#me when I post two purple gremlins in a week
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Shiny rocks yum
#me when I post two purple gremlins in a week#my fav Pokémon fr#the typing is so good but the stats did them dirty#sableye pokemon#pixel art :]
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Passing Peonies - Post War Touya Todoroki - Part IV
When the war ended, Midoriya Izuku had proven one thing: That Villains did not need to be killed to be defeated. That you could make friends from enemies.
Touya Todoroki, formerly known as Dabi, had been one of those taken into the rehabilitation program. After one year of intense physical and psychological therapy, he's got the chance to prove himself. To prove that he can be a part of this world.
Complete fic length: 30.600 words - Masterlist
Warnings: poor mental health and resentment against past actions is mentioned, burn scars etc. as well. There is angst but this is mostly soft Touya coming back to his family...
Part 4: (2,1k words)
You’re a good teacher.
He’d known before but it becomes clearer now.
He’s still got problems with fine motor skills, his fingers often too stiff to tie ribbons or cut the smallest branches without damaging the rest of a Bonsai but he’s learning so much, not just about taking care of plants but other things as well.
The old ladies that used to coo at your friendly gifts now flock around him, tell him about their grandkids and ask for his opinion on what to buy them.
He figures out quickly which students like his snarky comments and who’s appreciative of being guided toward a cheaper alternative.
The week after he gets his ZZ plant, he can choose between a bouquet or an indoor plant.
“You don’t even know if I’ve taken good care of him.”
“Well, have you?” You ask, pushing the sleeves of your cardigan up your arms as you prepare to dig into the roots of fiddle-leaf fig, the sight of your bare underarms distracting him for a second.
“Of course. But that’s not the point.”
“Bring him in tomorrow then if you want me to review your work.” You cheekily smile up at him. “Even if you’re just fishing for compliments.”
He picks a golden pothos for his therapist, knowing that he desperately needs a plant to light up that office while also knowing he can’t take that free bouquet and gift it to you, even if he’s starting to want to.
🌺.
Three months later you’ve fallen into a rhythm.
Every second Friday after closing you let him into your apartment where, after a grilled cheese sandwich and a shared bowl of soup, he waters your plants and renames them.
Bob’s doing so well, he’s already a parent, one of his kids now sitting on Fuyumi’s shelf.
Hawks has put in a request for more Bouquets for his agency, as well as his father and Shouto, who in turn has seemingly told all his classmates about this great flower shop downtown.
Touya would love how much more money you’re making now if all those customers wouldn’t cut into the time he gets to spend with you.
At least the purple-haired gremlin Shouto calls a classmate hasn’t shown up since he scared him off. He doesn’t like guys buying flowers as an excuse to check you out, especially when they’re too cheap to buy a proper bouquet.
🌺.
“No grilled cheese today.” You tell him one Friday evening as you close the door and turn the key. “I’m buying you dinner.”
His heart skips traitourously.
“You sure your plants can survive without my care?” He jokes and you grin.
“Positive. Now grab your jacket and let's head out.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“Oh, multiple things. We’ve got so much business now we’ll have to start dividing our orders into two different pick-up dates. What do you think of Tuesday and Thursday? We could use Monday and Wednesday to make the bouquets.”
“And the other reasons?”
You laugh, clearly figuring out that there’s no use in redirecting his thoughts.
“I don’t believe in anniversaries but I’ve heard people say that it’s always hardest after the third month, so I thought you could use a little celebration.”
He looks at you, calculates the slope of your nose against the curve of your lips, and cocks his head to the side.
“And the last thing?”
You sober up quickly, looking down the street into the dark night, the sign of a gas station glowing in the distance.
“Today’s the anniversary of my father’s death.” You look up at him, your eyes open and vulnerable. “I like to do something nice for someone else on that day. As a gift to the world, you know?”
He doesn’t know. But it fits you. Like green aprons and cardigans, white shirts, and grilled cheese.
-
“Do you want to talk about him?”
You walk in silence for a while, the same comfortable silence he’s shared with you since he’s met you, until eventually you open your mouth.
“We have the same quirk. It has been in our family for generations. My great-great-grandmother was a hero, actually. She made sure to marry someone who complimented her quirk and so on and so forth, until my father decided to marry someone quirkless, to not be a hero, or even a fancy landscaper. He just wanted a normal, comfortable life.”
You point at the door or the restaurant and he follows you, feeling like your story isn’t over yet, but not ready to push you to talk when you never do that with him.
The restaurant isn’t fancy, but it’s not fast food either, telling him that you’re spending quite some money when he’s seen how you live and knows how much the shop used to bring in.
When the waiter leaves your table and he opens his menu, you lean across the table to whisper, bringing along a scent he’s grown so familiar too. The scent of earth and greenery, of flowers and foliage, of you and your shop and your home.
“Sorry, what?” He shakes his head to clear his mind, realizing he missed every word you’ve just said.
“I said if you’re not against sharing they have this amazing combination of gyoza dumpling and melted cheese. They line the Gyoza up and when the cheese is melted you can dip the gyoza in. You can choose what the fillings are and if you want other dips for it but it’s usually a serving for two.”
He blinks at the giddiness lighting up your face. He’d never been especially inclined towards cheese until his mind started linking it to you and now, linking it to you being happy.
“Of course.” He hears himself say and sees you lighting up even more. “But if we order it, we have to go full in. Filled with cheese to dip in cheese. We’re not cowards after all.”
You giggle and he looks back down at the menu to keep himself from staring, glad that his skin grafts cannot blush.
When the waiter returns, however, he’s pulling a face that spells uncomfortableness.
“I’m sorry.” He says, clutching his notepad with both hands. “But I’m… well, I was made aware that we cannot serve you.”
“What do you mean?” Your face is full of confusion while Touya catches on faster.
“He means he can’t serve me.” He explains and the way the man cringes tells him everything he needs to know.
“It’s alright.” He says when he feels that it’s not, in fact, alright. “I’ll just see you tomorrow then.”
“No.” Your hand’s flat on the table and your voice serious. “Matsumoto-kun, you’ll be serving us.”
“I’m sorry, please, I-”
“Leave it.” Touya tells you, the hard line of your mouth something he hasn’t seen before.
“Is there a problem?” Behind Matsumoto, a new face appears.
“Yes.” You’re standing now, smaller than the two men, but standing your ground. “You’re taking part in the rehabilitation agreement, yet you’re not willing to serve a member of the same agreement. I don’t want to do this but I will have to make a formal complaint if you continue to refuse us service.”
“Madam.” The man behind Matsumoto, obviously the manager, is wringing his hands now. “This isn’t about the agreement. You have to understand what your companion did-”
“It doesn’t matter who he is or what he has done.” You tell them sharply. “He could be Tomura Shigaraki and it would still be your duty to serve him as a customer if he came in here as part of the Rehabiliation agreement.”
“This isn’t our decision,” Matsumoto whispers, eyes looking everywhere but at Touya himself who’s now standing himself, hand on your arm as if that would do something but ground himself.
“Come on.” He tells you. “Not today.”
And somehow he’s said the right thing because you nod and grab your purse and your jacket, following him out of the restaurant.
Five steps from the door he can hear you curse under your breath.
Ten steps from the door he can hear you sniffle and when he turns, you’re full on crying, fat tears dripping down your face.
“Hey. Hey, don’t cry about that. It’s not worth it.”
“It is!” You disagree wetly. “They shouldn’t treat you this way and now I’m mad and I’m hungry and I’m upset that I always cry when I’m mad, and-”
“If it would make you feel better you could let weeds grow in front of their door.”
“They would just pull it out, that’s just hurting the plants.” You complain but you’re almost smiling now.
He’s grinning back at you. “We could spray paint their windows. Egg the front. Put toilet paper over the door.”
“What are you? Five?”
He laughs and you laugh with him, frozen on the sidewalk in your shared little bubble.
“There’s a Kentucky Fried Chicken down the street, isn’t it?” He asks. “They have cheese fries. It’s not as good as dipping cheesy Gyoza into melted cheese but would it satisfy your cheesy needs?”
“You make me sound like an addict.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little bit.”
-
He watches you pop another cheese-covered fry into your mouth and feels only a little weird about it.
“Feeling better?” He asks, chewing on his straw.
“A bit. But I’m still going to put in a formal complaint. It’s not okay.”
“It’s been a year. It’s going to take some time.”
“Still. God, now I can never go back there again and I don’t know anyone else who offers that dish.” You complain.
“I could learn how to make it.” The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them and he bites his tongue, regretting them immediately when you pinch your brows.
“I didn’t know you can cook.” You offer him an easy way out and he shrugs.
“I don’t. But it doesn’t sound that hard.”
You laugh. “Oh, it is. Why do you think I only offer you Miso soup and grilled cheese sandwiches?”
“Because that’s your favorite food?”
“True. But it’s also the only thing I can make. Well, when the sun’s in the right position and the moon’s not looking, I can also make a fried egg.”
He laughs at that.
“You seem so talented, I thought you’d be good at everything.”
Your smile wavers and you wipe your fingers, signaling you’re done with your food.
“Want to take a walk?” You ask and he nods, throwing away the trash and meeting you at the door.
Something in him wants to take your hand, make sure your pulse is still the same as always, that you’re fine and well and there with him, but he knows that’s not the whole reason.
He wants to take your hand because he wants to hold it and feels like a ZZ plant that’s been put in a dark spot, longing for more light and scared it might burn him at the same time.
He doesn’t put his hands in his pockets, lets them hang by his side loosely, hoping against hope that your hand will knock into his as if a ray of sunlight might accidentally come his way.
-
“My father died five years ago.” You tell the night sky above you. “He had a heart attack and died in his sleep. I miss him every day. And I know he’d be proud of me. Of what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. He’d love my apartment and my shop and even if he’d call every bouquet I make perfection, he’d still pluck around in it, because he couldn’t let anything go untouched. Isn’t that love, that you love something not only despite its imperfections but simply because of them?”
Heaviness settles in his gut yet again as your words sink in.
You look at him and he wonders if you’re talking about him too.
He thinks about his parents, his siblings, his friends - if he can call them that.
He wonders if they love him despite his imperfections and he wonders if he loves them.
“My mother remarried three years ago. And I’m happy for her, because her new husband is really nice, and she’s happy. But they moved, about two years ago, to America of all places. Plane tickets are expensive.”
“It gets lonely sometimes.” He says, not really knowing why until you nod.
“Yeah.” You breathe out. “Yeah.”
He wants to say that he’s here now. That you can lean on him. That he’ll be there for you.
But he doesn’t. Because he can’t. He shouldn’t. He won’t.
So he doesn’t say anything and it seems to be the right thing, allowing the two of you to walk in silence through the dark.
taglist: @misfit-megumi @shoulmate @pixiesavvy @the2ndl @neko-my-cat @chelseaquake
taglist is open, if you want to join, just mention it in a comment or send me a message.
#my writing#Passing Peonies#Touya Todoroki#DAbi#Touya x reader#Dabi x reader#Happy Todoroki#Todoroki family#Touya fluff#Dabi fluff#Angst to happy end#Soft Dabi#soft Touya
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hey i saw your cane post, and have some input! disclaimer - i don’t have one yet but i have a plan and think it’s a good one, and figured i’d share, because i have genuinely been thinking about this for nearly 2 years now (i just haven’t gotten around to it because i didn’t know where to get a decent one at a reasonable price until like…last week, then heatwave, and also for a while i considered getting crutches instead or just getting a wheelchair cos i could also do with one of them) (but same logic for making both of those look cool)
all the cane users i’ve seen who make the cane look cool have a cool-looking cane. like it’s a fun colour or has a cool design on it or has a cool handle.
so i am gonna paint mine (when i finally get around to braving the massive shop that sells every household good ever and also canes and furniture for some reason). i haven’t 100% decided on a design yet (i have some ideas tho), this also will work well for me because my outfits don’t get too different from each other. i almost always wear all black and have a total of 3 vibes i cycle between (and often mix together), so i can get away with just the 1 and it should match basically every outfit i could make with my wardrobe. so any design i do settle on will probably work for all my outfits.
if your outfits are more varied than mine - maybe invest in multiple that match each vibe? this is easier if you can get decent cheap ones, and also might be important if you don’t get an adjustable one but wear shoes with a variety of heights (my tallest heels are like 4 inches and my flattest shoes are converse. my default shoes have a platform and my default boots have an even bigger one. i need an adjustable one or like 5 different canes to cover all my shoes)
charity shops and second hand marketplaces might also have some cool looking ones if you’re on a budget, but online might be harder to figure out the height you’d need if you don’t already know that, or you have the same shoe problem as me
TL;DR people have cool designs on canes so i’m gonna be a little acrylic paint gremlin and make it have a cool design, and maybe get extra fancy and use clay to make the handle cooler as well
I have about two vibes and two color schemes. It's either... probably punk but I feel like it Doesn't Count, with an inordinate amount of chains and/or a necktie in my belt loops, or moderately formal with a button up and a waistcoat (suit vest) and the like. Unfortunately these are different enough that I'm not sure a design that'd match them both, but since the color scheme is black and purple or black and red, black cane w/ silver accents would probably be fine. I've got a solid black adjustable cane right now, just need to have an Idea. I like the clay thing, as long as it'd still be comfortable to hold
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Okies, so making a post here of different characters people can ask about or interact with
^~^
Since I have more now than just Jez, so here we go~
Façade
Wholesome Gremlin
She's typically 4'8 and has 1 1/2 foot horns, so odds are you'll be taller
She's a bit of a gremlin and prone to pranks when not working, but can be kinda mysterious if you aren't encountering her in a multiverse setting
(Art courtesy of the amazing @maiuoart
Please be sure to check out their page for more beautiful works!)
Shorthand for things about her- 💀
Melruna
The Tsundere Insomniac
Not much needed here; she's a monster through and through, but has a physical body rather than dust for reasons
Spent an extended time in a Fell timeline and it shows, but is also unfortunately illiterate and unfamiliar with technology due to this
( Art courtesy of the esteemed @black-wolf-spirit-art , be sure to go check them out! )
Shorthand- 🐾
'Bride'
Bride of Bones
An odd and possibly creepy addition to the cast, she is practically mute. She will float along aimlessly with a large ornate hourglass she seems to communicate silently with until she finds a departed Soul to follow and keep company. Certain individuals seem to captivate her.
(Art done by the wonderful @xfr3eax , be sure to check them out!)
Shorthand- ⏳
Jezzi
The Original~™
Nervous bean with a love of unusual plants and poisons. She's also very prone to caring for others, even if it gets her hurt or taken advantage of. She has an odd tendency to be 'sick' and will disappear for a day every two weeks or so, but it can't be that bad since she looks a bit healthier the following days >:3c
Shorthand- 💖
LaFayne
The Useless Anomaly
So here she is~
Mage extraordinare~
Except.... She can't really do magic
She can make little sigils and charms to a limited degree and will play at being a fortune teller, but you won't see fireballs or anything flashy from her. Funnily enough, you also can't summon her Soul out if you could on others- she's got one all right and you can sense it, but tugging too hard only gets you the sight of her bleeding from any openings like those on her face.
Don't worry though, she's got a trick most mages can't do in exchange for her shortcomings
(New icon by our wonderful @zirkkun ! Thank you again for making this for me! )
Shorthand- 🩸
April
The delicate lamia
Tiny little thing with low HP
Always covers her mouth when talking and has a heavy lisp; her 'T' and 'L' sounds are also accompanied by an inorganic clicking sound that has her wincing. Don't approach her when she's shedding, either- her temper and anxiety go through the roof.
(Picture again courtesy of @maiuoart the sweetheart!)
Shorthand- 🥀
Bwebble
The mischievous dragon
The scourge of the delta she calls home. Loves anything remotely shiny she comes across, whether it's valuable or not. A favorite of hers is pretty colored sea glass. Her tendency is to take what she wants and barter for it if she couldn't snatch it first. There's maybe 2 braincells rattling around in there, so while she doesn't default to it, she is in fact capable of limited speech. She's about the size and weight of a red panda, capable of acid breath that comes out in bubble form, and the purple sections will shift to other colors depending on health and mood
Shorthand- 🧋
(Art by @maiuoart as she's such a bean!)
And that's the list of girls~
^~^
Feel free to ask about or interact with them- Some are pretty easy to find in random locations and universes, but others not so much
If you're curious about outside perspectives on any of them, you could always hope someone over at @cafe-au-lait-21 can mention something~
>:3c
#~<3#💖#🧋#🥀#🩸#⏳#🐾#💀#List of characters#undertale#undertale ocs#jezzi#jezzi convair#LaFayne#Bride of Bones#Façade#bwebble#Melruna#April#lamia#skeleton#mage#monsters#art#my art#picrews#cafe au lait AU mention#CAUL#here to cause you trouble Ly~ 💖#undertale art
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Being Exiled with Tommy Headcannons!|| 🥀
irl/ in-game
Genre| angst + comfort
h e a d c a n n o n s||
Sypnosis|
Both you and Tommy ended up getting exiled together.
Artist| OliverSonder on twitter!!
Warnings] mentions of manipulation, character death, spoilers for Tommy’s Exile Arc and the Season 2 finale!!
[can be seen as both platonic or romantic!!]
||gender neutral reader!!||
(also this was not grammar checked and im to lazy to watch through hours of footage so if anything in here is wrong blame it on the DSMP Wiki OKAY LETS GO-)
So i think its pretty established that if you end up getting exiled with Tommy your one of two things.
- Really sweet and loyal friend that will stick up for in-justice and be there when someone needs you the most
Or
- A total fucking gremlin that will steal your kneecaps and toes and eat your shower curtains in the middle of the night.
There is no inbetween here you guys.
I did end up going for Reader A, though. But you guys tell me if you want headcannons for a gremlin!reader because i will gladly do that!!
But anyways just... enjoy exile!
Exile|
- It was about his third day in exile when Y/N appeared through the nether portal, bags, pouches, tools, armor, etc. on their person. Tommy thought they either were here to beat him up or got exiled themselves.
- Tommy was pleasantly surprised when he learned that Y/N was actually there on their own accord, helping him through exile and being his shoulder to lean on. The first few days we’re rough, fighting back mobs in the night and farming crops all day. His clothes we’re starting to get dirty and torn by the time Y/N got there.
