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#for someone who doesn’t like drawing wings I sure am doing a lot of that lately
galaxyspeaking · 8 months
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Oh my darling, we’ve been dancing since the start
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zhongrin · 7 months
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ー and that's a wrap!!!
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note: this is a thank-you post and i’ll be posting an ‘explanation’ post after this, just give me some time to compile all the information <3
so. obviously i just have to do this because man. that was a whole ride hahahah thank you so so so so so SO MUCH to people who participated actively in the ebg???? i am????? not worthy??????? lsjdkfjskldf
special mentions to: (ps. please check them out; these are all wonderful, talented writers. be sure to read their rules first, though!!!)
@kurikurikurisu / @risustravelogue thank you for putting up with my insanity throughout this event…. and for being the first to bring in their hubby to sneak around the teahouse! lol smart move!! i’m guessing you’ll bring your other hubby next time for the fun of it and i am. looking forward to it already hahahah also that morse code → vigenere cipher will haunt my nightmares now thanks- /silly
@crystalflygeo you precious precious gem. i am still wheezing at that meme you sent me. here’s to hoping the next time crys visits the teahouse it doesn’t smell like sea salt and frost anymore heh ;)) also fontaine tea time double date when? <3
@floraldresvi thank you for being the source of romance this ebg lol tartarin is a sinking ship so everyone better hop in to covivi!! all jokes aside, i love writing your interactions with coviello so much (and based on the comments everyone else seems to enjoy it too hahahah) i 🚢!!!!!
@silentmoths MOTH!!! YOUR WINGS 😭 will drinking tea make it grow back??? i offer the finest silk for you to munch on after this hsdlfjskdf anyway, be it the last ebg or this one, i love seeing the little moth flying about in the teahouse hehe <3
@ainescribe / @lychniis i hate (read: love) you. why did you have to bring back the nightmarish cipher into this smh /j anyway…. another event to be recorded in the record keeper’s books, eh? i hope you enjoyed this ebg too <3
@queen-belial you madlad /pos. the way you write ousldjflshdjflksd i feel a little bad i can only respond with small snippets because man. those are. yummy yummy meals you were dishing out there!!! capitano is coming for childe’s ass atp that ginger better watch out lmaoooo
@abyssmal-skies tysm for granting me the opportunities to up the creepy factor lol i’m glad you managed to piece together what happened!! looking forward if you ever decide on joining an ebg next time :3
@the-travelling-witch HOLLYYYYYY. thank you for letting me 'borrow' your husband and allowing me to make him a little... uhh... #deranged lol. honestly you’re one of the reasons why i went “ok so…. only my blog needs to simp for childe. i don’t…. time to make someone else ‘run’ the blog…. >:)” because for lord’s sake i am very much not attracted to him and i just. can’t. do. it. #chilly4ever #chillyno1
@leftdestiny-posts / @intothegenshinworld that letter almost took me out ngl i am. i am still crying and sobbing over it hsldfjskldjflksdf PLEASE. also shiro protection squad &lt;;3 *silently wipes bloodied hand on a tea towel*
@kopidense / @ask-court-genshin heyyyy fellow murder accomplice (for legal reasons, disclaimer: this does not involve any real human bodies whatsoever) 🙌🏻 thanks for dropping by!! also pls tell your two friends i said hi winkwink #truezhonglimainsstickstogether /silly
@navxry actually yk what no. no thanks for you, you gremlin /silly but thanks for the trauma i guess- /j
@i23kazu YING!!! thank you so so so so much for hosting this ebg! it has been super fun and i (and i’m sure everyone else thinks the same) really appreciate your effort in putting things together!!
and of course all of the other people who sent in asks, be in anon or non-anon, be it a silly ask or a sabotage attempt or a rp attempt — please know that i really really really appreciate each and every single one of you!!!
your participation means a lot and it’s the literal driving force behind my passion in constantly drawing and writing stuff whenever i have time these past 7 days. i haven’t written or drawn any content whatsoever in weeks. do you see the power you hold over us writers by sending in fics & silly stuff now?? i hope you do.
also, even if you didn’t participate at all, i appreciate you for still sticking with me despite having to deal with my silliness for past week 😌
sending you all my kithes /p and hugs and a cup of your preferred tea! <3
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artsybug0 · 7 months
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(First of, thank you so much for responding to my question! Mademesohappyhrhehehehe, btw I was the one that asked what would RF Millie do if she had a person who was just in love her AND NOW I’m gonna add more to what you just said! If that’s okay)
Now, due to this person backstory and just trauma in general (I could go on full rant about it BUT I WONT SINCE THAT WOULD BE SO LONG AND I JUST DONT WANT TO BOTHER YOU AND BECAUSE THIS ISNT ABOUT THEM- I’m going off topic omg I’m sorry)
They would feel really really bad, they would probably stop helping everyone and help RF Millie the most, they honestly don’t want anyone to hate them or even be annoyed with them, they are even kinda of be being overwhelming? They help RF Millie without Millie having to asked and just being really sweet towards her (giving her pills for her headaches stuff like that) and is kinda of like “please I am so sorry you can punch me if you want just don’t hate me:(“ (let’s say it again folks ✨ trauma✨
(Sorry if I’m bothering you btw!-)
Oh you aren’t bothering me at all haha! I enjoy answering these questions just a lot of the time I want to draw for them but never have the motivation- so sorry to everyone who still has an unanswered submission!
But RF Millie in general is a very distant, cold, awkward individual. She mostly mumbles but will raise her voice in annoyance if you aren’t doing the work right in her eyes. Before she takes over your work to do it herself-
Millie would act annoyed and irritated all the time because she feels like this is some kind of joke on her.
I mean, she doesn’t have family or friends. So why would someone just randomly be like this with her? She definitely has been asked out as a joke before so she doesn’t want to take any chances.
She’s gonna try to stay distant because she doesn’t want to “fall for the joke”. And always rejects their offer of help. She prefers to work alone.
But when they take care of her like giving her pills, or helping her when she randomly passes out. She will mumble a thank you and move on. But after doing it like 12 times Millie will still mumble a thank you, walk away, but later places a snack from a vending machine on their desk as a gift of some kind. It’s not much but that’s the best she’s gonna do for A LONG TIME.
Keep in mind she’s HELLA TRAUMATIZED herself-
Her parents were killed a lot later in life for her (she was 15) she was never adopted or fostered.
She aged out of the orphanage
She was originally considered very pretty so she did have friends sorta but she still has a lot of issues mentally cause I don’t think she even got therapy- along with something happening to cause her wings to be torn off of her body.
After a chemical explosion she “lost her beauty” and quickly became uninteresting to her coworkers. Causing her be lonely and not very social. No one visited her in the hospital.
Except Wally who was making sure she didn’t die- like I think he didn’t actually care but was confirming if he needed to replace her or not
But either way that was enough to capture her heart cause she thought he did care lmao
But with all of that she’s very…hesitant with making friends or dating anyone who isn’t Wally cause to her he “proved” he care (he didn’t)
And even if Millie wanted to punch them I don’t think she would or could haha!
She’s very thin and not that strong so- she would just hurt her hand 🤣
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theyareprisons · 2 years
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The Curse of the Canary
Spoilers for Double Life Session 5!!! Descriptions of injuries
Jimmy wakes up gasping. He aches and his stomach churns violently. He rolls onto his side and vomits. His stomach and chest cramp, making him cry out.
"Jimmy?!"
Jimmy lets outs a sob. Hands grip his shoulders and pull him up, Jimmy twists around and writhes. His wings feel like they're on fire, and the hands on his shoulders are not helping.
"What hurts?"
"Wings!" Jimmy gasps, tears rolling down his face. "Wings!"
The hands quickly remove themselves from his shoulders and Jimmy slumps.
"What can I do to help?"
Jimmy doesn't answer - he can't answer. He has no idea what would cure the phantom pain of the Enderman tearing through flesh and feathers and ripping the very delicate limbs from his back.
"Hey, breathe for me, okay? Come on, you can do it."
Jimmy sucks in his breath and coughs, blood at the back of his teeth.
"Breathe." The hands return, this time grasping Jimmy's hands. "Squeeze my hands."
Jimmy tightens his hold as the pain reaches a crescendo. Someone inhales.
"I know, buddy." They say. "I know it hurts. You're going to be okay, I promise."
"It hurts." Jimmy whimpers.
"I - I don't have any potions or anything, I'm so sorry."
Jimmy whines and bites into his lip hard enough to draw blood.
The pain begins to slowly ebb away. He takes deeper breaths as it falls into a dull thrum. His wings spasm, reigniting tendrils of pain. The rest of his body begins to ease, but his wings continue to throb.
"Hey, back with me?"
Jimmy blinks. His eyesight, blurry at first, focuses on the figure in front of him.
Tango.
The other man's mouth is pulled into a tight line. He's radiating concern.
"Jimmy?"
"I'm sorry." Jimmy rasps. "I'm so sorry."
"What?"
"I got us killed."
"Hey." Tango reaches up to cup Jimmy's face. "Don't worry about that. It's fine."
Jimmy sniffles. "No, it's not. This happens every time."
"So you die a lot, so what?"
"Tango." Jimmy says, frustration and pain bubbling beneath his chest. "You're not listening!"
"No." Tango says firmly. "You're not listening. I don't care that we're dead."
Jimmy stares at him.
"Okay, I care a little. But, I'm not upset with you, okay? Sure, it sucks we're out first, but that's just how these games go."
"I didn't want to bring you down." Jimmy says.
"You didn't bring us down. I died too, remember?"
"Because I'm cursed."
Tango lets out a sigh through his nose. "Jimmy, I don't care about any of that canary crap! Who cares if you're prone to death? We can respawn as often as we want! This game is literally all about death, we're supposed to die."
"But I took you out too early."
"Jimmy." Tango says. "I'll get over it. I am over it. I just want to know how you're feeling. Your respawn looked bad."
"My wings hurt." Jimmy admits, grimacing.
"An enderman took you out, right?"
Jimmy nods. "He was trying to pul - pull off my wings."
Tango winces.
"Can I see?"
Lip trembling, Jimmy shuffles around so Tango can see his wings. He hears Tango's quick intake of breath.
"Are... are they bad?"
"They're not great." Tango answers. "Has this happened before?"
"Yeah, my wings, er, take a couple of respawns to heal. I usually kill myself a few times after my wings get hurt."
"That," Tango pauses. "That doesn't seem healthy."
Jimmy shrugs.
"We can't respawn while we're in spectator mode, so they might be stuck this way for a little bit. Is it okay if I preen them?"
"Yeah." Jimmy answers near instantly. Preening always helps his wings to feel better.
Tango gently brushes his fingers through a few feathers, and Jimmy shivers.
A terrible thought hits him.
"Wait," He says. "Are we still soulbound? Can you feel my pain?"
"No. We're not." Tango answers.
Jimmy lets out a sigh, relieved.
"I wish we were, though. I miss feeling your wings."
Jimmy blinks. His throat is suddenly dry. Tango continues to preen Jimmy's wings, as if he hadn't said anything world-altering.
"What happens now?" Jimmy asks, his voice lowering.
Tango hums before he replies. "What do you want to happen now?"
Jimmy doesn't know how to answer. He's not used to people asking what he wants and actually going through with it. Usually they tease him or do the exact opposite, just to mess with him.
But Tango isn't like that. Tango cares (not to say that Jimmy's friends don't care, they just show it differently). Tango isn't scared to give his affection, to remind Jimmy that he's glad they're partners and that he's happy with him.
"Jimmy?"
"I want to keep seeing you." Jimmy says quickly. His heart feels like it's about to burst with the amount of apprehension that's flowing through it.
Tango's hands pause, and the worst thoughts begin to flood Jimmy's brain. He's so sure he's messed everything up and Tango's going to hate him and-
"I'd like that too." Tango says. He resumes his movements.
Jimmy shakes.
"Hey, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
Jimmy looks over his shoulder. "Do you mean that?"
Tango's expression softens.
"Of course." He says.
Jimmy swallows. Before he can talk himself out of it, he twists himself around and leans forward and -
He kisses Tango.
Tango immediately brings up a hand to grasp the back of Jimmy's neck and another hand lands on Jimmy's waist.
Jimmy's mind is both completely blank and filled with too many thoughts. He feels a rush in his stomach and a flash in his head and Tango's lips are so, so soft and so warm and Jimmy can't help but inch closer and-
A throat clears.
"Are we... interrupting something?"
Jimmy and Tango bounce apart. Jimmy quickly wipes his lips and looks up, his face blazing.
Ren and BigB stand in front of them. Ren's eyebrows are raised and he's got a smug sort of look on his face. BigB's smiling widely.
"Hey, guys." Tango says. "Uh... when did you get here?"
"Just now." Ren answers. "Grian took us out, the little gremlin."
"Well, well, well." BigB drawls. "What do we have here?"
"I was just preening his wings." Tango says.
Ren snorts. "Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays."
"I'm older than you, Ren." Tango replies.
"Yeah, whatever, dude. We caught you two smooching. You're going to upset a lot of people, ya know? We had good money on you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tango demands hotly.
"We had all types of bets on you two." BigB informs them. "When you'd admit your feelings, who would do it first, when you'd kiss... who would do it first."
"That seems invasive." Jimmy says.
Ren tilts his head. "Who initiated it?"
Jimmy squawks, ready to tell him off for asking personal questions, but Tango doesn't seem to care.
"Jimmy did." He answers, grinning.
"Tango!" Jimmy protests as he slaps Tango's arm.
"Jimmy did?!" Ren repeats. "What in the actual heck? I think everyone lost money on that!"
"What?" Jimmy asks. "What does that even mean?"
"It means no one thought you had the guts to make a move first." BigB says.
Tango cackles as Jimmy splutters.
"Anywho." Ren says. "I think the demon won overall. Good for Pearl."
"Even Pearl was involved?" Jimmy asks.
"Jimmy," BigB says. "Literally everyone was involved except for you two."
BigB and Ren break off into snickers and teasing and Jimmy turns to Tango, helpless.
Tango's already looking at Jimmy, and he's got an expression that has Jimmy's heart fluttering. Completely ignoring Ren and BigB, Tango reaches forward and takes Jimmy's hand.
Jimmy blushes and looks away.
Maybe dying wasn't the worst thing in the world.
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Hi! I saw your matchups are still open so I would like to request a TWST romantic matchup.
Here's some of the basic stuffs about me~ I will be 🌻💛 🐸 anon!
• She/her
• How I see my personality: Introverted and reserved but loves to make some small talks with people I barely know if I feel like I am in a sociable mood! I am an overthinker and definitely overworrier 🥲 I worry and think a lot and can be veryy socially anxious but I tend to keep it in control and try not to show it. When it comes to following or leading people, I realised I tend to lead people instead despite being socially anxious and introverted.
• How a friend would describe my personality: Cheerful and smiles a lot. Tends to joke and tease my friends, act like a younger sibling or act as the "child" in most cliques. Will be quieter and 'tamed' around people who I'm not close or don't know. However, I can be relied on because I'm mature, realistic and honest about my opinions. Open-minded and resourceful friend. However, can be very anxious and high strung when it comes to school and work and is quite a perfectionist.
• Hobbies and interests: fjfjf I have a lot of interests - animes and games like TWST and obey me. I love doing art specifically working with clay medium, traditional and digital drawings!! Also hoards cute stuffs like sanrio (i love pompompurin so much) and san-x plushies. Love animals a lot (regardless if theyre bugs or reptiles) - my close friends tend to associate me with frogs 🐸 and my fav colours are yellow and grey. I love learning new things so I tend to also research and watch documentaries even outside of my work gjfjjf I also love listening to more alternative music - indie artists etc!!
• What are I look for in a relationship: someone who respects boundaries. someone who's emotionally mature and respectful. Also I prefer committed romantic relationships rather than casual ones because I can be very selective with who I spend time with (trust issues and stuff sjdhf). Maybe someone who I can share domestic bliss with. I don't mind someone whos more adventurous; they can push me out of comfort zone reasonably and I can explore and learn more new things!!
• What I cannot tolerate in relationships: Being patronised, talked down, nagged constantly. Someone who likes to play mind games and tests my loyalty/trust/love towards them. Overly dominant and manipulation and all that stuffs fjfmjf
• How I show affection: My go-to would be quality time and parallel play but I am fine with other love languages - especially giving gifts (or making stuffs to gift them)
• How do you want to receive affection: I think imo I don't have a preferred style and I get really happy and grateful when someone makes the effort to show their affection in their own ways
Signs: Libra (Sun), Aries (Rising and Moon) and Scorpio (Venus)
MBTI: INFJ-T
Enneagram: Type 4, Wing 5
Appearance/Fashion sense: Cutesy style; Casual lolita styles, sanriocore vibes, cottagecore dresses.
Sexuality & romantic orientation: Demisexual
I hope that this isnt too much fjffjjf and thank you for doing this again!! 💛 I really look forward to your writing!!!
Hi there, 🌻💛 🐸 anon! Ah, domestic bliss, someone who will stand by you…
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Trey Clover
Trey will stand by you, giving you gentle encouragement when you get stuck overthinking or overanalyzing things, and when the social anxiety spikes up. You may not show it outwardly, but he can tell and will squeeze your hand or give you a soft look. 
Really loves seeing your teasing and playful side come out, and may offer back some of his own teasing, but makes sure that he doesn’t go past of any of your boundaries. “Hmm? Ah, sorry, love,” he would chuckle.
