pabu.
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The last thing to address is the epilogue of The Bad Batch. Interestingly enough, it goes back to paralleling The Mandalorian season 2 finale. Hunter letting Omega go is very reminiscent of Din letting Grogu go, as both fathers sacrifice their love and protection for the sake of the children's futures. Though Grogu would ultimately choose to return to Din, Omega is now set on her destiny, even if there is a high chance she hasn't seen the last of her father and her brothers on Pabu.
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At the end of the day, these two Star Wars dads are just two guys trying their best to raise a child in a dangerous galaxy—and even if it's gotten rough around the edges at time, they've done a wonderful, beautiful job of it.
Thank you for reading! All screen caps (minus one) came from cap-that.com. Feel free to share your thoughts!
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fecto-forgo · 2 days
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miscellaneous kirby characters n if id trust them w my drink at the club while i go to the restroom n how well theyd protect it
king dedede:hed say hell make sure nobody touches it but hed end up drinking it himself out of an impulse, hed rush to buy me a new one but id be able to tell its new bc its full n hes acting weird, this is getting a new full free drink but i will have to say 0/10 bc my original drink was not protected
nightmare:id cover my drink if i saw him at the club.0/10.
meta knight:hed give a dramatic monologue hell protect it with his life n draw out his sword, taking a defensive stance until im back, my drink is fully safe n we both have a fun time at the club, 10/10
dark meta knight:he would leave it on the table unprotected n id break it on his head when im back n a fight would break out n wed both end up in jail, horrible time at the club 0/10
daroach:no hed steal it.0/10
magolor:i would NOT trust him w it hed put smth in himself.nothing dangerous but hed put like.fucking pepper he carries in his pocket for specifically this occasion in it.5/10 bc i mean ig technically my drink was kept safe he kept it his word its just disgusting now
taranza:in general i think hed do a great drink protecting job, hed take it n cover it w one of his hands n would observe every corner of the room looking for possible drink threats while having his four remaining hands ready to throw punches, but my concern is while im gone hell accidentally see someone from floraria in the club n have to make a run for it bc theyre still mad abt the whole monarchy coup thing n might try to kill him, hed take my drink w him n id come back to no drink, so a 6/10 due to the success chances
susie:the second i say im going to the restroom she announces shes coming too, bc were both girls n girls follow each other to the bathroom, shed hold my drink for me after following me all the way n she has a gun so id say id feel its absolutely safe w her, 10/10
francisca:froze my drink holding it.7/10 bc she did her best id just wait for it to unfreeze to honor her efforts
flamberge:evaporated my drink holding it.the cups empty n were both just sad.5/10 she did keep it safe but theres nothing there anymore
zan partizanne:ok so heres the thing.shed do a great job protecting it.shed take out her spear n get ready to strike anyone who might touch my drink.but the issue is zan is herself n she ends up impulsively attacking anyone whos stepping near her after a while n within the 4 minutes it took for me to be back she killed half the club n is in jail n id have to go pick her up (theres no legal trouble bc she killed all the cops in there too).but hey my drinks safe! 10/10
hyness:you see i dont think hyness would be untrustworthy w my drink.i think hed get confused if i were to hand it to him bc he wasnt paying attention but he wouldnt let anyone get near it to do anything.id come back to my drink the same way it was before.but the thing is i just dont trust him.its not abt the drink its abt personal bias.i just dont trust him i wouldnt want to give him a personal task representing the bond between two ppl bc i dont trust him.0/10
void termina:if its the big boy form id poke it at the leg n ask if it can keep my drink safe n itd just carefully pinch it between its fingers, i would cheerfully go on my way bc the rest of the club is gathered at the corner in fear far from the giant god of destruction, 10/10 but if its the blob form i would not bring a toddler to the club.also even if it wasnt a toddler it has no hands.0/10
fecto elfilis:if i saw elfilis at the club our eyes would meet n id ask someone to hold my drinks n then id start running towards them n punch them square in the face.n then id keep punching them while theyre down.theyd have to get the entire security team on me to get me to stop.id end up at a padded room in the mental hospital bc id start beating up security too n then start beating elfilis up again.id chew my way out of the walls n find where elfilis lives n start beating them up again.theyd never know peace again.it doesnt matter what happens i will find them n i will punch them.n id continue to until theyre finally dead.
