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mosshead-lover · 3 years

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A to Z with Capt’n Levi

Levi Headcanons

A/n: I was suddenly short of words when I was writing this. Lol. I managed to finish. Lemme know how you like it, okay? * Baby bear face*

A: Attention - Loves getting attention from you, especially when swarmed with work, when you offer to make tea or a back massage, or even take care of his hardness. He loves them all equally.

B: Books - One of the traits Levi admires in you is that you read. He often offers to read to you and asks you to correct him if he mispronounces something. Since he grew up underground and never had access to proper education, he is kind of conscious of his spellings. The grave expression he makes as he starts reading makes him look like an innocent kid that thinks he is on the most critical mission of his lifetime.

C: Chivalry - The Captain is chivalrous, indeed. He often brings you flowers. All white, however. He believes in the purity of love and which other colors can signify it better. Moreover, it's his favorite.

D: Dirty Talk - Levi sucks at it, okay? His blunt honesty doesn’t aid the fact.

You: So, you have been accused of damaging someone’s private property, causing flood after flood. I must take you into custody(eying at the bed).

Him: Oh.

You: (trying to keep up) Will you take a look at the damage you’ve caused?

Him: Sure.

E: Enthuse(what excites him?) - It may sound cliche but, You calling him *Captain* when alone is the biggest turn on for him.

F: Foreplay - Levi likes feeling every inch of your body before he gets on with the actual business. He nibbles and kisses the most random places, making your body ask for more, slowly making his way to the sensitive parts. So, You tell me, who’s the king of foreplay?

G: Gifts- Levi doesn't wait for an occasion to get you something, nor do you. If you come across a vintage teapot or a new cleaning tool, you pick it up immediately. Likewise, if he finds something that you’d use or look good on you, he is bringing it home.

H: Hugs- Levi isn't much of a hugger but offers to when you are super low and need comfort. Levi always rests his chin on your shoulder when he hugs you. Back hugs, on the other hand, are very common to him. Especially after a long day, he wants to come home to your warmth and nothing else.

I: Ideal Date- Levi has enough adventures at work already so, Home dates are a luxury for him and you. You begin with morning tea and a little chat. You cook breakfast together and clean too before hitting the bedroom. Aftercare includes a shower, hair drying, and a little snack followed by his wholesome tea. You might go on a small horse ride or a walk in the evening.

J: Jealousy - Levi doesn’t show envy. If something is bothering him, he will be honest with you about it. But, he is sure to lose it if someone stares at you or makes you feel uncomfortable.

K: Kill - Would he kill for you? Ack. You know it already!

L: Liquor (Do you get drunk together?)-

Occasionally you do. Levi seems to hold his booze quite well. Levi does enjoy watching you get drunk and go berserk. Of course, he is there if things go out of hand. That's why you drink crazy in the first place.

M: Massages - He is on the receiving end, mostly. Since he stays awake late at night working, you often offer him shoulder massages.

N: Nos(Turnoffs) - Not addressing the elephant in the room, untidiness, and cold tea.

O: Ogle - Was he ogling you before you got together? Yes. Does he still do? YES! and you love it when those bluish-grey deep set of eyes check you out like it's the first time. The captain’s eyes speak louder than his mouth, and you're more than okay with it.

P: PDA-Levi isn’t a fan tbh. The most you do is hold hands in public except on the last Valentine's day when you were crossing the bridge. The atmosphere was so irresistible that you had to kiss him.

Q: Quarrel- Like any other couple, you have your differences too. Friction between you two is mostly because of Levi’s poor work-life balance and his OCD. Nothing that can't be taken care of before the day ends.

R: Roleplaying- Housekeeper and the owner any day. Oh, and you switch the roles too. Guess who looks darn cute wearing that white lacy headpiece?

S: Snuggles- Does he get Cozy with you often? Not really. Not that he doesn’t like it, it’s just that he can’t initiate. He never discourages you from snuggling up to him. You spoon most of the winter nights.

T: Tickle - Is he Ticklish? Surprisingly Yes. Humanity’s strongest soldier is also one big ass sensitive baby. A Tickle battle is one of those rare things that gets a peal of laughter out of him.

U: Underrated part- His butt! His sinfully sexy butt. You often kindle him by whacking that piece of art. His reaction is worth a million dollars.

V: Variety - Who brings in variety in the relationship? You, Definitely. You are always trying out new stuff. Thanks to his honest feedback, it’s easier to find something you both like, sooner.

W: Walks- When Levi doesn’t have to jump right back to work after dinner, he asks you to go on walks. They are the best. You get to catch up with each other’s day, and Levi is usually in a good mood post walks.

X: X-mas - Well, Christmas is just a decoy. What is more important is his birthday, which falls on the same day. He doesn't like celebrating or even remembering it. The last time you baked a cake and wished him, he said.

”I see. You're eager to celebrate me getting another year closer to death,”

You stopped bothering him since then. You still decorate the house, bake his favorite cookies, and dress up. His birthday coinciding with Christmas is a blessing in disguise, after all.

Y: Yes - Stuff that might seem annoying but, Levi doesn’t mind- A little goofy-ness, snapping at him, messing up his hair, and mimicking him.

Z: Zzzzz/Sleep - What type of a sleeper is he? Levi doesn't snore but moves a lot in his sleep! Often he wakes up in the middle of the night, settles on a chair for the rest of the night. Despite you assuring that throwing his limbs around in sleep does not bother you.

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Check out my New Year’s Levi list:

Eleven Minutes in Levi Heaven

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Click the bear to checkout my other work:

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novasintheroom · 4 years

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Ooooo a fresh blog! Heyo there! So, my first request is some head canons, if you write them anyway, for the each of the turtles having a s/o who is usually the purest of beans. Like— she doesn’t get angry, usually shy when meeting new people, very humble, sweet and caring— but for the first time she does it’s like she realizes she’s frustrated and mad about something that happened during the day and it’s the first time she’s expressing it. the turtles notice her come in knowing something is off about her behavior when she’s usually so cheerful. Almost like “Sometimes it just makes me so— it makes me so... so...! Angry!” But she actually gets super surprised with herself realizing she’s actually venting just to say she’s fine in the end after bottling up for so long. The turtles just looking at her and asking if she’s okay 😂 If that makes any sense.. sorry if it doesn’t.

Oooooo my first ask!! I’m so nervous and excited! I think I got the gist of what you’re getting at. Thanks for sending this in, it means a lot to me! <3

Leo

· Honestly caught off guard when you come in steaming

· Your calm and sweetness is something he loves and looks forward to – it’s hard being the firm leader in his family when everyone pushes back, so you’re a pleasant break from the arguments and sassy remarks

· Not today

· It’s loud in the lair – Raph and Mikey are doing something with a basketball and hula hoop that’s got Raph raging and Mikey screaming, Donnie’s got a power tool going on the truck, and Splinter’s Celine Dion music is blaring to drown it all out while he works on pruning his plants

· Leo’s up in the concrete rafters with a book, glancing down every other minute to make sure Raph doesn’t kill Mikey

· He would have completely missed you coming in if Mikey hadn’t thrown the ball toward the entrance

· You dodge the ball before it hits you, but instead of laughing it off like usual, you throw a dark look at his brothers and beeline toward the dojo.

· Woah, that’s weird

· Avoidance of his family = big red flag

· You didn’t even say hi to him??

· Hops down and follows, waving off Mikey’s calls to you

· Finds you in the corner of the dojo, bag thrown to the side and hands smoothing out the sand of his small zen garden

· Feels a bit awkward honestly

· Listen, he’s getting better at it, but he’s not the best at feelings

· Especially girl feelings

· He knows something’s up though, and he wouldn’t be a good beau if he just let you simmer

· Spooks you when he asks if you’re okay

· Darn those ninja skills, how is someone as big as him so silent?

· You sigh and just say you had a fight with your roommate and that it’s fine, you just needed some quiet before you went to his family

· Okay, coolcoolcool. He can work with this. He and Raph fight all the time! “What was the fight about?”

· Cue explosion

· “She doesn’t pay her part of the bills on time, and she has her boyfriend over constantly and I can hear them through the walls when they’re screwing because the stupid cheap apartment has stupid cheap thin walls, and she leaves her dishes everywhere even when I ask her to not be a slob, and the landlord is getting after me for her rent when– “

· W o w

· He didn’t think you knew any swear words, but the names you’re calling your roommate would make even Raph blush

· Your rant goes on and on

· Anytime he tries to suggest a solution you get angry at him like why can’t he just listen omg

· He shuts up quick

· Somewhere in the process he sat down and your head moved to his lap while you laid all your problems out

· By the time you’re finished your chest is heaving and it’s been an hour

· Leo’s scared to say something in case you go off again lmao

· He just plays with your hair and hums while you calm down

· Finally you look at him with wide eyes, “Wow, geez, I didn’t think I was that mad.”

· He can’t help but laugh, “Me neither.”

· Your smile is back, though, and that’s the best thing he’s seen all day

· “You feeling better now?”

· You say yes, and give him a good hug and kiss as thanks for his patience

· He asks you to come to him if things start building up again

· Seriously, start talking to him – I don’t think the poor guy can handle another explosion like that lol

Raph

· Raph knows anger

· Does he know how to deal with it? Ehhh that’s hit-and-miss

· But he knows it

· So seeing your tense shoulders, clenched fists, grinding teeth when you walk in – he knows you’re angry

· It’s a bit off-putting tbh – you’re the calm to his rage, the quiet touch to wind him down when something gets under his skin

· What happened to make his quiet girl so mad?

· Did someone say something about your family?

· Or something about your outfit?

· Did a skeevy guy try to touch you?

· Did someone try to kiss you?

· Okay, now he’s getting mad

· Decides to take a page from Splinter’s book and pulls you aside to talk

· “What’s the matter?”

· You pull at your sleeves, looking anywhere but him

· You just mumble you’re fine, and that you’re hungry and try to move to the kitchen

· Nuh-uh, that don’t work with him

· Catches you by the arm and gives you a look, “Somethin’s bothering you, and you’re gonna tell me what it is.”

· “And what if I don’t wanna talk about it?”

· “Tough luck.”

· Your glare could curdle milk, but you don’t say anything

· Alright, you wanna play it that way? He’s got three brothers he grew up with; he can get it out of you.

· Hauls you up and tosses you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and takes you to his workout station

· Ignores your screams of outrage and the beating fists on his shell

· They’re like little kitten paw pats; he can’t help but smile at how small you really are

· When he sets you down in front of a world-weary punching bag, he crosses his arms and waits

· You’re red faced and snarling. “What are you doing?”

· He raises a fist, and gives the bag a good punch – “That’s for when Mikey backwashed into my water bottle today.” He throws another punch, “And that’s for Donnie’s stupid snorts waking me up last night,” and another, “and now I’m back on Mikey’s backwash!”

· He stops the bag’s swaying and gestures for you to take a turn

· Realization dawns in your eyes. You look at your fist and throw a pathetic punch at it. “That’s…for my fifth plant…dying this week?”

· He almost laughs, but nods encouragement

· You punch again. “That’s for whoever stole my lunch out of the fridge at work.”

· And again. “And for those kids who spit on that homeless guy!”

· And again. “And for Gina’s face when she made fun of my teeth!”

· Punch after punch, you let out your anger and frustrations that boiled over today

· Raph’s impressed – not just with how much crap happened to you, but how long you held it in

· You’re a lot stronger than he gave you credit for

· He’s also a bit freaked at seeing the rage in your eyes

· Is that what others see when he comes at them?

· Yeesh

· You feel a lot better after the session, if sheepish for letting so much anger show

· But he brushes it off, “Hey, you see how I am. It don’t bother me none, sweetheart.”

· He pinches your butt for good measure as you walk back to the lair and laughs when you punch him in the arm

Donnie

· The one that takes the longest to realize something’s up

· He can’t help it! He’s busy making sure his family is safe and hidden! He’s gotta keep the firewall up-to-date from all the new viruses being put out, check the perimeter lasers so that no one sneaks up on them, change the oil in the Turtle Tank, and why is the computer sparking over here, he needs to ask Raph or Leo to come with him to get new parts at the junkyard, but if he –

· Bumps into you and is like ‘oh. how’d you get in here’

· Delighted to see you though! It’s like all his worries suddenly vanished when he realized ‘oh yeah! I have a girlfriend!’ and that’s you!

· Missed you a lot since it’s been a few days since you could visit

· Starts showing you all of the progress he’s made on certain things, asks you how school’s going, how was that group project you had, did you get that interview for work?

· It’s your clipped and short answers that finally makes him take a step back and really see how you’re doing

· You’ve always been enthusiastic about his inventions, even if you don’t completely understand every technical thing he talks about. He thought you guys were past the awkward conversations too.

· Clipped answers are a big no-no – it makes him shrink inside, like his words and ideas don’t matter

· Takes a few seconds to look you over – awkward seconds, ones where you look down and away and not at him

· “Are you alright? Did…something happen?”

· You take a few deep breaths, trying to calm yourself, but then the words just start pouring out: “I’m sorry, it’s just, I can’t stop thinking about how my supervisors treated me the past few days. They scheduled me to work a triple shift! Without asking me! And I told them I had a date with you, and a million other things to do, but – “

· You lay it out for him, apologizing every other minute for just putting this on him out of the blue, that you tried really hard to be happy coming to the lair but your boss just text you that you have another shift tonight instead of getting to hang out with Donnie, and –

· Donnie sits you both down in a couple of chairs, his hands holding your own as you keep talking and venting

· Rubs circles into your palm, eyes never straying from your own watery and frustrated ones

· A breath out of the nose is the end to your rant, and you lean to put your head on his shoulder. “I just hate when people spring things on me! I just wanna stay with you and hand you tools to work on stuff.”

· His heart warms at this, even if he’s sad at how sucky your job is

· And it gives him an idea

· He manages to hack into your work’s scheduling system and put your supervisors or fellow employees in your place for the night

· Even sends out a text masked as your head boss to whoever he put, letting them know they’re on the job and that you had an emergency

· You’re torn on this – those people had things they had to do too

· But Donnie reassures you: “If they’re as bad as you say, then getting more people mad at them might just make them change. If not, we at least get to have our date night, right?”

· Well, when you put it that way…

· He gets a big, long smooch for pulling it off and for listening to you

Mikey

· Listen, this boy is intuitive when it comes to emotions.

· He kinda has to be with the type of older brothers he has lmao

· Instantly knows something’s up by the sound of your feet coming down the tunnels – heavy, like you want to stomp them but don’t know how

· He’s geared up though – his baby girl’s coming!

· Hops off the couch and has the biggest grin for you when you walk in

· Doesn’t even falter when he sees the glower on your face

· Says something stupid to test the waters – “Woah, babe, I’m gonna have to call the cops – I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to be as fine as you are!”

· Not even a smirk.

· Okay okay. Obvi you’re not in a happy mood.

· Man, he was hoping for a little blush at least!

· Takes that heavy bag off your shoulders you’ve been lugging around all day and corrals you back to the couch

· Grabs some sodas and a few chocolate bars from his hidden stash in the kitchen

· He knows you need it more than him right now

· Sits down and calls out to the lair that “we’re making out on the couch!!” Def keeps his family from coming in and interrupting lol

· Isn’t even phased when you explode about your day – your coworker had it out for you, your professor told the whole class that your paper was what not to do if you wanted a good grade, etc. etc.

· Mikey accents your day with “No!” and “He didn’t!” and “What a jerk!”

· It’s cathartic to hear someone agree with you like that

· He takes you in his arms when the frustrated tears start falling and you start to wind down

· “It just makes me so angry, and I hate feeling embarrassed and…”

· Rubs circles on your back to help calm you, just like his family did to him growing up

· After a minute you’re better, and back to your sweet, happy self, if still a bit stuffy from the tears and snot

· You’re surprised and apologize for your emotions, but he stops you

· “Hey, everyone has their bad days! Sometimes you just gotta let it out, y’know?”

· You give him a big kiss for being so sweet

· Makes the day a lot better after that with the soda and candy and some video games

· He’s a good turt <3

#tmnt #reader x tmnt #reader x leo #reader x mikey #reader x raph #reader x donnie #reader insert #answer #anonymous question #tmnt leonardo #tmnt raphael #tmnt donatello #tmnt michelangelo #sfw #leonardo x reader #raphael x reader #michelangelo x reader #donatello x reader #my writing

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that-crazy-five-foot-two-chick · 3 years

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Summary: Winry sat in the optimal place to study in the school cafe for the entire fall semester. Then spring came, and suddenly some self-entitled twit who dressed like off-brand Gerard Way decided it was his territory. He was so not going to get off easy.