- Y/N ended up making a little bunker about 30 blocks from where they’re tent was, where they hid all theirs and Tommy’s valuables, such as armor, diamonds & iron, and rations. Although Y/N never gave into Dream and gave him they’re stuff, Y/N simply refused, they wouldn’t be giving in that easily.
- Most of they’re days are spent in caves mining away, chatting and fighting off Creeper’s as they tried to keep the moral high, always keeping Tommy company. Y/N never let him go anywhere alone, they we’re always with him, like his own bodyguard of sorts.
- One time they both find a Mineshaft though and got lost, they ended up at the surface two dayd later with torn clothes, cuts and bruises and we’re in bad shape. Thankfully Y/N had a brewing stand at they’re camp though, so Healing Potions we’re semi-easy to make/get.
- After the duo end up going to the artic though... things got... weird.
- Techno was not expecting to open his door to find the heathen Tommy and sweetheart Y/N at his doorstep shivering and begging to come inside, bags thrown on they’re shoulders as they teeth chattered from the cold wind and snow.
- Whenever Dream comes to visit Y/N always has to hide with Tommy, reassuring him that its okay and they’ll always be there for him, and protect him at any cost, which he highly appreciates.
- The ‘gapple-eating’ thing Tommy did was a cute, yet depressing thing. Seeing him hasitly munching on golden-coated apples was funny and caused giggles, but the meaning behind it always left Y/N with a lump in their throat and a hole in their heart.
- Whenever Tommy is in danger and calls for Dream, Y/N always has to stop him and bring him back to reality, making Tommy realize Dream isnt his friend, and never was. Many nights have happened where the two talk about Tommy’s feelings with Dream, not only for Tommy to vent and let everything out, but also for Y/N to understand whats going on in his head.
- When going into the Nether Tommy always grips Y/N’s hand, as his fear of lava and heights consumes him whole in that firey dimension.
- When Tommy gets up close to Dream in the cabin? Y/N is scared spineless, if people could see them, they’d see the palest, most terrified and worried being on earth.
- Y/N having a heart attack when Ghostbur slips up
- Ghostbur is just a whole thing and just. Y/N needs a break, okay?
- Y/N begrudgingly helping Tommy build his cobblestone tower outside of Techno’s cabin.
- Y/N apologizing soon after to Techno only for him to laugh and ruffle Y/N’s hair, saying he knows how Tommy can get anyone to any situation.
- Very rarely does Y/N ever leave Tommy’s side, when they do its usually to get supplies or visit they’re friends. So when Y/N was walking back to the Nether portal to see Tommy, Techno and Dream all standing there, looking like they’re about to slit the others throat, well...
- Nobody has ever seen Y/N drop kick a person so fast.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Y/N yelled, they’re sword at Dream’s neck, as he laid on his back, his mask covering his shocked expression.
“Answer. Me.” Y/N gritted through their teeth, pushing their swordfurther against the masked mans throat. Techno soon chimed in, reassuring Y/N that nothing to terrible happened.
“It’s fine, Y/N. He didn’t do anything, why not we head back home? Wouldn’t want that homeless man to be to scared spineless, eh?” Techno said, hand on they’re shoulder as he looked Y/N in the eyes.
The 3 walked back to the Nether portal, purple mist engulfing Tommy and Techno as Y/N stood in front of the portal. Back turned towards Dream, Y/N shifted they’re head and glared at Dream with eyes that could kill.
“Don’t do anything you might regret, you megalomaniac.”
- When Tommy and Tubbo decide to go fight Dream, Y/N is both excited and scared. They hope Dream will finally be taken down, but they dont want Tommy (& Tubbo) to be taken down as well.
- So like any amazing best friend, Y/N brews up a bunch of potions of Strength, Healing + Regen, Invisibility and more. Even if Tommy thought he was going to be walking out of there alone, he wasn’t going to be. Y/N would make sure.
- Y/N watched from afar as Tommy got his disc out of the jukebox, laughing in success. All Y/N did was clap quietly, making sure they’re Invisibility didn’t wear off. They we’re making sure Tommy stayed safe, even if he didn’t realize it. Y/N loved him with they’re whole heart, and everyone knew that.
- At Dreams secret base, Y/N was just getting there as Tommy took Dreams first canon life.
“Tommy. Stop. Dont do anything you might regret.” Dream snarled, looking at the teenage boy, his blue eyes dull, yet full of passion and vigor.
All Tommy did was pursue forward, as everyone waited for what was to come. Tommy took one step to close though, because Dream had decided that he had enough.
Dream brought his arm into the air, hand curled into a fist, he was about to hurl his hand into Tommy’s face when Dream suddenly fell to the ground, arrow in his forehead.
Dream was shot by Y/N
Y/N stood there, enchanted bow in hand, infront of the nether portal that swirled with an eerie purple mist. Y/N lowered their bow, staring at the man who tortured Tommy for weeks now. Y/N simply stepped forward and towered over Dreams corpse before it disappeared in thin air.
Lets just say Dream wouldn’t be hurting the blonde heathen anytime soon.
a/n: howdy everyone how we doing? Decided to do Tommy x Reader for this post, although i am MAJORLY simping for Wilbur atm and i have brainrot so that’ll most likely be the next post (if i dont do a pt. 2 for this one but even so WILBUR).
Anyways i hope i did racooninnit justice, i have no idea how to do headcannons since half the time i ramble (its the adhd) so this was new for me. Definitely not my strong suit but like you live ya learn. Also, sorry if i left out quite a lot, i might make a fic about this and include more events, but this is really long for headcannons (because of my layout) so i didn’t include to much. I dont want people scrolling for like 20 seconds to go to another post (i write on mobile so undercut is not a thing for me RIP)
Anyways have a lovely day and dont let Tommy eat all your gapples!!
#tommyinnit x reader#tommyinnit imagine#tommyinnit fanfic#tommy x reader#tommy imagine#tommy fanfic#mcyt x reader#mcyt imagine#mcyt fanfiction#dream smp x reader#dream smp imagine#dream smp fanfiction#dreamer posts ♠️
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Gobblin’
The Jareth imagines were getting notes again like two weeks ago. Coincidentally, I was reading The Sisters of the Winter Wood, which put me in a goblin-ish/wintry mood. So I decided to read Wintersong and A Wild Winter Swan next. Out of Oz is my between-borrowed-books right now. Also coincidentally, The Brides of Maracoor is out!
The Wicked Years are my favorite fantasy series because Wicked was a tenth birthday present. It was the first adult-demographic book I ever read and it’s based on my childhood fave, L. Frank Baum’s Oz. Unfortunately, there were the caricatures (which even appeared on official merchandise) in the source material, but Baum passed in 1919 and Maguire’s revisionist series generally denounces racism.
Harry Potter has a special place in my heart, but it hurts knowing the author is openly bigoted. Good thing I already own the original book/movie series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch through the Ages, and Tales of Beedle the Bard. If want to own HP merch but feel guilty, just buy used. I’ve been reading eBay for Dummies. Okay, back to fun goblinning:
Goblin Market by Christina Rosetti: I first read this in an anthology of fairy stories for children. My copy is around somewhere. I loved the illustrations (which weren’t the original ones by Rosetti’s brother) because of the abundant looks the goblins had. Cats, monkeys, rodents, bats, birds, and so forth. In little motley outfits.
Outside over There by Maurice Sendak: Where the modern goblin bride trend originated? The goblins start off as creepy figures in grayish purple robes, then are revealed to be babies themselves. Sendak is one of my favorite illustrators of all time, btw.
Labyrinth: I like when minions are just a gathering of little guys.
Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black: This post discusses Spiderwick hobgoblins and gremlins. Tony DiTerlizzi made the goblins look simultaneously froggy and bat-like.
The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner: Liba is literally a Bear Jew. Not sure if that was intentional on Rossner’s part. This novel was inspired by “Goblin Market,” as well as shapeshifter fairy tales. Sisters’s goblins are anti-Semitic. They’re not caricatures. The goblins are anti-Semitic in the sense they stir up hatred against the protagonists’ community because they want humans to wipe each other out. Using Jews as scapegoats.
Cheddar Goblin from Mandy: Seriously underrated movie. I choose to believe the mac and cheese doesn’t contain calf rennet.
Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones: Labyrinthine, in the sense it was inspired by Labyrinth. It’s like A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Host, and Wicked Lovely where I like the world building, but don’t really care about the romance. Like, the setting and monsters made me not care that I wasn’t really into the love interests.
A Wild Winter Swan by Gregory Maguire: The protagonist’s name is Laura, rounding this post back to “Goblin Market” despite having no goblinery. There’s a cool half-winged swan boy, though, because it’s based on “The Wild Swans.” Which also inspired Rossner’s book. This is like Maguire’s fourth Christmas story.
#Tawney talks#Labyrinth#Sisters of the Winter Wood#Wintersong#A Wild Winter Swan#minors do not interact#Out of Oz#Oz#Wicked Years#Wicked#L. Frank Baum#Gregory Maguire#Harry Potter#J.K. Rowling#Goblin Market#Christina Rosetti#Dante Gabriel Rosetti#Outside over There#Maurice Sendak#Spiderwick Chronicles#Holly Black#Tony DiTerlizzi#Rena Rossner#Inglourious Basterds#Mandy 2018#S. Jae-Jones#Court of Thorns and Roses#The Host#Wicked Lovely#Hans Christian Andersen
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Professor Solas/Lavellan: First Impressions
Chap 1 of Inadvisable (professor Solas AU) is posted! In which Nare Lavellan has a chance run-in, literally.
Beautiful art by Nare’s creator, @elbenherzart!
~2400 words; read on AO3 instead.
- NARE -
Nare swept her hair into a tidy ponytail, then gave her face one last critical look before stepping out of her bedroom. She tapped lightly on the closed bedroom door across from her own. “Tamaris?” she called. “Are you–”
“I’m coming,” Tamaris grunted. “Give me two fucking minutes.”
Nare smirked at Tamaris’s customary early-morning surliness, then padded quietly down the hall to the living room. Athera was waiting pertly on the couch with a half-finished cup of tea in her hands, and she grinned at Nare as she approached.
“She’s awake, at least?” Athera asked.
“Awake enough,” Nare said drolly. She sat next to Athera and tucked her legs up on the couch. “Are you nervous about your first day?”
Athera laughed. “Me? Nervous? Of course not! Just a normal first day doing this job for the first time in the only Ancient Elvhen Studies program in the entire country. What’s to be nervous about?”
Nare sympathetically eyed her friend’s bright smile. She didn’t blame Athera for being nervous. Athera had been looking for a research coordinator position for years. Her new job at the University of Orlais was well-earned, in Nare’s opinion, and it was just a stroke of happy fortune that Athera was starting her job at the same time that Nare was starting her Master’s of fine arts with U of O’s prestigious — and infamous — Ancient Elvhen Studies program.
It was also serendipitous that Tamaris had decided she wanted a change of pace and place, resulting in the three girls splitting the rent on a cozy three-bedroom-plus-studio apartment close to the university.
“Don’t be nervous,” Nare said warmly. “It’s going to be great! By the end of the week, the director will be wondering how they lived without you making the whole lab twice as efficient.”
Athera grimaced and ran a hand through her hair long chestnut hair. “I don’t know. Professor Abelas did not sound that impressed with my lack of experience during the phone interview. I’m still surprised I got the job.”
“He probably thinks he can train you up fresh since you’re so-called ‘inexperienced’,” Nare said knowingly. “He’ll see how good you are in two seconds. I’m sure of it.”
Athera smiled at her. “Aw, you’re sweet. I bet you’re going to impress your new supervisor just as much when you meet with him tomorrow.”
“I hope so,” Nare said. But her belly jolted at the mention of Solas.
Professor Solas, she reminded herself. Just because she had a crush on her new supervisor’s voice didn’t mean she could start thinking of him in an informal way before they’d even met.
Oh, but he had such a gorgeous voice. The majority of her communication with Professor Solas had been via email, but the one time they’d spoken on the phone… Fenedhis, Nare couldn’t get it out of her mind. His voice was smooth and mild like a hot vanilla latte, with a curl of an Elvhen accent that made something shiver in her belly in a very visceral way. She was still surprised that she’d managed to keep her calm and sound like a reasonable and intelligent person after hearing Professor Solas’s first few words floating into her ear through the phone.
And that was just from hearing him talk about the Elvhen art stream of the program and the opportunities for exhibiting her work in the galleries in Val Royeaux. Imagine if he ever spoke to her in that beautiful smooth voice about other, less professional things…
Stop it, she scolded herself silently. She was being so stupid and horny, developing a crush on a man purely for his voice. Well, not just his voice: he was incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable, and strong-willed to the point of stubborn as well, if his academic position papers were anything to go by. But if Nare was being honest, his intelligence wasn’t the main thing that had been keeping her up at night for the past couple of months since she and Solas had last spoken on the phone.
It was stupid to be thinking such carnal things about his voice, though. She didn’t even know what he looked like — not for a lack of trying to find out, if she was perfectly honest. She’d searched online for a photo of her soon-to-be supervisor, but he didn’t have a faculty photo anywhere on the U of O website, and a Google search had been shockingly unhelpful, leaving Nare with only a blank slate to imagine along with that knicker-melting voice.
“Nare, you okay?” Athera said.
Nare jolted slightly, then smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. Just thinking.”
Athera gave her a shrewd look. “Something tells me I’m not the only one who’s nervous.”
“I thought you weren’t nervous,” Nare teased.
Athera grinned, but Tamaris’s grumpy voice interrupted before Athera could reply. “You guys have nothing to be nervous about. You’re going to impress the shit out of everyone. Now let’s go get some coffee already.” She wandered over to the door and started jamming her feet into her scuffed black motorcycle boots.
Nare exchanged a smirk with Athera, then popped up from the couch. “Good morning, lethallan,” she crooned.
Athera giggled and hugged Tamaris’s arm. “Good morning,” she sing-songed.
Tamaris groaned. “Fuck off, both of you. I’m only awake this early because I have a client in an hour.”
“Wait, is it already nine?” Athera said in alarm. She checked her watch, then squeaked. “Oh shoot! Oh shoot, I’m supposed to meet Abelas at the office in fifteen minutes!” She shoved her feet onto a pair of flats and grabbed her bag, then flung open the door. “Bye! Have a good one!” she yelled, and she bolted down the stairs.
Nare smiled at Tamaris. “Looks like it’s just you and me.”
“Lucky you,” Tamaris drawled. “You get to suffer my morning-gremlin attitude all alone.”
Nare chuckled, and they made their way down the stairs at a more measured pace and wandered toward their favourite café at the end of the block.
It was a perfect crisp early-September day. The sun was a lovely warm wash of light, and the air was fresh and cool without being cold. The leaves hadn’t started changing colours yet, but the quality of their verdancy was starting to shift from the lush springlike undertones of blue to the more autumn-like undertones of yellow. When Nare pointed this out to Tamaris, Tamaris huffed in amusement.
“That’s such an artist-y thing to say,” she said.
Nare gave her a chiding look. “You say that like you aren’t an artist yourself.” She pointedly eyed the delicate vallaslin that curled around Tamaris’s left eye — vallaslin that Tamaris had carefully tapped into her own skin, and the same skills which had imbued Nare and Athera with their vallaslin as well.
“I don’t often work with colour, though,” Tamaris said.
“Isn’t your client this morning for a coloured tattoo?”
“Yeah, but that’s different than painting,” Tamaris pointed out.
“Your tattoo work is amazing, though,” Nare said.
Tamaris smirked. “Fine. We’re both amazing artists with mind-blowing skills. Are you going to buy my coffee for me because I’m so awesome?”
“I’m the student here,” Nare said with a grin. “You should be buying me coffee.”
Tamaris tsked. “Fine. Just this once though, you leech.” She pulled open the café door and gestured sarcastically for Nare to enter before her.
Nare chuckled and slid into the café. They placed their orders together, then sat at a sunny table to enjoy their coffee and fresh scones — vegan blueberry for Nare, and lemon-glazed for Tamaris.
Nare took the lid off of her cup and blew on her coffee. “So you’re coming to the start-of-year mixer tonight, right?”
Tamaris slumped in her seat and shoved a hand through her lush midnight curls. “Explain again why you want me to come to this mixer thing. I’m not a student.”
“It doesn’t matter that you’re not a student,” Nare said. In truth, she just wanted to get Tamaris out of the apartment before she started forming roots.
“It kind of does,” Tamaris said flatly. “It’s happening at the campus bar.”
“Lots of non-students go to the campus bar,” Nare pointed out. “It’s a nice bar.”
Tamaris grunted. Nare leaned toward her slightly. “Come on, Tam,” she wheedled. “Come to the mixer. Athera’s coming.”
“She works at the university now,” Tamaris pointed out. “It makes sense for her to go.”
Nare wilted. “What else are you going to do if you stay home?”
Tamaris’s reply was prompt. “I’ll rewatch The Archdemon Rises 3 for the fifth time and paint my nails.”
Nare declined to mention that Tamaris’s eggplant-purple manicure was still intact since she’d last done her nails two days ago. Instead, she widened her eyes pleadingly. “Please come? We’ll make a girls’ night of it. It’ll be fun, I promise.”
Tamaris eyed her stonily for a moment, then sighed. “Ugh, you and your baby blues. Fine, I’ll come.”
Nare beamed at her and took a bite of her scone. A leisurely half-hour later, they stepped out of the café.
Tamaris stretched her arms over her head. “All right, I’m headed home,” she said with a yawn. “You sure you don’t want to wait until tomorrow so we can go to that museum exhibit together?”
Nare shook her head. “I want to see it before my meeting with my supervisor tomorrow.”
Tamaris smirked. “Hoping to impress him with your up-to-date knowledge of the local art scene, huh?”
Nare poked her playfully. “Yes, okay? I want to make a good first impression.”
“You’ll be fine,” Tamaris said. “You always make a good first impression.”
Tamaris’s tone was dry, and Nare gazed fondly at her seemingly standoffish friend. “Thanks,” she said sincerely. “I’ll see you later.”
