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#wow this was longer than expected
nonuggetshere · 3 months
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Some small AU specific headcanons let's a go
The Palelight family is one of these families that hug and kiss each other's cheeks as a greeting and goodbye. The kids also get hugs and kisses for goodnight, and yes that includes the adult ones, they're not escaping this (if they want to, of course, no show of affection is forced). Generally, in Hallownest, kissing on the cheek is a fairly common greeting amongst family members. Hornet is less than thrilled about thos 50% of the time, she's not the most physically affectionate person out there.
Flower prefers head bonks though and it's what they do with Hornet and PK. WL gets a proper greeting and a hug, maybe a gentle bonk or a nuzzle with a purr. With PK they just bonk their heads together like cats, and it's no gentle baby bonk either but a proper skull slamming. WL can hear the dull thud from across the room and wonders how either of them can just laugh about it and not even wince or get knocked back. She sometimes jokes that one of these days they're going to give each other concussions or get their horns stuck together. Hornet and Flower are similar, their bonks range from sensible ones to at this point I'm pretty sure they're just trying to see who gets knocked out first.
When WL gets comfortable with somebody she will just. Pick them up and move them while saying excuse me instead of asking them to move. She mostly does it with her kids (this includes Hornet) and PK.
The first time Petunia and Lummis get moved they don't know how to feel about it. Flower reassures them it means she likes them.
Idk if I even mentioned it, but when Flower was being taught all the necessary things to be an heir and shadowing PK while he worked Petunia also joined them, wanting to be an active part and supporter of Flower if they ever had to take up the throne (spoiler alert, unfortunately they do). Lummis joined them for a while but came to the conclusion that it wasn't for him. Of course, some nobles will get up in arms about a commoner joining their meetings but they quickly learn that's not gonna fly.
And Petunia, Flower and PK are surprisingly a fun trio for me to write. PK and Flower express their love for each other through friendly bullying and Petunia is much the same so it just works, they Click. The two are giant nuisances for PK at times but he can be snarky right back. They generally enjoy each other's company, it's almost surprising how well Petunia and PK get along considering she hated his guts just a few years before that.
Circling back to the nobles, it's worth noting that thanks to PK's and WL's...unique treatment of Flower for most of their life, there's some wild gossip about who they are. Considering their resemblance to their parents yet the way they were treated, the most popular one is that they're an affair baby of either PK or WL (nobody can agree whose they are). Unfortunately, this perception that they're a bastard holds on in some circles and affects how they're treated by them. Not all of them are bad, naturally, but there are groups that are and even think of Flower as lesser simply because of their former roles/not always being an heir.
Similarly, some of them are upset about Flower choosing to be with commoners. The nobles are a mixed group with different outlooks but there are certainly ones who are very classist and look down on Petunia and Lummis (and any court members, which includes 3/5 great knights also) for coming from humbler origins.
Some if Hallownest's nobility are downright obsessed with procreation, seeing as passing down their family names is very important to them they view bloodlines in ways that aren't always the most progressive, if you will. There is definitely a small subset of nobles who believe commoners being let into the royal family is a disgrace and tainting the king's bloodline, and an even smaller subset that believe this + the rumour of Flower being a bastard have an even lower opinion of Petunia and Lummis being part of that family. This gets even worse when Petunia falls pregnant before they're married, some of them even made comments about "less than half-bred" since they're the children of a bastard and a commoner, before very quickly learning that these sorts of comments will not fly around the king.
By all means not every noble is like this, but the ones that are are...very vocal. Now that the infection is long gone and PK gets a first hand look at how they treat people they perceive as lesser than them maybe it's time for some reforms.
Heading in a completely different direction. Genderfuckery.
Flower primarily uses they/them but they also don't mind any pronouns
They've also been trying out it/its in a reclaiming it way, but only allow these closest to them to use it
PK and WL avoid using it for obvious reasons though and Flower completely understands. They tried it for a bit but it left very bad taste in their mouths, Flower is just happy they gave it a go in the first place - they completely understand why people involved in their life when they were a vessel wouldn't be fully comfy with it so it's something mostly their partners and friends use. Still sporadically though, they prefer they/them 9 time out of 10
As for gendered terms, Flower doesn't mind any of them, though their preferences lean towards gender neutral and feminine terms. Their children call them mama, they go by heir, prince, princess, what have you, in court.
In Hallownest "king" is a gender neutral term used dor the primary ruler (Sting is next in line and she will too use the title king despite very much not being a man). Flower uses both it and sometimes monarch, with an occassional queen thrown in there.
Higher beings don't really have the same concept of gender as mortals (Flower and Hornet are kind of an exception since they were raised amonsts mortals), and neither PK nor WL exactly have a gender and simply rolled with the terms their followers came up with for them. After retiring (against his will) PK decides to try out more gender neutral and feminine pronouns and terms (I call PK "they" half of the time by accident anyway so why the hell not).
And lastly, a small idea I had. Before taking on a smaller form to be with her husband and becoming the queen of Hallownest, White Lady wad originally known to her followers as Mother Tree. Now this title very much remains unused and near forgotten, at most appearing in some history books and archives.
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l1-b1 · 8 months
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This song and lloyd… ourgh my heart hurts
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thenewgirl76 · 2 months
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I'll Make You Believe
While the whole "asking a ghost how they died is the worst taboo ever, so don't do it or you'll be in a world of hurt" headcanon is always fun to implement to either create temporary conflict or simply move the story along, I think it'd work just as well on both ends if it was only a minor offense.
Like if you were to ask a once living ecto being how they died the most negative response you'd get would either be some variation of "None of your business puny mortal" or an explanation using the most vividly graphic, stomach turning details as an act of petty revenge as well as insurance you never ask again.
So what could possibly be a way more serious, far more dangerous no-no when it comes to ghosts instead? Well, how about stating ghosts don't exist/there's no such things as ghosts? The reason why being you're invalidating the trauma they've experienced in their last moments.
Makes no difference whether you were aware of this or not. If they find out or worse, it's said to their face? You better hope they'll settle for beating you black-and-blue. Because the alternative is becoming a ghost yourself by the time they're done with you.
Now in dpxyj fics when Danny interacts with Wally and the whole "ghost are/aren't real" argument between them comes into play it's usually depicted as a trivial disagreement. But what if you were to make it more angsty by inserting this take on lack of ghostly etiquette?
Let's say after getting to know his teammates better Danny starts talking about his origins (in vague detail) and exploits, only to eventually be interrupted by Kid Flash declaring that he can't possibly be a ghost as they don't exist. And Robin, Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy all become quite alarmed watching Danny go from easygoing to looking ready to beat Kid Flash to a pulp, as he's now fighting back his ghostly nature. To avoid giving in to the urge he abruptly leaves with a dismissive attitude, much to KF's confusion.
From there it spirals. KF, not realizing he's poking a hornets nest continuing to voice his skepticism whenever the opportunity comes up and each time Danny barely manages to keep it together. Until one day Danny in an explosive rage snatches up KF and in a tone colder than ice tells him he knows what he is, what he went through to reach that state, and that he has no need to justify any of it to him.
Then he leaves once more before he really loses it. Before going after him Miss Martian informs KF of how Danny opened his mind to her and that for his sake she hopes he never shares those memories of what he went through with him. Feeling bad now, KF tries to apologize once Danny returns. Which results in failure again and again since Danny keeps giving him the cold shoulder.
After having yet another apology disregarded KF, in mounting frustration blurts out that he wishes he understood what has Danny so convinced he's a ghost, unaware a certain wish twisting genie he was warned about had been invisibly lurking in the vicinity the instant Danny was elsewhere. Along with the rest of the regulars, as soon as KF's denials had spread to the Ghost Zone Desiree was on the warpath, intent on showing just how real ghosts truly were. By sheer spite and determination she beat everyone else to him, just in time to hear him say the forbidden word, presenting her with the perfect means of retribution.
With a "So you have wished it so shall it be" KF is magically transported to an underwater submarine, occupied by Black Manta. Unable to run as freely without potentially damaging the sub and causing it to flood, the fight upon his unexpected arrival is drawn out to the point KF starts to feel his hyper metabolism weakening him. It's when he's close to dying of starvation that one of the more incompetent goons sends him crashing into the stash of ectoplasm Manta had smuggled with the intent of using it to pollute the waters of Aquaman's Kingdom. The last thing KF sees before blacking out is Desiree looming over him with a smirk of satisfaction.
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perpetualexistence · 3 months
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Izzy and Noah being nerds ft. a very confused Eva
With Izzy's high IQ and 1000 thoughts zooming through her head at light speed, she 100% strikes me as the type of girl who created a whole language just for fun. It sounds like complete gibberish, so when she's using it everyone just assumes it's Izzy being Izzy.
Noah's the first one who starts picking up on a pattern in her 'gibberish' and asks her about it. Izzy denies it because she thinks it's funnier if she does.
