#right when actually both options are equally bad
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after Eddie graduates he still wants to play dnd so Steve let’s them play in his house and the kids are so excited because maybe this way they can get Steve to play?
he doesn’t, but he watches and that’s something right? Except it isn’t because he keeps humming and snorting and he fucking giggles at one point when they’re deciding how to fight the big bad
they slowly realize that it’s because Eddie tells Steve his plans for the campaign, so Steve is sitting there laughing because he knows what will happen and oh my god this is so much worse than Eddie ever was on his own because now he’ll give Steve these looks and Steve will smile or raise an eyebrow or something and there’s no pattern to what happens after so they can’t even brace themselves, and yeah they should have kept them apart this is a nightmare
#eddie munson#steddie#steve harrington#stranger things#listen I just think Steve wouldn’t want to play but he’d love to watch#and Eddie starts planning sessions when they’re hanging out and he tells Steve everything and Steve is on the edge of his seat knowing what#will happen and seeing what the kids will do#and with all the shit they give him about not knowing stuff so what if he lets out a little snort when they choose to go left instead of#right when actually both options are equally bad#it’s just a little harmless thing to mess with them#Eddie picks up on it and will sometimes look at stave and raise an eyebrow and Steve knowing nothing is about to happen will smile and nod#and the kids will literally loose all the blood in their face and all that happens that session is they buy some new weapons but next times#it happens they get attacked so what actually does it even mean?#it means Eddie and Steve are messing with them just a tiny bit#but also that Eddie is including Steve because he knows he’s hesitant to play bc he thinks he’d ruin it but this way he gets to be a part#of it and also as much as Eddie loves to DM it can get lonely and it’s exciting to share this with Steve#sometimes Steve is humming and nodding because he’s impressed with them though#but it still drives them absolutely crazy bc these kids has such a need to know everything and the DM being the only one who knows is#the point so they can deal but this? yeah it’s a struggle#my post#dels steddie thoughts
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Warnings: May cause crying (I cried while writing this). This is the Angst, and fluff ver of the smut one.
Any audience
read the smut version if you’d like
Xiao x f!reader
Summary: Your boyfriend lost his memory of you so you have to find a way to help him get it back.
Notes: I prefer writing fluff, so I put more thought into this one.
Picking back up how Zhongli dumped the situation of your boyfriend loosing his memory on the both of you then leaving.
It’s been a nightmare for you, you’ve worked so hard to turn your boyfriend into a lover boy. You’ve broken his whole cold, nonchalant attitude and turned him into a lover, sweet, touchy boy. Yeah he still spoke in a monotone manner but, he still loved you. And after he lost his memory’s it feels like 5 years gone down the drain.
This new Xiao isn’t making any progress, it’s like he doesn’t even care enough to remember you. He won’t even touch you.
You started thinking to yourself, did he even actually love me? Why was the memories of us the only ones that he lost? Maybe I wasn’t important enough to remember. Or maybe he did it on purpose even after knowing the consequences… These thoughts made your blood boil, the thought of him not ever even loving you made you so upset. Yet you still cried yourself to sleep.
Ever since he’s lost his memory the only time that he has recently came close to you was for dinner. He only excepted it because you promised him almond tofu. You tried to touch his hand one night because you missed him and his touch, but he snatched it away.
Your eyes started to get teary and you started crying. You were upset so you threw away your food, gave him the almond tofu then walked to your bedroom crying. He just stared. He felt bad but at the same time he didn’t care because he didn’t know you.
He stayed at the dinner table for a hour just thinking while you had cried yourself to sleep. While you were dead sleep he came creeping inside the room walking to his side of the bed, and he stared at you for a hot second. He had made a decision on something.
He walks over to the closet and grabs a bag. He starts packing everything that he owned. His plan was to completely disappear from you without a chase, he felt that trying to love you again was really frustrating and difficult, that he didn’t want to do it anymore.
He’s did it once for 5 years maybe that was enough for you. Before leaving through the window he looks at you and notices that your shirt started falling off of your shoulder. He notices something familiar, he walks back over to you and pulls down your shirt a little bit more to expose the tattoo on your arm.
It was a tattoo of his Yaksha mask. You thought it’d be cute to get little tattoos that would be memorable of each other. He pulled your shirt back up to cover the tattoo and walked away thinking that you were a crazy psychopath obsessed with him, but little did he know that he had a little tattoo that reminds him of you on the back of his hand under his glove.
He decided that leaving was the best option for the both of you. He thought that leaving you who was obsessed with him would probably make your mind go straight. But he was equally obsessed with you, exact reason why he agreed to get matching tattoos.
You wake up the next morning to see that everything of his was gone. You run around the house looking for him or his stuff and there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. When you realize what he had done, you drop to your knees balling your eyes out, gripping onto your shirt were your heart is, grabbing onto the floor, and gasping for air.
You couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t speak, all you could do was sob. The air started to get thinner and everything around you was closing in. You where starting to have a panic attack, you were loosing your mind over the fact you were right. 5 years thrown down the drain, everything gone.
You kept thinking to yourself what are you gonna do? you lost the only person you cared about the most. You loved this man to death, and he just upped and left. He could have at least told you, you didn’t have to start your morning off having a panic attack.
Sitting there sobbing and throwing up, you started to get overwhelmed and black straight on out. You were on the ground blacked out for 2 hours. When you finally woke up you didn’t move, you just sat there staring at your fridge in your kitchen which seemed one thousand miles away.
You eventually fell asleep again on the floor, still in the same position from were you blacked out. When you woke up it was night time again, you finally got up to clean up the mess you’ve made on the floor and on yourself.
After clearing the floor and taking a shower, you take a quick peak at your phone and you stare in shock. You’ve been sleeping on that floor for 3 days? how is that even possible? But honestly you didn’t care. Why was that even important.
You had locked yourself inside your house for a month, with no contact what so ever with anyone. What was your lover doing during that month? You didn’t care but you couldn’t help but wonder.
When your lover left, he had to find somewhere to lay low, so he resorted to Cloud retainer’s domain.
“What brings you here?” she asks the boy
“I left.” he replies softly
She was confused “Left from where?”
“My supposed lover.” He says almost rolling his eyes
She doesn’t say anything for a minute be for saying “Why would you leave the one that you love oh so dearly, and loves you equally the same way back?”
“I don’t love her.”
“Hmm, have you not had your memories returned?” she asks still shocked at his words.
He shakes his head no and continues on with his life.
Cloud retainer makes it her mission to try and get Xiao’s memories back. That entire month she had tried various of things to get them back, and he’s had a small bit come back. But he still doesn’t want to return home to you.
After you lock yourself inside your home for a month you started getting low on food. You decided to man up and go shopping for food supplies in Liyue.
After you finished shopping, you decided to go pay a visit to Zhongli. you walked into the funeral parlor and greeted hu-tao then asked where Zhongli was. She pointed you to where he was and you went to go say hi. After sitting there talking for a while, he asked you why he hasn’t seen you for a month and you stared at him for a hot second then you explain what happened.
You started to break down in tears and he welcomes you into a hug. During this time Xiao was planning on coming in and being by Zhongli’s side again. That’s when he saw you in the arms of zhongli, he was just staring at you. He noticed that you were crying. He stayed hidden because he was avoiding you on purpose. He remembered a few things about y’all’s relationship, but he still never wanted to come back.
As he was staring at you, he started to get more memories rushing back. For some reason his entire face turned hot and he was blushing. He was confused on why just looking at you made him feel this way. He was confused on why he was able to feel this feeling. He thought he didn’t love you, but he surely did. 
He teleports away, leaving you again. But you never even noticed he was there.
After a hanging at the funeral parlor you return home, as you start filling up your fridge and cabinets you decide to get over him. He can you get over someone that you had been with for 5 years and planned on marrying? It was possible and that was what exactly what you were gonna do.
You walk into your room and looked at the couple photo of you and Xiao wearing cat ears, you were imitating claws and Xiao stared at you through the camera because he was forced to do that with you, but he was happy. You pick up the photo and look at the “Y/n x Xiao” carved into the frame. You place the photo down onto its face and leave the room.
This is the way it was was for 8 months, you were happy again and living your life. Hanging out with friends and seeing new guys. Xiao completely out of your head, almost.
All Xiao did was watch you from a distance, watching you like this made so many memories of his return. He loved you again, and wanted you in his grasp again. He hated the fact that you were talking to other guys. But what made him happy was that you never touched them the way you touched him.
And you never talked to them the way you used to talk to him. He wanted you back, so he was getting you back.
He wanted to return home, not to the house. But to you. When you were getting ready for a night out he silently teleported inside your room. You never noticed him till you turned around and he scared you.
“What the hell are you doing in my room?” you asked him breathing heavy from the shock.
He walked closer to you “I missed you.”
you thought ‘the audacity that this man has.’
You walk closer to him “what makes you think you can come inside my house and tell me that you missed me? and i’d take you back?!”
Who were you kidding? you never forgotten about him. You wanted him back so badly, you grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips eagerly. You wanted his touch so badly that you were chasing his lips with your own.
That kiss brought back some of his fuzzy memories that he had of you. He wrapped his arms around you to bring you closer and deepen the kiss. He loved and missed you so much, and he was also eager for your touched.
Still kissing you, he noticed the couple photo of you two faced down. He lets one of his hands go off your waist and sits the photo back up.
He never fully left.
I kinda wanna turn this into a wattpad story now…
#genshin impact#genshin fluff#genshin impact x reader#genshin angst#xiao#xiao x reader smut#xiao angst#xiao fluff#xiao x reader#xiao x reader angst#xiao x reader fluff#genshin imagines#genshin impact au#genshin impact fics#genshin impact drabble#genshin impact headcanons#adeptus xiao#genshin impact xiao#genshin xiao
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I finally got why I love so much the "dragons are gone" ending in the books while I hate it in the movies:
The books set the dragons free.
The movies simply sent them away.
That's basically the idea but I had a vision yesterday at 3am so I will be getting into detail below the cut.
The books have a very strong message about slavery. Some would say that it is a concept that is only important within the context of the last five or four books, but the ones that have been paying attention to the saga as a whole knows that there are things happening in the background. You know, stuff like
People eating dragons
People stealing dragons from their families so
The dragons can serve the vikings
And they're expected to obey because
People threaten to turn them into bags.
That's mostly the first book.
Dragons are constantly showed as unsatisfied with the status quo trough out the books, some more annoyed with the vikings than others. We have complete monologues from different dragons before the war is even a possibility. Sincerely, when it happens, it feels natural.
The idea of freeing the dragons is not one that comes up in the last book, not even close. The first time it is considered an option is in book 9 (I think), and, by the time being, we've already stablish lots of concepts as slavery within human beings, the dangers of a war, how this could lead to the end of all and freeing the dragons is the only option.
It is fatalist to say the least, but it's not going out of nowhere. There is a lot of worldbuilding (more on that later), but it is also the right thing to do. By the time Hiccup is presenting the option, Cowell has made us root for the dragons to be free and wild and do whatever they want, even if what they want is to hide under sea for thousands of years. Or if they don't want, or if the want to but just not in that moment, they can do it.
Oh, yes, because they leave GRADUALLY.
It is a sad ending, but still manages to get as satisfactory because, yet again, we know this happens and the books remind us this will happen eventually every time they can. “There were dragons when I was a boy” is literally the first phrase in the saga.
And then we got the movies.
The movies never followed the books. Like, not very much. The writers decided that they wanted to tell a story of a broken relationship between a father and a son while using dragons, the heroic and prophetic aspects of the books were getting on the way of that and they scrapped the idea. So, no, you can't tell me the movies actually follow the books.
However, if you're very technical, you know the Hiccup we see in the movies resembles Hiccup I, the one that stopped the war between vikings and dragons in the books, stablishing an equal relation between the two races. And this idea of the movies being a prequel can work for the second and specially the first movie, disregarding the fact that there are no prophetic or magical elements at all.
But THW exist and... Exist.
Suddenly the writers and producers decide that they want to follow the books and want to get rid of the dragons, something that is completely against the message of the other two movies.
(I am just talking about the movies, the shows-books relationship is very different and I will someday make a post ranting about it)
The movies do NOT talk about the dangers of dragons being with vikings or how the vikings mistreat the dragons or how bad is slavery or anything like that. The second movie does, yes, but the second movie also sends a message about how people benefit of being with dragons. They have their dragons and they're strong because of that friendship. Being at war with one another only brings loss and suffering for both bands while being together promises an actual future. A bright future that no one imagined before the first movie and that now they cling to.
Dragons and vikings are friends and together cand do basically anything.
That's a very strong message, you know?
And you know what? The third movie decided that such a strong and important message about friendship should leave the franchise completely.
“Free the dragons” it's a concept that doesn't fit with the movies. They're not slaved, they're not away from wildness and, most importantly, they CHOOSE to be with the vikings in the first place. They are already equals, they can do what they want and, you know, they are with the vikings because they want to.
But no, let's do a movie about letting friends go as if it could actually fit in the saga.
(I know it could actually fit but the execution was terrible).
