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puppy-steve · 6 months

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i keep thinking about that one bachelor au post so here's my take on it (i've never watched the bachelor or bachelorette so bear with me)

the bachelor au where steve's the bachelor and eddie is a contestant, but not because he actually wants to be, he's just in it for the paycheck. robin is also a contestant but only because her parents sent in her application without her knowing and she isn't out to them yet.

they both think that steve is overrated and definitely over hyped. typical rich kid with enough money to buy people's love, yada yada.

until they both start going on dates with him and then realize that it isn't exactly true. yes, he's rich, but he's also kind and funny and actually genuine once you get past the mask he puts on for everybody. eventually, eddie and robin find themselves looking forward to their dates.

only robin doesn't want to date him. he's slowly moving his way up the ranks to becoming her best friend, sure, but this is still tv. she's still expected to kiss him and confess her feelings for him. and when the time comes for her to do that, she can't.

they're in venice. steve is leaning in and robin is very aware of the cameras filming them. the back of her neck goes cold and her stomach churns and suddenly she's running in the opposite direction. her italian is passable so she ends up getting a taxi back to the hotel production put them in.

she locks herself in her en suite and presses her forehead against the cold porcelain. she doesn't know how long she sits there until her phone buzzes and she checks the notification. the nausea rises up her throat again. she forgot she gave steve her number.

there's a knock on her room door and another text.

r u ok? can i come in?

robin debates it but figures she owes him and explanation. she lets him in and they sit on the bathroom floor. robin tells him why she's on the show in the first place, about how she didn't know her parents signed her up until she got the phone call from the casting director. tells him that even if she gets kicked off, she can still use the money for her student loans.

she stares at the water in the toilet bowl when she comes out to him.

steve is quiet, processing, before he laughs. he's not laughing at her, he promises, but "robin. you're on a show with more than a handful of other queers, you know that, right? i'm bisexual."

and yeah, robin knew that, but it's different when you're not into the guy you're supposed to be romancing at all.

steve reassures her that it's okay, and that he still hopes they can be friends and keep in touch after the show ends.

robin would like that.

she apologizes to the production crew the next day and they're understanding and steve and robin get a re-do of their date. it's much more genuine this time, filled with laughs and digs as they eat gelato along the river and people watch and gossip.

it's the best robin's ever been on.

eddie, on the other hand. he's absolutely head over heels for steve, which is surprising even for him. he's trailer park trash, he's got absolutely nothing on steve harrington. not the name, not the money.

hell, the very first day, he insulted the guy's food choices right to his face without knowing it.

eddie wants the earth to give way underneath him and swallow him whole.

he plays it up on their first date, all fake niceties and empty smiles, until steve tells him point blank, "the guy that said the buffet was shit that first night? i want to get to know him."

eddie's flabbergasted.

steve opens up about all the fake people in his life, the ones who just take advantage of them and use him for their own gains. the ones who don't even bother to get to know the real him. the one that likes to play guitar and hang out with the gaggle of teenagers that follow him around all the time for some unknown reason.

he tells eddie about what he wants to do with his life, not what someone else has planned for him and eddie falls deeper and deeper.

this time, when steve leans in for a kiss, eddie doesn't shy away. their lips press together and it's the best goddamn kiss either one of them have ever had.

the show has a deadline, of course, and steve can't just spend all his time with eddie and robin. there are other contestants. robin knows her rose is strictly platonic and steve has already called her multiple times freaking out about his growing crush on eddie. she knows eddie has this in the bag.

the final night comes and the contestants have dwindled. there's only a small group of them left: eddie, robin, and another guy and girl they didn't bother learning the names of.

when steve chooses eddie after a moment of dramatic silence that kind of puts his own dm dramatics to shame, eddie doesn't hesitate to jump in steve's arms, wrap his legs around his waist, and plant a sloppy one on him right in front of the cameras.

#cj talks #something something steve goes on a tv show to find romance and ends up finding his romantic and platonic soulmates #steddie #steddie fic #cj writes #i liked being your schmuck #platonic stobin #the three muskequeers

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mvltixcc · 3 months

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Girls Like Girls - Robin Buckley X Cheerleader!Reader

Summary: Robin has a crush on the new girl in town. Y/N is also a new member of the cheer squad, which means Robin sees her all the time at games and other school events. Unfortunately, Robin is put in a tough situation. She's scared to talk to her because the cheerleaders have a reputation of being mean girls and she fears that Y/N may not feel the same. Little does Robin know that Y/N does not appear as she seems. Y/N becomes best friends with Eddie, which seems unlikely at the surface due to different social circles. This leads to rumors of course and word spreads like wildfire here at Hawkins, which then makes Robin's feelings even more confusing. After hanging out with Steve and the gang, Robin starts to see a different side to Y/N. Will they end up together or will they just remain friends?

Word Count: 1.2k

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Chapter 1

“Have you guys seen the new girl around?” A peer in the band circle asked the group as they watched the cheerleaders all huddled together laughing with one another. Some chatter rang about, but Robin had stopped paying attention as she had watched you from afar. She didn’t know exactly how to feel about you. You were a mystery to her. She thought you were beautiful, but she was terrified to talk to you as the cheerleaders were known to be mean to everyone in sight. As Robin became lost in her thoughts, she felt a hard nudge in her side.

“Hello earth to Robin??” Someone asked.

“Ow, what the hell was that for?” Robin proclaimed as she rubbed the harsh spot.

“It’s time to go to our next class, didn’t you hear the bell?” Vickie said pointing to the sound of the bell going off.

“Oh yeah of course, sorry.” Robin said, walking alongside her friend.

Vickie started talking about band practice as they walked the halls to their next class. Once again Robin gets lost in her thoughts, spewing ‘yeahs’ and ‘mmhms’ here and there. As they were walking, Robin felt a hard bump in front of her causing her to fall.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you the-” Robin was cut off as she looked to see who she bumped into.

“Are you alright? I’m so sorry, here let me help you!” Y/N exclaimed, helping Robin pick up her books.

“Uh no no it- it’s okay, I’m alright. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I’m the one that’s sorry!” Robin stammered as she gathered her items. Your hands brushed up against one another as you both went to pick up the last item. Y/N looked up at her and flashed a small smile, making Robin’s cheeks turn a bright strawberry red.

“Well now look what you did Y/N, such a clutz aren’t we?” Robin looked up to see the town freak, Eddie Munson, looking down at you both chuckling. Y/N stood up and playfully pushed Eddie and giggled. There were rumors about the two of you being an item, but that was all Robin thought it was. Rumors. But maybe it was true after all. Robin’s heart sank as she watched the two of you being playful with one another. Y/N turned back to Robin and gave a small wave goodbye. “I’ll see you guys around, I’m so sorry again!” You said to Robin as she and Eddie headed off to class. “Yeah see ya.” Robin said silently to herself as she watched you two walk off.

“What was that about?” Vickie chuckled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Robin tried to play it off in hopes that Vickie would drop the subject.

“You were acting super weird, that's what I’m talking about.” “Look it’s nothing okay, just drop it!” Robin snapped, she hadn’t meant to. Vickie just nodded and sat down. “I’m sorry, I just- it’s nothing and I wish to not talk about it.” Robin apologized as she sat next to her.

The rest of the morning went by fast and felt like a blur. Robin strolled with her friends to their set table to eat lunch. Robin watched as Y/N and Eddie laughed with one another as she ate her lunch. She felt a harsh bang in her heart as she looked on at the scene from afar. She couldn’t believe that someone like you could be with someone like him. To be clear, Robin never hated Eddie, she didn’t think it was fair how he was treated by everyone. She believes he’s probably a good guy, she just didn’t think this was fair to her. Robin felt envious that Eddie got to be with you. That he got to make you laugh the way you did, she wished it had been her that did that with you instead. As she became lost in those thoughts, she was soon interrupted by a slam on the table in front of her.

“Hey Buckley, how’s it going?” Head cheerleader, Chrissy Cunningham asked sarcastically. The other cheer members look on and laugh behind her.

“What do you need, Cunningham?” Robin asked with a sigh, dreading what was to come of this unfortunate conversation. A few people had already been watching the scene unfold, as the slam of the table had alerted them. Robin tried her best not to make it worse, she didn’t want the entire lunchroom watching this all go down.

“Do us all a favor and watch where you walk okay? We don’t need you to injure our star flyer.” The cheerleader spoke with a blunt tone.

“Look I didn’t mean for it to happen and I already apologized to her. Accidents happen, don't you know?” Robin said as she tried to continue to eat her sandwich. Chrissy grabbed her sandwich and slammed it on the ground, which made the girls beyond her snicker even more. By this point more people were watching.

“Oh great, here we go.” Robbin muttered under her breath. “Look I-”

“Leave her alone Chrissy! We bumped into each other and it was an accident, that’s it, nothing more!" Robin looked up to see you standing up to the captain of your team. Nobody ever dared to stand up to or defy Chrissy, they always followed her lead and did as they were told. The girls behind her watched in shock, they couldn’t believe what was happening before them.

“Hmph. Just watch out next time okay?” Chrissy huffed and said before walking away from you both.

“Are you alright?” Y/N asked, looking at her with soft eyes.

“Uh yeah I’m- I’m okay, thanks.” Robin said, her cheeks turning a shade of red like before.

“I’m so sorry about her, she had no right to get involved. If she bothers you again, you just let me know okay?” Y/N said with a soft smile and grabbing her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Robin nodded to you and before she could say anything, the bell rang once again indicating it was time to head to the next period.

“Come on Y/N!” Eddie and the rest of the Hellfire club yelled. You turned around and held up a finger, letting them know to give you a moment. “Well I’ll see you later Robin!” You proclaimed with a warm smile, walking over to your friends. Robin felt butterflies from that smile you gave her. This was the most that you had both spoken to one another since you had moved here. Robin began to think that maybe you weren’t so mean and scary like she thought. If she couldn’t be with you like she would like to, then maybe you two could at least be friends.

Next chapter

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scoops-stevie-archive · 1 year

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i keep thinking about that one bachelor au post so here's my take on it (i've never watched the bachelor or bachelorette so bear with me)

they both think that steve is overrated and definitely over hyped. typical rich kid with enough money to buy people's love, yada yada.

until they both start going on dates with them and then realize that it isn't exactly true. yes, he's rich, but he's also kind and funny and actually genuine once you get past the mask he puts on for everybody. eventually, eddie and robin find themselves looking forward to their dates.

there's a knock on her room door and another text.

r u ok? can i come in?

she stares at the water in the toilet bowl when she comes out to him.

steve is quiet, processing, before he laughs. he's not laughing at her, he promises, but "robin. you're on a show with more than a handful of other queers, you know that, right? i'm bisexual."

and yeah, robin knew that, but it's different when you're not into the guy you're supposed to be romancing at all.

steve reassures her that it's okay, and that he still hopes they can be friends and keep in touch after the show ends.

robin would like that.

it's the best robin's ever been on.

hell, the very first day, he insulted the guy's food choices right to his face without knowing it.

eddie wants the earth to give way underneath him and swallow him whole.

he plays it up on their first date, all fake niceties and empty smiles, until steve tells him point blank, "the guy that said the buffet was shit that first night? i want to get to know him."

eddie's flabbergasted.

he tells eddie about what he wants to do with his life, not what someone else has planned for him and eddie falls deeper and deeper.

this time, when steve leans in for a kiss, eddie doesn't shy away. their lips press together and it's the best goddamn kiss either one of them have ever had.

the final night comes and the contestants have dwindled. there's only a small group of them left: eddie, robin, and another guy and girl they didn't bother learning the names of.

#steddie #steddie ficlet #platonic stobin #the three muskequeers #something something steve going on a tv show to find romance and ending up finding both his romantic and platonic soulmates #cj talks #prompts

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cutielando · 7 months

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the british dust ~ george russell

Summary: The British dust that looms around the attractive British racer affects even the people who don't believe in it.