escargoon:yeag i think hed keep an eye on it i trust him :) 10/10
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bonefall · 8 months
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Thinking about that one post about the 5000 year old teenager girl found buried with her collection of 180 sheep ankle bones but specifically the addition of how ankle bones were used as dice back then and she was a gamer.. what I'm getting at is: would clan cats make bone dice and Are They Gaming
First let me teach you a little bit about Knucklebones: The Game.
You probably know one of its variants better as Jacks, that game you play with a rubber ball and little metal spikes. There's a version of Knucklebones in nearly every culture, where the basic idea is to throw an object up in the air, pick up as many of the smaller objects as possible, and then catch the larger object before it hits the ground.
In cultures with a lot of access to livestock, usually the hand and ankle bones of sheep would be used. Places that don't have them might use rocks, seeds, shells, whatever. It was Ancient Greece that had such an extreme take on the game that it eventually evolved into dice-throwing-- a totally chance-based game where you would just throw the biggest foot bone of a sheep (the astralagus; equivalent to the talus in a human) and see how they landed.
So the girl they uncovered in Kazakhstan with the 180 sheep bones wasn't really buried "with dice," make sense? It's more like being buried with jacks. Central Asia is actually jam-packed with knucklebones-types games. Mongolian Shagai is recognized by UNESCO.
And it makes a TON of sense, because those regions are grasslands absolutely ideal for raising sheep.
SO. CLAN CATS.
There's two major considerations here;
ONE: The access to, and size of, sheep bones.
Clan cats don't kill sheep. TRIBE cats actually have access to sheep and kill one or two a year! I would actually like to give them a bunch of special uses for various parts of the sheep. I think the eagle-killing thing in canon is actually pretty ridiculous for several reasons
BUT THAT SAID, an astralagus is the size of a cat's paw.
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[ID: A human holding an astralagus in the tips of its fingers.]
You'd need to play a different sort of game with this. It's more like a square softball to a cat than a little rubber ball.
Boar also have bones like this, though. A muntjac probably produces bones that are sized properly for a cat. Hares and rabbits are probably the BEST bet here though, which, somehow feels right. I'm not sure why, but WindClan seems like the gamerclan Clan that would think up these sorts of cute games.
Something about it fits their whole savvy culture, tunneling, emphasis on trade and invention pre-Heatherstar. ShadowClan and WindClan share a cultural value of innovation, but ShadowClan seems more... chemical and competitive.
Hard to explain it. ShadowClan invents flax retting and WindClan invents the drop spindle. There's overlap but it has a bit of a different flavor between them.
TWO: Range of motion
I've made BB!Cats have the same range of motion as the cats in canon, which is higher than a real cat. They're able to WEAVE, you can't do that without a basic pincher grasp. They're also able to mix herbs, wrap things up in leaves, and apply bandages.
I haven't actually given my reworked cats much more ability than they already had, I just codified rules based on what we already see.
But that said, they DO have less range of motion in their hands than humans. They have little thumbs and a better ability to grab, but can't twist their paws completely upwards. There's no way they can toss an object straight up, then catch it again.
So any games they do play would need to accommodate that. So far I've got Scratchstone, Teeterstrike, and an unnamed rhyme game. The bone game would need to look more like a game of marbles than jacks. Or, maybe more modified to accommodate swipes and strikes, somehow? Or a two-person game of catch?
Gotta think about it.