Noah knows she's lying. Izzy knows that Noah knows she's lying. Noah knows that Izzy knows that Noah knows she's lying. This is an endless loop of knowing. The point is, Noah is now convinced to call her out on this lie out of sheer spite.
He starts paying more attention. He starts reading books on linguistics. He has a journal with theories and what he's managed to translate so far.
Eva has to be the one to tell Noah to chill for once. Eva believes him because she believes Izzy would do something like that. He can stop. Noah would love to. But his pride and his intelligence have been insulted. He just can't.
Plus, despite all outward appearances, this is actually pretty fun for him. He doesn't get a lot of intellectual challenges. Izzy's also enjoying feeding him clues and being a little gremlin about this. And hearing him have little mental breakdowns such as 'Is she seriously using that monosyllable as both a prefix and suffix with different meanings?!'
Eventually Noah gets confident enough to respond to her when she says something in Izzy Language. She lights up like a Christmas tree and responds in kind. Next thing either of them knows they're carrying a full blown conversation.
Leaving Eva, who has been been standing there this whole time, to go:
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Eventually they explain things to her. Eva doesn't really care to learn it herself but won't stop them from going off so long as they don't use it to leave her out of conversations.
She does pick up a few words though: Their names. Yes. No. Stop.
And every swear word.
Naturally.
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waldau · 6 months
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insecure — kim mingyu | 2,146 words | fluff, hurt/comfort
milm (man i love mingyu). short haired mingyu is so fucking hot. also, i will gladly spread the mingyu passenger princess agenda.
gender neutral reader. warnings: alcohol.
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mingyu doesn't know what exactly he's feeling at the moment. his emotions range from tiredness due to how late in the night it is, to amusement as he half-registers the movie playing on the television, to his heart feeling like it's being crushed and released over and over again.
vernon, in his drunken state, made a quip about you and wonwoo making out years ago.
that has to be a joke, right? you've always said said you've never liked wonwoo that way, and mingyu knows you'd never lie to him. so why does it feel like he's waiting for something bad when he sees your text informing him you're on your way to pick him up from his place to spend a night at yours?
he himself had asked for it earlier in the day, happy when you said you'd love to have him over for the night. but given the stuff that's come up hardly an hour ago, he doesn't know if he wants to see you.
of course he does. but he's worried that he's going to say something stupid to you.
the doorbell ringing shakes him out of his thoughts. wonwoo beats him to opening the door. you're standing in one of mingyu's own hoodies, spinning your car keys in your hand, and the thought warms him up a bit. he's still not used to seeing you in his clothes.
you greet wonwoo and he moves aside to let you in. your eyes light up immediately when you spot mingyu. he raises his arms up to let you hug him from behind.
"feeling cold?" you ask, kissing his head, which is covered with a beanie. he kind of wishes you'd kissed his forehead instead.
"a bit, yeah," he says, not untruthfully. but the cold is not the only reason he has a beanie on. he brings your hand to his mouth to press a quick kiss. as much as he loves you, he's had enough of being teased by the boys for a day. he'd much rather save the real kisses for when you get out of here.
"no greetings for us?" seungcheol asks, taking a sip of his drink.
you smile and say hi to him and vernon. "sorry, guys. i've spent all day away from gyu. you have no idea how terrible it is."
"we've spent all day with him, and we kind of have an idea of how terrible it is," vernon says with a cheeky smile.
"hey," mingyu says, no real annoyance in his voice. you laugh, your hand resting on mingyu's shoulder.
"i'll be more than glad to take him off your hands. let's go, gyu?" you ask.
mingyu nods and pushes himself off the sofa, bidding the other guys goodnight.
you shiver when you step out of the building and walk towards your car. mingyu notices and takes your hand in his, putting it in the pocket of his own hoodie. he knows it doesn't help much, especially when your other hand must also be freezing, but the smile you give him is worth it. he lets go of your hand when you get to the car so you can settle down in your respective seats.
"so, how was your day?" you ask, putting the key in its slot. he can smell takeout from the backseat and his heart does a little flip. just a few years ago, he wouldn't have imagined he'd be sharing a life with someone like this, treasuring late night dinners with someone in a car. and he'd never imagined that someone would be you.
he's glad you're here, even though he knows you're always there for him. it's been an uphill journey getting himself to believe that you really do love him, because there are days like this when he doubts half of everything he knows.
"fine," he says, unzipping his hoodie. the inside of your car is warm enough for him to feel a bit better.
"that's not how you speak if your day went well," you say, reaching over to lay a hand on his thigh.
of course you know him too well. "the shoot began at seven in the morning," he says, leaning back against his seat to relax himself. "and then woozi wanted us to give some input on some lyrics he'd written before we wrapped up for the day. then wonwoo invited everyone home for a dinner party, but the only guys who stuck around were us four, because seungcheol had some ideas for the new choreography."
"aw," you say. "you wanted to leave earlier?"
"yeah. it's better with you here."
when you don't say anything, he looks at you, only to find you looking at him...sadly? confusedly? "not that i'm looking for trouble," you say, taking your hand back from his thigh, "but did i do something?"
of course not. you haven't done anything. even if you did, it's in the past. but the mere possibility that you did it...
"you hooked up with wonwoo."
you blink once. then twice. "what?"
that's an insane accusation to make out of context. so what if vernon said what he said? he was pretty drunk already. "um. i...vernon..."
you sigh. "did he say wonwoo wouldn't shut up about it for a while?"
so it did happen. mingyu nods, a bit numb. time and again his friends have teased you with wonwoo because his roommate is your boyfriend and his best friend, and time and again you've shown that you've only ever wanted mingyu. so why—
"did you...settle for me?" the words sound pathetic, even to himself. but it doesn't make sense otherwise. why would you give up a relationship with wonwoo? his standards for dating are so high, and mingyu often conspires with his friends to get his roommate to go on dates, only to no avail. wonwoo's quite content, being by himself.
you turn in your seat however much you can and look at him. your lips are pressed together in an unhappy line and mingyu hates that he's the reason you look this way.
"is that what you think i did?" you ask, folding your hands in your lap. "that i settled for you?"
"no," mingyu says, and knows he means it entirely. he knows you love him. a lot. but some days the question creeps up out of nowhere and doesn't let go for hours on end.
"then why would you think i did that?"
mingyu shrugs. what was the deal with wonwoo, he wants to ask.
you sigh and reach forward to hold his thigh again. this time, he doesn't let your hand escape, trapping your colder hand in place with his warm one.
"it's true," you say slowly. "i hooked up with wonwoo."
mingyu lets out a shaky breath. "why didn't you ever tell me that?"
"does it change anything between us?"
like hell it would. mingyu would kick himself if that ever happened. he stares at his hand on yours. "no," he says reluctantly. "unless you have feelings for him— i know you don't, baby. but still."
you reach for his hand with your other one, trapping it like a sandwich. an idiot sandwich, he thinks, the thought bringing a small smile to his face.
"when i say we hooked up, we just kissed. a whole lot. but it was only ever that."
mingyu looks up at that. you're serious, he realizes. "just...kissing?"
"yeah. we knew it'd go nowhere. it was a mistake."
a mistake? "when...did this happen?"
"remember that party your friend baekho threw? wonwoo invited me to it."
mingyu doesn't remember the specifics, but he knows you'd been invited by wonwoo because he'd wanted the whole group to meet his old friend from college. mingyu had taken one look at you and realized he really liked you. it wasn't like wonwoo to have a ton of friends that weren't from the band, so he'd immediately taken a shine to you.
you take your hands away from his and he immediately misses them, even though they're cold. "it was supposed to be you," you say, voice small.
"what?"
"the person i kissed. it was supposed to be you."
"what?" he knows he sounds like a broken record.
you let out a small, embarrassed noise. "wonwoo said he'd try to get you alone in a room so i could confess and see what happened. but because we both ended up being drunk by the end of the night, he mistook me for some girl and i mistook him for you and we kissed."
mingyu gapes at you. you're a very graceful drunk, leagues ahead of him, but kissing someone thinking they're someone else?
"shut up," you murmur. "if i'd known it was wonwoo i'd have backed off right away."
mingyu lets out a laugh, his heart feeling so much lighter. to think you'd been kissing wonwoo thinking it was mingyu makes him feel giddy. he likes knowing you've probably been into him longer than he's been into you.
"then what was that thing about wonwoo not being able to shut up?"
you sigh. "he found it pretty funny and always brought it up to the guys, but i wasn't amused."
mingyu can't get it out of his head now. it's more funny than it's sad. maybe it's funny in a sad way. but he can't stop thinking about how awkward it must have been for you to hang out with wonwoo after that little mishap.
"stop laughing," you scold him lightheartedly, smacking his arm.