As I said before, the movies resembles Hiccup I befriending dragons and we know how it ends. And someone who has never read the books will go and say "well, it was bound to end that way, why are you mad?” I tell you the difference right now: there's 1000 years of difference between the befriending and the parting in the book, 1000 years in wich we witness the deterioration of said friendship (from being friends and equals to being slaves). That's no what happens in the movies. The films give us 6 years and the only deterioration is within Toothless' character and how they made him a horny dog.
The dragons shouldn't have leave. This was a whim from the writers that thought that ending both stories the same way would be cool. It isn't. At all.
Long story short, it doesn't fit thematically. The movies and the books have different themes with different concepts and different characterizations of the dragons. While the books got story building and present the theme's since the beginning, the movies get it out of no where ignoring the themes in previous works.
Anyways, go read the books they're jewels and the ending isn't as shitty as thw make it look
#httyd#how to train your dragon#httyd 2#httyd the hidden world#httyd book#httyd books#im angry about the ending#probably because I'm watching rtte and i llve the relationship wuth the dragons#and the characters themselves#freeing the dragons is an actual theme in rtte but not in the movies#that's sad#also i don't think the shows follow better the books but#they actually use themes from them#english is not my first language#sorry if i wrote anything wrong#i love the films#i know it sounds as if i hate them but i don't#they're basically my favourite movies of all time
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A Role Reversal
The taurian huffed with her arms crossed, she was inches away from breaking something fragile just to feel better. She was going to be stuck escorting a goddess damned male around, it was the absolute last thing she needed this week.
They were always so flighty, so frustrating. To say the wrong thing was to have them clutching at themselves as if she’d slapped them.
Urie often found herself in trouble and receiving reprimands when trying to treat a male as she would anyone else. She was instructed to do so! But she always ended up either insulting them or saying something inappropriate and she'd have to once again take a gender awareness course.
She didn't mean to disrespect them, she just tried to treat them as an equal, as one of the gals!
The door opened to reveal a diminutive human male. The brand new species that the whole galaxy was buzzing about. Something had happened during their introduction, but the story was oddly difficult to get an official report on.
He looked somewhat similar to a taurian male, flat chest, cute butt. What was truly interesting was that he had no horns. His skull was completely different to a taurian, yet the lack of horns seemed to trigger the same feelings Urie got when meeting a tuarian at the bar that she’d try her luck with.
In male taurian culture, they would shave their horns down to be as 'desirable' as possible before covering them with a ceremonial sash. This human had no need, it was… scandalous.
"Hey there!" The human gleefully greeted her, surprising Urie with his boldness. She checked herself, sometimes males would want to assert themselves so they weren't seen as meek.
"Er…Hello! My name is Urie and I'll be your escort whilst on the station." She said in a plain, respectful tone and gave a well practised formal bow. It was only then she noticed she was bowing over the outstretched hand of the human.
"Uh, sorry." She said quickly, grabbing the hand, then wincing. She wasn't meant to just grab them, that wasn't 'correct'.
"It's okay! You got a great grip! We'll have to arm wrestle at some point, that'll be funny as all hell!" The fleshy creature laughed with a jovial tone.
Urie'smind blue-screened as she wasn’t certain exactly how to handle this. She'd love nothing more than to arm wrestle a male. To touch them was exciting enough, to actually do something fun?!
This had to be a trap. She'd stick to the training. It was the only safe option.
The following couple of hours was maddening. He'd talk to her freely and calmly. He'd laugh at her faux pars. When she accidentally bumped into him, he deliberately hip checked her right back.
By the time they reached the food court they were both laughing uproariously.
"So, I have to ask. You mentioned that you were looking for a partner?"
"A mate, yes." Urie nodded.
"How come you haven't found anyone? A lass like you should have guys hanging off you I would have thought? What is it, do you snore?"
"I intimidate them." Urie replied with a dejected tone.
"...how?" He asked an incredulous voice. She brought up a thick arm and tensed her bicep, which bulged and twitched.
"Well count me scar-roused." He stated confusing Urie as he spoke with an awed inflection.
"Most males are intimidated by us, we're bigger, more dangerous. Males have to be careful because IF I'm one of 'the bad ones' then I'm a massive threat. You're... you're not usual. No male would act or talk the way you do..." She said before putting her hands flat against the table so he could see where they were, claws extended and digging into the table top.
As a taurian, she wasn’t even close to the largest of the races, but she still had a few feet on the smaller human. The table they sat at was designed for their species, but their differences were highlighted at this moment.
The human merely chuckled and waved a dismissive hand.
"Ah, I know kung fu. We'll be okay, I'll spar with you sometime if we get the chance." He said with a casual air.
Urie blinked. The idea of pinning him down was the only image in her head now. She couldn't help but pin him with her gaze as he finished his meal, she used her mighty mitts to smother the toothy grin that refused to leave her face.
The following day, in the evening, Urie opened the can of beer with one hand, grasping the top with her index claw and thumb, while her index finger’s claw picked at the tab and opened it with a practised move. She poured some of it in the outstretched pint glass, once the beer roughly reached the top, she poured the rest in her far larger glass. She didn't have as much now, but she honestly couldn’t care less, it was worth it.
This was the very first time that not only had she had a chance to drink beers with a male, but he didn’t seem to be forcing his taste for her benefit. It also helped that he was so attractive.
There had been males that enjoyed drinks, or acted like females, but they all seemed off to Urie. Males acting like females and half looking like females, wasn’t something she wanted, she just wanted someone who was happy to be themselves and she liked what males looked like, there was no need to be ‘feminine’ to her to be equals. She just wanted to spend time with one that was chill and understood that she meant no harm if she missed a social hurdle.
Urie side-eyed Kerion.
She’d never met a human before, she had no real information on what they were like, it had been barely a month since they had appeared. Her first impressions were that they were odd. Very odd. He was attractive, no doubt there. His hornless forehead lent him the air of a male who genuinely tried to make an effort on their look, but he'd not acted like a male all day or the day before. He'd listened to her opinion, offering banter or other opinions without expecting that she would agree with him. They were just equals, a budding friendship devoid of a power struggle.
They both ended up sitting on a bench overlooking the community marketplace of the station. It was at the very commercial centre of the various city-sized sections of the station. The ceiling, a latticework of glass overhead glittered as they orbited the blackhole giving it a 'beautiful' look, a serenity that lent to the calm atmosphere of this isolated spot.
Urie’s eyes widened when she realised with a jolt that others used this a 'lovers' overlook. She just felt it was a nice quiet place she went to be alone! She’d always come here on her own, this was the first time she had someone with her up here. She didn’t mean to get him alone like this.
Cringing at herself, she looked at the human again and wondered what he was thinking right now.
Did he know? He wasn’t dumb, he had to know!
Was he pretending he didn't know? He was kind and never made her feel lesser, it would be what he’d do…
Was he waiting for her to make a move? Where did that idea come from…
Was she supposed to kiss him? She wouldn’t mind doing that…
The silence felt pregnant, but Urie wasn't sure what to say or do, she sat there wiping the condensation off the side of her glass as she tried to figure out what he wanted her to do now.
When a yawn tugged at her face, she began to stretch before a fantastic idea graced her. Subtly after the apex of her yawn and stretch, when she relaxed back against the bench, she brought her free arm down along the back of the bench and around Kieron's shoulders.
He didn’t react at first, if anything he chuckled before turning against her.
His legs stretched out along the bench, his back fully against her side and with his free hand, gently plucked her wrist and put it around himself, finally resting his smaller arms over her forearms and began to drink again from his smaller pint glass.
“Mm, I’m glad you finally made a move. I was worried I was going to have to take the jump.” He said quietly.
“I… didn’t mean for this to happen. I mean! Er.. I’m glad this happened, but I didn’t expect…? Yeah, I didn’t expect this to happen.” She tried to explain, why was her mouth so dry?
He shook against her side.
“Haha, don’t worry. Whatever the case, I’m glad we’ve got to this moment. By hook or by crook, this has been a lovely day. You’re good people Urie.”
Her heart fluttered when he said her name. Goddess, she felt light headed.
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because i'm seeing it come up again, a quick "mod thoughts re: all the voter fraud" discussion:
okay so like. in a perfect world, tumblr would have email verification that actually mattered, and we, the mods, would have some more effective way to prevent voter fraud than saying "oh no don't do fraud that's bad". however, we have neither of those things, and doing fraud on our polls is... ridiculously, laughably easy.
so, imagine our distress when during the techno/scar round, a lot of scar fans started getting very, very angry about fraud we weren't sure was even happening? that, indeed, we had absolutely no reason to think was happening at the time, and no way to do anything about it if was?
well. there were two options. and we took the one that would lead to everyone having more fun and things being less toxic overall in the community. the thing is: if we'd said "voter fraud is entirely unallowed, this thing we can't prevent and can't moderate", then the toxicity of fanbases blaming each other for "breaking the rules" would have gone through the roof. full-stop. and we... didn't want that. this poll did not matter. it still doesn't matter. it had grown wildly, wildly bigger than we'd expected, and we had basically no way to control the way everyone was acting about it, but we didn't want to make a statement that would cause people to be even meaner to each other.
so instead, we took the funny option. we said "yeah do whatever voter fraud you want we don't care". SLIGHTLY regret that we didn't know tumblr tried to make you follow random strangers' blogs when you made a new account otherwise maybe we would have been a BIT more clear about 'don't do that', but listen. by saying "voter fraud is totally fine" we made it funny that people were cheating. we made it so there was basically no such thing as "cheating". we made it so, and this was key, the growing toxicity about "but they're BOTTING" was stupid, because like... everyone's doing it now. openly and blatantly doing it. voters fraud is a beautiful name for a baby girl, and this poll doesn't matter and isn't worth getting worked up over, and you can't cheat if it's not against the rules and everyone's doing it anyway, is the idea here.
like, in an ideal world, would we have rampant voter fraud? nah. in a world where we can't stop it if it happens, though... may as well make sure both sides have equal opportunity to fraud, right? like, that makes it even again, right? and more importantly, it reminds people that this shit really, really doesn't matter.
anyway all of this is to say that if you all start coming into our notes and inbox again to start being really toxic about the other side of the poll and make me cry again i will be pissed.
#mcytblr sexyman#discourse#<- not. okay it is a little bit#given that it. made me cry. yeah probably#anyway for the record it was less 'people yelling directly at us' that made us snap#and more 'people yelling at us a little while also being downright cruel to their opponents ESPECIALLY in techno/scar' that did it#and like. the toxicity about 'BUT THAT'S CHEATING' that was both deeply hypocritical and EVERYWHERE during that round is really what did it#so i want to get out ahead of it and say: yeah if we had a way to STOP IT that would be one thing#but we don't. so fraud away. it's not cheating if everyone is doing it!#anyway i'll go back to being funny about it after this i just see rumblings once more and wanna. head it off at the pass.
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You reblogged that one post a while ago that said crowley loves mischief but only the kind of mischief that doesn't hurt people and what he actually wants is to be kind and that azi loves kindness and being kind but that he wants to be be free to be selfish sometimes and i think it captures it.
There is no good one and no bad one because they're both good. They have flaws but not bad flaws. They care, they're selfless, they're kind, and they want to do the right thing. Neither of them would ever want to hurt or harm anyone, not the other and not humans or whoever. The hurt sometimes caused like in the final 15 isn't caused by intention or hurt pride or whatever but because they care so much about the other, because they want the other to be safe and happy. The key here isn't that either of them is bad but the miscommunication and azi's refusal to let go of heaven and heal (everything you listed in response to the first nonny). The intentions towards each other and in general are and have always been good. That's what makes it so tragic yet beautiful.
Mhhhhmh I am making a very undecided noise right now.
Neither of them is bad OR good. No one is, and that's part of the point—the entire dichotomy from start to finish is nothing but a purely imaginary construct that has no factual basis. Angels aren't good, demons aren't bad, that divide is arbitrary and subjective.
If you were to ask Michael or Uriel if they're good they'd tell you yes, they are, and they believe it. They're angels, of course they're good! To them, morality is not decided by actions, there are two options and you don't get to choose.
To quote NG and TP:
Everyone is fundamentally people, including every single angel and demon, which makes Crowley just Crowley and Aziraphale just Aziraphale.
They can choose to be kind, they can choose to harm people, they can choose to protect—everyone has the capacity for both 'good' and 'bad' actions, and no one will always do only one kind.
Crowley does find fun in hurting people, e.g. the paintball scene, and while his moral compass is more down to earth (pun intended) than Aziraphale's he isn't a saint. He is never intentionally cruel, sure, but he also doesn't intervene e.g. when Morag is dying, he still scares Job's kids, he kills a duck (then brings it back for Aziraphale), and he has no qualms doing his little hypnotizing act if it makes a situation more convenient for him.
Aziraphale, boy, Aziraphale is in some aspects worse than Crowley. The way he talks about poor people alone is horrific, he hoards books and actively scares and manipulates people to keep them away, he uses humans like PUPPETS during the ball, he tells Wee Morag Elspeth will go to hell with a smile on his face. His morality is equally complex and makes him just Aziraphale.
Not good or bad. Just themselves. They do kind acts and nice acts, harmful acts and selfish ones, and so on and on.
Side note: Aziraphale doesn't actually care that much about individual humans but rather humanity tm as a group, while Crowley does actively care about the occasional single human and is more personal in his interactions with him.