Trey appreciates quality time, of quiet domestic moments shared in each others company. He also gets all soft whenever you gift him something, especially if you made it. You can also expect to have as many baked goods that you could ever dream of… He will make a Pompompurin cake for you with cupcakes themed after Muffin, Scone, Bagel, and Custard, Pompompurin’s friends.
He thinks your aesthetic is really soft and cute, just like you. He will match with you, if you wanted to do matching outfits; could be cottage-core, Sanrio, Lolita, or cutesy. He noted that your friends call you “frog” and got you and him matching Keroppi hoodies. Expect some awful frog puns, which I will not torture you with.
He would love it if you wanted to show any of your art projects, since he knows that it’s like sharing a piece of your soul. Loves seeing the look on your face as you’re working away on a slab of clay, sketching in your sketchbook, or staring at an art tablet... but please take some breaks to rest your eyes.
He wouldn’t really have the heart to tell you no if you came home yet again with a new animal companion. “Honey, is that uhhh,” he would point to the creature on your shoulder, but shake his head with a chuckle, accepting that there was a new member to the household.
Would enjoy just sitting on the sofa, wrapped up in a blanket, and watching a documentary you recommended, trying to focus on what’s playing but enjoying seeing you so happy more.
Overall, Trey is soft, respects you. He wants something that will last, and he know it will with you. He would love, cherish, and celebrate you.
“Hey, cupcake, I found you this, since you were talking about wanting that speciality clay.”
I hope you enjoy your baker, 🌻💛 🐸 anon. Please tell him whether or not you like puns because he will crack dad jokes and awful jokes that have you rolling your eyes.
*gives you fellow a-spec finger guns*
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funkymbtifiction · 1 year
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hi! question about the frustration types/wings/trifix - is there a part of them LIKES being in a state of frustration? and if so can they ever really overcome that or be happy with how things are? i read a lot about how the purpose to learning the enneagram is to eventually notice when you’re doing personality things and unlearn them/realize you can choose not to. but can someone who becomes happy by being unhappy, negative or frustrated ever be capable of not only realizing life is okay as it is but also feeling happy/fulfilled/satisfied with how things are, without being dissatisfied with the lack of frustration itself? i know someone who’s type i am unsure of (i thought he was a 6 bc he’s very into the concept of allies and enemies and identity politics, you’re with me or against me, and he is often unsure of himself/indecisive, however i also see many traits of 1 anger at an imperfect world/perfectionism and 4 drowning in misery) who displays a LOT of frustration. i’ve rarely seen him happy or satisfied with anything. nothing and no one is ever quite good enough for him and something is always wrong with him/his life/his people and when nothing is objectively wrong he nitpicks until he finds something wrong and if you try to help or offer solutions, you’re wrong, they won’t work, or he admits maybe they will work if he tried but he won’t because he’s not in the mood or somehow isn’t capable of doing it. i understand to an extent because when i’m upset, i can act like this too. but once i calm down i want solutions and i want to fix it. he doesn’t seem to ever get to that part and if he did ever fix his problems i’m not quite sure what he would do with himself. is that how the frustration triad is? if so can they ever really feel content in life, even with enough personal growth to notice their personality style and choose differently?
Yes, that is correct. No one does anything without getting something out of it, and the frustration triad actively works to keep part of themselves frustrated and dissatisfied, because life doesn’t measure up to their desired ideal. It’s a subconscious choice.
It is possible to change this, but the person has to first acknowledge that the frustration is a choice, and then decide to change it. They have to see this habitual tendency to embrace chronic dissatisfaction as a pattern and recognize that it’s optional, and then want to do something about it. They have to want to change, and acknowledge that this current behavior is not working for me (it is self-sabotaging me in some way, by making me always frustrated by life, relationships, etc), and accept the burden of self-responsibility in changing it, for their own self-betterment. Frustration has become a pattern with them, but it’s not chronic – it’s a choice and they can choose to catch themselves looking for what’s missing and instead, choose to embrace the happiness of the moment.
Your friend sounds like a 6 with a strong 4 fix; double-reactivity – my life is awful, you need to agree with me how awful it is, and it can’t be fixed, because it just… wouldn’t work, and nothing is good enough, and cue the self-pity, the whining, and the drawing attention to whatever is wrong. To be honest, it sounds like a 649. There’s a reason they’re roasted online as the “Whiny Tears.” 6 is reactive and negative, looking for what’s wrong and missing; 4 over-inflates wounds, problems, and deficiencies and remains frustrated as a way to show everyone their life is broken and cannot be fixed; throw 9ish apathy and inertia in there, and you have two reactive fixes that obsess and complain and draw attention to problems, along with two twithdrawn fixes that don’t assume the problem is theirs to fix, leading to an endless state of “wallowing without seeking solutions.”
The 6 over-thinks, the 4 over-feels, and the 9 does nothing about it. A 469 in any order has to come to terms with their negativity and see that as a choice; with their ongoing frustration and realize that’s optional; they have to choose to look for the positive since their default is the negative, and above all, they have to learn to productively think about things (as opposed to ruminating on them, or thinking about them without ever instigating change) and figure out the direct actions they could take that would change their life for the better. It won’t be easy, but if they decide it’s worth doing, they can pursue it through self-observation and choosing to change their reactions, by not allowing themselves to dramatize their problems as “unsolvable,” but instead, asking themselves what they’re going to DO to resolve this ongoing problem.
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𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬
1. What does your muse smell like?
Leather and metal, for the most part.  At least anywhere near his Shinra days, but there may be an odd hint of something like licorice/anise here or there. Long after being away from all the leather and steel, there’s still a hint of it somehow.  It comes and goes along with the licorice, something vaguely picked up on and then forgotten.
2. What do your muse’s hands feel like?
The gloves keep them relatively smooth, mostly, callouses present from where he holds his sword but the skin isn’t rough.  His grasp, even at its most careful, is particularly solid. Granted that does change when he’s “reborn”, and a very human body most certainly does get torn up a lot more easily.  Time to take care of his skin is rarely found, so it’s often rough and a bit dry.
3. What does your muse usually eat in a day?
The metabolism of a SOLDIER is a thing of mystery.  He’s not partial to breakfast, but he’ll find something quick and “mostly edible” to go with the coffee.  Depending on who’s making said coffee, even a SOLDIER needs something in their stomach first.  He can go without lunch if he must, or dinner, but not both.  Generally... his diet is atrocious and made of various kinds of take-out, but he does technically eat fruits and vegetables regularly, especially when they don’t need to be cooked.  He is not to be trusted in a kitchen for more than toast or tea, and even then... He’s not particularly picky after his Shinra days, but he does need food more often.  ...Which is a real shame since he does actually have to watch his diet since his stomach actually reacts to foods differently, and still can’t use a kitchen without potential fires.  Just can’t quite get away from those.
4. Does your muse have a good singing voice?
He would say no.  Not that he’s practiced it much, so no matter what he sang it would be a little bit rough.  At first, at least.  With some practice he could be sure to draw crowds, but that’s... probably never going to happen.
5. Does your muse have any bad habits or nervous ticks?
Boy that anger, am I right.
The paranoia comes later.  He’d a bit too trusting at first, but he’s also quick to understand that there are reasons he shouldn’t be... only of the most obvious things.  Suspecting betrayal to come from those close to him doesn’t cross his mind... for a while.
Dealing with emotions was difficult, but manageable to a point.  Clearly betrayal and rage are sort of problems and the most difficult things to find ways to deal with.  There’s an increasingly simmering resentment for the fact that he’s expected to be the perfect little poster boy, too.
It’s the stillness that’s actually a bad habit in itself.  Training nervous ticks out of himself.  Not necessarily being overt about what he’s feeling or thinking in any way that anyone would recognize, but that’s not complete.  He is capable of relaxing it off-duty, of putting on the perfect SOLDIER routine when it’s needed and dropping it behind him when it’s not.
Later on, habits like tugging at his bangs and rubbing his shoulder where the wing was/still is but hidden somehow become big indicators of nervousness.  When the wing is present, he might pluck at his own feathers thoughtlessly.
6. What does your muse usually look like / wear?
"Tall and pale” kind of describes him no matter what, but even when he doesn’t particularly have to be in uniform, he tends to prefer dark colors, black and greys.  Casual dress is very casual indeed, and mostly Shinra-issued for the sake of ease.
7. Is your muse affectionate?  How much?  How so?
It depends very much on how comfortable he is with someone.  And, well... trust.  His version of affection is usually little jokes and honest smiles, but it can also be in bringing them things they need or taking over a task that needs to be done for another person.  Casual touch is considered A Big Step. After everything happens, affection becomes a great deal more rare, more careful.
8. What position does your muse sleep in?
On his side, more often than not, but that depends on the situation.  If he’s on a mission then it can be easier to sleep on his back or stomach depending upon what will give him the most advantage if he has to suddenly spring out of bed.
Later on, it’s still often on his side, but with his back to a wall preferably.  It’s sheer paranoia at first, then his... comfort.  Comfort enough.
9. Could you hear your muse in the hallway from another room
Back in his SOLDIER days, not if he wanted to remain silent.  Sometimes he wants to announce himself, to let the cadence of his walk be recognized, but to remain completely quiet isn’t too difficult.
After being human, it’s a hell of a lot harder to move silently.  He’s most likely to be heard making too much noise walking and then cursing quietly under his breath to himself.
Tagged by: @meteor-shots (Thank you!)
Tagging: Whoever would like to indulge in this because it is interesting even when you have way too many damn answers!
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tvsmovies · 2 years
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‘House of the Dragon’ Recap: Season 1, Episode 5 TVLine
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By Kimberly Roots / September 18 2022, 6:59 PM PDT When you consider the entire history of Westeros, the wedding that takes place in this week’s House of the Dragon doesn’t go all that badly.Sure, someone dies on the dance floor during the rehearsal dinner. Yes, the stepmother of the bride may be very close to inciting a coup. And agreed, the father of the bride may have keeled over to his death just after the vows were said. But hey, a pregnant woman wasn’t stabbed multiple times in the belly, so… success?Read on for the highlights of Episode 5.NICE KNOWING YOU, LADY RHEA | The episode starts off in The Vale, where Lady Rhea Royce (hi, Shadow and Bone’s Rachel Redford!)  is out hunting on horseback. She’s bagged a few game birds when she comes across Dae-1-episode-5/'>‘House of the Dragon’ Recap: Season 1, Episode 5 TVLinemon and addresses him as “husband.” Ah, so this is the terrible ogre of a wife Daemon’s been crying about since the series’ start. I don’t know, dude: She’s only uttered a few words and ridden her horse like a badass, and I already like her more than I like you. We learn that they never consummated their marriage, and she wonders if that’s what he’s there for. “The Vale’s sheep might be willing, even if I am not,” she snarks. She then mocks him about Viserys’ passing him over, but she grows silent when she sees Daemon’s face and realizes that she’s probably in a lot of danger. Even though Daemon is doing his best Obi-Wan impression here — hooded cape, hand outstretched like he’s summoning The Force — it seems
ing mightily from a deeply infected arm wound, and he looks like a lump of boiled liver as he fatalistically asks Lyonel whether or not he’ll be remembered as a good king. If the end isn’t here yet, it’s certainly drawing nearer. THE GREEN WEDDING? | Some time passes, and then everyone’s gathering in King’s Landing for Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding. Viserys has recovered enough to sit next to the bride-to-be at a preliminary feast, where neither of them are excited to make small talk with Jason Lannister when he approaches to offer his congratulations. Alicent is conspicuously absent even as Corlys and Rhaeyns and their family enter to great fanfare. And then Daemon struts into the hall, and you just know he’s fixing to eff ess up. Wordlessly, the king has a chair added to the head table, and Daemon sits. Then Viserys begins his welcome speech but stops when Alicent makes a late, dramatic entrance wearing a gown that’s resplendently green — the exact same color House Hightower displays in its beacon when it calls its bannermen to war. After she’s seated, Viserys continues his speech, welcoming the guests for seven days of tournaments and feasting, culminating with the wedding. After, Rhaenyra and Laenor take to the floor for a dance that seems to incorporate a lot of flappy dragon wing-type movements. Both Criston and Joffrey watch from the sidelines, decidedly un-psyched. And Daemon just lounges up at the table, smirking, until Lady Rhea’s cousin confronts him and says that in The Vale, men are made to answer for their crimes, “even Targaryens.” He accuses Daemon of killing Rhea, and Daemon in turn asks for his inheritance: Since he and Rhea didn’t have any heirs, Runestone — the seat of House Royce, which was to go to her — could very well be his. This takes the fire out of the cousin, who promptly sits down. MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR | As the festivities continue, several things transpire. Joffrey figures out that Ser Criston is Rhaeynra’s lover, based solely on the knight’s hangdog expression as he watches the princess from the perimeter of the room. Then Joffrey makes sure that Criston knows that he knows about their relationship, promising a little mutually assured destruction if anyone’s secret gets out. Elsewhere, Daemon puts the moves on Laena, still young but now (thank goodness) several years older than she was when Viserys entertained the idea of marrying her.
Eventually, Daemon gets Rhaenyra alone on the dance floor and asks her, in High Valyrian, if this is what she wants. “I was not aware that what I wanted mattered to you,” she responds in kind, taunting him that if he wants her, he should “cut through my father’s Kingsguard” and sweep her away to Dragonstone. Viserys is just starting to notice that his daughter and his brother look thisclose to doing something indecent on the dance floor when armored men start rushing into the hall. All of a sudden, Ser Criston and Joffrey are duking it out, a fight that ends with the latter dead and missing his face, thanks to the knight’s furious fists. Laenor jumps into another part of the fray while Laena wades into the crowd. Viserys can’t find Rhaenyra, but that takes a backseat when he starts bleeding copiously from his nose and swaying on his feet. Eventually, everything somehow calms down. And when Laenor sees Joffrey, dead on the floor, he rushes to him and screams out his grief. So, time to improv! A traumatized Rhaenyra and a grieving Laenor are married that evening, with just their immediate families in attendance. The minute the vows are completed, Viserys crumples to the ground, unconscious. Outside, in the godswood, Ser Criston prepares to kill himself, but Alicent stops him. And throughout all of this, Daemon is nowhere to be seen. Now it’s your turn. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments!
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<a href='https://tvline.com/2022/09/18/house-of-the-dragon-recap-season
like what happens next is mostly bad luck: She reaches for her bow and arrow, the horse rears up (possibly because Daemon feints at it or something, we can’t see) and falls backward, landing on her and presumably crushing a lot of stuff inside her that shouldn’t be crushed.The horse quickly stands and runs off as poor Lady Rhea lays there, gasping. She seems to be paralyzed from the neck down, but her mouth still works just fine. So when Daemon lightly steps on her forearm but then turns to walk away, she gets in an — unbeknownst to her — incredibly apt burn. “I knew you couldn’t finish,” she says, as though she saw last week’s episode… or the series premiere, come to think of it. So he picks up a large rock and walks toward her, and then the camera mercifully cuts to Viserys and Rhaenyra on an ocean voyage.A PROPOSAL IS MADE | What we see, however, isn’t much more pleasant: Apparently the king isn’t cut out for ocean travel like his daughter is, and he waves away an attendant’s bucket only to rush to the railing and vomit over the side. (In his defense, it is pretty rough going.)Once they’re on land, the royal entourage makes its way to High Tide, seat of House Velaryon. The power plays start right as Viserys, Rhaenyra, Ser Criston & Co. arrive: Lord Corlys se
es. While the adults are talking, Laenor and Rhaenyra go for a walk on the beach. She apologizes that he’s going to have to marry her, and in gentle, coded terms lets him know that she knows he prefers the company of men. “I know whatever agreement being struck up there won’t change your appetites, nor will it change mine,” she says, proposing that they do what they must to fulfil their duties to the Realm, then get their freak on with whoever “as we see fit.” We stan an LGBT ally! Laenor’s boyfriend Joffrey, by the way, is psyched about the arrangement. After all, they’ll be able to carry on their relationship — especially because he knows Rhaenyra’s already got someone on the side (though he doesn’t know whom). But know who’s NOT supportive of Laenor’s being gay? His dad, who thinks the kid “will outgrow it. There’s no pleasure in the world like bedding a woman.” Sigh. HIGHTOWER HIGHTAILS IT OUTTA THERE | Back in King’s Landing, Alicent rushes out in the rain to tell Otto she’s sad to see him go. But he thinks she could’ve done more to save him, and angrily tells her so. She counters that he pushed too hard for Aegon to be named successor, so Otto’s ouster actually is his fault. He calms a little to say that the king will die sooner rather than later — “He is not meant to be an old man” — and that if Rhaenyra takes the throne, war will be the consequence. “To secure her place, she’ll  have to put your children to the sword. She’ll have no choice,” he adds, causing Alicent to cry harder. Then he yells at her a little bit more about how his grandchildren are probably goners, hugs her, then rides off into the storm.