Tamaris nodded and headed back to the apartment, and Nare turned in the opposite direction toward the modern art museum. She pulled her phone out of her purse and tapped open her browser to check the price of tickets for the special neo-Avvar exhibit; she was fairly sure she’d get a discounted admission with her student ID, but some of the museum’s special exhibits were even free for students, and Nare couldn’t remember if—
She suddenly slammed right into someone.
She stumbled back, then squeaked in alarm as she tripped over an uneven crack in the sidewalk. Her phone dropped from her fingers, and she grabbed for it even as she tried to find her footing, oh no oh shit she was going to fall down–
A strong pair of hands grabbed her arms, and Nare gasped as she regained her balance. “Shit,” she blurted. “I’m so sorry, I – my phone, I was distracted…”
“The fault is mine. I apologize.”
A heated ripple of recognition spilled down her spine. That voice. She knew that voice. She’d been replaying that voice in her head for months and wondering what the person who owned that voice looked like: how tall he was, how big his hands were, what his lips looked like shaped around the liquids vowels of that divine Arlathani accent…
Lightheaded with disbelief, her heart in her throat, Nare lifted her eyes to his face.
Her breath left her in a punch of shock. Gorgeous. He was gorgeous. An impeccably shaven head, a mere hint of crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes which put him somewhere in his late 30s or early 40s, lush lips with a perfect cupid’s bow, a delicate divot in his chin and a jawline sharp enough to cut, and his eyes…
His eyes were perfectly lucid, a perfect quixotic blend of light grey and pale blue that Nare couldn’t quite name, and they were so warm. His eyebrows were creased with a hint of concern, and when the crease in his brow deepened, she realized that she was staring.
“Are you all right?” Professor Solas said.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Which was a good thing, because the only words Nare could think were you are fucking hot.
She nodded dumbly. A tiny hint of a smile curled the left corner of his lips, and he released her arms. “I apologize for the collision,” he said, and he crouched down to pick up his book and her phone. “I should know better than to read and walk at the same time.”
Nare watched stupidly as he rose to his full height. Fenedhis, he was tall.
He held out her phone, and Nare carefully studied his face. There was no recognition there. There was warmth in his handsome face, but no recognition. He didn’t know who she was.
Not that she would necessarily expect him to, since he was a professional and an intellectual, and professional intellectuals probably didn’t online-stalk their new grad students to find out what they looked like.
She took her phone with trembling fingers and swallowed hard. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome,” he said. “You are not hurt, I hope?”
Ugh, he was so good-looking. Why did her supervisor have to be her exact ideal physical type?
She dropped his gaze and tucked a stray strand of hair over her ear. “I — no. I’m fine,” she said in a tiny voice.
“Good,” he said. “And again, I apologize for the collision.”
She shrugged and tried to nod at the same time, then wanted to smack herself for being so fucking awkward.
“Take care,” he said. A moment later, he was walking away from her.
She finally dragged in a breath and watched greedily as Professor Solas walked away. For someone who had such a mild voice and such kind eyes, his gait was certainly confident.
Confident and sexy.
Nare blew out a breath and forced herself to turn away. She was shaking. Why was she shaking? Why was her heart beating so hard, not just in her chest but in her entire body?
Why was her mind completely taken over by the thought of Professor Solas stretching her naked body out on a desk, those warm grey-blue eyes scanning her from head to toe before he taught her all kinds of torrid lessons that she would never forget?
Fuck, she thought desperately. I am in so much trouble.
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Sketchbook page 36 + some good news regarding my cat
So, being an anxious wreck for the better part of a week, I had a little time to draw when I wasn’t binging ER or sneaking in some Secret of Mana.
I have some drawings of Springtrap and William at the top.
The middle are characters and objects from my own works that I wanted to visualize--the latter which might appear in Resurrection Sunday.
The bottom part is hard to explain? It was a dream. I often have very vivid memories of dreams I have and this one happened to be FNAF related in a way, so I really wanted to draw it. My dream started at a family’s house which was under a small renovation. I specifically remember the kitchen because I dreamt for a glass of water (I woke up severly dehydrated, actually). As I said, I’ve been binging ER, so I dreamt that Weaver and Malucci were taking care of a bunch of kids from a birthday party where these smaller sized animatronics attacked everyone (and a pic of the one I remembered the most vividly.. kinda like some wierd gremlin Foxy endo, IDK). Now to explain the rest, Tobin Bell had a very small spot on an earlier season of ER and so in the dream I was a medical resident under him and he somehow hired me out to Purple Guy (specifically I think it was DSAF Dave, since it was the literal sprite in the contacts). I kept making references to Doctor Tobin regarding Jigsaw (from Saw--obviously his most well known role, I think) but he didn’t understand / shrugged it off and that made me sad! =:v
Lastly, to update about my cat’s recent health issues: it looks great! She finally made stool this morning, which was our last really big concern. She has been acting, attitude wise, much more like herself. My biggest concern is that she’s still underweight, but hopefully she gains some of that back. I don’t know if we’re 100% out of the woods yet since we’re still waiting on radiology, but everything points to a full recovery (and 5 more days of antibiotics). I cried every time this cat made a move in the right direction; I’m so proud of her. I’m sorry that dealing with her has really set me back on this blog. I’ve lost two cats previously to hidden medical issues and I was really scared it was going to happen again. So that only added to my anxiety. We had to keep her in a large kennel (and currently still do) and she hates it, but she does get to go walk around the bedroom and lay in the windowsill. Giving her the meds is something I had to do with my first cat, who had a hidden thyroid/kidney issue, so actually administering wasn’t hard, except that she throws huge drama queen fits and it breaks my heart. I’ve been smoking like a stack and getting only two meals a day AND very little sleep. My entire body aches from sore / tense muscles and I need a shower. I’m going to take a few days off for some self care if everything turns out good, but I’m really hoping to post something more substantial for you guys in the next few weeks (save the weekend of April 1st, since if things go as planned, Jeanne will get spayed and that’s another ordeal). Thank you all for your wishes and I even got some financial help from friends and I’ve never felt so blessed. I just hope we’re in the clear now.
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Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt.13
Keith came out the shower doing his best drowned rat expression to date. With the towel around his shoulders, Lance wondered if Keith was protecting his neck, or preventing his shirt from soaking through. Having already showered, Lance had a glass of blood wine in one hand, and his phone in the other, dinner plans having gone out the window while he was busy playing with Keith
“Do you want the good news, or the bad news?”
Keith crossed his arms, Lance having to stomp down his compulsion to go dry the younger males hair off with a towel
“What?”
“Well, remember my friends from the other night, yeah, Hunk’s going to be here in about 20 minutes to pick us up”
“I’m not going”
“You don’t even know where we’re headed to”
“I don’t care. We’re not going”
It didn’t escape Lance that “I” had turned to “we”. He figured the hunter wouldn’t trust him to go out alone, and if he hadn’t been totally awol from his normal life he would have been turning down the invitation for some serious self pampering time
“Sorry, but you see, when my friends want to hang out, I don’t turn them down. You need to go get changed into something more bar appropriate”
“We’re not going. We haven’t finished talking. You turned me, and I need to know more”
With the number of times Keith had accused him, Lance felt like he’d know Keith far longer than a week and a bit... God, he couldn’t even remember if it had been a week, Keith’s idiocy was spreading
“And I hear I was thinking you’d finally gotten a clue. We’re going, because I’m invited. I’ll go on my own if I have to, but I had the feeling you’d freak out and think your prey was running away”
Keith’s emotions flickered across his face, obviously arguing mentally about the fact he couldn’t say no, and nor did he have the power to stop Lance
“Fine, but only so I can make sure you don’t turn anyone else. If you so much look like you’re going to bite someone, I will decapitate you”
“Excellent. I think I should have something in wardrobe that’ll fit. I’m guessing you like black on black”
“What’s wrong with my clothes?”
“You’re wearing a black onesie. Some people might be into that, but at a bar, that suit’s a crime against fashion”
“It’s not made to be fashionable”
“No, it’s made so you can be all “bump in the night”. Blargh. Go change already”
Keith told Lance at least several times that wearing his clothes had been forced upon him. Lance wasn’t sure why, when Keith had chosen his own wardrobe out of what was available. In ripped skinny legged black jeans and a black silk button up, Keith looked passable. Lance chalking up the weird sensation of wanting to pat Keith’s butt to the fact he too was recovering from being poisoned. Keith was soooo not his type, never mind the fact the guy was a freakin’ human, Keith hated him with a passion. Nope. Keith didn’t look good in his clothes, nor would he look better out of them. Lance was just... going through a lot. That was it. He was not getting suckered in by those piercing purple eyes, or the way Keith’s collarbones peaked out of the shirt. The blood in his body had enough to deal with, without it deciding it needed to make a trip down south over absolutely nothing.
Leaving Blue feeding her face on wet food, Lance headed for the door, back tracking to grab Keith by the wrist and drag him along behind him. Keith was starting to object all over again, but Lance wasn’t having it. If he had to socialise around drunks, then the punishment should be shared by Keith for being so goddamn hot and stupid... mostly stupid with a dash of stupidly hot sprinkled on top, kind of like unwanted chilli flakes. Lance was feeling pretty confident in his own outfit, blue jeans, white shirts and cropped tan jacket, but Keith had one upped him without even trying. Maybe Keith would get laid and lose some of his prickliness? The anger loaf needed to let that anger go, and turn into that beautiful emo butterfly hidden inside his cocoon of douchery. Towing Keith out the house, Lance left the alarm off in case Shiro came back. Explaining Keith’s presence seemed a hard enough challenge as it was, explaining why Shiro was breaking into his house... that was a whole other kettle of fish.
*
Lance had been lied too. There was no bar, they were in fact in Platt, running a rehearsal of Hunk’s date with Shay on the weekend. Picking up Pidge, she’d thrown herself into the back of the car, hand narrowly missing Lance’s junk in her rush. Oogling Keith, Pidge had elbowed him as she buckled herself in, all Lance could do was offer a shrug. Hunk’d already been shocked enough for the three of them, Lance lying his arse off saying Keith had offered to stay a few days and help Lance take photos of his house as he was thinking of repainting. The photos were for the online lab thingo where you could upload your rooms and pick colours there. Yep, those were the words he used too, technology was forever changing and he openly admitted he missed the days before social media... other than the cat videos and memes.
With Keith having no cash, Lance paid. Choosing gold class tickets meant the food was included, and the seating private. The hunter looked spooked by human interaction, Lance ordering steak dinners for the pair of them because damn if he wasn’t in the mood for some budget dead cow. Buying the biggest coke they had, Lance enjoyed the fact that the mix ratio was whack with more syrup than soda water, the straw ending up chewed on before they’d even made it into the screening room. Lance wasn’t sure about the movie selection but with Hunk and Shay going to see the one rom-com playing, Lance steered the group away from buying tickets for it so his bestie and Shay could enjoy seeing it for the first together.
Taking their seats, Lance wound up between Pidge and Keith. Pidge immediately started playing with the chair remote, and Keith sighed in annoyance. Leaning in, Lance kind of felt bad that they hadn’t wound up at a bar. Keith would have been able to have a few drinks and kick back, then find someone to take to the bathroom and work that aggression out. Just because he hadn’t done the do, didn’t mean Keith wasn’t a seasoned professional
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know we were going to see a movie”
“Whatever”
“I’m serious. I didn’t know. I would have dressed warmer if I did, and would have insisted you put a jacket on”
“I’m not a kid”
“I know you’re not. I just feel bad. I was hoping you’d be able to relax a little...”
“I don’t want to talk to you anymore”
“Okay, but I really am sorry”
When dinner came out, Keith poked at until he finally gave in, pretty much wolfing it down, half an hour later Lance had to excuse himself to the bathroom, finding Keith gone when he returned. Taking his seat beside Pidge, Lance leaned in
“What happened to Keith?”
“He said he needed the bathroom. Didn’t you see him?”
“No. How long ago did he leave?”
“Not long after you... Dude, what’s your deal with him?”
“My what?”
“Your deal. What’s he still doing here?”
“I asked him to take some photos of the house for me”
Pidge crossed her arms
“If you’re going to lie, at least make it convincing”
“Who said I’m lying?”
“You did. I know you, and I know when you’re lying. Something’s off with Keith, and you’re acting really weird”
“I’m not acting weird”
“Are you two dating? Is that why you’re being weird? You feel like you can’t talk to us...”
“No! No, no, no, no, no... ewww. No. I’m not dating him, he’s a stranger”
“A stranger you bring to a movie night with your best friends”
“It was either leave him the house or bring him with me”
“So he’s staying with you, like, staying staying?”
“Only for tonight. Shiro’s going to pick him up. I’m thinking of repainting the living room closer to its original colours, and I figured having a fresh set of photos would work”
“Why didn’t you ask me?”
Pidge’s words went right over his head, before looping back and slapping him in the face. Pidge had had her feathers ruffled by Keith “taking” what would have been her “job”
“Because, my Pidgeon legged friend, you would start hunting for ghosts in my house, then try to steal Blue as you left”
“You’re dodging the question”
“I’m not dodging the question. I only asked him because he’s a professional. You’re still my number one tech guru. I’m sorry I’ve been sick and haven’t been able to hang out, but I’ve missed my gremlin. No one can replace my little anger muffin”
“You’re a wanker”
“So I’ve been told”
“Has your cold when passed? You still look pale”
“Yep. Clean bill of health from the doctor. Just the usual take it easy for the next few days, fluids, sleep, platonic dates with your best friends, the usual post cold instructions”
“I’m still shocked you’ve got Keith staying with you”
“I’m shocked too. But I keep telling myself it’s only for a few days and soon it’ll all be over”
“Dude, he was wearing your clothes”
“And?”
“Lance, you know I’d never judge you for your sexuality...”
Lance laughed, him and Keith simply too ridiculous to even go there
“It’s definitely not like that”
“Are you sure? I mean... I’ve never seen you like this...”
“What? Invaded by a photographer?”
“No, not like that... I mean... like, he’s wearing your clothes, staying at your house... it’s not like you”
“Keith didn’t have any clothes that weren’t a crime against fashion, or acceptable at a bar, which I totally thought we were going to, thanks to a certain someone. Nah, he’s just staying a couple of days then Shiro is going to pick him back up and that’s that”
“Something still feels off”
“Pidge, I promise I’m okay, and I promise Keith and I aren’t in some whirlwind romance, or whatever that brain of yours has thought up. I’m actually pretty sure he hates me, if that makes you feel any better”
“Nope. It just makes it weirder... Should we be worried that he hasn’t come back?”
“Nah, I’ll go see if I can find him. Dude’s got the social aptitude of a rockmelon. He probably peopled himself out and is having a sulk”
“If you say so. Now go away, I’ve already missed part of this riveting plot”
The plot wasn’t riveting. It was badly thought through and designed for the masses. Like most things...
Keith wasn’t in the cinemas entrance hall, nor the bathroom, Lance heading outside to search for him. Not at the front of the cinema, Lance was starting to get pretty annoyed with his missing idiot. The last place left to check was the parking lot, where he found said idiot cornered by three men. Great... just... great. He took his eyes off him for two minutes and he’d already wandered off into trouble. Walking over to stand just short of the three strangers, Lance eyes Keith who had his arms crossed, scowling at the group
“Heya, fellas. Something wrong here?”
“Who the fuck are you?”
“You know, just a concerned citizen. You’ve got my friend cornered, so if you could just see it in your hearts to let him go...”
Lance stepped back, escaping being hit in the face as the stranger bared his teeth. What the fuck?! Was Keith dense as fuck? Or did he think he had the skill to take on three idiots
“Your wallet or you life”
“Seeing you’re getting neither, I suggest you run along home”
“What did you say to me?!”
They hadn’t even had to go to bar to find trash. Lance sighed as he pulled out his phone
“Well, we are living in the age of technology. This miraculous little device lets me call the police when people like you start messing with people”
“You won’t get the chance”
“We’ll see”
Avoiding being attacked was laughable. His attackers had like zero grace, they must instead rely on numbers to look “intimidating”. Each swing that didn’t connect made them madder, their “leader” pulling out a small blade, as Lance danced around them. Putting the phone to his ear, he made as if he was calling the police and not his home phone
“I’m going to kill you...”
Raising his pointer to his lips, Lance hushed the man
“Didn’t anyone teach you its rude to interrupt someone on a phone call?”
If someone was watching, the would have found the way the three morons were falling over each other hilarious
“Yes, hi, I’d like to report an attempted robbery at the front of Platt Pictures. There’s three guys that have bailed up two men...”
Dropping down to dodge the punch thrown at his face, Lance swept the leg of the leader, snatching his blade out his hand as the man’s eyes widened for the millisecond as he fell
“Yep. There still here... I’ll wait. You guys should probably run if you’re going to. Cops are on their way”
The look in the leaders eyes was something feral, spitting like it made him cool, the man wiped his mouth
“I’ll get you for this”
“I’ll be waiting, but I won’t be holding my breath. Also, I’ll be keeping hold of this blade of yours. Evidence and all that. It’s amazing this fingerprint technology...”
“Forget it, lets scram!”
When the leaders two goons split, the man pushed himself up, running off like the coward he was. Lance giving them a little wave as they did. Ending the call to his house, Lance slipped his phone back in his pocket, before holding out the blade to Keith
“Here, a souvenir of our time together”
“I could have handled that”
Lance rolled his eyes
“Never said you couldn’t. Anyway, take it. You seem to like knives and I’ve got no use for it”
Keith frowned at the offered knife
“But the police...”
“Aren’t coming. Let’s just say I have a job where I need to keep my name squeaky clean”
“What the hell?!”
Lance sighed at Keith
“What? Do you want me to call them? I totally can, I remember all their facial features”
“You didn’t do me a favour...”