#alex answers asks#alex talks good omens#good omens#crowley#aziraphale#good omens season 2#go2#aziracrow#crowley x aziraphale#ineffable husbands#ineffable wives#ineffable spouses#ineffable divorce#the final fifteen
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Sudden thought, I wonder if Erik is actually not aware of Charles’ limitations. Erik meets Charles as the latter jumps into the ocean to save him. Charles is calm all through out. Seemingly not afraid to sacrifice OR knows he will not need to sacrifice anything to meet Erik down below.
Charles tells Erik he knows everything about him. To some extent maybe, but not really. Charles gets the gist of people around him. Goes in enough to know who’s a threat, who can be trusted, but he asks Erik’s permission in finding that sweet memory of Erik and his mom. Charles didn’t know about it beforehand.
Erik didn’t even think Charles would feel Shaw’s death, nor the people on the boats. He assumes Charles has the option to not feel it, presumably. Or doesn’t know how bad it could be.
Erik leaves Charles on the beach before Charles learns he can’t feel his legs, he doesn’t see Charles’ breakdown and Charles keeps himself together admirably beforehand. Reigning in what must be extreme amounts of pain.
When Erik sees Charles again, Erik presumes that Charles could and would use his powers on Erik, stop him whenever he wants, because they’re enemies now. When he realizes Charles can’t do that, it is still unfathomable to him. And on the plane it all suddenly makes sense. Charles valued his ability to walk more than his powers, Charles chose to remove his powers. Charles abandoned them all to pretend at being normal.
Not for a second does Erik believe Charles is anything but all put together, all knowing. Presumably naive, Erik knows better how cruel the world is. Has experienced real hardship while Charles, as much as Erik loves him, lived a pampered one. It makes sense to Erik that Charles would pick being human.
Not once does Erik think Charles may have been abused by a step father and a step brother. Suffered an alcoholic mother who possibly drank herself to death long before 1962. Charles simply doesn’t say anything and quite honestly prefers to move on from them, because they don’t matter. Raven and Erik matter tho. His little team of mutants mattered, and every single one he’s met at first year of school and through cerebro matter.
Charles is strong enough to help the mutants in need, guide them, and if he were just willing to see Erik’s point of view, fight the good fight against the humans. Because Charles doesn’t make mistakes, Charles doesn’t have failures, but he fails the rest of them.
Charles, unfortunately, isn’t seen as a fallible person to even Erik. More akin to a god, that Erik needs to protect his mind from, because otherwise, his god will exact judgment and punishment. Take his free will away from him because Erik has disobeyed him. To Erik, while Charles and him are equals, both god figures in their own right, with his helmet he levels out a playing field Charles doesn’t even see.
Of course, this is not unlike everyone else in Charles’ life, though where Erik sees a godly figure, everyone else sees Charles as a parent figure, placing him on a similar high pedestal. Seemingly everyone will tend to ignore Charles’ possible emotional instability or fallibility, the way a child might expect their parent to be all knowing. Charles’ wrongs become grander because surely he knows better. So why did Charles’ let this, whatever this is, happen?
#X-men#cherik#X-men first class#x men: days of future past#x men apocalypse#xmen dark phoenix#charles xavier#erik lensherr#basically everyone is up their own ass when it comes to Charles#like damn hoes - mutant and proud my ass#only convenient when it’s not a scary telepath huh?#also insane cause like Charles has only ever skimmed people’s thoughts#though granted - he has frozen people and easily incapacitates enemies#I’m not gonna think too hard about how Charles could have stopped like all the hellfire club except for Shaw#lmao it’s honestly hard to write things for all powerful characters#maybe he couldn’t control that many people tho?#and Shaw was for sure hard to keep frozen#so there’s lots of limitations we’re not privy to either#anyway - Charles got screwed with some stank ass family and friends#like these hoes are so self absorbed omg#can’t convince Charles isn’t a fuckin saint#(I DO NOT SEE YOU DARK PHOENIX YOU ARE LITERALLY THE WORST)
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But You Look So Cool
A Danny Wagner/Sam Kiszka fic
Summary: Danny has a crush on a familiar face.
Tags: Fluff, cutesy bullshit, IDIOTS ALERT, literally just the stupidest goofuses alive, NSFW shit AHHHH
Words: 10.8k
A/N: Just trying to keep my Sanny girlies fed. Heavily inspired by Crush by Ethel Cain, everybody go listen to Ethel Cain right now or I will explode you with my mind
Let me know what you think!
~~~
Danny Wagner knew there was no shame in ditching the typical post high school route of moving across the country to start college. Well, maybe it was more like an affirmation he said to himself begrudgingly in the mirror after coming home from work and getting ready to go to class at the local community college. He’d escaped his parent’s house, not that there was anything bad to escape from, and now lived in a crappy one room apartment that he paid for by working a job that he liked an average amount. Every other day, Danny took classes at the community college. He couldn’t help but feel like he was wasting his early twenties saving money and starting small, even though he knew it was the smartest option for him, considering he wasn’t actually all that sure what he wanted to do with life. There weren’t a lot of things Danny was sure of about himself quite yet, but he had faith that it would all fall into place. It had to. Right?
Danny wasn’t sure when things would start to become clear to him, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be during any of his classes. This was an endurance part of his life, he had decided. Get them done, get the associate’s degree, and THEN go from there. He was taking a pretty low course load so he could keep up with work and, well, his sanity, and this was a September where he was taking a whopping two classes. They were both pretty basic, a math course and a history course, and he didn’t expect much from them apart from taking the occasional nap and scurrying to do all of his homework last minute like he’d done his entire academic career.
What Danny especially didn’t expect from his first day of classes was walking into his math classroom (only after double and triple checking he had the right room), taking a seat by the window, and then becoming acutely aware of the smell of cigarette smoke. As he dug his laptop and notebook out of his bag, he wrinkled his nose at the smell and prepared to meet whoever had drug this scent in with them. He could see someone had sat next to him while his neck was craned, and when he straightened, Danny looked to his right and was immediately seized by a cold jolt of surprise. The guy next to him was undoubtedly the smoker, but he was also undoubtedly someone Danny had gone to school with prior.
It was Sam, Sam Kiszka, Sam Kiszka who had been on the robotics team and favored shadowing his older brothers over cultivating a group of friends. Danny had known him with a shaggy emo haircut, braces, and an arsenal of class clown cracks. He’d ultimately lost track of Sam during senior year, when news broke of his dad’s arrest and Sam had shrunk moodily into the shadows while his brothers disappeared into college life and made their own name beyond crime and scandal.
Danny had a feeling that whole era of Sam’s life played a factor into the man he’d grown into. This new Sam sat slouched in a smoke soaked leather jacket with a ratty backpack and scowl playing on his face. It was weird to see him like this. Danny almost wanted to say something, but after Sam’s feline glare passed over him and quickly slid off, he decided not to. He was annoyingly aware of the effect it had on him, though. There was a nervous tremor in Danny’s hand as he opened up his laptop and logged in, staring at himself in the reflection of the dark loading screen and checking for eye boogers or frizz in a sudden attempt to smooth out his sleepy appearance.
The smoke smell was dizzying now in such close proximity, equal parts overwhelming and delicious. Danny breathed it in and, instead of letting out an almost longing sigh, he let out a huge sneeze. In doing so, he knocked his forehead against his keyboard and scooted backwards in his chair in the same motion. Red faced, he looked up and saw almost every eye in the previously quiet room trained on him. Someone called out a ‘bless you’ and he thanked them with an embarrassed smile, finally looking over to see Sam’s assessment. Danny felt his face go hot all over again when he saw Sam was side eyeing him with an amused smile. When they made eye contact, Sam quickly looked forward again and his smile crumpled. For some reason he couldn’t pin, Danny’s heart fluttered.
His mind started racing as his anxiety made him more and more aware of Sam’s presence and every little move. Did Sam remember him? What the hell had he been up to the past two years? Danny had heard rumors that Sam slipped in and out of the county jail since his dad had been sentenced to death row, unconsciously mirroring his family legacy in some sort of effort to cope. But as far as Danny knew, that was just hearsay. As the professor started the lecture and Danny started to focus, his last thought was that maybe he and Sam would grow to be friends over the course of the class.
--
Danny gave up on that hope after the third class. Even during icebreakers, Sam had barely spoken and seemed to daydream the entire class, taking bare bones notes and racing out the door the second the lecture finished. Still, Danny gave him well prepared smiles in the split seconds that Sam’s eyes would drift over him, considering that Danny’s eyes were now almost always on him. Danny himself was a little startled by how distracted he was by his silent classmate. They had exchanged zero words and yet Danny found himself driving up to the building with anxious butterflies as the days went on. He started fulfilling weird little compulsions he’d never felt before, like standing in front of the mirror messing with the way his hair fell, even though he always left it back in its wavy, brushed-out side part. Danny sat in class with his back straighter and his face hidden by his curtain of waves, using them as a cover to sneak glances at Sam’s frowning profile.
In such a tizzy, Danny had spent the time after a family dinner to corner his sister and ask her for a second opinion on why he was feeling so crazy. He had scoffed when she’d begun to laugh in his face, looking at him like he was the stupidest person alive.
“What, you asshole?” Danny asked, shoving Josie’s shoulder as she stifled her laugh with a hand and used the other to grip his shoulder in comradery.
“You idiot,” she giggled. “You’re not being possessed by the devil. You have a fucking crush.”
Danny flushed and laughed at the accusation, rolling his eyes.
“Yeah, okay, sure, right,” Danny mocked, leaning against the doorframe of his sister’s room. “We’ve literally never spoken.”
“You don’t have to talk to someone to have a crush on them,” Josie explained.
Danny paused.
“You don’t?”
“No? What, is this your first year on Earth? Are you experiencing emotions for the first time?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Seriously! Have you never had a crush before?”
Danny thought about it.
“Yeah, in, like, high school,” Danny answered. “I had a girlfriend, thank you.”
“Oh, please, you only dated her because she wouldn’t leave you alone,” Josie accused with a creeping smile. “Sounds like this guy is giving you the real deal. Congratulations, welcome to feelings.”
“What do I even do about it?” Danny whined, sliding down the wood panel and sitting hard. “This shit sucks.”
“Ask him out!” Josie insisted, forming a little heart with her hands. “Follow your heart.”
“You’re a fucking cornball,” Danny countered. “I feel like I should probably talk to him minimum one time before I do that. I mean, I don’t even know if he’s…you know, whatever. Would even be into me.”
“Oh, I bet he’s totally into you,” Josie assured. “When you said he smiled at you after you sneezed? Totally into you.”
“You’re just feeding my delusion.”
“I’m making up for lost time you spent fake dating a weirdo in high school.”
“Yeah, this is some real sentimental bonding we’ve got going on right now.”
“Come on, you wimp,” Josie said, tossing a pillow at Danny’s head. “Do literally anything. Don’t let him be the one that got away.”
“You’re so dramatic, fuck,” Danny accused, but smiled. “Fine, okay, I’ll talk to him.”
--
Danny did not talk to him. Danny really did plan on talking to Sam during their next class, but when Danny pulled into a parking spot, he found himself next to Sam and his grungy motorcycle. Worse yet, it was one of September’s warmer mornings with a humidity left over from a storm the next before, which meant that Sam was shirtless and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He took off his helmet and shook his hair out, unaware of Danny’s jaw hitting the floor as he combed it through with one hand and dug a shirt out of his backpack. After allowing himself one more sidelong glance before he stumbled out of his car, Danny saw a scattering of tattoos on Sam’s wiry arms and hiding on his ribcage. The words died on Danny’s tongue and in his mind and he decided that maybe he’d wait another day, so he did. And then he waited for two more weeks after that, and even then, Danny couldn’t get himself to even breathe in Sam’s direction.
The only person keeping Danny accountable was Josie, and she regularly expressed her upset towards Danny’s lack of action. The siblings had a long standing tradition of raiding the convenience store by their house on Saturday evenings so they had a proper snack arsenal for movie night, and on the Saturday after the one month mark of Danny’s class starting, Josie followed him through the aisles and chastised him.
“Why do you even care so much?” Danny hissed at her as he absently looked through rows of crinkling bags of chips and pretzels.
“Because this is the most exciting thing that’s happened to you since you graduated, you nerd,” Josie answered, plucking a bag of chips out of his hand and breezing by. “Plus, it’d be fun to have someone to razz you with.”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re a kind and gentle soul? Because they were lying.”
Josie laughed and they both continued a steady bicker as they swept the aisles. They settled in the candy aisle for a heated debate on what the “mood” of their candy should be that night. Suddenly, a raucous round of hissing and popping started up outside and they both startled, looking towards the sound. It was the sound of firecrackers, and the owner let out a disgusted sigh and stormed out from behind the counter. He’d seen the Wagner siblings in his store since they were little, and since they were the only ones in there, he quickly told them to not steal anything and then ran out the doors to investigate. The two of them exchanged an amused look and started a joking dialogue about how much stuff they could fit in their pockets when the bell on the door jingled again. They quieted, thinking the owner was back so soon, but Danny felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs when he looked behind him into the next aisle and saw a familiar helmet. He mouthed ‘shit’ and turned around again, Josie quickly picking up on the nervous twitch in his features and looking for herself.