The queen’s Very Bad Day continues when Larys Strong lets her know that the king had tea (aka moon tea, aka an abortifacient — all of this Alicent quickly intuits) sent to Rhaenyra’s room soon after her after-hours walkabout. When Alicent mentions that Rhaenyra is fine and is away on a journey, Larys does this whole thing about “OHHHHH I thought she was sick! I’m so glad she’s not! Really!” but it’s clear that he’s much more deceptive than he first appeared, and I’m here for it. COME AWAY WITH ME | On the boat on the way home, Ser Criston is all up in his feelings about how Rhaenyra’s future is being decided for her. “If there were another path, one that lead to freedom, would you tread it?” In short: He wants her to hop a ship with him. “Let us leave it all behind and see the world, together,” he says. Aw, he nearly turns into the heart-eyed emoji as we watch, painting a picture of a life in which they are nameless and free. “In Essos, you could marry me. A marriage for love, not for the Crown,” he says. Though she looks very romanced by the idea, eventually she has to shut him down… and shut him down she does. “I am the Crown,“ she reminds him, a bit of steel in her voice. “Or, I will be.” But good news, she says: You can be my side piece! “You want me to be your whore,” Cole says, getting teary as he realizes that he broke his Kingsguard vows for someone who won’t even entertain the fantasy of eating oranges in the Free Cities with him. Their ship makes port, and the dejected knight hasn’t been back at the Red Keep for more than a few minutes when Alicent summons him to her quarters. She stumbles around asking him what he knows about Rhaenyra’s tryst with Daemon. But because she takes so long to specify exactly what she’s talking about, and because Ser Criston feels so guilty to begin with, he thinks she’s asking if he slept with the princess. “It happened, your grace. The sin you allude to. I have committed it. At her instigation, it is true, but that shouldn’t…” he says. “It is no excuse.” He knows what’s coming is bad for him, so he asks that she take pity on him and have him killed rather than gelded (ouch) and tortured (ouch again). Alicent definitely wasn’t expecting this confession to fall into her lap, but she recovers quickly, thanking him for his honesty and telling a stymied Criston that he may leave.
Meanwhile, Viserys is suffer
nds his daughter, Laena, out to greet the visitors rather than doing so himself. Inside, Laena and Rhaeynra are quickly sent off while Corlys and Viserys, with new Hand of the King Lyonel Strong and Princess Rhaenys, decide Rhaenyra’s fate. Now’s a good time to note that Viserys is looking ROUGH: He’s coughing and sweating, and when Rhaenys hugs him, she’s disturbed to see he’s got considerably fewer digits than he did the last time they talked. Corlys informs the king of Lady Rhea’s death — “her neck and skull both crushed in the fall,” Rhaenys says, filling in what that strategic scene change left out earlier — then Viserys officially proposes a marriage between Rhaenys and Laenor. Before Laenor’s parents agree, they want some very fine points put on the succession plan. Oh, and they assume the children would take Laenor’s last name, in keeping with Westerosi custom?Viserys rankles at the idea of the Targaryen name ending just because Rhaenyra is female, but makes a concession, saying that her kids with Laenor will carry the last name Velaryon until ascension, then they’ll switch to Targaryen. That way, “Dragons will rule the seven kingdoms for the next hundred years, just as they did the last.” Corlys agre
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daisiesandshakes · 3 years
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Hi can I request jealousy headcanon for Isaac,Arthur,Mozart,comte please
Hi dear nonny! Thank you so much for your request 💖
Sorry it took so long, night shifts were exhausting...
Here you go, I hope you like it! 💝
(@ashavazesa , I'm tagging you, maybe you like it!)
Jealousy headcanons
for Isaac, Arthur, Mozart &
le Comte
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Isaac
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The shy, poor boy doesn't know what hits him, he wasn't prepared... It is the first time he's really in love and it is his first time being jealous.
He wouldn't talk about his feelings in the beginning, because he feels a bit ashamed about them. Additional he's not used to talk about feelings anyway, so he bottles up.
You recognize his strange behavior like avoiding your glare, his abrupt short answers (especially towards the male who causes the jealousy), but at first you can't figure out where it comes from. He would also act more possessive than usual, suddenly kiss you firmly in front of others or pulling you close.
Though he knows you love him truly, he's unsettled deep inside and needs your reassurance. You'll have to push him slightly to open up, to tell you what's on his mind. When he does...oh boy.
With glowing eyes and fervent words he'll beg you to SHOW him your love, pushing you onto the bed. Needy for your touch and your words of love, nothing remains from his shyness. He won't let you go the next hours, making sure you're really his.
"Isaac, please tell me what concerns you... did I something wrong?"
You're sitting next to him in his room on the edge of the bed.
"N- no... It's not that."
His behavior was oddly brusque today and you are really concerned.
With a sigh you overthink what happened all day and then something klicked. You spent a lot of time with Napoleon while he teached the kids. Could it be?  "Isaac, are you jealous?"
The vampire flinches and draws his gaze away from yours, a blush appears on his handsome face.
You cup his face, forcing him to look at you. Gazing deep into his beautiful cherryblossom eyes you ask "Isaac, you know that I love you, that my heart belongs only to you, don't you?"
"Y- yes. My head knows it, but..." suddenly he pushes you down.
"Show it to me." He whispers, his voice husky and deep, his eyes dark with passion before his lips captures yours in a fiery kiss, his fingers ripping your blouse open.
Mozart
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Mozart is probably the worst with jealousy (besides Theo). He even can't stand the thought of another male being too close to you. It doesn't matter if it is another resident or a complete stranger, he is very possessive and you only belong to him. No other has the right to touch you.
If someone touches you by accident, his possession drives him to get rid of the foreign scent on you immediatly.
When it's a strange male (talking to him would be enough to drive him crazy), he would be broiling jealous, unable to express himself. Normally Mozart is very straight forward, but not when it comes to express his feelings for you. Blaming you for being too trustful, he would even start an argument.
But Mozart loves you so much, you're so precious to him, he'll regret his harsh spoken words soon and searches for a way to talk.
Admitting his jealousy, he shows you that there is only one way to calm him down. Claiming your body and mind he would train you to who you belong until the sun rises and your voice is hoarse.
"M- Mozart, what-" you gasp as he pulls you behind the thick curtains, sealing your lips with his. "You spent enough time with the other residents." He breathes hard as he pulls away. "Especially with Leonardo. I don't like his cigarello scent on you." Your eyes grow wide. "Wolf, are you jealous?"
A faint rose appears on his cheeks. "I don't want to be...But yes I am."
"But... You don't have to be jealous. I love you so much, Wolf. There is no room in my heart for another man."
"I know, meine Liebe. But it seems that my heart doesn't accept this truth fully." His radiant violet eyes pierces into your soul.
"What can I do to make you feel better, Wolf?"
A slight smirk plays at the corner of his lips as he leans forward. "Await me in the thermae. I'll make sure the only scent that remains on your body is mine, and obviously I'll have to remind you the next hours to who you belong." fervent spoken words next to your ear, sending shivers down your spine.
Arthur
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He never felt jealousy before. Being a rotten flirt, Arthur is used to be the reason for that emotion, he never thought it could happen to him.
Trying to hide his feelings he'd cover them with playful words and actions. But when a male approaches you and gets too close, he won't think twice to make clear you are HIS girlfriend, holding you at your waist, whisking you away.
Deep inside Arthur has the feeling he doesn't deserve you, so he is afraid to loose you and gets easily jealous. He wouldn't like to admit it to you , worried he could scare you off.
But you are not able to overlook the pout and scowl on his handsome face or to overhear the truth hidden behind his joking words, irrelevant how much he tries to mask his feelings.
Arthur has a deep longing for your reassurance in words and body language, he needs your touch so bad, be prepared for exhausting, delightful hours between the sheets after he got jealous.
You are sitting on the couch in Arthur's room, rambling about your day with Vincent. Lately he gives you advices in painting techniques and you enjoy them, happy to make progress in your hobby. Arthur looks up from the papers with a smile, sitting at his desk.
"Darling, you sound really happy. I know you enjoy painting with Vincent, but are you sure you didn't decide secretly to leave your filthy boyfriend for this pure angel, Luv?" Arthur chuckles. For a split second a hurt expression appears in his loving gaze and his voice didn't sound as lighthearted as it should. You set your cup of coffee down with a surprised look on your face. "Are you jealous?"
A slight rose tints his cheeks as he pulls his gaze away.
You hurry over to him cupping his face and locking eyes. "Arthur, you are the only one for me. You are the love of my life, you know that, don't you?" Your thumbs caress his cheeks.
Arthur's big blue eyes waver at your words and he inhales deeply.
"You have no right to be this adorable" he whispers with a husky voice as he pulls you on his lap. Kissing your lips ardently his fingers already unbutton your blouse. "Say that again, luv" he smiles at your lips. "And then I'll make sure you won't ever forget that you are MY adorable girlfriend" he breathes at your skin as his lips travel from your jaw to the neck.
Le Comte
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Comte seems to be always so calm and thoughtful, but when it comes up to you all this is nothing but dust in the wind. He waited for you and your love for centuries, now that you are his he's confronted with the deepest fear of loosing you.
Also he is insecure inside, thinking he doesn't deserve someone so precious like you (are you surprised?). This uncertainty is more fuel to the fire of the jealousy that rages in his heart.
Despite his always graceful and sublime conduct le Comte is very passionate and possessive. He can't bear another man touching you, even it is only your hair. On the other side he wants you to live freely, interacting with the other residents as usual. So he would get jealous real quick, but:
Wearing a mask of gentlemanly behavior and used to lock up his feelings you wouldn't notice his jealousy until it's "too late". Maybe it was only you and Leonardo in the library, sticking heads together and giggling about something. Maybe it was a stranger at the market, picking up an apple for you that dropped to the floor, holding your delicate hand while putting the apple into it.
When he corners you after that in his room, there'll be no escape. Le Comte will make sure that you're his, taking possession of your body and mind until there is nothing left but thinking of him and moaning his name. He will only stop when you pass out due to the overwhelming passion.
Le Comte cocks slightly an eyebrow due to the sight that is presented to him in the library. Arthur stands in front of the bookshelfs, carrying you bridal-style. "What happened?" he asks with honest concern. "Oh, our pretty dove wanted to spread her wings. I catched her as she fell from the ladder" Arthur replies lighthearted. "Luv, if you want my touch so bad, all you have to do is ask. You don't have to risk your health to get it" smirking he looks deep in your eyes. You feel your cheeks grow hot as you hit him at his shoulder. "Put me down, Arthur!" With a wry chuckle he lets you go, giving le Comte an amused sideways glance. "Okay, my performance as a hero is over, back to work then." With these words Arthur leaves the library and you exhale, looking concerned over to the pureblood. "You know that it was only an accident? I feel a bit embarrassed and.." Le Comte cuts you off, smiling gently.
"Ma cherie, don't worry. I understand what happened, everything is fine."
With a relieved smile you pick up the dropped books "I should have known, that something stupid like this doesn't concern you..."
You hear a sharp inhale and look up. His expression is serious, his eyes burn like melting gold in a furnace. Approaching you with slow, predatory steps he asks softly "When did I say I don't care?"
With a fluid move he pins you against the bookshelf, kissing you senseless. You both pant for air as he breaks the kiss. "I await you in my room. Now. Your chores are done for today." Comte leaves you with trembling legs.
Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it 💝
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shurisneakers · 3 years
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harmless (ix)
Summary: Bucky volunteers to go stop a small time villain, but nothing can prepare him for what exactly he has to deal with. (Bucky x villain!reader, drabble series)
Warnings: cursing, sex jokes, frustrated bucky, dramatic reader, anxiety
Word count: 3.9k
A/N: a lot of requests came in last week, so cool and thank you for sending them in!! i’ll try my best to write them if they weren’t originally what i had planned for this series bc they’re so cute kfjdghdf. also hey shoutout to @i-reblog-fics-i-like​ for suggesting the backstory thing! 
here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333
Additional Scene   || Previous Part  || Series Masterlist
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Hot single in your area! 😈  Find your solemate! 
Somehow it bypasses Bucky’s spam folder and is in his primary email. SHIELD tech is too advanced to let fake mails like this reach him and this doesn’t make sense. Unless it was one of the stupid dating websites he signed up for.
Leaving aside the obvious typo in the subject, he clicks on it, hoping it doesn’t unleash a virus onto his computer. 
He’s instead greeted with a poorly Photoshopped picture of you at a bar with a martini in your hand. He doesn’t have to look too hard to see that the martini is, in fact, an emoji. Off to a terrible start already. 
Right beside it is an even worse image, an imitation of an early Internet chat box.
Harbinger of Doom just sent you a message! 
Come to the empty lot near lair. Bring goggles. 😩💦
Decline/Accept
He wants to strangle you. 
______
“Why did you curse my eyes so early in the morning?” He spots you at the top of the lair, speaking loudly so that it hopefully reached you. 
“What?” you yell back down instead. “If you’re saying something, I can’t hear you.”
He rolls his eyes. He pulls his phone from his pocket and presses on your contact. 
He watches the look of confusion morph into one of slight surprise when you reach into your pocket and pull out your call.
“Don’t ever send an image like that to me again,” he says directly.
“If that one image is too much for you, how will we ever make our sex tape?”
His mouth opens and shuts like goddamn fish.
He can hear your laughter even without the phone.
“First of all- stop laughing- first of all, a sex tape is never going to happen. Second of all, I have a debriefing to go to, we need to make this quick.”
He holds up a finger when he sees you begin to say something. By the look of trouble painted all over your face, he knows it’s going to be a dumb innuendo. 
“Thirdly, why are you standing there?”
“I watched The Last Airbender,” you say once your cackling dies down.
“I like that show.” He did. Peter sometimes watched it when he came over and Bucky more often than not joined in.
“I know, you told me.”
Oh. 
“Okay, what now?” 
“Put your goggles on.” You take one step towards the ledge. 
“What are you doing?” The goggles don’t do anything to shield him from the sun, considering that they’re not tinted. Maybe he could invest in those.
You send him a smile, taking a step further. His walk towards the building turns into a jog, then a sprint when you’re basically standing on the edge.
You spread your arms out like Jesus Christ himself before flinging yourself off the building. His stomach drops.
His phone falls to the ground, discarded to the side as he sprints to break your landing. 
It never comes. 
Instead, a gust of wind smacks him in the face, forcing him a few steps backwards. 
“I am now an air bender.” your eyes shone. “Kind of.”
Just like that, the show was ruined.
He wipes the dust on from his glasses that he now understands why you made him wear. Considerate, for a person who nearly just gave him a heart attack. 
“Why.” It’s not even a question, just a statement. 
“You know how the Tower has a giant ‘A’ on the side?” 
He stares at you. 
“I‘m gonna spray paint ‘asshole’ on the side of it.”
Pepper would not like that. 
“That’s not even evil.”
“Yeah, but it’d annoy your super friends,” You do a flip midair, testing out the repulsors that were tied around your palms, “and I’m the voice of the people.”
You’re too high for him to reach. He doesn’t have his tools, or anything useful on him considering that he never had to use them before. He couldn’t even launch himself at you from the side of the building because you’d just move out of the way. He could jump really high but it would just have the same consequence.
He could talk and keep you distracted but that worked once, it wouldn’t again. At least not for long. 
Fuck, he really had only one option. 
He leaves you to do your somersaults and turns, walking over to where he dropped his phone. It’s an upgrade from the brick he was using a while ago, but not a high end Stark model. A smartphone, but barely.
He sighs, punching in the number and holding it up to his ear.
“Who are you calling?” you yell from above him. 
“Go back to your shitty aerobics,” he yells back.
You pause for a second. “Was that a fucking pun, James Bar-”
The dial tone ends when someone picks up. He diverts his attention back to the call.
“Hey man, I-
“No.”
“You didn’t even let me finish.”
“It’s probably something stupid,” Sam doesn’t even sound annoyed, just uninterested.
“I need your wings.”
“I was right. Bye.”
It was a long shot anyway.
“Fuckin’ hold on a second.” He sees you disintegrate a concrete block by having it drop from the air. “You come here and fix this, then. She’s air bending now.”
“...like Avatar?” Sam unsurprisingly got the reference. 
Peter’s interests were usually shared by everyone in the Tower, just because they had to compensate for the teasing he had to endure. It led to a lot of geeky documentaries and occasional musicals. Bucky wouldn’t be caught dead humming songs from Thoroughly Modern Millie under his breath. 
“Yeah.”
“You want me to come and fight your girlfriend,” he says slowly. 
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Bucky urges, “and yes, I need help. Can’t exactly reach her when she’s twenty feet above me.”
“We have a briefing in 30 minutes. Why did you even go there today?”
He doesn’t know how to answer that. Just looks up at you smacking one of the repulsors against your thigh when it sputters for a second. It’s tradition. 
“Well?” Bucky ignores his question.
“Fine,” Sam’s voice is distant for a second as he agrees. “Clint’s asking if he can come too.”
“Fuck no.” One of them was more than enough and Sam was way better at negotiation. 
He hears a faint profanity from who he assumed was Clint before the call cuts.
He takes a seat on the ground and waits.
“You’re not going to make any effort to stop me?” You have your arms pressed to your side, palms pointed downwards to keep you afloat.
 “I could just throw things at you again.” He makes a mention towards the small pebbles.
“I will fuck you up if you even try,” you warn. He lifts his arms in surrender. “So that’s it. You’re just going to sit there.”
“To be honest, I couldn’t care less if you painted the building,” he says with the least amount of interest he could muster, not that that was very hard.
“Do you not like your team?” 
“I do.” He isn’t lying. “But they’re little shits.”
“I can draw a couple of dicks on their window, no problem,” you say offhandedly.
He looks up at you through his fingers. “That won’t be required.”
Although it was appreciated. 
“Cool, so then I’m gonna go.” You make a mention of the utility belt on your waist. He looks at the many spray cans that decorate it. 
“What colour are you going with?” he interrupts quickly. Fuckin’ Sam. What was the point of wings if he couldn’t get here in 2 minutes?
“Red, probably.” You look down. “I got purple and white just in case.”
“Building’s dark, red is good.”
“You really don’t care, do you?” You lower yourself down to the ground, a few feet ahead of him. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” For fucks’ sake, Sam. “You really don’t like superheroes, do you?”
“I don’t have anything against them.”
“Then why do you do this every week?”