Words: 901

Other works: my masterlist

♡♡♡♡♡

Everyone says that British men have a special aura around them. Some might even say there is a thing called 'the British dust'.

You thought it was bullshit.

You never understood the hype around the British men. They were humans just like everyone else, but every single person you came across was of the opinion that they had something special.

Again, you thought that was absolute crap.

Until you met George freaking Russell.

♡♡♡♡♡

Getting a job in F1 has been your dream ever since you could remember.

Your father had always been a fan of racing, watching them every single weekend and even attending a couple of Grands Prix over the years.

When you got a bit older, you started taking an interest in the sport, your father proving to be one hell of a coach who taught you everything there was to know about the sport, the teams, the drivers, the rules.

Going into college, your one true dream was still a job in the F1 industry. A journalist, perhaps, or even a PR manager. Hell, even a janitor would be okay with you as long as you got to go to Grands Prix and meet all of the drivers and see the action in real life every single time.

And, when the opportunity presented itself to become a PR manager at Mercedes, you didn't think twice about taking the job.

Only problem was, you were tasked with being George Russell's manager. The infamous 'British dust' guy.

You didn't think he was that special. Yes, he was hot and one hell of a driver, but you didn't find anything special. He was just another British dude who you had to work with.

"Hello?" George's voice snapped you out of your daydreaming, making you look up at him where he stood in the doorstep of your office.

"Yes, hello. Come in" you stood up and shook his hand, which you found to be incredibly soft and warm, before clearing your throat and motioning for him to take a seat in front of you.

"You've already got an office, that's nice. I only have a small room which could even be classifies as a broom cupboard" he commented, smiling as he looked around your still unpacked and disorganized office.

You laughed and nodded your head, "Yeah, I heard about your rooms. Not the comfiest places on Earth to stay in, I imagine"

"They're the worst. I barely have the space to stretch my legs out and I need the space because I'm tall as a tree" he said, making you laugh out loud.

He was funny, you had to give him that. Unknown to you, he smiled when he heard you laugh, his heart swelling at the sound of your voice.

"I can imagine. Shall we get down to business then?" you asked once you'd finally calmed down.

"If we must, of course" he exhaled, giving you a subtle wink before leaning back and motioning for you to start speaking.

You went through your agenda for the day, explaining the schedule for the media days in the upcoming days and sorting out any issues he'd previously had.

By the end of your meeting, you had warmed up to the famous Brit, his energy and attitude making you feel comfortable and overall giddy on the inside.

"Do you think I'll win this weekend?" he asked as he stood up, making his way towards your door.

"I don't know, perhaps you will, perhaps you won't" you teased, shrugging your shoulders trying to be nonchalant.

"Wanna make a bet?" the twinkle in his eyes should've been a sign for you not to agree with him, but you found yourself nodding your head.

"Do tell"

"If I don't win, I'll grant you access to my media accounts for the rest of the season" he said.

"And if you win?"

"You go on a date with me" he bluntly said, making you freeze.

This would be highly unprofessional, going out with George even if it was for a bet, but something in you told you to say yes.

"You've got yourself a deal, Mr. Russell"

What harm could a date do, right?

♡♡♡♡♡

Damn you, George.

He had actually done it.

He won the race.

You were proud of him, you really were. But the butterflies in your stomach freaking out over the fact that you now had to go on a date with George were sending nerves to every single cell in your body.

You took a moment before stepping out of the Mercedes garage to find George and get the media part covered.

"Congratulations!" you squealed once you met up with him, surprised when he enveloped you in his arms and lifted you off the ground, spinning you around.

"I did it because of you" he whispered as he sat you down, not letting go of you.

"Because of me?" you questioned, your eyebrows scrunching together.

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take you out, could I?" he teased, his breath hot on your neck under your ear.

Your body let out an involuntary shudder, which made George laugh and finally release you from the tight and long hug.

"You are one of a kind, George Russell" you commented, but a big smile couldn't be wiped off your face.

"What can I say, the British dust must really be a thing" he winked.

You rolled your eyes and pushed him towards the reporters waiting for interviews with the race winner.

Damn you, British dust.

Damn you, George Russell.

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gatoru · 1 year

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are there still beautiful things? || natsuo todoroki x reader

synopsis/content warnings: natsuo finds himself coming back to you in times of need. after all, you’ve been doing it for over a decade. (childhood friends to lovers, hurt/comfort, domestic love, SMUT; heavy dirty talking, unprotected sex, breeding kink if you squint, natsuo is a bit posessive lol, yan!natsuo during dirty talk, idiots in love, not beta read we die like men)

wc: 3k

author's note: i wrote this as a gift for my dear friend @strawberrystepmom ! thank you so much for inspiring me, talking to me and being there for me. i wanted to show you that i really appreciated you :) <3 hope u like it

Natsuo has a habit.

Such a habit consists of knocking at your door, usually late at night – desperate, big eyes begging for help. He’s been doing it for years, ever since he was merely a lost kid. This time, his head is down and he won’t seem to fully look into your eyes.

“I didn’t know where else to go.” Todoroki breaks the silence, shaky voice leaving his chest with force.

Truth be told, you knew he’d show up at your small apartment as soon as the news broke, as soon as you saw the scarred man on the television proclaiming to be one of the Todorokis.

Touya.

You let him in – of course you do. There’s nothing in the world that would stop you from letting Natsuo in your home, and in your heart.

“Is it true?”

Your question seems to cut the tension in the air, as a knife ripping the thickness apart. Context isn’t needed: the white haired boy – man – is still staring at the coffee mug you handed him moments earlier. You’re past the point of asking how he likes his coffee, black and no sugar, thank you very much.

“No. Yes.” He finally looks up at you, dark gray eyes looking for an answer. “I… I have no idea.”

There’s silence once more - only this time, it isn’t thick with tension. It’s still heavy, with a hint of sadness. There’s only so much to be said about a dead brother coming back to life, and becoming evil. Still, you’ve known Natsuo long enough to know what he’s thinking.

“Touya was dead.”

You uncross your arms, taking your mug from the coffee table in front you. The coffee was running cold already.

Natsuo is still staring at you. You can’t help but notice there’s a certain resemblance between him and his father – his nose and eyes belong to his mother, yes, but the rest? It 's all Enji.

You can’t imagine how he feels.

“Natsuo…” You whisper his name, placing a gentle palm over his hand. “I don’t know what to say.”

He nods, recognizing your truthness. He sighs – a tired one, and exhausted one.

“I don’t think there’s a lot to be said.” His confession lifts a weight from your chest, and you’re glad you didn’t close your fist around something so delicate. “Just… I don’t wanna go home.”

It’s your turn to nod, knowing exactly what he means.

The first time Natsuo showed up at your door, you were merely kids.

Your mother answered. immediately recognizing him as one of the Todorokis that lived down the street. Years later, she would tell you the truth: his household was hell on earth. But, again, it wouldn’t take the brightest mind to notice that.

You were both seven. Or he was eight, maybe. You don’t remember all the details.

However, you do remember the dynamic: he’d come knocking at your door whenever things got rough at home. Your mom would feed him, you’d play video games together, and he’d get a chance at a normal life – even if only for a few hours.

“Do you wanna play pirates?” You’d ask, a toothless grin plastered on your face.

Natsuo would smile – as big as he knew how to.

“Yeah.”

Needless to say, you didn’t have to show him the guest room. He knows his way around.

You lean against the door frame as he takes his jacket off, throwing it on the chair besides the bed. He doesn’t look out of place, strangely so. The 6’3 man doesn’t look uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, you’ve never seen him look so at home before.

“Want me to order take out?” He asks, fishing his phone out of his backpack.

“Only if you’re craving something. Was thinking we’d cook something simple.”

He frowns, gray eyebrows knitting together.

“If you think I’m staying at your place and let you cook for me, you’re out of your mind.”

“Technically,” You hold a finger up, getting closer to him. “It’s for us.”

He scoffs, mainly in amusement.

“Absolutely not. My mother would have my head at the sheer disrespect.”

You chuckle, although not missing the shadow that crosses his eyes at the mention of his mother.

“Fine. Whatever makes you happy.”

“How come I’ve known you for almost 15 years and you still suck at Mario Kart?” He asks, in pure disbelief at your 8th position.

“It’s hard!” You cry, failing at avoiding another green turtle shell an NPC threw in your direction. The pink car stumbles once again. Peach has always sucked, anyway.

Natsuo finishes the race in first place, as you see Yoshi celebrate on the top of the screen

“You suck.” He adds, chugging at his can of diet coke and giving you a smirk.

You have to actively avoid acknowledging the butterflies rebelling in your stomach.

“And you’re mean.”

There’s a hint of playfulness in your tone. He takes the controller from your hand, getting closer to you. He’s so big and warm… so inviting.

“Cry about it.”

Despite the mocking, he finishes the race for you.

The first person to defend you from monsters was Natsuo.

Well, not actual monsters – more like shitty 5th grade bullies.

The whole playground saw it. An older kid – although the same size as Natsuo – tried to steal one of your toys. The white haired boy puffed his chest, and displayed the meanest face he could. Much like his dad.

“Give it back!” You screamed at the older kid.

Natsuo, however, didn’t ask. no, he punched the kid. Right in the stomach.

You remember gasping in surprise, but gladly taking your toy back. No one’s ever messed with you again.

It’s only fair you do the same to him every now and then.

“It’s getting late.” You notice, turning the television off.

“Yeah.” Natsuo gets up from your worn out sofa, towering over you. “I’m heading to bed.”

“Need an extra blanket or something?”

“Nah, I’m good.” He walks towards the bedroom door, turning on his heels halfway there.

“Uh… thanks for letting me stay, by the way. Really means a lot.”

You smile at him. He smiles back.

“Anytime, Natsuo. Knock on my door if you need anything.”

He nods, excusing himself.

Unsurprisingly, Todoroki knocks on your bedroom door a little after one in the morning.

“Natsuo?” You whisper, sitting up in your bed, still hazy from sleep.

“I’m so sorry.” He whispers from the half-opened door, an apologetic look on his face. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Come in.”

He does, gently closing the door after him.

You barely notice the routine established by you and Natsuo.

It’s been a few days since he first came to your place.He didn’t leave – and it’s now like you wanted him too. Having him around is nice. Better than nice. You don’t wanna name what you’re currently feeling.

“I’m home!” He announces loudly, and you almost jump from your spot at the table. Your eyes scan him up and down.

“Natsuo, what’s all this?” You ask, a hint of curiosity in your voice.

He lets the paper bags on top of the counter, sighing happily at the sight.

“Went grocery shopping after visiting my dad at the hospital.”

Your shock doesn’t seem to go unnoticed by him, although he doesn’t seem to be in the mood to acknowledge it. Your eyes drift back to the laptop in front of you.

“Nice.” It’s all you can come up with.

“Got you your favorite chocolate, by the way.”

It’s been two weeks, and Natsuo doesn’t stay in the guest room anymore.

No, he stays with you. His giant figure can’t possibly be comfortable in your not-so-large bed, but you don’t have the heart to inquire about that.

“G’night.” He mumbles, curling up beside you.

“Night, Natsuo.” You whisper back, your words getting softly lost in the darkness.

Natsuo smells like mint and something fiery. It’s fresh, it screams his name. His white locks gently frame his face, looking like a layer of now. His lips seem soft, plushy and pink.

Natsuo is sleeping right beside you when you finally name what’s going on with the two of you, although only for you to know.

It’s love.

Sleepingly, he wraps an arm around you. Despite such surprise, you nuzzle your face in his chest.

You both sleep the whole night, peacefully – for the first time in a while.

There’s only so much he can hide from Fuyumi, he thinks.

“Did you officially move out?” His sister shows up in his room – his actual room, at the Todoroki household – as he’s packing another bag. The white room seems empty, soulless.

Natsuo is taken by surprise. Of course, it didn’t seem like that to him.

“Uh…” He scratches the back of his neck, avoiding all eye contact. Fuyumi’s eyes look for his, behind thick glasses. She leans against the doorframe.