“What?” she whispered, almost inaudible, following Danny as he scooted into the next aisle over to put an aisle between them. Danny gave her a look, and then jerked his head at the man once before widening his eyes. Instantly, her mouth fell open and she started peeking over the top of the shelves to try and catch a glimpse at Sam’s face.
“No way!” she breathed again. “He rides a motorcycle? Hot!”
“Shut the entire fuck up,” Danny seethed, feeling a chill run down his spine when he heard Sam’s boots in the aisle behind them. He moved quickly, a rustle of bags and wrappers as he did. Danny and Josie stood very still when they felt Sam stride into the aisle they were in, exchanging a look and then respectively picking up a snack and examining their wrappers intently. Danny took a brave look over at Sam and saw him pick up a bag of Skittles and then pocket it brashly in the joking way he and his sister had pretended to. Danny blinked in surprise; maybe Sam really was the criminal people made him out to be. Hopefully shoplifting was the worst of his crimes.
Sam moved down the aisle towards them and looked up at Danny, the two of them exchanging a moment of tense eye contact before Sam’s dark eyes flickered over the Twix in Danny’s hands and then away again. Sam walked behind the two of them and then with a quiet ‘excuse me’, he reached his arm in front of Danny and plucked a Twix from the box. Danny stood frozen to the spot but leaned politely out of the way, trying to subtly stomp on Josie’s foot when she sneakily reached up and sank her nails into his forearm in a silent urge for Danny to say something.
However, Danny hardly got the chance to breathe before the owner walked back into the store with an annoyed huff, which caused Sam to startle and then hustle back past them and slip behind a display. Danny and Josie shared a confused look and tracked the top of Sam’s helmet as he sneaked around the perimeter of the store, clearly trying to make his way to the door without being seen. Unfortunately for Sam, they heard his boot knock loudly against a bottle and the owner looked up from his paper. His face immediately twisted into a fury.
“KISZKA!” he bellowed, slamming his paper onto the counter as Sam scurried down the first aisle and out the door, the bell banging loudly as the owner followed him out in a hurried jog. Danny and Josie quietly stood and watched the two men disappear around the corner in a flurry of yells.
“Well,” Josie finally said as they slowly approached the counter and started piling their stuff onto it for when the owner returned. “He seems really nice.”
“Shut up,” Danny muttered, knowing his face was thoroughly flushed from both nerves and embarrassment.
“No, really, I’m super excited for your prison biker wedding.”
“Shut up.”
--
On Monday, Danny was sitting at his table going over the Excel graphing exercise that had driven him nearly crazy the night prior when something was loudly dropped next to him. His reflexes were not as sharp from his lack of sleep and he jolted, calming when he saw what had been dropped on his notebook: a Twix. Danny immediately looked to his right and watched Sam fall into his seat, cracking his neck and unzipping his backpack like nothing had happened. Heart racing, Danny picked up the chocolate and caught Sam’s eye, holding it aloft with confusion crinkling his arched brows. Sam looked at the Twix like he was surprised to see it, sniffed absently and then reclined further in his chair.
“It’s a bribe,” Sam finally spoke, his light voice betraying his cool, edgy facade.
“Pardon?” Danny asked dumbly, trying not to stumble over his words.
“A bribe,” Sam repeated, looking at Danny like he was stupid. “It seems like you know what you’re doing in this class, right?”
“Barely,” Danny muttered, looking back at the admittedly correct graphs on his screen.
“That’s better than how I’m doing,” Sam scoffed, loudly dropping his laptop on his table and pulling a bulky thermos out of his backpack. “I figured a little bribe would help to make alliances.”
Danny looked back at the candy in his hand.
“You stole this.”
“So, what? You and your girlfriend were talking about stealing.”
“That was my sister,” Danny clarified with a curl of his lip. “We weren’t actually going to steal anything, it was just a dumb joke.”
“Well, aren’t you a perfect angel?” Sam sarcastically batted his lashes at Danny and then rolled his eyes, cracking his knuckles aggressively. Danny bristled at Sam’s attitude, even though a small part of him was thrilled by it.
“I don’t know how you think you make friends, but it’s not like this,” Danny snipped shakily, lifting his chin and looking back at his screen. He could feel Sam staring at him as he pretended to care about his homework.
“You’re Danny, yeah?” Sam asked casually after a minute.
“Yeah.”
“I remember you from high school.”
Danny hesitated and met Sam’s eye again. Sam smiled, knowing he had Danny’s attention.
“I didn’t do much in high school,” Danny laughed awkwardly, a little incredulous that Sam would’ve paid any kind of attention to him back then. Danny had friends, sure, but he coasted through classes and invested most of his time with the golfing team, playing video games and banging on the drumset in the basement. He and Sam had mutual friends but had never run in the same circles.
“I remember you anyways,” Sam went on, picking at the skin of his thumb. “You weren’t the type of person to pass up the chance to help out. And I bet that hasn’t changed much. So, you know, if you could help me with an assignment or two, that’d be sick. Plus, I’d make it worth your while.”
“Will I continue to be paid in Twix?”Danny joked, flushing at Sam’s surprising comprehension of Danny’s character. Sam laughed, a sharp noise that sent chills down Danny’s spine.
“You’re fucking funny, dude,” Sam grinned. “If that’s what you want, but I can get you whatever you need. Pick your poison.”
“Poison?” Danny echoed, blinking blankly. Sam’s eyes softened slightly as he realized Danny wasn’t picking up on what he was putting down. He looked almost endeared.
“Yeah, man,” Sam continued, his voice lowering as he leaned towards Danny. “Dope, coke. If that’s not your vibe, I’ll buy you a stupid six pack or roll you a blunt.”
“If I help you do your homework, you’re going to give me coke?” Danny hissed, leaning in as well. “You’re going from Twix to cocaine for trigonometry?”
“I have to graduate,” Sam hissed back, his voice urgent. “Not graduating is not an option for me. I’ve already flunked a class once and if I fail again my family will-”
Sam cut himself off with a groan and flopped dramatically back into his seat, crossing his arms and stretching his legs out.
“Forget it,” Sam snapped, color rising to his cheeks as he let out a huff. “Forget everything I said. I’m fine, it’s fine.”
Danny paused as he watched Sam shift in his seat, his eyes clouding over as he stared down at his lap. If he didn’t know any better, he’d have thought that Sam might be starting to tear up.
“Hey, man, I’ll help you,” Danny relented, his heart nearly hammering out of his chest as he said it. “Don’t worry about paying me back or anything, though. Actually, I’m more motivated to help you if you promise NOT to give me drugs.”
Sam stared silently at him for a moment, clearly waiting for Danny to pull the rug out from under him and tell him he was only joking. But Danny was sincere in his promise, and Sam’s tense shoulders loosened slightly.
“Cool,” Sam said quietly, nodding once. “Are you busy after class?”
Danny was supposed to have lunch with a friend, but in a split second he decided to cancel.
“No,” Danny answered quickly.
“Wanna go to the library and, I don’t know, you tell me what the fuck is happening in this unit?” Sam suggested, his voice lowering as he got to the end of his sentence. Danny couldn’t help but let a painfully endeared smile cross over his face as he pretended to think for a second and then nodded.
“Yeah, that works,” Danny agreed casually and Sam mirrored his nodding.
“Sweet.”
“Yeah.”
They looked at each other for a moment, letting a few awkward beats pass before Sam cleared his throat and turned his attention back to his thermos. Danny watched him unscrew the chunky lid and take a deep sip, causing Sam to visibly hold back a wince as his eye twitched and he screwed the lid back on. He looked back at Danny, who was regarding him with another look of surprise.
“What?” Sam whispered.
“Dude,” Danny said simply, unsure whether to be concerned or to laugh.
“Shut up,” Sam replied, narrowing his eyes like an angry cat.
“It’s 9am,” Danny went on, a giggle at the end of his words.
“Shut up,” Sam repeated.
The professor got out of her seat and turned on her computer, signaling the beginning of class, and both of them fell silent as the lecture flashed on the projection screen. Danny decided to try and sneak one more look at Sam before he tuned in completely, allowing himself to relish in the anticipation that they were going to be spending the afternoon together. When he looked, he saw Sam was looking back at him, and they both turned away quickly and didn’t make eye contact for the rest of the class.
After an admittedly awkward walk to the library, Danny very quickly learned the extent of just what kind of student Sam was. His eyes wandered, his questions branched into a myriad of tangents, and oftentimes his conclusions made no sense. A particularly hard problem had Danny making Sam slowly backtrack his process to how he arrived at his answer, which made Danny even more confused and further infuriated Sam as he was reminded of how lost he was.
And yet, Danny was exceedingly patient with him. When the light outside started to fade and they gave up on making any more progress, Sam seemed genuinely shocked that Danny had stuck around as long as he had. Sure, when he got home that night Danny gave an extra little scream into his pillow from how hard he had fought Sam to try and help him understand the unit they were on, but Danny really hadn’t minded getting to spend some actual one on one time with Sam. Between tense discussion and slow calculations, Danny had actually had a lot of fun.
--
Danny finally admitted to himself that he was completely and totally screwed after the next couple of study sessions with Sam. The issue was that not only was Sam even hotter up close, but that he and Danny got along famously. When he wasn’t cussing out his textbook (or Danny, on occasion) or staring off into space, Sam was funny and quick witted and a surprisingly good listener. He had this habit of cradling his jaw with both hands while staring wide eyed at Danny and the textbook he was working off of, nodding occasionally and scribbling down Danny’s process with his bottom lip sucked in between his teeth.
“You’re really getting it now, man,” Danny said proudly one afternoon, watching Sam’s flimsy mechanical pencil work its way down his notebook page as he linked together a probability.
“Maybe a little,” Sam mumbled, flipping a page to check the answer sheet.
“Seriously, you’ve made hella progress,” Danny went on, motioning at Sam’s paper with his own pencil. “You don’t even need the cheat sheet, I know that’s right.”
“Still gonna check,” Sam insisted, seeming to shrink under Danny’s praise. Danny frowned, watching Sam grow somber in the way he always did when he scoured his homework for problems. Normally, Danny just let him take his quiet pause, but this time he felt himself saying something before he could stop himself.
“You know that you’re smart, right?”
Sam looked up quickly, looking almost disgusted by Danny’s compliment.
“Yeah, okay,” Sam mocked, crinkling his nose.
“You are,” Danny continued. “You were smart in high school, too. I mean, you did robotics and debate and stuff, right? You’ve gotta be clever to do all that.”
Sam blinked, his look shifting from unbelieving to almost shy.
“You remember all that?” Sam asked, his voice oddly soft. Danny felt his face flush.
“Uh, well, yeah,” Danny stammered slightly, shrugging like it was nothing. “I noticed lots of stuff in high school. It was a lot more fun than doing my own stuff, I guess.”
“You did cool stuff, too,” Sam said hesitantly, looking back at his page. “Golf is…cool.”
“No, it’s not,” Danny laughed, and a smirk slipped onto Sam’s face.
“Nah, it’s really not,” Sam agreed, the smirk growing to a cheeky grin. “You know what I mean. You were a cool person.”
“Oh, am I not cool anymore?” Danny teased, basking in the realization that at least once, Sam had thought about him back then.
“You’re still cool,” Sam smiled, his eyes boring into Danny’s own as Danny’s smile grew wide and dopey.
“Cool,” Danny replied dumbly, seeing Sam’s eyebrow raise in his peripheral vision as he pretended to start on another question.
“Not good with compliments either, huh?” Sam accused lightheartedly.
“I guess I just don’t get them that much,” Danny answered honestly. Sam immediately let out a sharp, one note laugh that earned him a dirty look from the librarian and a confused smile from Danny.
“What?” Danny asked. Sam looked him up and down once with an amused smile, but once he realized Danny had absolutely no clue what he found so ridiculous, his smile quickly died.
“Nothing, whatever,” Sam backtracked, letting out another much quieter laugh as if to make up for the brashness of the first one.
“Nuh uh, tell me,” Danny insisted, quickly swiping Sam’s paper out from under his hand and holding it hostage under his forearm. “What’s so funny, funny guy?”
“Nothing!” Sam doubled down, his usually edgy tone taking on a brand new whining quality as he tried to yank his paper back. The annoyed knit of Sam’s eyebrows gave Danny a small thrill he didn’t quite understand.
“You tell me why you laughed or I eat this fucking piece of paper.”
“Oh, I would actually love to see that, go right ahead.”
“Come on, Sam, tell me,” Danny all but begged. “Why is it so damn funny I don’t get compliments on the reg?”
Sam still refused to meet his eye, half heartedly trying to slide the paper out from under Danny’s arm with his fingertips gripping furiously.
“I don’t know, I guess it’s just weird considering you look, you know…” Sam trailed off, his tan cheeks rosy as he stumbled to his point. “Looking the way you do, I’d think maybe you’d be fending ‘em off ‘on the reg’. Your words, not mine.”
Danny blinked, still vaguely lost.
“Looking the way I do?” Danny echoed slowly, and Sam rolled his eyes. Danny looked down at himself, trying to decipher whatever Sam was getting at. “Is there a big sweater crowd here that I was unaware of, or…?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Sam mumbled, finally pushing Danny’s arm back with one hand and grabbing his paper with the other. “Nevermind.”