This was wading into personal territory and he did not like it. 
“Well.” Your eyebrows knit together. “Because I want to. It’s fun.”
“No other reason?”
“Do I need to have another reason?” You push your palm downwards, sending you back up into the air. “Can’t I just be evil because I want to?”
“Sure,” he says. He’s heard worse reasons. “Why not?”
“Besides, if you think I don’t like superheroes then you should meet Jake.”
“Who’s Jake?” He hadn’t ever heard you mention him before because he’d remember if you had.
“My roommate.” 
“I didn’t see him when I came over.”
“That’s because we’re not conjoined at the hip.” It takes you a second to stabilise. “Besides, he grabbed the water while I got the bracelet but he refused to come say hi.”
Bucky looked down at his wrist. It was still there. He found himself fidgeting with it more often than not.
“He hates superheroes?”
“He has a valid reason.” Your eyes widen in worry when your head suddenly dips. 
“What is it?” He knows the height at which you’re at isn’t very dangerous but if need be, he’s close by. 
“Come find out.” Your eyes shone mischievously. “But yeah, no reason for me to be evil.”
“Not even a tragic backstory?” 
“None. But if you want it, I can give you one, Barnes.” You test the waters, seeing how long you can lie horizontally. “Can’t promise you’ll like it though.”
“Try me.” He has time to kill. He’s a good listener.
“Well, it all started with my family- a troop of gorillas.” You flip over to lie on your back. “They practically raised me, they did. Until my gorilla mother died and I was all but consumed by grief and-”
“Your mother was a gorilla?” He entertains the notion. 
“Or was it my father?” you ask thoughtfully. “I don’t know, I don’t remember. Anyway, I met a-”
“Just to clarify, none of this is real, right?” he interjects. 
You stare at him. He stares at you.
“Bucky, that’s the plot of Tarzan,” you say slowly, “or at least whatever I remember of it... which I’m beginning to realise isn’t much.”
“Just clarifying.” He leans back again.
“Anyway so then when my mother, the deer-”
“Gorilla.”
“Whatever. Was killed, I escaped to some place-”
“Where?”
“Somewhere. And I stayed with these seven men-”
“Why seven?” He actually remembers watching this movie with his sister when it came out. An early memory, a bit faded. He remembers how long he saved up for the ticket.
“Because character development. And then I realised the reason my life was so weird was because there was a rat controlling me by pulling on my hair-”
“What the fuc-”
“If you ask any more questions, I’m going to stop.”
Bucky blinks at you. “So that’s your backstory.” 
“Raw and uncut, baby.”
“Just to get this straight, your mother, the gorilla deer-”
“Witch.”
“Huh?”
“She was a witch who stole my hair.”
“Wha-”
He’s interrupted by the giant shadow cast by something that flies overhead. 
Fucking finally. 
He doesn’t even have to look up. Sam does a small glide to the ground, landing gracefully beside him.
Bucky finds you speechless but straightened up from your earlier posture.
“Buck,” Sam greets him.
“Sam,” he says in return, getting up from his place. 
A grin spreads across your face. “Mr. Sam Wilson. No way.”
“You’re Y/N, I’m assuming?” Sam offers, posture relaxed. He clearly wasn’t here to fight. 
“The one and only.” You tear your eyes away from Sam to glare at Bucky. “Barnes, if you had told me we were expecting guests, I would have dressed better.”
Bucky furrows his eyebrows in suspicion at you. You’d dress up for Sam. 
You dressed up like a suburban tourist dad for him. He was feeling the offence incoming. 
“Can’t count on him to be useful in any situation.” Alright, he did not call Sam just to have the both of you team up against him. 
“Normally I’d agree with you but he did just invite you here, so...” you trail off, looking at Sam expectantly. 
What the shit.
Sam smirks. Bucky switches rapidly back and forth between the both of you.
“I see why Buck keeps coming back every week.” It doesn’t take long for him to catch on, enlisting a feeling of triumph from you. 
“I can’t see why he doesn’t just stay at home everyday if this is the view.” You gesture to him.
This is not what Bucky wanted.
“Okay,” Bucky interrupts, “what is going on here?”
“Pure chemistry, I’d say.” You’re half tempted to bite your lip to seal the deal.
“I agree.” Sam just nods, completely and utterly serious. 
You think that you’ll give him a gift basket just for playing along despite meeting you for the first time at that moment. 
“Get a room.” Bucky rolls his eyes.
“Maybe we will.” You tap your finger against your lip in thought. “How do you feel about Indian food, Sam?”
“Very positively.” 
Bucky grits his teeth. “If you’re not planning to spray paint the Tower, can you just hand over the repulsers so we can go home for the day?”
You let out a small tsk in disapproval. “See what I have to deal with?”
“Can’t imagine how you do it every weekend,” Sam says dryly, not wasting a second in replying. 
“Hello?” Bucky waves his arm around. “She’s the villain here.”
“Your face is the villain here.” You tear your eyes away from Sam only to glare at him. “He won’t even wear a cape. Why am I the only one who brings their A-Game every week?”
“Sam just get the damn-”
“You should wear a cape, man.” Bucky’s absolutely sure that even Sam knows it’s a ridiculous idea.
“I’m not wearing a fuckin’ cape,” he grumbles. 
“What are your thoughts on swords, then?” Your finger finds a place under your chin in deep contemplation. “You’d look great with a sword.”
Bucky buries his face in his palms. “Sam, for the love of God.” 
“Okay, alright.” Sam finally gives in with a small chuckle. He runs a few steps to get a small head start before launching himself into the air, whizzing past your levitating figure. He does a neat little flip midair before matching your height.
Showoff.
“How difficult are you gonna make this, Wilson?” you ask, a smirk on your face.
“Jesus Christ.” Bucky exhales, looking at the both of you through his goggles. 
“What’s your play here?” Sam calls out loudly.
“Was gonna spray paint ‘asshole’ on the side of the Tower.”
“After the ‘A’?”
“After the ‘A’,” you confirm. 
“Now that’s too small,” Sam tutted. “You gotta think bigger. Paint the whole Tower.” 
“Sam!” Bucky looks horrified. 
“Hmm.” You look like you’re considering it. “Don’t have enough paint for that though.”
“You’re an evil genius, right?” Sam casts a small glance at Bucky. “At least that’s what he tells me.”
“You talk about me?” You grin at the disgruntled man on the ground. 
“I don’t,” he mutters, shaking his head. A lie.
“Yeah, so build something,” Sam points out. “Get some more paint. I’ll even tell you the best vantage points to spill it.”
“No, he won’t,” Bucky shouts from below. 
“He’s just cranky because he didn’t get his prune juice this morning, ignore him,” Sam dismisses him.
Prune juice? He was a young 100, not ancient. 
“What’s your favourite colour, Falcon?”
“I like red.”
As annoyed as Bucky is right now, he stores that away in his memory for later. He also knows Sam loves seafood and a good pair of shoes. 
“A couple of gallons of red paint it is, then.” You lower yourself to the ground, Sam slowly follows suit until he lands beside Bucky.
“You know we can’t let you go without taking those, right?” Bucky tilts his head towards your invention.
You narrow your eyes at him. He doesn’t budge.
“I’ll tell ya what,” Sam pipes in instead. “I’ll keep them until you finish getting the paint and once you’re done, we’ll make an evening out of vandalising the Tower.” 
Bucky may not enjoy his company all that much but he admires Sam’s diplomacy. Of course, you would never make it this easy while reasoning with him.
“That a promise, Mr. Wilson?” You raise your eyebrow at him questioningly but are already in the process of removing the things from your hand. 
“Wouldn’t ever lie to you, doll.” He holds up his hand in a mock swear.
You walk towards Bucky and him, rotating your wrists to get rid of the soreness. “Bold claim for a man who met me ten minutes ago.”
“Feels like it’s been longer.” He sends you a wink and you can’t stop the laugh the escapes from you finally. 
Bucky holds his hand out for the gadgets. You shrink away from him with a click of your tongue.
“Technically, he takes this round.” You send a nod towards Sam, dropping off the repulsors into his hand. “So he gets it.”
Bucky rolls his eyes.
“You gonna keep ‘em safe?” you ask Sam, this time a little more earnestly. 
“Guard it with my life,” he says seriously, pressing his lips together in a line to avoid smiling. 
“You’re both ridiculous,” Bucky cuts in.
“You’re going to be late.” Sam tucks the devices into his pocket safely. “You know how Steve gets when people walk in on his speeches. Do you even have a ride?”
“Got the motorcycle.” 
“See you there.” Sam nods. 
“Save me a place,” Bucky says to him.
“No.” He doesn’t even hesitate. “Y/N. It was a pleasure.”
“Still holding you to that evening, Sam.” You send him a smile.
“I’m countin’ on it.” He gives you a small three finger salute before taking off, leaving you staring after his retracting figure. 
When the dust settles, Bucky awkwardly clears his throat. “Right. So that was that.”
“Dude,” you let out an exhale. “he’s so hot.”
He murmurs something unintelligible. It vaguely sounds like a series of threats but mostly a list of complaints.
“Don’t you have a meeting to get to?” You turn your attention back to him.
“Yeah.”
“Aren’t you going to be late?” You glance at the clock on your phone.
“I’ll just tell them I was on a mission.” Well, sort of. “Besides, what are they gonna do? Kick me out?”
“Fair enough.” You shrug. “Have a safe ride back.”
From what he knows of you and Sam, the both of you were kidding around. But he could never be too sure. He can’t even ask if you were serious about the entire thing because it’s none of his business. 
Were the implications of having his mortal nemesis and other mortal nemesis date important enough to overrule that? 
“Are you planning to skip your meeting, or?” you ask when he remains freezes in his spot, eyes glazed over like he’s thinking about something. “Because if you are, I know this great Thai place-”
“Don’t do that again,” he says instead, shaking his head to jolt him out of his thoughts. 
“What?”
“Flinging yourself off roofs like that.”
“Why?” Because it scared the hell out of him, for one.
“Just don’t.”
“Oh please, like you’ve never done dangerous shit like that before.” You narrow your eyes at him, reading his face. “Are you telling me you care about me?”
“No.” His nose twitches. “Just don’t throw yourself off buildings when I’m around.”
“What about when you’re not?”
“As long as I’m not there to witness it.” He shrugs, spinning on his heel to leave. Technically he preferred if you didn’t do things like that at all. 
“Fine. I’ll just have my clone try out all the dangerous stuff for me.”
 He stops in his tracks. “You have a clone?”
“Well,” You squint, “no. But I’m working on it.”
He scoffs, shaking his head. “Bye Y/N.”
“You know, it sounds an awful lot like you’re saying we’re friends.” Your whole demeanour changes and he already knows what’s coming.
“I never said that,” he argues vehemently. “All I said was that I can’t have your murder on my hands.”
“Thus implying that we’re friends. In a fucked up, enemies kind of way.” You positively beam at him. “Aw, Barnes, that’s adorable.”
Adorable? Adorable?
“I hate you.”
“I love you, too, bestie,” you gush, dumb grin on your face. “I’ll make us friendship rings next time. What are your thoughts on matching tattoos?”
He wants to cry. 
______
By the time Sam walks into the meeting room, the session’s already begun. He shoots an apologetic look to a monologuing Steve before taking his place at the nearest chair available. 
Something sharp pokes his thigh. His wings are off and in the backpack beside him, but then he remembers your little inventions that were still in his pocket.
He tries not to make much of a noise while he pulls them out, giving them a look over to make sure they’re not broken.
“Watcha got there, Big Bird?” Tony asks lowly from beside him.
“Something that Barnes’ enemy made.” Sam holds it up slightly. 
“The one he’s been rendezvousing around town with every weekend?” 
“That’s her.” He’s about to put it in his backpack when Tony stops him.
“Pass that here for a second.” He recognises it immediately for what it is, interest piqued. 
Sam hands one of them over while he puts the other back in the bag. It’s a metallic circle, not bigger than Tony’s palm, with a thick leather strap to tie it around your palm.
“She made this?” 
“Why don’t you ask him?” Sam mentions towards Bucky who silently slips into the conference room, standing in the corner near the potted plant since there were no more chairs left.
“The balance has gotta be off on this thing,” he mutters to himself, wholly ignoring the brooding man standing in the corner like a Christmas tree.
“She seemed to be manoeuvring it fine,” Sam catches the eye of a lower ranking agent who makes the mistake of glaring at him for talking while the meeting was going on. A few seconds later the agent hastily looks away and doesn’t turn around for the rest of the hour. 
“Could be better.” He uses a much more intricate model for his suits, although this isn’t even half-bad for a homemade version. “Do you know how long she took to make this?”
“Buck says she comes up with a new one every week, so I’m guessing that long.” 
It had a few glitches but it was incredibly refined for a week’s worth of work.
“Interesting.” He gives it a quick overlook before handing it back to Sam who drops it into the bag.
He casts a swift glance at Bucky, noting how he wasn’t even paying attention to the meeting but rather to whatever he had tied around his metal wrist, fidgeting with it with his thumb. 
Tony has an idea. 
And that was generally bad news.
Next part
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Gosh, the Hawks x intern! Reader sure made me tear up :(
Like imagine him regretting not being there for her and his baby girl from the start and trying to make up for it now 😭😭💖
I was going to imagine this, but I couldn't because I ended up writing 3000 words. 😭 I just love fictional babies so much and want them to be happy, okay? I left it open-ended, so I wouldn't betray the "kick his ass" gang. I'm a weak woman 🥺 I still don't know much about him other than what Wikipedia and memes tell me but here we go!
Part One | Part Two
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Hawks doesn’t think you’ll ever let him in, not that he could blame you. Every time you see him, your expression hardens, pretty eyes narrow into a glare, nostrils flare, breathing heavy. His only bright light during your last exchange is that you wait three seconds before slamming the door in his face rather than the usual zero.
Oh, he’s definitely softening you up. Not.
It’s been a month now that he’s been at this, and he is starting to wonder if this entire thing is worth the headache. All he’s accomplished so far is bothering you with his requests to talk. Then, he remembers the little angel that you have with you and thinks it’s worth the headache.
At first, he had ignored your previous exchange that day at the park and the nagging feeling in the corner of his mind upon seeing the two of you. Until that same feeling started to weigh on his heart. He quickly realizes what those feelings were. Guilt and regret at not taking another path with the high schooler he so carelessly took advantage of and impregnated.
If he had, he could be annoying Endeavor about his cute little wife right about now.
Hawks feels a bit like Icarus flying too close to the sun and now sinking in a turbulent ocean of his own making. Instead of drowning, the world decides to throw him a lifeline as the receptionist patches a call through to him.
His heart jumps when he hears you on the other side, resistant but succumbed in your plea, “I need your help.”
The very next day you arrive at the agency, a small hand latched in your own as you stand in the middle of his office. You didn’t want to be here. The thought of being in the same place where your daughter was conceived with the same man who left you makes you antsy. You can’t believe you actually let Fumikage talk you into this.
You remember that phone conversation.
Your daughter’s quirk had been coming in full force, so fast you didn’t know how to handle it. You hoped that Tokoyami would have been able to help her control it since he trained with the very person she received her quirk from much longer than you had and that he was part avian himself.
“Please, Fumi. It’s getting worse,” you begged over the phone. “She accidentally hurt a few of the kids at school. No. No. They’re fine, some cuts and a little shook up, but fine. They won’t let her back in until she gets it under control though, so please.”
“I told you there’s not much else I can do. The best solution would be to go to the person with the same quirk.”
He’s right. He’s absolutely right, but you don’t want to rely on someone like that man especially now. What if he ended up hurting her?
“I don’t want to do that.”
“I know you don’t, but he’s been trying to contact you, right? So I'm sure he'd do it if you asked.”
“Yeah…” You growled. “I swear if he makes one smart-ass remark, I might kill him in front of her.”
“Remember it’s not for you. Although, I don’t think you could kill him even if you tried.”
“If we combined our strength…”
“No,” Tokoyami immediately shot down.
You sighed. “I’m only joking. Do you have the number to the agency still?”
Now you’re here, watching the very man who abandoned you kneel down to your daughter’s eye level. Hawks couldn’t believe he’s actually seeing her. It’s a bit exciting to see how much bigger she’s gotten in such a short time with big fat wings at her back holding way more feathers than she can probably deal with.
“So, this is the special girl,” he says. She shies away from him, hiding behind your leg for protection. “Come on out, Baby Bird, you don’t have to be scared of me.”
Slowly, she peeks from behind you, fingers still clutched in your pants leg, and Hawks smiles.
“There you are. Did your mommy tell you who I am?”
“You’re her and uncle Toko’s old teacher, and you’re going to help me control my quirk.”
“That’s right. You just turned five, right? That’s when a lot of quirks can get kind of hectic.”
“Yeah. I had a birthday party with Elsa last month.”
Hawks’ smile falters for a second as he thinks he doesn’t know exactly what day her birthday is. At least now he knows the month. Quickly, he’s back to normal to keep an air of happiness in the situation. “You know I know a lady that looks a bit like Elsa. She has ice powers like her too,” Hawks says, having grown a little closer to the number one hero's family as he tried to figure out what to do about his own family situation.
When her eyes widen, Hawks knows he has her hook, line, and sinker. She throws her initial shyness to the wind in exchange for excitement. “She does? Can I meet her?”
“I’m sure we could make that happen. If not, her son has an ice quirk, too. I’m sure he’d show you.”
The young girl smiles at him, but Hawks notices her vision drifting to something else. Cautiously, her tiny hand stretches out to him, making him nervous as to what she’s doing, before chubby fingers clutch around the edge of his wing, squeezing into his feathers. “They’re pretty,” she mumbles.