Rating: T

Word Count: 1.8k words of coffee shop/college AU with a side of enemies to almost-lovers

A/N: It's finals week, I posted this on Ao3 at almost 5am, and if the rest of the sentence didn't make it obvious, I'm writing from unfortunate experience. Not beta-ed or proofread, although I happened to see one thing to fix when I woke up this morning. Feel my raw power. Rawr.

It wasn't that big a deal.

It kind of really was, though.

Every Thursday morning during the fall semester, Winry sat in the same spot at the same school coffee shop. It was the spot sent by the entire patron pantheon of cram papers. Maybe one person didn't need an entire booth, but it was in the corner, and the tops of the bench seats had opaque plastic barriers that just so happened to be perfect for minimizing excess visual chaos. For the most part, there weren't loud conversations, and the jazz music that came through the speakers helped her tune out people ordering coffee. Add to that the fact that she could use campus flex dollars and not her own bank account that was begging for mercy, and it was the perfect spot to get papers done.

But apparently not this spring.

As soon as Winry walked in, she noticed him in the corner. Some emo wannabe guy on his computer. Probably on Reddit complaining about how women didn't appreciate the amazing pics he sent them on Tinder. Or at least, it was a fair guess based on the sour look on his face. Why did this guy of all people have to steal the holy grail spot? Ugh. She was still gonna get her coffee, darn it.

"You know the deal, Sciezska. Medium roast with a shot of espresso and vanilla creamer."

"On it! You paying in flex?"

"Yeah." She scanned her student ID and lowered her voice. "Who's off-brand Gerard Way in the corner?"

"Who's Ger—"

"The punk kid."

"Ohhh. I can try to get his number for you, if you want."

"No, he looks like a total tool! And not the kind I like dealing with!"

"Which means you think he's hot. I didn't think you were into that type, but you're not wrong."

"For the last time, no, Sciezska! He took my spot! And I'm trying very, very hard to keep this to a stage whisper, but if you keep trying to set me up with some random creep, I won't be able to!"

A distinctly male voice grumbled, "I'm not a creep."

"Keep telling that to the girls on Tinder. I'm sure they'll understand eventually."

"Yeah, and I'll bet if you look at your 'Live, Laugh, Love' sign a little more, you'll understand it eventually." He mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that, Mr. Nice Guy?"

"Lay off, it's eight in the morning. I said the only reason I even have a Tinder account is because my roommate stole my phone while I was going to the bathroom."

"Well, if you didn't want it, why didn't you delete it?"

"Eh, I figured if I really got sick of being single one day, it'd already be there."

"Never would have guessed you were single," Winry said dryly.

"Come on, it's way too early to be rubbing that kind of crap in. Who says I'm not fine with being single anyway?"

Sciezska timidly spoke up. "Medium roast with espresso and vanilla creamer?"

Winry thanked her as red jacket boy continued. "'Edward Elric, Bachelor.' Almost sounds as good as 'Edward Elric, Bachelor of Science.'"

"B.S. degree. Sounds about right."

"About time you stopped acting like I'm an idiot!"

Winry snorted. "That's not what I meant."

"Hey!"

"And with that, I'm going to go find some other spot to write my paper."

Edward, as his name apparently was, scoffed and mumbled something that sounded like "good riddance". Maybe the librarians wouldn't get on her case too much for bringing in coffee.

-----

A week later, Winry walked into the cafe, assuming the circumstances of the previous week were an anomaly. They were not.

"Medium roast with a shot of espresso and vanilla creamer," she grumbled and sulked in the direction of the corner seat.

"Hey, don't start with me again, blondie. I've had a whopping four hours of sleep and I can't promise you'll like what comes out of my mouth."

"We're at a coffee shop. Get some coffee. I can't help it if you're too hung over to be polite."

"Now look, genius. I did not stay up until 4 A.M. working on a stupid chem paper for that sadistic pyromaniac excuse for a professor just for some random chick to accuse me of being hung over."

"Oh."

"Yeah. And for your information, coffee doesn't really help me wake up. It just helps me focus on homework." He lifted up his empty cup and gave it a shake.

"That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard."

"ADHD is a weird thing, and yet, here I am."

"Huh, interesting."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pick up where I left off with the same stupid ten page paper I started last night."

"Oh right. Sure," Winry stammered. "Listen, I'm really sorry I just assumed things about you. It was wrong of me, and I'd like to make it up to you, if that's okay."

Edward eyed her suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well...I could look over your paper once you're done writing it? I've got a paper of my own to write while I'm waiting, and I can sit right across the table here so you don't have to come get me. I won't try to talk to you or anything. Neither of us need that kind of distraction."

"Alright, alright. Get your coffee and sit down. The girl at the counter's been up there waiting for a good minute or two while you've been at confessional over here."

"Wait, she has?" Winry's eyes widened, and Edward laughed at her expense. He was kind of attractive when he wasn't scowling...wait what? She pouted and got up to retrieve her coffee. When Winry returned, she plopped down on the bench opposite Edward and opened her laptop. Peeking out from behind it, she added, "By the way, I'm Winry. I figured you ought to at least know the name of the person who's proofreading your paper."

"Well, Winry, you're the one who volunteered." The corners of his mouth twitched upward. The two worked on their assignments in silence, occasionally speaking up when necessary.

-----

Edward was in the corner again the next week as well.

"Hey, Edward! Mind if I join you for homework again?"

"Normally, I'd say no, but you didn't bother me too much last week, so you might as well." He turned away slightly.

"Great! Have you gotten your coffee yet? I didn't see a cup, and you got something the last two times."

"Eh, I haven't been here long. If you're going up and getting yours, would you mind ordering a caramel macchiato for me?" He asked, sliding his ID across the table.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll be back in a sec."

She returned and slipped his ID back before pulling out her computer. "Do you have anything for me to look over this time?"

"Not this week. But if you have anything you need looked over, I can do that, too."

"Actually, I do, if you wouldn't mind."

"Winry, I just volunteered. Just send the paper to my school email. Mine's 'elricedwa'," he instructed as he proceeded to spell it.

"Medium roast and a caramel macchiato?" Sciezska called out.

"Coming!" Winry replied and turned to Edward. "I just sent it, so you should be able to start while I'm getting our stuff." Eyes glued to his laptop, Edward gave a thumbs up.

Once she returned with their drinks, Winry sat down and wordlessly set Edward's drink next to him.

"Thanks," he muttered distantly. His lips mirrored the words he was reading. Though his lips weren't plump by any stretch of the imagination, they were shapely. His steely concentration made the air leave Winry's lungs. To top it all off, the first rays of sunlight came through the window just right, hitting Edward's hair in a way that made it positively glow.

What was she thinking? Those were only the sorts of things people thought when they had a crush. She'd only had two positive interactions with him, including this one. ...well, maybe it was a crush. She could certainly do worse than someone with a questionable fashion sense. After all, he worked hard, and he got good grades, if the quality of his writing was any indication. Okay, fine. He was also drop dead gorgeous, if you could see past his clothing choices. Yeah, she had a crush.

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

"...no."

"Figures. I finished reading your paper. It's not bad, I just left a few suggestions for sentence structure. Now I am going to enjoy my caramel macchiato." He took off the lid and breathed in the steam with his eyes closed, nearly drooping into the cup in content. When he opened his eyes slowly, Winry was awestruck by the similarity between the color of his eyes and his drink.

"What?" Edward furrowed his eyebrows.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything. At all. Nope."

"Okay." He shrugged. She reopened the document and went through his suggested edits. Gnawing her lip in concentration, she leaned forward a bit to settle in and tackle the editing.

"...hey, uh, Winry?" Edward gulped. "Are you going to drink your coffee?"

"Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot. Thanks, Edward!" she smiled.

"No–no problem. And you can call me Ed, you know. Most people do. Except for that excuse for a professor that calls me pipsqueak. Can you believe he's my advisor? I mean, come on, I'm a grown man. I'm not that short."

Winry made a poor attempt at containing her laughter. "Okay then, Ed. Prove it. Stand up."

"Fine." He slid out of the booth and stood. Winry followed suit and appraised their respective heights.

"Well, I'd hardly call you tall, but you're at least taller than me by a few inches, for whatever that's worth."

Edward grinned as if he had won some sort of prize. "Time for shorties to sit down now!"

"Watch it now. You're not too far from that label yourself, mister."

They both returned to their positions in the booth and worked steadily for the next hour. At the end of that time, Winry closed her laptop. "Ed, are you okay? You seem distracted."

"ADHD. I'm always distracted," he dismissed.

"No, like, are you sick or something? You did get more than four hours of sleep this time, right?"

"No comment." Ed's mouth twitched. He mumbled barely loud enough to hear, "Wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"Are you sure? If you're not feeling well, I can drive you over to the health center."

"N-no. That's not it." He exhaled, then slid a napkin across the table. His hands trembled slightly. "Anyway, here's my number. In case you need me to look over a paper. Or whatever. I've got a class soon."

Winry blushed, but tucked the napkin in her laptop. "Thanks, Ed. See you next week?"

"Yeah. Next week."

-----

Winry: This goes with your major, right?

Edward: Blocked

#fma #fma fanfic #503 day #when i wrote it it was probably still 503 day somewhere #edwin #edward elric #winry rockbell #fma sciezska #fma sheska #my writing #my fic #coffee shop au #college au

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keelywolfe · 3 years

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FIC: Welcome to Backwater ch.12 (spicyhoney)

Summary: Stretch has some wheels now and he has directions, now he only needs to start down the path!

Read ‘Down the Garden Path’ on AO3

Read it here!

~~*~~

Stretch’s good mood lasted right about as long as it took to get back to the store. Not that he replaced it with a bad mood, nah, he was still pretty darn cheerful. But now that paybacks were done, it was time to put on his working hat, so to speak. To begin with, his new bike needed a thorough checking over; a skeleton could not travel on wheels alone, not unless he went back for roller skates. He needed to make sure the rest of the bike would get him to where he needed to go, too.

There was a ramshackle garage squatting behind the store, the siding a grungier match to the building up front and the cracked windows too filthy to peer inside. The roll-up door was rusted shut, but the side door was unlocked. Stretch opened it a crack and dared to look inside, braced for anything. Bats, rats, creepy crawlies, who the hell knew what grew inside the sheds in a town with possibly man-eating corn.

If there were any beasties, crawly or otherwise, they stayed hidden behind the wispy cobwebs or in their holes. What he did find was a lot of junk, piled in heaps, spilling out of bins and stacked on shelves. There was enough crap that if Red wanted, he could start a side business as a resale shop and give Miss Maggie some competition, mysterious message from the oracle not included, although tetanus was still on the table.

As curious as some of the objects were, and damn, he could stir up some trouble on the /whatisthisthing reddit with all this, now was not the time for distractions from the main questline, not when victory was in sight.

It didn’t take too much rummaging to find a bike pump and a small metal toolbox that for a wonder, actually had tools in it. He carried both back into the sunshine where the patient was waiting and got to work.

Stretch was never going to earn a paycheck as a handyman, but he did know a little about bicycles. Chara had one and so did their friends and he’d gotten suckered into helping with maintenance a few times by a set of big brown eyes pleading their case. Even had his own bike back home, though it hadn’t been used in a long time. A nice little ten speed with glittery orange paint and a thick padded seat to make up for his lack of pillowy booty surrounding his tailbone. Once upon a time, that bike got pretty decent amount of use, but that fairytale wasn’t one he wanted to get into right now.

This old rattletrap had exactly two speeds; go and stop. The tires were a little bald, but luckily, they took air without issue. The chain was rusty, but it responded readily to some WD-40 lubing and a little foreplay, the tramp. He checked all the bolts and sprockets, wiped off the seat and the little wire basket, and for good measure, gave the horn a good squeeze, setting off a hoarse ‘awooga’ into the still afternoon. Height was a bit of an issue, Stretch wasn’t ever gonna earn the nickname ‘short stuff’, not unless the next fairytale he stumbled into was Jack and the Beanstalk, but he managed to get the seat up enough that he wouldn’t jam himself in the chin with a knee.

Once he was done, he wheeled the bike out to the road and gave it a test drive, tooling up and down the main road. It worked fine, the tires crunching over the gravel, and when he gave the horn a honk as he sailed past Mama’s, he could see people looking through the windows at him, some of them raising their hands in a wave.

He turned around past the sheriff’s and headed back, pedaling slowly. The inkling of an idea was taking hold at the back of his mind, winding its way in like paint dripping down a wall and puddling in his brain pan. Yeah, the bike was fine and all, but he’d been ‘fine’ pedaling along back in Ebott, hadn’t he. Taking little rides in the traditional manner on his shiny, fancy bike that he hadn’t bought and didn’t use the other nine speeds on.

Well, he wasn’t in Ebott anymore, and maybe fine wasn’t good enough. All things could use a little improvement, right, even bikes.

Decision made, he headed back to the shed. He didn’t know if any of this crap was Red’s (and seriously, what was that thing with the handles and the springs, it looked like an eggbeater on steroids) or if it’d been here when he moved in, but it was all covered with enough dust that there probably wasn’t anyone around to mourn the loss. The rolling door responded to a tickle and grope of WD-40 as well as the bike chain had and Stretch ran it up, forging his way through the trash jungle. He managed to clear out enough space to haul out the bulky item he’d noticed early partially hidden under a drop cloth and got to work.

By the time he was nearly done, he was sweaty and filthy, but about ready to celebrate his triumph and thank the Academy. He’d shed his t-shirt, using it instead as a rag to wipe his forehead and if anyone spotting him as they walked down the sidewalk had a problem with his bare bones, no one made a fuss about it like they would have back in Ebott. There was a whole Karen Brigade back there worried about nudity and Monsters, seriously, those people would force a moldsmal into some boxer shorts if they had a chance.

He glanced up at the bang of the side door closing to see Red and the dog headed his way. Red was carrying a brimming glass of iced sweet tea as he limped along. He cursed with colorful flair as the dog danced its way in front of him, making him slop tea over his fingers as he tried not to trip himself with his own cane. He aimed a halfhearted kick at the dog that missed by a mile. The dog only barked gleefully, darting over to Stretch, tongue at the ready for a taste test to verify Stretch was as yummy today as he’d been last night.

Stretch only laughed and tried to hold the dog back in a feeble effort to avoid those eager licks. “easy, pal, you saw me a couple hours ago!”

“he probably don’t remember, mutt has a brain the size of a peanut,” Red growled. He handed it over the tea wordlessly, giving the newly-redesigned bike a once-over as Stretch gulped it down gratefully.

“what the hell are you up to out here?” Red asked. He paused by the remains of the push lawnmower that was laid open like an autopsy, poking it absently with his cane, “and what happened here?

“i…uh…may have borrowed the engine,” Stretch admitted sheepishly.

“borrowed,” Red snorted. “uh huh. seen this kind of borrowing before, usually turns into keepsies right quick.”

“i can put it back—” Stretch started uncertainly. Red waved him off, watching in bemusement as the dog took advantage of the distraction to lick right into Stretch’s mouth and left him sputtering in disgust.

“nah, ain’t used the damn thing in ages,” Red said. “i pay a local kid to mow these days. may as well donate the innards before it gets buried.”

No surprise there. Even after last night's stormy weather tantrum, the ground had dried right up again in the morning sunshine. The mud puddles all dried into cracked divots and whatever grass was left was a charming shade of dead. Walking across it was like taking a stroll through a giant bowl of shredded wheat,

Red wandered back to the bike, his browbone slowly rising as he examined it. “you get that from old madge?” he asked neutrally.

Stretch closed his sockets briefly to block him out. The glass in his hand was down to rapidly melting ice cubes and dripping with condensation. He pressed to cool surface to his forehead, letting the cold wetness soothe him as he said, "okay, what. what's wrong with it.”

Red gave him a startled look, “huh?"

“no, i mean it,” Stretch said insistently. “don’t blow smoke up my ass, what's wrong? do purchases from her come with a darker, deeper price unknown? is all her shit haunted? does riding it commit my soul to the forces of evil? if I rub it does a genie come out, what?” He waved a hand at the possibly monster bike and not the kind of Monster listed on his personal I.D. “tell me now, don’t play sphinx with me, not today.”

Red snorted loudly and pulled out a little cylinder from his pocket. He shook out a toothpick and stuck it between his teeth. “nah, but it might break on ya two miles down the road.” His grin turned wolfish. “getting a little paranoid, dontcha think, city boy?”

“no,” Stretch said, shortly.

Red only chuckled. “only thing wrong with that bike is what you frankensteined onto it. hope that thing actually runs or blowing smoke up your ass is gonna be the least of your problems.”

“it’ll run.” Okay, so he was about 95% sure it was gonna run. Maybe 90%. The engine he’d scavenged from the old lawnmower was strapped to the package carrier on the back of the bike, hooked up to the back wheel with a few extra gears and chain he’d dug out of the garage and he’d jerry-rigged a sort of throttle to the handlebars. It wasn’t pretty, but he was sure it would run without blowing up. Pretty sure.