"i'm sorry," he says, hands reaching out for you. the weight on his chest has almost gone entirely.
it's a bit difficult, but you manage to move to his side and sit on his lap. your car's a bit small for such fancy maneuvers but mingyu always loves being close to you, no matter how.
"hi," you say, finally kissing him. he's missed you all day long, and all he wants to do now is go to your place and hold you in his arms all night long.
"hi," he says, looking up at you. he can't keep the stupid smile off his face.
"still feeling cold?" you ask, lightly tugging at his beanie. "i can turn on the heat, if you want."
the hesitation comes back. he shakes his head, but if you're sitting this close to him, surely you're not going to make fun of him?
"we had the shoot today."
"so you said, gyu."
"they...made me..."
"do a hundred push-ups?"
mingyu's eyes widen. "you think i can do a hundred push-ups?"
"i don't know, maybe?"
mingyu inhales sharply. "then i'll train to do them for you."
you shake your head and kiss him again. "you can do ten and i'll still be happy. what happened then?"
mingyu deflates. he doesn't look bad, not to himself, but it's just... new. he's not used to having such short hair.
"i got a haircut," he says, tugging off his beanie and closing his eyes, scared of your reaction.
your voice is low when you say, "oh, my god."
mingyu doesn't dare open his eyes. "is that a good thing, or..."
"gyu, sweetheart, do you have any idea how hot you look?"
he opens his eyes to see yours trained on his face, flitting between his lips and his hair. he feels the slightest bit self-conscious. "i kind of feel like an egg."
"then you're the hottest egg i've ever seen. seriously, what made you go for it?"
mingyu shrugs. "it wasn't really my idea."
you frown at him. "what do you mean?"
"they thought it'd suit the comeback theme if i had short hair."
you take his face in your hands. "oh, gyu. i'm sorry. i wish you had a say in it."
he nods. he does wish he had a say in it, but as long as you find it hot, he's fine.
you run a hand through his hair, or what is left of it after the trim, your fingers scratching against his scalp much more clearly than they usually do. it feels good.
"i hate you," you say softly.
mingyu's suddenly worried. "what? why?"
"because i'm going to have to change my lockscreen again. do you have any idea how much time it took me to narrow down a perfect choice from all the 1,082 pictures i have of you?"
mingyu groans. "don't scare me like that, baby. also, you have that many pictures of me?"
"i'd have more if you didn't tour so much."
mingyu can't help the laugh he lets out. you really can cure his day with your words, no matter where you are. he pulls you down for a kiss. "let's have takeout and go home, okay?"
you grin brightly at him. "did you just call my place home?"
he supposes he did. but it's true, isn't it? "of course i did."
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omaano · 1 year
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MMA Fighter AU for @bobadinweek's bingo - with which I have a bingo! (I'll post my card under the read more cut for proof) I treated it more as a pose drawing exercise, but in the process I grew very fascinated with the idea of Boba having some biomech tattoos (as opposed to the geometrical armor based design I default to for Din) especially on the leg he is often headcanoned to lose to the sarlacc - and if you can make out anything of that on Boba it was inspired by Arno B Ink's work
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Whoop whoop! I've never achieved a bingo before!! I did a bit of colour coding, because that's how I work, and the blue ones needed to be switched up (the orange ones are the prompts I REALLY want to complete, and the yellow circles are the ones with the possibility of an idea.... So I'll want to go off these prompts outside of the deadline as well, I suppose. It'd be a shame to waste all those reference images I took for the Razor Crest Lives prompt XD). I've been aiming for the T-shaped bingo, but I don't have very high hopes with finishing anything for the FREE and Assassins & Spys prompts in the remaining time - gotta get back to work and all that....
I will make a round up post in two weeks with all my finished prompts all the same however many that will be - we shall see! :)
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runningupthatvecna · 1 year
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the law of seat partners
alrighty so ya gurl had a dream about eddie last night and here i am trying to use that to base the following something off of.
part 2
cw/tw: eddie munson being a slightly touchy precious bean. a slight bit of angst. feeling left out/mentions of feeling unwanted if you squint. otherwise, none that i could think of, just my silly brain fluff. if you find something else, please let me know yaaa. no mentions of y/n.
summary: you're going on a high school field trip with your friends. and thankfully, a long haired metalhead is also there to keep you company and ease the pain of being around obnoxious children.
side note: this is literally the first fic thing i've written in literal YEARS (also in English) and first ever time writing for Eddie, so bare with me here, i've gotten quite rusty i guess so i truly apologise if it's rather bad. don't mind me and please reblog/leave me comments if you did enjoy this pure fluff something!
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It was the sunniest May morning the town of Hawkins had ever seen. The bluest sky above the forests and fields, downtown, the infamous trailer park and the parking lot of Hawkins High.
You sighed as you placed your car in parking mode before opening the door and sliding out, just so you could grab your belongings - a rather big bag filled with all sorts of items that you were certain you were going to need for surviving the next week - out from the backseat.
A field trip with students with an age range from bloody twelve to the wise years of nineteen, well, twenty to be specific, was on your agenda in the almost last month of your last year of high school, and thankfully you were not gonna be stuck in some forest next to Lake Superior alone by yourself.
Being forced to exist around screaming twelve year olds who were about to enter puberty was your least favourite part of the whole expedition, which made the presence of your group of best friends so much more valuable.
There was one person whose attendance you'd specifically been hoping for. And yes, of course you and your friends had been talking about the trip months ago so it would be clear who would join in the fun, but with Eddie's tendency to be flaky when it came to decisions like this, one could never be fully sure.
I mean yeah, certainly you were looking forward to spending this week by the lakeside with Steve, Robin, Nancy, Jonathan and the younger kids in freshmen year, but nothing could make the thought of being stuck with a group of middle schoolers and teachers more bearable than being stuck there with the one guy who you - to put it frankly - had a thing for.
You couldn't really say that you were as close with him as you were with Steve or Robin, you never really spent time with him outside of the group hangouts. But that didn't mean that there was any weird distance between the two of you when the lucky occasion of hanging out did come around.
Eddie Munson was a metalhead. Through and through. Tough exterior, soft baby cow personality but could turn stone cold when necessary. When people tried to shame him for being different, for example.
You were also very certain that his love language was touch, based on the times he would throw his arm around you when casually walking you to your next class or the way he would playfully wrestle Dustin or Lucas in the cafeteria during lunch break to show he didn't hate them.
"Oh my god, I'm so glad you're here!"
Max had spotted you in line and apparently didn't feel too much guilt for cutting it just so she could hop on the bus together with you.
You mumbled the same thing back to her, wondering if you were the first or last ones of your party to go through Miss Kelley's check-in.
She greeted the both of you with a toothy smile before she turned her focus onto the sheet with students' names. Your eyes wandered over the rows of seat pairs, and since you had arrived at the parking lot, let's say not late but also not early either, most of them were already filled with loudly chatting kids.
"Hopefully the others saved us a seat", you heard Max say from in front of you. Unlike you, she already had a pre-determined seat buddy. "Oh please, it's obvious that Sinclair kept one for you", you quipped back, silently hoping you could potentially be sitting next to Steve or at least Robin.
And even if Eddie was going to join you, he'd probably be sitting with Chrissy. Or Gareth.
"That might be true, but I'm sure you'll be just fine with where you'll end up."
Max stepped further into the bus after she gave you a wink and a slight grin.
Did she know more than you?
Good boy Steve was rather easy for you to spot. With that amount of hair peeking out above the sea of headrests? No wonder. In fact, most of your friends were already seated further in the back of the one-story bus.
A slight hint of disappointment clouded your brain at the sight of Steve and Robin sharing a seat pair, with Nancy and Jonathan right behind them. Your fear of being the one left out and behind was creeping out from the back of your mind, acting up.
People had always been kind enough to endure you, but no one ever really chose you. Or at least made you feel like you belonged.
Lucas indeed had the seat next to him reserved for Max, to where she continued her strut down the aisle to plop down, while Dustin and Will had agreed to share theirs.
Surprising they made it out of bed this early.
You took a few more steps towards the back of the bus. A wide grinned Erica was seated amongst her friends in the center of the very back row, your eyes scanning the seats until they landed on the wild dark mane of a certain metalhead, who was occupying the pair of seats right behind the stairs down to the back door.
He was practically lying in the window seat. Head resting against the glass, staring out to observe the students who hadn't set foot onto the bus yet. Parents who were lecturing their kids one last time before letting them go.
Was he daydreaming? What could possibly be going on in that pretty head of his?
Your heart jumped and your stomach fluttered when he shifted his gaze to the aisle where you were standing. The widest smile spread over his face at the sight of you, and you hated to admit to yourself that it did not leave you unaffected.
The seat next to him was empty.
It took Eddie a few seconds to remember what his initial plan was. As if something in his brain clicked, as if a bolt of lightning had hit him, he straightened himself and got up.
"Uh hi there. I, uh, kept you a seat if, uh, in case you'd like to sit with me."