“Want one?” he asks, and she nods.
“This is my birthday present for you, don’t lose it,” he says, offering her a single long feather from the back of his wings. She clutches it to her chest tightly, a happy smile plastered on her face.
Then, you interrupt.
“Baby, mama has to run some errands, but she’ll come right back to pick you up when the clock says twelve. You remember how that looks like, right?”
“It’s a 1 and a 2,” she says, bringing up her hands to show you.
Hawks decides to walk you out as your daughter sits in his office chair, twirling around his feather in her hand. He isn’t sure what to say to you now that he has you near him. Should he thank you for bringing her? Or would that only serve to piss you off since it’s not like you wanted to do this by choice?
“Hawks,” you say, bringing him out his thoughts. “There’s one more thing before I go.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t tell her,” you order. “Don’t you dare tell her.”
His chest squeezes at that but he can understand why you wouldn’t want her to know that information when the two of you aren’t even on speaking terms outside this issue. He didn’t want to do anything to make the situation worse either, so he brings his fingers to his mouth and zips his pinched thumb and index finger across his lips. “I’ll make sure mine and anyone else’s lips are sealed if they want to keep their job,” he calmly reassures you, always calm and carefree so you wouldn’t think that your rejection is successfully deterring him.
From then on, you drop your daughter off at his office twice a week to get a better handle on her powers. You didn’t stay long aside from that, but Hawks likes the small moments when all three of you are in the same room together.
The hero can be thankful that at least one of his girls likes him. His Baby Bird quickly attached herself to him, always pattering after his footsteps like a shadow, and always asking if he’d hold her hand, a smile forming whenever he engulfed her smaller one. He even keeps his promise to let her see Rei, or Elsa as Baby Bird so passionately refers to her, now that the woman is out of the hospital.
He thinks that if that family can recover from what happened then his shouldn’t be much different as long as he keeps trying to put in the effort and not step on your toes too much.
It isn’t long before Baby Bird begins to get a hang of her powers. At least enough that she wouldn’t be hurting anyone at school. Hawks had hoped you would still allow him to train her past that point though, but you quickly told him that she wouldn’t be returning to the agency when she reached that point.
He was sad to hear it of course, but he didn’t want to cause what little progress he made to be broken even if he really wanted to see her fly at least a few inches before she left. She’s been getting into the habit of jumping instead of walking to practice like he used to do. Although, she resembles more of a bouncy frog than a bird, to be honest.
He watches, amused, as she bounces along next to him in the hallway.
“You’ve gotten good at that,” he compliments, drawing her attention upwards.
“I’ve been practicing lots at home, but I’m not that good yet. Will you teach me how to fly like you do tomorrow?” she asks.
“No, Baby Bird. Didn’t your mommy tell you that we’re done with training after today?”
She hangs her head down, her bouncing stopping as she drags her feet. “…Yes,” she answers, letting his arm go lax as she releases his hand. Hawks pauses, watching as she draws her hands to her waist and anxiously bunches and twists the bottom of her shirt, and Hawks throat goes dry as she asks with glossy eyes, “Daddy, why doesn’t mommy like you?”
He’s completely silent, wondering exactly when she figured it out or if someone in the office had told her, let alone told her the fact that you didn’t like him. Well, he guesses it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. “How do you know to call me that?"
“Yesterday, my teacher told us that we inhe-inhe-inherent our quirk from our parents. I remember you said Elsa and her son had the same quirk, and you have big wings like mine and can make your feathers move.”
Hawks smiles. She’s a sharp one to piece it together in a day. “Your teacher is right. I bet you’ve never seen anyone else that looks quite like us.”
“No,” she answers, sniffling. “I don’t want to go home. I want to stay and play with you. Mommy is so mean to you. I hate her!”
Hawks cups her chin in his hand, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Look at me. Don’t talk about your mommy like that. It’s my fault she always gets upset when I’m around. I was mean and bullied her a lot, so if you’re mad, be mad at me. I’m the reason we can’t play together more.”
She sniffs again but it isn’t enough to stop the globs of tears running down her cheeks. “When we saw you at the park, mommy started crying when we went home. I didn’t know why she did.”
Hawks knows why. The reason you’re always so angry at him is because of the hurt you still hold inside for what he did to you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have cried. The opposite of love is indifference as they say, and he knows it’s true because he had been indifferent to the pain he caused ever since the day you came to him with weepy eyes and shaking arms as you told him you were pregnant. You had been scared, and he told you to deal with it.
Hawks scowls. He’s starting to feel sick.
"If you make someone cry, you should say sorry."
Hawks smiles. “I know, baby. I'll apologize to your mama, and I’m going to try my best to make it up to her, and you, too. I’m not going to make either of you cry anymore. Then, when she forgives me, we’ll play together again.”
She looks to him, a small glimmer of hope. “You promise?”
Hawks chuckles and grins at her, the same charming expression that made you fall for him in the first place. He holds out his hand. “Even better. I pinky promise,” he says and confidently hooks her finger with his. “Repeat after me: birds of a feather stick together.”
“Birds of a feather stick together.”
“That’s my girl,” he praises before dropping her hand to pet her head. “I think we might have a little time for me to teach you something before your mommy gets here.”
At the end of the day, Hawks is already waiting for you at the front steps of the agency as your call pulls into parallel park at the sidewalk. You step out and walk towards the steps, but your daughter meets you halfway by hopping over them, her wings flapping to hover before she falls back down onto her feet.
You smile at her. You can’t believe she’s actually flying, at least a little that is, but your surprise is ruined when she cheers. “Mommy, look at what daddy taught me,” she says, bouncing to show you her new hovering skills. “Are you looking? Are you looking?”
“Yes, I’m looking. You’re so good at that. You need to show me more when we get home,” you say but to be honest it’s the last thing on your mind as you glance over to Hawks. “Baby, why don’t you go sit in the car, and I’ll be right there.”
Hawks watches as she obediently follows your instructions, turning her back and happily hopping towards the vehicle.
“(Name), I-” Hawks says, unsure what to expect when your angry glare turns back on him. It isn’t until his yellow visors are already clicking against the pavement that he realizes you hit him. He hisses at the sting on his cheek. “That actually kind of hurt. I guess I had it coming, but I’m not really sure what I did at least recently,” he tries to play off, but you aren’t having it.
“You told her, you told her,” you keep repeating, and he’s backing away in case you decide to strike him again. “Are you trying to get her on your side?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking, and I didn’t tell her,” Hawks explains. “She pieced it together on her own. She’s sharper than you think, she can see that we look alike when she looks in a mirror, and she knows how quirks work. That’s more than enough for her to tell.”
His explanation is enough for you to halt in your assault, and you angrily huff under your breath. You don’t shift to leave, and there’s no door for you to slam away. He finally has you available. “So, what do you want to do now?” he asks.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean she knows; and honestly, I’m glad she does,” he confesses. “I wouldn’t mind seeing her again if you’d let me.”
Hawks swallows his anxiety as he waits for you to answer. Your eyes shift from him back to where she sits in your car, fiddling with the toys obviously left to clutter in the back before you look back at him, thinking.
“She does seem to like you…for some reason,” you add distastefully, but you know full well how happy training makes her. How her little smile beamed when she fluttered over those steps. How the word daddy came from her so sweetly. “She always likes talking about you after she spends the day here. You make her happy. But that’ll just make it harder for her when you leave ag-“
“I won’t,” he cuts off.
“How do I know that?”
“You don’t but I promise not again. (Name), I’m sorry. I’m sorry for telling you to go away like a burden and for not being there. You must’ve been scared, but I won’t leave either of you alone from now on even if you don’t want me there. I’ll be there if you need me.”
“Drop it. I’m not a part of this,” you tell him.
He knows that you’re rejecting his apology, but his ears can pick up what others can’t. He can hear those soft inflections in your voice right before you harden it into aggression, the slight stutter that you so cleverly thought you hid from him as you nearly fumbled your words, a little glimpse of a teenage girl with a crush on her sensei. “Not yet but do know I plan on trying until I make you fall for me all over again. I miss your cute little face when I'd smile at you.”
You glare. “Say that again, and I will smack you in your "cute little" face.”
"You already did that, but if it makes you feel better go ahead, I can take it if it helps you forgive me.”
He just didn’t expect you to actually take him up on the offer. This time, it’s the other cheek that burns.
“You’re right. That did make me feel better,” you say, smirking as you shake the sting from your hand. Hawks grunts, rubbing his jaw as you begin to walk towards your car. He bends down to pick up his shades before following close behind. You open the driver’s door, and say, “I expect you to pick her up at 9 tomorrow. If you’re late, don’t bother showing up ever again.”
Hawks smirks. You certainly became aggressive these past few years, but he thinks he kind of likes it. As you get in your car, he notices Baby Bird smiling at him from the window, her hand up and clutched around that birthday feather he gifted to her as she waves him off.
He’ll definitely be there on time.
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it’s time for the “overanalyzing one-off lines” show!
so the very first thing magnus says when he sees pit in chapter 2 of kid icarus: uprising is as follows:
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“Well, I didn’t expect to see an angel here. Hope this doesn’t mean I’ve kicked the bucket.”
now, i’m not sure if you’re aware, but that’s a really weird thing for someone to say, and it’s even more weird that no one comments on it. pit and palutena go on talking about unrelated things, as if that’s a totally normal and expected thing for magnus to say.
now, if you’re like me, you probably also didn’t really react to this line the first few times you saw it. it’s the second chapter, kiu has a lot of slightly-odd lines which turn out to be foreshadowing. me, personally? my first thought was “oh, i guess angels are probably associated with escorting the dead to the afterlife,“ and then i moved on.
they’re not, though. that’s what reapers do. and there’s no way humans have these two races mixed up. just fucking look at them.
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do they look anything alike to you??? no. they don’t. which raises the question of why, exactly, magnus said that.
now, we don’t know a lot about angels as a whole. pit (and by extension dark pit) is emphatically not the gold standard of angeldom. we can assume he looks fairly ordinary for an angel, seeing as no one has trouble identifying him as such. beyond that, though, a lot of what we know about angels comes from what pit isn’t. for starters, he can’t fly. and there’s something else, too, but i’ll get to that later.
before that, though, i’m gonna go through the various unsubstantiated comments made by people with a dubious level of authority on the subject. (incidentally, i sourced these screenshots from the wiki— much more convenient than trying to dig through youtube for every single random conversation.)
without any further ado! let’s get into it!
Angels as Messengers
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Gaol: Aw, Palutena’s little messenger boy. And Magnus, it’s always a pleasure. (src)
in the specific context of overanalyzing magnus’s first line, this is an important sentence to pick out. magnus and gaol are both humans, both with presumably a fairly similar history as mercenaries up until gaol got stuffed in a suit of armor. but while magnus makes a weird comment about death, gaol calls pit a messenger.
and pit agrees with her!
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Viridi: I wish I had an angel to do my bidding. It’s like having an intern.
Pit: I’m not an intern. I’m a messenger of the gods!
Viridi: Poor Pit. Don't you know that the definition of angel is "errand spirit"? (src)
this particular conversation is the most insight we get into angels as a whole, i think. viridi thinks of angels as like divine interns, there to do little tasks for gods, and palutena doesn’t exactly disagree with her. pit says they’re specifically messengers, which lines up with biblical mythology. i could see the traditional role of angels in the world of KI being exactly that, showing up to tell the humans what the gods have to say because the gods themselves are too busy being petty jerks to do it themselves.
The Angel’s Code of Conduct
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Magnus: You go in fully dressed? Don't you at least want to change into a...swimming tunic or something?
Pit: Oh, no no no! The angel's code of conduct says that we must always be ready for duty.
Magnus: I guess you wouldn't be an angel if you didn't do things by the book. (src)
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Pit: Hey! You know the angel's code of conduct! I need to be prepared at all times! (src)
another random little thing is the angel’s code of conduct. without a larger sample size, we can’t know if it’s a real thing or just an excuse to save on laundry, but apparently it’s against the rules to not be on call at all times. in pit’s case, the duty he has to be ready for is doing palutena’s dirty work, but it can easily mean just about anything— including, of course, being a messenger.
No Warrior
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Chariot Master: But you are no warrior, angel. Tell me, why do you fight?
Pit: I fight for Lady Palutena. And I fight for the people under her protection!
Chariot Master: That's not reason enough for an angel. (src)
remember how i said there was something else weird about pit? the chariot master seems to think angels aren’t very prone to battle— or perhaps even that they’re actively opposed to it. this lines up well with the idea that they’re supposed to be messengers, peaceful go-betweens for gods and mortals. this does not line up well with pit, the adorable weapon of mass destruction.
and it also does absolutely nothing to explain the question driving the whole existence of this post.
you know what does kinda lean towards an explanation?
No Other Angels
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Pit: Do all gods have their own angels, like you have me?
Palutena: No, I don't think that's necessarily the case. (src)
i said before that the Intern Pit conversation had the most illuminating information on angels. this is what i was actually referring to. on its own, it’s pretty innocuous, but it’s just as weird as the magnus line. shouldn’t pit know about other angels, seeing as he is one himself? but he doesn’t know if there are other angels.
the only angels we ever see are him and his clone. no one ever directly references the existence of other angels, they only make general statements about what angels as a whole are like— statements which clearly don’t apply to pit, meaning they’re not just extrapolating based on the one angel that definitely does exist.
the one time someone does comment on the hypothetical existence of other angels, palutena gives a vague answer to the tune of “no,” the topic is changed, and no one brings it up again.
let’s go over everything i’ve established about angels up to this point. they can fly, they’re peaceful messengers of the gods, and pit is the only one that seems to exist as of the start of KIU.
it should be pretty obvious at this point what answer i’m dancing around, if it wasn’t obvious from the start. pit is the only angel around because all the other ones are dead. the reason why magnus said what he did is that his thought process went something like this:
See an angel.
Think “Aren’t angels extinct? Is that a ghost? Am I a ghost? I sure hope not.“
Make a quip about that.
Move on with his life, because he isn’t dead and evidently neither is this guy.
i’m not gonna pretend i went into this post with the intent of any other conclusion to that mystery. anyone who’s bothered glancing over a plot summary for the original kid icarus can draw that conclusion. it’s certainly what i did, reinforced by fics by people who had the same thought!
the truth, however, is that this was all a trick to get you to read my analysis of the theoretical nature of angels as a race. now that you’re invested, i’m going to dramatically throw aside my cape and reveal my TRUE FORM: telling people that fandom consensus is wrong, and my ideas are cooler and better than everyone else’s and you should all throw roses at my feet and bow before your king.
(or just, y’know, take it as the subjective analysis that it is. whatever floats your boat.)
Hot Takes
the original kid icarus does not actually tell you about angels going extinct. here’s the wiki article with the full text of the backstory, just for convenience, so you know what i’m on about for the rest of this post.
so, the part of the story that i think gets misinterpreted is this part about palutena’s army.
Medusa led a surprise attack on Palutena's army which could barely fend off the attack. Palutena's army suffered major losses and was heavily defeated in the final battle.
specifically, i think a lot of people interpret said army as having been made up at least partly of angels. sure, in the actual game it consists entirely of centurions, but you have to take old NES games with a grain of salt. i know i don’t buy for a second that pit was part of palutena’s guard before the original game (he was just too goddamn young), there’s nothing wrong with reinterpreting things.
recall everything i established about angels already, though. this is the hot official lore, from the game everyone knows and loves. angels are messengers, and if the chariot master is to be believed, never warriors. pit is an outlier. palutena’s army consists of centurions, not angels. if medusa wiped them out, it wasn’t because they were fighting for palutena.
(and honestly, i don’t think angels are necessarily associated with palutena exclusively. sure, she’s got the wing imagery, and she’s got the one known surviving angel working for her, at least up until pittoo is born. but angels are messengers of the gods, not messengers of palutena. again, pit is an outlier.)
which all brings us to the real question of this post.
what the FUCK happened to all the other angels? why is there only pit? why does magnus act surprised to see a messenger of the gods, and make a quip about being dead, if not because angels are otherwise extinct?! WHO KILLED THEM, AND WHY?!
thus concludes the “over analyzing one-off lines“ show. see you next, uh, maybe at some point if i feel like it!
(also another thought i had but couldn’t find room to fit it in properly: the gods don’t really act like angels are all extinct, but i feel like that can be explained through the sheer scale of a god’s lifespan. if we assume they were wiped out sometime around the original kid icarus (even if not as palutena’s army) then that’s a whole twenty-five years. that’s a long time for us humans, but for a god, that might as well be last tuesday. “yeah, i know what angels are like. sure wish i could have one. too bad palutena’s got a monopoly on the one single angel that medusa didn’t manage to wreck.”)
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makeste · 3 years
Text
BnHA Chapter 294: A Half-Assed Escape
Previously on BnHA: Mirio was all “SURPRISE I’M BACK THANKS TO OUR RESIDENT SEVEN-YEAR-OLD WHO RECENTLY EARNED HER BACHELOR’S OF BEING A TOTAL BADASS.” Kacchan was all, “you know what, Dabi’s been trending long enough, time to remind the fandom what a real G looks like,” and he blasted his little bleeding body back into the fray and was all “FROM HERE ON OUT CALL ME DYNAMIGHT!!” Mirio was all, “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... oh, you’re serious,” and Kacchan was all “!!”, and so that’s the story of how my son got murdered twice in one day. Meanwhile in the Todoroki Drama Zone, Deku was all “STOP MURDERING MY FRIEND” and Dabi was all “THAT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS” and fandom had a whole big debate about Whether Or Not Dabi Trying To Murder Deku’s Friends And Mentors Is Any Of Deku’s Business, which went exactly how you think it went. Anyway, so then Deku yelled at Dabi, and Endeavor was all moved by his manly words and randomly went to go uppercut Machia in the chin. And, seeing as how the Momoserum finally chose that exact moment to kick in, Machia is now down for the count.