Danny spent the rest of the night trying to understand just what Sam had been telling him, but it didn’t hit him until that last second before he finally fell asleep. Danny had sat up abruptly when the thought settled on him, his adrenaline jerking him upwards like a puppet so hard that his knee collided with his cheek. He fell back onto his pillow with a prolonged groan, pressing the heel of his palm to his sore cheek, feeling his blood pulse as he blinked up at the ceiling with the realization spinning in his head: Sam thought he was attractive. And he had said it right to Danny’s face without him knowing. As he began to drift off again, Danny thought he might be the stupidest man alive.
--
Danny certainly felt like one when the next time he saw Sam, he approached him with sheepish energy and a big, tender bruise on the plane of his cheek under his right eye. Sam’s mouth fell open and he immediately reached up to touch Danny’s face, his fingers softly grazing over the bruise as his dark eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“What the hell happened to you?” Sam asked, his eyes suddenly lighting up as a snarky comment generated in his head. “Oh my god, did you get in a fight?”
Danny, realizing there was no way he could explain the true nature of his injury without sounding like an utter idiot, quickly nodded in agreement and tried to look remorseful. Sam’s mouth fell open again. The sparkle in his eye paired with his ability to be so quick to believe made Danny’s stomach flutter in adoration.
“Yeah, no biggie,” Danny said coolly as he slid into his seat, shrugging off his bag as Sam landed on his seat harshly, his eyes still stuck to Danny’s face.
“Who did you fight?” Sam gasped. “Did you fight a cop? Oh, please say yes.”
“Yep, you know me, big cop fighter,” Danny agreed, sarcasm edging his voice as he shot Sam a sly smile. Sam slumped in his seat as he began to scowl.
“Oh, fuck you, don’t lie to me,” Sam pouted, crossing his leather clad arms. “Seriously, what’s with the bruise?”
“It’s stupid, I’m fine,” Danny laughed.
“Do we have to cancel midterms studying later?” Sam asked, looking concerned. Maybe even disappointed. “I don’t wanna, I don’t know.”
“Are you worried I’m going to strain my small bruise too much?” Danny teased, butterflies fluttering again at Sam’s genuine worry about his well being.
“I don’t know!” Sam spluttered. “I want to make sure my teacher isn’t being held back from teaching me.”
“Sure, sure,” Danny smiled, finding a random surge of confidence and channeling it by mocking one of the first things Sam had said to him. “Aren’t you just a perfect angel?”
Sam immediately fell silent, rolling his eyes deeply and lolling back into his seat, turning away from Danny for a moment before flopping his head back towards Danny.
“Maybe I am,” Sam joked, giving Daniel a theatrical wink before scoffing and shaking his head, reacting so heavily that Danny figured that he must’ve been genuinely flustered by Danny’s accusation. It was hitting him again now, that Sam might actually like him back. It still felt like a reach, but Danny let the satisfaction of the possibility straighten his spine confidently while Sam continued to sputter.
--
By the time midterms had come and gone, Danny was beginning to become actually convinced he might have a shot with Sam. A lot of this was attributed to Sam suddenly and consistently indulging in a habit Danny was well acquainted with: kleptomania.
“Sam, you have got to stop,” Danny said defeatedly after Sam dropped yet another grocery bag of snacks on the table in front of Danny before collapsing in the booth across from him. This study session was at a coffee shop, which Danny thought might deter Sam from his now expected habit of bringing Danny bags of treats and the occasional other small, random items.
“Why? It’s funny,” Sam insisted as he did every time Danny questioned why the hell he was doing this. “Come on, laugh.”
“I am not laughing, thank you very much,” Danny said haughtily, sifting through the bag with two fingers. “Aw, come on, there’s even more than last time. Those poor store owners you’re robbing are going to start to notice, you know.”
“Whatever, as if they could prove it was me,” Sam scoffed with pride, cracking his neck cockily.
“Security cams, Sams,” Danny remarked, tying the handles of the bag together. “Seriously, it’s just not worth the risk. I don’t know why you think I’m so desperately in need of a couple hundred granola bars.”
“Totally worth the risk,” Sam argued. “I have a great time doing it, and then you have a great time not starving.”
“Why would I be starving?”
“You said you barely even eat during the days you work. Boom, problem solved, shut up and eat your damn fruit snacks.”
Danny’s heart suddenly began to slam against his ribs as the feelings that accompanied Sam’s shockingly sweet intentions jolted every nerve ending in Danny’s body.
“You started being a full blown klepto because…you didn’t want me to be hungry?”
“So?” Sam’s voice was sharp and defensive, but when Danny blinked at him, he saw Sam’s eyes soften for a fraction of a second and he knew.
“It’s just…actually very nice of you,” Danny said, his voice petering out slightly at the end of his sentence. “Now I kinda feel like a dickhead for yelling at you. Even though I still don’t think you should steal.”
“I accept your apology,” Sam answered jokingly. “So, which homework are we going over today?”
“Oh, we actually don’t have anything due on Friday,” Danny said. “I’m slightly concerned you don’t remember her saying that, but, yeah, we don’t technically don’t have to work on anything.”
“Oh,” Sam said simply, tensing and then relaxing in the same second. “So, we’re just…like, hanging out?”
“I guess,” Danny replied, masking his nerves by taking a sip of his drink. “I mean, we can look ahead in the book. Or you can, like, go if you want.”
“No, no, it’s whatever,” Sam said hurriedly. “I mean, I already ordered a drink, so.”
“Yeah, I mean, then you gotta stay,” Danny teased, still a little surprised by his own ability to flirt so quickly lately. “Maybe we can even attempt a conversation without talking about trigonometry.”
“Sounds like pulling teeth,” Sam agreed, arching a dark brow in amusement. “I’m down.”
“Should I ask you how your day was?”
“Definitely not.”
“What about your childhood?”
Sam bristled but somehow twisted it into a weak smile.
“I don’t know, you were there for a good chunk of it,” Sam smiled, and Danny melted a little. “You weren’t super involved or anything, but you probably know the gist of it.”
“Mm, I guess,” Danny shrugged. “Not enough to know how you went from being such a nice little nerd to…wherever you are now.”
“Is there something wrong with me now?” Sam snapped, giving Danny the stink eye.
“No, no, but you’re definitely a lot different than you were 5 years ago,” Danny went on and Sam swallowed, his eyes traveling in the air next to Danny’s head uncomfortably.
“True,” Sam agreed sullenly.
“I didn’t mean to, I don’t know, drag up anything,” Danny said nervously, taking note of the dark cloud settling over Sam’s head. “Just making conversation. I mean, I admit I am curious, but you can change the subject.”
“It’s…fine,” Sam sighed, shifting in his seat and finally taking off his jacket as he talked. “I mean, you know all the shit that went down with my family. I guess it’s just kind of a weird thing for an angsty little teenager to deal with, and doing spontaneous, adrenaline rush inducing shit is a lot easier to do than dealing with emotions. Way more fun, too.”
“I get that,” Danny said softly. “I was worried for you for a while in high school. You didn’t come to school for like a week straight once and I totally thought something bad had happened.”
“Really?” Sam asked. He looked surprised that Danny had remembered that, and he also looked a little guilty.
“I mean, yeah,” Danny stammered. It was true; it had been a little hard not to be on the lookout for Sam after his dad’s mugshot had been plastered on every newspaper in town.
“Well, I was fine,” Sam insisted, guilt still gracing his features. “With everything going on, I figured nobody would care if I stayed away for a little while. I was pretty much just taking tabs in the woods and eating at drive throughs and stirring up shit at random bars.”
“That sounds like it sucks,” Danny blurted, and Sam looked startled by his candor.
“It did suck,” Sam answered plainly. “But it could have been worse. I mean, I only got arrested once.”
“That’s a miracle,” Danny joked and Sam laughed.
“Honestly, yeah,” Sam agreed with a feline smirk. “I’ve gotten up to some pretty crazy things in my time.”
“I’d love to hear about them,” Danny smiled, cupping his chin in his hand in an effort to look tuned in completely to Sam. Sam laughed again and mirrored Danny’s cheesy motion with a higher notch of dramatics, making both of them chuckle before Sam launched into a highlights reel of the craziest things he’d experienced in the past couple of years. With every new anecdote, Sam loosened up more and more, his eyes staying round and playful as he gesticulated often and laughed between his words. Even though his stories painted him as some kind of a wild thrill seeker, the Sam sitting in front of Danny was exuberant, sweet, and kept collapsing into fits of giggles that made him snort and giggle all over again. Danny couldn’t help but stare.
--
Suddenly it was November, and Danny and Sam put their heads together to work through the review packet they’d been given. The truth is that the review packet had all the basics of the units they’d gone through, and the professor had said that the final was going to be a collection of all the simplest concepts so there was no reason to unnecessarily stress, but Danny and Sam began to study like it was the bar exam. At this point, both of them were quietly aware that Sam would be able to pass this final without Danny’s help, and that their studying sessions didn’t actually involve all that much studying anymore. They’d go to the library or a coffee shop or any kind of quiet establishment, pull out their folders and pencils and calculators, and then not touch them for the next couple of hours while they chatted. On a few occasions, Sam would shut down when the conversation got too close for him, and Danny knew that during those times he was waiting for Danny to go, but he never did. He’d pick a new topic, broach it carefully, and wait for Sam to warm back up to him. That unthinking kindness was a big part of why Sam actually started to feel comfortable opening up to Danny, even if it was only a little bit. It was also why Sam started to feel like he would do anything to get alone with Danny, such as feigning that he absolutely needed them to start meeting up twice a week more than once. Right before the actual test, Sam even considered inviting Danny over to his place to…not study, he wouldn’t get away with saying that’s why he wanted him over. That’s why he never ended up offering. Part of it was shame, honestly. He didn’t like the imagery of Danny, bright and clean, standing in the basement he called home and pretending to like it. Or even actually liking it, seeing as he seemed to like everything Sam pitched to him, even when it was a tale of arson or getting an unseemly tattoo in an unseemly place.
What it was, really, was that Sam wanted Danny alone because he had a big, fat crush on him. When he’d first seen Danny in class, he’d recognized him from school, sure, but his first thought was that he was absolutely drop dead gorgeous. So gorgeous that he looked entirely out of place hunched over his laptop in a stained t-shirt that he assumed doubled as his uniform for work. Sam wasn’t stupid, he knew that his look attracted his stares, and usually he loved the attention. But he felt uncharacteristically nervous when he began to notice that Danny’s eyes couldn’t stay off of him during class. In fact, even after becoming friends and becoming arguably close friends, he still felt nervous under Danny’s gaze. He wanted to keep his eyes on him at all times, and as the last day of class drew near, he was worried he was going to lose it. Sam knew he had to make a move. He just wasn’t sure how.
--
“Come over.”
Danny blinked.
“Hm?” Danny asked with a closed mouth, looking up from his paper to see that Sam wasn’t even looking at him. Sam was regarding the motor oil under his nails with great intensity.
“Come over,” Sam repeated, slowly and theatrically. “After the final tomorrow. We’ll party and lay a semester of unrelenting torment to rest.”
“Oh,” Danny replied dumbly, suddenly feeling very warm under the collar of his green sweater. “Yeah, sure, sounds fun. Should I bring anything?”
“Nah, I’ve got enough liquor to be deemed a public fire hazard,” Sam grinned, finally looking at Danny to flash him his teeth. “You’ll probably have to crash for the night, though. We’re going to get pretty fucked up.”
“Oh, are we?” Danny challenged with a smile of his own. “I don’t know how wild a two person party can get.”
“I’d invite other people but they wouldn’t understand the true heart of the party like we do,” Sam explained dryly. “You can pick what we watch.”
“Sweet,” Danny sang, his knee bouncing from jitters under the table. He couldn’t stop thinking about the prospect of sleeping in the same room as Sam. “Do I get to sleep on the couch, or is it a pillow and a blanket situation?”
“Whatever you want, bro,” Sam answered coolly, looking back to his nails. “All I know is you don’t get the bed.”
“You must be so proud of your twin size mattress.”
“Hey, she sees plenty of play,” Sam purred, blatantly lying. He winked and Danny rolled his eyes, landing his attention back on his paper.
“If ‘she’ saw plenty of play, you wouldn’t still have a twin,” Danny accused, his stomach turning at the thought of anyone other than him in that bed with Sam. Sam scoffed.
“Hey now, mattresses are expensive as fuck,” Sam argued, reaching a defensive headspace where his arms crossed and his lip curled. Danny loved it.
“True, true,” Danny humored him. “So, do I get to ride home with you on your big scary motorcycle or do I have to follow you in my car?”
“We’ll see if your excuse for a car can keep up with my Harley. I’ve been meaning to ask you to drag race, anyways.”
“My sheer spite would make my car go faster than your tricycle.”
“Tricycle?!”
Danny laughed as Sam flew into a sputtering tirade of defending his motorcycle, counting out bullet pointed arguments on his fingers as Danny sat there with a dopey smile on his face. Danny wondered if Sam had caught on to the fact that he fired him up just so he could watch him fizzle down. At the same time, Sam wondered if Danny knew how much he liked that he did that.