Sure enough to give it a try, anyway.

“uh huh,” Red rolled the toothpick to the other corner of his mouth with his tongue, neat trick around those sharky teeth of his. “where ya think your headed on that death trap, anyway?”

Yeah, okay, that brought him up short. Aside from warning him off of any booty calls, (not that Stretch was looking for any shape of booty and sure as hell wasn’t taking any calls), Red had been pretty mum when it came to opinions about him hanging out with Edge. Stretch wasn’t under any illusions that Red was unaware of the happenings in town and not only because Edge probably damn well called him so they could keep their mystery woo woos on the same frequency. Red seemed like he knew all the local gossip, hell, he was probably the unofficial town bookie, who knew what he got up to on those weekend poker games?

But Edge was Red’s baby brother and as a big brother himself, Stretch was pretty sure he’d have some mighty strong opinions on Blue inviting someone like him out for pie, much less inviting them home to meet the family. No prospects, nothing ahead of him in life. Hell, he wasn’t even wearing underwear.

And anyway, like he had any right to any fucking opinions about Blue’s life after the way he left—nope, not going there right now.

So, yeah, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to admit he was going to see Edge, except how he really didn’t. He didn’t want to see any disappointment on Red’s face or distaste or…or whatever ‘dis’ might sprout up and if Red told him to leave his bro alone, told him not to go, Stretch wouldn’t, he would never, he owed Red so much, owed him in ways Red didn’t even know about, but—but—

His mental waffling took far too long, and Red was unfortunately just as clever as Stretch feared or maybe it was the simple fact that the options of where someone could go in this town on a motorized bicycle was a pretty short list. One corner of Red’s mouth curled up in a half-smile. “headed out to the farm, huh.”

Stretch struggled with an answer and didn’t manage anything better than the obvious, “i think so?” he said meekly, “i mean, edge sort of invited me. not invited invited, it’s not like a date, not that i wouldn’t date him, except you know, i wouldn’t because it’s a bad idea right now like you said, but he said i should meet his roommate and that I’d have to go to his house to do it and—" Stretch broke off to gasp for breath and his ‘fuck, please kill me to shut me up’ was left unspoken.

“okay, okay, ease down on the gas there. you must think i'm missing my wits on top of my foot.” Red snorted. “go wherever you want, kid, don’t make me no nevermind.” The dog was settled into Stretch’s lap, sound asleep and drooling enthusiastically, and Red leaned over to give him a pat, then struggled back up to give Stretch a similar one on top of his skull. He glanced at the bike again and asked speculatively, “’bout how fast you figure this hunk a junk can go?”

“not sure,” Stretch admitted, “not too fast. maybe twelve miles an hour?”

“that a fact,” Red spat the toothpick into the dust and sucked loudly on his teeth. “hang on a mo’.” He limped through the open garage door and the sound of brisk rummaging echoed out. When he came back, grinning triumphantly, it was a bicycle helmet in hand. It was leopard-spotted, only that hideous pink-and-purple shade never graced any beast Stretch ever heard about. Perched on the top of the helmet were a pair of slightly bedraggled plastic cat ears and Stretch took it as solemnly as if he’d been handed Excalibur itself. Beggar vs chooser? Not him.

Red stuck his hands in his pockets, his cane hooked over his elbow as he rocked unsteadily on his heels, “well c’mon, then, start ’er up. i can’t stand out here forever, someone’s gotta mind the store.”

“oh!” Stretch gave the back door a guilty look, “shouldn’t you head in, someone might loot the register or something.”

“no one steals from my shop.” Coolly assured and yeah, Stretch believed it, and not only because the townsfolk were good people.

Stretch pushed the dog off his lap, ignoring its pitiful whine, and went to the bike. Here was the moment of truth. He gave the primer button a few pushes, then yanked the pull cord as hard as he could. It didn’t catch the first time, or the second, but on the third it sputtered a few times, coughed out a cloud of black smoke, then caught, puttered evenly along.

“see!” Stretch said triumphantly, speaking loudly to be heard over the blatting noise. “it didn’t blow up!”

“don’t know if that’s as reassuring as you seem to think, kid,” Red called back, but his grin was easy, “you know how to get there?”

Stretch cut the engine. He snagged his dirty t-shirt and made a fruitless attempt at wiping the grease off his hands. “down the exchange for about a mile, hang a left, don’t stray from the path.”

“s’right,” Red nodded, “you leave soon, you'll get there right around suppertime and that’s always a good time to show up on my bro’s doorstep.”

“thanks, red,” Stretch said gratefully, “thank you.”

“don't thank me yet. and kid?” Red’s crimson gaze seemed to bore into him, “whatever you see or hear, don't you leave that path."

Well, Stretch should’ve known he wasn’t getting out of here without at least a vaguely cryptic warning.

“i won’t, promise.”

Red nodded and started the slow trudge back to the store. The dog roused himself enough to follow along, tail wagging happily. Red paused at the door and called back, “tell the kid i said hi.”

“i will, but didn’t you just see edge this morning?” Stretch asked curiously.

“didn’t mean him.” Before he could ask, Red was gone back inside with a bang of the screen door, taking both dog and answers with him.

Welp, chasing after him was pointless and anyway, that question would be answered as soon as he got to Edge’s place, which it seemed he now had Red’s unofficial approval to visit. Stretch couldn’t help grinning and he hugged himself tightly, managing to smear even more grease on his bones.

Yeah, okay, he needed at least five minutes for a quick wash up before he headed out or the woods would be the least of his worries. Edge and his roomie would kick him and his stank right back out to the road before he could make it to the porch.

Stretch left the bike and his mess where it was, promising himself guiltily to handle the junk cleanup tomorrow as he headed in to wash and change, and he did not spend an extra minute considering what t-shirt would make the best first impression for the unknown roommate.

He really didn’t.

~~*~~

The first thing Stretch figured out as he started on his journey was that it was honestly a nice day for a ride. Overhead the sky was an endless blue with only a few careless puffy clouds that had no interest in interfering with the affairs of the sun. The blowing wind wasn’t afraid though, it chased away the heat, and that combined with the blatting engine made it impossible to hear much of anything.

Not that there was much to hear. He stayed off the actual road, keeping to the wayside so as not to distract any of the cars as he puttered his way along.

The directions weren’t exactly complex, only one turn that he knew of, right into the woods. Stretch found it easily enough, the paved road vanishing into dust and gravel that led into the trees.

That was where he paused, easing off the throttle and putting his feet down as he looked at the entrance.

It was only trees, their tall, sturdy trunks reaching up towards the sky and the wide, green spread of their leafy branches casting the path in shadows. There were a pair of tire ruts in the path which meant someone drove it regularly and not just Edge’s motorcycle.

Only trees, that was all. Right, just like it’d only been corn, and Stretch didn’t move, sitting there with the engine blatting cheerily and the blue sky watching over him as he waited here on the cusp of…what? Fate? Or fatality?

There was only one way to find out.

Behind him, a couple trucks zoomed on past on their way down the exchange, either heedless of his inner turmoil or foolishly assuming he knew what he was doing and honestly, he wasn’t sure he’d known what he was doing for years now.

His concerns weren’t all simply about traveling in these woods, either, despite them being the same ones Red warned him away from and no less than two people went off with the cryptic about not straying from the path. No, there was also the fact he was gonna be meeting Edge’s unknown roommate to ask questions about some of the mysteries of this place and he’d be lying if he didn’t attribute a nervous butterfly or two to that.

The blat of a horn nearly sent him leaping right out of his shorts and when he jerked around, barely catching his balance before both he and the bike spilled into the dust, he saw a group of Humans in the back of a pickup truck waving at him and probably laughing at his helmet.

He waved back, unable to help a sheepish grin, and then turned back to the path. The trees only rustled softly in the light breeze, branches lightly swaying. It didn’t seem scary and hell, he knew scary. Scary was the first time he stepped out into the sunlight after a lifetime beneath a mountain and scary was another first step, much more recently, this time onto a Greyhound bus.

“fuck it,” Stretch said, aloud. He goosed the throttle, the bike lurching forward into the woods, and the trees swallowed him up.

Only not really, not even close. Stretch really didn’t know what he’d really been expecting. That maybe he’d come across a little gal in a red hood with a picnic basket for grandma heading down the path? Or he’d stumble over some kids with a nasty stepmother backstory on a stroll, scattering breadcrumbs along the way?

Neither of those things came true. (Although if Edge and his roommate lived in a gingerbread house, he was done. He was turning his putt-putt mobile around and heading right out of this fairy tale, tout suite, and into another story. Maybe he’d see if Red’s swashbuckler needed a first mate.)

There was nothing out of the ordinary, not even the creepy vibes that the corn had given him. The woods seemed no different than wandering through the city park in Ebott.

It was a lot cooler here in the woods, not only from the speed breeze. The heavy branches were also shielding him from the overpowering heat of the sun overhead, shading him in cooling green. There were squirrels and birds darting around overhead, unperturbed by his puttering little engine-that-could, and once a deer even crossed the road in front of him, pausing to stare unafraid with large liquid eyes before heading back into the scrubby underbrush.

Hell, if he was honest, Stretch was almost disappointed. Not that he’d wanted anything to happen, he didn’t exactly relish the idea of Red having to make that search party to find his dumb ass.

But after all those warnings, he’d sort of expected something to happen, a little trouble of some kind to be peeking out from behind the trees. Then again, he’d heeded those warnings, hadn’t he, it was always the disobedient types who got turned into frogs or had flower petals spill from their mouths when they talked, wasn’t it. His interest in adventure was definitely on the other side of the scale over his desire not to spit slugs or something, so he was erring on the side of not borrowing trouble.

His disappointment in the woods vanished completely though as he came up on what Red had so quaintly referred to as ‘the farm’.

The dinky path rounded a curve, the trees opening up into a clearing, and Stretch could only stare, dumbly easing down on the throttle until the bike slowed to a stop.

Well, it looked like all his expectations were taking a trip through the funhouse today, now didn’t it.

After seeing Red’s place, he hadn’t really been thinking much about the state of Edge’s homestead, what was there to consider, anyway? It was a cabin in the woods…on a farm…okay, so his logic was a little thin, he hadn’t prepped his anticipation very well on the journey. But whatever he’d imagined paled in comparison to reality.

The actual house looked like a log cabin, sure, but one that took a nibble from Alice’s ‘eat me’ cake. It was huge, with large windows shuttered in green beneath a wide, gabled roof trimmed in scrolling eaves, and a covered porch lined with cozy rocking chairs circling the first floor. Flat stones made a winding walkway that led to the front door and there were flowers lining the path in a riot of brilliant, ankle-high colors. Smoke was curling from the rooftop despite the overall warmth of the day and it scented the air with the welcoming aroma of woodsmoke.

The overall effect was one of one of invitation and Stretch was immediately suspicious of it; not a gingerbread house, no, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a witch inside.

Then the door opened and all the doubts flitting through Stretch’s mind dissolved into impossible static. He could only stare numbly at the person that darted down the path towards him, their hair bouncing beneath their chin as they scampered down the path because it was…it was impossible.

A young human, maybe only a couple years younger than him, and they looked so much like Chara it was downright disturbing, the resemblance taking a detour from possible siblings right into uncanny valley. So much like Chara, only, Chara was just a kid, a kid, and this person who couldn’t be Chara, could not be, but looked as if they’d aged like fine wine since he’d last seen them. Or maybe curdled like old milk.

“Hello, Stretch,” they said, warmly, those familiar eyes shining, and their smile was as bright as the sun that was hidden behind the trees, “Welcome to our home.”

~~*~~

tbc

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus #underfell sans #welcome to backwater

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nyyyyyyyyyyyyx · 3 years

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Barbie rewatch - Barbie Dolphin Magic

Right, so I began my Barbie marathon with one of the newer movies. I had never seen this one before, and without the nostalgia to make me enjoy it, I wasn’t sure I was going to like watching it that much at all. But I was wrong! It’s a children’s movie, obviously, but it’s still pretty entertaining. I really like the laid back summer vibes, and though the plot is sort of bland the characters and their dynamics are interesting enough to carry the movie well enough.

(There will be spoilers from now on) Something that really stood out to me was how this is probably the one Barbie movie with mermaids where Barbie isn’t the mermaid. It makes sense, since this movie is one of those where we see Barbie’s sisters, which means it’s is more of a real world sort of setting? Anyway, it was super fun to see Barbie bond with this girl who knew absolutely Nothing about life on land and try to pretend that was normal. The scene where she finds put about Isla being a mermaid, though, that was amazing and probably my favorite scene in the whole movie. I mean, the necklace being activated by a dolphin was sort of anticlimactic, and I felt like there were more interesting ways to make Barbie find out, but what followed was still very good.

On a side note, I love Barbie’s sisters so much! They all have such distinct personalities without being those rigid archetypes with only one trait. For example, Stacey was annoyed at not being able to practice any extreme sports and similar activities, which are her jam, but she isn’t portrayed as whiny or one track minded about it. Instead, she turns to people watching, and is shown to be grateful for Barbie giving her a good tool to do that. Skipper also clearly is a nerdy stay at home sort of person, but she still goes out and does stuff and bonds with other people, thankfully not fitting into the “annoying teen” mold which I’m honestly so tired of seeing. Her technology even helps the plot!

Lastly just a small comment on the art style... the cgi is obviously a lot better than in older movies, but I need to ask, why are their eyes so big??? Seriously, the eyes are freaking huge and it scared me a bit.

Gay thoughts: In this part I’m going to point out the things about the movie that come across as allowing for lgbt interpretation to me, so be warned. Well, I think I was up to a good start with this one! There is definitely some potential between Barbie and Isla, and I can’t possibly be making this up. This is one of those cases where making a little imagination exercise and putting a boy in the place of one of the girls will make you realize that the plot would definitely be setting them up as a couple were they not two womenً. Like seriously, right at their first meeting they have a cute interaction and chemistry, and I’m not even joking when I say there was romantic sounding music in the background. Barbie immediately becomes fond of her and invites her over to hang out with her? Like imagine you’re one of Barbie’s sister and she suddenly appears with a random girl saying “this is my new friend, she’ll be spending the night here :))”.

Now, all of Isla and Barbie’s interactions are super cute, but nothing beats the gosh darn transformation scene. Like?? Since this is my stupid gay rambling and I owe no one nothing, I’m just going to go ahead and say that it feels like a coming out scene. Isla was so scared of Barbie not being okay with it and happy when Barbie accepted with no issues (add that to the fact that Barbie then asked Isla to teach her how to swim like a mermaid. Hm. You can definitely get a metaphor out of this if you want to.), it resonated so much with the coming out experience. Also, Isla asked Barbie not to tell anyone, not even her sisters, because even though she did trust her sisters the more people who knew a secret, the more likely it was to get out, and if that’s not relatable idk what is. Plus the quote “people tend to not understand other’s differences” (or something among those lines, I can’t remember exactly) hit a little too close to me.

There was also another scene that felt so much like a break up??? And in the middle of the climax Barbie’s first worry was making things up with Isla??? No seriously, I could not make up how gay the last 20 minutes of this movie are if I tried.

Sure, Ken is in this movie as Barbie’s boyfriend (and as a marine biologist. That was weird, I don’t think I’d ever seen him be anything other than Barbie’s Boyfriend jdbfjhfjf), but they have very few interactions and honestly? Not that great of a chemistry. He is essentially a plot device for the Barbie family to be near the dolphin, and in the moments he actually talks to Barbie it feels more like a “childhood friends” thing than a “significant other” thing. Tbh Barbie and Ken look so much alike that I’d even go as far as to say their relationship gives me some sibling-esque vibes.

Now the last thing I have to say is probably a lot of a stretch but I still want to mention it. I probably only saw this because I have my rainbow goggles on (I mean, the whole point of this marathon is to watch the Barbie movies through queer eyes), but the villain looks kind of lesbian coded. Something about her haircut and demeanor reminds me of the “mean butch” stereotype. On one side, that’s something so subtle that it probably wasn’t intentional (if anything they probably meant to make Marlo a Karen sort of person), and on the other, it’s kind of sad that the one character without a cookie cutter appearance is the villain. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still white and thin (but if you squint she’s a little less skinny than the rest of the gang), but it would still have been nice to at least have someone else in the good guys’ side with a similar style.

Well I guess that’s all I wanted to say! Good to see Barbie movies have been doing well since I stopped keeping up with them. Hopefully I can start Rapunzel tonight

#okay just one post in this blog because I began writing here and I’m too lazy to copy it onto the Barbie blog #Barbie’s sisters being like “’damn our older lesbian disaster sibling picked up another girl from the streets’#Barbie rewatch #Barbie #Barbie dolphin magic #Barbie movies #tw: queer #long post

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pogueit · 4 years

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Snip Snip Bitch

Sarah Cameron x reader!