Eddie the freak Munson. Had thought of and would be willing to sharing seats for a 10 hour bus ride. With you, of all people?
In the light of the sunlight flooded bus, you could see his cheeks adjusting to the colour of your own. Flushed pink.
And you just couldn't help the wide grin that was pulling at the corners of your mouth.
Now both of you were standing in the aisle facing each other.
"I would love to, Munson."
Quickly you took out the essentials for the journey from your bag: headphones and your walkman, your tape collection that you wouldn't leave the house without, a novel, some water and a tote bag with your carefully selected snacks.
Eddie waited patiently for you to get comfortable, standing there in the aisle in his signature leather jacket and denim dio vest, while leaning against the backrest of his own seat, watching your every move.
Once you swung yourself around into your seat, Eddie plopped down next to you with an equally wide grin plastered across his face while pointing his ringed index finger at the snack bag.
"You know, you're gonna have to share those with me."
You turned your head around to face him, eyebrow raised.
His chocolate brown doe eyes were so so softly looking at you. If you didn't know better they'd melt you on the spot.
"Oh really, do I?"
"Yeah, it's the unspoken yet official law of seat partners, sweetheart."
You chuckled at his silliness and the pet name, the nervousness which you had gotten from the thought of him very obviously thinking of you when it came to the decision of who to sit next to, all gone.
He wanted to be physically close to you.
He wanted to spend that time on the bus around you.
He chose you.
After Steve, Robin and all the others from your group had acknowledged your presence as well with genuine smiles, and the last few kids had found their seats, it was time to leave Hawkins.
The bus hit the highway towards Chicago pretty soon after departure.
Eddie let you sit in the window seat, which eventually led to him conveniently using your shoulder as a pillow. And no, you didn't mind the weight. It was Eddie.
Hell, you were having a hard time keeping yourself from wrapping your arms around him to pull him closer.
"Does this also fall under the law of seat partners?", you asked curiously, placing a hand on Eddie's head and slightly scratching his scalp.
The only thing you got in return was a satisfied, sleepy "mhm" and a squeeze and rub of his warm hand over your thigh, but it was enough for your mind to drift off, wondering which other of Eddie's love languages and further details of his ridiculous seat partner law you'd come to discover on this trip.
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tagged: my beloved ellen @josephfakingquinn <3
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fandomnerd101 · 7 months
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Happy birthday @paradoxolotl part 2
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pickastitch · 2 months
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please tell us your shinyduo thoughts abt sun moon symbolism :0
okay so it all starts in esmp s1 where pearl has such heavy sun imagery and gem literally builds a moon so that one is pretty obvious
and when we get to hc s8 they literally have matching horses with gem's being named sun and pearl's being named moon
admittedly, hc s9 is more vibes based, but eleven seem so much more sunny to me in contrast to pearl's alien themeing where a large majority of it was trapped underground. most people just associate moon with darkness, so bam gem is sun and pearl is moon
now esmp s2 and this one is tricker than the others. in my head they are both the sun which is why they practically never interact. it's like trying to connect magnets by both of their north poles
sl is an outlier to me where they break this pattern of one being the moon and one being the sun imo. some people believe that pearl is the sun and gem is a sunflower, but i like to think pearl is simultaneously the sun and the moon with gem being akin to icarus. here is a very non structured brainrot post
we finally get to hc s10, and immediately we are hit with 'morning sunshine' from gem. she wants me dead. but also, building off of that pearl went for a very peaceful farmhouse as her starter base with farming normally being associated with daylight/the sun. we have a dredge theme from gem which has a daylight cycle in it, and during the night is really when you start getting the horrors. she already has touches of that (floating fish), so following the logic of that game she has been fishing at night and thus moon
the part that gets me the most is how consistent the themeing is and just how close both of them are. most smps have pretty good evidence for gem and pearl being connected to the sun and moon with a few outliers (looking at you nlsmp)
now time for the actual theorizing, like i mentioned in the esmp s2 bit, it's almost like the sun and moon are opposite poles of a magnet. i don't believe they are soulmates, they can live without the other, but when they are in proximity, you bet that they will be inseparable
so they both have been represented by the sun and moon, and i propose that pearl is the embodiment of light, while gem is the embodiment of void. why do i think that? well, pearl's is the easiest to explain with her saint pearla stuff and how her named both have aspects of light in it. pearlescent describes the surface of an object, and both being able to see if something is pearlescent and to see the moon requires light to bounce back into your eyes
now gem as the void, hear me out. her constant connection to the end/endermen/ender dragon. also the connections of gem and traveling across worlds where the thing in-between them is void (see s9 botem ending). with the most solid piece of evidence being hc s10 where her themeing is ocean/water horrors. and the most common reason people fear the ocean is how vast and unknowing it is. like a void
this is great and all, but how does it link back up with sun and moon? they are opposites of each other and their sun and moon themeing is just one way that is expressed alongside light and void. because of how different they are, it makes them more attached to each other. something something opposites attract
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izzysillyhandsy · 6 months
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How I learned to stop being angry and love the Death Scene (for now)
This may be a controversial take, but I've come to the conclusion that Izzy's death scene maybe wasn't badly written after all.
There is one big aspect of this scene that I really love: it was 100% in character for Izzy AND Ed (and everyone else too) at that point in their story.
BUT it only works if we are not expected to believe that 1. this was in any way a happy ending for any of them and 2. that this arc is finished.
If Izzy stays dead permanently, his death and the way it happened, what was said and notably what wasn't, was tragic for everyone involved - especially Ed - and we should feel bad about it. This isn't an uplifting scene of closure for either Izzy or Ed, and it is totally understandable that most Izzy fans were crushed by it (and Ed fans, even those who don't like Izzy, should be too!).
If there is no possibility that anyone, in any way, can talk to Izzy ever again and (in Ed's case) clean up the mess between them - then this is not a comedy any more. It's a tragedy. And it should be treated as such by the show and the creators (and this might be where disappointment lies waiting).
The death scene by itself though was fitting, if we look at where Ed and Izzy are on their character arcs at the end of S2. It played out exactly as I'd have expected.
Izzy - All about Eddie
The main problem I (and many others) had with Izzy's death scene is that it is all about Ed.
Izzy is apologizing for everything that happened, including Ed cutting his fuckin' leg off. He is reassuring Ed that he wants to go, it's ok, no need to be sad. He encourages Ed to be soft, emotional, himself. He tells him that his biggest fear, being unloveable to anyone except Izzy, isn't real - he has a family now.
And, now that I've had time to think about it, I realized: YES this is exactly what Izzy would do.
All of S2 was about Izzy breaking the chain, but until the end it was still all about Ed for him (because it's not as easy as cutting off a rotten leg, unfortunately). Izzy would make his last moments about Ed, trying to do as much good as possible in the short time he had left. Or, trying to undo as much of what he thought he'd done wrong.
And I really don't want to take away from Izzy's accomplishments and character growth in S2. He'd come so far already! After years and years of singleminded devotion and love he'd finally realized that their form of entanglement was destructive.
Izzy broke up with Ed in Ep2 - and it almost killed him both of them. He started to look for meaning outside of his relationship with Ed, rediscovering aspects of himself that had long been buried and forgotten. He began, tentatively, to form bonds to members of the crew and put himself out there, away from Ed's side, away from being Ed's voice and Ed's hands, ruled by Ed's emotions.
But there wasn't enough time: still, everything he did was, in one way or another, at least partly about Ed.
Whittling - a Blackbeard metaphor Training Stede - "What did he say about me specifically" La vie en rose - a love song about "the one" and promises for life Hiya boys - oh my god he's trying so hard here but this is killing him, isn't it Bonding with Stede at Jackie's - "He's a complicated man" The Ricky monologue - so much passion behind every word, not getting what you want, letting go of ego for something larger - the whole speech was (at least partly) about Ed
(I believe the first Ricky monologue about belonging is more about Ed than the crew and I know this is not a popular take. Still, for me it makes sense because this is how Izzy felt for decades. I don't think he has shaken that mindset yet - give up your ego, your own dreams and personality for something larger - Ed&Izzy or Blackbeard. When he says "he crew" it feels like a bit of an afterthought - there is a pause.)
So, at the end of S2, Izzy is not over Ed at all - he's deeply hurt, feels incredibly guilty (unreasonably so!) and is repressing a lot of what happened.
He's still so entangled with Ed - if this is his last chance to make things right, he will.
And as much as I would have loved seeing Izzy dying surrounded by his loving family, he wasn't there yet. Not as long as Ed was around. And I think the crew understood. They understood Izzy more then he understood himself at one point ("You're in a toxic relationship with Blackbeard"). They understood what he was going through, and they gave him space to say goodbye to the man he had loved for his whole life.
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Izzy died how he lived - all wrapped up in Eddie. And at this point in his life, I wouldn't have expected anything else.