--
Danny’s nerves began to run wild about halfway through his final. Not because of any uncertainty at his answers, but because as time passed, he realized just how soon he’d be at Sam’s. He was worried about what he’d be like after a few drinks and finding himself completely alone with the man he’d begun to fantasize about more and more every day. Actually, he hadn’t thought of much else but what he was going to do about this hangout time with Sam, or rather, what he wanted to do. A gentle, almost innocent crush had morphed so quickly in such a short time, and his feelings were quickly developing in a way that kept his head filled with images of his hands on Sam’s hips and how Sam’s neck might look when covered in bruises. As one of those thoughts started to drift into his mind, his thoughts whispering about how it was a very real possibility, Danny’s pencil began to fly over his paper as he hurried to finish as fast as possible.
Sam didn’t keep Danny waiting for very long after he did finally turn in his final and hurry out into the hallway. Sam had dressed pretty nice for once, in his own uniquely Sam way. He had on a rumpled white shirt with a dark green leather jacket, paired with dark jeans that boasted only a few scuffs and minor rips. He stomped after Danny down the hall in heavy workmans boots.
“How was it for you?” Sam asked, his body language bordering on giddy as they burst out the doors into a chilly, biting breeze that immediately reddened both their cheeks and noses.
“Honestly? It was kind of easy,” Danny said brightly and Sam immediately let out a laugh, kicking an icy stick as they approached where they’d parked their respective vehicles nearby.
“I knew you’d say that, ugh,” Sam complained.
“What, was it hard for you?”
“No, it’s just more annoying when things are easy for you,” Sam explained. “‘Cause everything’s easy to you, so, like, duh, of course you thought it was easy.”
“Sorry for being smart?” Danny laughed apologetically.
“Yeah, you better be.”
Danny scoffed and Sam laughed, brushing a few stray leaves off the seat of his bike and straddling it. Danny’s breath caught slightly when Sam adjusted himself, his back arching for a few seconds before he settled down, fiddling with his gloves while Danny dragged his gaze away from the seat of his bike. They weren’t even at Sam’s yet, and he started to become really worried about his capacity for self control.
--
Danny worried again when they arrived at Sam’s grungy apartment building and he watched Sam flip his hair over his shoulder as he fumbled for his keys.
Danny worried some more when Sam insisted on standing sideways in the doorway to dramatically present his living room to him, so that Danny felt his chest drag against his upper arm as he squeezed past.
Danny worried the most in the moments right after the door closed. Sam pressed his back against the wood coquettishly while grinning softly at Danny, and Danny sort of floated out of himself when he felt his body turn on his heel and march right up to Sam. Sam’s eyes widened and his goofy introductory remarks died on his tongue as he looked up at Danny in puzzlement right before Danny gently palmed the side of his tattooed throat and brought his lips to Sam’s. And Sam, the rough edged, chain smoking, eye rolling, pain of a man immediately buckled at the knee and sighed into the contact, his rough hands grazing Danny’s neck before diving into his hair. Danny felt his entire body go blindingly white hot with nerves as he gasped and went in for another kiss, his jaw angling perfectly against Sam’s as he held him firmly against the door. Sam arched against the wood and into Danny’s touch, melting against whatever contact he could find on the taller man. After a minute of Sam writhing and Danny nearly blacking out from the pleasure of Sam’s soft lips on his own, Danny finally pulled away for a deep breath of air, maintaining frenzied eye contact with Sam as he watched him paw lightly at his neck and take gasping breaths.
“Hey,” Danny breathed, his voice raspy and shaking. “I’m sorry, I should have-”
“Took you fucking long enough,” Sam cut him off, his shining lips splitting into a wild smile. “I mean, fuckin’ A, man. I was starting to think I was reading into nothing.”
“Definitely not nothing,” Danny replied quietly. “A very nervous something.”
“Well, the something is mutual,” Sam grinned, giving Danny a proper up and down with his eyes and chuckling softly. “Very, very mutual.”
“Cool,” Danny said shyly, dipping his head to try and hide his smile, as if he hadn’t just slammed Sam against a door to steal a kiss.
“Come back,” Sam whined softly, grasping Danny by the collar of his corduroy jacket and pulling him back into his embrace. “Come on, don’t be a tease any more than you already are.”
“I’m a tease?” Danny asked with delighted disbelief, smiling into the contact of Sam beginning to kiss along his jaw and neck. “You were the one who was going to make me sleep on the floor tonight.”
“Oh, baby, you were never going to be sleeping on the floor,” Sam whispered in his ear, kissing his jaw and working his way up to giving Danny one, long kiss on the lips before speaking again. “I always get what I want.”
“You want me?” Danny asked against his lips, getting lost in the wide expanse of Sam’s dark eyes.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Sam purred, cupping Danny’s jaw and pulling him into a series of slow kisses while Danny’s mind continued to reel at Sam’s reciprocity. With Sam biting his lip and kissing it better in succession, along with his willowy fingers tracing down Danny’s chest, Danny was honestly beginning to find it hard that this wasn’t a miracle from the universe. Or maybe some kind of dream that he’d fallen into without realizing. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend that this scenario was exactly what Sam had been picturing for their evening the entire time.
Once Sam’s tongue made its way into Danny’s mouth, adding warmth and licking smoothly, Danny started to hurriedly shrug off his jacket and toss it blindly behind him before starting to work Sam’s off of him. It exposed the patchwork of tattoos along Sam’s arms, tigers and daggers and snakes in the traditional style popping against the white of his shirt. To his surprise, Sam’s hands left Danny’s cheeks and boldly slid up under his sweater, causing Danny to flinch and yelp at the feeling of Sam’s ice cold fingers on his warm skin. Sam giggled, still keeping their lips locked together as he grabbed at Danny’s waist and sides, his hands unable to stay in one place. Matching Sam’s reckless abandon, Danny suddenly bent at the knee and hooked his arms around Sam’s thighs, boosting him into the air. Sam hummed into his mouth, crossing his legs behind Danny’s back and snaking his hands out from under Danny’s sweater to tangle back into his curls.
“My bedroom is the door behind you to the right,” Sam mumbled breathlessly, fidgeting slightly against Danny’s firm front.
“That’s awful forward of you,” Danny flirted, taking a moment to breathe and appreciate the weight of Sam in his arms, holding him up with very little effort. This could come in handy.
“Well, do you want to fuck me or not?” Sam scoffed, a further blush flushing his face as he said it. His pupils completely swallowed up the warm brown of his iris as he stared expectantly at Danny, who had to take a second to concentrate on not cumming in his jeans right then and there.
“Yes, god, yes,” Danny answered quickly, immediately starting a slow, backwards walk towards Sam’s bedroom as Sam grinned wolfishly and descended on Danny’s mouth hungrily again.
Eventually, they fumbled their way into the bedroom, Sam closing the door behind them before Danny dropped him on the bed and climbed over him. Danny considered continuing with his conquest, but he found himself looking up to observe his surroundings. Sam’s bedroom was small, with wrinkled posters and flyers for basement shows and concerts peppering the gray walls. There were clothes all over the floor, along with the butts of cigarettes and a myriad of worn out sneakers and boots. Sam watched Danny’s expression carefully as he assessed the mess that was his room, his eyes tracking the pattern on his quilt before smiling at Sam again.
“It’s cute in here,” Danny declared, looking at a string of lights taped to the borders of the walls while Sam blinked in surprise at his words.
“No, it’s not,” Sam muttered, looking around his room and seeing only the disregard for his own environment in the mess he’d created.
“Nah, it’s all very you,” Danny explained, looking at the room and seeing the person behind it all. He imagined Sam wobbling on a stool to paint the walls their moody gray, or pulling his quilt out of a box and smoothing it lovingly over the sheets, wondering if it had been made for him by a relative or hand picked from a thrift shop with a curated eye. It was all painfully adorable to him. It was all so…Sam.
Sam saw the adoring shine in Danny’s crinkled, hazel eyes and felt all his seductive confidence fly out the window, only able to bat his lashes up at him and marvel.
“You really don’t think I’m a scuzzball, do you?” Sam asked with a note of amused realization, his sentence lifting into a slight one note laugh.
“Never have,” Danny answered honestly, cocking his head at Sam while smiling warmly. “I mean, you can pretend all you want, but I know you’re not who you pretend to be. You’re just…”
“What?” Sam challenged, slightly defensive of the persona he’d worked hard to maintain over the years, and also slightly embarrassed that Danny had seen through it so effortlessly.
“You’re just you, I guess,” Danny shrugged as best he could while holding his weight on his elbows, still hovering over Sam’s reclined body. “And that’s not very scary to me.”
Sam was silent for a minute, unsure of what to say to that. Initially, he’d been annoyed that Danny was so nice to him, figuring the other shoe would drop at any time and he’d reveal his worst intentions. This was a pattern Sam was accustomed to. But Danny really meant what he said. He didn’t just see through Sam, he saw him fully, and Sam realized with a relieved jolt that he had never really been annoyed about it. He was grateful.
But Sam was still very much in a certain state of mind, and his body reminded him of it when he looked down and saw how his crotch had lifted to press against Danny’s without his realizing. He figured maybe there was a certain way he could show Danny just how grateful he was.
“Why don’t you show me just how scary you can be?” Sam invited lowly, his hand returning to Danny’s cheek as his thumb swiped over Danny’s bottom lip. This small action seemed to remind Danny of how they’d ended up here, and Sam watched with restrained delight as Danny’s eyes glazed over slightly.
“What do you want?” Danny asked quietly, adjusting and hovering further over Sam, his look of genuine caring slowly morphing into something almost predatory as he smiled. His hair fell around them, the rest of the world falling away.
“I already told you,” Sam pointed out haughtily. “I want you.”
“I’m getting kind of tired of your attitude,” Danny fired back. “You know I want specifics.”
“Is that what you want? Specifics? Not me?” Sam grinned cheekily, enjoying pressing Danny’s buttons even more now that he was getting the idea that he’d be rewarded for it. Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head at Sam.
“Be that way,” Danny hummed, straightening and sitting hard on Sam’s lap, causing him to let out a strangled whine as Danny pulled his sweater off. “Guess I’ll just call the shots.”
Sam really wanted to conjure up a fiery retort, but his mind went fuzzy and blank at the sight of Danny with his shirt off, his broad chest exposed and his smile cocky and triumphant as he watched Sam flounder wordlessly. Sam became even more aware of the strain in his jeans when his eyes traveled downward and he caught sight of the trail of dark hair just over the waistband of Danny’s pants.
“Do you even know how much I like you?” Danny started, casually undoing the clasp of his watch and leaning to the side to drop it on Sam’s bedside table while Sam propped himself up on his elbows. “I literally thought I was going to flunk the class because you were so distracting.”
“I didn’t even talk to you,” Sam said simply, barely audible.
“Didn’t need to,” Danny affirmed. “My mind did most of the distracting stuff.”
“Like what?” Sam prodded, tipping his chin up to stare unrelentingly at Danny in a pathetic attempt to regain control. Danny, taking advantage of this surprising burst of dominance that Sam seemed to give him, gently grasped Sam’s chin.
“Well, initially, I had all these ideas of how we’d end up kissing for the first time,” Danny explained. “Shockingly, none of them ended up being how it went, but I’m glad I had options. And, I mean, those ideas just sort of developed over time. I’d wake up and be all surprised that I’d cum in my pants and not on you.”
Sam’s jaw hung open and Danny shut it gently for him, his body pulsing with heat as his adrenaline raced in his veins.
“You gonna teach me some more, hm?” Sam finally managed to say, straining to try and steal a kiss. “Or do you want me to lead?”
“I’d like to see you try,” Danny grinned, pushing Sam onto his back. Sam, breathless, watched Danny move his hands down to Sam’s aching groin and begin to undo his pants, fingers shaking with anticipation. Sam pushed his hair off his forehead and pressed his covered dick into Danny’s hand after his pants had been tugged down to his knees, not speaking but letting a needling whimper escape that made Danny smile.
“What are we going to do with you, Sam?” Danny teased, running his thumb up and down Sam’s concealed length.
“Danny,” Sam choked out as Danny took his hands off of Sam and began to unzip his own pants. The lack of touch was almost unbearable at that moment. “Come on, fuck me, please.”
“That could look like a lot of things,” Danny said absently, freeing his dick and palming it casually, letting out a slow sigh of relief. Sam stared unabashedly at Danny’s impressive and admittedly intimidating length. He’d fantasized about what he might expect, but the real thing was almost overwhelming. But he knew what he needed.
“In me,” Sam whispered, his tone bordering on longing. “Please. I can take it.”
“You can?” Danny questioned, trying to keep up his domineering tone despite the wind being knocked out of his lungs at Sam’s request. “Have you been getting ready for me?”
“Maybe,” Sam admitted quietly. He took a dangerous leap with what he said next. “But those randos don’t even hold a candle to you.”
Danny flinched, jealousy immediately rolling over him in cold waves as his mind started to conjure up disgusting imagery of Sam on his back for anybody other than him. It must have translated into his expression without his knowledge because Sam’s open mouth twisted into a smug smile, arching an eyebrow at Danny. It was a dare, and Danny dared to prove himself.
“Shut up before I make you,” Danny snarled, challenging Sam to call him out for being all bark and no bite. But Sam obediently shut his trap, lowering himself slightly on his elbows and spread his legs ever so slightly, inviting Danny in without a word.
--
“So…was I better than those other ‘randos’ stretching you out?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, I was joking.”