“Never said I did. Oh, you totally skipped out on movie night. Do I want to ask why you’re not inside pretending to be scared like everyone else”
“The movie was shit”
“Finally, something we can agree on. But, Hunk and Pidge are trying to be friendly with you, so leaving is kind of a dick move”
“They don’t even like me”
“They might if you’re not out here hiding. Also, Pidge thinks we’re dating, so come on darling, we’ve got a movie to finish”
Lance took Keith by the wrist. Socialising wasn’t about to kill him
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Dragging Keith’s along, Lance spoke as they walked
“Well, that’s a long story. You see a long time ago a little boy was turned into a vampire. He grew up to become a lawyer, living as human like as he could, as he tried his hardest to give back to humanity so no other little kids got hurt. He never fed from a single person, took a lover, or like harmed any one more than what you just saw... You could say things were going well for him and he was happy. That was until two hunters crashed into his little corner of the world. He was forced to drink blood from an actual person for the first time in his life. Which upset him, because he felt he’d lost a little of the humanity he wanted. Now he’s trying his hardest for a stranger who wants him dead, and refuses to listen to him, because he’s some disgusting, revolting, beast that deserves that’s not even fit to be on the bottom of your shoe”
“That’s just it, why are you trying?”
“I don’t know, and that’s what’s getting under my skin”
Dragging Keith the whole back to their seats, they got there in time for the heroic ending where the main character saved the day. Hunk was sobbing, Pidge had gotten herself some skittles and was attempting to catch them in her mouth as she made a mess around her. Seeing they’d mostly missed the film, he and Keith remained standing there until the credits started and Pidge called “time to bail”. Ditching holding Keith’s wrist, because he’d honestly forgotten he had, Lance wrapped his arm around Hunk’s waist
“Good movie?”
“She was so brave...”
“I know, man”
Pidge cuddled up to his side until Lance looped his other arm around her
“What did you think?”
“It sucked. There were so many plot holes. I want my money back”
“Aw, never mind Pidgeon. It’s over now”
“That’s 133 minutes of my life I am never going to get back. You and Keith are arseholes. You missed most of the film!”
“Are we arseholes, or are you cranky we escaped?”
“You’re both definitely arseholes”
“Now, to be fair, Keith hit his people limit of the day. You’d never know, for all his conversational skills, but he’s a lot like you, Pidgeroonie. He gets very tired of people fast, and cannot do the brain without the coffee”
“That’s because people fucking suck!”
Pidge’s loudness caused the people walking near them to stare, staring was awkward forever one involved, Lance didn’t want the night to end awkwardly
“Okay, that’s enough exposure to the public for one night. Why don’t we grab something and head home? I’ll even pay”
“Yay! I want a super sized slushie. I should have thought of it sooner. I wonder if that slushie place with the weird flavours is still open”
Hunk groaned
“You’re making me do city driving?”
“Dude, relax. It’s night time, meaning there aren’t as many people on the road. Consider it practice for your date”
Hunk blushed, Lance laughing happily
“Don’t be mean to him, I’ll drive. Pidge, you’re in directions. Hunk, music, naturally, Keith, you get to sit in the back with Pidge and make sure she doesn’t get up too much mischief”
“What? Why?”
“Because I said so”
*
Keith opted to stay in the car and be a buzz killer as the three of them rushed to the slushie store. Minutes from closing, they were those annoying customers that all retail staff dread. Pidge was in heaven as she eyed the walls of flavour, Lance paying and limiting her to two without added energy drink. Hunk went for bubblegum flavour, Lance for strawberry. Keith hadn’t come in, but part of Lance didn’t want him feeling left out. With all the scowling faces Keith had pulled since they’d met, lemon was ruled out as a potential flavour, instead he went for iced coffee labeled as being lactose free. Keith might not be the nicest person in the world, but that didn’t mean Lance was going to be a douche over something Keith couldn’t control. He knew the man liked coffee, so it was the most logical choice. Pidge ended up unable to decide. One abomination made of orange, pineapple and mango, the second strawberry, bubblegum and coke. Making sure he’d left the woman behind the counter a very generous tip, Lance ushered Pidge and Hunk back to Hunk’s car, a little proud of himself when he got Keith’s door open with his foot in the door handle. Glaring up at him, Lance beamed in pride
“I got you one”
“I don’t need one”
“Yes, you did. It’s iced coffee, lactose free. Consider it an apology for venting on you earlier, if you need an excuse to take it”
Handing Keith the drink, Keith eyed it in suspicion
“Dude, it’s fine. Legit went from the machine to the cup then out to you. Pinky swear and all that. If you don’t want to drink it, I won’t get offended. I just thought it’d be nice to include you”
“Whatever. Thanks and stuff”
“You’re welcome. Let’s get you back home away from all these people so you can take a nap”
Keith’s expression soured, Lance was sure he was going to have the iced coffee slushy thrown at him, so shut the door quickly. Keith wouldn’t be a big enough douche to ruin Hunk’s interior. Hunk was a human, someone Keith was supposed to protect, meaning hurting his feelings had to go against whatever code hunters were bound to. Being caught up in everything going on, Matt came to his mind as Lance opened the driver’s door, his heart sinking. He hadn’t thought about Matt all night. Pidge had probably spent the whole night missing her brother and wishing it was him at the movies with them instead of Keith. He didn’t want to seem down, but it was hard to perk himself up now that he’d remembered he didn’t know how to act around Pidge. Climbing into Hunk’s car only made his heart ache more as Pidge and Hunk bickered over her flavour combinations. There was a code of privacy within VOLTRON, so he couldn’t enquire into Matt’s status. He couldn’t do anything to help Pidge with her Matt situation except for maybe confirm he was alive, which Shiro had already confirmed. Goddamn Shiro. He was ruining his night and the man wasn’t even here.
#once bitten twice stupid#vld au#mpreg#in later chapters like mentioned#klance#voltron#bottom Lance#vampire Lance#ashrathe rose#on ao3
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2019 Fic in Review
Inspired by @myevilmouse I’m going to sum up all the writing I’ve been up to the past year. I’m really proud of what I’ve accomplished, and thanks to you all for the encouragement to put my ideas out into the world! This has been a year of trying new things, and really growing as an author I feel… And wow according to AO3 I’ve written about 400k words in the past 12 months, damn. So let’s get to the list, going from the beginning of the year to the end, and as always please heed the tags on these before reading.
Note: As I go back, I’m realizing a lot of the links were messed up or are just straight missing. I am on the Mobile App so things can get messy. Please visit my works page on AO3 HERE to see all of these on my page under JessKo and my other pseuds.
1 Late Night at the Slab
Idea: Filling a prompt for the Thryce server in which some, uh, unique Chiss anatomy was assigned.
Result: A 3-way with Thrawn, Arihnda, and Eli and my first foray into the more Xeno side of things in a Modern AU setting. Yeehaw!
2 The Trouble With Free-Roaming Ysalamiri
Idea: Based on some adorable ysalamiri cuddles art by @strength-through-order I wanted to write some Thranto fluff.
Result: Ysalamiri-filled Thranto fluff X’D
3 Inquisitor’s Debt
Idea: What if the Grand Inquisitor changed sides at the end of Rebels season 1?
Result: Some fun throwbacks with Obi-Wan and Caleb Dume leading up to Quizzy defecting with Ezra.
4 Ancient Stems
Idea: Eli Week drabbles based on the Vanto Week prompts.
Result: A silly buzz droid narrative with Thrawn and some cute slice of life Eli backstory/Ascendancy days bits.
5 Charnsuka
Idea: Kinky stuff with Lord Garmadon when he’s an Anacondrai.
Result: Kinky stuff with Lord Garmadon when he’s an Anacondrai. Sorry Zane!
6 Caged Like Prized Birds
Idea: Again inspired by the awesome Chiss anatomy and Thrux drawings by @strength-through-order , I wanted to craft a narrative around Armitage, as a young man, stumbling upon a clone of Thrawn.
Result: Man, this might just be one of my favorite things I’ve ever written, had so much fun plotting it out and the smut is mmm! Tentacles everywhere~ I’ve gone back to re-read this a lot, I’ll admit it. I hope you all enjoyed it too.
7 Quiet On Set
Idea: Must. Write. Talos.
Result: A cute little platonic x-reader with everyone’s favorite Skrull. This was my first MCU fic too.
8 Diagnostic
Idea: Wanted to apologize to Zane for the damages done in Charnsuka with some Glacier shipping fluff.
Result: A silly glacier thing leading to a bit of foolery. I’m happy with it!
9 Heron Soaring
Idea: A continuation of the plot line from Heron Rising with Kanan and Thrawn.
Result: Too many feels… but some great sex to soften the blow, Kanera too!
10 Patron
Idea: Responding to a tumblr prompt from @wukeskywalker regarding Thrawn commissioning LOADS of artworks of Eli.
Result: More Thranto fluff! I see a trend here…
11 Black Heron
Idea: Kanan x Pryce for @myevilmouse , I think this was our first ‘collaboration’ on something!
Result: Juahir hires a special someone to show Arihnda a good time!
12 Red Heron
Idea: @star-wars-rebels-4 is always an amazing wealth of ideas for Grand Inquisitor, and encouraged a work featuring him and Kanan.
Result: Delicious back alley smut when an undercover Jedi is caught!
13 Warm Homecoming
Idea: Give my and a friend's OCs some cute fluff.
Result: OC fluff and a vacation to Hoth!
14 sowing the seeds
Idea: Add something cute to the spank war project.
Result: Another contender for my ‘favorite thing I’ve ever written’ rank. Two chapters of pining, cooking lessons, and sweet slick smut.
15 Red Frost
Idea: After watching “The Evil of Frankenstein” with @sneakybunyip ‘s amazing movie night group, I wanted to do something fun with Victor and Hans.
Result: A fun little adventure fic with some huddling for warmth to boot. Victor and Hans are the hammer-horror-verse Thranto send tweet.
16 a setting sun to hide the ruins
Idea: What if I tortured Kanan to the point he turned evil and joined the Inquisitors (and went a little insane in the process)
Result: Instead of torture, let’s just use some serum that drives him mad. Perfect. Smut ahoy, pretty much a dead dove type fic.
17 Pinktown
Idea: When browsing abandoned towns in Florida, I came across Flamingo… what if Thrawn had been exiled here instead.
Result: An alternate history of Thrawn’s exile and eventual discovery by the Empire. Huge thanks for @badgerandk on this one for the perfect epilogue and beta.
18 the sun rises to only illuminate the stranger i have become
Idea: Setting sun… part 2! But it’s actually what happens before sun?
Result: How Kanan ended up where he is for ‘a setting sun’... lots of imp smut and again, it's sort of a dead dove style fic.
19 Frozen Over
Idea: Ar’alani x Eli Vanto
Result: Somehow me and my writing partner ended up at sensory deprivation focus on this one.
20 Shape of Honor
Idea: Well, this one started in 2018 but ‘finished’ in 2019. Still working on the epilogue. Lots of tweaks… If you are not familiar, this is my AU in which it explores how the Thrawn novel and Rebels show would be altered if Palpatine distrusted Thrawn from their first meeting and accused him of being a Chiss spy. Vaguely inspired by the film The Shape of Water.
Result: Well it's nearly a novel now, isn’t it. This was a great adventure in learning how to create compelling story arcs. I’m extremely satisfied with how it is shaping (lol) up.
21 Datura Stamonium
Idea: Thrawnbine ovi smut.
Result: Oops it has plot now, a whole backstory with Eli and such and so fourth. Will need further stories told…
22 Desert Entropy
Idea: Luke/Wedge modern AU shenanigans.
Result: Also pulled Nath/Wyl and the Rogue Squad/Alphabet Squad peeps into this. Set in Vegas, Luke and Wedge meet and have a cute little romance, but some legal troubles set them back (Palpatine, as always, is That Bitch™) Very happy ending!
23 The Great Eli and Thrawn Prank War
Idea: See Chapter 1: Mullet Thrawn
Result: This thing really grew up, and thanks to all the contributors for allowing me to join in! My contributions were: 7-Bombs Away! In which a bit of drama brews and Thrawn makes a paint bomb that forces him and Eli back into being roomates. 11-Tooka Troube 2: Electric Boogaloo in which Eli finds his quarters slowly filling up with Tooka plush toys, and then something huge goes off in supply. 17-The Bitch is Back In which who knew Thrawn could sing?!
24 Clipped Wings to Keep Us from Flying
Idea: Continuing the story line from Caged Like Prized Birds
Result: Dragging Eli and the OG Thrawn into this, seeing that their stories were left untold in the first work. Also Armitage and the clone are up to all sorts of cool things. Still a WIP, on the list to keep working on this year!
25 I’ll do what I can.
Idea: Some Ronan/Krennic feels post Treason
Result: A Ronan character study that I really needed to get out of my system and finally a stable alliance between Krennic and Thrawn!
26 Purple Heron
Idea: @punk--kenobi and I concocted some fun Kanan/Zeb/Hera smut featuring Lasat heat cycles.
Result: Ah this came out so cool, full of emotion and wonderful imagery. Massive kudos to @punk--kenobi for beta-ing my portion and contributing some of the best smut one can find!
27 Ninjago Angst Week 2019
Idea: Do some 1-shots for Ninjago Angst Week
Result: ow right in the feels. Each character got a highlight in their own ‘dark retelling of a canon or canon adjacent event’ chapter.
28 Vertigo
Idea: Thing’s don’t go right planetside for Eli, Pik, and Waffle in Treason.
Result: Big oof. I hope Eli can one day forgive me… I even put strain on the end game Thranto! Bittersweet ending and lots of angst.
29 More Than Just a Treat
Idea: What is Obi Wan up to in the desert…
Result: Aunt Beau and baby Luke baked him cookies obviously!
30 Datura Metel
Idea: Continuing the Datura cycle…
Result: Just how Eli ended up where he did in the first installation.
31 Here & Now
Idea: Some Thranto Fluff! For @jewelliffer
Result: A camping trip for shore leave! And a marriage proposal for extra sugar.
32 Monster Under the Bed
Idea: Benevolent Boogeyman Chiss
Result: Modern AU Thranto spooky sillies. Bit of an intense climax but they talk it out!
33 Haunted by Sentiment
Idea: Nath is in denial of being the Squad Dad for @glassprowlers
Result: Nath’s very bad no good oh so terrible day! It's very silly and I really like how it ended up, the title is way more serious than the story itself XD
34 Pulse
Idea: Werewolf AU Lavashipping
Result: Oops Kai is a werewolf! Good thing Cole is here to help him figure out how to press on.
35 Stories from Area 51
Idea: remember the raid Area 51 meme? I do! Gotta clap them alien cheeks!
Result: Oh no it got PLOTTY! Pretty much all of my favorite characters and ships cherry-picked and plopped down into a Men In Black style facility in the middle of the desert. I really have a thing for the desert huh…
36 Good Day
Idea: The “truth” behind the “Good day, Lieutenant Vanto” from Thrawn in Treason.
Result: Oh stars the FEELS! Thrawn is in deep water and he KNOWS IT! GAH!
37 Fur Ball
Idea: Chiss are mogwai/gremlins…
Result: Silly Thranto fluff. Thrass shows up too! Feeding them after midnight is actually a good idea here… Grow your own ideal man!
38 Came Back Haunted
Idea: A mission fic centered around the @peters-pumpkin-day prompts.
Result: Ice planet survival with Tarkin, Krennic, Galen, and Ronan.
39 Sewn Together
Idea: This drawing actually is what lead to the fic-
Result: A fairly unique reuniting of Thrawn and Eli after both return to the Ascendancy.
40 Spiked Heron
Idea: Oh no… Kanan gets himself in deep poodoo this time.
Result: Devaronians really like humans huh? The next chapter is half way written I swear it is coming soon!
41 A Colder Embrace
Idea: Thrawn/Purrgil/Ezra and Luke/Wampa for SW Rare Pairs.
Result: It's very cold on Hoth… and even colder in space.
42 Surround
Idea: Luke/Wedge for SW Rare Pairs
Result: Luke has to confront Wedge post ESB regarding what is, essentially, his deserting the Rebels.
43 What Happens Planetside…
Idea: Eli/Pik/Waffle for SW Rare Pairs
Result: heheh a scrumptious Eli sandwich! And surprise tentacles because, well, why not?
44 Hesperidium
Idea: Fluffy Kylux for the Kylux Secret Santa event
Result: Ah its so sweet you might get a cavity
45 Reanimator
Idea: Lovecraftian eldritch horror Thranto
Result: This is the sort of project that it takes 2 months to fine tune each chapter, so bear with me, but I can promise a wonderful, creepy ride is ahead!
46 Floral
Idea: Luke/Faro for SW Rare Pairs. Enjoy the Jedi lovin’, @myevilmouse
Result: Sex pollen and accidentally defecting from the Empire. Whoops!
47 The Harch
Idea: Bouncing off of THIS art by @mamidlo , we worked together to create this plot. Very much inspired by the Hammer Horror films, such as Dracula and Frankenstein.
Result: A fun and spooky romp of Kallus and Zeb getting trapped in a creepy castle featuring mind controlled drones and a species-obsessed Harch. This was my first time posting the entire story at once, too!
Wow, I can not believe how much has been written this year. Thank you all again for reading and kudos-ing and your amazing comments. I’d not be here without the support and love <3 Cheers to 2020 and much more fic ahead!
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Everything and More -- Billy Bennett
*My masterlist link can be found in my blog description*
Request: “Billy Bennett x reader The reader and billy are partners in a class Billy tries to impress the reader by making the reader think that he knows every thing about that class but then he misses up and some how injuries the reader in the process and know he feels really bad.” & “Hey! Can you write an imagine for deadly class where Billy and the reader have a cute little late night conversation? The lack of content is killing me” @dotnick12
Summary: After sustaining an injury in combat class, you decide to express your true feelings for Billy.
Warnings: injury
Pairing: Billy Bennett x fem!reader
Word Count: 1,500+
A/N: My first ever Billy fic, ooooo. Also, I know I said I wasn’t going to post for about a week, but I already had this written up so here you go
Master Zane paced the front of the class, his hands clasped tightly behind the small of his back. His eyes were set in a glower as he studied the room, looking at each student individually, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. The room was filled with tensed silence, everyone waiting for the harsh instructions of their newest lesson. You stood beside Billy, in the back of the group, switching your gaze from your professor to the green-haired boy beside you. Despite your legacy status, you often found yourself hanging out with the ‘rats’, Billy in particular. He had become your best friend during your time at King’s, and it had become increasingly more rare to find the two of you separated.