Ed - All about us, you and Me
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I love the symbolism of these 2 frames - while Izzy's bloody hand is entangled in Ed's hair until death (and beyond), Ed's bloody hand is putting a distance between Izzy and everyone else but himself.
I wonder how Ed would have taken it if it had been the other way round - if Izzy had found himself a Stede at the start of S1.
I think not well is an understatement.
Even though Ed seems constantly annoyed by Izzy in S1 (and violently destructive towards him in S2), at no point did I get the impression that he actually wanted Izzy to leave, for Izzy to love him less intently or be less devoted.
But, it wasn't very much about Izzy as a person, or Izzy's happiness, or their shared happiness anymore. I think Ed saw himself and Izzy as "together forever, us two against the world", but without putting any work in or pausing to think how Izzy was actually feeling (and I am 100% sure that Ed knew how much Izzy loved him and how little love he got in return).
But being with Izzy was Ed's whole life, they were two halves of the same whole, and Ed even kinda expected Izzy to stay around after he fell in love with Stede ("We could have worked this out!") and didn't really think about how this never, ever could have worked out for the kind of relationship they were having (this is how Steddyhands... was so compelling actually).
So is it any wonder that, in Izzy's last moments on earth, Ed wants to have him all to himself? He sends Stede away. He signals the crew to stay (waaayy) back. He cradles Izzy in his arms, his back to the crew and everyone else who loved him.
And although, at the start, he tries to get a word in (to apologize back, to tell him he's forgiven) - Izzy dies without hearing anything that wasn't directly related to Ed and Ed's feelings.
Ed never tells him he loves him. He doesn't tell him how much Izzy will be missed for himself and not for what he could do for Ed. How important he was to Ed all those years.
The only thing Izzy gets from Ed before he dies is "You can't go. You can't leave me. Please! You're my only family."
What will happen to Ed? You can't do this to Ed! Ed has noone else! And as sad as this is, it is in character for him at this point in his life.
Ed is fundamentally a very self-centered (and self-hating) person, and his journey towards change had just begun with his death and rebirth. And just like Izzy, he would have needed much more time to grow (although Izzy'd gotten much, much further than Ed).
At Calypso's birthday, I think for the first time in forever, Ed saw Izzy as his own person, someone who he could actually love apart from this Ed-Izzy union they had going for so long. But only a few days (I guess?) later, Izzy dies.
So, at the end of S2, Ed still sees Izzy as "his" to a degree, sees him as one half of "us". He almost expects Izzy's last words to be about him (or them) and doesn't yet see Izzy as his own person, with his own feelings and ties to other people who might have wanted to say goodbye as well.
For Ed, Izzy died how he lived - wrapped up in Ed and Ed keeping everyone else away. Talking about himself only in relation to Ed. Izzy as a part of Ed that's vital and needed - but not itself in need of words of solace or other people's love (or any love, period).
Conclusion
At this point in Ed's and Izzy's life, the death scene and how it was written/acted is perfect, in my opinion. But for the characters, it's incredibly tragic.
Izzy never got what he wanted most - Ed's love. He died believing almost his whole life was a mistake, keeping Ed from his true self for far too long and destroying him in the process. In the end, the crew who had unconditionally loved and accepted him, stood at a distance, and the man he still loved over anyone and anything else never told Izzy what he meant to him - and now he never will.
Ed was absolved of his guilt and maybe, in the moment, he even believed it. But of course everything that happened in S2, and everything before that, wasn't (only) Izzy's fault and in the future, Ed has to deal with that. Only now there is no Izzy here to work it through with, and to make amends, no one who was there for it all and who knows parts of Ed best. When Ed finally realizes what Izzy meant to him, it will be too late.
So, if we get a S3 and nothing is ever made of all of this, if Izzy is really dead and the Ed/Izzy dynamic is done and dealt with, then it was bad writing (and I am so afraid that will actually happen).
But as it stands, I'm beginning to love the scene for what it is: a tragic, consistent ending for two characters that I love deeply.
But please don't tell me this was a kind ending.
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thornofthelily · 5 months
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Asher and Babe, wake up kiss? 😚💖
Not me writing this after waking up at 5am
He had told them he needed to be up early. Important job, beta responsibilities, something something- not that Babe hadn't been listening, but Asher had also been getting ready for a shower and, well. Anyway, they got the gist of it. Asher needed to be awake, and he wasn't yet. Which was never great because Asher was impossible to wake up.
With a hand on his shoulder, they gently tipped him onto his back, with hardly a grimace or flinch disturbing his sleeping face. Babe loved this face, smiling slightly even when asleep, tiny crows feet in the corners of his eyes from the way he scrunched them when he laughed. They could only smile, looking down at their silly, sweet, kind, loving partner, and imagined pinching those cheeks until he woke with indignation. It might have been funny, but right now it seemed too cruel to play a prank on that peaceful face.
They leaned in and pressed their lips to his, meant to be a silent apology for whatever they needed to do to wake him. But he made the happiest, tiniest little sound somewhere deep in his chest, sleeping smile widening. Babe laughed- this sensitive, and not even awake? They gave him another kiss, and won another happy sound. Kiss after kiss after soft giggling kiss, from both of them, and gradually they began to notice that Asher started kissing them back. At first he moved slowly, barely responding, just unconscious muscle memory responding, but his attention grew warmer, more focused, his happy groans drawing out into long contented groans. When a palm slid to the back of Babe's neck, they knew they finally had him. Pulling on both those hands, they sat back, yoinking him up to a sitting position. Asher sleepily protested and went in for more, and Babe smiled, whispering a good morning into each kiss. A good start to the day.
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mayordoi · 4 months
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hagane freakin luka
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takashi0 · 7 months
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What do you think about Jenny Nicholson's video about brony fandom? I wouldn't say it's outright bad but the part about "dark side of brony fandom" that I've recently watched rubbed me the wrong way in some places, like how she said that guys were homophobic because they didn't want to be seen as gay because of watching a show about colorful ponies. One of the guys said something like "you can't catch the gay by watching the show", and she showed this bit as proof for homophobia, isn't THINKING that a show can make you gay alone is homophobic? Or how she talked about "sexualizing fictional children"? All that stuff. This part of the video I don't really like...
I'm not watching that shit for the sake of my blood pressure.
All I'm going to say is that I'd like to remind you that Bronydom was at its peak in the early new tens, right before LGBT acceptance became as Mainstream as it is now (for better *and* for worse).
So like gee I dunno maybe there's a fucking REASON so many of us were so defensive that we weren't gay or sissies for liking the show.
And that reason being that before a certain pink cunt started a harassment campaign whose aftershock still echoes today with the same Parasitic RadFem Rhetoric that's infected virtually all nerd spaces today, the big group who insisted that we were all secretly pedophiles and bad people for the horrible crime of liking a cartoon pony show were Meatheaded Frat Douches whose egos were threatened by our lack of discomfort liking a girl's cartoon.
Man I love it when Self-righteous Lefties accuse you of being a bigot over something that you yourself are victimized by, don't you? It's the best! I totally don't feel bitter by years upon years of hearing the same moralizing bullshit over from people who CLAIM to be on my side, no not at all!
I love how normalized it is for Leftwingers to look at the natural defensive response people have in the face of being bullied and declare that you're a bad person for not liking being disrespected and told that you're something you factually aren't over something so ultimately trivial! It's so wonderful how these fucking people fundamentally just do not understand how being human works and will happily side with people they claim to hate if it means they have an excuse to dunk on other people they don't like or don't bow to their whims! I love it!
I especially love how people are STILL wringing their hands over pony porn while they flick their bean to smut from every single thing else THEY enjoy and refuse to leave us the fuck alone~! And that people care more about cartoon horses who DON'T EXIST than actual people who they're harassing and doxxing and otherwise being a raging cunt to~! It's so much fun~!! Definitely doesn't make me fucking enraged at all~!!!
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takamikeiigos · 2 years
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OK but personal attention kink Hawks who just melts whenever you sit him down and help preen his wings. They're already so sensitive and then here you are, carefully tending to them. No way he doesn't cream his pants from just that alone.