Today on BnHA: The Miriosquad handles the Nearly High End Noumus, freeing up Jeanist to jasphyxiate (okay that one doesn’t really work so well) the rest of the League. Compress is all “TIME FOR THIS MILD-MANNERED SIDE CHARACTER VILLAIN TO SHINE”, except that by “shine” what he actually means is “use his quirk to punch a literal hole right through his own ass to free himself.” The rest of the chapter is basically just a back and forth between him and Jeanist, with Jeanist trying to recapture him, and Compress repeatedly thwarting him by chopping more holes out of himself because HE’S FRESH OUT OF FUCKS, AND THE ONES AT THE STORE ARE ALL SOLD OUT, MOTHERFUCKERS. Anyway, so with Compress basically dying and all, Horikoshi is all “you know what that means”, and delivers a freshly-baked villain flashback revealing that Compress is a descendant of Harima Ouji, a.k.a. the Peerless Thief, a.k.a. some famous guy whom Gentle mentioned this one time for like two seconds back in the day. The chapter ends with Compress finally demasking himself and dumping Tomura back onto the ground, a.k.a. The Worst Possible Place For Tomura To Be. ( •﹏•)
WHY IS CRUST HERE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD
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-- OH WAIT, SHIT. OH
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AIZAWAAAA you’re alive and receiving medical help thank GOD. HOW MANY EYES DO YOU HAVE. AND MIRKO!! HOW MANY LIMBS DO YOU HAVE, OMG
so is this Aizawa dreaming about Crust’s final moments, then?? jesus. with All Due Respect to Crust’s memory, does Aizawa not already have enough misplaced guilt on his conscience as it is?? “nope, we’re gonna keep piling it on. that’s all he is now. three limbs, an indeterminate number of eyes, sexy hair, and Guilt” well shit
motherfucker y’all really out here placing an oxygen mask on Gran Torino’s corpse. fucking shounen characters. each one comes with a lifetime warranty
DAMN YOU HORIKOSHI WHY DO YOU KEEP SHOWING THESE CLOSE-UPS OF HAWKS’S UNCONSCIOUS FACE ALL WHUMPED OUT AND EXHAUSTED. HOW MUCH MORE OF THIS ARE WE GOING TO GET. ARE YOU PLANNING ON KILLING ME WITH THE UPCOMING CONVALESCENCE ARC, BECAUSE IF SO, AT LEAST HAVE THE DECENCY TO TELL ME AHEAD OF TIME SO I CAN MAKE A WILL
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for a moment I considered going back and checking my previous recaps to count how many times I’ve already made a joke about Dabi’s fire incinerating Hawks’s wings but not touching so much as a hair on his five o’clock shadow, so that I could calculate whether or not I could possibly get away with making that same joke one more time. but then I realized I could just do it in this kind of roundabout way I’m doing right now instead. so there you have it
FFFFFFFMT LADY AND MIDNIGHT NOOOOO
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PLEASE BE ALIVE. PLEASE RESPECT THE SIGN ON THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING. THE ONE THAT SAYS “NO LADY CHARACTERS ALLOWED TO DIE”, WITH THE FINE PRINT AT THE BOTTOM “AT LEAST NOT UNTIL HORIKOSHI GIVES US LIKE TWENTY-SIX MORE OF THEM FIRST IF THAT’S THE WAY HE WANTS TO PLAY IT.” IT’S A GOOD SIGN, PLEASE RESPECT ITS WISHES!!
so anyway though, Jeanist is giving a speech about how god knows how many people all worked together to bring Machia down. and now RHA is getting in on those fabric puns too, I see. “A SINGLE STRAND MAY BE THIN BUT TOGETHER THEY FORM A STRONG ROPE” oh so you think you guys are funny eh? I’m a frayed knot
MEANWHILE EXCUSE ME BUT WHY ARE YOU FUCKING CRYING BLOOD, HOLY SHIT
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fffffff. so much for him taking over as the Number One once all this is over. so let’s just recap real quick, because Horikoshi has long since made it clear that one of his plot goals for this arc is to wipe out every single member of the Billboard Top Ten. so how we doin?
Endeavor - was just figuratively eviscerated in front of the entire nation by his homicidal zombiepunk son. also burnt half to death and possibly down a lung. will almost certainly be forced to retire after this one way or the other
Hawks - lying prettily in a medical tent. wings status: gone. hair status: still perfect
Jeanist - WELL I THOUGHT HE WAS FINE BUT APPARENTLY HE’S OUT HERE DYING, JESUS CHRIST
Edgeshot - MIA, last seen fighting Re-Destro. I really want him to have kicked RD’s ass because fuck that guy, but realistically they probably fought to a draw at best
Mirko - alive but in critical condition and missing something like 1.5 limbs
Crust - dead, currently haunting Aizawa’s traumatized dreams. now he’s gonna be triggered the rest of his life by people giving him the thumbs up, THANKS A LOT
Kamui Woods - was set on fire which is His Weakness. thoughts and prayers
Wash - last seen floating hospital patients to safety as Tomura’s wave of decay descended towards him. probably dead ffff
Old Man Samurai - haven’t seen this fucker in a hot minute, who even knows where he’s wandered off to
Ryuukyuu - currently being treated for her wounds, looked pretty bad off. but it’s hard to tell how hurt she is since most of the injuries were acquired in her transformed state. SHE BETTER GET WELL SOON
anyways, so yeah. so much for the top ten. guess that’s another reason Horikoshi brought Mirio back now, huh
so there’s a big panel of everyone fighting the Noumu while Machia lies there all “blurgh.” good riddance my dude. it took like twenty chapters and a hundred people to stop this guy so I really fucking hope he stays down. you’ve had your fun
anyway so Jeanist is sending another steel thread towards Dabi! and he’s all “just a bit more!!” fklklj this is gonna go real well isn’t it
meanwhile Mirio’s fighting a Nearly High End with all of these weird rock formations jutting out of its skin. go on and kick his ass then, Mirio
“each of these guys is probably just as strong as the Noumu from Kyuushuu” hold on I thought Ujiko or Tomura or someone said that wasn’t the case? not that Mirio would know I suppose. anyways let’s just hope he’s wrong cuz if not these kids are probably screwed
kLSDKFHLSKHGLKLK OH MY GODDDD
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IIDA FUCKING TENYA YOU’RE A PEACH. THINKS THE NAME IS OUTRAGEOUS, CHECK. USES IT ANYWAY, CHECK. “JUST BECAUSE I DON’T UNDERSTAND DOESN’T MEAN I CAN’T BE SUPPORTIVE.” WHAT A CLASS ACT
AND KACCHAN IS RESPONDING WITH AS MUCH DIGNITY AS HE CAN MUSTER
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WOW, SON. IT’S ALMOST AS THOUGH YOU HAVE A HOLE IN YOUR TORSO, OR SOMETHING!! although listen up, real talk, the fact that Kacchan of all people can’t muster the energy to yell at someone questioning his ability to kick ass is HIGHKEY troubling and we may be in need of an intervention here soon :/
now Jeanist is finally turning his attention to the League! was... was it not already on the League. omg
ACTUAL SCREAMING AHHHHHH FUCK FUCKLK LK AHHLKHKFFFF
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hey so um. what the actual fucked up hell. my soul left my body. imagine if you saw the reflection of this panel on your bedroom window. you would never sleep again
OKAY RHA TRANSLATORS ARE YOU HAVING YOURSELF A LAUGH AGAIN
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THIS CANNOT BE WHAT HE’S ACTUALLY SAYING RIGHT. BUT IT’S RIGHT IN THAT UNCANNY VALLEY OF NOT BEING QUITE SURE, THOUGH... ( ゚д゚)
(ETA: just a next-day clarification here, apparently my sleep-deprived ADHD word-skipping brain completely skipped right over the “a” in that last panel, so what I read was, “and Shigaraki’s limp noodle.” so yeah, the moral of this story is always read the speech bubble carefully before you start making running jokes throughout the rest of your post, folks.)
oh wow he’s really freaking out lmao
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to be fair though, I’d argue that Dabi has gotten pre-tty close at this point :’) thrilled for him, really I am
but anyway, well then figure something out you big dramatic robot-armed fiend. didn’t you just say you could touch your own ass? can you not just Compress yourself to break free?? does it not work on you? or would you be stuck afterwards lol
(ETA: I was picturing him compressing his entire body at once, not just chunks of it. ghhhlkh.)
um
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holy shit Jeanist. are you stupidly trying to cut off their air, or are you going for more of a sleeper hold (jleeper hold??) thing instead. the latter would be way smarter and faster and probably safer as well just saying
but unless Spinner is just being super dramatic, it sure looks like he’s fucking strangling them djslkjlk. this will certainly cement his popularity among the villain stans. good thing you’re not running for office any time soon bud
anyway so I have no idea what these guys are trying to do now. what is this
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do you even have till the count of 5 at this rate. I mean
OH MY GOODNESS
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HE’S REALLY FUCKING DOING IT!! HE’S COMPRESSING HIS BUTT!! OMFG. TOMURA HIDE YOUR NOODLE!!!
WHAT THE FUCK
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DID YOU COMPRESS A PIECE OF YOUR OWN ASS. FUCKING WHAT. PUT THIS MAN’S PICTURE IN THE DICTIONARY NEXT TO THE WORD “LOYALTY”, HOLY CRAP
HOLY SHIT COMPRESS
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“HOLY SHIT DID THAT GUY JUST PUNCH A HOLE THROUGH HIS OWN ASS IN ORDER TO SAVE HIS VILLAIN PALS. FUCK IT, HE DESERVES TO ESCAPE”
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jeez, talk about... A HALF-ASSED ESCAPE ATTEMPT :D :D :D hahaha. but real talk though, Horikoshi has clearly never tried to leap twelve feet straight up in the air multiple times in succession with only half his glutes though. everyone, I regret to inform you that this panel right here on the left may be slightly unrealistic
also where the hell is he going to go?? did you pack a jetpack away in one of those little marbles sir. and what about Dabi?? and Skeptic too, I guess, but we don’t really care about Skeptic
(ETA: at this point I had to stop reading for about two hours because I had to go out and take care of something; that’s also why this is being posted later than usual lol. anyways so where were we.)
oh my lord
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the existence of a translator’s note here implies that the earlier line about Compress being able to reach Tomura’s junk was not, in fact, ad-libbed. hmm. hmmmmmmmm
anyway so now he’s grabbing Compress again because OF COURSE HE IS, so now we’re right back to square one! except now Tomura and Spinner are secured inside of little marbles, and presumably Compress is the only one who can release them
oh nevermind he’s just maiming himself again instead, SHEESH
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Skeptic a man is dying please have some goddamn respect
so, uh. is he gonna die, though??
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I really can’t tell wtf is going on here, this is the most confusing the art has been in a while. Horikoshi put all of his spoons into that creepyass close-up panel earlier, that bastard
OMG WHAT ARE YOU SERIOUS
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DON’T FUCKING TELL ME THE “COMPRESS IS RELATED TO THIS THIEF GUY FROM OLDEN TIMES” THEORY IS ACTUALLY TRUE WHAAAAAAT. OH SHIT
so apparently Harima was a Robin Hood type guy who stole from... heroes?? wtf. are heroes the 1% in this scenario. y’all didn’t have any Fortune 500 CEOs to steal from?
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THAT’S THE BLOOD THAT FLOWS THROUGH YOU, OH SHIT. and in a related oh shit, the fact that we are getting a Compress flashback now of all times doesn’t bode super well for him. ffff
MEANWHILE THE TODOROKIS ARE STILL TODOROKI-ING
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listen here boy if you touch one freaking hair on Shouto’s candy cane head I swear to god --
WHAT DID I FUCKING SAY!!!
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SHOUTO NOOOOOO. WTF YOU’RE LITERALLY THE ONE GUY WHOSE WEAKNESS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FIRE. DABI YOU SHIT, YOU BETTER WATCH YOURSELF!! I’M PRINTING OUT A COPY OF THAT COMPRESS PANEL!!! KEEP AN EYE OUT ON THAT BEDROOM WINDOW YOU PUNK!!!
SO NOW POOR SHOUTO IS UNCONSCIOUS AND FALLING!! SOMEONE SAVE HIM!! WHO CATCHES THE CATCHER
COMPRESS LITERALLY HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE RIGHT NOW, WHAT IS HAPPENING
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PLEASE DON’T CALL TOMURA LEADER OF THE “PLF” YOU KNOW I CAN’T TAKE IT SERIOUSLY WHEN YOU DO THAT. ARE YOU DYING. ARE YOU JUST A FUCKING HEAD NOW WTF
(ETA: “masks are removable, makeste” you know what it’s been a long day okay lmao. or I suppose Compress is really the one who is lmao.)
GASPPPPPP
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okay. okay. looooool okay then
WHY WERE YOU COVERING THIS SEXY MOP OF HAIR UNDER THAT HOOD YOU TOOL. IT WOULD HAVE LOOKED SO GOOD WITH THE TOP HAT. I’M SO MAD AT YOU RIGHT NOW
as if it wasn’t enough for him to demask himself, he also had to get all shirtless and then do this weird attempt at a sexypose too huh
hard to say exactly how much of his torso is currently missing, but safe to say that’s proooooooobably not good. :///// fuck
on the other hand, Kacchan also has a torso hole and he’s still flying around like he just drank a dozen red bulls, so
this man lost his ass and he’s still out here monologuing like it’s the last two minutes of The Prestige. one might say he is monologuing his ass off
so he let Spinner and Tomura free, but is Dabi still trapped in his marble?? wasn’t he all on fire and stuff?? hopefully he can still turn off his quirk in there because if not that’s a pretty fucked up way to die. somewhere out there Snatch’s ghost is all “YEAH I’LL SAY.” oh how the turntables
last but not least, sooooooo. Tomura. back on the ground. that’s. um. ...shiiiiiiiit
601 notes · View notes
bookofmirth · 3 years
Note
ok so this might come off as a bit rambly so please bear with me lol
i've noticed that the acotar fandom has this incessant need to be right when it comes to canon and it really sucks out the funness of fandom. shipping is supposed to be fun but when it comes to this fandom, it's almost like a competition to see who will be more right when the books come out. engaging with theories/predictions about characters and the plot is supposed to be exciting but when it comes to this fandom, some of the theories/predictions are problematic at worst and nonsensical at best. like how can you say with your full chest that you're so confident about where the series is heading in the future because of this or that theory when you're stuck in the past and refuse to see what all of the text is telling you in the present. it doesn't make sense. the selective reading is so strong that it has me looking sideways sometimes lol
i guess my question is why do you think the fandom is so divided when it comes to ships right now? i've seen people say this wasn't the case for feysand and nessian, so what's the difference here?
Oh boy Brielle, I have some thoughts on this. It's complex.
To be clear, I am not saying that this applies to literally every single person who ships a certain way. This is a commentary on the fandom as a whole, and there are always exceptions.
This got really, really long, so I'm putting it under the cut.
I think that one of the main draws of this series, and of sjm's writing in general, is her ships. I think that people get very, very attached to their ships.
I also think that sjm does NOT fully think through some of the choices that she makes when writing. See: the way that she takes from all these different cultures and mashes them together, which could be seen as disrespectful of their origin. She has retconned things, like Mor being queer and Lucien being Helion's son. I think that she thoroughly thinks about some of the aspects of her books, like Rhys's reaction to sleeping with Feyre for the first time, but then really half-asses other aspects of her books, like Mor coming out.
Then, we have your good old misogyny and homophobia - people in the fandom don't like Mor because she hurt the poor bat boy's feelings when she didn't sleep with him, and they don't have a mating bond, but she's never really told Azriel "no", and so every single moment of pain that Azriel has felt in 500 years is Morrigan's fault. And Mor's experience as a closeted queer woman who feels unsafe around the people she should trust the most is completely disregarded by the fandom.
Finally, I think that a combination of these factors has created the monster we know as e*riel, and that the fandom is perpetuating its own mythology.
What all of this comes down to, and the real reason I think that the fandom is behaving this way right now, is that e*riel is dead. It's never happened, it's not going to happen, but because we don't have the clear closure we got with moriel (where people would be accused of homophobia for continuing to ship it), people are still trying to figure out any possible way for e*riel to become canon, though every single sign points to it being a non-issue.
This weird thing where people have to be "right" all the time, and the way that "right" = "canon" is a relatively new development. It's as if everyone in this fandom forgot that they are in fact in a fandom, which inherently diverges from canon.
However, I think that the need to cling to canon is because the alternative would be to admit defeat and say "well, even if it doesn't happen I will still ship e*riel, it's fine, I will live with that." But they don't want to do that. In response, they look at canon so hard that they are reading the white space between the letters to create their theories, which as you noted as largely nonsensical and often fail to take into account who the characters are as individuals, how they are connected to other characters, and why it would or wouldn't be appropriate for them to be involved in various plots.
People could say, as eluciens having been saying since day one, "I really ship this thing but I can see that it might not become canon". But they don't say that. They literally refuse to see any other possibility than e*riel becoming canon.