“Are you staying at ____’s?”

He nods.

“Good. It’s good to at least know you’re safe.”

Natsuo blushes at his sister’s words, warmth blooming on his cheeks.

“Tell her I said hi.”

With that, Fuyumi leaves him alone.

At the dinner table – with food that isn’t take out, cooked by the both of you – Natsuo gets himself looking at you.

Your eyes glistening and your hands moving rapidly as you talk about your day.

His heart swells on his chest when you start speaking about something you love – something related to work, something he can’t quite understand.

Natsuo realizes he loves you and almost chokes on homemade soba.

That night, when you start your bedtime routine, Natsuo breaks the silence.

“I…” He starts to speak, and you look at him through his reflection in the bathroom mirror, applying nighttime moisturizer on your face, in gentle circles.

“Yeah?” You encourage him to actually start speaking, moving your hands like a fan in order to dry the products on your skin.

“I love you, _____.”

You turn around, like a deer caught in headlights.

“Natsuo…” you say his name, like a thousand times before, only this time it feels different.

“I do. Always have, I think. Ever since we were kids. I love you.” He completes, taking a strand of hair from your face. You look at him, incredulous. “I’m not asking for you to love me back, by the way. I just wanted to let you know that I do.”

He’s comfortable with just loving you.

The words seem to come back to you at such an insult.

“I’m in love with you too, idiot.”

He seems shocked at such revelation, and a stubborn smile starts to blossom on his lips. His eyes seem different now.

“You do?”

“Natsuo.” You whisper his name again. “I’ve loved you ever since you asked if I wanted to play pirates.”

He bites his lips, grabbing your waist gently.

“Yeah? What about all the boyfriends? All the other crushes?”

You figure what the hint in his irises mean.

Possessiveness.

Natsuo towers over you, and it makes your stomach do flips. You mumble something, and he brings you closer.

“Sorry, couldn’t hear that.”

“Was trying to distract myself. From you.”

He smirks, gray eyes becoming wolf like.

“Yeah, but I’m here now. And if you think I’m letting you go, you’re fucking insane.”

Your lips crash into his; desire traveling through your veins.Your tongues dance against each other, slowly and curious to taste each other. Your breath hitches in your throat as he bites your lower lip, sensually.

“Bedroom?” You whisper against his lips, in between pecs. He nods, smiling against your lips.

Natsuo’s shirt and your pajama bottoms get discarded somewhere from the bathroom to your bed.

Your nails gently scratch his abs, earning a reaction from him. His hips jerk against yours, and you bite back a moan. He looks at you adoringly, passionately. Your heart explodes in fireworks. All the movies and poems, books and songs about love make sense now.

“So pretty.” He mumbles against your neck, placing open mouthed kisses on your sensitive skin.

Natsuo takes his shirt off while your hands discover his body, reaching his gray sweatpants. The volume behind the soft fabric makes you smile, devilishly so.You gently grab his erection, playing with him a little, in order to discover more of his pretty sounds.

He groans, grinding his hips against you.

“You’re evil. You’re gonna be the death of me.”

Whatever leverage you thought you had is gone once he takes his bottoms off, as his dick gloriously stands against his abdomen, with heavy balls hanging below it. Your mouth slightly falls agape at his thickness as he gently strokes his cock.

Natsuo finally removes your panties, slowly. He’s taking his sweet time with you, despite your constant squirming and whines.

“You know,” He whispers, husky voice sending a shot of desire right to your core. “when we graduated high school and you told me you lost your V card to some jackass, I tried my best not to go after the bastard. After all, it wasn’t my right to.”

His fingers ghost over your now exposed pussy, feeling your sticky wetness.

“And before that, you confessed to me how you’d use the showerhead to finish, cause your fingers couldn’t do it. They’re not thick or long enough. Can’t reach all the right places, right?”

You nod, eating his words up. Slowly, your hips start to move against his hand, but Natsuo seems to not be having any of that. He places a strong hand on your waist, holding you down. He doesn’t need words to make you obey him.

“I wonder if mine can?” He asks, pushing a single finger inside of your gummy walls. Whining, you throw your head back due to his unsatisfactory rhythm. He pushes the digit in and out, curving his finger a bit.

“What, baby?” He purrs, swallowing your moans with open-mouthed kisses. “What d’you want?”

A bubble of warmth starts to bloom on your lower abdomen, sending a white-hot feeling through your entire body. There’s sweat, there’s spit, there's desire. You feel like your body might combust at any given moment.

“More, please. Need more.” You manage to babble, eyes getting glossy over the neediness.

He obliges your wishes, shoving another finger into your needy cunt.

“Fuck baby, yo’ure so fucking sexy. ‘ve been dreaming about this for so long.” He confesses, shortly after sucking a love bite on your collarbone.

Your eyes roll into the back of your head, feeling your pussy clench on his thick fingers. Right as you feel the tension start to explode inside of you, he removes his digits.

“Natsuo!” You cry, in a needy way. “C’mon, please.”

You’re not even sure what you’re asking for anymore. He smiles at you, sickeningly sweet. His white hair glues against his forehead, messy silver locks. Natsuo’s face is flushed with desire, a light shade of pink decorating his cheeks.

“Want my cock, baby? Huh? Want this as much as I do?” His clean fingers gently hold your jaw open, as he places the stained ones on your mouth. You suck on them, tasting yourself and making such dirty sounds that make him grunt.

“Yes, please. Want your cock inside me. Want you to fuck me, Natsuo” You beg, mumbling through his fingers. “Make me yours.”

The last words seem to fire a light inside of him, as he smiles at you wolfishly. Natsuo grabs his erection, teasing the tip on your wet entrance. You give him a fucked out smile, softly moaning at his actions.

“You’re such a tease, _____. I’ve been fantasizing about your sweet, tight pussy forever.” He groans, finally pushing his fat cock inside of you. It stretches you in the most delicious way, hitting spots you’ve never reached before — nor your or anyone else.

He grabs your legs, folding them against your chest, and you whine at the new found angle. It’s so deep, he’s so big. It’s overwhelming.

“Fuck, Natsuo! So good, so fucking good.”

He makes a strangled noise in return, picking up the rhythm. The slapping sound of his balls against you is filthy, and it only adds to the feeling. Natsuo – who’s usually very well composed and controlled, looks wild and predatory.

“Yeah, am I fucking you good baby? Am I fucking you dumb, so dumb you can’t even talk properly?”

You whine, only nodding in response. The bubble of warmth starts to grow on your abdomen again.

“Fuck, fuck.” He groans. “Are you on the pill?”

Rapidly, you nod, silently consenting what you know he’s actually asking for.

“Gonna feel you up so good, baby. Gonna make you mine.” He places a couple of digits against your puffy clit, rubbing them in circles, and you cry even louder.

“Cum for me, baby. Can feel you clenching down on me. Go ‘head, I got ya.”

You feel the Earth stutter on its axis as a white hot feeling explodes on your tummy, making your legs shake. Waves of fire travel through your entire body, as your vision slightly fades to black. You can feel Natsuo spill inside of you, with a groan of your name against your ear.

You stay like this, for a moment, lost in blissful silence. Hissing, he removes his now soft dick from inside of you, his cum spilling out. Slowly, your breathing comes back to normal and you sit up, finding your lover with a wet cloth on his hands.

Gently, in between soft kisses and praises of “you did so good for me” and “love you, love you so much”, he cleans you up, just enough so you won’t be too uncomfortable before summoning the energy to go shower with him.

“I love you.” You whisper.

“I love you too.”

Natsuo looks at you, adoringly, slowly taking in the fact that you’re his. The only thing he’s ever chosen in life, the only thing that actually belongs to him, he won’t have to share.

He smiles at the feeling.

“Mine.” He whispers, before kissing you one more time. “Now let’s take a shower, stinky.”

#natsuo x you #natsuo todoroki #natsuo smut #natsuo x reader #natsuo todoroki smut #natsuo todoroki x reader #natsuo todoroki x you #mha fanfic

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mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune · 2 months

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Hazformers Crack-Ship Theory: If Adamarachnia Became A Thing

[Note: Reading This Is Optional...also Mature Audience Only. Not For Kids. also make sure to have watched all the episodes of Season 1 of Hazbin Hotel before reading this post.]

is weird to think Adam despite being a former human turned angel (and possibly becoming a Sinner in a possible future, either it be in just in the fanon or canon or both...but we don't know if that will really happen in the canon, but if it doesn't, we can just be happy to reform him a bit in the fanon.) would end up falling head over heels for Blackarachnia who is like way older than him, like if he tries to woo her despite Lute's protest against him doing so...

would that make Adam a Cougar-Chaser...?

yeah I know that the whole "cougar" term might go over some Cybertronian heads, but they still do have cybertronian version of fauna and flora, like those blue flowers that is seen in Earthspark.

so maybe they would understand if ya say "Cyber Cougar-Chaser"...

Adamarachnia (pronounced "Adam-Arachnia"...) might be the weirdest ship that has pop into my head.

and I had the ship name Mamtella pop into my head that has to do with Mammon and Stella, and only once so far their ship name made me hungry cause it reminds me of food, like the type of stuff that is put on toast. not my fault that their ship name sounds like food...

like Adam could start as a secret admirer who sends secret anonymous love letters to Blackarachnia, and describing her as his "Goddess" and her being like "Persephone" and how their love is like Romeo and Juliet.

even if he found out she wasn't originally human or even a hellborn, but technically a cybertronian sinner who should of went to the pit after what she put Blitzwing, The Dinobots, Sari and Wasp through...

Adam might still end up trying to pursue her and like her even more, since she is not originally from Earth and is the Extraterrestrial love of his life. XD

Lute might get annoyed with Adam acting like a lovesick fool, and he had never acted that way with Lilith or Eve, so it could be new to Lute and everyone else in Heaven and even some in Hell, to see him like that.....it would be amusing, cause it be a type of torture to Lute, and possibly Sera as well.

Emily might think it is really sweet, and Petey (a nickname I'm calling Saint Peter from Hazbin Hotel.) he might be just really confused and disturbed.

if other fans start call him Petey as well, ya know he may never live that down and will always be addressed as that nickname by fans. XD

if Adam tries to start another fight while the Autobots and Decepticons are at the hotel (even if it is in a Fanon Timeline), just get Blackarachnia and he will act like a lovesick fool and possibly get all tongue tied, of course Lute would probably have to drag his butt back to Heaven.

yeah the whole Adamarachnia popping in my head, is possibly the weirdest crack-ship...then again, maybe some will like the idea because they would technically be a perfect match, well maybe by a 98% perfect match.

if those two got married, Blackarachnia would become like the Step-Mother of Humanity, well I still think Adam could be a hybrid along with Eve and Lilith, them having the Annunaki gene....well the much earlier hybrid version, cause of the whole Annunaki DNA + Homo-Erectus DNA = Early Homo-Sapiens.

my thoughts about Adam, Eve and Lilith being Homo-Sapiens that were hybrids from the mix of Annunaki & Homo-Erectus DNA.

I can still believe there was a TRUE First Man and Woman that are the parents of all humankind, well grandparents to all humankind, even to Earth Angels who are also technically hybrids because of the whole Nephilim Gene, Those Grandpa Watchers and Nephilim Ain't The Boss Of Me.

the True First Man and Woman, could be viewed as Patriarch-Adam & Matriarch-Eve.

anyway I'm not sure what else to say about the whole idea about Adamarachnia, other than Blackarachnia could get a bit annoyed by the love letters and other gifts she gets from her secret admirer that turns out to be Adam....I would love to see her annoyed and trying to go through so many of her gifts, and maybe giving half of the gifts to the others.

Blitzwing could be amused, and Lockdown could feel a bit sorry for her, since he could be going through the whole admirer chasing him....the admirer being Niffty, I still like the idea of Niffty chasing Lockdown because he is technically a bad boy, her going feral around even the Autobots should be fun...