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steakout-05 · 2 months
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eeuuaghh i would like everyone to know that i apologise if i have not responded to your reblogs/mentions/posts on tumblr, i have really terrible social anxiety and for some reason people talking to me makes my nervous system think i'm being hunted for sport by a resident evil boss. sorry if i havent responded i'm not being rude i'm just having a panic attack :P
additionally: social anxiety is actually the reason why a lot of my old posts from late 2022 had weird spacing and spelling mistakes. i was too anxious to type properly
#sorry this seems like a random thing to post but it has been bugging me for a little bit now and i want to post it#and by a little bit i mean the entire time i've been on this website#as for the reason i have social anxiety: i went to a really terrible high school full of dangerous people-#-who were literally like. the worst most bigoted people ever. not everyone there was bad of course but 90% of them were-#-and that stunted by social development by 5-6 years and now every time someone talks to me i feel like i'm about to get murdered#also primary school was. bad. the other kids could sniff out the autism in me and didn't like me for it#this post isn't directed towards anyone specifically but also it kinda is because there's a DM from someone-#-that i haven't responded to in literally 8 months and every time i think about it i get anxious#i'm sorry!!! i'm not trying to ignore you on purpose and i want to say something but my brain literally will not let me out of fear :(#i'm not used to getting talked to directly so every time i do my entire nervous system starts screaming and running in circles#it's kinda ridiculous because it's like. come on. why are you having a panic attack over a message on tumblr it's LITERALLY just words on-#-a screen what are you freaking out about. but also it's like hhhhh unfamiliar social situation scary. help.#unrelated to that but i am very worried about what people will think of me and like i know i really shouldn't worry about that-#-because i can't control what other people think of me and it really shouldn't be any of my or their business. but also-#-i have legitimate trauma that backs my fears up and every time someone is even slightly critical towards me my brain just goes-#-''see? it happened again i TOLD you it would happen again. idiot. you shouldn't have said anything''#and then i hide and cry and lay in bed thinking about how i'm going to die until i suddenly snap out of it and think-#-''wait hang on why should i care. i love being a weirdo on the internet why should i let my anxieties stop me''#and then it happens AGAIN and it's just a viscous cycle at that point#be silly on the internet -> detect slight criticism -> think everyone hates you again -> go back on your bullshit after 3 days of crying#and it makes sense because that exact same pattern happened to me countless times as a child.#be silly in school -> get made fun of for it -> get hated for it -> rinse and repeat until you think everyone is dangerous and they hate yo#if i could put it in a metaphor it would be like me being a little rabbit who thinks everyone is a scary wolf because of their big shadows-#-even though they're all also rabbits and i'm just paying attention to the scariest parts of them because i only know what wolves look like#trauma does fucked up things to your psyche lemmie tell you#social anxiety#anxiety disorder#i'm literally the ''too scared to order food'' stereotype except it's not a stereotype because it's real and every time i look at the 7/11-#-at my campus i go ''hm but what if they hate me for the food i buy there'' even though they're LITERALLY SELLING IT what is WRONG with me#anyway um. social anxiety sucks and i don't mean to not reply ro everyone who talks to me i am sorr y
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awildtei · 8 months
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I know this is not new information, but I've seen a fresh wave of people confused about what the fuck Andrew planned to do as a 5'0 man with a knife against the literal mafia, so.
I think the fact that neither Neil nor Kevin lost their faith in Andrew’s ability to protect them after he was attacked by Drake (unable to stand his ground against a single man with a bottle, let alone the Yakuza/Nathan with their guns) is the best proof we have that the deal was never about physical protection. This is confirmed by the way Neil never expects Andrew to save him from his father, in fact cuts him loose before Baltimore as soon as danger is truly near.
Andrew is a pretty self-aware character, and he wouldn't make promises he knows he can't possibly see through, so I think he knows what Kevin and Neil also know: what they need from him, and thus what he promises, is not physical protection.
To Kevin, he promises safety from the Moriyamas, and the way we see him enact that safety (at Kathy's show, at the banquet) shows exactly what it's about: when Riko starts getting into your head, when he makes you doubt yourself, makes you think maybe you should go back to Evermore, I won't let you. I will get you away from him, I will treat him like he's just some dude to remind you that you can face him without kneeling. I will be your spine until you find your own, I will stand my ground for you until you can do it yourself.