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oh my gooooood yes
hawks is an absolute slut for affection. especially the small things, like kissing his cheek before you both leave for work, or holding his hand in the grocery store because you don't wanna lose sight of him, or when you excitedly greet him at the door after he's had a long shift, welcoming him home with loving arms and kisses peppered across his nose and cheeks. and days where you're both cuddled up next to each other on the couch, a movie playing on the TV while your fingers roam over each other's skin. breakfast in the mornings, standing next to each other while brewing a pot of coffee, standing in the bathroom and brushing your teeth together while laughing at each other in the mirror.
the domesticity of it all tbh. it makes his heart flutter and skip a beat. makes him warm with love, and the want to give more love, because he never got to experience genuine affection growing up.
he gets a little riled up with some things, sometimes. like when you're both showering together and on instinct you start scrubbing shampoo into his hair, massaging his scalp and washing all of his worries away. and when you cut his hair for him, just how he likes it, because he'd rather feel your fingers in his hair than someone else's. and days where you help him shave because he's just over it, so he leans back against the bathroom counter and let's you go to work, your fingers gripping his jaw to angle his chin while you concentrate, your burning focus a flame that ignites a want and need for more inside of him.
on particularly hard days, when he's just exhausted and drained because the commission just keeps pushing and taking and using him; days where he doesn't know how much more he can give, but he'll still continue to give because people deserve justice and there's so much he has yet to accomplish.
days like this he comes home, and you can immediately tell because he looks deflated - quiet, with his wings pulled taught to his back with stress. you say no words, just guide him inside and pull him close, his face in your hands while you kiss his forehead. you know he probably hasn't eaten all day, running on fumes, so you send him off to shower to wash a day's worth of sweat and grime off while you cook dinner.
nights like these are mostly spent quiet, letting him simmer down and enjoy some peace while you both eat. he'll talk when he's ready, and that's okay, because you both understand the feeling and that no matter what, you're there to support each other.
you guide him off to bed but there's still a stiffness to him, like the weight of the world still rests on his shoulders, even in the comfort of your own home. and this, you won't accept.
he clings to you when he sits on the edge of your shared bed, fingers clutched tightly in your sleep shirt, his head bowed and pressed to your chest. he lets out a sigh the minute your hands come up to run through his hair, and you know what he needs solely from his body language.
you press a kiss to his hairline and pull away, climbing onto the bed behind him where his wings sit taughtly, feathers still wet from his shower, misplaced and askew. you don't even touch his wings at first, but the tense muscle between his shoulder blades, instead, where most of the weight rests, and he gasps quietly, his back arching away from your touch.
"tender?" you ask, and the breathy 'yeah' that comes out tells you that there's work to be done - that this beautiful man in front of you needs someone to care for him, love him, make sure he's okay.
you press a kiss to the nape of his neck and put your fingers right back to where they were between his wings, gently but firmly applying pressure in attempt to ease his muscles. you continue your ministrations down his back and over his shoulders, rubbing away whatever stress you can, his breaths evening out as he relaxes under you
the first touch of your fingers through his feathers makes him see stars. the assaulted wing flares out, large and powerful enough to nearly slam the bedroom door off its hinges where you'd left it ajar, while he chokes out a curse and grips the sheets for dear life.
"do you-"
"don't you dare fuckin' stop," he hisses, relaxing as much as he can, his grip still tight while he grounds himself, "please."
it's interesting to watch how his wings shutter, arching into your touch like a cat would when you pet it. you do your best with straightening his feathers, untangling them and ridding them of any that hang loose, starting a small pile next to you on the bed. every once in a while he lets out a breathy moan, almost quiet enough that you can't hear it, and by the time you finish the backs of both his wings, he's jello under your hands, molding to your touch.
you get him to sit further back onto the bed, propped up against the pillows and the headboard, and crawl into his lap to begin on the underside of his wings, where his coverts and secondaries lie tangled. he nuzzles his face into your shoulder and drapes his arms around your waist, and the loud keening noise he lets out when you dip your fingers back into the plumage of feathers echoes throughout the bedroom. he ruts his hips upward and squeezes his arms tighter around your waist, and you can feel just how hard he is underneath you.
you continue the care of his wings just as you did before, and soon every feather is laid out perfectly, at this point you're touching his wings just to give him the pleasure of it. and it's working.
he's an absolute mess when you gently tug on the tertial feathers on the very inside of his wings, and he cries out, fingers clawing at the shirt on your back, his hips steadily pumping upward in attempt to gain friction. you know that when he's like this, there's no need to even reach a hand down his sweatpants and grab for his cock - that his wings are so damn sensitive and feel so good under your touch that this alone is enough to get him off.
"it's okay baby, i've got you," you murmur to him, and he whines into your neck as he paws at you, wings fluttering against the headboard as you continue to massage your fingers into them.
"fuck, songbird, fuck," he chokes, his chest stuttering, his heartbeat rapidly thumping away in his chest, enough that you can feel it, "fuckin' love you so much. so much. don't want anyone else to touch me like this, fuck."
he's shaking now, and you know he must be close. you pull back slightly and catch his lips in yours, and give his feathers one more squeeze. he moans wantonly into your mouth, the sound of it completely lewd against your lips, and his whole body shutters, the thrust of his hips stuttering. he rides the orgasm out, his skin pricking, hot, and his wings twitching against the headboard as you guide him through it. his brain starts catching back up to speed and he brushes his tongue over your lips, begging, pleading for you to open up for him. you give him what he wants, what he needs - allow him to take any part of you that might sooth him over and show him that he's loved.
"thank you," he breathes out after a moment, and you press a kiss to his forehead, brushing his hair back.
after a few moments he shifts under you in attempt you get up, and you pull away with a look of question on your face.
"gonna get cleaned up," he grunts running his hands up your sides. he look beautiful like this, plaint underneath you, like he just had one of the best orgasms of his life, even if he just came in his sweats.
"i can take care of that for you," you offer him a smirk, and his head falls back against the headboard with a thump, his tongue darting out over his lips and his hands squeezing where they rest of your hips.
"you're gonna be the death of me, kid."
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enter-the-performapals · 10 months
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@arcvmonth Day 18 D/D/D- Different Dimension Day!
Even though its a little late (because I wanted to color these lol) I wanted to talk about my Mermaid AU- concepted while I drew my big piece for Mermay this year! I was originally going to turn it into a series basing them on the En cards, but I didnt have time (maybe next year?)
This is a high fantasy AU, of course, and each of the stories happen around the same time-which Ill get into later. All of the Bracelet Girls, Dragon Boys and Zarc + Ray are in their 20's here, with romantic interactions between the expected couples (Fruit, Apple, FallenAngel, Predator, Genesis). All of the stories are unrelated but take place around the same time, with the the exception of the Genesis which takes several decades before.
Just slapping the word 'Mermaid' on a character and not basing them on a sea creature has never been an option for my autism brain, so I based the girls off of sea creatures I thought suited them!
Yuzu is based on a Betta fish- the only freshwater mermaid out of the five- mainly because I think theyre gorgeous with their lovely flowing tails, but also because theyre highly territorial, which I will get into later.
Rin-Rin is based off of one of my favorite sea creatures, the Lionfish. Bright and beautiful, but venomous and a ruthless predator. She's also Siren.
Ruri is based on a Parrotfish. Beautiful, iridescent scales and placid nature who live in coral reefs. Also, bird pun becuase I couldnt resist.
Serena is a Human-Mer hybrid whose based off an Angler fish. Scary creatures who use beautiful light not to illuminate their surroundings, but to draw in prey. She requires more oxygen than a normal mermaid, so like a mudfish, she can chill out near the surface of the sea and take in oxygen when she needs to.
Ray is based off of a Sea Angel, which is apparently a sea slug. It's pretty and I dont know much about it, which is the exact same thing I can say about my girl Ray.
Under the cut ill get into my thoughts for each of the AUs! Including a minific which kind of adds a little context to my piece from Mermay!
Ill go over all my ideas for the different storylines - marked by their ship- and at the end is minific! Sorry for any punctuation/spelling mistakes!
Genesisshipping:
Zarc is an apprentice boatsman on his first voyage on a big ship. After smashing into rocky bluffs, the boat he's on capsizes and falls into the ocean. Almost drowning, he is rescued at the brink of death by Ray, who takes him to an uninhabited island to bring him back to life. Over a year or so, the two fall in love and while Zarc does want to escape the island he beleives its futile and doesnt even try. Eventually a ship does come to rescue him, and he promises Ray that he'll make it back to the island one day to be with her.
After hes back on land, people ask him what happened, howd he survive, ect; he eventually lets slip that a mermaid saved him. This makes it around, and eventually wealthy prospectors hear. Entranced by money and power wished to him, he leads hunters to the island to capture Ray.
Thinking that hes back to start a life with her, Ray's shocked when other people come from the boat and try to capture her. Realising Zarc had sold her out, she escapes to the sea, never to be seen again. Realising the error of his ways, Zarc decides to stay on the island after the disgruntled hunters leave in an attempt to attone for his greed and to hopefully see Ray one more time.
Appleshipping:
Hugo had always heard tales about sirens in books and wanted to if they were real or not. After attempt of humours faliures to become part of an actual reputable ship crew, he falls in with some pirates who decide to take him out to the seas. On his maiden voyage, he is so nervous that he cant fall asleep on his first night. Thats when he hears it. A siren's song in the distance.
The rest of the crew asleep, he steals a rowboat to find the source of the singing. He finds it- the most beautiful girl hed ever seen, singing the most beautiful song hed ever heard. He falls head over heels for her at first sight.