Megatron, Blitzwing, Lugnut, Shockwave, Soundwave, Swindle and Lockdown might end up being amused by Niffty getting so uncontrollably feral on Optimus, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Prowl and Blurr...

Blackarachnia could be off somewhere else when that madness is going on...maybe finding another love letter from Adam. XD

Ratchet would probably be the first to view Niffty like a Scraplet.

the whole LockNiffty would be a Semi-Ship type idea, meaning while Niffty does have some kind of crazy crush on Lockdown, the feelings aren't mutual and he could end up trying to find someone else to pawn her off on. and we could view that he is still looking, so he can find someone who is more of a bad boy than him, that Niffty could take a more interest in.

Blackarachnia would obviously be way taller than Adam, but for all we know, he could be into taller women, and even if he does meet her face to face, he might not really take a "No" for answer and might still try to win her heart....well, techno-organic spark.

if her body did become techno-organic, her spark may have as well, which is why the allspark key may have been causing her harm when she was trying to get rid of her organic half, but if her spark had become techno-organic as well, it would mean that she would of went offline because she would of been causing harm to both her techno-organic body and techno-organic spark.

in a timeline where Elita became Elita Prime and Optimus became Arachnus Prime, even Elita would know better than to pull a stunt like that.

it be interesting if Arachnus and Elita jump from their timeline and ended up in the one where Elita still became Blackarachnia, and Optimus stayed as well his adorkable self.

sure there will be two versions of them, but it would be interesting if the Other Elita formed a romance with Optimus.

I would ship it. XD

plus Elita Prime could change her paint from Yellow to Pink, because she could find it more interesting and it could match a bit of G1-Elita and Earthspark-Elita.

Sari could view the Elita Prime and Earthspark-Elita as the Cool Mom Figures, I mean she could end up bonding with Elita Prime, and forming a type of Mother & Daughter bond, even though Megatron is technically gave birth to Sari through budding in that secret lab of Sumdac, not all fans have to agree about Megatron being Sari's Carrier-Sire but it still obvious where that liquid metal human baby sized sparkling protoform came from...

just be glad that Adam (from Hazbin Hotel) never found a liquid metal sparkling, though in a Crossover AU, if he did, the other parent would likely be The Fallen aka also known as Megatronus Sr.

Adamarachnia could be seen as a Semi-Ship, where Adam has feelings for Blackarachnia and tries to win her over, but the feelings aren't mutual, of there can be a Semi-Ship like LockNiffty then there can be a Adamarachnia where Adam is trying to get Blackarachnia to like-like him as much as he like-likes her...

not sure what else to say about the whole Semi-Ship that is also a Crack-Ship that is Adamarchnia, the likely hood of others liking it and ending up drawing fanart of that ship is possibly very small chance of happening...but who knows, maybe I will draw fanart of that ship sometime....I mean Megamilla is my new Crossover OTP and I drew a Crossover drawing of that ship.

Megamilla being the ship name of TFA-Megatron x Carmilla Carmine.

I blame the song "Out For Love" for giving me the idea and motivation to drawing that Megamilla ship fanart.

that song has become one of my favorite songs from the other songs I like from Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss.

when I'm able to, I will draw another Megamilla drawing, and maybe if I feel like it and get around to it, I will draw Adamarachnia.

I don't think I really have much to say about how Adam would act around Blackarachnia, other than him acting like a lovesick fool and sending her secret admirer gifts and love letters, and the idea would be for the fanon, so the whole Adam in the canon even if he does come back as a Sinner, acting like a lovesick fool, is very unlikely...

but him acting that way in the fanon is interesting to me, as well as a little amusing, and even it does annoys Blackarachnia.

it would be fun to watch and eat popcorn while it drives her crazy. XD

#do not reblog without permission #not for kids #mature audiences only #tfa blackarachnia #adam hazbin hotel #hazformers #crossover au #crackship #crossover ship #hazbin hotel #transformers animated #march 2024

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darkacademicfrom2021 · 1 year

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Day 5 - 12 days of Christmas challenge (2022 edition)

Title: The hint

Theme: Reindeer (Dec 17th)

Fandom/Character(s): Loki x reader

Warnings (if applicable): none

Word Count: 1200

December writing challenge prompted and organized by @12daysofchristmas

“So, who do you like?”.

Tony had a big fixation on this. He had been asking you who your crush was for the past three weeks. You wouldn’t give in —and he sure was stubborn.

“No one you know”.

“That’s a lie, right, Queen Elsa?”, he turned to Loki —who ever since came to light he could actually know when someone was lying, got treated as a lie-detector machine—. Loki simply rolled his eyes and tried not to pay any mind to it. Failing incredibly so.

“That’s a lie, indeed”, he said bitterly. “Now, could you let me read in peace?”.

“Yeah, you’re disturbing us, Stark”, you complained, pointing at the library sign of ‘please, keep quiet’.

Tony pressed his lips together and decided it was time to leave it there and come back to the subject later. He left you and Loki to read in the couches in peace.

“What’s with his obsession, Gosh?”, you sighed as you went back to your book. Loki knew the answer. He thought about it, hiding his face behind the thick book he was barely skimming through.

“He’s trying to play matchmaker and doesn’t know how to”, he finally sighs out. You put your book down, looking at him bewildered.

“Shut up”.

“You asked me to—”.

“No, it’s… an expression of surprise, are you serious? With who?”.

Loki raised his eyebrows.

“You don’t know?”.

“Know what?”.

“Everyone in the compound knows. Even some from the internet know”.

“Loki! Know what?”, you became impatient.

“Thor’s crush on you… and your crush on Thor, come on”.

“I…”, you choked out a laugh. “I don’t have a crush on Thor”.

Loki frowned.

“You don’t?”.

“Am I lying?”.

“You’re not. Which is weird”, he said. “Who’s your so secret crush, then? The soldier?”.

“Which?”, you asked, and then denied with your head, “it’s none of them anyway. No, I won’t tell you. Please, don’t become the new Tony Stark on this, thank you”.

Loki made a defeated pose by showing you his palms and went back to his book in silence.

And then it happened again in the middle of a training session. You dodged Bucky's hits and grabbed his wrist, twisting it and immobilizing him. He kicked you and you fell to the floor. He won.

Tony got closer to you and handed you a water bottle.

"You're distracted".

You didn't answer, and then muttered, "what?".

"I said you're distracted. And you just proved me right", he sat you down and Bucky felt a little out of place so he began leaving. "What's on your mind?".

You sighed.

"Since when do you want me to talk my problems out of me instead of training them away?".

"Sometimes we need to talk about them", he said, and you nodded and sighed.

"Loki said Thor has a crush on me. Is that true?".

Tony grabbed his face in pain.

"What the hell? Loki said that?"

"Yeah".

"Why would he say that?".

"I asked him what was up with you and all the crush questions. He said you were trying to get me to date Thor".

"He's an idiot".

"I— wouldn't argue that, but—".

"Do me a favor. Tell me who on Earth is your crush so I can be over with it. I won't tell anyone, I just need to make sure".

"Make sure of what?".

"Is it Nat? Do you have a crush on Nat?".

"No! I mean, she's gorgeous, but she's not the one I fell for".

"So, there is someone. I knew it!", chanted Tony, and left in little hops, emphasizing his enthusiasm.

“Hey! Hey!”, you stopped him before he could leave completely. “I need to ask you this”, you said, and he nodded. You took a deep breath. “Are you playing matchmaker?”.

“Yes”, he said.

“With whom?”.

“I can’t tell you yet”, he was about to dismiss you but you stopped him again.

“It’s easier if you tell me, so I don’t waste your time and you don’t waste mine”.

“I can’t. I promised him I wouldn’t tell you and—”.

“And since when do you really keep your promises…?”, you said, and then it hit you. “You are scared of him. And it’s a he. Okay. That narrows it down a lot”, you chuckled. He became pale. “If you tell me without telling me, that means I figured it out, right?”.

“That’s not how it works”.

“It’s not been explicitly said otherwise, either”, you said, and Tony sighed, thinking you’ve spent way too much time around Loki. “Alright. Tonight’s dinner, you’ll give me three hints”.

“One hint”.

“Two”.

“One hint and nothing else”.

“Okay. You’ll give me one hint and I’m going to guess who it is. If I guess you drink a sip of champagne and that way I know I can ask him out if I want to”.

Tony thought about it.

“That’s brilliant”.

So that very same night, Christmas dinner, everyone was seated and eating happily the monstrous amount of food that had been served. Somehow, you were too focused on the hint Tony would give you at any time to even eat a bite.

Tony looked at you as he served himself some champagne and you paid attention. He was going to show you the hint now. He got up and grabbed one of the small ornaments in the tree —a reindeer.

A reindeer.

A fucking reindeer? That was the hint?

You scoffed and denied with your head, trying to mimic to Tony that it wasn’t fair, and that clue was too broad and weird for you to ever understand it. You must have looked pretty upset, because by your side, Loki grabbed your hand.

“Are you okay, dear?”.

“Yeah”, you chuckled, and then you took a good look at him. You had been so focused on Tony’s hint that you didn’t even notice your own crush had been sitting there, all gorgeous and regal by your side. He was wearing his leather black and green armor without the cape, and had managed to get a smaller set of his distinctive horns to match the outfit. “Wow, you look stunning”, you breathed out. His long eyelashes batted a couple of times, and, blushing slightly, smirked.

“You’re one to say it”, and then pointed at Tony with his eyebrows. “Is Anthony upsetting you somehow with that ornament?”.

“Yeah, it’s just a game. Hey. Who do you think…”, you began asking him, and saw Tony grab his face in desperation. “...of all of us, would look the most like a…”, you stopped in your words, as you noticed the most evident answer was the man with a pair of horns on his head.

A reindeer.

Is it… Loki?

“Most like a leather deer?”, chuckled Loki, looking at the ornament by Tony’s side. “What kind of game is this, the deer game?”.

“It’s a reindeer”.

“Well, the reindeer game, whatever”, he laughed it off. Your mouth was open in shock. You looked at Tony.

“It’s Reindeer Games!”, you exclaimed out of the blue. Everyone on the table turned around to see you. You, hopeful and nervous, waited for Tony to answer. He sighed in content and lifted his champagne glass.

“Cheers!”, and took a long sip.

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#loki x reader #12daysofchristmas2022 #loki #loki laufeyson #loki has a crush #loki x avenger!reader #avenger!loki #loki with horns #loki fanfic #fanfic #mcu loki #writing challenge #december writing challenge

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softguarnere · 10 months

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Like A Girl (Like A Man)

Shifty Powers x OFC

Chapter 21: Datalesvi Anina

Summary: “Bill may be our smartest NCO, but he doesn’t know everything.” A/N: The moment we've all been waiting for: Bastogne (Chapter title translates to "they are sitting in holes") Warnings: improper binding, language, war Taglist: @latibvles @lady-cheeky @liebgotts-lovergirl @mrs-murder-daddy @ithinkabouttzu @mads-weasley @lieutenant-speirs

Belgium, 1944

After a few days, Zenie comes to the conclusion that if she keeps her eyes shut tight, lets her brain remain fuzzy with sleep, and leans into the warmth beside her, she can almost – almost – trick herself into thinking that she is a little girl again, back in North Carolina, curled up under her blankets on a frosty morning while she waits for the smell of Granny’s warm biscuits to draw her downstairs for breakfast. The shaking of the shattered earth, the groans and cries of men, and the heavy cold always shatter the illusion the second that she becomes a little more awake.

Holland’s water-filled foxholes felt like hell. Clearly none of them understood true hell until they walked into Bastogne. No wonder the men who were here before them were retreating so quickly.

There is no room for secrets in a place like this. Where would they put them? You can cling to them in your foxhole, but someone is there with you, and they’re bound to find out at some point, to see the real you, made up of everything you’ve tried to hide. At least in Holland they could get up and move around. Here, in Bastogne, they have to be ready to dive into a foxhole at any second.

They are only safe inside the earth. And that is where their secrets start to become known.