That's why the scene when Kevin gets to the dorm with his tattoo and Andrew's eyes show so much feeling is huge not just for Kevin but for Andrew: because that was the whole point of their deal, Kevin has found his spine, Andrew bought him the space and time to do it.
To Neil, he promises safety from the people hunting him down, and that means: I will give you something to build a life around (keys, drives to nightly exy practices, someone to lean on, someone who will listen without flinching). When you feel like running, I will be someone you can call to come pick you up. When you forget, I will remind you who you are: Neil Abram Josten.
Andrew stands between Kevin and Riko and between Neil and his father not as an impenetrable wall but as an obstacle in their vision: not shield but focal point.
(Makes me think of that scene in The Haunting of Hill House, Hugh holding Steven's neck to keep him from looking at the ghosts, saying, Look at me, just look at me, keep your eyes on me. That's what Andrew’s constantly doing --even literally, when Kevin is spiralling after Wymack tells the team about the district change and Andrew makes him look away from his broken hand and up at him).
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kentopedia · 6 months
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.𖥔 ݁ ˖ LEAVING LIPSTICK STAINS ON LEVI
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fem!reader, sfw, fluff, you leave lipstick all over levi before a mission and the scouts find out, just something super cutesy & short while i work on some longer pieces hehe, pls ignore errors lol, 1.3k words
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“promise you’ll come back in one piece?” you say, smoothing the wrinkle between levi’s brow with a kiss. 
he glances up at you from under his lashes, crinkling his nose as a short, breathy laugh escapes him, one he tries to subdue. still, he can’t deny the happiness that slips onto his features, not when joy is so fleeting because of the life that the two of you live. 
cold hands run across your back, down to your hips as you straighten his collar, kissing his sharp cheekbones, the bridge of his nose. “i’ve made it this far, haven’t i?” levi mutters, squeezing your sides gently before shifting you off of his lap.
he lifts you, sets you on the edge of his desk, causing some of the papers that erwin had dropped off earlier to crinkle. a smile graces your lips as levi stands, stretching his limbs behind him, the chair pushing away from the desk with a creak.
“i’m going to be late because of you,” levi remarks, eyes narrowed playfully, but he gives you another kiss on the lips, lingering there like it’s painful to pull away.
“then stop kissing me.” your hands splay across his chest, but you don’t push him away, feeling his heart beat under his ribcage, the melody that you will always come back to. still, levi tugs your hips forward, slots in between your legs, and kisses you even deeper. “it’s time for you to go, captain levi.” 
a heavy sigh weighs against your mouth, his exhale warm as he pulls back. “sounds like you want me gone.” 
“of course i don’t.” your voice softens as you play with his fingers for a moment, before he's tugging them away gently, withdrawing from your figure. “i'm going to have to find someone else to sleep next to while you’re away."
normally, you would’ve been going with levi and the rest of the scouts, but an injury from your last mission prevented you from going on any more for a few weeks. 
levi snorts, putting on his jacket, fixing the leather straps across his chest. “is that all i’m good for? killing titans and keeping your bed warm?”
you make a face at him, then shrug, half-hearted as he stares back at you with amusement. then, you laugh, cheerful and free; you know levi will come back to you. he has no other choice. 
levi makes his way towards the door. 
“levi?” 
he turns, the lipstick stains still visible on his cheek, dark against his pale skin. for a moment, you wonder if you should tell him—if he’d be mad if you didn’t. 
but then you remember he’s going to meet with a squad of fifteen year olds that have all almost died alongside him. if they really have a problem with their captain being loved by you, then they don’t care about him as much as you thought. 
you smile and shake your head, voice holding just enough mischief for levi to notice. “just be safe. i love you.” 
he softens. there are times where levi is hesitant to say the words, still worried you will be taken from him. but this is not one of those times. not when you will be separated for days, his life once again in danger. “i love you too, sweetheart.”