A/N: Hello! I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it!!

Summary: The one were you get a botched cut from JJ and Sarah is more than eager to help a dumb bitch out.

Songs: I wanna be adored by The Raveonettes, Eau D'bedroom Dancing by Bikini Kill, and basically Orville Pecks entire discography.

Warnings: None???

Word Count: 2,273

This week had to be the hottest week the OBX has ever suffered through. You were miserable as always, but especially so because while JJ and John B. were sent off to catch and relocate a gang of raccoons terrorizing a neighborhood in Figure 8 you had to go to the Cameron's residence, yet again. In the last couple of days, you had been sent by your dad to the Cameron's AT LEAST eight times to fix menial things around their property and half of those times were spent in Sarah Cameron's bedroom.

Normally, it wouldn't be such a big problem since you've seen everyone’s room at this point, but certain feelings towards Sarah had shifted in recent months. You started sneaking little glances at her whenever she passed by, your heart would nearly implode when she would stop and say hello or bring drinks for the working crew (which JJ says she never did when you weren’t there), you began to do stupid things to get her to look over in your direction even if it was just for a second (like tackling JJ into the water, jumping off the top of the Druthers onto the dock, or spraying Rafe in the face with the power hose), and your stomach would drop to the earth’s core whenever you saw her with golden boy Topper. So, it wasn't hard to tell you had a thing for the blonde. When the pogues found out they relentlessly teased you about it and more terrifying they always opted out of jobs at the Cameron's and dumped them on you. You hated being sent over by yourself without your shitty wingmen because with your newly discovered feelings you couldn't help but be severely awkward around her.

If you only knew she thought it was the cutest thing in the world. Sarah Cameron has spent the entire week destroying her house just so she could see you, again. She loved the not-so-sneaky-glances you shot her way when you thought she wasn't looking, the little faces you would pull when you were talking to Rafe, the absolute dumbest things you would do to get her to look at you, and how much you would reassure her she isn't a stupid fucking klutz for breaking everything in her room.

Sarah was praying that you would make a move already, but that has proved difficult with your newly developed shyness. So, she decided to break one more thing, her bathroom sink. She honestly doesn’t know how she did it but she did and now her insides are bubbling at the thought of you coming over.

You took JJ's cap on and off trying to settle your hair in a presentable way as you made your way up the pathway to the house. Now, you've suffered through a multitude of BAD haircuts, but this one has to take the cake. In your inebriated state, you decided you were long overdue for a haircut and a haircut you received. JJ seemed well versed in the haircutting trade as he's cut his own hair millions of times before without killing himself, this should’ve been no different. Your intoxicated decisions have failed you yet again and now you were stuck looking like a mutilated poodle.

You couldn’t brace yourself just yet to face Sarah looking like a chopped onion so you decided to stop by and see what Rafe has fucked up this time. He was hunched over the red bike confusion engulfed his hard features as he meddled with the engine.

"What's up with your bike?" You drop the toolbox which made him jump slightly.

"Jesus, you're back again?" Rafe playfully rolled his eyes at you.

"Well, someones gotta unfuck up things around here" you squatted down next to Rafe "What's the problem?".

"It won’t turn over" you peered down at the dismantled vehicle in front of you. The simple solution to all his problems made a smile tug at the corners of your lips.

"Did you just take it out for a ride?"

"Yeah, I just got back, why?"

"You just need gas, dumbass" you finally let the shit-eating grin take over your face.

"You're lying!" Rafe stated in disbelief as he stumbled over to check the empty fuel tank.

"Fuck!" He groaned into his hands and took a seat on the ground next to you.

"And that's why your dad keeps me around"

"Shut up" Rafe smacked the brim of the cap down your face which exposed your last night mistake.

"What the fuck happened to you" it was his turn to laugh as you scrambled to hide your hair with the cap.

"Fuck you"

"It doesn't look that bad... with the hat on" he tried his best to stifle the laughter that brewed in his chest "Sarah won't care". You could feel your body freeze over when he mentioned his sister and hoped your voice won’t fail you.

"A-and why do you think I c-care?" You mentally face palmed yourself upon hearing how the words left your dry mouth.

"You know why" He stood up from the paved road and extended his arm towards you "now go do what we paid you to do".

You trudged up the steps to Sarah's room. The warmth in your cheeks increased with each step and your heart was bouncing around in your chest. There wasn't anything you could do at this point, so you braced yourself and knocked. When the door flung open your heart broke through your rib cage and exploded into imaginary fireworks that lit up behind your eyes.

"Hey!" She beamed a gentle smile taking over her lips as she looked down at you. You had to restrain yourself from tucking a stray delicate strand of blonde behind her ear.

"Hey" you meekly responded and lifted up your shitty toolbox "heard you need your sink fix".

"Oh, yeah!" She beckoned you to follow her. Once you stepped into her room you could feel your heart rate pick up yet again and your stomach brewing with nerves.

"It floods my bathroom every time I turn it on" she sighed as she sat down next to the sink, her legs softly swaying over the edge. You nodded as you squatted down to take a look under the sink leaving your toolbox next to Sarah.

When the light from the flashlight hit the pipe you were surprised how fucked up they actually were.

"Fuck, this is broken broken" you mumbled as you peered at the battered metal pipes. From the corner of your eye, you could see Sarah try to suppress a guilty grin. There was only one pipe you could replace at that time and luckily it was the one with a huge crack down the middle.

“Uh, I can only replace one part today, I’ll have to come back tomorrow to fix the rest” you could have sworn you saw her eyes light up when you mentioned the prospect of coming back, but you just brushed it off. Sarah was eager to lend a helping hand, always handing you different tools, never the right ones, but you appreciated it, especially so, when your hands would briefly meet ever so often.

It was quiet for a moment before Sarah had an impending question she just had to get an answer to.

"Are you and JJ like a thing?" when the question left her lips your head jolted back slamming against the underbelly of the sink.

"Fuck, w-why would you think that?" You leaned back against the wall opposite of Sarah and held the back of your now dented head.

"Well... I ALWAYS see you guys together and half the clothes you’re wearing right now are his"

"Fair enough" you nodded glancing down at your outfit which did indeed mainly consist of the boy's clothes "but we're definitely not a thing, as for the hat I got a botched cut".

"You have to show me!" Sarah’s eye’s immediately lit up.

"Uh, most definitely not"

"I won't laugh I promise!" you sighed as you slowly took off the only thing making you look like you had a normal haircut. She shrieked when her eyes finally saw the disaster before her. Sarah slid herself off the counter and kneeled down next to you taking your warm face into her soft hands. The proximity of both your faces was about to send you into a cardiac arrest.

"Do you want me to fix it?" She finally spoke up after marveling at the complex haircut you had received.

"Uh, no yeah if you think you can even fix it" your cheeks were on fire from the embarrassment you never wanted to kill JJ so much in your life.

"I can at least make it better than this" she ran her hand through your hair which in turn made your whole body flare up with goosebumps.

She instructed you to sit on top of the sink counter facing the mirror as she gathered a towel and scissors. She then gently clipped the towel around your neck making sure it wasn't strangling you.

"Are you ready?" She peeked over your head staring at you through the mirror. You could barely nod because your mind was just thinking about her warm hands on your cold shoulders.

"If it still looks ugly we can always shave it" she giggled when your eyes almost fell out of your sockets at the mere thought of shaving your head.

"Umm, how about no?"

"What? I think you'd look so cute!"

"I'd look like I'm 10!"

"It would still be cute" she mumbled as she began to snip the mutilated strands. You two stayed silent for a while the sharp sound of the scissors taking over. You tried your best not to stare at her as she worked on your hair, but she was just so darn cute when she was concentrating. Meanwhile, Sarah’s smile continued to grow each time she caught your eye making it hard for her to focus on fixing your hair.

"Almost done just need to fix the front '' she motioned you to turn around and face her. You did as you were told uncrossing your legs in the process. Sarah then made herself comfortable between your legs and brushed some loose hair off your cheeks with her fingertips.

"Are you breathing there y/n?" Sarah giggled looking down at you. A strangled "Yep" managed to escape your lips. All you wanted to do was reach out and kiss her already, but you couldn't risk the embarrassment of rejection. What would the “kook princess” herself want anything to do with a dirty pogue only bred to mow lawns anyway? The only thing you could do now is just cherish this only type of intimacy you will ever get out of the girl.

When the snipping stopped your stomach dropped.

"All done! You're officially the coolest bitch in the OBX!" She smiled down at you running her hands through her latest masterpiece. Sarah didn't make any effort in moving from her current position which is still standing snuggly in between your thighs. Silence once again took over the room as you both focused on the proximity of one another. So close, yet so far away. Each of you fighting within yourselves to be brave enough and confess. Sarah's hands danced around your sitting thighs not sure whether to finally give in and touch your bare thighs.

"So, are you going to kiss me or what?" Sarah finally broke toying with the frayed hem on your shorts. You could clearly see the impatience riddled across her soft features and you were more than happy to oblige. You gently cupped her face with your trembling hands before smashing your lips against hers. You will forever be grateful to JJ for showing you the wonders of exfoliating your lips, as your lips glided with ease against Sarah’s. The kiss was rough and frenzied as both of your suppressed emotions were finally being attended to. Your hands quickly entangled themselves into her golden locks pulling her even closer. Sarah's hands wandered up your exposed thighs making you erupt into goosebumps before securely wrapping her arms around your waist. You could feel little fires erupting all over your body where her hands were and you could feel the struggle in your breathing, but you didn’t want this moment to end not just yet.

You were the first one to pull away from oxygen deprivation and giggled seeing the girl chase after your lips and let out a whine. You marveled at how flushed her cheeks and swollen lips were. Sarah could spend the next century kissing you and still not get over the sensation of your delicate lips against hers, but she could tell there was something on your mind other than needing to breathe.

“What?” she whispered, bringing her forehead to rest against yours.

“What about Topper?” Even if he is one of the biggest assholes in the Outer Banks you didn’t think it was fair to the boy.

“That dickhead? He’s just helping me out being my beard” she giggled as she ran her hands through your hair once again.

“Your beard” You couldn’t help but laugh. This entire time golden boy Topper was just helping Sarah out and all your maliciousness towards the poor boy was all for nothing.

“Does that make my girl happy?” Sarah giggled as your eyes snapped back up at her. Just those two words made your insides vibrate with a whirlwind of happiness. You didn’t say anything you just roped her another kiss, which you will definitely be doing more often.

#sarah cameron #sarah cameron x reader #sarah cameron x you #sarah cameron obx #sarah obx #cameron obx #pogueit #sarah x reader #my fic

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ayamari-no-goshi · 3 years

Text

Verboten 14 | (T)

ff.net | AO3

Fandom: Danny Phantom (DP)

Summary: AU. When Danny was five years old, he went missing for 2 weeks. In the years that follow, his family tried to make sense of what happened, only for the truth to be discovered years later.

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, language. Be prepared for some very weird things

Chapter warning: being attacked at home

Parings: Danny/Sam

Notes: originally uploaded to Ff.net. Cross-posted to AO3 and tumblr. This fic is very heavily inspired by folklore surrounding mysterious wilderness disappearances

Chapter 14

“Well, at least we know your parents could hire him to clean their ceilings if he stays stuck up there.”

“You’re not helping, Tucker,” Danny snapped at him from his spot on the ceiling.

More amused than surprised anymore, he just let Sam continue to try to help Danny change back to his human form while he worked on his own project. When Sam messaged him earlier that there was an issue, he hadn’t expected to walk into Sam’s room and find Danny, in all his ghostly glory, sitting cross-legged on the ceiling above Sam’s bed and having a panic attack. After taking in the absurdity of the situation, he tried for several minutes to help Sam somehow get him down. When all rescue attempts failed, mostly because Danny couldn’t seem to hold on to anything they threw at him, Sam moved to a different tactic. She hoped getting him to relax would somehow help.

Since that wasn’t his forte, Tucker decided his way of helping would be to finish reviewing the information he got from Plasmius while making comments about his friend’s predicament. Although he knew the digs annoyed Danny and Sam, he needed to do it for his own sanity.

Up until this point, Tucker really hadn’t registered the paranormal as being truly real. Sure, they did get abducted by a crazed ghost and then attacked by an even crazier ghost, but the more time passed without a ghostly incident, he had almost rationalized it as some stress induced hallucination. Almost being the key word. He knew his best friend had been fundamentally changed by the event, but other than the freak out at school and his now permanently chilly skin, Danny hadn’t done anything ghostly until now. Speaking of which…

“How exactly did you end up like this?” he questioned moments before Danny finally fell from the ceiling and landed face first on Sam’s bed. “You okay, dude?”

“More okay then I was when I was stuck on the ceiling,” he sighed as moved himself to the edge of the bed. His unnatural green eyes scanned the room as if searching for something. “I’m like this because of Plasmius.”

“Wait, wait? That’s a pretty big thing to neglect to mention.”

“I’m sorry I got distracted by discovering I was walking around in my ghost form or whatever you want to call it.”

“Don’t antagonize him, Tucker. That seems to make things worse,” Sam scolded as she pointed at Danny, who started to float again. “See? But that is pretty important.”

Danny huffed as he experimentally shifted, making it look like he was just lying on his stomach… in mid-air. Seemingly alright with the position, probably because he was only about a foot above the bed, he continued. “Look, I was planning on immediately telling you guys as soon as Tucker arrived, but I panicked when I realized I couldn’t change back. But since that doesn’t seem to want to change any time soon, I guess I just explain what happened.”

Once Danny was done, Tucker let out a whistle. “That’s some story. Glad he let you go, but it’s really creepy that he can just pluck you into that other world when he wants.”

“Why was he here in the first place?” Sam asked as she worked up enough courage to sit near where Danny was still floating. “That’s what’s bugging me about it. Was he just really here for information?”

“That’s what I don’t get either. Whoa! I’d like it if my body would make up… its mind?” As Danny fell onto the bed once again, a blinding light suddenly washed over him. Once it faded, he was back in his human form. “Well, at least that fixes that problem for now.”

Deciding not to comment on his friend’s obvious relief, Tucker somewhat changed the direction of the conversation. “At least Plasmius confirmed he’s interested in Vlad Master’s companies for something nefarious. Most of what I’ve gotten so far on that data are files on different employees.”

Danny’s eyes lit up at the statement. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Vlad’s in town.”

“That’s convenient,” Sam dryly stated after she shared a look with Tucker. “Why’s he here?”

“Apparently, when my parents asked him for help getting some information, he decided he needed to be directly involved. He was visiting when I got up.” He glanced down and wrung his hands before adding, “But he seemed really off today.”

“Off how?”

“He gave me literal chills. I mean, if I think about it, that’s happened when ghosts were around, but not people. He also seemed off… like he was a different person.”

Unnerved, Tucker placed his PDA on Sam’s desk. “I hate to bring this up, but didn’t you say that thing that attacked you was able to change how it looked?”

Danny’s eyes widened briefly before he shook his head. “I… I don’t think that’s it. It was close, but there was still something off about how it looked. It also didn’t feel the same… the chill was different. Vlad felt… Vlad felt like Plasmius but not as strong? I don’t know how to explain it.”

“You mentioned that chill before when you freaked out because of Maura… do you think you can sense other ghosts now?” Tucker felt himself grin despite the situation. “I mean, cuz if you can, that’s really useful. I’d like to be able to stay on the complete other side of the city from where that creepy thing is.”

“Maybe? I certainly didn’t notice anything like it when we were trapped or escaping from Plasmius… but he did say something about how that’s possible.” A thoughtful expression briefly crossed his face, until he gave a wry grin. “Fat load of good it does if it only goes off when something is like ten feet away.”

“Darn. Well, still let me know if you notice anything else weird. I’d like a head start over anything that might harm these good looks.”

xxx

After their initial discussion of what happened, the rest of the time was spent seeing if Danny could get any sort of control over his ghost form. It took a while, but he did manage to find the preverbal trigger for the change. Via a couple hours under Sam’s Spartan-equse training, he was finally able to change to and from on command. While he hoped he’d have a chance to work on more of his abilities, it was definitely a success.’

Around dinner, he and Tucker left Sam’s and headed to their own respective houses. While his parents were relieved to see him before sundown, he couldn’t return the feeling. Vlad was still in the house. According to his parents, the businessman would be staying with them in the guest room for a while.

“A while? How long’s a ‘while’?” he questioned as he looked for something to drink in the fridge.

“Well, that’s up to Vlad,” his mother replied as she added a few shakes of something to what smelled like stew. Vlad and his father were still in the lab. “While he’s not entirely certain how long he will be able to remain away from his businesses, he’s hoping to be able to stay for a couple weeks.”