After a few minutes, Master Zane finally spoke. “Alright you gremlins, listen up. I’m tired of your incompetence and Gao continuing to disrespect my teaching methods. So, for today’s lesson, we’re partnering up and practicing hand-to-hand combat, with each partner switching from defense to offense. Pretty self-explanatory; anything except murder and maiming goes. Get to it!”
Everybody jumped at the sound of Master Zane’s hands clapping together before they scrambled for their partners. You looked around the room, pausing at your Legacy group for a moment before a gentle tug at your sleeve caught your attention. Looking to your side, you saw Billy giving you a sheepish smile and inclining his head towards an empty part of the room. You didn’t think twice before following him, ignoring the groans and scoffs of your Legacy as you went. Billy brought you to the corner of the room, the training matt squishing beneath your feet as you settled into your small area.
“This alright?” he asked, looking around for a moment before smiling at you.
You nodded, “It’s perfect. Do you want to be offense or defense first?” You began peeling off your leather jacket, waiting patiently for his answer.
“Oh, uhm, defense. I’m pretty good at this kinda thing, so I’ll let you have the first run.” Billy grinned at you devilishly, showing all his teeth while he rolled his shoulders.
You couldn’t help but scoff with a smile while shaking your head as you eyed him. He was wearing nothing but a ratty wife-beater, his blazer discarded in a pile beside your own jacket. His fists were already raised, effectively guarding his face while he bounced back-and-forth on his feet. “Yeah, alright,” you laughed, copying his stance, but holding your weight on your left side, rather than all over.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
You struck, throwing your fist out and punching him on the shoulder. Billy jerked back and ducked his head as you lifted your leg, swinging it over him and around your own body. You pivoted, keeping your arms moving as Billy attempted to block each swing and each kick you threw. Billy’s demeanor began to grow cocky as he continued to block most of your hits, but his gleeful grin only made you smile in return. Part of you didn’t even want to land a harsh punch, too fearful of that grin disappearing.
But then, Billy opened his mouth. “This the best you got, (Y/N)? You’re a legacy for fuck’s sake, beat my ass!” he taunted, lurching back as you swung your arm again.
“Oh? This not good enough for you, rat?” you snickered, watching as Billy’s smile widened.
“If it’s all you got, I understand.”
Instead of replying you lunged forward, forgoing any more punches and kicks. Grabbing ahold of Billy’s shoulders, you swung yourself onto his back and locked your legs around his waist. Your elbows enclosed around his neck before you went limp, using your body’s dead-weight to drop both of you to the ground. Billy shouted in surprise, the attack too quick for him to counter before he fell to the floor. His back was pressed against your chest, but you refused to let go, even as you felt yourself getting smothered into the mat below. You dug your heel down his abdomen, grinding it into his hipbone painfully. Right as you were about to let go and claim your victory, however, Billy’s elbow came flying back. You barely had time to blink before it was colliding with your face, a sickening crack surrounding the two of you.
“Gah! Shit!” you cried out, immediately unwrapping your limbs from Billy so you could clutch onto your face.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-” Billy chanted, rolling off of you and lifting you into a sitting position as he realized what he had done. Nobody in the class paid the two of you any mind, too focused on their own fights. “Oh Jesus, (Y/N/N), I’m so sorry! Fuck, are you okay? Should I get Zane? Lin? Gao? Marcus? Saya? Maria?”
“What? No, I’m alright, Billy,” you said, waving your hand at him to dismiss his help. “I just wasn’t expecting you to switch to offense. Thought you knew what you were doing,” you joked. Blood dripped from your broken nose steadily, falling into your mouth and coating your tongue and teeth as you spoke. A bruise was already beginning to blossom and spread outwards, shading the bridge of your nose and your cheekbone in a dusty purple.
“At least let me take you to the nurse, Zane won’t even know we’re missing,” Billy pleaded, subconsciously swiping his thumb underneath your chin to wipe away a trail of blood.
You shook your head, “No, no nurse. You can help me crack this back into place in my room- after you go and get me some ice.” You looked at Billy as he retracted his thumb, wiping the blood off onto his shirt.
“Of course, anything you need! Here, c’mon.” He grabbed ahold of both of your hands and hoisted you up, making sure you were stable on your feet. But, even once you were standing and fully walking, Billy still held a tight grip on one of your hands, discreetly leading the way out of the classroom.
The two of you walked in silence towards your dorm room, only stopping briefly so Billy could run into the cafeteria and grab a bag of ice, as instructed. Once you were safely inside your room, you kicked off your shoes and collapsed onto the edge of your bed, huffing out a grunt. Billy did the same, awkwardly sitting beside you and delicately holding the ice bag to your swollen cheek and nose.
“Keep that there,” you instructed him, before raising your arms. You shook them for a quick second, willing your nerves to evaporate before you placed your fingers on either side of your nose. You felt around the injury, finding where the bone had been dislocated and massaged the area briefly. With a heavy breath, you jerked your hands, straightening the crooked-bone with a loud yelp of pain.
“Oh, God…” Billy groaned, wincing at the pop and your yelp. “That was… that was pretty badass, but also monumentally disgusting.”
“It worked though,” you snickered, voice muffled as you spit out a mouthful of blood into your palm. You wiped the blood off onto your pants before turning to Billy, leaning into the coldness of the ice against your face. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me; I’m the reason you’re in this mess,” he pouted. Billy shifted closer, easing the strain on his arm as he continued to hold the ice. “I really am sorry, (Y/N). I didn’t know what I was doing, and I wanted to impress you… not hurt you.”
You smiled, “I know, B. You’d never hurt me on purpose, you’re too good for that.”
“You think I’m good?”
“I think you’re amazing. Brilliant, kind, handsome, affectionate, and everything in between,” you rattled off, blushing at your admittance. “You’re everything and more.”
Billy lowered his arm, dropping the bag of ice to the bed beside you. “Are you trying to tell me that you like me?” he choked out, blue eyes wide in wonder.
“Y-yeah, I am. Guess it took a broken nose for me to finally find the courage,” you chuckled, rubbing the back of your neck nervously. “If you don’t feel the same I totally get it, there’s no pressure or-”
A gentle pair of lips cut you off, silencing you into unexpected submission. Billy placed the palms of his hands against your cheeks, pulling you closer to him, as your hands fell to his arms. “I’ve loved you since you knocked Lex onto his ass all those months ago,” Billy confessed, pulling back just enough so he could speak.
“He was being stupid,” you murmured, entranced by the way Billy’s lips moved when he talked.
“He’s always stupid.” And then his lips were on yours once more, practically dragging you into his lap so he could be closer to you.
All Writing Taglist (OPEN): @teageowen @mads---world @alex--awesome--22 @hxdesworld @frozenhuntress67 @samanthasmileys @simonsaysyasss @marvelismylifffe @bademliimagnum @michael-langdxn @wherewecangazeintothestars
#billy bennett#billy bennett imagine#billy bennett imagines#billy bennett x reader#deadly class#deadly class imagine#deadly class imagines#deadly class x reader
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You Are My Cup Of Tea (Chip)
12″ x 12″
Metallic Acrylic on Canvas
To purchase Artwork, please visit BSSart.com/ordering LINK
Chip, the teacup from Disneys Beauty and the Beast was used for this version of the Teacup series.
Most of the image is metallic, reflective paint, but there is alot of matte colors to offset as well. All black is flat to define the image at all angles.
Chip Potts is a supporting character who was featured in Disney's 1991 animated film, Beauty and the Beast. He is the son of Mrs. Potts.
As a human, Chip is a young boy who works with his mother in the castle kitchens. Like the other inhabitants of the castle, Chip was cursed by the Enchantress. When his mother was turned into a teapot, Chip was likewise turned into a teacup. At the end of the film, once Belle and the Beast fell in love, Chip was magically restored to his human form
Chip is adventurous and constantly curious about the world around him. Chip is a cheerful and active young boy and (like his mother and friends) is shown to have a great fear of the Beast's temper. He is also shown to be very brave and heroic shown in the first film, where he saved Belle and her father Maurice in order for them to rescue Beast from Gaston and the angry mob. He loves Belle very much and views her as his big sister and best friend. As is typical of curious boys his age, he apparently has an overactive imagination; when he comes rushing in to inform his mother that there is a girl (Belle) in the castle, she scolds him for making up such tall tales.
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15 facts about Beauty and the Beast
1. WALT DISNEY CONSIDERED REMAKING THE FAIRY TALE AS FAR BACK AS THE 1930S.Walt Disney liked to take his time mulling things over, and while he was pondering Beauty and the Beast, a live-action version of the movie was released by French filmmaker Jean Cocteau. Perhaps not wanting to release an animated version of a movie that had just been released, Disney tabled the idea
.2. A NON-MUSICAL VERSION WAS COMMISSIONED IN THE LATE
1980S.In the late '80s, Disney hired British animator Roger Purdum to direct a non-musical version of Beauty and the Beast, with Linda Woolverton writing the script. But the company wasn't happy with the result of 10 weeks of storyboarding (which you can see here)—the story was too dark and depressing."In the middle of our process, The Little Mermaid premiered, and that changed everything," Woolverton told the Los Angeles Times. "[T]he concept of the musical, the Broadway musical brought to animation by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. So I was flown to Disney in Florida to meet with Howard. Howard and I just clicked. ... In a hotel room in Fishkill, New York, Howard and I pretty much conjured up this version of Beauty and the Beast. Howard and I never clashed. I was his student. He taught me everything I know about musicals."
3. JACKIE CHAN CONTRIBUTED TO AN INTERNATIONAL VERSION.Jackie Chan dubbed the Beast’s voice for the Chinese translation of the movie—including the singing. Here he is performing the title track in Mandarin with Sarah Chen:
4. "HUMAN AGAIN" WAS CUT FROM THE ORIGINAL MOVIE.
The song “Human Again” was cut from the original movie, in part because it added 11 minutes to the film, and partially because it created a problem with the passage of time. "[W]e kept asking, 'Well what? Is Maurice wondering around in the woods all this time? Is Gaston just sitting around in a tavern drinking beer after beer growing a long white beard?,'" co-director Kirk Wise said. "We couldn't quite figure out what to do with the other characters during this time that Belle's at the castle and keep the motor of the story running." In recent years, the whole sequence has been included on DVD and Blu-ray extras. In case you don’t have either of those sitting around your house, check out part of it here:
5. THREE OF ITS TUNES EARNED "BEST ORIGINAL SONG" OSCAR NOMINATIONS.
Many people remember that the title song from Beauty and the Beast took home the “Best Original Song” Oscar in 1992, but it was just one of three songs nominated from the movie. But “Belle,” the opening song, and “Be Our Guest” were also up for an Oscar. Must have been rough to be the writers of the other two songs in that category: “When You’re Alone” from Hook and “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
.6. THE CO-DIRECTOR STARTED HIS CAREER DRAWING CARICATURES.
Co-director Kirk Wise started his career drawing caricatures for tourists—but not Disney tourists. While attending art school, Wise made extra money by working at Universal Studios
.7. THE BEAST IS A MASH-UP OF VARIOUS ANIMALS.
He’s got the mane of a lion, the beard and head of a buffalo, the brow of a gorilla, the eyes of a human, the tusks of a wild boar, the body of a bear, and the legs and tail of a wolf ... and a little something extra. Animator Glen Keane claims that “Beast actually has a rainbow bum, but nobody knows that but Belle.”
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8. ONE ANIMATOR WISHED THAT THE BEAST STAYED A BEAST.
Keane wished that the Beast had stayed a Beast instead of transforming into his princely human form. To help bridge the gap, he penned a funny line for Belle to say at the end: “I had them record Belle saying, ‘Do you think you could grow a beard?’ It was a good idea. It’s not in the movie. We should have put it in there.”
9. ANGELA LANSBURY SAID THE DEMO MUSIC WAS A LITTLE TOO ROCK 'N' ROLL.
When Angela Lansbury heard the demo of "Beauty and the Beast," it was "kind of a rock song," she told The Huffington Post. "I told them, 'This is a sweet message, but this really isn't my style. Are you sure you want me to do this?' They told me to sing the song the way I envisioned it, so that's what I did. I created it the way a little English teapot would sing the song."
Producer Don Hahn said that Lansbury "went into the booth and sang 'Beauty and the Beast' from beginning to end and just nailed it. We picked up a couple of lines here and there, but essentially that one take is what we used for the movie."
10. THERE'S A SLY REFERENCE TO DISNEYLAND
.You have to squint to see it, but when Maurice gets lost in the woods toward the beginning of the movie, one of the road signs he finds points the way toward Anaheim—which is home to Disneyland.Walt Disney Studio
s11. THE POSTER WAS DESIGNED BY A MASTER OF THE ART.
John Alvin, the artist who created Beauty and the Beast's iconic movie poster, also designed the posters for some other films you might be familiar with, including E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Gremlins, The Lion King, The Color Purple, and Blazing Saddles.
12. BELLE MADE A CAMEO IN THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.
Fittingly, she has her nose in a book. You can also see brief appearances by Pumbaa from The Lion King and Magic Carpet from Aladdin. It’s hard to spot Pumbaa—and tragic, as he appears to have been slaughtered—but both directors have confirmed all three cameos.
13. BELLE ISN’T THE ONLY BEAUTY AND THE BEAST CHARACTER THAT POPS UP IN OTHER MOVIES.The Beast can momentarily be seen in Aladdin as one of the animal stacking toys the Sultan plays with
.14. THERE'S A NON-MUSICAL VERSION.
An earlier version of the movie contained no music. It also gave Belle a little sister named Clarice and a cat named Charley.
15. AUDIENCES WERE SUPPOSED TO SEE THE SEQUENCE WHERE THE YOUNG PRINCE IS TURNED INTO THE BEAST.
The sorceress would chase the prince through the castle hurling magic at him, hitting servants and accidentally turning them into objects instead. Eventually, she hits her target and turns him into an animalistic creature. She leaves, and we see the young Beast looking out from the castle windows, screaming for her to come back and fix him. Wise nixed the sequence. He later said, “The only thing that I could see in my head was this Eddie Munster kid in a Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit.”
#Disney#disney artwork#chip#beauty#beast#beauty and the beast#fan art#disney art#teacup#tea cup#artworkj#painting#new art#daily art#updated#you are my cup of tea#small art#banner#vintage banner#ben sawin#chip beauty and the beast#princess belle#disney princess#princess#belle and beast#belle and the beast#celine dion#canvas wall art#canvas art#wall art decor
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GET TO KNOW THE BLOGGER!
Tagged by: my lover @hammurabicomplex
I’m tagging: anyone and everyone who wants to pick this one up! share with the class if you feel like it! tag me in it!!
PRESENTING. RANDOM DEEP DIVE WITH INDIGO-MUN AT 2AM ;
FIRST NAME
Good fucking question… It’s (sort-of) currently Dylann! I was Kieran before that, though; it’s still used as one of my first names and I’m not used to Dylann quite yet bc I’ve just started using it.
Indigo is one of my middle names though, and I’ve used it as an online handle elsewhere forever so I use it here now! [ Fun etymology facts: Dylan(n) is a mythology name generally meaning “born of the wave” (aspiring diver & a water witch at heart). Kieran means “little dark one” bc of my love for horror, && I chose Indigo bc as a kid to be it was neither boy (blue) or purple (girl) and was both and neither as well as my absolute favorite color as this vibrant ass mystical color. ]
STRANGE FACT ABOUT YOURSELF
hmmmmm…. I’m a horror lover at heart, so as a child (I wanna say 12), I was walking through an antique store (I have a few cool finds, I considered putting my other one as the fact tbh) and I turned the corner and I saw these two dolls staring back at me at the foot of the stairs of this antique building. my blood froze, and i felt my stomach drop. i got actual, physical goosebumps stumbling across these two creepy dolls staring back at me in the corner, and i couldn’t leave the store without them. perhaps the little painted porcelain boy would be somewhat spooky by himself if it wasn’t for the terrifying lidded gaze of the porcelain girl with the hairline fractures and slightly open lips. i cant look at her. i dont really find dolls scary, I like to find the spookier ones ones, and she makes me paranoid as hell. i keep her face covered and her up in my closet except for when i bring her out to show her off proudly as the spookiest thing I have but……. i dont really collect dolls anymore. even thinking about her brings a fearful tear to my eye. i don’t like to think about her for very long, but that’s why I’m so fucking proud to own her.
( YES — I’m THAT white person in the horror film )
TOP THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE ON A PERSON
hhhhh a beardy jawline, high cheekbones, crooked canine teeth >:3c
A FOOD YOU COULD EAT FOREVER AND NOT GET BORED OF
b.l.t.’s with avocado. ahhhh. my mouth is watering just thinking about it, oh my god. just a bit of salt and pepper???
A FOOD YOU HATE
barbecue anything, i hate the taste of bbq sauce, you keep your nasty black goo to yourselves at the grill. twice in my life i have presented with barbecue pizza and both times i cried literal tears. why would you do such a horrible thing to a person? what kind of a monster are you? how do you sleep at night?!
GUILTY PLEASURE
the sims. constantly. always. i’ve sunk thousands of hours into my households. oh also uhhhhhh i run two 80s horror blogs, one being a shitpost blog with occasional art of mine and one gremlin fanfic ship blog for horrible, terrible self indulgent fanfics i’ll get the courage to finish writing & post so i can be cancelled on tumblr for at some point. NO, i won’t link them. as i pretend they’re even all that hard to find, within a day i was found on both by someone i admire here a lot :’) ilu bby thnk u eternally for supporting ur local horrifying dumbass wtf
WHAT DO YOU SLEEP IN
the same clothes i’ve been wearing all day usually, my sweats & long sleeve raglans or my hoodies. i like being cozy day & and out. and ugh. efoort. just throw me in a blanket in a cool room and im out.
SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS OR FLINGS
serious relationships with some openness or poly. i wish i could fling! just not exactly easy for demisexual autistics lmao.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN THE PAST AND CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU AND WHAT WOULD IT BE
I think I would be adopted by my grandma as a kid. It would save me some trauma but mostly I think it would get my autism diagnosed way earlier and save me angsting all these years of wondering why & thinking it’s my fault I’m struggling so much and so loud and affectionate and different in a world that i didnt fit in the same way.