Sam’s whole body was in absolute, delicious agony, his face buried into the crook of Danny’s neck. He attempted to even out his breathing, his throat raw and his chest tired after all the pornographic moans and whimpers that had escaped him when Danny had driven into him with varying amounts of mercy over the course of what felt like hours. Sam’s shoulders were already blooming with a score of bruises where Danny had left teeth marks, anchoring himself to Sam in animalistic moments of passion when he threatened to finish far too early. Danny’s body was aching too, his abs and hips tense and his shoulders in their own pain from holding himself up for so long. It had been worth it to keep the sight of Sam’s gasps and fluttering eyes, and he was certain he had enough material in his mind's eye to keep him satisfied in his own personal endeavors for weeks. Danny brushed his fingers lightly up and down Sam’s spine, his lips pressed to the crown of Sam’s head as they laid in silence, recovering.
“Do you want to hear something crazy?” Sam said, his voice muffled by Danny’s scorching hot skin.
“Sure,” Danny replied, giving Sam’s hair a quick kiss after he said it.
“I used to have a crush on you in high school.”
“What!” Danny blurted, attempting to push Sam’s shoulder up so he could see his face, but Sam buried his head even further into Danny’s neck. “Explain!”
“I just did!” Sam laughed, his voice still muted. “It wasn’t anything serious but, yeah, I guess you were kind of my hallway crush. It’s no big deal.”
“Wow,” Danny said dreamily. “And look where you are now. How exciting for you.”
“Shut up!” Sam groaned, finally lifting his head and giving Danny a fake frown, his face glowing and flushed. Danny mocked his frown back to him, laughing at his expression and tucking a sweaty strand of hair behind his ear.
“I definitely thought you were cute,” Danny smiled. “I was super into emo haircuts.”
“I hate you,” Sam deadpanned, looking unamused.
“Is that why you just let me cum in y-”
Sam pressed his palm over Danny’s mouth, muffling his subsequent laugh. Sam let out an exasperated sigh and leaned over to reach into an opened drawer of his bedside table, items rattling out of sight until he emerged with his prize: Marlboro Reds. Sam bit down on a cigarette and slid out another to offer it to Danny, who wrinkled his nose at it initially but took it between his fingers anyways, studying it while Sam pulled free the lighter and rolled onto his back next to Danny.
“You ever smoked?” Sam asked, lighting his cigarette and taking a deep inhale while Danny shook his head no. Sam blew out a thick cloud of smoke before rolling onto his front, taking the cigarette out of Danny’s hand and sticking it in Danny’s mouth himself. Danny wanted to protest, but froze when Sam leaned over and pressed the tip of his lit cigarette to Danny’s, both of them silent save for the crackling of the paper and tobacco as Danny’s cigarette began to glow. He took a hesitant inhale, letting the heady warmth settle on his tongue before he began to cough, sitting up sharply and choking on a cloud of smoke while Sam chuckled and patted him on the back.
“You’ll get there,” Sam assured him through laughs.
“I don’t know if I wanna get there,” Danny wheezed, letting the cigarette fizzle between his fingers instead of taking a second drag.
“You don’t have to, just figured I’d give you a taste of the wild side,” Sam grinned, the cigarette dangling attractively from his bottom lip.
“You’ve given me more than a taste of that,” Danny said with a wink. Sam chuckled again, blowing smoke out of the side of his mouth as he stared with glittering eyes at Danny.
“I like you,” Sam said simply, conjuring the innocent butterflies in Danny’s stomach.
“Thank you,” Danny answered shyly and Sam immediately slapped his arm.
“Say it back!”
“I like you!” Danny laughed, slapping Sam back. “You knew that!”
“Yeah, but I like hearing you say it,” Sam hummed proudly.
“You’re weird.”
“You’re weirder.”
“You’re the weirdest,” Danny teased, taking another more careful inhale of his cigarette and releasing it with only a mild clearing of his throat. “Ooh, look, I’m learning.”
“Maybe I had something to teach you after all,” Sam smiled. “I guess I never really needed to bribe you into helping me, huh?”
“Not at all,” Danny said. “But I’m enjoying the reward of just you.”
Sam’s smile widened and Danny smiled right back at him. It suddenly seemed so ridiculous that there had ever been a time when he was afraid to speak to Sam. How could he have looked at his puppy dog eyes and cute shaggy hair and not dragged him into his lap right then and there? Danny figured he had time to rectify that, doing just that and catching Sam in a smoky kiss, suddenly thrilled about all the things that they could continue to teach each other.
--
#you have to listen to crush by ethel cain while you read this btw#caravel nation law#gvf#greta van fleet#danny wagner#sam kiszka#sanny gvf#greta van fleet fan fiction#greta van art#but you look so cool#i couldnt make myself write full smut but i tried#karoufiction
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Blurb request! Valkyrie X female reader, Maybe a lil enemies to lovers action and reader gets injured??
I love enemies to lovers, gonna throw in some pining in here as well.
Pairing: Valkyrie x Fem!Reader
Tags: fluff, angst, enemies to lovers, injuries, soothing kisses, flirting pining, injured Reader
Word count: 0.8k
A/N: I have a Valkyrie fic that I've been meaning to post for some time. I'll try to get to it next week.
You groaned, clenching at your side as Bruhilde smugly walked you to her bedroom. "Where the hell are you taking me?" You looked up at her, slightly dizzy from you probably very bruised ribs. "Better be actual hell after this."
"My bedroom actually. As much fun as it would be to you wail in pain and defeat I actually have some decency as a warrior." That might be but her cheerful tone of voice did little to mask how smug she felt about getting a drop on you. "Isn't it about time you gave up on trying to defeat me? You have a pretty face, I hate seeing it get hurt, and even more that it's me doing so."
You rolled your eyes at her feeble attempt at flattery. Brunhilde seemed to be rather fond of catching you off guard with these compliments, its how this injury happened in the first place. Curse her and her pretty eyes and... kissable mouth.
"Fuck you." You push through the big door, untangling yourself from her arms and scanning the room for weapons, of which there were plenty. As expected from a King and a Valkyrie.
"Right now? I don't know, you don't seem to be in the shape for it sweetheart." She closed the door behind her, didn't lock it, after all you were still enemies and she'd hate for you to feel trapped here. "Take off your clothes."
"Wh-what?!" Suddenly any plan you had of destroying her was thrown out the window, "Why would I do that? You..." A painful wince passed across your face when you crossed your arms over yoursef.
"To take a better look at your injuries. I won't touch too much. Besides we've been fighting for a while, I've already had my handfuls of you." Her wink didn't help any in getting you to relax, in fact in only made you more weary of her approaching you.
"Is fighting and fucking the same to you?" Somehow you suspected you knew what she'd say.
Brunhilde shrugged with indifference, "The both start with an F and they leave me feeling good. So yeah, kinda." Unbelievable. And this was your number one opponent? Maybe you were the sorry one after all, "If it hurts I can help."
"No! No, no, you look away, I'll take care of myself." Or you could just ambush her when she turned her back. That was also an option that started to appeal to you more and more.
"Take care of yourself while I'm not looking? People usually ask me to look. Out of respect for our long rivalry, I'll do what you want." She raised her hands up where could see them and turned her back to you. Her too damn sexy, muscular back. The whole time you were taking off your shirt and armor you couldn't stop staring at her. Only to be caught doing it, "Telling me not to look, yet here you are, looking. I'd call you a bad girl but, I think that's what you secretly want."
There she goes again, flirting so shamesly with you. You hated it, yet it made your heart flutter and momentarily forget the pain you were in. Until she approached and pressed her fingers against your bruised rib, "When I imagined the two of us in my bedroom this really isn't what I had in mind." Her eyes shining with barely hidden meaning, making you weak in the knees, making you sit down on the edge of the bed, "I would love to take my time with you, see what different noises you'd make for me." By some invisible force you actually followed her hand as she pressed her thumb over your lips and pulled away, "I think you'd like it too. We don't have to hurt each other you know, we could settle this ways equally as fun but less painful. Unless that's something you're into."
Your bottom lip trembled before you pulled it between your teeth. She must be cheating somehow, to have this much power over you in here, while out there you wanted to tear her apart, "Shut up. Just get me fixed up so I can leave."
"Is that what you want?" No. It wasn't. Not anymore.
"Yeah." This was fine. As soon as you saw her on the battlefield again you were sure these strange, warm, all-consuming feelings would vanish. You just needed to stick this out. To let Brunhilde touch you with care, with careful caresses that made you want to melt into her.
"You're a bad liar sweetheart, very bad." Warm lips pressed on the corner of your own, shocking you, almost making you scoot away if it weren't for that feeling at the pit of your stomach telling you to stay, "Lucky you I like bad girls."
#mcu x reader#mcu x female reader#marvel x reader#marvel x female reader#brunhilde x reader#valkyrie x reader#valkyrie x female reader#king valkyrie#king valkyrie x reader#mcu fluff#mcu angst#mcu imagines#mcu headcanons#marvel fluff#marvel angst#marvel imagines#marvel headcanons#x female reader
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Episode 7 Pat : To lose or not to win that is the question
Okay I saw a post talking about how episode 7 pat "loses the bet everyday" and how in this rooftop scene...
Pat raises the stakes (asking pran to confess in public) to keep Pran from saying the words just then (knowing he won't take that option) is making me feel and think a lot of things and now my brain is all over the place and i might as well just all note it down here or i won't have peace of mind.
At the outset i want to confess that eventhough i know that the bet has been for pran's sake i still viewed at as a legitimate competition that both pat and pran were trying to win, but i'm realising more and more how (for a large part of the bet) that just wasn't the case at all.
Pat came all the way from Bangkok to the hostile architecture trip alone only and only for Pran. Pat wants to be with him. Pran knows that and Pat knows that Pran knows that. He hasn't tried to hide it at all.
Pat knows that Pran has feelings for him, Pran knows that Pat knows that. But he also isn't ready to admit what it would entail and the familiarity of competition between them allows him to explore that.
"Whoever falls in love first loses" - when both of them know that they have feelings for each other, is hilaaaarious on first watch, but once you've rewatched it countless times and reached a whole new level of brain rot where your blood cells have p cells embedded within p cells in them then it isn't funny, it isn't funny at all * screams into a pillow *
Coming back to the bet, and what it actually means which is that whoever admits it(their feelings) first, loses. And all of us including pat and pran know that pat has already lost. Him coming to the trip just to get Pran to talk and his confession that he actually didn't like Ink 'like that' is all pointing to just one very obvious thing.
So Pat has already lost and yet they're both entering into the bet as if on equal ground. Pat could (and is very much willing to) keep losing over and over again, he very clearly wants to be with Pran but he would keep the charade of the bet up if it meant Pran wasn't ready.
Which means that the entire time that they were teasing and flirting with each other, all throughout episode 7, pat keeps on losing just for Pran's sake.
Do you realise how absolutely insanely madly crazy (mature) in love Pat is???? This might be a childish bet to YEW but to him its a space for Pran (and him) to explore their feelings without the responsibility of a relationship on them, it's actually revolutionary.
Kinda like killing with kindness, which basically sums up the kinda guy Pat is when he's with Pran.
"Don't force me to" he says in response to Pran's "You're just not brave to" (confess) when all of us know Pat is very well brave enough to do that and that is exactly what Pat is reiterating here. He's saying "you very well know why i'm partaking in this charade don't act like you don't i could kiss your competitive ass right now but im not doing it cos i want you to (admit that you) want it".
The man is basically losing (coming over to play and then offering to clean pran's face cos he looked upset screams somebody who wants to win real bad right hahahah NOT *argh pat can you not be so unreally sweet people have to go back to their real lives with real men to be disappointed by*) over and over again asking Pran to "just let me love you, you dork".
Here Pat is literally doing the confession, the very thing they started the bet stating, "i'll make you beg on your knees for me", well he's almost doing the next best thing, and he's doing it willingly, in front of people, with the most genuine smile on his face.
And when he raises the stakes on the rooftop and he does it entirely for Pran again. As much as he wants to be with Pran he equally wants it to be when Pran is ready for it. Not for it to be a decision he is forced or boxed into. He doesn't want to beat Pran he wants Pran to walk into the loss like he himself did, over and over again, because that's just the kinda guy he is.
Boy basically said if me winning the bet means you losing your chance to make that choice for yourself then i don't want that kinda win.
Which is why he's been willingly giving up all the chances to win throughout the episode, but continuing to put up the charade of the bet cos 1. yeah ofc its loads of fun teasing pran and he is so grateful he gets to be close to him again but more importantly 2. he can't (but he is fully willing to) wait for Pran to mentally be ready to get into a relationship.
"As for me, when i have a lover, I always let my lover win" - And truer truths haven't been told. Man has been losing since the very beginning. And that too happily. He is only doing it to give Pran the time that he deserves to process the whole thing and accept his love.
See even here he isn't expecting Pran to confess his love and sweep the whole bet thing away.
Look at Pat pausing trying to figure out what Pran is doing here. I can almost hear the cogs in his brain turn, until the very moment that Pran extends his hand to wipe the stray piece of rice away and then gives him that look. The look that says, "I love you, i'm done making you wait, thankyou, i love you".
So to conclude, Pat like the simp he is entered the bet (and kept willfully losing) only to make Pran comfortable. And literally the first moment that he completely feels comfortable, Pran gives in.