With the line stretched so thin, it’s hard to keep up with friends. Word travels fast, though, in the way that rumors always do. That’s how the rest of the company finds out that Shifty talks in his sleep, that Perconte has practically an entire drugstore in his bag, and that Liebgott and Toye both like to sing to pass the time.

Every day that they spend in this place makes Zenie feel like she’s holding onto her own secret for dear life. Her fingers ache from the effort. Her determination isn’t slipping, exactly, but her frustration is rising.

There is no aide station for Gene to take her back to whenever he insists she loosen or change her bandages. She tries to share a foxhole with him when she can. He’s so busy running around the line, though, that her other friends often fill his place, insisting that she shouldn’t be alone. They all learned in Holland that loneliness is no way to survive. Shifty is further up the line and gets sent on too many patrols for her to share a foxhole with him – the only other person she can trust with this secret of hers. That’s how she usually finds herself sitting beside Bill, or when he’s making his rounds, Babe and his old friend, John Julian.

Babe and Julian went through training together. Even though they go way back, she never feels excluded when she’s with them. They tell her stories of jump school shenanigans that make her feel like she’s part of the joke instead of watching two friends reminisce about the good old days.

“You know he’s a virgin?” It’s one of their first days in Bastogne. Julian hasn’t made it back from the pitiful excuse of a chow-line yet, and Babe’s question comes out of nowhere.

Zenie blinks. “Oh?”

“Yeah.”

Silence washes over them as they watch the line. As she stares ahead, Zenie can feel Babe very pointedly trying to not look at her from the corner of his eye.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Babe shrugs. “Just thought I’d let ya know that it’s okay, I guess. You ain’t the only one. Although I don’t know how you guys do it. I’d be afraid of dying without experiencing true heaven.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about me, Babe.” The confession slips out before she really grasps the weight of what she’s just said. Funny, realizing how much things have changed. She bites her bottom lip to keep from giggling at it all.

Her friend balks. “What?! When?”

Well, if she’s already confessed – albeit by accident – there’s no use in lying. “Paris.”

“Out on your pass?”

“Yep.”

“Unbelievable.” Babe shakes his head. “Bill said you were a virgin.”

Why would he need to tell Babe that? Unless, she freezes at the thought, he was telling his fellow Philadelphian about her embarrassment with the pin-up of Beckie.

“Bill may be our smartest NCO, but he doesn’t know everything.”

“He doesn’t know?” When Zenie shakes her head, a small cloud of steam escapes from Babe’s mouth as he huffs a warm laugh into the cold air. “Unbelievable,” he repeats.

Without him, Zenie thinks back to the hotel room in Paris – all the ways that she and Shifty caressed each other and the way that he smiled at her the next morning, beaming, like the sun glittering over the dew-crowned trees on a fresh spring morning.

Yes, she’s inclined to agree. Unbelievable.

Back in Holland the days bled together, each as miserable and wet as the last. At least there she could find apples anywhere she looked. Here, in Bastogne, she’s once again in a hole in the ground, surrounded by trees, but there is nothing to eat, and the endless precipitation is the snow that seems to fall without fail every night.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whack! Whoosh! Bill is brushing the fresh snow from the tarp they’ve been using to cover their foxhole at night. It doesn’t do much in terms of keeping heat in, but at least it keeps the snow off of them while they sleep.

Zenie’s joints pop as she stretches. It draws Bill’s attention, and he stops cleaning off the tarp.

“Mornin’.”

Zenie grunts in response. No “good” before the word. Simply a statement of fact: this is another morning that they have reached.

Bill folds the tarp back and sits back in the foxhole with a sigh. “Why don’t you go check and see if there’s any breakfast?” He suggests.

There won’t be. There hardly ever is. It just gives Zenie something to do other than walking from foxhole to foxhole, visiting with the other men in between the shellings that the Germans send their way. At least Bill has an actual excuse to walk around. Checking the line and checking up on the men might be what got him hurt back in Holland, but he still takes his duties as an NCO seriously.

It almost makes Zenie wish that she would get promoted. Then no one could say anything if she wandered a bit too far in the woods looking for third platoon – (looking for Shifty.) On their second day here, she got lost after trying to find somewhere to loosen her bandages. She stumbled across a frozen pile of German bodies, frost thick on their winter coats. After that, she decided not to stray too far from her foxhole anymore.

With a sigh, she pulls herself out of the hole, the crunch of snow greeting her when she stands and stretches.

“You want anything?”

Bill’s lips are pressed together as he stares at the line. After a moment he breaks his focus, nodding up at her. “If they’ve got it.”

They don’t. Not even the pitiful cup of water with two beans floating in it that they served at midday the day before. (Well, it felt like midday, at least. It could have been any time of day, and only the men with watches would be the wiser.)

She stops to greet Luz and a few other men on her way back. George has a few quips about their situation. Other people have a few choice words about the cold. They all laugh, and it sounds warm and out of place in this frozen land.

“Nothing?” Bill asks when she returns.

“Not a drop.”

He sighs, starts to stand. “Well then. Looks – “

Boom! The ground shakes under Zenie’s feet as the first explosion of the morning signals the start of the day.

“Incoming!” Someone’s voice announces. It sounds like Sergeant Lipton that yells, over the successive series of booming explosions that pierce the air, “Get in your foxholes!”

“Get in!” Bill demands.

The ground still shaking, Zenie lurches forward, trying to dive into the foxhole with her friend. Her feet hit the bottom of the pit and she’s starting to crouch down when she hears a whizzing noise nearby. The air shakes as the Germans fire at them. It feels so close that she freezes, like a deer that’s been stumbled upon in the woods. She feels Bill’s hand clench around her right shoulder and drag her the rest of the way down.

She lands so roughly that for a second, the pain in her side from landing on Bill distracts from the horrible slicing pain that races through her left arm. Foxholes are supposed to keep them safe, but once inside them, it feels like the whole world trembles endlessly. This time it knocks the breath out of her, making her gasp as white-hot electricity races through her arm. Her whole body feels hot – which seems incongruous, considering where they are – and despite all her wishes, she knows the truth: she’s been hit.

Summer heat takes hold of her body. She wished for warmth, and boy, has she got it now. Late July afternoons, full of humidity and sweat, have found her in this frozen place. No ice cream and running through the fields, though. This is the worst parts of summer – the Dog Days, with their high temperatures and mosquitos eating her legs. All that’s missing is the screaming of the cicadas. To prove its presence, a sheen of sweat overtakes her as a side effect of the heat.

The only reason she knows the shelling has stopped is that no more deafening explosions thunder through the sky above them. The world still shakes – except, it’s actually just her shaking. And the echoing in her ears is from the blood pumping through them, fast as a train.

“You alright, Tommy?” Bill asks.

Slowly, she pushes herself up. She keeps her eyes squeezed shut when the movement sends new jolts of pain through her left side. Maybe it’s not actually that bad. Maybe it’s like a bee sting in that it just feels bad, but it actually very small. She just needs a minute before she looks.

It’s a minute that she doesn’t get. Bill curses under his breath beside her. Something is wrong.

Warm blood leeks from gashes in her sleeve. Most of it is coming from her arm, in a steady trickle that begins at her shoulder. But thank God, she realizes, her arm is still attached to her body, like it should be. And, as an added bonus, when she chokes back the bile burning her throat and tries to inspect the damage, she can still move it, as well as her fingers.

“Medic!” Bill hollers.

The word drags her out of her temporary solace. She’s been hit and she needs a medic, to patch her up, to send her to an aide station. Those don’t exist here, though. And they’re running low on medics as well.

“No,” Zenie hisses, despite the pain in her arm. “Don’t!”

Bill’s eyes go wide as his brow furrows. “Are you crazy? You need a – Medic!”

What if Spina is the nearest medic? What if they have to remove her jacket in front of everyone?

“Bill, I’m fine. Stop!”

The Staff Sergeant doesn’t listen. In fact, he outright ignores her as he reaches into his pockets, muttering to himself. “I got some left-over sulfa power in here somewhere. Where the fuck – ? Aha! Tommy, hold still, will ya? Medic!”

He moves towards her then. There’s nowhere for her to go. It would be hard enough to drag herself out of the foxhole with one arm, and even harder when Bill looks like he’s ready to chase her down. She presses herself against the frozen earth behind her, trying to dodge her friend as he comes closer.

“Bill, stop!”

“Tommy, you gotta let me – “ Bill takes hold of her jacket and rips it open. Cold air hits her chest, although it doesn’t stop the heat that’s still coursing through her. A new wave of it rushes over her in both embarrassment and pain as Bill fights to remove her jacket from her shoulder. When it’s free he clenches the packet of sulfa powder between his teeth, ready to tear it open . . . He pauses, his eyes taking in the full extent of the scene before him. “What the fuck?”

Maybe it’s the way that Zenie manages to push him away and tug her jacket up to cover her bandaged chest that gives it away. Or maybe it’s the way her face burns with shame, how she can’t look her best friend in the eye. Besides, Bill is smart, and he knows that she’s never been hit. It doesn’t take him very long to figure out what the bandages are for.

“Oh Christ,” he whispers, his eyes still fixed on her bandages. They’re the size of saucers when he finally manages to move them to her face. “You’re a broad!”

A broad. Huh. So that’s what someone from South Philly would call a girl. Back on the ship that brought them to Europe, she had once wondered about it. She had wondered about the reactions of her friends, too, if they were to learn her secret.

Well, now she knows.

“Sorry,” Zenie whispers, because it’s the only thing she can think to say.

“Since when?!”

“Since birth.”

“Jesus, this whole time? And I never knew!?” His face pales. “Ah, Christ . . . I’ve told ya too much. Shit! I gave you that pin-up and everything!”

The crunch of snow announces a new presence behind them, coming in fast. “Who’s been hit?”

Eugene jumps down into the foxhole, landing so that Zenie is between him and Bill. His medic brain kicks in first as he reaches out to move her jacket so that he can inspect the damage. He freezes, his hands only just grazing her jacket when he glances over at Bill.

“Tommy got hit. I think mostly in the shoulder.”

Gene looks between Zenie and their sergeant. Reluctantly, she nods. He already knows; the damage is done.

She hisses in pain when Gene peels back her jacket to inspect her. He mutters something in French that’s as smooth and slow as molasses. An apology, maybe. How many of those will this foxhole hear? Despite all that’s happened, he’s a soothing presence. Now Zenie knows why he’s Easy’s preferred medic.

“Shrapnel,” Gene announces. “Peppered your arm. Missed the arteries, though. Nothin’ deep, except one cut that’ll need to be stitched up. Maybe get some little pieces removed. I can do it back in the town.”

“Got lucky, huh?” Bill asks. His voice is full of a tone that Zenie has never heard before. He sounds lighthearted and troubled all at once. “Missed your tits, thank God.” A grimace that might be an attempt at a smile appears behind the beard he’s started growing.

“She did,” Gene agrees. Gently, he helps her adjust her jacket, and then both he and Bill help her to her feet and out of the foxhole.

“He – I mean, is she gonna be okay, Doc?”

A pause.

“Yeah,” Gene replies. “Yeah, she should be.”

He escorts her away then, talking about catching the Jeep before it heads back into the town with Skinny Sisk, who’s been hit in the leg. Zenie casts a glance back over her shoulder at Bill, who stands in the foxhole, watching her go. Maybe for the last time, now that he knows her secret. His expression is inscrutable – so unlike him.

She’s come all this way. Starting in her bedroom, ending in Belgium. And now she’s being taken away from the line. Gene will patch her up . . . And then what? Damn!

Gene helps her up into the Jeep, keeps his fingers wrapped loosely on her good shoulder as they ride so that she doesn’t topple off their precarious perch on the back of it. The medic catches her eye and offers her a nod. She can only wonder what it means.

#screaming crying yelling #idk if this one's any good but I've been sitting on it for a while omg #shifty powers x original female character #shifty powers x ofc #shifty powers #band of brothers #band of brothers fanfic #band of brothers x ofc #band of brothers x oc #oc zenie mcglamery #like a girl (like a man)#my writing #bill guarnere

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little-peril-stories · 5 months

Note

Happy STS, Kate!