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within ten minutes, levi is down to the first floor, pushing into the room where the members of his squad are already waiting. 
he’s only a minute late, but he feels like they must have been waiting for hours, the way that they are all gawking at him with wide eyes, connie’s jaw faltering slightly. “everyone here?” levi asks, doing a quick scan of the room, counting heads like he’s their babysitter. 
no one says anything. eren’s eyes look like they might bulge out of his head, and jean covers his mouth, looking away as him and sasha let out a stifled giggle. 
levi’s mouth draws into an even thinner line. “what the hell are you snickering about?" he grumbles, looking at each of them individually, wondering who will be the first to confess. 
their eyes dart away dramatically, faces red. even eren, who is normally more obnoxious than the rest, seems to have run out of words to say. 
his eye twitches; levi wonders if connie’s head might burst, or if sasha’s laugh will rip out of her first. 
“well?” levi asks again, snapping, already tired of this mission. a hot cup of tea sounds nice, in bed next to you.
armin, as usual, is the one to speak up when no one else has anything intelligent to say. “well, sir,” the blonde says, gesturing towards his own face. “i think…”
levi touches his cheek, remembering all the places you’d kissed him earlier, wearing that pretty black dress and your dark lipstick. a sigh leaves him when he pulls his fingers away, the tips coming back, smeared with a deep red. 
he should've known.
“i see," levi says, staring for a moment, before meeting eren's eyes, his lips finally widening into a grin.
“ooooh," eren sings, his expression smug as mikasa elbows him, her own features pinched tight. "the captain’s in looooove."
levi knows they are expecting a reaction, a spectacle of the fact that he adores you. but he’s never kept it a secret, and he’s certainly not ashamed of all the things he feels for you. 
“and what if i am?” levi asks instead, pointedly staring eren down as the rest of the scouts watch the exchange. “honestly, i am surprised no one noticed sooner.”
eren’s jaw falters a bit; a small wave of silence falls over the scouts. you and levi don't make a point of hiding your relationship, but really, levi shouldn’t have been surprised that no one in his squad was observant enough to notice. 
or so he thought, anyway.
historia’s smaller, high-pitched voice breaks up the quiet, repeating your name back to him, as if affirmation that you’re the one he kisses goodnight. a silly question really, considering levi has never looked at anyone else with the same kind of tenderness. 
“it is her, isn’t it?” historia asks, smiling softly. “i only know because you’re always holding hands under the table when you think no one can see.”
levi raises his eyebrow. “clearly we were wrong about that.” though, of all the things to notice, he thought it’d be the way you kiss him after every mission, the way he’s harder on you than anyone else because he doesn’t want to lose you.
eren shrieks your name like he’s never heard it before, and levi is starting to wonder if the boy actually is an idiot. his old squad had known immediately; petra caught you sneaking up to levi’s quarters when you thought everyone else was asleep, kissing him on the cheek when you thought everyone's back was turned. 
it’s been a long time since then, he supposes. maybe the years have taught you subtlety. 
“how long have you been together?”
“does she actually like you?” 
“do you—” connie makes a lewd gesture with his fingers. “you know.” 
“connie!” jean shouts, whacking him on the back of the head. “what do you think! dumbass.” 
“hey!" connie says, rubbing his head. “geez. i just can’t picture it.” 
"i’d rather you didn’t." levi’s face turns sour, disturbed by a room full of teenagers discussing his private and romantic life. “bring it up again and i’ll leave you outside of the wall on the next mission.” he pauses, crosses his arms with an exasperated exhale. “and she likes me just fine. at least, she has for the past five years.” 
“five—” 
a new wave of questioning starts and levi pinches his temples, shakes his head, the red smear of lipstick still on his face.
levi almost wishes you could’ve been there to field the questions instead. you’ve always been better with the kids, connected with them a lot easier than levi had.
even if it was would’ve exposed his lovesick eyes, the tiny lift of the corner of his mouth when you were around.
he’s never been very good about hiding it anyway.
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