You pointed out that people are stuck in the past - absolutely. The number of reimaginings I have seen of scenes where either Azriel or Elain has literally zero to do with the scene, but people try to shove one or both of them in there. And this from books ago. People are stuck on the Truthteller scene, and refuse to acknowledge that neither of them have acted on their feelings, whatever those might be, for years. And they ignore the fact that once Elain and Az do act, it goes horribly wrong.
Here are the facts as of right now:
ACOSF is the most recent book. In that book, sans extra chapter, those two had no interaction other than looking at one another.
If we include his POV, then he said it was wrong, we got confirmation that nothing has ever happened between them, she returned his necklace. Elain was aroused, but that does not mean she was ready to even have sex. "Yes" to a kiss is not "yes" to every single sexual act Az can think of. They parted on awkward, bad terms after a scene in which it seemed like they were about to start something. Yikes. Unlike Wings and Embers, they did not end that chapter still thinking of one another. After they part ways, the omniscient narrator does not mention Elain, or Az thinking about Elain, again.
His POV occurs months before the end of the book. They do not interact after that.
Elain has a mate she has not rejected, nor accepted.
So anyway, your question was why are people like this. lol. I think the fandom created a monster, and that monster is clinging to life. It can't accept the idea of morphing into a non-canon ship, though it never was canon in the first place. It had just convinced itself that it was.
There are other aspects to this, that have to do with gwynriel and elucien.
Gwynriel is a new ship, it's almost guaranteed to happen, people are super excited to ship it and give Gwyn all their love. I'm sure they would rather create content for that ship than argue about whether or not it's going to be canon, but they are in constant defense mode. Some people honestly didn't like e*riel before because they don't like Elain, or because they don't like Azriel, and those are valid reasons for not liking it. Why people ship gwynriel doesn't matter. The tone of the discussion is, unfortunately, being shaped elsewhere, which I will mention below.
Elucien is an old ship, older than e*riel. I can speak from this perspective - personally, I have been holding my tongue for 4.5 years. I have been letting people live, and just talking about the things I like. Then when acosf came out, it was like I could finally say all the things I had been thinking about Azriel, because I now had proof that the things I thought about his character (and because of that, about e*riel) now had solid canon foundation. This is 4.5 years of me holding in a lot of shit and finally being able to say it. Sometimes yes, I might take joy in having been right.
I think that a few people are clinging to canon, and that sets the tone for the discourse in the fandom. Someone says "according to page whatever, blah blah blah" and people feel the need to respond, and then it turns into and "I'm right" contest instead of... a fandom... A lot of us like debating. To me, it's fun. But when Person A starts a conversation that's about canon and it actually ignores canon, it's hard to let that conversation go by and just keep creating whatever we want to create. Instead, we respond, and so the tone of the conversation is shaped by what Person A decided to say.
I also think that there is a lack of distinction between theories (what will happen in the future) and meta (analysis of what we have now).
There is also a lack of "I" statements. Opinions are being stated as fact.
idk if there is a way to make it better, other than to just go back to ignoring one another. This whole situation makes me want to throw out every single canon ship I like and create exclusively non-canon content, just for spite. Except I really like doing meta, and so I don't want to. I guess for my point, I'll just keep doing meta, keep creating different content, and keep reminding people that they aren't here to continue perpetuating canon, but to play with it.
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iliveiloveiwrite · 4 years
Text
Somebody to You
Request: Hi can I request a Cedric Diggory x Gryffindor reader where they’re actually the best of friends and she has liked him for years but she lost hope because it’s like he never sees her y’know? so when Cedric starts to pursue Cho, she decided that it’s time for her to move on but when Cedric saw her getting close to someone else he just got really jealous and possessive and confess that he actually like her too, he just doesn’t want to ruin their friendship if it doesn’t work out? thanks! - @elia-the-bibliophile
A/N: I had so much fun with this! I’m really liking writing for Cedric, but I think I need to work some kinks out with how I write his character. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy and I hope I have done your request justice! Title is from The Vamps - Somebody to You because I am a sucker for pop.
Warnings: unrequited love, crying, a bit of drama, but there is fluff
Word count: 4.6k
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Cedric Diggory was like sunshine; warm and bright.
For years, he had been your best friend. Your families had always been close, being the nearest wizarding family to their home after the Weasley’s. You and Cedric had bonded from such a young age; making pinkie promises under the large oak tree in your back garden, promising how you would always remain friends. That nothing could tear you apart; not even being sorted into separate houses would keep the two of you away from each other.
The fates decided for you early on that you would fall in love with Cedric. You felt the cliché; falling in love with your best friend and knowing it was unrequited. Cedric simultaneously made your heart race and break. He was so impossibly wonderful and caring that a simple look from him had your heartbeat increasing something worrying. But in the same minute, the small voice in your head, reminding you that he didn’t truly see you, had your heart breaking all over again. In his presence, you felt like Icarus flying too close to the sun, to feel the warmth on your face, not realising all the while that the wax of your wings are melting and you’re about to fall, fall, fall.
For so long you had pined for your best friend. With each hug; each take of the hand and each kiss pressed to the side of your head, your heart filled with hope that he was feeling the same as you. You were hopelessly praying that one day he would look at you and for it fall into place. For him to take you into his arms and whisper promises of love and forever.
But it was nothing more than a dream.
You knew of his feelings for her; he wasn’t exactly subtle when it came to watching her from across the Great Hall or classroom. And you understood; you understood it all. How could you compare? Cho Chang was something else entirely; both her and Cedric would be the ultimate power couple for Hogwarts.
It would only be a matter of time before they’re hanging from each other’s arm as you would watch from the side line. Seemingly destined to always love him from a distance.
---------------
Cedric bounds up to you in the Hufflepuff common room on a Wednesday afternoon, calling your name and for your attention. Cedric always joked that you would rather be a Hufflepuff than a Gryffindor with all the time you spent in their common room.
“What is it?” You ask, looking up from your essay plan.
“I asked her, and she said yes!”
“You asked who? To where?”
“I asked Cho to the Yule Ball and she said yes.” Cedric grins at you, looking so happy at this news.
“That’s great, Cedric!” You crow, smiling at him, silently praying he wouldn’t see how your heart was crumbling inside your chest.
Your heart sinks at his news; some part of you hoped that he would ask you to the Ball. That he would take you and show you off to the whole school, but like a lot of things, it was only a dream. You keep the smile pasted on your face as he starts to babble about dress robes and coordinating outfits. Your heart urges you to confess; to confess every feeling you’ve ever had for him.
But he looks so happy. You couldn’t tell him now; you wouldn’t break that.
----------
Being in the same room as them was becoming painful. You could feel your heart crack in your chest as you watched Cedric open the Yule Ball with Cho, looking at her as if she were the only girl in the world for him. How could he not? She looked incredible; she looked like everything he could possibly want.
How your heart yearned for him to look at you that way. How it broke when you realise that he never will.
You gather your skirt in your hands, leaving the Great Hall. The scene too painful for you stay there any longer. It was masochism at this point; you were hurting yourself intentionally by staying there longer.
You pause at the stairs; sitting down to gather your breath but they soon turn to sobs. You grab at your chest with both hands as if you could physically stop the feeling of your heart cleaving itself in two.
The sound of footsteps has you wiping your eyes, but you recognise the sweet perfume of your friend Rose. She sits next to you, holding your hand tightly and directing your head onto her shoulder. She wasn’t bothered about this dance anyway; you needed her more than she needed to waltz with a boy that was going to try and kiss her later.
“Loving him shouldn’t have to hurt so much.” You cry into the shoulder of your friend, Rose.
“It shouldn’t.”
“I really thought…” You trail off, your mind finishing the sentence. I really thought something would happen.
“I know you did,” Rose murmurs, brushing the hair away from your face.
Rose is your anchor that night, letting you sob into her shoulder for another minute before helping you to your room. The sobs have you bent in two; you hold a hand to your mouth, trying to keep them in, to keep them silent but it doesn’t help.
Rose helps you out of your dress, handing you your comfiest pyjamas before helping you get into the bed. The tears are slower now, having exhausted yourself. Rose brushes your hair back with a gentle hand, lulling you to a light sleep. You know though, that you won’t be sleeping much tonight, the image of Cedric and Cho burned onto the back of your eyelids would surely haunt your dreams tonight.
-----------------------
Cedric notices your absence from the Yule Ball – of course he does. His mind had been on you since you descended the stairs in your mauve velvet dress, holding hands with Rose, sending his mind into overdrive and his heart racing.
Cho had to pull his attention back to her multiple times but soon gave up when she could see how occupied he was.
He hadn’t seen you leave; he didn’t know where you had gone. So he looks for Rose, knowing that you would be close by if he could find her. But he can’t and he starts to panic.
He spins Cho out before drawing her back into his arms; all the time wishing it was you he was holding close to his body. Cedric had wanted to ask you to the Yule Ball, but he couldn’t. In the end, he asked Cho. He had planted the seeds the week before he asked with longing gazes. She had said yes, but he couldn’t help but want it to be you who said yes to him.
Cedric was terrified. He was a current champion in the Triwizard Tournament – the most horrifying of challenges for witches and wizards alike but he was simply more petrified of confessing his feelings for you, to you.
He would rather face his dragon again, a thousand times over, than face your rejection.
He’s loved you all his life. He just didn’t know it until the end of Fourth Year when you smiled at him over the rim of your Butterbeer glass and something within him clicked into place.
He was just so scared of ruining your friendship. If he lost you as a friend because of his feelings, he doesn’t know what he would do. The fear of rejection and loss keeping his confession secret.
For now, you both teeter on the edge of a knife blade. Neither one willing to confess their feelings first, but their touches would linger, and their stares would last that little bit longer – eyes filled with the adoration and love they feel.
---------------------
Rose is on eggshells around you the morning after the Yule Ball; worried about what could possibly set you off again. Robotically, you get dressed and head to breakfast, plastering a serene smile on your face before you enter the Great Hall in case you into Cedric, or Cho, or worse, both of them.
You’re buttering a piece of toast when Rose asks, “How are you feeling?”
“Better. Thank you for being there last night.”
“I didn’t want to leave you; I’ve never seen you like that before.”
You point your buttery knife at her, “And you won’t ever again. Want to know why?”
Rose raises an eyebrow, “Why?”
“Because as of right now, I am going to get over Cedric Diggory.”
Rose’s eyes widen, “Really?”
You nod, biting into your toast, “Really. I have loved him for so long and it’s come to nothing. It’s time I move on.”
Cedric sits down next to you a moment later, reaching for the pumpkin juice, “Where did you go last night? I tried to look for you, but I couldn’t find you.”
You meet Rose’s eyes, “I didn’t feel too well so Rose brought me back to the common room.”
“You should’ve said something, I’d have taken you back.”
“Cedric, you’re a Triwizard Champion, they needed you there. I was fine without you, I had Rose.” You say, smiling at the girl as she nods affirming your story.
Cedric frowns, not happy with your answer. He places a hand on your forehead and then your cheek, checking your temperature. You melt into his touch before turning rigid. Reminded of your vow from only a moment ago, you pull away, chuckling, “You’re a mother hen, Ced, I swear. I’m fine, I feel a lot better now.”
You turn your attention back to your breakfast, picking at the food on your plate. The need to get over Cedric was now your most important aim. Your heart had been broken and smashed beyond recognition. It was now time to build it back up again.
-------------------------------
It’s hard at first; getting over Cedric because he makes it so difficult. It’s as if he dazzles you with the simplest of movements such as running a hand through his hair or grinning at you or turning a page in a book with a focused look on his face. Each action had you out of breath and your heart racing before you pulled yourself back and reminded your overly hormonal self what you were aiming to do.
Cedric notices your apprehension around him, asking you one morning, “Are you okay?”
You frown, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Cedric fixes you with a look, “You’re pulling away from me and I don’t know why.”
Your heart stutters in your chest, “I’m just going through some things right now, Ced, but I’m okay, I promise.”
“You’re sure?” Concern overtaking his features.
“I’m sure,” You say, taking his hand in yours, “Now, let’s get some breakfast, I’m starving.”
Cedric laughs, leading you to the Great Hall. He’s still worried though; he’s noticed your distance, not being as open with him. Not pulling him in for hugs as often. Your friendship mattered so much to him; it being over a decade old. He treasured your friendship and your presence in his life more than he treasures his place on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Over the last week, he had felt you pull yourself far away from him, building a wall around you that he had no hope of tearing down.
Cedric’s heart falls as he begins to realise that he’s losing you.
----------
Michael Rhen approaches you at breakfast a week after the Yule Ball. A week after your promise to get over Cedric.
You’re sitting with Cedric as Michael joins you at the table, “Morning, (Y/N).”
“Hi Michael,” You greet, smiling. “How are you?”
“I’m good. I was hoping you could help me though.”
“I’ll try my very best.”
Michael smiles, “I’m having trouble with our History of Magic essay – the one about witch trials in Yorkshire and Lancashire. And I know that you’re the best at this subject, so I was wondering if you help me?”
You nod, “Of course. Do you want to meet in the library tomorrow evening after dinner?”
“That would be great, thank you.”
“It’s no problem, I’ll see you in the library tomorrow.”
“It’s a date.” Michael grins, getting up to leave.
You shake your head amused.
Cedric was not amused. He was not accustomed to the ugly emotion growing in his gut. Jealousy was rearing its ugly head and Cedric was having a hard time keeping a lid on it.
“I didn’t know you tutor now,” He says innocently.
“I don’t.” comes your reply.
Cedric frowns, “Then why?”
“Well, we have OWLs coming up even if you are exempt, Mr. Champion, so I’ll take all the extra studying I can get and also: why not? Michael’s nice, we get along just fine.”
“I don’t know… something seems off about him.”
“Oh, you’re just nit-picking now.” You say, hushing him. “It’s only an essay.”
But the both of you have the same thought: what if it could be more?
-------------------
The library was always quiet. Madame Pince controlling the volume with an iron fist.
You hurry to the back of the library where you know the relevant books are. You place your quill and ink on the table along with some parchment before wandering to the shelves. Your fingers run across the worn spines of the books; thinking of the thousands of students before having done the same action.
Footsteps behind you alert you to Michael’s presence. You turn to greet him with a smile on your face.
Michael smiles in return, taking a seat at the table, “Hey, (Y/N). Thank you for doing this.”
You pull a couple of books from the shelf before sitting across from him, “It’s no problem, Michael. Now what is it exactly that you need help on?”
Michael bites his lip, looking sheepish, “All of it? How much time do you have?”
You chuckle, “Until curfew. I hope you’re ready to take notes. This is a whistle stop tour.”
In no time at all, Michael had a good understanding of the differences between the different types of witchcraft practiced in Yorkshire and Lancashire as well as a decent understanding of rival families and why there is still tension in the counties today as a result of it.
Michael puts his quill down, flexing his fingers to free himself of the cramp, “Wow. You really know a lot on this subject.”
You shrug, “My family originally hail from Yorkshire. I made it my mission to know as much as I could about my ancestors.”
The grand clock above the entrance hall begins to chime signalling curfew and the end of your study session with Michael.
“That’s all we have time for, unfortunately. If you need any more help, I’m happy to help.”
“There is something you could help me with…” Michael starts.
“Oh?” You ask, pausing in stacking the books for the shelves.
“Would you like to come to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?” He says in one rushed breath.
You hesitate; your mind flashes to Cedric, thinking of all the Hogsmeade weekends you had spent with him, ambling from shop to shop and generally enjoying each other’s company.
Michael starts to look worried. But before he can say anything, you ask, “As a date?”
Michael looks away flustered, “I was hoping it would be, yes.”
You’re taken back again. Your mind flashing back to Cedric, your heart wishing it was him asking and not Michael. No, you chide yourself, he has Cho now… though you hadn’t seen him with her since the Yule Ball… NO. Michael was asking you out, he was genuinely interested in you. You think of your promise; he was handing you the opportunity to start getting over Cedric.  
You smile at Michael, “I’d like that. I’ll meet you in the courtyard at nine?”
Michael’s answering grin is blinding. “That’s great. I’ll see you then.” He even goes so far to drop a kiss to your cheek before leaving the library with a whispered goodbye.
-------
The Hufflepuff common room is silent when you return from the library. The majority of students had retired to their beds, but the odd straggler remains in the common room. You recognise them all as classmates as they continue to revise for the upcoming exams. Curfew had come and gone but you couldn't finish your day without seeing Cedric.
Cedric is laid across one of the couches, an arm tucked underneath his head; eyes pouring over one of his books. You watch him fondly. His exemption from the exams made him able to catch up on the books you had given to him to read.
You tap his thigh, silently telling him to shift, “What are still doing up?”
He moves into a sitting position, shrugging, “I was waiting for you. I knew you’d come see me.”
Your heart softens at his whispered confession. “You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to. Did Michael complete his essay?”
You smile, “He did, and he asked me out on a date.”
“He did what?” He asks, turning to you with wide eyes.
“Don’t look so shocked, Cedric. Just because you don’t find me attractive doesn’t mean that others don’t.” You say, hurt.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
You look down at your hands, fingers fiddling with themselves. Cedric sighs, placing a finger under your chin, lifting your face to look you in the eyes. “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that,” he repeats.
“How did you mean it then?” You question, your eyes narrowing.
Cedric pulls away, his mouth a thin line, “I just didn’t think he would move that fast.”
“Well he did, and I said yes.”
An awkward silence falls between the two of you. Bodies angled to each other, but eyes focused on the fire as minds begin to wander.
You think of your feelings for the teenager sat next to you. These overwhelming, defining feelings that you hold for him and you wonder whether Michael would be the one to help you move on. Whether Michael could be the one to help you revert back to friendship with Cedric. You wanted to chuckle as your heart whispered how impossible that task would be. You glance at Cedric, curious as to whether he had any clue about how entirely he owned your heart.