Unhappy with that answer, Danny grabbed his drink and disappeared into his bedroom. If he was honest, he wanted to practice more with his abilities. It would be a shame not to with how much progress he made earlier, but he wasn’t exactly certain what tools his dad and Vlad might be using. Some of them where supposedly able to detect differences in energy levels. Without knowing the specifics of his abilities, he really didn’t want to clue them in.

Actually, was he ever going to tell his parents? That was a good question. Right now, when he didn’t have much control or understanding over anything, it didn’t seem like a good idea. Perhaps down the road? Maybe. Actually, maybe they might have so information regarding what happened to him.

A little later, his parents called him down for dinner. For him, it was a relatively normal affair, save for the chills Vlad kept giving him. Seriously, what was up with that? Vlad had been a fixture in his life for years, and there was never an issue before. Maybe Plasmius somehow influenced him or something? He guessed it was possible. There were legends about ghosts doing stuff like that, but he had no idea how to even begin figuring that out.

After dinner, he once again retreated to his room. Frustrated, he decided a few hours of Doomed would be a good distraction from everything.

…

Right around three am, something woke Danny. Rubbing his eyes, he realized he fell asleep gaming. Stretching, he turned off the game before checking one of his drawers for clean pjs. Deciding it wasn’t worth it, he headed to his bed only to stop when his breath misted in front of him.

Now wide awake, he stopped and listened. There were the normal sounds of the furnace and his dad’s snores. Wait, the furnace? Then why could he see his breath a moment ago? Spooked, he opened his door as quietly as possible and stuck his head out into the hallway.

Nothing seemed out of place. No one was in the hall. There was no light from his parents’ room or the spare bedroom Vlad was using. Deciding something still didn’t seem right, he crept down the hall and peaked down the stairs.

Eyes, dark eyes with a faint red glow, peaked out at him from the darkness of the living room. Knowing whatever it was saw him, he panicked and ran towards his parents’ room. “Mom! Dad! There’s something in the house!” he yelled as he frantically beat on the locked door. Of course it was one of those nights.

“Oh my god, what is that thing?” Vlad’s voice and the growl that followed forced his attention to the staircase. The sickly gray color of its skin made it somehow stand out in the shadows. The creature, the same one Danny encountered in the alleyway, stood in all its horrible glory at the top of the stairs. Its face was twisted in a grotesque snarl, and it swayed slightly. With an uneasy jolt, Danny realized the thing seemed to be debating who to go after first.

At the sound of the lock on his parents’ door turning, the thing lunged forward. Danny barely had time to register his mother pulling him into the room while his father roared, “Eat this!”

The familiar whine of one of his parents’ blasters powering up was followed by a blinding green blast and then another. As his parents decided to chase the thing, he curled up behind the door. The sounds of the blasts and something else, something unnatural, crashing into furniture could be heard from the downstairs.

How did that thing get in the house? Better yet, how did it find him? It was his fault. He needed to help, but what could he do? He had no ability to fight against it. Heck, he still didn’t know what it was other than dangerous and evil.

When the sounds in the downstairs stopped, he held his breath and waited. A sigh of relief escaped him when his mother called for him and Vlad. Not caring he was a teenager and by default hated hugs from family members, raced to his mother’s side and embraced her. Understanding he was frightened, she rubbed his back and reassured him she was fine.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the light snapped on to reveal blast marks, destroyed furniture, and Vlad appraising the scene from the bottom step, “but what exactly was that thing? Should I contact the police?”

Embarrassed someone saw him, Danny quickly let go and retreated a few steps. His mother smiled at him before replying, “It’s already been taken care of.” She pointed to what Danny recognized as the button of one of the alarm systems; it was flashing. “Jack’s checking the perimeter to make sure that thing is gone. In the meantime, I’m going to make us hot chocolate.”

“But what if that thing comes back? Surely Jack wouldn’t just leave you alone.”

She flashed him a grin as she held up a miniature blaster. “Thank you for being concerned, but I’m actually the better shot between the two of us.”

After glancing at Vlad, who seemed both dumbfounded and proud, Danny hurried into the kitchen after his mother. He really didn’t want to leave her side if that thing came back.

“Danny,” his mother stated after they were seated at the kitchen table with hot chocolate in hand, “be honest with me, was that the same thing you saw in the alleyway?”

He took a sip of his drink before answering her. “I… I think so. I mean, I’m not exactly sure if it was the same thing or not, but it looked similar.”

“You’re telling me that’s the thing you’re researching?” Vlad sounded surprised, but Danny noticed how tightly he gripped his mug. Why did he seem angry? “That thing was an abomination.”

His mother nodded. “While there are some stories regarding things like that in folklore, most of the recent ones seem to be more fiction than fact, so Jack and I tended to disregard them.” She sent him an apologetic smile, “However, with Danny’s report, we decided to look into it and didn’t like what we found. That’s why we reached out because we needed to get the resources to verify the data.”

“What do you mean you didn’t like what you found?” His whole body felt icy again, but this time, it seemed to be from fear and not some paranormal creature.

“I want to verify something with the officers,” she glanced at the clock on the wall before muttering, “when they finally get here first. However, if Jack didn’t manage to get it, I’m not sure if it’ll come back or not. We definitely wounded it,” she pointed to a spot in the living room where something wet, dark, and faintly glowing could be seen, “but I don’t know if that was enough to ward it off or if it’s vengeful enough to return.”

“But why was it here?”

“If I may?” Vlad glanced at his mother, who nodded. “If it was in fact the same creature Daniel saw, it may have come for him, or, it simply could have been drawn to the house. Forgive me, but you do have a lot of ectoplasm and other potential energy sources on hand.”

“Hmm… we have been meaning to update our storage devices. That can easily be done, but if Danny is a target, that would be much harder to fix.” His mother reached out and gently put her hand on his. “Sweetie, don’t take this the wrong way, but your father and I are worried you might have been changed because of your disappearances.”

That was putting it lightly, he ruefully thought. However, instead of agreeing, he asked her to explain what she meant.

“Well, you know we theorized you temporarily slipped into a different dimension when you were younger? It’s possible that somehow altered you. Pass reports of those ‘spirited away’ often report the person was somehow changed. Since before you seemed fine, save for the times we caught you staring as if you saw something we couldn’t, we figured you may have developed a sensitivity to the paranormal.”

He nodded. That made sense. Although, he was embarrassed his parents picked up on how he sometimes saw those shadows. Apparently he didn’t do nearly as good of a job as he thought at keeping that a secret.

His mother bit her lip before continuing. “But, this past time… something changed. I know you told the police you were abducted by a person, but the complete disappearance and then reappearance… and that none of you who disappeared could be tracked… and the injuries… and how that poor boy was found… it never made sense it was a human. And when you came back, the changes in your vitals, we knew there was something more to it. You don’t have to tell me anything if you’re not ready,” she added when she noticed his panicked expression, “but whatever changed might have made you something like beacon to creatures of other worlds.”

His mouth felt dry. His parents actually suspected there was something off about him, and they just accepted it? Should he tell them how much he really changed? No, Vlad was in the house. He didn’t need to know anything about it. However, he could start probing for some of the answers he wanted. “If… if I have changed, how…?”

“We’re not exactly sure what will happen in the long run,” she replied as she picked up on his train of questioning. “Old accounts vary, and it’s difficult distinguishing fact and legend. Anyways, Danny I just want to verify the thing that attacked us tonight and whoever abducted you on the camping trip are not the same thing.”

He violently shook his head. “No, they’re completely different…”He debated with himself for a moment. Should he tell her about Plasmius appearing? Or the thing Clockwork discovered? Or the horde that attacked Sam, Tucker, and their classmates on the way back? “At least, whoever took me, Sam, and Tucker was completely different. I don’t know what grabbed the others.” That was true enough.

Vlad remained unusually quiet during the exchange, but unlike other times where he seemed disinterested or involved, this time it seemed like he was mulling over something. Also, Danny hadn’t missed the way his eyes narrowed when he added on the information about the camping abduction.

A knock at the door spooked everyone. They turned to see his dad opening the door followed by a couple police officers. “I found the police!” he said with a grin. “They thought it was another false alarm.”

“False alarm? False alarm?” His mother stood and marched over to the officers who were taking stock of the damage with wide eyes. “My family gets attacked, and you have the nerve to think it was a false alarm? If my husband and I didn’t have the means to defend ourselves, we would have been killed!”

Danny just sighed and continued sipping his drink as he watched his mother scold the officers. His dad joined him. Both of them knew it was better to let her get it out of her system than to try to get involved. Besides, he’d probably never get to see police officers get chewed out like that ever again. Now if only he had some popcorn.

====

Note: if it hadn’t been implied earlier, Maddie and Jack are going to be involved/decent parents in this fic. It makes sense with how this story is laid out – their son has gone mysteriously missing 3 times. They try to keep an eye on him.

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movedyoakkemae · 3 years

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my thoughts on the en.deavour redemption arc (chs 164 - 302). DO NOT REBLOG.

DO NOT REBLOG !!

the endeavour redemption arc is a rather controversial arc in the manga, and, tl;dr: i think it started eh, continued badly, turned better, then ended like shit.

note: if you are anime only, this will contain spoilers ! trigger warnings: child abuse, domestic abuse, suicide, and murder.

here are the things we know: endeavour physically abused shōto, tōya, and rei. he ignored natsuo and fuyumi, and he discarded tōya once he realised that tōya got burnt through using his quirk. he also mentally and emotionally abused all of them. separated shōto from the rest of his siblings. not to mention the fact that he married rei on purpose in order to create the perfect tool that would become the number one hero in his stead. he thinks of his children as objects, as extensions of himself.

however, endeavour, not out of his own power but because of all might's lack of strength, ends up reaching the number one spot as a hero by himself. this kickstarts endeavour's "redemption" arc, particularly in chapter 164 when endeavour asks all might:

endeavour: you hear about this? how the crime rate this past month... is up 3% compared to past years? i... i'm the guy who resolved more incidents than anyone, now more than ever... but i can hear it. the thing you've built that cannot be seen... is crumbling down. so, #1 hero... what's it mean to be the symbol of peace? (ch 164)

in a lot of ways, this question is surprising to hear. as we can tell even in the question itself, endeavour's main area of focus has been about the amount of incidents that he has stopped, the amount of villains that he has defeated, but recognising that there was something missing, something that all might had built up, certainly shows an awareness that endeavour seemed to lack earlier.

in the next chapter, the conversation continues:

endeavour: i gave shōto everything. by age 20, i'd already climbed to the #2 position. it was because i made that climb that i understood... unless i reached the summit, it was all for nothing. if all i cared about were titles, i could've worn a smile like you... and played the part of the lovable fool. but i wanted to be the strongest! [...] all might: endeavor. the position you've been put in... i know what people are saying. a lot of people compare us. but you and i are different. the symbol i strove to be... that isn't the path for you to follow. take your time to figure out... ...the way you ought to do things. (ch 165)

again, we still see that hint of same sort of "all he cares about strength". being number one was all about being stronger than all might, which is why when he found it impossible for him, he went on to try to create something that could end up being stronger than both him and all might. that would be, after he beat it into shape.

also, the fact that he says "i gave shōto everything". (yeah, you gave the poor kid trauma if that's what you mean by "everything".) that's something some abusers routinely say about their children -- that they gave them everything, that they should be grateful.

at the end of the chapter, we see shōto warmly giving a little girl a small fire to put her hands next to when she was chilly, a smile on his face, and endeavour has a weird look as all might says:

all might: what purpose does our strength serve? endeavour... the answer is a simple one. (ch 165)

this is what sets the tone for endeavour's part of his conversation with shōto in the next chapter.

endeavour: i'm proud of you, son. on that note... i'm hoping to become a hero you can be proud of. as your father and the #1 hero... i want to be deserving of those titles. shōto: [clearly aggravated and tense] good luck with that... (ch 165)

inasa sees endeavour talking to shōto and notices how his eyes have changed from being cold and not looking at anyone around him to actually focusing on shōto. as such, the readers are basically hinted to see that endeavour has changed, even just a little, already. he's no longer just looking at all might as the summit he needs to climb; he's actually seeing the people around him.

now, this kickstarts endeavour's arc of thoughts that being a better #1 hero would mean that he would be a better father. this we especially see in the endeavour v. nomu arc.

i think the first interesting conversation we have about the endeavour's redemption arc is in chapter 187 with natsuo and fuyumi visiting rei in the hospital. natsuo says,

natsuo: about him... they made him number one yesterday. it's official. the world still doesn't know the truth about you [rei]. about our siblings... about how he's always treated his family. for one, he doesn't do the talk show circuit. i can barely remember most of it, really. thinking back, he was like a perfect stranger. but... what he did to you, to shōto, and to... [tōya/dabi] well, i can't let anyone pretend it all never happened. it's been almost ten years, and he still hasn't come to apologise to you. his past, his family... it's like he wants to leave it all behind. [...] rei: apparently he's [endeavour] come many times. though... we haven't met. i'm a bit scared though... and my doctor says it's not a good idea. of course, i can't say what he's thinking. it might be external pressures. but... he's not leaving anything behind. not his past. not his family. i know he's trying to make sense of it all. (ch 187)

he's also apparently been leaving rei flowers, flowers that she told him that were her favourite once when they met for the first time.

i actually think in this aspect, it's good that he hasn't actually seen rei or pushed himself onto seeing her. he's letting her take control of her own recovery (although, i will say it's pretty fucking telling that even after a decade, she's still scared of him). i'd argue that the flowers might be crossing the line, but it seems that rei thinks of them as a nice gesture, so i'm not going to argue about how that could be perceived negatively.

the battle between endeavour and the nomu gets serious, and endeavour nearly dies (which is broadcasted on TV for shōto to see, ofc).

in chapter 189, we see three different characters' thoughts on endeavour never giving up (some of it in particular directed towards his fight towards surpassing all might and being number one via strength alone).

natsuo: he knows better than anyone... that he'll never be the next all might! that's why he gave up so quickly... and basically went insane... abandoning the kids he didn't care for... and driving mom to the breaking point... [...] fuyumi: he never gave up. in fact, giving up is what he's worst at. [...] hawks: i was watching you this whole time. i get it. there was nobody else out there... really trying to surpass him [all might]. only you! you were the one working to surpass him. [manga showing endeavour building a small bridge over the chasm that metaphorically separates all might from the rest of the heroes] (ch 189).

i actually agree with fuyumi here more than anyone. endeavour marrying rei and creating his children wasn't because he was giving up (for one, he thinks of his children as extensions of himself...) but part of his way of trying to surpass all might. he also continued to work and get stronger himself, which he wouldn't have been doing if he had just given up.

that being said, i do agree with natsuo's description of their childhood, just not about it being because endeavour gave up.

also, from a narrative perspective, the shift of endeavour's obsession with surpassing all might being thought of as negative (from shōto's statements of it in the sports festival arc) to positive (you're the only one who actually tried!) through hawks point of view is... interesting. horikoshi is re-contextualising endeavour's obsession as a good thing, and that, in point, is done to soften endeavour's actions overall.

after all, if it's a good thing that endeavour was trying to surpass all might, then doesn't his actions against his family make a little bit more sense? doesn't that mean that he had good intentions, even if he did something bad?