While Rin just wanted a meal, she now has to put up with idiot pirate trying to woo her. She is severly displeased about it, and makes it known. Then she realises- this dude is a grade A idiot with the luck of god on his side and now has to live with a human taking up her favorite rock. Ridiculousness insues
FallenAngelShipping:
Ute grew up in a port town that had a great relationship with the fellow merfolk. He and Ruri grew up together, and eventually became a couple. One day, the village was raided by hunters, who both killed and captured the humans and merfolk, burning the town to the ground.
While hed somehow escaped from the raiders, he knows he has to break in to the enemy camp as they transport prisoners and set everyone free.
After weeks of planning and watching them from afar, he finds the perfect moment and storms the encampment, setting everyone free, including his best friend Shun and his lovely Ruri.
While they are displaced, remaining survivors help rebuild the city, and they try to rebuild their lives. Now with round the clock border security :)
Predatorshipping:
Joeri is a wealthy buisness man who found success selling various snake oils in his teens. Feeling bored of scamming people out of their cash, he goes to a beah town in an effort to refresh, regroup his thoughts, and figure out his next buisness move.
While walking a beach in the dead of night, he notices a glow coming from a little cave in the distance. Sneaking a peek, he notices Serena stting, resting, and his mind races. Mermaids are uncommon, but not unheard of but most people havent seen one, so what if he could show her off?
Practically smelling the money from the buisness opportunity, he approaches her. She startles, and draws a weapon on him. That night he tries to talk her down and using all of his sales knowledge and charisma, tries to get her to warm up to him.
While it ends up in faliure, the next night she is in the cave again. And he makes up his mind to convince her to join him, whether that be by convincing her with his words, or bribing her with anything he can get his hands on. He has a goal and wont stop until it's realised.
Fruitshipping:
Feeling wanderlust in his early teens, Yuya decides to dedicate his life to becoming an adventurer to see all the beautiful sights hes read about in his beloved father's old travel diaries. After about a decade of seeing what the continent has to offer, he takes a wrong turn (not the first time) and accidentally stumbles into a serene clearing blanketed in cherry tree blossoms nestled in between foothills. In awe, he explores the adorable little field, picking wild dasies as he goes, and spots a lake fed by mountains. As he investigates, he is jumpscared by a mermaid who warns him to leave immediately or face the consequences.
After a breif moment of shock, he starts to laugh. Yuzu is flabbergasted, as most humans would have fled at that point. He tells her that meeting a mermaid was always on his bucket list and that hes pleased to make her acquaintance, which leaves her even more shocked.
While she is standoffish at first, Yuya sets up camp near the water's edge to really drink in the scenery, subbornly telling an annoyed Yuzu that it was the best vantage point in the clearing.
While he'd oly planned to stay for a couple of days, as he talked to Yuzu- her sharing enchanting stories about the depths of the lake and the merfolk who lived there and in turn, her avidly listening to Yuya's travel stories- he decided to stay through the end of spring... and then summer... until eventually autumn's chill prompts him to eventually- begrudgingly- forces him to start packing up his temporary home.
Over the months the two talked and talked and became best friends. Through the wilting daisy chains they made, to the silly splash fights they shared on hot days, to almost sombre monitoring of deciduous leaves starting to fall as the lake theyd made memories in starts to slowly develop its winter shell, baring the aquatic from the terrestrial.
As they say their goodbyes, Yuya noticing Yuzu shivering slightly as she sits above the water, he promises her to come back in the spring with even more travel stories, handing her one of his earrings in a jesture of his vow. And she is overjoyed.
As they part ways, he catches her tightly gripping the blue crystal of his earring before she slips below the water, and he wishes that winter would just leave and never come back.
Over the winter, Yuya can't stop thinking of his time in the clearing. The curiosity that Yuzu would have for the camp meals he'd cook. The sparkle in her eye as he'd describe one of his adventures. Her concern over even the most miniscule of old wounds hed accrued over the years. Her witty remarks that never failed to get a laugh out of him. That no matter where he went, he'd always wonder what Yuzu would think if she'd been there with him.
As the weather started to turn from hail and snow to bright skies and sunshowers, he practically made a mad dash to the little clearing tucked away on the forgotten road near the foothills, hoping that the ice had melted in the area- if not for the whole pond, at least around the crude dock he'd put together to sit with Yuzu on, so close to where he'd set up camp.
As he approaced the sea of sakura, the blooming daisies, the grass rejuvenated after it winter hibernation, he noticed a figure waiting where she always was early in the mornings before he awoke, brushing her beautiful magenta tinged hair, facing toward the mountains in the distance.
He grinned and picked the prettiest of the wild daisies he could see on the bushes around him.
He was back home and couldn't be happier.
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skyloftian-nutcase · 10 months
Text
Hunting for Clues (Dad Squad)
(@nancyheart11 @telemna-hyelle @smilesrobotlover @skyward-floored + @ whoever else wants to be tagged)
The air was uncomfortably thick as a heavy blanket of moisture clung to Rusl's skin. It felt like summer in Ordon Village, except he was in no place to be stripping off his shirt and going swimming to cool off.
Well, swimming might be involved. It depended on if there was a clear path to their destination.
They were following a lead he'd gotten from a nearby village. After the cucco incident, all it took was some conversations to figure out that a local cave had suddenly become more dangerous, that people were being harassed and attacked when they approached it. It didn't take much to ascertain, then, that if the Yiga had a holdout nearby, and a cave was being guarded, it was likely that the group would find Yiga there.
Abel led the group, tense with anticipation. Fierce was last, surveying the area and watching their flank. Rusl kept his eyes alert, wiping the sweat on his brow with his headband. His heart beat hard and fast, not so much from the exertion of climbing along the hill as they followed the river, but in the hope that they would find Link. It had been far too long since his capture, and though Rusl tried to stay focused on the objective rather than worry, the anxiety had steadily been growing.
It had been too familiar, having one of his boys kidnapped. He hated it. He'd been eager to push forward and find him. But when he'd realized he was in a completely different Hyrule, he'd recognized that he'd have to take a step back and figure this out. But now they had a lead, and now there was tangible hope that he could get to his boy, and now nothing was going to stop him from getting there.
They eventually reached the waterfall that supposedly hid the cave's entrance, and Rusl walked up to stand beside Abel.
"No guards," Abel noted quietly, his voice barely audible over the crashing water.
Worry wormed its way around Rusl's heart and mind. Abel was right, after all - the reason they had learned of this place at all was because people had been warded away with violence. The fact that no one had even tried to stop them was telling - either they were walking into a trap, or their lead was an old one.
"I have not noticed any scouts, either," Fierce added as he caught up with them easily. "This does not bode well."
Rusl drew his sword. "Then we should be ready for anything. Let's go."
The water was refreshingly cool on his skin as he passed through, bowing his head as the weight and pressure briefly beat down on him. He opened his eyes again quickly, blinking water away and surveying the area.
The cave was enormous, with moss and glowing mushrooms lining the stone path leading far beyond where he could see. He grabbed a lantern and quickly lit it, leading his companions into the darkness.
Bearing a torch and a sword while looking for lost children. This is too familiar. Rusl bit his tongue, shaking the thought away. He had to focus.
A particularly large water droplet fell from the ceiling, splashing on the top of his head and startling him back to reality. He gave a quiet huff, thanking the goddesses for the help focusing, and gripped his sword more tightly.
The farther they walked, the worse it felt. The waterfall drowned out any sound that could have tipped them off if there was someone nearby, and the very distinct lack of people made Rusl's skin crawl. The Yiga had already tried to ambush them once, and they were defeated fairly easily, but still... a place like this could make matters difficult if they were attacked.
There was a faint glow ahead, bluish in color. Rusl lowered his lantern slightly, squinting and looking for movement. He pulled the wick back a little, dimming the light so they wouldn't be as obvious as they approached. Though Fierce's steps were much louder than theirs, he still tried to creep along as quietly as Rusl and Abel did until the trio had reached a bend in the long cavernous pathway.
When Rusl peeked around, he saw litter and debris, and he immediately knew they were too late. The tension drained out of him with a heavy exhale, disappointment filling the void. His eyes were attracted upward, however, to trace the blue light to its source. It was a strange, frog-like creature clinging to the stony walls and hopping around easily. Rusl stared at it in wonder, reminded of the light spirits, and wondered if it was kin to them.
Abel swore softly, walking into the room, seemingly ignoring the creature altogether.
"Hello, little sprite," Fierce called to the animal. It turned, glancing at him, and continued to bounce around cheerfully.
"What is it?" Rusl asked, curiosity holding his anguish at bay.
"I am not entirely sure," Fierce answered, catching Rusl off guard. "I can sense its magic, though. It is not of the Yiga."
With that little knowledge, Rusl returned his attention to the large room the creature was illuminating. The room had a few barrels, a desk with some notes, but most of what was there had been removed. Abel was busy perusing a book of some sort that was on the desk.