You pat his knee, deciding you had thought enough for the night. You hope for a dreamless sleep, “I’m heading up for the night. I’ll see you at breakfast?”
Cedric smiles smally, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
You smile in return, walking away from him before his words could settle in your skin. The smile drops from your face as you walk back to the Gryffindor common room; your mind overthinking and your heart breaking that little bit more. 
Cedric watches you walk away, no longer ignoring the deep ache in his chest. He was starting to lose you; the distance between the two of you increasing. As Cedric sits there, book open on his lap, watching the spot where he had last seen you, he promises himself that he would not lose you from his life.
-----------------
Cedric found it hard to leave you alone over the next week. Finding any and all excuses to sit next to you; to touch you. The jealousy he felt over your date with Michael had him interjecting into conversations and disturbing seating plans so he could be near you. He waited for you to pull away, for you to tell him off, but you never did. Hope bloomed in his stomach and in his chest at that.
Your heart basked in the attention; wanting nothing more than Cedric to wrap his arm around that little bit tighter and for him to distract you from another conversation. Your mind berated your heart for enjoying this too much; the small voice in the back of your mind reminded you constantly that you were supposed to be moving on from him and here he was putting a spanner in the plan.
------------
Bounding down the stairs to the common room, you pause in front of a mirror to check how your hair looks. Deciding it was good enough, you enter the Gryffindor common room surprised to find Cedric sat on the couch, staring away into nothing.
You tap him on the shoulder, “Are you okay? You look to be lost in your thoughts.”
He hums before answering, “I’m good. You look lovely by the way.”
You look down at your outfit, brushing out invisible creases; heart racing from his compliment. You internally scold yourself for reacting this way. “Thank you, Cedric.”
Cedric nods. His heart breaks as he sees how you’ve dressed up for Michael and how happy you look to be meeting him. He wishes he had told you earlier; confessed to you before the Yule Ball how much he adored you because if he had, he would be the one to be walking you to Hogsmeade, to be sharing a butterbeer, to be whispering sweet nothings in your ear.
Instead, he’s resigned himself to the fact that after today, he will have lost you forever.
He watches you check your watch, brushing your fingers through your hair one more time before going to meet Michael.
He decides to take the moment to plead, to beg you not to go. To stay with him; spend the day with him so he can gather the courage to tell you how he feels. How he has felt for years but didn’t know until last year and if you would give him the chance, he would spend the rest of his life earning your affection and showing you just how deep his love for you runs.
Cedric grabs your hand, making you turn to face him, “Don’t go,” he pleads.
“I have to, Cedric.” You pull your hand from his grip, rushing out of the common room to meet Michael in the courtyard.
--------------
The day with Michael had been pleasant. You had walked around Hogsmeade, entering the bookshop and Honeyduke’s to stock up on your stash of cauldron cakes. Michael, ever the gentlemen, had paid for your sweets with a smile and a wink at your protests.
The pit in your stomach was getting larger; you felt awful for not feeling anything more for Michael other than friendship. But your heart would not let you forget the brunette Hufflepuff you had left in the common room with a dejected look on his face.
The conversation with Cedric had played on your mind all day. His face as you left the common room, was printed onto the back of your eyelids. He had look so crestfallen, as if he had accepted some terrible fate. Your chest aches at the memory of it.
Michael takes your hand as he pulls you into The Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer or two. You head to a small table as he goes to the bar for your drinks.
“Thank you.” You say as Michael places a foaming glass in front of you. You immediately take a drink, relishing the sweet butterscotch taste. You wipe your mouth on a napkin before smiling at Michael. “Thank you for today, I’ve had a lot of fun.”
Michael grins, “I have as well. But I think I’ve had more fun than you.”
You run a finger around the rim of your glass, “Michael…” You start, but he cuts you off.
“It’s Cedric, isn’t it?”
You bite your lip, nodding.
“It’s okay, I suspected as much when I first asked you out. It was confirmed when I saw his reaction.”
“His reaction?”
“The possessiveness.”
You nod, remembering it, “I’m really sorry, I thought I could… can we be friends?”
Michael smiles at you, “We can be friends.”
You sigh in relief, “Thank you, Michael.”
“You know he’s jealous.” He states, sipping at his butterbeer.
“Who?”
“Who? Cedric.”
“No, he isn’t.”
“I’m telling you; he totally is.”
You think back to his possessiveness over the last week. He had never been like that; not once over the time you had known him. It only started when Michael had asked you to help with his essay and then asked you out.
Everything clicks into place; you drop your head into your hands with a groan. Michael laughs, “I told you so.”
Michael walks you back to the school and the Hufflepuff common room, making you promise to tell him what happens tomorrow. He squeezes your shoulder before walking away. You take a deep breath, steeling yourself for the conversation you’re about to have.
Cedric hadn’t moved from where you left him this morning. He remained sat on the leather couch, his eyes on the fire but his mind elsewhere. You throw yourself down beside him. Cedric leans back into the couch; your legs going over his.
Cedric’s fingers draw aimless patterns on your legs as he apologises, “I’m sorry about this morning. I was out of line.”
You nod, “Yes, you were. But I appreciate your apology.”
“Did you have a nice time?” Cedric asks, punishing himself for his actions this morning.
“It was interesting,” You start, “Or at least, Michael told me something interesting.”
“I’m all ears.”
“He told me you were jealous of him, but I denied it of course because if you had feelings for me in any sense you would have told me by now, right?”
Cedric is silent; seeming very focused on the seam of your jeans as he traces a fingertip up it. You repress a shiver at the feel.
“Right, Cedric?” You repeat.
“Michael was right.” Cedric whispers, looking down.
“He was?”
“No, he is. I’m jealous. I tried to fight it, but I couldn’t in the end.”
“Why didn’t you say anything, Ced?”
“I was worried that I would ruin our friendship. We’ve been friends for so long, I thought if I suddenly confessed how I felt, you wouldn’t believe me, and you’d reject me.”
You sigh, “This is a mess.”
Cedric frowns, “What is?”
“We’ve been dancing around each other and being miserable all because we were scared to ruin what we already have.”
“We?”
You fiddle with your fingers, eyes focused on the fire, “I’ve felt jealous too, and heartbroken. I promised myself I would get over you.”
Cedric swallows around the sudden lump in throat, “And have you?”
You sigh, shaking your head, “I don’t think I ever could. I was so destroyed watching you at the Yule Ball with Cho, and I completely understood why you asked as her. She’s gorgeous and comes from a prestigious family. The match works.”
“I asked Cho to the Yule Ball because I panicked. I thought if I asked you, you would see through to my feelings for you. She called things off after the first two dances, she realised that I was looking for you.”
“We’ve both messed up, haven’t we?”
Cedric nods, taking one of your hands in his. “I think we have.”
You point at him, “Alright, naked truth time, Cedric. Are you ready?”
He raises an eyebrow, “As I’ll ever be.”
“Do you like me?”
Cedric blushes, “I think I more than like you. I think I love you.”
“Oh… I didn’t expect that.” You answer, your body warming at his words.
“Your turn: what do you feel for me?”
“I think I love you too.”
“You do?”
You fiddle with your fingers, “Yeah, I don’t know the exact moment it happened. It was just one day that I realised that I was in love with you, but you didn’t see me for so long. All I wanted to be was somebody more to you.”
Cedric closes his eyes as if in pain, “I royally screwed up, I hurt your feelings so badly. Will you ever forgive me?”
You purse your lips. You hold your hand out for him to take, which he does, “On one condition.”
“And that is?”
“You take me on a date.”
He grins, “I can definitely do that. Can I do something before though?”
You raise an eyebrow, “And that is?”
Cedric suddenly becomes shy, “Can I kiss you?”
“I’d really like that.”
Cedric smiles before he leans in.
***************
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solliewriter · 3 years
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Archery for Writers
In this post, I'll basically tell you the small stuff: e.g., what your archer will complain about to other archers, how different bows sound, what it's like shooting in the rain or snow, finding the goddamn arrows, etc. I’m also going into technical details and will discuss the legendary Robin Hood shot.
If you want a good basic primer, T.S. Strange on Instagram did a pretty good job https://www.instagram.com/p/COat-W1rQ7o/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
But, if you're ready for beyond the basics, I've got you covered.
To be clear, my knowledge of archery is primarily Western traditional archery. PLEASE research the history of the type of bow you choose as they’re all unique. There’s a reason why Mongolian bows are so different than English longbows.
I have primarily shot in thick, brushy forest (not parks, actual wilderness), so when you read, that I'm talking about that setting unless specified. My favored bow is a reflex/deflex, which is basically a recurve/longbow hybrid. I have also been doing archery for as long as I can remember, so yes I know how to shoot.
SOUNDS
Different bows make different sounds. Recurve bows are loud. They make this twangy sound when you use them, unless you put a silencer on the string. This silencer is usually a fluff-type thing that is woven around and through the string. The silencer doesn't make them perfectly silent. It's more of a muffler than a silencer.
Longbows are quieter, but they still make noise. It's short, grunt-like hum that usually only the archer and their immediate compatriots can hear.
For Your Character (FYC): a recurve archer and a longbow archer will very likely pester each other about noise.
SIGHT, pt1
You can shoot blind. Sorta. No, you can't put on a blindfold and still hit your target, but you can and will extrapolate what you see. As mentioned, I've done almost all of my shooting in the forest, in the mountains. Visibility is  less than perfect. You have to aim through hundreds of branches, and the likelihood of hitting a branch and sending your arrow flying into No Man's Land is very likely as a beginner and amateur. Shooting through the forest isn't like in Lord of the Rings or Hunger Games, unless that forest is a well maintained park with marked trails made by things other than deer and bear. (FYI, bear trails are perfect for humans.) Half the time, if you move an inch the wrong way, your arrow will be way off target. Missing by an inch means missing by several feet, which is really far in archery.
More than once, you see your target at one angle, but can't shoot it at another. I've experienced this frequently because my Viking sized dad will pick targets that I, his 5'2" daughter, am too short to see. I have to stand on tip toes to see his target, then lower myself into almost a crouch to shoot. I still hit the target.
FYC: Besides the obvious banter that comes from discussing height differences, there are a few other things to note. In the forest, it can be hard to find two good angles to shoot something. This can lead to frustration, complaining, attempts to get the other archer out of the way, and etc.
SIGHT, pt 2
I’m talking about recurve/longbows, so there are no actual sights to look through. 
This is where things are controversial. There’s a gap shooting and an instinctive shooting. Gap shooters guess the distance, then aim. Instinctive shooters just sorta ... wing it.
I’m not going to throw shade at either method. But here’s a key reason why one would use one style or another: gap shooting is largely ineffective in mountainous, forested terrain when you can’t really see much. So, if you have an archer from a prairie and an archer from the mountains, it’s likely they use different aiming styles.
Side note: Flu-flu shots are unique and fun shots that use big feathery arrows. You shoot nearly straight up in hopes of getting your arrow on top of the target rather than straight toward it. When doing this, you can either look at the target or look at your arrow angle, but you can't do both at the same time. You have to shoot blind. Flu-flu shots aren't good for killing creatures, but they are pure fun. This is a good example of using instinctive shooting rather than gap shooting. Also, flu-flu shots are prone to being highly effective by the wind, and it’s very easy to get them stuck in a tree for all eternity. There’s a shooting area my roving family calls “The Valley of Lost Flu-Flu’s.” It’s called this for very good reason.
SMELLS
Bows don't smell, unless you've just added beeswax to the string (strings fray, wax stops that). Arrows smell for about a day after you paint them and glue them.
Leather, however, smells and remains smelly forever. I personally like the smell (though I suppose I'm actually smelling the oil, not the leather). It's very hard to describe, partially because I have so many memories involved. Unfortunately, I have to leave this to you. Just note, leather from armguards, quivers, and pouches don't smell the same as couches and your typical urbanite materials. Find your hippie friend and ask them to make you a leather bracelet or something. That'll teach you the smell.
FYC: Your archer will have very strong memories associated with the smell of leather and beeswax. They will be warm fuzzy memories.
TOUCH, aka shooting in the cold weather
All right, it's cold, and your character is wearing a big coat. Big, puffy sleeves to fit all those layers beneath. No biggie, just nock the arrow, draw, and shoot ...
FWAP!
The string hits the character's coat sleeve. The arrow goes about ten feet before falling limp to the ground like a sad puppy.
To fix this, you need to tie a thick band around your character's sleeve. Easy peasy.
Now, your OC tries shooting again. Unfortunately, it’s been raining, so to their dismay, they've noticed that their turkey fletchings (standard in the western US states) have flattened and shrunk. It looks like there is barely any fletching at all. Fear not, the arrow will still fly. It'll just make aiming a bit harder, but not terribly worse. Those fletchings are just stabilizers.
Your OC goes home. When they take off their shooting glove/tab, they notice their fingers are yellow. Oh no! Don't worry, your OC is not sick, the dye has just come off the leather in the rain. It'll wash off, but it'll probably happen every time the leather gets wet for the next few months unless your OC makes a new glove/tab that isn't dyed.
LEFTIE VS RIGHTIE
It is extremely uncommon to find a left-handed archer. This is because even if someone’s right-handed doing their day-to-day things, it doesn’t mean they’re going to be right-handed for archery.
In archery, whether you shoot left or right handed is determined by your eye dominance. Most people are right-eyed dominant, so much so it’s very hard for a left-eye dominant archer (such as myself) to find new bows. And I mean really hard. Go anywhere and there’s a severe shortage of left-dominant archery gear simply because it’s that rare (hah I’m special- jk).
BOWS
There are manufactured bows (lame), and there are good bows. Yes, there’s a huge difference.
I’m not sure of the technical terms, but here’s my experience.
Manufactured bows, i.e., the cheap bows you find at a renaissance fair, are typically made from a type of plastic. Good traditional bows, from almost any country, are custom-made from wood that the bowyer (bow-maker) has shaped, treated, and glued.
Bows are a lot like musical instruments. Essentially, manufactured bows (or guitars, violins, etc.) are poor quality because they’re made of cheap materials which make the shooting quality less than superb (more on that later), and because they aren’t given the attention they need, which makes them of lesser quality because they’re just ... eh. Special treatment makes for a better bow.
Like musical instruments, there are a lot of different types. Most websites say there are only four (recurve, longbow, compound, and crossbow), but that’s not quite true. These acknowledge the four general shapes of a bow, but not the subtypes. For example, Mongolian bows are recurves, but tend to be shorter than Western recurves because Mongolian recurves are meant to be shot on horseback.
SHOOTING QUALITY 
So, what is it like shooting a good bow?
Again, I’m speaking from experience with recurves, longbows, and reflexes.
A good bow has good speed. It moves the arrow faster than slower. This is a relative scale because recurves shoot arrows faster than longbows, and reflex/deflex tend to shoot faster than longbows but slower than recurves.
WEIGHT
Is it possible for people to have pulled 100 pounds of weight in a bow back in the olden days, or are people just confused?
Yes, it’s possible.
My dad, who used to do archery once or twice a week, had a 100 pound bow that he shot fairly regularly. That was before his shoulder injuries and, y’know, age. 
Also note that he’s practically a Viking.
I pulled 50 pounds at 28 inches when I was doing it regularly, although now I probably have to go back to 45 pounds.
BASIC SHOOTING FORM
This is going to be heavily effected by your character’s culture, bow, and upbringing.
There’s the English, upright stance for shooting a longbow. The archer stands very straight, and their pull hand goes to anywhere between the lip and the ear.
There’s the forest stance, which is my own, and that’s slightly bent over to avoid string-slaps, finger to cheekbone. Also, I made up the forest stance, so don’t Google it.
Then there’s Walt Wilhem, who, due to physical disability, had to shoot from the hip and was still one of the best archers in the world. Watch the video of him and his brother:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np8u69YfSA8
THE ROBIN HOOD SHOT
This is actually very attainable. I’ve done it six times. My dad has done it about 30 times. I have a friend who did it about 25 times.
In order for this situation to realistically happen (if you’re writing something unrealistic, you really shouldn’t bother reading all of this), the character needs to prep a few things.
1. Years of experience. At least six, and that’s assuming your archer shoots at least seven hours a week, without missing an hour.
 2. At six years the archer might get a few Robin Hood shots. Very likely, it’ll be at a shorter distance and the arrow they’re shooting will be cross-wise instead of straight down the shaft.
3. At ten years, it’s quite likely your Robin Hood has shot straight down the shaft a few times.
4. Your Robin Hood must seek to improve every week.
SOME QUICK TIPS
unless you’re Walt Wilhem, you always pull from your back, not your arm
you never fire an arrow
back quivers are quieter and more mobile than hip quivers (suck it hipsters)
it takes practice and long fingers, but it’s quite doable to hold both a bow and an arrow in one hand while shooting
there is a system for very fast nocking 
beginners have no clue what this system is and so take several minutes to nock their arrow.
contrast, it takes a second for an experienced archer.
someone who doesn’t take long to aim is often called a snap shooter, and this isn’t exactly complimentary.
This ought to take you far in your journey of writing an archer. I’ve been sitting on this post for about a year now, but still need to add to it. PLEASE google the following in case I don’t get to sharing the info.
arrow breakage
bow breaking
materials for arrows
types of wood for bows
types of wood for arrows
arrow spine weight
bow tuning
bow shelfs
different forms
holding a bow
stringing a bow
bow at rest
temperatures + bows
fletching types
aerodynamics 
quivers
moving around
how to find the goddamn arrows
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