(nope. not in my book.)

so, the next part of this arc happens in 192, where endeavour comes home from the hospital and after defeating the nomu with a huge scar on his face (the exact same side as shōto's!), and we get that beautifully passive aggressive "nasty scar you got there" from shōto while he's slurping up soba noodles.

and then natsuo tries to leave and this conversation starts:

endeavour: natsuo... if you got something to say, then say it. natsuo: say it...? that's rich, coming from a guy who's never even looked me in the eye. listen to this... i didn't know shōto loved soba until today. why? because you never let him play with us failed experiments. i get the feeling that mom and sis here want to forgive you, but all i see is the same maniac who, all of a sudden, is getting rave reviews. you might look like a changed man, but you're not. you abandoned us as failures, left us to hear mom's screams, shōto's cries. and big bro tōya too... you being the top hero and beating some big baddie can't erase any of that. did you decide to have a change of heart?! think we can just hug things out and make up?! it's sickening! don't you freaking get that?! endeavour: i'm trying to make amends, going forward. natsuo: is that so?! [leaves] (ch 192)

for one, god fucking bless natsuo. i think he fully encapsulates my issue with this part of the endeavour redemption arc, which is solidified by shōto's own speech:

shōto: as a hero, this endeavour guy... is pretty darn amazing. but it's like natsu said. i'm not ready to forgive you... for abusing mom. so, heroics aside, what sort of dad are you going to be? that's what i want to find out. sure, the perfect turning point can actually change someone. i know it's possible. (ch 192)

endeavour doesn't need to be a perfect hero to earn redemption from his family. hell, even when shōto hated endeavour the most, he could admit that endeavour was a great hero. maybe his reasons for being a hero was off, but he saved people, he stopped the bad guys. i think it's even canon that he's technically saved more people than all might.

the problem was never with "endeavour", it was with "todoroki enji". todoroki enji was a shit father who didn't give a shit about his kids aside from what he could use them for. he was too obsessed with defeating all might that he lost sight of his family -- which endeavour finally seems to realise after this little speech.

endeavour's thoughts: [having a flashback to all might saying "what purpose does our strength serve?"] power... a reason to dominate... when he told me that, it came to me in a flash. an ordinary, simple thought. "i have to safeguard the future for them." that's the job for whoever's on top! and yet... what about the futures i cut short? [image of rei in the midst of a mental breakdown] just demanding forgiveness isn't enough. it's too late for that. at this point, i need to atone... there's no other route. endeavour out loud: fuyumi, i'm sorry for everything. that was the wrong thing to say to natsuo. (ch 192)

we see actual growth in his character, him actually starting to learn what he should be focusing on rather than what he was focusing on. he still slips up, like with him trying to demand shōto's attention through texting with contact information that he only got because FUYUMI gave to him (ch 203), which i have my own issues with. as in, fuyumi better have asked shōto permission before giving endeavour his contact information because, if not, then holy fucking shit, that's so gross.

in the next part of the endeavour redemption arc, we have shōto in chapter 242 invite izuku and katsuki to join him with training at endeavour's hero agency.

we still see hints of endeavour only really thinking of shōto as an extension of his will and his beliefs when he asks izuku and katsuki in chapter 247 what they're working on and what they want to achieve. he starts to move in without even asking shōto, which shōto objects to in his own way.

endeavour: let's get to it -- shōto: [clears throat] and me? endeavour: you're here to master flashfire, shōto! shōto: all the quirk training you beat into me as a kid... i've put it into practise with my right side. thinking back, it's no wonder i couldn't escape my own hatred of you. then i got into u.a. competing alongside these two [izuku and katsuki]... and everyone else... really opened my eyes. endeavour... in the end... i'm going to do exactly what you always wanted. but please understand... the man i admire... is the one mom and i watched on the tv back then. [all might]. as a fledgling hero... in order to become a man worthy of the title... i came here of my own free will! you're a rotten number one*. you were just in the right place at the right time -- that's all. sorry this isn't going the way you want it to, number one. so let's stop that father-son crap in front of my friends. endeavour's thoughts: since he was willing to come here, i thought the boy's heart was open and ready to accept me... what a fool i was! i had it all wrong! endeavour out loud: right. i'll be evaluating you three as heroes. (ch 247) *the translation isn't quite accurate, but i don't have access to the original japanese right now to translate myself. i just remember that this translation isn't the best.

once again, we do see that endeavour is learning. shōto expresses his feelings and endeavour tries to move on from there in the way that shōto wants him to -- and he does ! he stops acting like he's close to shōto as a dad in front of the others and acts only like a hero training an apprentice (without the abuse that happened all throughout shōto's childhood).

i think this and what happens in the next part of this internship arc, is probably the best written bits of the endeavour redemption arc.

by that, in chapter 249, we open with this inner dialogue from endeavour:

endeavour: i'm trying to make amends... going forward. it might be too late... but i fall asleep every night thinking about... what i can do for my family. lately, it's been the same dream. the wife and kids, looking happy... at the dinner table. but i'm... never there with them. (ch 249)

this kickstarts his decision that he gives to natsuo later, but before we get there, we get this awkward todoroki family dinner with izuku and katsuki. izuku finally finds out that katsuki overheard them during the sports festival, and fuyumi and shōto talk when they think they're alone.

fuyumi: it's not like i don't share some of natsu's feelings... but... it feels like we've been given another chance now... how do you feel about dad? shōto: this burn... i think of it as something our old man gave me. [cue horrific flashback of the aftermath of rei pouring boiling water on shōto's face and immediately apologising] mom endured and endured... until she couldn't anymore. so, i can't just decide to forgive the guy who wore her down... but... mom is trying to get past all that now. honestly... i don't know... how i should feel about him. i still... haven't seen anything. [...] izuku: todoroki, i think... you're getting yourself ready to be able to forgive him. just say "i'll never forgive him" if you really hate the guy. because you're so caring yourself... it's like you're waiting... or at least that's how it seems. (ch 249)

i think each of the siblings (including tōya / dabi!) really showcases a lot of the different reactions children can have towards abuse. fuyumi is the type who fully embraces the abuser back because they want to become a family again. shōto is the type who isn't quite sure but doesn't want to just kick the abuser down if he's actually trying to change. natsuo is the type who just does not want to be around the abuser at all and doesn't think the abuser can change. tōya / dabi is the vengeful one who literally wants the abuser dead or feeling how he caused them to feel.

i also have an issue with how izuku words this to shōto -- does that mean that natsuo is not caring? should he not be upset with endeavour for all of the abuse, and, in natsuo's thoughts, for causing tōya to die? he cares too much, and that's really it, and i think endeavour (funnily enough) encapsulates my thoughts on that completely.

for context, natsuo gets kidnapped and held hostage by a villain who wants endeavour to kill him. the villain is threatening to kill natsuo if endeavour doesn't kill him. endeavour chokes on the save aside from catching katsuki and natsuo after the boys implement their plans to rescue natsuo, stop the villain, and save the civilians. then, endeavour has this to say:

endeavour: i'm sorry! in that moment... i couldn't help but think... about how if i saved you... then going forward... you might feel... like you couldn't stand up to me... natsuo, believe it or not... i was never trying... to neglect any of you. but... all i could do was blame others and dodge responsibility. with tōya too... i might as well have killed him myself. natsuo: didn't neglect us? so what...? tōya has always told me everything. it'll be a cold day in hell... before i forgive you. 'cause i'm not as caring as shōto. endeavour: even so... even so... you keep showing up for fuyumi, right? and for your mom's sake? your sister loves the idea of being a big happy family... because... that's exactly what i ruined. she wants that back... she's so eager to fix everything. and that's why you're trying. because you care about how she feels, right..? because you are caring. so... you don't have to forgive me. i'm not looking for forgiveness. just atonement. natsuo: [starts crying] wow. you got a real way with words all of a sudden! i know how happy it makes sis, having us all together! but... when i see your face... those memories come rushing back. why do i gotta be the one to come around? atonement? how're you gonna make that happen? endeavour: i have an idea, actually. (ch 252).

endeavour saying "i wasn't trying to neglect any of you" is such a fucking backslide, but he somewhat saves it with explaining why. at the same time, the explanation doesn't really matter -- he did neglect natsuo and fuyumi. however, the next bit of it, when he says that natsuo does care, and that it's okay for natsuo to never forgive him -- that was real fucking character growth, and we see it come to a beautiful place at the end of the chapter where endeavour talks with fuyumi and natsuo.

endeavour: fuyumi. i've already talked about this with shōto and natsuo. you've been doing your best to create a safe and sound household for your mother to come home to. i've let you shoulder all of that... and i stood by while you worked hard... but it's all okay now. [thoughts: it's always the same dream. my whole family's there, but not me.] because i'm building a new house for you all. one that makes sense for your commutes. and one where you can give your mother a warm welcome back. fuyumi: what about you, dad...? endeavour: [thoughts: if i really care about how they feel...] i'll remain here. (ch 252)

this is where i fucking cheered. this is where i really thought horikoshi was going to save this arc. abusers forcing their presence on the family is absolutely the wrong way to do it. endeavour trying to be the "best hero" is absolutely the wrong way to do it. endeavour stepping back, making sure that they're all comfortable, but (most likely) being there when they want to reach out on their terms in the way that they want to -- that's beautiful. that's actual growth. that's literally the best decision any abuser can make ever; leaving it in the hands of the people he abused.

in this part, in this moment, i could have accepted the endeavour redemption arc. i might not have agreed when shōto decided that he could see endeavour as a father (depending on when it would happen in canon and what would cause it), but in this regard, i could actually see redemption.

and then we get the fucking shitshow that is dabi reveal arc and the dabi backstory arc, and then i just want to throw away the whole fucking redemption arc.

in chapter 290, we get the dabi is todoroki tōya reveal (surprise, surprise /j). tōya, being the dramatic bitch that he is, washes off the probably water-soluble black dye off of his white hair and tells endeavour and shōto that he's tōya and that he's been waiting for years to take endeavour down and that he's sending out a broadcast to every TV station live detailing about endeavour's abuse of his family.

dabi: when, at long last, you could stare your kids in the eye... didja finally start to feel the warm and fuzzy bonds of family?! you must've thought, "as long as i can face the future, i can be better!" i can tell you're at a loss for words, so here's the answer! the past never dies! get it, yet?! you reap what you sow! so let's tango, you and me -- todoroki enji! a dance with your son, here in hell!! (ch 290).

in chapter 291, we continue the dabi reveal (including a 99.9% match between his DNA and endeavour's DNA as proof of their relation! hint: that's not actually fucking possible, but i'm pretty sure that's either a translation error or a wording issue) in the public eye. we get this fun little monologue from endeavour in the beginning of the chapter:

endeavour's thoughts: i thought it could be you [tōya]. you could have been the one... to reach my eternal goal. my frustration... my envy... the ugliness in my heart... you could have been the one... to smash it all to dust.

again, we get that whole "using child as an object/extension of endeavour" thing that has characterised endeavour for a long time. tōya shouldn't have been created to fix his frustration about not becoming number one himself.

regardless, endeavour stays in shock for the rest of the battle, unable to even move despite the fact that shōto managed to pull himself together in order to try to save everyone on the battlefield despite dabi trying to kill him.

we then go to chapter 300, where endeavour wakes up in his hospital room and ruminates on everything that he had done. he cries and expresses guilt, especially on how things played out with tōya when he was a child, and he declares that "i might get to live on... but endeavour died back there. my son's a mass murderer, yet... i can't fight him." (ch 300).

then, shōto, natsuo, and fuyumi enter the room while endeavour continues to cry.

endeavour: sorry... i'm... so sorry. i'm sorry... i didn't realise until now... these regrets... this guilt... it's too late to matter! my heart... it's... rei: [walking into the room] yes? what about your heart? those regrets and guilt... the rest of us have borne that burden... much more than you have. endeavour: rei?! why are you here?! rei: i'm here to talk about our family. and about our son, tōya. (ch 300).

this jumpstarts into a flashback of what caused tōya's "death", and i think in some truly horrific scenes that i think horikoshi writes in a way that we're supposed to feel some level of sympathy for endeavour. reading all of that makes me feel even -infinity sympathy for endeavour.

in chapter 301, we start the flashback into the past, where tōya wants to continue quirk training but endeavour begins to discard him, saying that it was for tōya's own good (because he burns himself when he uses too much fire). unfortunately, tōya doesn't care about his own burns, he just wants his dad's approval and wants to surpass all might himself.

endeavour, meanwhile, is still focused mostly on creating a child that would surpass all might, as we see in this conversation between endeavour and rei:

rei: no... that would be too much! it's too cruel! especially now that tōya knows what you're hoping to achieve through the children! endeavour: no matter what i say... he comes home with fresh burns every day. he inherited that pigheaded stubbornness from me! that's the only way to make him give up! since he'll never be the one to surpass... [all might] (ch 301)

(sure, that's your motivation. you say that while you literally have the same eyes as when you think about all might being better than you).

endeavour's eyes when thinking about all might being better.

endeavour's eyes when thinking of "stopping tōya" through the birth of more children.

we see that shōto is born, and that tōya doesn't stop training on his own, which causes endeavour to snap at tōya:

endeavour: no! why won't you stop?! you're covered in burns... and you still don't get it?! why?! tōya! you have to... look beyond all this. play with natsuo and fuyumi! make some friends at school! there's a whole other world besides the hero stuff... i know you understand that! take my advice, and this'll all be a distant memory soon. tōya: the kids at school all say they wanna be heroes. i can't understand that. because i've got you as a father. you lit this fire in me, dad, and it's not going out! i can't just pretend it's not there! [uses his fire] look at me, endeavour! look... at me!! [goes to attack baby!shōto] (ch 301)

all tōya wanted was not to be discarded, and he could see just as well as anyone that endeavour didn't seem to care about the others as much -- that's why tōya went for shōto, not for any of the other siblings.

endeavour had no real idea how to talk to tōya, or even knew how to reach out and get some help, and that was probably (mainly) because what he was doing with rei and creating his children was illegal, as we hear from a doctor earlier.

and before anyone blames tōya, he's young ass kid who knows he's being discarded by his father, and he wants attention. just any sort of attention. yes, he's going to lash out. yes, he's going to keep on doing what originally got him his father's attention (aka training). yes, he's going to try to attack endeavour's "perfect child" for "taking his place". i don't blame tōya for that -- i blame endeavour.

rei: [in the present] you don't get to claim you're hurting more than anyone. and you're not the only one who didn't really see him. (ch 301)

this next chapter, the next part of the flashback, chapter 302, is particularly rough, and it's in part with what's hinted in rei's last part of this comment. (i agree with the first part! endeavour doesn't get to claim that he's hurting more than anyone else. it's the second in context with chapter 302).

we return back to the flashback where endeavour is talking to rei about separating shōto from the rest of his siblings.

endeavour: i'm too busy with work to look after him [shōto] 24-y... which is why i've hired help. but you -- don't you take your eyes off of tōya. rei: he just wants you to look at him. to notice him. that's all. endeavour: all i can show anyone... is the world of heroes. rei: heroes? aren't you just running away? (ch 302)

interestingly enough, endeavour's face in this conversation is covered by shadows. all we really see are the whites of his eyes and the side of his face where sweatdrops of stress are running down. rei's face, too, is practically covered aside from a close-up on her stressed eye. a lot of rei's downward spiral focuses on rei's eyes over anything, so i think this is where we kind of see -- well, not the start of that (we do see that focus in ch 301), but the continuation of her stress that leads eventually to her mental breakdown.

then, we continue on (with an interesting conversation between tōya and rei, but we're focusing on endeavour unfortunately, so alas) with tōya talking to endeavour.

tōya: listen, dad. next time you get a day off... you gotta come up to sekoto peak with me. endeavour: [grabs tōya's shirt violently and lifts it up. his thoughts: new burns! where he can keep them hidden! he's been training that way on purpose!] damn it! again?! tōya: no, wait! what i can do now is really cool! you gotta come see! i might be as awesome as shōto sooner or later! maybe i'll be even better than all might someday! then you've gotta give me some respect, dad! you'll be glad you created me! i just know it! (ch 302)

the next scene is a very clear domestic abuse scene (even if it cuts away from the actual hitting).

endeavour: why didn't you stop him?! huh, rei?! damn it, that's all i asked you to do!! shōto: [crying and stepping in front of rei, trying to defend her] don't bully mommy! stop it! don't be mean to her! endeavour: get out, shōto! it's none of your business! natsuo & fuyumi: [cowering, crying, and covering their ears] rei: i... can't stop him. (ch 302).

skip the next scan if the narrative hint of domestic abuse happening might upset you.

now, i'm putting in the scan to showcase that we essentially get to explicitly see this all go down. endeavour is a shadowy figure in the bedroom, we see nothing of rei's face except for her eye (crying, and again, that same focus where we see her slow descent into her mental break), and we see all of the children cry except for tōya because he's out training on his own again.

the fact that endeavour decides to berate, and most likely hit, rei instead of going after his son -- well, he'd come to regret it later when tōya supposedly dies because "all he [endeavour] taught me... was how to turn up the heat." (ch 302). tōya burns himself to death because endeavour decided that because his quirk wasn't good enough to beat all might that he rather not train him at all anymore. that -- ugh.

and then we get out of the flashback and back into the hospital room in some of the most abhorrent lines of the present moments of this arc.

endeavour: if only i'd given it all up that day... but having killed tōya... i felt there was no turning back, so i poured all my energy into shōto... at the expense of everything else. rei: once tōya was gone, you grew worse and worse, until i couldn't stand the sight of you. it got so bad, i even started seeing hints of you in the children's faces. fuyumi: i knew our family was broken, but i was too scared to interfere. all i could do was try to fix things just to keep up appearances. natsuo: it was you who started all of this. you're the root cause, but... maybe, if i'd just slugged you in the face and made you have a few serious talks with him... "dabi" never would've come about, and i would've been enjoying some good soba with shōto all these years. rei: you're not the only one who's responsible, and now we all have to take responsibility for what comes next. (ch 302).

ignoring the next part for now, holy fucking shit. horikoshi makes the decision to spread the blame of tōya's death to the rest of the todoroki family, never mind that rei was also abused by endeavour and that fuyumi and natsuo were twelve and eight respectively.

endeavour showed no signs of listening to ANYONE. rei told him flat out that he just needed to give tōya attention, and he didn't listen. the fact that fuyumi felt burdened on trying to keep up appearances and felt like she didn't try to fix things at the age of twelve -- horrific. the fact that natsuo blames himself for not trying to talk some sense into endeavour at the age of eight -- horrific.

this is the moment where i threw the endeavour redemption arc into the garbage -- the rest of the family taking blame onto themselves that they shouldn't blame just so that endeavour can just right back up and be a hero.

endeavour was not going to change, not for anyone. hell, even with tōya's death, and endeavour admits it himself, it made him even more stubborn in his ways because one of his extensions of his will sacrificed himself, so he best make sure that shōto becomes the best extension of his will he can be.

this is genuinely so disgusting that i can't even put into words just how terrible this is. the fact that horikoshi made this decision -- i lost all respect for horikoshi as an author and in the endeavour redemption arc.

this chapter ends with shōto being proclaimed as the family hero and that endeavour needs to come back as a hero and fight dabi and by this point, i already hate everything, so throw the bitch out.

i think if the endeavour redemption arc had stopped in chapter 252, i think it would have been great. i think if they had played off the dabi reveal in any other way, without the family blaming themselves to partially absolve endeavour of his guilt, i think it could have been fine. but the way that this played out, the way that the victims are blaming themselves in part to make the abuser feel better -- no. just, fucking no.

is that a thing that happens in real life? do abuse victims internalise the abuse and then think that the abuser was just trying to do their best? oh yeah. however, with how the rest of the arc seems to be going with endeavour (endeavour showing up in the newest chapter still going around as a hero -- the number one hero, even), horikoshi is condoning that instead of writing it as unhealthy as it should be written.

thus, nope. throw the whole fucking thing away. no thank you.