ARE YOU AN AFFECTIONATE PERSON
when i get drunk i text people how much they mean to me in my life. does that answer your question? ahhh. i’m sometimes a cuddle monster with friends, i message people with long texts about how much they mean to me, but I sometimes really don’t like to be touched at all.
A MOVIE YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN
FLYPAPER. F L Y P A P E R. FLYPAPER. FLY, and, I can’t stress this enough, fucking PAPER. ( Though also Whole Nine Yards and both Re-Animator & Bride ). I have watched Flypaper already like, 5 times this week and I’m still not done, and the other movies have been on repeat for days in this household within the last year. In the past it has also been Donnie Darko & the new Nightmare on Elm Street. roast me.
FAVORITE BOOK
White Fang by Jack London. Have I actually ever finished it? No. Do I still own a copy I’ve had since childhood thru multiple dogs eating it, taking it to and from school, and highlighting and circling all the best parts of chapter one ever since I was a kid and it was too hard of a book for me to read? You bet your ass. If I ever need inspiration I just reread chapter 1. Although one of my other favorites was Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes. But White Fang is like, a weirdly personal text. We stan London’s writing in this household.
YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP ANY ANIMAL AS A PET, WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE
FENNEC FOX!! I used to daydream about having my own named Shiloh when I was a lil kid. they’re adorable little things and i am obsessed. i mean, gimme any fox and im happy, marble foxes, red foxes… but I was obsessed with fennec foxes. Also tbh ferrets. I want a ferret.
TOP FIVE FICTIONAL SHIPS [IF YOU ARE AN RP BLOG, YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN SHIPS AS WELL]
Rosa & @ninetyscnds‘s Luke, Rosa & @iimpulsivity is already screaming my name, Rosa & Constantine, Jesse & Andrea from Breaking Bad, and the joker and harley of 80s sci-fi Dan & Herbert from Re-Ani. I am but a simple opossum.
PIE OR CAKE
Pie! I’ll take both pumpkin & melty apple over cake. also, cheesecake is more pie than cake soooo, pie wins.
FAVORITE SCENT
my dogs / my blanket. :’) It’s the most grounding smell in the world.
CELEBRITY CRUSH
oliver jackson-cohen, i’m fucking GAY and im angry about it. there i was, minding my own business, and i saw that asshole in a certain SHIRTLESS GIF and it AWOKE SOMETHING IN ME. dont talk to me about it, holy shit im obsessed with beardy men now god fuckkdafjaask i hate him why did he make me this gay i was perfectly fine being into girls but NOOOOOO him and his dumb hairy chest and sweet rugged face and I—— I also am obsessed with the archaeologist & television personality Josh Gates and may or may not be considering making a fan blog for him bc idk if my anthropology docuseries host is Dad or Daddy but i love him lots
IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO
I would go on a dive with anthropologists and archaeologists doing fieldwork research in the ancient cenotes of the Yucatán Peninsula. My actual dream job, catch me crying & fantasizing about being underwater documenting Mayan skulls given as offerings. Fuckkkk, I love anthropology so much!! take me anywhere in the world to immerse myself into culture & archaeology.
INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT
Introvert. I have a real life friend I see roughly once a month, and that’s it. Plenty of online relationships, I’m chatty, message me all day every day. but i dont do people well.
DO YOU SCARE EASILY
I used to! Really bad. I don’t as much anymore. I do get paranoia a lot still. Having therapists telling you that the FBI could be outside your house watching you through your windows will kind of nervous. ( no google results for: yes hello fbi i am a writer please dont put me on watchlists i just have research i need to do for this idea im working on, would you like to try again? ) I have nightmares nightly but not they never make me afraid, they just make me feel like crap. jumpscares and loud noises and seeing people reaching into their pockets dont set off as many brain alarms anymore tho!! progress haha.
IPHONE OR ANDROID
I like my android better bc of capabilities but meh
DO YOU PLAY ANY VIDEO GAMES
My mom, her husband & I play COD for family game night, and Silent Hill is my life’s blood. I’ve sunken hours into Sims & Skyrim, and Norman Jayden from Heavy Rain is my #1 fictional character in existence, why do i love the druggie babies
DREAM JOB
Oh… You’re asking me to pick? I’d love to be an anthropologist doing work out in the field. Underwater archaeology is peak, but I’m also heavily considering being a body recovery diver or police diver. I’d love to see myself in uniform someday, if possible. Just the thought makes me teary eyed & proud.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A MILLION DOLLARS
fund my person creative & educational endeavors. get myself a spooky ass abandoned house to make my own home to create in, and travel to the world’s best dive sites. just live a mild life of education, creation & exploration. that’s the dream TM.
FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU HATE
dr. hill is a gross and whiny lil bitch this post brought to u by the miskatonic crew, how is everyone here an even worse bad guy than herbert west precious dan excluded talk shit get hit
tho john winchester from spn and both walter white & todd from breaking bad are all in my crew of hated characters. i jusT… the reani novel is difficult to read because i have to deal with this old sack of shit.
FANDOM THAT YOU WERE ONCE A PART OF BUT AREN’T ANY LONGER
Supernatural :-)
… AND THIS CONCLUDES A DEEP DIVE WITH INDIGO!! //
#||: && the mundane ( ooc );#( get to know a bitch!! )#( this was... a lot of me rambling about weirdly personal shit at 2 am )
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Cool Games I Finished In 2018 (In No Real Order)
Man! Wow! 2018! 2018 was a wild year for me. I managed to deliver those elbow drops I talked about last year and ended up doing a lot of of things. I left my job and moved cross-country in the span of like 2 and a half weeks! I took a new job in the video game industry (play Ninjin and Override)! I took a trip to Vegas a week after that! I got in a relationship! I got out of a relationship! It’s been a ride. A ride that hasn’t left me a ton of time to play video games or write about video games, but I’m like 1000 times happier now so it’s probably a fair trade. No matter what though, I will always be here at the end of the year to make a bunch of terrible MSPaint banners and provide you with another one of these. Here’s a bunch of cool games I experienced for the first time in 2018.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PlayStation 2, 2004)
Nocturne is a game that I haven’t been able to get out of my head since I beat it. It’s so damn cool. It starts with you witnessing a demonic apocalypse where only you, your two friends, your teacher, a reporter, and the man with the world’s wildest widow’s peak survive. These people are, with a couple of notable exceptions, the only real characters in the entire game. You barely see them, and when you do your meetings are usually pretty brief. Sure, you talk to and recruit a horde of demons to your side as party members, and you interact with a handful of demonic antagonists and various demonic NPCs, but for the most part the game is just you. You, alone, wandering the weird hellscape remnants of Tokyo. It’s one of the most solitary-feeling video games I’ve ever played, and it nails this atmosphere flawlessly. The music, the visuals, the writing, every element gels with every other element so smoothly to create a prevailing, almost overbearing feeling of loneliness. The combat and gameplay mechanics are what I understand this series to mostly be like (this being the only mainline SMT I’ve played), and are fun and engaging in a way that’s not too dissimilar from the Persona series. The only knock I have against Nocturne is that the dungeon design super sucks. I’m fine with endless corridors, my love of the PS2 Persona games can attest to that, but almost every dungeon in Nocturne has an annoying gimmick to it, and they all essentially boil down to different takes on a teleporter maze. I was kind of almost dreading navigating dungeons by the time I got to the last fourth of the game, but my intense love for literally everything else saw me through. For those of you who like JRPGs and haven’t played Nocturne, I’m sure you’ve heard this plenty of times, and I was like you once. I didn’t listen. But now I’m on the other side of the tunnel, so I get to say it. You should really, really play Nocturne. It’s good.
Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion (Nintendo Switch, 2018)
Octo Expansion is what Splatoon 2′s single player mode should have been from the start. Don’t get me wrong, the packed in single player campaign is fine, but it’s basically a level pack for Splatoon 1′s. Octo Expansion, on the other hand, is 100% fresh. Structurally it’s much more diverse, with the campaign taking place over 80 mostly-bite-sized missions with varying objectives. There’s a couple of stinkers in there, but overall the quality of the missions is much higher than what was in the original single player campaign. They can actually be pretty tough sometimes too! It was fun to see some actual challenge in a Splatoon campaign. Everything wrapped around the core gameplay of Octo Expansion is kind of phenomenal. The setting and visual design is super weird, the music is way more mellow than anything else that’s come out of the series and creates a great sense of atmosphere, and the writing is actually genuinely pretty great. There’s a lot of funny dialogue and good character moments. They made me like Pearl! The weird gremlin that eats mayo! She’s my friend now! The last half an hour or so of Octo Expansion is also straight up my favorite sequence from a game I played this year too. Don’t sleep on this thing just because it’s DLC. It’s legitimately great.
Monster Hunter: World (PlayStation 4, 2018)
At the outset I was incredibly skeptical of Monster Hunter: World. This wasn’t entirely fair to the game, as a lot of this feeling was based on its initial E3 reveal trailer kinda sorta matching up to some mostly not true pre-E3 leaks, namely that it would be much more action heavy to cater to Western audiences and tie into the then unannounced Monster Hunter movie (which, as an aside, looks like a trainwreck that I desperately want to see). You can probably pretty easily find some tweets and posts from me around that time saying that the game looks like trash because of some misinterpreted new game mechanic. I am here to say that I am a big wrong dumbass and Monster Hunter: World is very good. You might be surprised to hear this, but it’s Monster Hunter! With a bunch of good and well-executed gameplay refinements! And graphics that aren’t repurposed from a PS2 game! It’s a ton of fun and I put a lot of time into it, but it’s not without its flaws. The number of monsters and weapons is comparatively way lower than in previous games, mostly due to that whole not repurposing PS2 models thing. It’s still kind of clunky in a lot of the places Monster Hunter has been historically clunky in, but also in some pretty big new ways, mainly around playing multiplayer. Also the story, while it’s as bland as it’s ever been, is exponentially more intrusive thanks to the addition of voiced cutscenes (which need to be triggered before the game lets you bring other players into story missions, causing a lot of that clunk I mentioned earlier). It’s all nothing game-ruining, of course. The game wouldn’t be on the list if it was! Monster Hunter: World exceeded my expectations, and I’m super looking forward to playing the recently announced G Rank expansion when it comes out next year.
Contra: Hard Corps (Sega Genesis, 1994)
I wish I could go back in time and kick my own stupid ass for not playing this sooner. I’d written off Contra: Hard Corps for the longest time based solely on some bullshit I read on the internet at an age where I just took other peoples’ opinions and made them my own. This and Castlevania Bloodlines were the bad ones, the ones some weird b-team crapped out for the Genesis while the SNES got the good stuff like Contra 3: Alien Wars. Well, it turns out... they were right about Bloodlines. But MAN were they wrong about Hard Corps. Hard Corps is the best Contra game. It fucking rules. I would have gone on with my life never giving the game a glance if not for this excellent Giant Bomb feature happening, and a couple of episodes in I knew I had to play it for myself. Contra: Hard Corps is fucking nuts. It’s balls to the wall 100% of the time. There’s so many unique enemies and wild bosses and they’re all never not exploding. The game has four characters with unique weapons and multiple different level paths that have totally different levels, bosses, and story beats. Oh, and the soundtrack fucking rips. Sometimes it’s a little too much, and there are definitely some sequences and boss attacks that are total gotchas that you can’t survive without prior knowledge of how they work. I’d also be remiss not to give a special shoutout to level 4′s awful, tedious, unskippable-on-any-route boss. But god damn if the rest of Hard Corps doesn’t outshine these flaws. It’s the high water mark for insane non-stop 16-bit action.
Deltarune (PC, 2018)
Does this count? It’s a demo for a full game that won’t be out for a real long time... I suppose it does, it’s self-contained enough. Deltarune, the free demo for the sort of but also sort of not sequel to Undertale, is unsurprisingly good as hell. Less surprising for sure, as Undertale is a known quantity these days, but I’m still way into it. The story is interesting and full of charming characters, and the battle system has been overhauled to include things like multiple party members with different abilities while still keeping all the things that made Undertale’s battles novel. The music is, of course, fantastic, and the visuals look much nicer while adhering to the same general style as the previous game. It’s fairly short, and some character development feels a little rushed because of it, but again, it’s a small chunk of the beginning of a much larger game. I can’t imagine any of this stuff wouldn’t be expanded upon. It’s hard to judge this thing story-wise due to the nature of it being a demo. I thoroughly enjoyed what is there, though, and look forward to playing the rest of the game in 50 years or whatever.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch, 2018)
This game is so much. Even though the first thing I learned about this game was “everyone is here”, I still wasn’t ready for how much it is. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is maybe too much. Of course, as previously stated, everyone (meaning every single previous playable Smash Bros. character) is here. Most of the previous stages are also present. This was all known. Where the game really, truly goes overboard though is in the single-player content. There’s the usual classic mode for every character, this time specifically structured around a theme for each character, but the vast majority of it is actually comprised of the all-new spirits system. Spirits are non-playable video game characters that you can collect and equip to your fighters for special abilities, sort of like a less terrible version of Smash Bros. Brawl’s stickers. You collect these spirits through spirit battles, which are fights themed around the character the spirit represents via extremely clever usage of already existing fighters and mechanics. These battles range from the obvious (Big the Cat’s battle tasks you with fighting a giant purple Incineroar), to the obscure (fight the main characters from Zangeki no Reginleiv as represented by Link and female Robin while you’re giant-sized), to the creative (Porygon’s spirit puts you in a fight against wireframe Little Mac and Akira from Virtua Fighter, normally an assist trophy), to the downright in-jokey (the spirit of Ness’s Father, displayed as the telephone spirte from Earthbound, makes you fight an invisible Solid Snake). There are like 1200 spirits. The vast majority of them have an associated battle. And you don’t just experience these battles through a menu, at least half of them are implemented into the 30 hour long adventure mode, World of Light, which has you fighting spirits, navigating dungeons, and facing bosses. It’s insane. They focused on spirits in lieu of collectible trophies this time around and they absolutely made the correct choice. The trophies in the last two Super Smash Bros. games were fine, but easier access to existing 3D models of most represented characters made them inherently less exciting than Melee’s tailor-made collection of high quality (considering the time period) renders, many of which would never receive a 3D model again. The spirits system manages to be exciting in the same way Melee's trophies were, fostering a genuine sense of anticipation to see what they cooked up next, but in the context of gameplay. They completely knocked it out of the park. Smash 4 made it on one of these lists long ago, and I essentially just said “it’s more Smash Bros. and that’s good”. Smash Ultimate is also more Smash Bros., but it’s SO much more Smash Bros. It’s so much more extremely good Smash Bros. The only things I can ding it for are some totally subjective stage preferences (where the hell is Poké Floats) and some slightly less than optimal music sorting decisions. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is, ultimately, the ultimate Super Smash Bros.
These games were also cool, I just had less to say about them:
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Nintendo Switch, 2018): Remember Castlevania 3? Inti Creates sure did! This prequel to the still unreleased Koji Igarashi Kickstarter project Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is an unabashed love letter to Castlevania 3, and it’s pretty good.
Mom Hid My Game! (Nintendo Switch, 2017): A charming little game in the style of those old escape the room Flash games. It even looks like one (in the literal sense, not the pejorative). It’s not tough or replayable really, but it is $5 and consistently absurd and surprising.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (PlayStation 4, 2018): Yakuza 6 is kind of a weird juxtaposition. It’s the final chapter of Kazuma Kiryu’s story, but also the first game to use the Yakuza team’s new Dragon Engine. The story end of things is a good, solid sendoff for a bunch of characters I’m going to miss very dearly, but the gameplay feels very formative and limited in a way that sort of reminds me of Yakuza 1. I had a good time with it overall, but I hope they manage to dial it in like they did with the previous decade of Yakuza games and make something truly excellent again. Looking at you, Judge Eyes.
Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth (Nintendo 3DS, 2017): Etrian Odyssey V is a return to basics for the series, ditching things like overworlds and sub-dungeons and just pitting your party against one big labyrinth. Honestly, gotta say, I miss the stuff they left behind! The core of Etrian Odyssey is still super strong so I had fun regardless, but the overall simplicity of the game and the changes to how classes work had me missing EOIV more often than not. Soundtrack’s great though, as expected.
Sonic Mania Plus (Nintendo Switch, 2018): To be completely honest, most of the stuff they added to Sonic Mania in Plus really isn’t that fantastic. Mighty’s spike and projectile immunity is fun, but Ray’s flying is more interesting than effective. Encore mode is largely disappointing, with most of it feeling identical to the base game outside of its all-new (and too hard for their own good) special stages. HOWEVER, Sonic Mania Plus was an exceptional excuse to play through Sonic Mania another six or so times. Congratulations to Sonic Mania for being game of the year for two years in a row.
WarioWare Gold (Nintendo 3DS, 2018): A good compilation game, executed much better than in the team’s previous Rhythm Heaven Megamix, but lacking in reasons to come back after you’ve played all the games. There’s the usual toy room stuff WarioWare has had since Touched!, but it’s bogged down by reliance on a currency system and the fact that sooooo many things you unlock are just parts that feed into a larger, not that interesting thing. The part where you play WarioWare is great though, and the new visuals make it all feel fresh even though it’s mostly older games.
Mario Tennis Aces (Nintendo Switch, 2018): I had a brief, passionate love affair with Mario Tennis Aces. The core gameplay is rad as hell and more like a fighting game than a tennis game, with multiple different special shots and a focus on meter management. I played like 40+ hours of it between the full game and the demo and never even touched the single player (which makes it technically not count for this list, but, shut up). I got 2nd place at its very first tournament at CEO 2018. Then I... stopped playing. It had some weird balance issues, sure, but I think it was more a victim of circumstance rather than anything else. I moved basically right after CEO and just never went back to it. It’s still incredible though. I hope this game’s systems are the standard for Mario Tennis games going forward.
We made it! Bottom of the list! It was a shorter trip this time, but I’m still proud of you for making it here all the same. Thank you for reading the words I typed about video games. I’m looking to get this web page back into gear in 2019, so you can probably expect part 2 of The Best Babies sometime in January. Hopefully I’ll actually play some video games too so I can bring back Breviews on the first of February. Until then!