Let’s talk about beginnings today :)

How do you feel about writing the first chapters of your WIP? Do you usually know where to start your story, or is this a work in process that changes as you get farther in? Or do you skip the beginning entirely and start at a certain scene, then make your way backwards?

On that note, what kind of beginnings do you like to write? Ones with a lot of background info, ones that show some of life before, or do you like to jump right into the action?

Happy STS, Anna! Thank you for the ask!

I usually know where to start it, yeah. That's not to say it couldn't change the further I get into a wip. but my recent history is completely redoing endings, not beginnings.

Wait. That's not true. I rewrote TPOT's beginning entirely. So I'm a liar. 😅 And if you'll indulge a ramble...

...I'm going to babble about why it was important to me to redo TPOT's opening. First, the ancient-history Whumptober version started with Bree's arrest. Fun, but not right for a story called The Prince of Thieves. Then, the Tumblr/ao3 version started with Jamie's big flashback to when he got kicked out of the Cooper household. Important for later plot stuff, but.........

But. Kate. Girlfriend. Kate. Kate. You made Will the main character, told everyone he was a thief, AND THEN WROTE 129K WORDS WHERE HE NEVER FUCKING STEALS ANYTHING.

(except our hearts.)

what the ACTUAL fuck.

New beginning: de-centre Jamie. Position Will as the protag. Give him an opportunity to be his pre-prison self - silly, sweet, goofy, mouthy, and yes, a fucking criminal. Oh, and a flirt, too, because why the hell not?! Establish his terrible lying skills and his immaturity. Showcase his place in the IA family and his desire to make them proud. Show how caring and loving he is, even when he's being an asshole. Show him happy.

Show him happy, so that it hurts so much more when it all goes wrong.

What kind of beginnings do you like to write? Ones with a lot of background info, ones that show some of life before, or do you like to jump right into the action?

Uh, I don't know. Let's take stock.

TPOT - Will does some IA stuff and agrees to go to Jamie's meeting. Largely establishing his character. Definitely belongs in the 'Life before' category.

TQOL - Bree witnesses Will's flogging. Introduces us to the MCs and the two antagonists, Baden and Curt. (warning: mini ramble.) It was actually so important to me that TQOL started here. And not just because I love a good flogging. Well, okay, that too. But I knew Bree couldn't just feel compelled to help Will based on nothing, or just on pure pity. Like, she's a rich married woman. Literally why on earth should she care about him? No reason, that's why. But flog him. Have his blood on Baden's face. Have her faint and steal away Gysborne's attention that could have been given to Will immediately if not for her. And now we're throwing sympathy, curiosity, and guilt into the mix, and that becomes to fertile ground for her to try to see him again. Also in the 'Life before’ category.

angsty heist wip - [X] thinks about the secret they're keeping from everyone and then immediately gets kidnapped. Introduces the conflict, tension, and 2/? antagonists. I ain't gonna say no more. I think this falls more into the 'Jump into the action’ category with a smidgeon of ‘Life before.’

Thanks for this awesome question. I spent way too much time thinking about it. <3

#happy sts!#storyteller saturday #lps the prince of thieves #lps the queen of lies

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clairdeluneandmurder · 1 year

Text

A selection of unhinged quotes from my political theory professor:

"Socrates has a tiny ghost in his head telling him when things are wrong. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell him when things are right so he’s just really annoying."

*Brings a 1-liter bottle of sparkling water to every class and drinks the whole thing during lecture.*

“The flood happened because God looked down at earth and said ‘I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do with this’, and so he nerfed us again.”

“God comes down and asks ‘Where my people at?’ And Adam and Eve are like ‘We done fucked up’.”

“Any schmuck can match their socks to their shoes but the mark of a true gentleman is matching your socks to your mood.” - said because someone insulted his neon pink socks.

“At that point, everyone else would be dead and it would just be Carl Schmidt waddling around Germany all alone.”

Prof: “Is the Illuminati still a thing with your generation?” Student: “Yeah” Prof: “The number one rule of the Illuminati is toughen the fuck up.”

“You can read Hobbes’ Behemoth if you're like a glutton for punishment or something.”

“The neat thing about soup is that you can start with the same ingredients and end up with a new soup every time.”

“If any of you steal my pies I’m going to assume you’re possessed by a demon... I made a pie yesterday. You have NO IDEA how much fruit goes into one of those fuckers.”

“The great thing about Locke is he’s dead. Once you’re a corpse you can be used for anything.”

“I am the crazy leftist professor your parents warned you about. I will make you read Marx and I will say that racism is bad. Sue me.”

"de Sade would be great at being on the internet. And I do mean that as an insult."

Brought a jar to class and put a dollar in it every time he used the word ‘neoliberal’, said he'd give us the money that goes in at the end of the semester. (we each got 3 bucks, there are 15 people in the class)

"Time is a flat circle and I am but a lonely goldfish cracker."

“By a show of hands, who is hungover today? I’ll go first to make you feel better. I am hungover today, be nice to me."

Starts lecture by writing on the whiteboard: “THE ECONOMY IS STUPID”

“Just to be clear, I’m not saying we should guillotine people who open soap shops on Etsy.”

“People don’t get my Simpsons references anymore. You kids today with your sponge bob and anime.”

“If you need help, please ask for it. The worst thing that happens is I send you a super condescending email and you’re no worse off.”

“You’re a shitty libertarian if you accidentally become a Leninist.”

“Anyone seen one of these modern garbage trucks? It’s sick right?! Pretty fucking cool!” proceeds to do an impression of a garbage truck “Marx would love to drive around a dope robot truck.”

"That’s what makes babies just awful. They don’t understand that they don’t always get what they want."

"For how many of y’all does getting stoned and staring at a wall to ponder morality sound like a great class?"

“I once had a student use the topic 'The only way to commune with the aliens is through nuclear warfare' for this assignment, nothing you write can scare me anymore."

“I'm not going to make you read this. It’s 4 volumes, 2500 pages, and mostly about how linen is produced. Moments of brilliance though.”

“I think we should replace the death penalty with public humiliation. ”

"Crude Freudism will get you 80% of the way there 90% of the time."

"I’m going to throw my uncle under the bus here… Actually, I fucking hated that guy and he’s dead so whatever."

"The best thing you can do for your future happiness is to never think about politics. …I say to a bunch of people enrolled in a 400-level political theory class. Y’alls mental health is fucked I guess."

"God tells you not to do the one Bad Thing and Eve is just so sexy that man has to do the one Bad Thing."

"I haven’t worn a 1950’s bra but I’ve heard they’re very uncomfortable. …Not that I’m opposed, I just don’t have the access and I've been banned from three museums so far."

"Course evaluations are available now y’all. I don’t care what you say about me or the class, but make sure you mention how great my hair is."

"Identity politics can be useful, but I think we’ve probably taken it too far since now we’re at the point where Kid Rock is shotgunning 18 packs of bud light on Twitter as a form of protest."

"We basically live in an aristocracy where you can vote. Sorry to disappoint you if you think Joe Biden is a communist."

"Do you know why we didn’t celebrate international workers day on May first? Because America says fuck you, that’s why."

#professor quotes #unhinged quotes #political theory #he is seriously the best professor I've ever had #yes i have more quotes #they're all this insane

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beanghostprincess · 5 months

Note

Okay so, I came up with this One Piece theory that I think no one else has come up with yet and I need to know what you think. So, one of the biggest mysteries in One Pice are the 3 ancient weapons: Poseidon, Pluthon, and Uranus. Poseidon was an ancestor of the Neptun royal family who could communicate with the Sea Kings, and her current incarnatio is Shirahoshi. Pluthon was a physically reproducible warship whoose blueprints were owned by Iceburg and Franky before being destroyed. But Uranus is a much bigger mystery, as we know nothing about it yet.

So I looked up what the names mean and Poseidon is the roman God of the sea, Uranus means sky of heaven, and Pluthon is the roman version of Hades, the greek god of hell. So Poseidon is the sea, Pluthon is the underworld, and Uranus is the sky. The meaning seem to go with the look of tge weapons: a mermaid is a sea creature, a warship is related to war, which many people describe to be hell on Earth, so Uranus must be sky themed, or at least it's theme is a creature that can fly and it's also somewhat godlike.

Now, after Robin develoeped her Demonio Fluer during her fight against Black Maria many people started theorising that her devil fruit was actually not a paramisha, but a mytical Zoan. Like how Luffy's Gum-Gum fruit was actually the Nika fruit. I really like this theory and it would explain why Robin seems to be much stronger than any average paramecia user, ever pre-timeskip. So it dawned on me: what if Robin (or rather the previous owner of her fruit) is Uranus?

Think about it: a theme in One Piece is reincarnation, or ratger the spirits of the previous generation coming back in the newst ones, almost binded by destiny. And Luffy, this generation's Joyboy, was unknowingly tied to Shirahoshi (the reincarnation of Poseidon) Franky and Iceburg (the owners of the blueprints for Pluthon) and Robin (possibly Uranus?) Long before he knew anything about the weapons or his fruit's true identity, almost as if faith was guiding him thowards them.

So I firmly believe that in the Final war against the world Goverment and the Celestial Dragons Shirahoshi will learn to controll her powers, Franky will rebuild Pluthon (also sidenote, some people also theorise that Noah and Pluthon were originally built by the same person and that Noah was like a less refinied/incomplete version of it) and Robin will awaken her devil fruit fully becoming Uranus: a flying sky monster of another world that's connected to the gods, since demons are fallen angels in almost all mythology.

And in the frontlines of Joyboy's army alonside her allies and friends, the Demon Child Queen will finally take revenge, having learned the truth about tye world, her heritage, and keeping her homeland's legacy alive, fully using the potential inside of her that she was made feel worthless and sinfull about.

Do what do you think? Did I got something wrong? Is it a strech? Would it fit with the themes and story or would it ruin Robin's development? I need to get an opinion from a One Pice fan

Oh, damn, okay- I just woke up so this is probably way shorter than what you probably deserve for this text, but, yeah. I consider it a good theory! It makes sense if you think about it that Luffy was tied to them from the start and it's true that Robin is the one to end the mystery and also become greater than she already is, especially since, as you said, her powers seem stronger than usual. However, I always leave theories like these to theorists because I am just awful at these things (I'm way better at analyzing characters when it comes to reading canon stuff). But if you want my honest opinion, I think it could work out if they wrote it well. I don't think it would ruin her character, I'm just thinking about how Oda (if this theory ends up being true) will pull the whole "Well, actually, Robn's fruit isn't what you think! hA!" because he already did that with Luffy and it has to be a huge build-up to be interesting and shocking again.

#but it's not that wild like it's a theory that COULD happen unless lots of other theories i've seen #props to you for thinking about this i'm literally awful at theories within the lore #one piece

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r26yz · 6 months

Text

Rambles incoming :D

idk, i just... I FREAKING LOVE the dazaku writers in pixiv and lofter. I am not fluent in japanese or chinese, heck im not even fluent in english, i read them using google translate (i want to thank google for dazai obama) and its wonky af but THE FEELS!? It hurt, it grabbed me in the lungs and heart. The translation is off but damn the emotions are conveyed perfectly.

And... hm.. i noticed that, how hopeful they are about dazaku relationship? Yeah, they are not good-ish, kinda, sorta abusive. But like, there's hope? You understand? By no means there are lot of writers that don't hesitate to dunk on dazai for what he did to akutagawa. But the things, there's still something.

Im thinking how to say this.

Akutagawa's hate.

Dazai's taunts.

Akutagawa's want for approval.

Dazai withholding that approval.

If dazai don't like akutagawa that much, shouldn't he just gave him that approval and be done with? I know he already acknowledge him way before. He even gush on him to odasaku. akutagawa would probably wont bother him again. But then he doubled down on him, Atsushi is better than you ;). Why taunt him with Atsushi? Atsushi is his coworker, not a student specificaly (something that a lot of writers emphasize, very neat).