#⤷ shouto t.【 ❝ heroes also have times when they cry. ❞ 】metas.#this is a 5.9k meta #this is longer than some of my college essays #it's also a lot messier than a lot of my college essays #i don't go that deep deep into analysis and word choice like i normally would #but i think y'all can get my points #tl;dr: fuck horikoshi and fuck endeavour ty very much #mentions of child abuse //#mentions of domestic abuse //#mentions of suicide //#mentions of murder //

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chyrstis · 4 years

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WIP Wednesday/Thursday

Okay, let’s do this. A day late, but still close enough, right?

@raisinghellinotherworlds @shallow-gravy @painterofhorizons (I’ll totally take your tag ;) ) and @fadedjacket were all kind enough to tag me (and to those that tagged me before, you’re all just as wonderful, I’m just horrifically late!), and I think I’ve fussed at these current ones enough to be able to live them with, darn it. Well, for the most part.

Tagging: @sharky-broshaw @amistrio @tommymillers @softmillers @foofygoldfish @redroci @jackalopestride @geronimo-11 @finefeatheredgamer @shellibisshe @sneaky-apostate @scarlettkat86 @hawkfurze @shelliechen @fromathelastoveritaserum @unclefungusthegoat @ofravensandgenesis @risenlucifer @tomexraider @strafethesesinners and anyone else that’s interested! There’s never an obligation intended with these tags, though, so no pressure either. <3

A small bit from the start of the 'Let’s Trap John’ fic, because the actual beginning of this I’ve been dragging my feet on, and finally managed to jot something down for it.

---

Hana had this down. Knew their goal, knew the car she was driving well enough to trust it - and knew the following stretch of road almost inside and out by this point of time.

But that didn’t stop any of her nerves from sinking their claws in deep. Flexing her fingers, she clamped them down tight on the steering wheel as she puffed away at the cigarette in her mouth. Two stubs were already sitting in the car’s ashtray, and at this rate, she’d have to put out another, because nothing official had come through yet.

She adjusted the mirror above her, and jumped when she caught Grace eyeing her.

“Better?”

Grace watched her fiddle with it further, and sadly each move continued to adjust it well past the point where it felt right to be.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

---

I might also be trying to get back into some Sharky/Hana/John fic because I miss them terribly, and picked up an idea I started a few months back. Just a moment together in the future, but before the first fic in the series where they’re taking things a little slower and playing the get-to-know-you game.

---

“You see, there’s no shortage of books here. Fiction or non-fiction, you’re welcome to pick your poison from a variety of topics. History, science, technical manuals, autobiographies, recipe books-“

“Romance?”

“Romance, even. Some of it quite lurid,” John replied, his mouth twisting.

“Ooh, that bad, huh?” That had her biting down on a snicker. “That’s what you get for digging into anyone’s personal stash and choosing to take it. You’re not getting much pity from me here.”

“Well, I’m going to be merciful for once and not quote any of the passages I happen to remember. Almost word-for-word, detailed descriptions of acts that would be humanly impossible to pull off without spraining or breaking something.”

“I bet,” Hana said, and was tempted to make him spill it anyway. Just to see how he’d handle it. If he’d be able to keep that calm and cool expression in place all while saying things he’d probably get slapped for.

Yeah, she was tempted for sure, and the challenge she caught in him didn’t help any at all.

“…But I digress. Our focus centered on what was needed to survive, ensuring that those supplies came first and foremost. Clothes, food, tools, and the like.“ John paused, and Hana raised an eyebrow. “However, I made an allowance for added books as well.”

“For more than what was needed?” John didn’t reply, and that put the start of a smile on her face. “Didn’t think I’d ever peg that as a soft spot for you.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked earnestly. “There’s much to gain, and as I mentioned before, there’s a variety of things to read about. To enrich yourself with.”

That got him an eye roll, but John didn’t bristle at it. Just kept on aiming a look at her that she couldn’t put a name to yet.

Walking side-by-side with him down the hall, he could’ve easily outpaced her, but slowed his steps. Made an effort to make sure she was right there with him, slowing down whenever she did, and speeding up if she had a mind to.

Right now, however, she was content to keep at the pace they had set. Slow and easy, their steps almost in time with one another.

“So, Deputy,” he began, curiosity now coming through clear as day, “do you read?”

---

And finally, more from the No Cult AU, but this time Sharky’s getting a chance to chat with ol’ Joe. And boy, do I need more practice writing him.

---

“Need me anywhere else here, Broseph? ‘Cause I’m free, and-”

Joseph’s eyebrows rose above his sunglasses, and Sharky caught the slip a beat too late.

“Er, uh, shit-um. Sorry. Father, Pastor, Preacher…any of that about right?”

The quick correction didn’t put him off, however. Instead, Joseph chuckled to himself softly. “Joseph. You can call me Joseph.”

That was easy. A little too easy, but Sharky breathed a sigh of relief, because the last thing he needed was to run down the list of titles every time he’d make a trip out, and to somehow manage to piss him off. He’d done okay so far, but

“Uh, cool. And you can call me Sharky. Everybody else pretty much does, short of John, and that’s just gonna be his thing, I guess.”

“…Sharky.” It was weird as hell hearing from him, but after he nodded, Joseph set a hand on his shoulder. “All right. Come this way.”

It was interesting being walked around like this. Having the chance to see all of it up close for the first time, without being rushed back and forth from truck to truck, because Sharky had never really looked before. He’d peeked, sure, but it was all about what John wanted him to do. Where he was being directed and pointed, all while hoping to get in and out as quick as he could.

Now, he’d made the choice all on his own to come here, and like it or not, curiosity was having a fucking field day with him the more he was able to see.

He’d been right about things being low-key, though. Short of him timing this all wrong to miss any wild parties, or the odd orgy night, he wasn’t going to find anything strange here, and a part of him was starting to be okay with that.

#wip #the first I just tore apart to fix here #and the others I'm going to slap my own hand at b/c apparently wip = perfectly polished product

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aj-illustrated · 4 years

Link

what’s this is it a one-shot born from my love of Varian’s redesigns

Fic below the cut!

It was his dad’s idea to get him the goggles.

Varian couldn’t remember how old he was when he first took up alchemy, but he remembered his first major explosion like it was yesterday. Setting the garden shed on fire at the tender age of four had to be some kind of record.

His dad was positively livid, and once the fire had been put out and Varian was checked over for injuries, he was stuck with his nose in the corner for what felt like hours. Of course, that didn’t stop him from plunging headfirst back into alchemy the minute his father’s back was turned, and it was only a matter of time before Varian was once again in time out.

Eventually, Dad realized that the time outs weren’t working and Varian was going to keep mixing chemicals regardless of how much trouble it got him into. So on Varian’s fifth birthday, instead of a new toy, Dad had gone into town and purchased a brand new pair of brass-lined goggles.

“There,” Dad had said, strapping the goggles around his son’s head. “Now you can do your experiments safely.”

“Like a real alchemist?” Varian had asked in earnest, grinning so broadly that he thought his face might split.

Dad smiled. “Like a real alchemist.”

******************

It was Xavier’s idea to get him the apron.

Ever since he was little, he’d been using the small kitchen apron his father had made for him years before. But by the time he was eleven, the apron was frayed and scorched in certain places where he had spilled some of his more volatile substances– not to mention, it was so small that the strings could barely tie together and the front fell just above his knees. Something would have to be done about that.

Over the years, Varian had gradually taken on the responsibility of the household mending. Between him and his father, there was an abundance of shirts to be patched and socks to be darned, and Dad was… admittedly not super great at it. Luckily for Varian, sewing came naturally to him, and he didn’t mind the chore so much as he wished he could get it done faster.

Initially, he’d only gone into town to pick up some extra fabric to adjust the length of his apron and maybe get some extra thread, but as always, the temptation to wander inside Xavier’s forge overcame him. Something about the smell of coal dust and molten iron drew him in like a moth to a flame, and no matter how he tried, he could never bring himself to look away from the sight of Xavier pounding a slab of metal into an actual working tool. As far as Varian was concerned, this was as close as the world was going to get to real magic.

Evidently, it seemed like Varian stood staring for too long that day. Xavier turned from his anvil to face the boy, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Like what you see, eh?” he asked playfully, a smile curling at the corner of his lips. “Why don’t you take a closer look?”

Varian’s feet seemed to gain a mind of their own, because before he knew it, he was standing at the edge of the anvil, eyes fixated on the gleaming hunk of iron before him. It was like staring into the sun, the glow was so bright, but Varian couldn’t tear himself away.

“So, young alchemist…” Xavier drawled, glancing down at the enraptured boy. “What brings you to the capital this fine day?”

Varian finally looked up from the anvil. “Just picking up some new fabric. My, uh… my apron needs some repairs.”

“Does it now?” asked the man playfully. “I might know of something that could suit your purposes.”

Xavier ducked into the back room, and in a moment returned with a folded length of brown cloth. “Recently, I bought some leather for the tailor to fashion me a new pair of gloves. But it seems as if I bought too much,” he said, offering the cloth to Varian. “Leather is a fire-resistant material, and your father has told me of some of your… eh… close calls. Perhaps you could find some use for this.”

Varian took the cloth with wide eyes, nodding and murmuring a thank-you. By the same time next week, he’d completed the last stitch of his new, fireproof apron. It was a bit big (Varian hadn’t wanted to waste any of the precious leather), but he still had plenty of time to grow into it.

Oh well, back to work. Those pesky raccoons were eating away the apple harvest again...

******************

It was Andrew’s idea to get him the coat.

“You have to show these filthy Coronans who’s boss,” he’d said, not long after the coup had taken place. “And no offense, kid, but you’re kind of a runt. You’ve got to do something to make yourself look more intimidating.”

Varian hated to admit it (and he hated it more to hear it said out loud), but Andrew had a point. He was barely five foot two, and though he was hoping for another growth spurt, it didn’t seem to be coming any time soon. The coat in question was stolen off a rich noble, a glossy red-and-black leather that was a size too big, but it certainly did the job of making Varian seem larger than he actually was.

The slick black boots followed soon after, and so did the fanged bandana. With every new addition, Varian got more and more used to his new identity. He wasn’t just Varian the alchemist, Varian the screw-up – he was Varian the Saporian, and he was going to use his newfound alliance to make everything right… no matter how wrong it felt.

******************

It was Eugene’s idea to get him the suit.

It had only been a few weeks since they had taken down the Saporians and freed his father, so Varian didn’t fully expect for things to feel normal just yet. He was thrilled to have Dad back, of course, and Rapunzel commissioning him to help rebuild Old Corona had kept him busy– designing blueprints and schematics might be second nature to him at this point, but it was certainly a step up to redesign an entire village.

When he wasn’t actively involved with a royal project, though, he was ignored or brushed off by pretty much everyone but the princess herself. That was... fine. To be perfectly honest, Varian didn’t expect anyone to start trusting him right away. Or ever again. Varian didn’t even trust himself after everything he’d done. So when Eugene had glanced him over and judged that he was in need of a new wardrobe, saying Varian was shocked would be an understatement.

At the moment, Varian stood alone in one of the palace dressing rooms, buttoning the vest of the freshly tailored suit of clothes Eugene had insisted be made for him.

“Believe me, Goggles, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the suit makes the man,” he’d said with a grin, gently pushing Varian inside the dressing room. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re pretty amazing as-is, but I’m thinking you could use an update. Starting with some clothes that actually fit.”

Eugene– or rather, Flynn Rider– had been Varian’s hero ever since he was old enough to pick up a book. Even when they were technically enemies, Varian couldn’t help but admire Eugene’s strength and ingenuity. He was everything Varian wished he could be, right down to the forgiven criminal record and flawless facial hair (which may or may not have served as the inspiration for Varian’s drawn-on goatee).

Varian glanced himself over in the mirror, straightening up a bit. He looked… older. Mature.

He took a deep breath, chancing one more look in the mirror; something seemed like it was missing. Glancing over towards the pile of his old things, a glint of glass and metal caught his eye. With a smile, Varian slipped on his goggles– the ones his dad had given him so many years before.

Perfect.

******************

It was Varian’s idea to get the second hairstripe.

Being the Royal Engineer had its perks, sure, but spending every day solving other people’s problems had long since grown tedious, and Varian couldn’t deny that a part of him yearned for something... more. More what, he wasn’t sure yet, but he was hoping that these “seven trials” his mother had spoken of her in her old journal would give him that answer.

That is, if he ever convinced Dad to let him seek them out.

Varian had gotten his work at the castle done early that day, and when he arrived back home in Old Corona, Dad was still working in the fields and would be until sunset, which was hours away. Hopefully, Varian wouldn’t lose his nerve before then.

It wasn’t long before boredom overtook him; he’d read all his books, and he’d left all his projects for the kingdom back at the palace. He had practically memorized his mother’s journal at this point, and as of late, it was the only thing that seemed to capture his interest for longer than thirty minutes.

Varian sighed, pressing his back against the wall and glancing over to the mirror hung on the wall across from him. His eyes wandered up to the streak of turquoise in his bangs and he absentmindedly tugged on the lock of hair; Dad said that Mom was experimenting with different formulas for shampoo and had tested one of them on an infant Varian. According to Dad, while the formula had gotten his hair clean, it also permanently stained the roots blue– which in retrospect was pretty funny, though Varian could only imagine Dad’s reaction when he saw the results of his wife’s experiment.

The longer Varian dwelled on the streak, the more the idea of dying his hair began to appeal to him; if Mom could do it, why couldn’t he? It wasn’t difficult to color hair... he just needed a bit of hydrogen peroxide and some sort of colorant...

Dad came in from the fields a few hours later, and by that time, the washroom basin was smeared with homemade hair dye and so were Varian’s gloves. A second, slightly brighter streak of blue adorned Varian’s hair, still wet from application.

Looking back, dying his hair probably wasn’t the smartest decision Varian could have made to convince his dad that he was responsible enough to venture out into the Seven Kingdoms on his own. Then again, at least he didn’t try to pierce his belly button (an argument Dad did not appreciate).

Luckily, Dad wasn't nearly as upset about it as he could have been (he was more concerned with the state of the washroom), and by the time Varian found it in himself to bring up the idea of him leaving home, Dad... wasn’t actively opposed to it.

“I’m not going to say I love the thought of you traveling on your own,” Dad explained wearily as he helped load a bag of supplies onto Prometheus’s back. “But you’ve more than proved that you can take care of yourself. Just... stay safe. And when you feel ready, come home.”

Varian nodded, swallowing down the lump in his throat. “I... I’ll write to you as often as I can,” he said as he mounted the donkey, reins in hand. “I promise.”

Dad smiled down at him, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I can’t wait to hear about all your adventures,” he replied softly. “I love you, son.”

“...I love you too, Dad.”

With a flick of the reins, Varian was heading down the path leading past the Corona walls, the early morning sun shining like a beacon into the beyond.