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200 Messages - KiHyuk
Summary: With Kihyun going away for the next month, Minhyuk’s left without a way to contact him as often as he’d like. And, with Minhyuk being the drama queen he is, he just doesn’t know how to handle it.In celebration of my 200th fic, I wrote this little one shot of one of my fav pairs~! ^^ I hope y’all enjoy! <33
Word Ct: 3720
AO3 Link
“Just don’t go off and meet some hot art student while you’re gone,” was what Minhyuk had wanted to say. But, instead, he barely even managed a small, “Stay safe out there, Kihyunnie,” before the his same-age had gone off to board his plane.
Now, Minhyuk lies awake, staring up at the squeaky fan on his ceiling as it spins and spins, much like the thoughts filling his mind.
He shouldn’t have chickened out that day. He should’ve grown a spine and told Kihyun how he feels. Now here he is, running the risk of Kihyun meeting some random hot guy in France who’ll then whisk him away, leaving Minhyuk to die alone. He wants so badly to call him, to text him, to contact him in some way. However, it costs too much to use a phone overseas like that, and Kihyun never checks his email.
“Don’t even bother trying to text me, Minhyuk-ah,” Kihyun had nagged at him for the umpteenth time before he left. “I’ll have it set so that I can’t even receive them in the first place. Anything you send me won’t come through until I’m back home.”
Minhyuk plays with his hair as he stews, carding his fingers through the blonde strands. It doesn’t come close to how comforting it is when Kihyun does it…
He sighs in defeat, reaching for his phone. Minhyuk goes first to his photos, trying to rid his mind of his friend—crush—by looking at every silly selfie the slightly-younger has ever sent him, that he and the other have taken together. Of course, that doesn’t work, so he tries going on Instagram and Snapchat… But, of course, among the silly couple selfies Hyunwoo and Hoseok spam his feed with and the random pictures of lyrics Jooheon tends to post, the edgy landscape pictures Changkyun always puts up and the pouty-faced selfies Hyungwon take, there Kihyun is, posting all these fantastic photos of himself off in Paris, having the time of his life on this foreign exchange program.
Finally, Minhyuk sees something in one of the gremlin’s photos that makes him unable to stand it anymore. He goes to his messages and types out a small, “I miss you, Kihyunnie~ I hope your trip is going well <33” and sends it before he can even think twice.
A pretty boy that seems about Kihyun’s age, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the shorter as they smile up at the camera for a selfie. It’s the most recent photo on Kihyun’s profile, and the one that causes a jealousy the likes of which Minhyuk has never before felt in his young life. It burns within him, incinerating away any thoughts of optimism for Kihyun not meeting someone else—because it’s only a month, so who would he meet?
I should’ve just told him… Minhyuk sullenly thinks as he tosses his phone to the side. I should’ve just balled up and told him how I feel. It isn’t as if I didn’t have enough chances… Now, it’s too late.
He falls asleep that night, pouting to the dark due to his own failure.
“You’re just reading too much into it, hyung,” Hyungwon assures him the next day, sticking his fork into the slice of cake they’re supposed to be sharing. Minhyuk isn’t feeling very hungry, though, and Hyungwon seems more than happy to make the sacrifice of eating the five-layer red velvet slice all by himself. Minhyuk whines, dropping his head to the table with a dull thump.
“He looked so happy, Wonnie,” he mutters, his voice muffled by his own shirt. “And that guy was so handsome… Kihyunnie’s probably working on becoming a permanent exchange student over there so they can stay together forever!” Hyungwon rolls his eyes, shaking his head at his melodramatic friend.
“He’s supposed to make friends while there,” the younger points out as he stuffs the bite passed his plump lips. The icing is a bit thick and sticks to the roof of his mouth. He smacks his lips as he adds, “That’s the whole point of going on this program. Well, that and taking landscape shots, but that’s besides the point. He’s just enjoying his time there. He’ll be back before you know it, and everything will be fine.” He swallows the bite before finishing with, “Maybe this’ll teach you to confess your feelings before your crush leaves the country.”
Minhyuk’s head bolts up, scowling in protest at his dongsaeng.
“I don’t see you rushing to pour your heart out to a certain underclassman,” he spits back, feeling incredibly defensive at being called out. Hyungwon’s brow furrows together, and he slowly takes another bite before responding.
“Don’t snap at me just because you’re feeling insecure about your place with Kihyunnie,” Hyungwon tells him, his voice much lower than normal. His eyes glint with a warning light, and Minhyuk seems to physically deflate. Hyungwon ‘hmmph’s under his breath, shifting in his seat as the older drops his head to the table again. He lets the older stew in silence as he finishes the cake, losing himself to his own thoughts of a certain maknae…
At the end of the week, to celebrate finishing up finals, Hoseok hosts a typical stress-relief party. It’s on the nicer side of town, in a penthouse overlooking the skyline of Seoul. Booze line the counters, glittering bottles of tequila, vodka, whiskey, and gin reflecting the overhead lights. Fruit juices surround them, providing ample mixers for the liquors. Hyungwon drags Minhyuk there under the pretense of needing a designated driver for their ride back, but really Minhyuk just thinks the younger will need someone to keep him from stripping when he gets drunk… again.
Minhyuk checks his phone as they ride the elevator up on the off-chance Kihyun had turned on his texts for only a moment. After all, he’d been sending countless messages late at night—when his insecurities become too much to bear—telling Kihyun how much he misses him, what reminded him of the younger that day. Really, you’d think the two were already dating from how sappy some of the messages were. But, among all these, Minhyuk still hasn’t found the guts to confess (no matter how obvious it is now).
Hyungwon lets him stare holes into the digitized screen, having given up on keeping the older from making a fool of himself.
The elevator slows to a smooth stop with a small ding, and the doors open directly into Hoseok’s private apartment. Pristine hardwood floors stretch for as long as the eye can see, and a flat screen sits on the far wall of the room with a large sectional in front of it. The bar is off to the left and, despite the small amount of people here, Hyungwon leaves Minhyuk to get a drink. Minhyuk stifles a sigh as he slips his phone into his pocket, chewing on his bottom lip as he drifts towards the couch.
“Minhyukkie!” Hoseok greets as Minhyuk plops down on the plush piece of furniture. “I’m glad you came! I honestly wasn’t sure you would, you know, with Kihyunnie gone and all.” Jooheon, whose sitting beside Hoseok, shoots him a warning look that doesn’t go unnoticed by Minhyuk.
“Hyung,” Jooheon hisses, bumping his knee with the older’s, “Wonnie-hyung said we shouldn’t mention you-know-who…”
“You can talk about Kihyunnie around me,” Minhyuk defends, poking his bottom lip out in a pout. “Why wouldn’t you?” Hoseok glances between his two dongsaengs, chewing on his bottom lip as he’s obviously quite conflicted about who’s words he should obey. His eyes shine with a light akin to that of a frantic bunny’s.
Jooheon sighs defeatedly after a moment, waving as if to give the older permission. Hoseok beams in relief. He leans over to give the younger a chaste kiss on the cheek, and Jooheon immediately blushes in response as he takes a drink from the neon purple plastic cup in his hand. Hoseok coos and pulls at Jooheon’s cheek, calls him a cute little baby, and Jooheon whines about how Hoseok should stop calling him that because it’s all kinds of not cool.
Minhyuk breaks his eyes away from the nauseating couple, standing with a huff at being so easily forgotten. He trudges over to the counter, where Hyungwon seems to have gotten distracted in his quest for refreshment by the transfer student, Im Changkyun. Hyungwon has himself leaned oh-so elegantly against the counter, an eyebrow quirked up as Changkyun seems unable to form a complete sentence without stuttering and blushing like crazy.
At the sight of the birth of a new couple, Minhyuk can’t help the bitterness that rises in his heart. He blindly grabs for a bottle, any bottle, and mixes it with a fruit juice in a plastic cup. He chugs half of it in one gulp. Though, never having been one much for drinking, Minhyuk almost voms out what he’s just consumed in the next second. His empty stomach roils, and a headache immediately begins to form at his left temple.
He ignores it, though, and empties his cup before pouring out another drink, this one containing more alcohol than the first. He winces, taking absolutely no pleasure in the taste of nail polish remover filling his mouth. He plops down with a huff on the nearest bar stool, pulling out his phone as he sends a text to Kihyun with only a slight buzz.
“Kiihhyunniieee~~~ I wish you were able to answer your texts ;-;”
“Um… hyung?” Hyungwon’s voice suddenly asks, causing Minhyuk’s gaze to jerk up at him. He looks concerned, a slight frown pulling at his lips and his gaze filled with a soft light. “You doing okay? You never drink at these things…”
“Even I’m allowed to have fun, Wonnie!” Minhyuk tells him, his voice coming out much louder than he intends. “I can still have fun, even if I’m not some hot French art student!!!” He huffs again, looking back to his phone to type out such a message and send it to Kihyun. Hyungwon watches him for only a moment more before turning back to Changkyun, giving only a half-shrug as he continues their conversation.
He figures if drinking is what Minhyuk needs to do to finally confess to Kihyun, then the older should go for it.
The rest of the night is a blur for Minhyuk. The last thing he remembers is getting invited to do shots with an already-drunk Hyunwoo. People gathered around them, cheering for one or the other, though Minhyuk didn’t listen. He just chugged down the tequila, pausing only to send Kihyun more texts.
The next morning, he awakens on the floor of Hoseok’s beautifully tiled bathroom with a pounding headache. He feels as if he’s been pulled inside-out. The smell of bile fills his nostrils, definitely not helping his already-present nausea.
He struggles to pull himself up off the floor, his legs feeling like jelly and his stomach grumbling loudly in protest. His limbs ache with fatigue, and he has to physically pull himself from object to object to get out of the room. He hangs onto the wall as he walks, not sparing a glance to his fellow classmates passed out all around the apartment.
Hyungwon’s curled up on the couch, looking like a frikkin’ model just laying there. Minhyuk can’t help but think of how unfair that is as he staggers his way to the kitchen. He barely manages to make it to the fridge for a bottle of water before his phone dings.
He pulls it out confusedly, hoping beyond hope it's a message from Kihyun despite his mental haze and physical pain, but it's only a game notifying him he hasn't played it in the last five hours.
"We need to go," Hyungwon suddenly says behind him, causing the older to jump. He immediately regrets it as his stomach roils in protest.
"I'm surprised you're awake," Minhyuk comments, his raspy voice much more gravelly than usual. Hyungwon rolls his eyes, reaching forward to grab Minhyuk by his elbow and lead him out of the apartment.
"I didn't sleep," he spits at him. "Someone had to keep you from trying to sleep with every guy you came across last night." Minhyuk winces, remembering the other reason why he doesn't ever drink.
"That bad?" he asks, his voice pitiful. Or, at least, it would be to a better-rested Hyungwon.
"Yes."
Minhyuk whines at his own misery, clutching the water bottle and his phone tightly as he's forced out of the apartment.
On the way home, Minhyuk dares to look at his text conversation with Kihyun. He scrolls by text after text he'd sent, walls and walls of slurred words and—
Oh, God...
Minhyuk groans, thunking his head against the passenger-side window over and over. Hyungwon only chuckles from behind the steering wheel, not even sparing him a glance.
"I tried getting that thing away from you last night," Hyungwon tells him, but you said something about putting me into a hospital with a coma with a different name? I don't know, it seemed pretty specific coming from a drunk teenager, so I just let you be."
Minhyuk doesn't reply, shoving his phone between his thigh and the cracking leather seat as he casts his eyes towards the side of the road. They pass the body of a small hare, belly turned up and tongue lolled out. Dead.
Minhyuk knows exactly how it feels.
Kihyun releases a relieved sigh as he steps into the Incheon airport. After a month of traversing foreign streets and an almost-11-hour flight, it's good to be home. He takes in the smells, the lights, the voices. The familiar sound of Korean puts his mind at ease, and he makes a beeline for the luggage pickup.
He doesn't even think to turn on his messages until he gets home. He’s just about to take a shower after putting his bags in his room, but he pauses for a moment to check his phone. He isn’t expecting much, as all of his friends had known of the strict no-texting rule he’d set himself whilst abroad.
Imagine his surprise when a total two hundred messages came flooding through his notifications all at once. He drops the phone in surprise as it keeps dinging and dinging, it still buzzing incessantly on his comforter as he watches in utter shock, his lips parted in a small ‘o’ and his eyes widened ten times their normal size.
Finally, after what seems like hours, the device finally settles down. Kihyun sighs, picking it up to see just what the hell happened.
Two hundred messages. From Minhyuk.
…Huh…
Kihyun bites back his own irritation at his same-age friend, opening his phone to read just what was so damn important. The feeling melts away, though, just at the first message he sees.
I miss you, Kihyunnie~ I hope your trip is going well <33
Kihyun can’t help but coo, eagerly going on to the next message. If they’re all this sweet, maybe he won’t nag Minhyuk quite as much when he sees him.
What he finds, though, is something he doesn’t expect. A barrage of drunken texts, spouting in varying levels of coherency how much Minhyuk cares about him, likes him—really likes him—, loves him, wants to die with him and have a family with him and even though he’s a total troll sometimes he still loves him and—
And then it stops. It ends with a single text from the following day saying: “Please, God, if you care about me at all, just delete this entire conversation and don’t ever ask me about it.”
Kihyun smirks wryly at his screen, quirking up a brow. He sighs heavily, poising his thumbs with all the expertise of any other high schooler and types out a quick message.
Minhyuk-ah~ You should come by and take your dear friend out for some barbecue for coming back home ㅋㅋㅋ
He doesn’t even have to wait a full minute before he gets a reply.
Kihyunnie!!! You’re back???
You didn’t see my texts, did you???
Nvm
I’m on my way
Kihyun chuckles breathily, hurrying his tiny self to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He absolutely does not want to look like he’s just spent so many hours on a plane for the conversation he’s about to have.
Minhyuk pulls up to Kihyun’s apartment building only a short time later, shooting him a quick text to let him know he’s there. Kihyun seems to have been waiting for him, bolting out the lobby a second later and hopping into the car. Minhyuk can’t even hope to fight the urge to lean over to center console to tug his friend in for a warm hug. He smells like roses and lavender, a familiar smell that makes Minhyuk’s heart race.
“Missed me, huh?” Kihyun asks teasingly as they break apart, wiggling a brow at him. Minhyuk rolls his eyes, jabbing a finger into his ribs before turning his attention back to the road.
“Now why would I ever miss you, you gremlin?”
Kihyun yelps out a laugh, his eyes crinkling closed and his dimples appearing in his cheeks. Minhyuk feels a warm sort of fuzziness overtake him, making him feel all gooey on the inside, and he has the notion to plant a quick little kiss on Kihyun’s cheek.
He doesn’t of course, as that’d be all kinds of telling, and he drives into the street, knowing just where to go.
They arrive at a small barbecue place they and their families have been going to since they were little. They manage to even get their favorite table, a small one in the very back that’s perfect for watching the other diners. Neither have to even glance at the menus before ordering, and their drinks come in record time.
Minhyuk sips at his coke, lips pulling anxiously as the straw. His legs bounce up and down under the table, and he doesn’t meet Kihyun’s eyes. The slightly-younger watches him, a knowing little smirk set on his features, and Minhyuk can’t shake the sense of foreboding filling him.
“So… how was Paris?” Minhyuk asks, trying lamely for conversation. Kihyun chuckles under his breath, and he gives a little shrug.
“Okay, I guess,” he replies. “Met some nice people, took some pretty pictures, ate some great food. But, ya know, it isn’t home.” He pauses then, slurping at his soda before leaning forward. “I missed it here,” he says, his tone dripping with meaning. “I missed you.”
Minhyuk could probably run a marathon purely off the adrenaline that single sentence sends coursing through his veins. He stiffens in his seat, though, boundless energy just running through him. However, he needs to play it cool, as he’s still holding out hope that Kihyun had taken mercy and deleted all the messages he’d sent.
“I-I missed you, too, Kihyunnie,” he mumbles, his throat tightening at saying the shorter’s name. Kihyun hums then, leaning even closer, propping himself up on his elbows. The light in his eyes sets Minhyuk’s blood a’boilin’. He swallows thickly, frozen where he sits. His heart hammers in his chest, threatening to burst free and just jump into Kihyun’s hands.
He doesn’t want to ask. He doesn’t want to know if Kihyun made himself witness to the absolute mess he was those few weeks ago at Hoseok’s party. He cringes just thinking about it…
But, as always, he just can’t keep himself from saying what he needs to.
“Did you… read my texts?”
“Yeah,” Kihyun replies without missing a beat, slurping again at his coke. Minhyuk chokes on pure oxygen, lurching back in his seat and hiding his face in shame.
“Oh, God… Oh God oh God oh God…” he mutters over and over, his face burning as he grows more embarrassed with every syllable that passes his lips. Kihyun yelps out a warm laugh across from him, but he ignores it. He can’t even bring himself to look up at the shorter.
“I don’t know why you had to wait for me to leave the country to tell me all that,” Kihyun tells him plainly, his tone only slightly nagging. “We’re best friends, Min. You should’ve been honest with me. I mean, I felt I was being pretty obvious in my feelings towards you, so…”
Minhyuk gasps overdramatically, his eyes going wide as he just takes in the slightly-younger’s words. Could he really mean…?
As if hearing his thoughts, Kihyun hums, nodding his head oh-so coolly. Minhyuk furrows his brow, feeling incredibly defensive suddenly. Kihyun’s just giving him that haughty, knowing smirk he just hates yet loves, and he doesn’t know how to respond other than to argue.
“Well you could’ve just said something!!” he fires back. He begins to pick at his bottom lip, eyes shining with a relieved light. Kihyun ‘hmmph’s, rolling his eyes as he sits back in his chair, though the amused sparkle to his eyes tells he isn’t really all that annoyed.
“I could say the same to you.”
“I did!!”
“Before I left the country and you got drunk!! What was with that, anyway? You don’t drink.”
“Yeah, well…” Minhyuk mumbles, unable to answer him. After all, what’s he supposed to say? That he got so god-awful drunk because of him?? Absolutely not. Kihyun would lord that over him for years if he did. Kihyun sighs, and his foot slides across the floor to Minhyuk’s to press against it gently, consolingly. Minhyuk meets his gaze, and he feels himself ease.