Why dazai? do you need him to go crazy for you :D bahahaha loser. Is it because akutagawa the first thing you own that is actually yours? yours that you got to choose yourself? you freaking gave him a mating offer by killing his friends' murders. you idiot. you sad man. what a sad little man. do you want akutagawa to kill you someday so its still considerd suicide by your own hand/creation? you sad sad wet man? you really think that he'd hate you enought to kill you? really? you, the man who gave the akutagawa sibling a home and warm meal? really? hmm? hmm?

see, that's why... call it shallow, but i don't think akutagawa could ever really hate dazai? ish? kinda? the man did save him, even though then he got thrown to another kind of hell on earth. He gave him home, meal, and hope. The meaning of life. Hahahah indeed he's like a dog. that makes dazai that type of dog owners who made a shitty job at taking care of their puppies. the kind that was excited first and (sorta, kinda, idk) neglect/abuse them when they don't do their tricks properly.

i only know games bcs i watch rtgame's youtube, and when he played "Slay the Princess" and then proceed to search about them on tumblr, yeah. "The opposite of love is not hate, but indiference" and yeah, i believe that it also true to dazaku. because in a way, they are in this two person tango of chasing, taunting, i need you to be my eyes, you've become stronger, can you give me the meaning of life. Hate is really visible and the love is so between the lines. But they are not really indifferent to each other.

The love is there! the love is there. yeah, the love is there.

also.

i'm not sure how i came into this conclusion but, "akutagawa doesn't need dazai, but dazai need akutagwa" and yeah, maybe their bsd counterpart is reversed from their real life, but the essential part is still there? Thats my delusion is. I just wanna said that in the end.

if you manage to reach this part. Uh, thank you for reading. Sorry for the typo. I hope its understandable. suffer with meeeee!

#dazaku #bsd #bungo stray dogs #in case you want to block

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doublegoblin · 6 months

Text

Man, Astarion got the short end of the stick as far as good endings go.

So I was on a walk and talking with the partner about BG3 (because good gamer very fun) with an emphasis on how the (arguably) poster boy of the game really kinda got screwed over.

This is going to involve some VERY HEAVY spoilers for the game so I will be putting the rest under the cut petals~

So I won't go too in depth because time on earth is limited and I'd rather not write an entire dissertation so I'll try and keep this brief and to the point. Also this is only going over the "good" endings for the Origin characters.

So huzzah you defeated the Nether Brain! Good job Tav or Whoever! We are all bathing in the setting sunlight! Oh no! Astarion no longer has his tadpole and is burning in the sun! Aaaaand he's ran off.

Wait what?

Yeah here's my issue with this ending. Everyone else, while maybe a tragic ending (see Karlach), gets one that is full of some hope at least! You have Shart overcoming her brainwashing and learning to live for herself. Lae'zel going off to fight a fascistic lich-queen, Wyll out of his contract (without DYING) and finally being able to tell his dad the truth, Gale no longer worried about the bomb in his chest and fufilling his (shitty fucked up) misson to Mythra, Karlach is in Avernus again yes but she isn't alone (either with you or Wyll) and is taking charge of her own life, Halsin saved the shadow-cursed lands and reunites with his best friend, Jaheira reunited with Minsc who is no longer a statue! Hells even Durge gets something nice in becoming their own person!

And poor Astarion, like I know you can't cure vampirism (I could go on how there should have been a counterpart to the ascended ending for him where maybe not cure but help), runs away and becomes alone again (unless you romance him but c'mon man that won't be everyone's play-through) losing all the connections and found family he has made. Like this guy was juuuuust on the cusp of having something he hadn't had in over 200 years, friends and some positive influences in his life and it is snatched away.

Like I thought I did something WRONG when that scene started playing! And like, yes, he is wasn't the greatest of guys when you meet up but can you blame him? Like this man has had to endure 200 years of no true freewill of his own, his body literally being puppeteered by the whims of his Pimp. He became a monster to survive. Does this make up for his past deeds though? Hells fucking no. But, like, he was on the road to not redemption but rehabilitation.

Idk like I said I want to keep this short but damn, he is the ONE character to not have an ending with even a crumb of hope.

ALSO WE CAN JUST STAY IN BALDUR'S GATE AND HIT HIM UP, WE KNOW WHERE HE LIVED! Also like, you've made good with the Guild, you can have that favor and figure out where the guy is...just so he doesn't have to lose the few people who he may care about.

Okay okay now I'm good. Trust me though, THIS is short compared to the thoughts I was having and very loudly proclaiming on our walk. I know a lot of the nuance is being lost by keeping this short but yeah. Bleh, they did my stupid sexy vampire dirty and he earned a smidge of hope imo.

#baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate astarion #baldur's gate rant #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #baldurs gate 3 spoilers #bg3 astarion #I have many loud feelings #Like even if you go where the story takes you and you romance her #the barbarian will still LOBE you no matter what you are #like damn bro come on!

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rotschopf-thedrow · 1 year

Text

Moonstruck (mShenko)

Summary: Looking at Earth from 384,400 km away makes Kaidan homesick.

@flashfictionfridayofficial prompt [#FFF193 Celestial Bodies]

To say he was relieved when they left the Alliance training facility after destroying the rogue VI would be the understatement of the year. Its last reaction had been a desperate plea for help, and it had chilled him to the bone. He wasn’t exactly claustrophobic, but he definitely felt better now, outside of the pillbox and without any murderous drones on his heels.

He walked away from the mako, leaving Tali and Shepard to their conversation. Of course, Tali was exited as hell and convinced that the rogue VI had been on the brink of achieving true consciousness. Maybe that was true. Maybe it wasn’t. They’d never find out, and somehow, he was glad.

He looked up, taking in Earth’s view and smiling. He’d visited countless worlds and moons before, especially since he’d started serving under Shepard. There had been quite a few moons that had offered a spectacular view of the planet they diligently followed and would until their systems’ sun died.

But none of the views had quite felt… This lonely.

He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat, a strange and heavy feeling settling into his gut.

Earth. He had grown up there, had family scattered across a dozen Canadian cities, and some more across the stars. On Earth, he had a place he would forever call home – no matter how embarrassing his collection of space romance novels was or how outdated the sheets on his childhood bed were. It was home, no matter how homelike the Normandy felt after all those days and weeks and months on end.

It was kind of sad that they would spend their shore leave in Luna’s capital Armstrong. He could’ve easily hopped onto one of the many shuttle flights, but he’d told himself that he could visit Earth any time he wanted. Sure, his family would’ve been more than happy to welcome him home, but he also wanted to spend time with the crew and the people who were fast becoming his friends.

He snorted. At least here in the silence of Earth’s satellite he could afford to let his tightly reigned in emotions run rampant. He looked back at Shepard and Tali who had apparently decided to grant him the distance he’d created; a distance he desperately needed now more than ever.

Shepard wasn’t easy to walk away from.

Too late he realised that Shepard was looking back at him, tilting his head the way he always did when he was analysing something. Or someone.

He turned away again, surrendering himself to the inevitable confrontation he knew was coming. It had been coming for a long time.

“There you are,” Shepard said, his voice strangely soft and quiet. “You were awfully silent on our way out.”

“Yeah.” He looked to Earth once more, taking a deep breath, or as deep a breath as the scrubbers would allow him. “You think it was already self-aware?”

“No. At least, I hope so.”

“Yeah.” He hoped so too. The last thing they needed was a true AI on their hands right now. “Yeah,” he repeated, his thought drifting to Earth and home again.

“Okay. Let’s have it. I guess it’s not about us, is it.”

Adrenaline shot through him like a fix. Shepard knew. He fucking knew and he seemingly reciprocated, and he was just standing there as if that knowledge was the answer to every NP-complete problem left in the galaxy. “No. No, that’s not it,” he replied because what was he to say after a revelation like this?

“Then what? Talk to me, Kaidan.”

“I guess.” He shook his head. What was he supposed to say? Was he really ready to tell his commander that he was homesick? That he didn’t want to go to Armstrong? That he wanted to go back to Vancouver, drink a couple of lager with his dad and enjoy his mom’s home baked double-choc cookies? That he wanted Shepard to come with him, as his partner, boyfriend, whatever? “It just feels strange to stay here on Luna and not, you know, go home.”

He didn’t know what he’d expected to happen next, but the gentle backside hug hadn’t been on the list at all. “You’re homesick.”

He allowed himself to lean back a little, enjoy the gesture even though it was a quite awkward due to their hardsuits, and deal with everything else later. Much later. Probably when his befuddled mind had finally caught up with the script. “Yeah.”

“We’ve got three days. We can spend one or two planetside, you know?”

Another dose of adrenaline washed through him. Shepard wanted to come with him. “We?”

When Shepard let him go, he felt oddly bereft of a warmth he’d only imagined through layers of armour and underarmour. It was ridiculous.

“Problem, Lieutenant?”

“Not at all, Commander. But--why”

He knew the answer. At least, he hoped he did because he felt completely out of his depth.

Shepard’s sigh sounded both amused and exasperated at the same time. “For someone with two bachelor’s degrees under their belt, you’re awfully dense. Come on. Shuttle’s leaving Armstrong Spaceport at 1500 hours.”

He stared at Shepard, noticing the smirk he wasn’t able to hide under the faceplate. Shepard had planned this. He had fucking planned this, and Kaidan would probably kill him later for that. But right now? He was happy to jog after Shepard and pull him into an awkward one-armed hug.

The view definitely didn’t feel quite as lonely anymore and he knew for certain that the Normandy would feel a little bit more like home in the future.

#mshenko #fff193 #flashfictionfriday #me1 #mass effect

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what-do-1000-swords-look-like · 1 year

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So when I talk about Dean becoming one of the main protagonists as the show evolved, here's what I mean:

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Dean: "Is it true? Did I break the first seal? Did I start all this?"

Cas: "Yes. When we discovered Lilith's plan for you, we laid siege to Hell. And we fought our way to get to you. Before you--"

Dean: "Jump started the Apocalypse."

Cas: "We were too late."

Dean: "Why didn't you just leave me there then?"

Cas: "It's not blame that falls on you, Dean. It's fate. The Righteous Man who begins it is the only one that can finish it. You have to stop it."

Dean: "Lucifer? The Apocalypse? What does that mean?"

In this episode (4x16), Alistair reveals to Dean what Lilith's plan for him actually was. They wanted him to break the first of 66 seals in order to start the ball rolling for Lucifer's freedom and the ensuing Apocalypse.

In 4x01 (before Dean or the audience know exactly why Dean is resurrected other than Cas' vague "because God commanded it" and about the work that Heaven has for Dean to do), it's revealed that Cas pulled Dean out of Hell and put his soul back into his body.

From there, we meet Anna (in 4x09) who is hearing Angel Radio about how the Apocalypse is happening and the world is coming to an end. We see her intro to the boys later in the episode:

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Anna (to Dean): "The angels talk about you. You were in Hell but Castiel pulled you out and some of them think you can help save us."

Anna (to Sam): "And some of them don't like you at all."

Anna (to both): "They talk about you all the time lately."

Then we see this:

While Ruby was introduced the previous season and has been part of Sam's arc for a while, it's no coincidence that she's now involved with Anna and that part of the story line. Heaven vs Hell, the Apocalypse is coming, and it all plays into that main season arc.

In the very same episode, it's revealed that Sam and Ruby had sex at a time that Dean was still in Hell. In the story so far, Ruby basically pushed Sam to move forward after Dean's death, which of course as we now know, gave her an opportunity to get inside his head. But the point is Heaven saved Dean (through Castiel), and Hell saved Sam (through Ruby) to get them to where they are in the present.