#varian #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #varian fanfic #tangled fanfiction #AJ writes #one shot #if necessity is the mother of invention then boredom must be the father #and late-night impulse the weird uncle

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kittkaleen · 4 years

Photo

FFxivWrite 2020 - Prompt 22 Argy Bargy FFxivWrite2020 | Prompt list Kitt’s seething. She shuffles the latest sales reports from her retainers and mentally does the math, neatly printing the numbers into an account ledger. Let’s see now, she’d sent Civan to mine for Brashgold ore and Fireheart cobalt, this to supplement her own mining. They had a nice surplus, which she commissioned him to sell at a tidy profit. This was factoring in their costs; training for herself and for Civan, acquiring appropriate tools and gear, time spent in the field, his and hers, totaling well over 40 hours, his wage as well as room and board. Initially the market looked brisk and tenable, gil to be had, yet a few scant bells later, the market crashed. Civan is looking sheepish. “Miss Kitt , Imma darn fine miner but I can’t control the market.” “I’m aware,” she says, a bit snappy. “I just don’t understand why in hell you’d get into a bidding war with fools?” She pushes the paper toward the man, circling the declining sales amounts in red. He sighs heavily. “Well, was like this. I put our lot up in reasonable quantity, an’ bell or two later I return to check the market, and some Lalafel hoodlum came in behind us, droppin’ his price by ‘bout a hundred gil. I figured we could take that bit o’ loss, since we’ve a goodly supply, so I dropped our price by a hundred and twenty-five gil hopin’ to recapture the market shares again.” Kitt shakes her head, fingers drumming on her desk. “And then some other fool had the same idea, and came in and dropped the market value again. And then again. And again?” “How’d you know?” he looked at her like she had read his mind. “Because it’s a bloody game, a bloody stupid game.” She scowls.

“Hard working miners, botanists and fisher folk spend years learning their trade, then scrimping and saving to earn the gil to outfit themselves in the best of gear and tools. This so they can then spend their time and labor harvesting raw materials for themselves to craft with, or for others, folks with more gil and less work ethic, to buy.” She stops to catch her breath; this topic never fails to tip her right to the edge of patience. “Wage slaves. And a shite wage at that.” Civan has a fairly good idea where’s she’s going with this. “Sometimes we have to lose a little to gain a little, Miss Kitt.” He gestures apologetically. “Who in the gods names told you that?” Kitt hisses with exasperation. “Who ever said we should ever sell anything for less than the value of our skill and time?” She shows him the ledger, pointing at the last sales figures. “Look, you’ve sold our Brashgold for so little gil, ‘tis like we were paid less than twenty gil a bell for our effort!” “I figured better we were making something rather than nothing?” Kitt smacks her hand down hard upon her desk. “No, no no, absolutely NO! I can use the raw materials to craft for my own folk, or we can warehouse them.” She speaks passionately, “We’re not giving our work away to lazy, rich crafters who can’t get off their arses. They can pay fair market value or go gather their own damn materials. Nor will we play silly buggers with ignorant harvesters who don’t know their own worth nor the value of their skill and time.” Civan rubs his chin with a large, work worn hand. He’s known and worked for Kitt for many years. Well he knows the difference between her passion and her anger, and he’s aware how aggravating she finds playing the market. She has warehouses full of raw materials, with paid staff managing those resources. ‘Damned if she won’t hold those goods for a lifetime, rather than sell below fair market value,’ he thinks to himself. “I catch yer point, Miss Kitt, still you’ve bills to pay and mouths to feed. You pay all your staff, whether you’re selling your wares or no.” He says it softly, with care. She’s a proud woman. Her chin comes up and she stands, palms flat on her desk looking at her retainer with bright eyes. “I will always look after my folk, those who depend upon me.” She inhales deeply, exhaling slowly, relaxing her shoulders. “There’ll be no further argy bargy. Take our goods off the market, and never underbid by more than twenty-five gil without speaking to me about it first. Please. I’ll not have my folk, or I, work for a gil less than what we, and our materials, are worth.” She rests her small, pale hand upon his big, tanned fingers and smiles at him warmly. “I’m not so poor we have to give anything away.” “Consider it done, Miss Kitt.” He pats her hand with his other. “You’re a fine woman, feisty as a pit of snakes, but yer heart is gold.” He winks at her walking up the stairs, leaving Kitt with a head full of numbers and alternate plans.

#FFxivWrite2020 #FFxivWrite #FFxivWrite 2020 - Prompt 22 Argy Bargy #Kitt Kaleen

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eastofthemoon · 4 years

Note

Oh! Oh my gosh I saw your 'Good Things Happen Bingo' and I would absolutely love to request 'Comfort after a nightmare' for Keith? Maybe with Pidge as the comforter? :D :D :D

Here you go!

Keep Busy

Rating: G

Prompt: Comfort from a Nightmare

Series: Voltron Legendary Defender

Characters: Keith and Pidge

_______________________________________________Pidge yawned. It was late. She should have gone to bed hours ago. The Green Lion’s scolding growls in her head certainly suggested that. However, her brain just refused to shut down, so rather than laying in bed frustrated it made more sense to work on her latest project.

It did take a while before she could start, having needed to locate her favourite screwdriver. Fortunately, once she realized the mice had swiped it - again - Pidge just had to track down this week’s hiding spot and take it back. Thankfully, she didn’t have to pry it from their paws since they were all asleep, but the detour did mean she had to walk all the way back to her work table in the hangar.

Pidge rubbed at her eyes as she turned the corner. “Wonder if I should grab a snack-”

A noise caught her off guard. She jumped as the door to the bathroom slid open, and Keith walked out. His hands were shaking as he ran them through his hair. He was scowling until he spotted Pidge and stopped dead in his tracks.

“W-what are you doing up?” he asked.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Pidge replied with a shrug. “You?”

“Um…yeah.” Keith gave a hard swallow and Pidge suddenly noticed water dripping down his cheek like he had just finished rewashing his face.

Pidge frowned. “You okay? Are you feeling sick?”

Keith shook his head, but he was rubbing his arms. “No, I’m fine I just…”

Pidge’s eyes softened as she touched his arm. “Had a nightmare?”

Keith chewed his bottom lip and blushed slightly as he nodded.

Pidge calculated her choices.

Option A, leave Keith alone and go back to work. It was the easier choice but Keith looked shaken and that didn’t sit well with her.

Option B, take the Hunk route and make him some tea. Probably the nicest choice but could make Keith feel awkward. He didn’t like bringing attention to himself at the best of times.

Which left option C, bring him along with her and put him to work. That seemed to be the most logical choice and she twirled the screwdriver before holding it out to him.

“Want to give me a hand?” Pidge offered a smile. “I’m trying to make some adjustments on the video game console Lance and I got from the space mall.”

She didn’t care if she had to hook it up to the Green Lion directly, Pidge would find a way to get the darn thing to work in the castle.

Keith glanced at the tool as he rubbed his neck. “Uh…sure,” he replied, uncertainty plain in his voice. “Honestly, I don’t have much experience. I only know how to fix my hoverbike on Earth.”

“Hey a little knowledge is still knowledge,” Pidge said as she put the screwdriver in his hand and pointed ahead. “Besides, I’m not doing anything fancy, and it’s Edisonian power anyway. Come on.”

She led him down the hall and back to her work table. Pidge gestured to the seat for Keith to sit at as she sat across from it.

Keith looked hesitant but he gripped the screwdriver and gradually took the seat. Pidge then shoved the game console in front of her and handed Keith the game controllers.

“See if you can unscrew the bolts so we can get inside, okay?” Pidge instructed.

Keith nodded as he went to work.

For several minutes they sat in silence as they focused on their work. Pidge almost forgot Keith was there until he glanced up at her.

“You’re not going to ask me?”

Pidge paused and removed her goggles. “About what?”

Keith grimaced as he set the opened controller down. “About the nightmare?”

Pidge’s eyes hardened. “Do you want to tell me?”

Keith bit his lip and shook his head.

“Then I figured it was better to not ask,” Pidge said as she placed her goggles back on. “I never like to talk about my nightmares either.”

Keith frowned. “You have nightmares?”

“Not often but..” Pidge shut her eyes and shivered. “I had some nasty ones after Matt and my dad disappeared. I know my mom probably wanted me to tell her about them but I…I just didn’t even want to think about them.”

Keith’s eyes softened as he gave a nod. “I had a few after my dad died, but I swear it was worse when I thought Shiro died on the Kerberos Mission. And then after he disappeared in the Black Lion….”

He glanced away as his fist shook slightly. Pidge gave a gentle smile and patted his shoulder.

“Yeah, won’t lie but I had some of those too,” she pointed to her desk. “It’s part of why I like having mindless projects like this going on. Gives me something busy I can attach my brain to to calm my nerves.”

Keith gave a light chuckle. “Like Hunk with baking?”

Pidge laughed softly. “Yeah, and this is a lot safer than learning Altean.” She pointed to his side. “Pass me that flashlight. I want to look at the interior of the console.”

Keith nodded as he picked it up. “Thanks, Pidge,” he said as he handed it over.

Pidge gave a smile as they both went back to work.

#voltron #rangergirl3 #keith #pidge #vld

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why-not-a-tickle-blog · 4 years

Text

We can try? 3

(Final)

“You know, we never did get to the lower half,” Patton said, a grin growing on his face as he watched Virgil stiffen.

“Y-yeah, we didn’t.” Virgil felt his face grow warm, hoping that his makeup would cover it as memories danced through his brain.

“We could fix that now, if you wanted?”

Virgil bit his lip, carefully not looking at Patton’s grin. “Uh, we could… if you wanted to.”

“Oh, that’s fine, I can wait.” Patton said, settling back in his chair and dropping the subject entirely.

Virgil was left dumbfounded, phantom tickles ghosting under his shirt.

It only got worse as the day went on. His thoughts constantly coming back around to it, over and over.

It was on purpose, it had to be. But darn if it wasn’t working! By evening, Virgil could barely stand it. Especially knowing it was so easy to do something about.

He found himself outside Patton’s door, giving a light knock. As soon as the door was open, a smug smile spread over Patton’s face. “Yes? Did you want something?”

“I-uh— we could— do the, the thing now?” Virgil mumbled, feeling his cheeks and ears get hot.

Patton stepped aside to let him in and shut the door, waving his hand over it to soundproof and lock it.

“Do what thing?”

Virgil took in a deep breath and his blush grew darker. Patton was going to make him say it??? “The t—“ his voice caught in his throat, and he turned it into a cough.

“Take your time,” Patton teased.

“The— I want you to— Totickleme!” He only managed it by rushing it out in one breath at the end, and squeezing his eyes shut.

“Aww, Virge, I thought you would never ask! I’d be happy to tickle you!” Patton cooed. “How do you want to do this? Do you want to be tied up again?”

Virgil nodded, biting down on his lip.

“What? I couldn’t hear you~” Patton said.

Virgil let out a frustrated growl. “Yes! Yes, I want you to tie me up.”

“Aww, you don’t have to be mad,” Patton said, cupping Virgil’s face in his hands. “It’s just a bit of teasing. Wanna lay down for me?”

Virgil laid down and let Patton tie him up.

“You ready?” Patton asked, resting a hand on his stomach.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

Patton climbed up on the bed and sat on Virgil’s shins.

“I’ve never tried tickling legs and feet before, so you’ll have to tell me how I’m doing, ok?”

“O-ok…” Virgil said.

Patton started off with lights squeezes around Virgil’s knees, causing Virgil to jerk around. “How is it here? Does it tickle?”

“It— yeah, some.”

Patton moved up a little, squeezing at his thighs sporadically. “How about here?”

Virgil was jerking harder, but it was more reflexes, not because it tickled. “Not so much.”

“Aww… how about now?”

Patton moved to tickling directly behind Virgil’s knees. Virgil had been more relaxed, and wasn’t expecting the laughter to sneak up on him like it had, and he couldn’t hold any of it back, pulling at his legs and cackling and snorting.

“Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad~” Patton said. “I’m barely even trying! Now this might tickle!”

Patton sped up his fingers and Virgil nearly died cackling. He couldn’t pull his legs away, or even fold them up to protect the tender spot, and that was almost worse than the tickling itself. Patton’s fingers danced around, and he kept coping encouragements to keep laughing.

“Your laugh is so cute, Virge!”

“Ihihis nohot!”

“It is too! And I won’t stop tickling this spot until you admit it!”

Somehow, the tickling got even worse.

“Pahahatton! Plehehease!”

“Please tickle you even more?? Oh, it’s my pleasure, Virgil!”

“Stohohop!”

“Oh, you know how to make me stop. You’ve just gotta say that you’ve got a cute little laugh.”

“Ihihi hahahahave—- ahh! Phahha!��

“You have what, little Lee?”

The tickling let up only just enough for Virgil to reply.

“Ahaha cuhute laugh!”

“Ohh! Yes, you do!” Patton finally moved his hands away. “You’ll get just a little break while I figure out what I’m going to do with your feet. Want some water?”

Virgil nodded. “Ye-ah.”

Patton untied Virgil’s hands to get him some water, and then took his box down to the bottom of the bed and rummaged around in it, letting out ‘ooh’s and ‘oh, I’ll use this one!’ Virgil couldn’t see anything but the top of his head from where he was crouched, but he suspected that that was the point. Patton popped back up.

“Ready now?”

Virgil bit his lip, like he always seemed to do when he was nervous. He didn’t think that his feet would be ticklish, but he wouldn’t have guessed it about his knees either, and Patton seemed to have a full plan already.

“I-I guess…”

“You guess what?” Patton smirked.

Oh, not this again! “I’m ready for you to— to tickle me again.”

Patton’s smile got bright and happy. “Ah, I knew you could do it, Virge!”

Patton fixed his arms back, and gave him a pillow that propped his head up so he could see what was happening to his feet. He pulled up a chair for himself at the foot of the bed, and pulled off Virgil’s shoes and socks.

“I’ll need your help again, Virgil, to tell me what works.”

“A-alright.”

“Thank you. Now, why don’t we start reeeeally light~” Patton pulled out a feather and brushed it lightly over Virgil’s feet.

It sent tingles running around, but didn’t tickle too badly. Until it slipped in between two of his toes, making him let out a squeak and try to jerk his foot back.

“What is it?” Patton asked.

“No-nothing!”

“Nooothing~? Are you sure? There’s no spots here that are ticklish?” Patton held the feather, fluttering it in the air close, but not touching.

Virgil’s feet jerked involuntarily, his skin crawling with anticipation. But Patton still held back, waiting on his answer.

“Such a shame~ Nowhere on these little feet is ticklish~ I guess we’ll have to stop~”

“No! It—it’s the—it’s the toes.”

“Where on the toes~?” Patton teased further, inching the feather closer but still not touching.

“I-in between!” Virgil squeaked, his whole body tensing up.

The feather slipped down and in between his toes, sending Virgil into cascades of squeaks and giggles. He tried scrunching his toes up, but wherever Patton wanted to go with the feather, he pulled back the toes with his other hand, leaving Virgil entirely incapable of protecting himself.

It tickled so bad! Virgil wasn’t going into hysterics anytime soon, but this type of tickling made him want to pull away so much more!

Finally Patton set the feather down, granting Virgil a tiny break while he picked his next tool. He pulled out a makeup brush and ran it over Virgil’s foot.

Now that wasn’t so bad. No matter whether he went slowly or quickly, straight or in swirles, it didn’t tickle too much, just made Virgil squirm his feet around.

“You can try a different one,” Virgil suggested, though he knew that it could be just as bad, or worse, than the feather had been.

“Alright, I will. You know, I don’t think I’ve tried these for anything.” Patton pulled out both electric toothbrushes, switching them on.

Virgil flinched, his grin widening as he imagined just what those could do.

And then they were set loose on his feet. Virgil was kept in constant laughter, especially when Patton discovered that the creases just underneath his toes were especially susceptible to the toothbrushes.

“Ooh, Virgil! I’ve had a wonderful idea!”

Patton grabbed some tape from somewhere, and taped the toothbrushes in place on Virgil’s heels. It wasn’t the worst place, but it did keep him plenty giggly. Then Patton pulled out the other tool, still with the feather attached, and turned it on too.

Virgil’s eyes went wide, suddenly realizing the plan.

“Wahahhaait!!!”

But Patton just gave an evil laugh before the feather was dipping in and around his toes. Virgil squealed and bucked against the restraints, trying in vain to get away from the overwhelming sensations on his feet.

And he’d been arrogant enough to think that he didn’t have ticklish feet. Patton continued, making him feel exactly how very wrong that thought had been.

Virgil hadn’t been prepared for such an intense tickling.

“Sssahahanders!”

Patton stopped immediately with the tool, though the toothbrushes took a few more seconds to turn off. He rubbed Virgil’s feet firmly, slowly dispelling the tingles and tickles left behind.

“How’re you doing, kiddo?”

“I’m fantastic, Pat.” Virgil was still panting, feeling like his whole body was glowing. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, kiddo.” Patton smiled, and untied Virgil, fussing over his ankles and wrists where he’d pulled too hard. “Next time, let’s try it without these, yeah?”

Virgil was very willing to be tickled without the restraints, but even more unwilling to accidentally hurt Patton if he was flailing around. “Well, we can try?”

#tickle fic #my fic #lee!virgil #ler!patton #sanders sides tickling

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