Their appetizers come before either can say anything, and then their food soon after. Kihyun only glances at Minhyuk once, and Minhyuk knows he hadn’t needed to worry all this time. No matter how many times Kihyun goes off to foreign countries for whatever reasons, he’ll always be Minhyuk’s… whatever that may entail.
Minhyuk finds himself thinking that it may mean much more than before, as Kihyun’s foot begins to rub its way up and down his skinny leg. Minhyuk shoots Kihyun a guarded gaze, and Kihyun only blows him a flirtatious little kiss before diving into his food.
The slightly-older has to stifle a sigh, only just then beginning to imagine what kind of mess he’s gotten himself into with this one…
#kihyuk#monsta x fanfiction#monsta x#kpop fanfiction#yoo kihyun#lee minhyuk#high school au#one shot#200th fic#milestone#fluff#light angst#love confessions#drunken confessions
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Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #52
Happy Thanksgiving! Here are thirty fics. I’m so close to being caught up that I can almost taste it.
This is also marks the 600th post on @maychorianrecs. Hidey ho!
And I still have like twenty-seven old fic rec lists I haven’t copied there yet.
Rules: You can find past weekly rec lists here, and non-list recs in my general fic rec tag. Also follow @maychorianrecs for individually tagged posts, the easier to search and reblog. This is stuff I like, and I have a huge bias toward Lance, hurt/comfort, and general fluff, in that order. Gen unless otherwise noted. Please comment on the fics if you read and enjoy them!
Fogged Breath by BluePlanetTrash
Words: 2,118
Author’s Summary: Ever since he was little Lance suffered from asthma. He didn’t think that it would be much of a problem in space. Fate had other plans for him, however.
My Comments: Great little hurt!Lance fic with an exceptionally protective team. Hits the spot.
oh, the end of infinity by MissSugarPlum
Words: 9,896
Author’s Summary: Matt can’t sleep. It’s not like this is a new occurrence. Sleep has been evading him for years now, and he can’t even remember what a proper restful night feels like. He sometimes thinks of when he was still at the Garrison, how he used to think he knew what stress was, how he used to bemoan the pressure from instructors, the rigorous training, the way he could only ever seem to get no more than six hours of sleep a night, and he yearns for the simplicity of back then. Past-Matt didn’t know how good he had it. -x- [Matt adjusts to being in the Castle of Lions.]
My Comments: I really enjoyed this exploration of Matt getting used the castle and the team, especially the development of his relationship Lance. It starts out adversarial but gets much less so. Great scenes with Pidge, too. Possibly romantic Klance in the background, but can also be read as gen.
Congratulations by TheWonderTwins
Words: 2,433
Author’s Summary: A mission doesn’t quite go to plan and Pidge is taken prisoner. Not everyone takes it as well as Pidge does.
My Comments: Ahhh, Pidge. What a badass. This was exciting and fun to read.
Local Color by TheWonderTwins
Words: 2,361
Author’s Summary: “Could this be more cliche?” Pidge muttered quietly. Keith smirked briefly. “We could get into a barfight.”“ Please resist the urge to punch people.” Pidge requested.
My Comments: I frankly impressed that these two avoided getting into a barfight. Fun little scene with the two of them dealing with some aggression from locals quite well, actually.
What She Sees by HapaxLegomenon
Words: 2,263
Author’s Summary: Matt’s safe, now, and Pidge is delighted to have her brother back. But Matt’s different, and she notices. Set during the end of “The Machinations of Perception.”
My Comments: Little missing scene from a previously recced fic. Since that fic was entirely in Matt’s POV, it was nice to get a scene from Pidge’s perspective, here. These poor kids. Things are hard, but I’m glad they have each other now.
Easy Target by SunshineAndRainbows
Words: 1,832
Author’s Summary: Every move was deliberate, every action filled with intent. He had meant to land his ship, he meant to stand from his cockpit, and so, he meant to walk slowly, deliberately to meet his hopeful allies. He had certainly meant to say something clever and suitably dignified in greeting.He hadn’t meant to collapse the moment his feet hit solid ground.
My Comments: How to make me feel sympathetic to Lotor: Whump him good.
Go Go Paladins of Voltron by hufflepirate
Words: 2,662
Author’s Summary: Shiro gave up everything, including his spot at the Garrison, to look after his dying mother. Now his mother is gone and he’s alone — until he meets four teenagers with attitude, a set of mysterious keys, and maybe, just maybe a purpose. Written for platonicvldweek 3, for the prompt Alternate Reality/Free, so it’s not QUITE a Power Rangers Fusion AU, but it is the meet cute from Power Rangers (2017), but with Voltron. We’re calling it an alternate reality, not an alternate universe, because they’re gonna end up in space doing their space thing, just… a little differently. (Marked complete because I like the ending ok as it is and don’t have time to write this as a multichapter fic right now.)
My Comments: I haven’t seen the new Power Rangers movie, but you don’t need to enjoy this fun, fluffy little getting-together fic.
Bad to Worse by bookwormgir1LH
Words: 1,794
Author’s Summary: Lance, Keith, Hunk and Pidge go on a hiking trip. Things start to wrong from the offset, but it soon gets even worse…
My Comments: Fun modern AU about an absolutely disastrous attempt at having a good time. Poor kids, but everything turns out okay. Lance’s POV is fun to read, too, even as things go very wrong.
All Hallow’s Eve by this_book_has_been_loved
Words: 2,921
Author’s Summary: In which the Paladins discover that Keith’s birthday is only a week before Halloween
My Comments: Aw, poor Keith. Everyone’s heart is in the right place, but things are hard, sometimes.
What Could Have Been by Crowoxy
Words: 5,222
Author’s Summary: Lotor is only a few decaphoebs (years) younger than Allura and it was just easier for him to leave Daibaazal for Altea. A what-if scenario where if Lotor grew up on Altea, what changed and what stayed the same?Day 7 of the Platonic VLD Week - Free/ Alternate Universe
My Comments: I felt bad for Lotor being so obviously neglected by his parents, but it was really nice to see him growing with Allura and Coran and Alfor as his family instead. Cool AU. I would read more of this concept, and I’m not even a huge fan of Lotor. I could see, with the right upbringing, his charisma and intelligence being used for good ends instead of his own ambition.
Snowtron by Eastofthemoon
Words: 2,648
Author’s Summary: It had all started with five words. Five words that changed the entire course of the day. Five words Allura never imagined she would hear any paladins say while piloting their lions. “GIANT ROBOT LION SNOWBALL FIGHT!”
My Comments: Holy fish balls, this is ADORABLE. I love Allura getting dragged into Earthling shenanigans, and the ending scene with Lotor and crew was icing on the cake. The snowy, snowy cake.
A Gremlin In Glasses Swoops In To Save The Day by Kabber, this_book_has_been_loved
Words: 2,752
Author’s Summary: First installment in a Percy Jackson AU for Voltron. In which Lance and Hunk discover that they may not be entirely human
My Comments: Really fun action scene for an AU that is just FULL of possibilities. I especially adore Pidge swooping in to save Hunk and Lance. Exciting and intriguing read.
The Opposite of Sorrow by nightwalker for HumanTrampoline
Words: 6,165
Author’s Summary: Shiro takes a hit from a druid spell that causes its victims to just quietly give up and die. Fortunately he’s got six good reasons to keep fighting.
My Comments: The spell Shiro gets hit with is basically weaponized depression, and it’s pretty terrifying. But the solution is hugs and cuddling and bonding time, and I am all kinds of down for that kind of cure. Extremely sweet and heartwarming fic, and Keith’s POV is wonderful.
let the fog burn let my wick fray by imperiality
Words: 4,501
Author’s Summary: Little bonfires are little things Keith and Pidge do. He can’t look away from the flames, Pidge can’t seem to get what he’s after. But then she wants to spice it up on a Halloween night. This purple fog is oppressive.
My Comments: Interesting and different way to study Keith and emotionally hurt him at the same time. It’s a good thing his team came after him.
Grateful for the Years to Come by Ms_Marchy
Words: 4,001
Author’s Summary: Five years after saying goodbye to her son, Maria McClain gets the greatest gift of being reunited with her son. Everyone knows Lance worries over how much he missed in his family’s lives. No one ever thinks about what Maria was missing about her son’s life. She didn’t even know herself until one day two giant mechanical lions land near her house. The Space War is finally over. Everyone can go home.
My Comments: This was heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure. It’s sad to see just how much years of war scarred Lance, but it’s also wonderful to see him at home and loved with his family again, and his mother’s perspective is lovely and warm. Ambiguous Klance.
And My Nightmares Will Have Nightmares Every Night by ardett
Words: 9,096
Author’s Summary: Restart program? A series of alternate paths in the Dream, Seam series.
My Comments: Really cool and unique way of showing a bunch of ways this story could have gone really, really wrong. Or, well, wrong from a certain perspective. I adore this, though it hurts me, like a lot. Warning for major character death, though it doesn’t really stick.
With These Hands by A_Zap
Words: 1,486
Author’s Summary: Despite all the trouble they’d been through, Hunk figured everything had turned out all right. After all, he and Lance had managed to return to the castle! Then Hunk sees the bruises and knows that things are not as good as he thought.
My Comments: Great missing scene that we were totally robbed of in canon. I love these sweet summer boys and their relationship so much. Surprisingly more hurt!Hunk than hurt!Lance, actually, but I love both flavors.
She’s Looking A Little Green by spitfire00
Words: 3,936
Author’s Summary: Katie Holt was born to pilot the Green Lion, and her father knows it- Even if he doesn’t realize it.
My Comments: Great, great Sam POV, and a wonderful Holt reunion in here too. Really cool look at the paladins and their fateful uniqueness.
Bruising Waters by TheStoryVerse
Words: 17,743
Author’s Summary: Never tell a Soul. Never Let Yourself Be Seen. His mother’s words had been pounded into Lance’s head from birth; a warning to prepare him and keep his family safe. He’s managed to hide from the Garrison and even in space. But, much to Lance’s chagrin, the universe has other plans.
When Lance contracts an alien virus while out on a diplomatic mission that starts attacking his Mer form, Lance figures it’s just a “space cold”. He brushes off the others’ worry and tries to continue as normal. But the pain is getting worse with each passing day, and he hasn’t had a moment’s peace alone to change forms and see what could be causing it. When everything finally hits the fan, the team quickly finds that Lance is in much worse condition than they had assumed. Lance is not only dying, but he’s changing right in front of their eyes.So much Hurt and Whump in the first chapter. So much good Bonding and Comfort in the next two. Let’s do this y'all! (Sorry, Lance)
My Comments: This is some PRIMO hurt!Lance, lemme tell ya. A unique form of whump, and holy crow is is brutal. It gets kinda gross too, just to warn you. But the bonding and comfort and in the second two chapters more than makes up for it. Maybe a touch over the top at times, but darned if I didn’t enjoy every moment. Totally satisfying and highly recommended to hurt!Lance afficionados. You know who you are.
Wide Awake by taylor_tut
Words: 1,373
Author’s Summary: From an anon request on my tumblr: Lance catches a bug that keeps him awake. When he’s not allowed to train during the day with everyone else, he tries to do it alone at night. It goes about as well as you’d think.
My Comments: Aw, poor Lance. Great little sickfic with an unusual premise.
With Hands Tied Backwards by GibbousLunation
Words: 6,684
Author’s Summary: Lance had this problem, just sometimes, where his brain got all floaty and his hands started feeling like maybe he’d forgotten to put them on properly in the morning. Like they were backwards and inverted and everything else was upside down too. Lance’s eyes slide out of focus staring at twinkling stars thousands of miles away, he lines his knuckles up in neat little rows, and he thinks too much about too many things. Team Voltron is falling apart in little ways, and building itself up taller ten times over. It started as a joke, “You know what would suck?“ It was easier to pretend they weren’t just kids fighting a war they’d never asked for, probably. "Angry edgy Not-Slav giving you CPR with his beak.”
My Comments: Poignant and emotional exploration of Lance dealing with trauma-induced dissociation, and the kind of messed up games kids in war play to distract themselves from the threat of death while still acknowledging that it’s there. Klance that starts out ambiguous and then gets much less ambiguous, but could possibly still be read as gen. The point is survival, not romance.
Immunity by RiRiMania1335
Words: 2,165
Author’s Summary: Keith hardly ever gets sick. But if he does, it hits him like a truck.
My Comments: Aw, poor Keith. He gets sick so rarely that he truly and sincerely believes that he’s dying, haha. Fortunately the others are there are to reassure him and take care of him.
Bonds by this_book_has_been_loved
Words: 1,470
Author’s Summary: At first, it was subtle enough that none of them realized it. The bond with their Lions—that was obvious. Lance had felt it pretty much as soon as he laid eyes on the Blue Lion, and the rest of them had all had similar experiences. It was the bond with each other that was harder to pick up on.
My Comments: I really like how this fic explores the concept of a psychic bond into the current canon, with all of the changes and disruptions and how that affects everyone.
Platonic VLD Week 3 - Oneshot Collection by hufflepirate
Words: 10,865
Author’s Summary: WARNING: HEREIN BE S4 SPOILERS Day 1: Sleep/Nightmare - Pidge never wanted to share a room with Matt, but now that they have nightmares sharing’s not so bad. Day 2: Inside/Outside - Set mid-4.1 - Kolivan comforts Keith after the decoy ship blows up. Day 3: Tricks/Treats - Matt plays a trick on Team Voltron (a t-Rick) Day 4: Supernatural/Horror - Keith has an uncanny encounter with some Altean soldiers Day 5: Change/Growth - Hunk helps Allura learn more about piloting her lion [S3] Day 6: Distance/Proximity - Tag to 3.4 - After Allura returns, Coran hovers a little too close (Day 7: Alternate reality/Free is separate and the next fic in my platonicvldweek series.)
My Comments: I love everything this author does, and this collection of little fics is like a kaleidoscope of Good Stuff. My favorites are probably day 2 and day 4, but they are all good and worth reading.
Old Soldier and Spy by Crowoxy
Words: 1,874
Author’s Summary: Kolivan is the old spy who watches all of these young children grow into this war that’s been happening for ten thousand years. Day 5 of the Platonic VLD Week: Growth
My Comments: I love this view of Kolivan as a wise, compassionate mentor for young soldiers, and his perspective on both Keith and Lotor is lovely and kind.
The Fear Of Falling Apart by this_book_has_been_loved
Words: 3,211
Author’s Summary: Lance has feelings of inadequacy
My Comments: This is so cute, and exactly how I want the relationship between Pidge, Matt, and Lance to develop in canon. I want them all to be wonderful siblings and appreciate each other and have fun playing video games. Pidge has two big brothers and it’s wonderful.
King of Wishful Thinking by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions)
Words: 7,126
Author’s Summary: From Tumblr: Send me an AU and I’ll give you 5 Headcanons 1) The Galra attack Earth after the Pals leave in the Blue Lion 2) Pidge conspires to get Shiro a dog, and he ends up opening up a version of the Old Dogs Senior Sanctuary. Oops. 3) Scooby Doo AU (yes really) 4) Shiro’s relationship with his wings (Wing AU)
My Comments: Each of these concepts fully deserves a full-fledged, 50k novel-length opus, but these small glimpses into the different worlds provided are immensely worth reading on their own, intriguing and heartwarming and horrifying by turns. My favorite is probably the Old Dogs Sanctuary AU, but they are all good.
Where Light and Dark Meet by squirenonny for Pechat
Words: 34,168
Author’s Summary: The Fallen One arises: A captive star yearning for the heavens from which it was stolen… So begins the Prophecy of the Fallen Star, which speaks of the one who will save the kingdom from Haggar’s curse. Lance, Keith, and their friends are summoned to get in touch with Allura, the deposed princess of Altea, who is widely believed to be the Fallen Star from the prophecy. But things aren’t going to be quite so simple. Lance was cursed to become a cat at night; Keith spends his days as a crow. They both have a role to play in the coming battle, and they’re going to have to learn to trust each other–but how can they when they only ever meet in the fleeting moments at twilight when they both are human?
My Comments: Klance and implied future Kallurance. I ADORE squirenonny’s fics, especially her fantasy AUs. Such amazing worldbuilding, great descriptions and and plotting and characterization. This one has some really nice hurt!Lance and protective Hunk and Pidge, too, which I always appreciate. I’m very pleased that this is apparently going to be a series, so I’ll get to read more in this world eventually. Just a great, great read, highly addictive, couldn’t stop once I started. I love it when that happens.
Blast Zone by bubblebucky
Words: 4,729
Author’s Summary: In the middle of a mission, a bomb going off leaves Lance unable to hear. Still, while he’s deaf, the rest of his team are the ones that won’t listen.
My Comments: This hits all of my buttons SO HARD. It gave me that good ache in my chest, you know the one. The other characters may be sliiiightly OOC in order to really hammer the hurt in on Lance, but it didn’t ping my “back away immediately” sense the way woobification usually does. Instead it felt understandable for a high-stress situation and I accepted it. The almost too-severe pain heightened the emotions for me and made the ending all the more satisfying. I REALLY love this. I’ve already read it several times, especially the ending, and it’s definitely in my Favorite Fics folder.
Home and a Half by sarehptar
Words: 84,407 (7/?)
Author’s Summary: They make a mistake that follows them home. (Or: Keith becomes an unwitting caretaker to three Galra children, who teach him a great deal about how to take care of himself.)
My Comments: I am reading fewer WIPs these days because there are so many completed fics I still haven’t gotten to but want to, but this was recced to me so it moved to the top of my priority list, and I’m so glad I gave it a shot. This is far from a fluffy baby acquistion fic, with a lot of moral questions and deep consideration of mature themes, which makes the fic more bittersweet and heartwrenching than cute, though there are plenty of cute moments, too. It’s incredibly well-written and interesting, and the latest chapters have really brought some fun worldbuilding and adventure elements. I was afraid it was abandoned, but the author assures me it is not, and I’m really looking forward to continuing to follow this story to completion.
Previously Recced Fics That Updated:
Shadows of Stars (84674 words)
Why it sucks to be a snake in space(52445 words)
As Color Fades Away (211491 words)
Shifting Sands (38605 words) - now complete
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