Sure enough, we find out that Anna is a fallen angel and that's why she's so in tune with Angel Radio, and she is sought out by both Heaven and Hell (one person -> both factions seeking her out). It's no coincidence that Anna describes ripping out her grace to fall to Earth as "hacking it out" or like "cutting out your kidney like a butter knife". No coincidence that Heaven wants to punish her for disobedience and Hell wants to just get their hands on her to interrogate her (and Alistair is the one sent to retrieve her). Cas: "She is far from innocent." No coincidence that Anna is the one to talk to Dean about his experience in Hell before Sam or anyone else. No coincidence that Anna states that getting her grace back is the solution she's come up with (think to 4x16 when Dean is told he has to stop the Apocalypse since he started it aka he has to make things right/stop Sam from going full Hell Vader - this paralleling is also confirmed by Dean and Anna's dialogue in 4x10 outside of the Impala). Because Dean is the Righteous Man who broke the first seal, and he did that by shedding blood aka torturing/cutting into another soul in Hell. They're both paralleled.

So it is absolutely no coincidence that we see In the next episode (4x10), Dean and Anna have sex. Not only does this parallel to Sam and Ruby, but also because Dean and Anna are paralleled themselves. Dean: "Yeah, well, we've all done things we've gotta pay for."

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The exact moment Ruby is being tortured by Alistair and Sam is wondering where she is, Castiel (with Uriel in tow) comes for Anna.

And in this scene, Cas takes over Anna's story line once she is gets her grace back, and remains as the Angel on Dean's shoulder while Ruby remains as the rep for Hell on Sam's shoulder.

Then we fast forward to the season finale and what happens?:

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Sam breaks the final seal by killing Lilith and this enables Lucifer to be freed which really kicks off the Apocalypse for real. All at Ruby's urging and her setting him up. It's also no mistake that Dean and Sam kill Ruby together but Dean is the one to wield the knife.

Sam: "Ruby, what's going on?"

Ruby: "You did it. I mean, it was a little touch and go there for a while but you did it."

Sam: "What? What--What did I do?"

Ruby: "You opened the door and now he's free at last. He's free at last."

Sam: "No, no, no. No, Lilith--I stopped her, I killed her."

Ruby: "And it is written that the First Demon shall be the Last Seal. And you bust her open. And guess who's coming to dinner."

Dean breaks the First Seal -> Sam breaks the Last Seal

Dean breaks it by shedding blood in Hell -> Sam breaks it by killing Lilith

Dean starts the seal breaking -> Sam finishes the seal breaking

Dean starts it -> Dean finishes it by going to the battlefield & "saving" Earth from the Apocalypse

Sam starts it -> Sam finishes it by throwing himself (& Lucifer) into the cage & saving Earth from the Apocalypse

The First Blood Shed By the Righteous Man in Hell -> The First Demon's Blood Being the Key to the Door

And sure enough, the parallels even go right down to the physical with:

While Ruby doesn't brand Sam so to speak, it's no coincidence that it's her blood that he feeds on to help strengthen his powers. And it's also no coincidence that this happens in the Dean/Anna sex scene:

Right down to the setups:

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Sam is working on sending demons back to Hell/sending them downwards

Dean climbs out of his grave/rising

And not only do these physical setups look similar (in circle formation) but also goes with that whole below & rising theme:

And not only does Dean rise (aka "raised from perdition") from the grave and Hell respectively, the very guy that the first seal was broken for (through Dean's actions/Alistair's prodding & torture) also "rises" in the episode "Lucifer Rising". And this is able to be done because Sam kills Lilith (through Sam's actions/Ruby's prodding) and her blood forms this pattern on the floor which then magically opens the cage in Hell and lets Lucifer out, allowing him to rise.

P A R A L L E L S

So not only does Dean share parallels with Sam (the main protagonist) and Anna (which doubles down on his own journey/story & the faction/side he represents) but also who will become the main villain in season 5, thus making it essential to the story line we see play out in that season and the show as a whole. The battle with Lucifer and Michael cannot play out without both brothers. Even when Adam is used as a substitute, Dean still shows up for the battle, still has an impact and helps affect the heroic decision Sam makes, and also does what he was told to do in season 4. He and Sam both stopped the Apocalypse.

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And that's why this is so important; it shows you how Kripke eventually evolved the series to have TWO main protagonists: the brothers. There's a reason that Lucifer finally has enough and starts beating the hell out of Dean. There's a reason that what gets through to Sam is the green army man he sees in the backseat of the Impala. There's a reason BOTH brothers are shown in the flashback. Why we are shown BOTH of them carving their names into the car. Why we are then shown flashbacks of them in season 1 and onwards. Why in all of those flashbacks, we do not see one scene of John or Bobby or Jessica or anyone else (not that I could see at that speed anyways lol). Why the very ending flashback is of Dean hugging Sam. Because Kripke was leaving the show and telling you, this is the most important relationship of the show: the brothers, because that's what the series is about. Regardless of the MOTW format or the angels added in. Sam was the main protagonist for the first two seasons, I'd even go so far as to say for season 3 even, but season 4 is where it all changed. To have the parallels that they do just starting in that season alone, on the same level, where it's very yin and yang (think Amara saying that she and Chuck are yin and yang for example, if one tries to exist without the other it chaos), and to be without one brother, the story would not work well moving forward. Kripke did this all himself. He made this decision. And he even told you that:

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Chuck: "So what's it all add up to? Hard to say but me I'd say this was a test, for Sam and Dean. And I think they did alright. Up against good, evil, angels, devils, destiny, and God himself. They made their own choice. They chose family. And, well, isn't that kind of the whole point?" (he not only mentions both of them but he also discusses the dichotomy of both story lines not only for the show but the characters themselves & in this montage when he says 'good', we see Sam and Dean together, when he says 'bad' we see Dean against Azazel, when he says 'angels' we see Sam with Meg, when he says 'devils' we see Dean killing Zacariah. It's. All. RIGHT. THERE.)

Beginning of the monologue scene

They even hinted at in season 4 with something as casual as this in the story line:

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The book poster features both brothers. Dean's Hell story line is mentioned (which this lady gushes about) and then she talks about Sam's story line in regards to Madison/Jessica. And then she talks about Dean again and one of his own story lines ("Home"). The point being, both brothers are included here in a very central way for this book series. "Well, I don't want any smartass article making fun of my boys." Both brothers answer her questions: Dean (the Impala, his fave song); Sam (his birthday, his LSAT score). When Sam is asked his birthday, Dean offers up his birthday. When Sam is asked his LSAT score (aka school where he was in the beginning of the series), Dean is then asked what his favorite song is (he was hunting/driving aka where he was in the beginning of the series).

And this is the very same episode the boys meet Chuck aka The Prophet aka God aka the writer of their story (not realizing who he actually is at this point in time).

It's literally laid out before you in all devices television shows (and movies) employ to help tell the story. Which includes dialogue choices, actors' performances, music cues, set decs and props, costuming, lighting, script events (for television shows), even framing and the shots the director acquires and the editors then utilize.

And back to Swan Song quickly:

Sam makes the heroic sacrifice to jump into the pit to put Lucifer back into the cage (once again, traveling downward and into Hell) & Dean keeps his promise to Sam to go live his life (once again, staying above ground and while he's not going upward, it's quite the turnaround from 4x01 and Lucifer is no longer rising and neither is Dean).

And while some people might say, 'oh those are just story parallels for the season, it doesn't mean anything.' 'Look, Sam sacrificed himself, he's the hero' (yes, he's one of the heroes of the story). 'Sam's still the main guy or final girl or whatever'...nope. Because Dean also made the hero's choice to show up at that battle and stay for his brother. Just like Sam told him "It's going to be okay, Dean, I've got him" seeing Dean bloody and hurt (they chose each other obviously). Because these parallels continue until the end of Kripke's run with Swan Song, and continue on until the later seasons, even right into 15x20.

Dean 2.0 to Sam: "Dad, it's okay. You can go now."

Sam to Dean in the same episode (and his dad in a way): "Dean, it's okay. You can go now."

They both died. In a very paralleled way as well. They literally echoed both scenes together, right down to the dialogue, the hand touches, the dynamics (father and son), and even had "Dean" giving Sam permission as the latter did for OG Dean. Regardless of how their deaths happened or why it happened or when it happened or what they did in between the time they reuinte, the point is by the end of the series, both had died and were in Heaven together. Because they were both the main protagonists.

And regardless of COVID and bts stuff, is it any wonder that they chose a bridge and certain wardrobe choices that purposely call back to the pilot? They're not just cool little Easter eggs. Both brothers are there, looking in the same direction, with Baby aka their home not too far from them and if you look at both actor's positioning, they purposely are almost the same height (by Jared leaning down slightly to match Jensen) for these shots.

The series started out with Sam as the main protagonist. And while that didn't change, the story evolved (by Kripke himself) in order to include another main protagonist, another hero. When you compare Han Solo's story to Dean's for example, that Office Pam meme cannot apply; they are not the same picture. And Dean cannot even be called a supporting protagonist because the story does not support that claim nor does the very definition of what a supporting protagonist is and the examples of where we usually see them within the story. And while writers can choose to tell the story through other characters (for example, ensemble shows use rotating protagonists all the time, i.e. 9-1-1) they don't always have the central story line when compared to the protagonist. Dean had his own central story line that started with season 4 and continued on until the end. It didn't take away from Sam's or put him on the back burner - it was all tied into Sam's own central story line in a way where they both had their own arcs, continued to parallel and complement each other, and tied back into the main story arcs. Almost as if you're looking at a piece of paper with two separate lines drawn on it, sometimes intersecting, but still making it to the end of the page aka the finish line. If you go back and rewatch and truly delve into it all, it's all right there.

tl;dr: Dean is absolutely a main protagonist. This started in season 4 (I know Dean had his demon deal arc in season 3, but I personally don't think he became front and center in the central story line until 4) and Kripke made the decision to do it.

Dean (and some Jensen) haters will tell you that Dean never mattered to the story. That Dean was a sidekick at best, someone who was obsessed with his little brother, someone that Jensen always tried to get to be the main character ahead of Sam or some other such nonsense. They'll tell you that it was always about Sam, that the later seasons don't count, that people only care about Dean because he's played by an attractive actor, etc. They'll also attempt to gas light and manipulate you and argue bully you into a corner by belittling you and telling you that you never watched the real show. That you only watched it for a ship, or an actor, or because you fantasize about Dean or whatever else they can come up with on the fly while attacking. They'll even tell you that you don't understand basic story telling while they do and you're stupid to think otherwise. But the truth is, the story of Supernatural expanded and that began during the creator's/original showrunner's own run. At some point, the decision was made to make it about both brothers and that is reflected in the story line itself. In order to survive, the story needed to expand and evolve as time went on (which is the case with any story if it plans to continue being told). Dabb knew that, Carver knew that, Sera knew that, Kripke himself knew that. That is part of how story telling works.

Ultimately, like Chuck Eric said himself "the fans are always going to bitch." And no matter how loud and how hard the haters bitch (whether it's about hating Dean or having some competitive haze over the characters or the actors, like the whole #1 on the call sheet claim which yeah Sam was the main guy for the first few seasons, it makes sense that he was cast #1, duh, it doesn't diminish Dean's importance in the story, hello), it doesn't change facts of what we saw on our screens: Dean is absolutely essential to the story, just as much as Sam is. And not only did every single showrunner double down on it, that's literally how the show ended as well (that these same people claim to love this finale episode btw). In fact, we got two different endings of them: 15x19's drive off into the sunset so to speak where they're both still standing & 15x20's deaths and their ending up in Heaven. Dabb kept it uniform for both in that their endings were shared, alive or dead. They are the two brothers this show was about. The series (and story) would not have worked if one of the brothers disappeared permanently or if it was only about one for all 15 seasons.

Dean was not the sidekick. Dean was not a secondary character. He was not a supporting protagonist.

He is one of the main protagonists. Same as Sam.

#dean is the other main protagonist #the story itself shows you that #learn it love it live it #dean haters go home you're drunk #dean winchester #spn #spnposts #deanposts #metaposts #dean winchester meta #the parallels are paralleling #spn parallels

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