Approaching, Rusl asked, "What did you find?"
"Notes," Abel answered simply, engrossed in his reading. Rusl didn't bother pushing the matter, waiting for him to finish.
The loud meow that emitted from one of the barrels distracted him well enough. All three men turned their gaze, though Abel resumed his reading quickly, and Fierce and Rusl walked to the nearest barrel.
Inside was a kitten, creamy white fur blending with patches of buttery brown. It meowed again as it looked up at the pair.
"What are you doing here, little guy?" Rusl asked as he cautiously reached in. The kitten didn't swat at him, allowing itself to be hauled gently out of the barrel where it had been trapped.
When Rusl turned to ask Abel if he had finished reading, he saw the knight staring at him with wide eyes and a furrowed brow, as if he'd just been given some sort of life altering news. Ice filled his veins, worry for Link immediately shutting out any other thought. "What's wrong?"
"The Hero of Time," Abel said. "That's... your son is the Hero of Time?"
Several thoughts clamored for attention all at once in Rusl's mind. The Hero of Time was a figure of legend, and he had been the one to train Link. Did.. did that mean Link inherited the title? He supposed that wasn't unreasonable. But that meant the Yiga had written about him in their log, and that meant he had to be alive still, because his title would not have been the first piece of information Abel had clung to if it were otherwise.
Hopefully.
Rusl walked to his companion in three large steps, the kitten bouncing in his arms, and he demanded, "What did they say about him?"
"T-they..." Abel glanced between Rusl and the kitten, temporary confusion flitting across his face at the sight of the animal before he continued, "They said he's---he's, ah, been fighting them off."
Rusl's dread vanished in an instant and was replaced with hope. "What? But..."
They hadn't captured him after all? Was he out here somewhere, lost and injured and alone, searching for Rusl as desperately as Rusl was looking for him?
"They escaped," Abel explained, holding the book close to his chest. "They escaped the main Yiga stronghold. They've been spreading their forces to find them."
The kitten was suddenly plucked out of Rusl's arms, held by the scruff of its neck by the fierce deity as he stared at it. "And this tiny furry creature was supposed to track him?"
Rusl's eyes stung unexpectedly with tears, and he let out a wet laugh, blinking them away. "I think maybe this little guy got lost."
"The kitten was supposed to be bait..." Abel added with a tone that was just as confused as Fierce's. "Apparently to lure the dog in."
Rusl whipped his head towards the knight. "Dog? What dog?"
Rusl immediately snatched the book before Abel could answer, courtesy abandoned, and the knight snarled, grabbing it back.
"This isn't time for your paranoia," Rusl snapped. "Whatever you're hiding, unless it has to do with my boy, I don't care. Let me read it."
Before either party could continue the argument, the book was taken out of Abel's tight grip with ease, making the knight yelp. The Fierce Deity flipped it in his hands, reading it aloud. "We have arrived at the designated site per our leader's orders. We're currently looking for a good way to lure the wretched heroes. The Hero of Time has been a constant thorn in our side in every encounter. He even took our bananas during the last fight."
Spirits above. Link's alive. He's alive and he escaped.
Of course he did. It was Link. His boy had fought Zant and Ganondorf, had been trained by the Hero of Time (the previous Hero of Time...? Did they all have that title, then?), had been forged into a strong warrior through the dark flames of twilight magic. Link could handle anything. Rusl shouldn't have worried.
Except he still did. Because he didn't know if Link was hurt. He didn't know where Link was, and the Yiga were hunting him.
What did these people want with him?! All Rusl knew of the Yiga was that Abel said they were traitors to the crown who wanted to see Hyrule fall. He said they were a cult of sorts, and they worshipped a demon, the same one that had destroyed Abel's Hyrule.
The deity turned the page with a thumb, carelessly tossing the kitten towards Rusl, who jumped, startled, and quickly caught the frightened little animal. He leaned it against his chest to soothe it as Abel grew steadily more wound up watching their companion.
"We've got a lead on their whereabouts," Fierce continued reading. "It appears the Hero's condition has improved somewhat, or at least enough that he is still alive. We have to ensure we catch him before he dies."
Rusl's breath was stolen from him. "What?!"
Fierce also stared worriedly at the pages, reading silently to gather more information quickly. It left Rusl in too much suspense, and he said, "Fierce, tell us what the hell is going on. Is my boy okay?"
"They're referring to three figures," Fierce answered as he read. "The Hero of Time, the Hero, and the dog. Sometimes they mention a mutt... I assume that must be the dog."
The uncertainty and anxiety were going to drive Rusl insane. "Just read it aloud. Please."
"Our camp was raided by the Hero of Time last night," Fierce obliged. "He took all our food and smashed all our bananas. One of our scouts spotted his dog but then we lost contact with him."
"We've made a discovery. The dog likes hanging around other animals. One of our scouts saw it playing with some kittens. We've since acquired one of the kittens and will be utilizing it to lure in the dog. If the mutt comes, then the Hero of Time will follow. Then all we have to do is find his base of operations to get the Hero."
"We've been in this cave for two weeks, and it's been almost a week since there's been any sign of our targets. The kitten ploy has not come to anything. Another group reported in that there are warriors looking the heroes. We will attempt to set up a trap for them. In the meantime, I've decided we need to move camp."
The longer Rusl listened, the more he realized that the Hero of Time was not, in fact, his Link. He could easily see his boy attacking the Yiga encampment, but he wouldn't simply raid it for supplies and leave. Link was too self reliant for that - he would gather his own supplies. He would only enter an enemy camp to eliminate it. His sweet boy was gentle in all ways but battle, after all.
Also, he knew, out of any group of boys, who would go running to the nearest pile of cuddly animals.
He knew exactly which one was his Link.
Which meant...
Rusl glanced over at Abel, really looked at him, and he saw the subtle signs in the man's stony demeanor. He saw the worry, the fear, the way the man's hands trembled.
"The injured one... that's your son, isn't it?" Rusl asked quietly.
Abel's expression darkened, a fierce, nearly feral glare crossing his face. His look dared Rusl to say anything else.
So this was the unspoken fear Abel had been carrying with him. This was the reason he didn't dare speak much about his boy. Had he thought they'd take advantage of his boy's vulnerable state? What else was Abel hiding?
"The Hero of Time is my child," Fierce said firmly, closing the book with a quick snap. "That is his title. And his tactics match. One of your children is missing."
Rusl bit his tongue as he smiled and choked back a snort. "Well... we'll find my boy. Let's start by finding yours."
"The Hero you've been protecting is the Hero of Time?" Abel confirmed.
"Yes," Fierce answered with a nod.
Abel let out a sigh of what seemed to be relief.
"What's wrong with your son?" Rusl asked gently.
The knight closed his eyes, his body stiffening. He didn't trust them. Rusl almost felt hurt, but then again... he had just withheld vital information about his Link as well.
But why wouldn't he? Telling them his boy could turn into a beast was a recipe for disaster.
Then again, them not knowing was equally bad. He knew that from experience. They'd already had to battle one pack of wolves and he'd nearly had a meltdown. He had had a meltdown.
What secret was Abel keeping to protect his boy?
Rusl's train of thought was interrupted when the strange blue bouncing creature hopped over, hovering directly over Abel. Seeing as the man wasn't reacting, Rusl hesitantly pointed to it. "You... can see that thing, right?"
Distracted, Abel glanced upward. Then he huffed. "It's a bubbulfrog."
"A what?"
"Bubbulfrog," Abel repeated, glancing at the pair. "Legend says if you strike one down you can obtain a mystical stone from it."
"You don't seem very fazed by this," Rusl noted.
"Link and I have found plenty in different caves when he was little," Abel sighed. He raised an eyebrow as he looked up. "I'm surprised this one isn't blowing bubbles at us, though."
"They do that?"
"Often. Link loved popping them. But we... never got this close," Abel went on uncertainly. "I wasn't sure how dangerous they were. They usually stay away from people."
"It won't harm you," Fierce said.
"Either way," Abel continued with a dismissive wave. "They don't hang around people. If there's one here it means the Yiga left long ago."
The kitten meowed again, pawing at Rusl's tunic. The Ordonian smiled down at it before looking back at Abel, whose gaze had grown distant. Meanwhile, Fierce turned, motioning towards them. "We should move on. It is clear the boys are not here and have not been in the area for some time."
Nodding, the two men followed him out of the cave. Rusl ran a hand gently over the kitten, which purred in response, relaxing him a little. They really needed to get to the bottom of all of this. Abel needed to open up and tell them more about the Yiga. And maybe... maybe Rusl should tell them about Link's transformative abilities before something terrible truly did happen.
Rusl sighed, looking around as the humidity came back in full force upon exiting the cave. This was... a mess. But at leas the knew Link was alive, and that was all that mattered.
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