This whole post is borne out of my thoughts after i read what was said in here.
For more of my bet era patpran brainrot :
#and then they both lean in to kiss#which is all that pat wanted in the first place so who's the real loser now?#its me. i was supposed to be prepping for an exam tomorrow#but ofc i had to process all of that and now we're here#bad buddy#patpran#pran x pat#bad buddy meta#bad buddy brain rot#pat napat#pran parakul#bad buddy the series#episode 7#ahh i love this show and their love so much#some very valid points as to how prans need to win was linked to his feeling that he was always at a disadvantage cos of falling in love 1s#AND how each time pat tries something pran amps it up further#in the reblogs to this post which i have had such a delight reading though#i love how we are all at such wild levels of brain rot as this show deserves
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Warnings : bad grammar and spelling mistakes
Genre : fluff
Serie : 𝐎𝐛𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐞! 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞?
MC 's . . . GN !
Ice cream from the human world with Diavolo
" Are you sure you want ice cream from the human world ? I think the equal in here is way more delicious ..."
You told Diavolo, who had invited you to have a chat at the castle and both were currently at the garden enjoying some tea with Barbatos on the rest day of both of you.
" Haha, that may be true, but I've been craving for one decades ago, but, not only the ice cream but the full experience of buying one ".
" Hm ? How's that ? you can have anyone here get you one at any moment of the day ". You asked oblivious at his wish.
" Well, yes, but I'd like to actually get to see how they serve it or the different flavors they may have on display at their shops, here I only get to ask for the not-so-long list of flavors I know and only interact with my servants, not with the demons who actually prepare them ...".
" How about you go with me to the human world this afternoon then ?" you said with the most pure intentions and trying to picture Diavolo infront of an ice cream truck actually asking for an ice cream.
Barbatos looked expectantly over his master with a smile.
Diavolo's face lit up fastly and immediately agreed.
" Sooo, which flavor do you want my lord ?" you said jockingly at his amused face while admiring the deliciously and creamy-looking desserts being displayed in front of him. The only barrier being a glass from the structure of the freezer.
" They all seem pretty good to be honest... I think I'll go with the strawberry one !".
" Nice choice, do you want it to be served in a cup or in a cone ?".
" Ah... a cone could be fine ".
" But be careful not to let it melt on you ok ? we can't have Barbatos worrying about cleaning your suit when we are back ".
He laughs, " Yes, I'll be careful ".
Just when the worker finished serving the second ball of the pastel pink desert they asked if he wanted any toppings on it as well, leading them with the view to look at the other side of the glass were chocolate chips, m&m's, colored sparks, gummy bears, cookie pieces,— " There are so many options here too !".
" And don't forget about the hot liquid chocolate that freezes as it touches the ice cream !". You said excited about the thought of covering your ice cream with it as you always thought even if it had a logical and scientific explanation to that event, couldn't help but be fascinated by the speed it happened with.
Seeing you fascinated by only mentioning it made him curious and decided to give it a try.
The employee proceeded to grab a spoonful of the topping and poured it on the ice cream, it quickly turned a darker tone implying it's freezing right away. Diavolo indeed was elated by watching it but he was even more by looking at you watching the magic happen.
After getting both your ice creams you asked him if he wanted to eat it somewhere still on earth or if he wanted to return to the Devildom. To which he responded he wanted to stay longer.
The only place available seemed to be a wood bench by the sorroundings of the park next to the ice cream truck.
You happily started eating your ice cream and once in a while glanced up to look at Diavolo ( 🪼 : let's admit no matter what your height is, he's taller ). In one of the times you did so, he was already looking at you and back to your ice cream, so you asked ;
" Do you want to try it ?".
" Sorry I didn't mean to stare ...". He laughed it off closing his eyes to do not make you uncomfortable with his desire.
" It's fine, you can have some !". You insisted, moving your hand with the ice cream closer to his, knowing he did wanted to taste it.
He smiled at you, thanking you as he went to take a bite out of your favorite combination of flavours.
" It's delicious ! what did you choose ?". As you were about to tell him, a butterfly caught your attention and it seemed like you caught theirs as well as it approached you and finally landed in your nose, its wings stopping the movement making it easier to observe it closer, being able to observe the texture and the vibrant colors of it.
Diavolo watched beyond impressed, seeing as you stopped your talking when the creature arrived, he thought you wether had no problem with it being on your face or maybe froze out of fear... no, when he saw the corners of your lips turning upwards he knew you were okay with it, so he calmed down and enjoyed the moment too.
" It looks so beautiful on you ". He whispered, afraid his normal voice would scare the insect off. Your smile grew wider, the ice creams long forgotten as you tried not to move.
Only until you felt a drop of the substance reach your hand did you notice Diavolo's was melting and had already stained his coat.
What were you going to tell to Barbatos ? was your first thought as you shifted making the butterfly fly off of you but still decided to keep circling around the two of you.
Diavolo backed off a bit as well seeing now a worried semblance in your face. What's wrong ? had he not noticed yet ?
" Your coat... let me go for some napkins so at least it won't be too bad- you were about to stand up with your ice cream on hand until his hand wrapped around your wrist " It's fine, don't worry about that now ". He reassured and told you to sit down again.
With that, you spent there the evening 'til the moon had shown as it always did back in the Devildom, calling for Barbatos to assist you.
The next day, at the door of the House of Lamentation after classes, you were left alone by the brothers being busy ; you heard the doorbell and went to open the door expecting to be one of them, only to be surprised by Barbatos.
" Good afternoon, I'm sorry if my visit was unexpected, you see, the young master couldn't wait to deliver this to you " he took out a little box adorned with orange paper and a cute gift bow " but I couldn't have him being distracted in his work so I offered to do it myself " he continued.
You were on blank by his words, but quickly recovered and thanked him and Diavolo as well, happily you entered to the house again and opened the present.
There it was a little pin hair butterfly-shaped, the same color as the butterfly that landed on you the day before.
#x reader#mitsuawritings#mitsuawrites#fluff#headcanons#obey me!#obey me diavolo#diavolo x reader#lord diavolo#om! diavolo#obey me shall we date#obey me headcanons#obey me#obey me dateables#obey me devildom
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First Years X Reader (MC, Yuu, Prefect) in a Polyamorous Relationship (NSFW ahead!)
Bitb
(This is my first time writing NSFW Head cannons.... sorry for the bad writing)
Prefect is Female!!!
So, a few rules had to me made in order to make this poly relationship work.
Number 1. No hogging. All attention needs to be paid equally.
Number 2. Study and schoolwork are prioritized.
Number 3. All intimate (cough cough) moments are in Ramshackle Dorm.
Of course, the gang sometimes competed with each other to have you. Count the numerous secret hickeys, bite marks out of felling high, handprints, handprints, and hickeys. But they all want to keep private things private. That’s one way of all the boys expressing their possessiveness over you. Also, they are all villains. Did you expect them to act like a good boy and follow the rules all the time?
The week was over, and the first-year gang and you were all free. Unknown to you, all the boys in the back of their mind, were filled with the thought of you. Thinking about how when week was over, they could finally have you. But you were jittery too, who wouldn’t be?
With 5 passes to stay over at your dorm, snacks, movies, sleeping bags, food, and drinks, (courtesy of Sam) and lots and lots of blankets and pillows, it was a start of a grand movie night.
When the 5th movie started, Grim was sound asleep in the other bedroom and you and the first years were watching a movie that..........well, some strict people (cough, Vil, Riddle, cough) would come busting in and break the disk in no time.
The awkward atmosphere wanders through the room, with only the sipping of juice echoing. Then...a kiss by Ace and Deuce who sat on both sides marked the start of the hot love making session.
Jack and Sebek were the first to actually touch you, actually manhandle you with their bigger bodies while Ace, Deuce, Epel grabbed from the sides and kissed you, touched you, grabbed your body. It was a start of a long night, and there is no escape for you.
Ace Trappola
・LEG MAN, AND YOU CAN’T TELL ME OTHERWISE
・Will force you to wrap your legs around his waist when it’s his turn to thrust into you (maybe along with deuce) (wink wink)
・Kiss your legs, thighs, and ass
・I think he likes legs that are balanced in the right proportion, but doesn’t matter when it comes to you, you are his lover, his girlfriend, and that is facts
・TEASER BOTH ON THE INSIDE AND THE OUTSIDE, NEVER CHANGES
・DEEP KISSES, and will brag about how he can make you feel almost about to cum but doesn’t because he is a tease, and truth to be honest, he is a good kisser no doubt
・Likes cum on your tummy, and also inside your mouth because he loves blowjobs, he loves how your mouth swells up when you’re sucking him, it just fills his attitude ego
・He loves eating you out too, it just fills his sadism when you are feeling so good by him
・He will never say this, but he loves the face you make when you’re being double penetrated by him and the other first year
Deuce Spade
・BOOBS, BOOBS, BOOBS!!!!!
・Suck your nipples and maybe eat your boobs, leaves a hickey when feeling high
・A sweet baby, he just wants you to feel so good
・But don’t be fooled, when you spoil him too much, he turns into a monster ready to gobble you up
・Goes overboard, will have no mercy when he’s thrusting because he can’t hold back when your insides feel so good and he’s a sadist (unrealized by himself)
・Wants you to feel him and him only when he’s thrusting into you, but can’t deny the fact that he loves the face you make when doing multiple penetrations
・Loves cum on your boobs and also loves having his dick between your boobs
・Naturally good at fingering your pussy, I think. He drives a magical wheel and loves doing mechanical things, he has good hands. (Dirty look)
Jack Howl
・ASS MAN, YOU ARE FREE TO CHALLENGE ME ON OTHER OPTIONS
・He’s a big wolf, and he manhandles you with such ease, gropes you (horny sigh)
・His big hands will grip your ass so hard; it will leave handprints and maybe nails if the carnal desires get the better of him, and will kiss it
・Secretly terrified that he might break you, the size difference is there for sure and he kind of hold himself back at times like you
・WILL BITE YOUR NAPE!!!(Actually, all five of them does it)
・Cumming Inside, he has a big dick so OMG, the sensation is insane. He does it with protection of course, but secretly dreams about the future where he can actually put babies inside you. And one time he did with you without protection, the cum oozing out of your pussy made him go insane.
・I think he loves giving you pleasure more than receiving. He eats you like there’s no tomorrow and loves your sweet smell.
Epel Felmier
・A MIX OF BOOBS AND ASS
・I think he loves your female body, which is certainly more fluffy, sweet, and delicate.
・Since his sweet and cute face made everyone mistaken him for a girl for a long time, he loves the fact that in terms of strength, he can handle you with ease
・He loves your boobs and ass and constantly touches it, kisses it, and gropes it
・No matter the looks, he’s a guy and he doesn’t have this fluffy body part which drives him insane
・Since he has to act formal and sweet and angelic during school because of Vil, he becomes a beast when it’s just him. you, and the first years
・He slaps your ass and your boobs, no exceptions
・Secretly loves cum on your face, because it feels like he’s doing something so naughty and yet so good
・Loves kissing you too and kisses everywhere and bites your clit
Sebek Zigbolt
・BIG BABY, BOOB MAN
・Blushes at first, but manhandles you as he gets used to having intimate moments (wink wink) with you and the first years
・Insane thrusts, while hugging you with his arms and holding you tight
・He’s a tsundere, but during times like this his attitude is so sweet like sugar
・Bites you with his fangs, no doubts
・The most guy who gets jealous easily, leaves bite marks all over your body
・Fingers you with his long fingers (dirty smile), he always chips his nails, so they are clean and not pointy (wink wink)
・Cumming on your back, there’s something about that drives him insane
#twisted wonderland#twisted wonderland x reader#ace trappola#deuce spade#jack howl#epel felmier#sebek zigvolt#yandere twsited wonderland
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Shantae Headcanons - Couples/Romance
So! This is a bit different! Currently, I'm trying to get my writer brain back in gear (or more accurately get it focused on Shantae) so I can finish up that Halloween fic that is very late right now, and I tend to find that my writer brain is far more stimulated when I write down these headcanon posts. So, naturally, I got to thinking about what to write a headcanon post about, and I figured, "hey! romance is a fairly good topic!"
The only issue with that is, well...as any long-time followers of this blog will know, aside from Shantops and Skylo (and also Twitchegar but they're fairly minor characters so yknow), which are fairly locked in as my headcanons at this point, I don't really have any solid headcanons for couples. Even with some couples that make frequent appearances on this blog, I'm willing to go for different options if it's submitted or if it'd make a particular quote that much funnier. And, honestly? I do not see that changing as I write these down.
...buuuuuuuuut that isn't going to stop me from writing down headcanons regarding what these characters are seeking out in a relationship! And also writing down how the dynamics for a character's various options would work out. So, with that in mind, let's hop to it!
NOTE: EXTREMELY LONG POST UP AHEAD. Like I say that a lot but good god this is a long one. I thought I ran into a text limit like twice and for good reason. You've been warned
Shantae/Rottytops
Starting strong with the fan favorite half-genie and zombie couple...when it comes to who started crushing on who first, obviously, Rottytops was first, like, right from the get-go - with her initial internal thought of "oh hey this girl's cute" rapidly spiraling into "I would propose to her on the spot without hesitation." Shantae, meanwhile, only started reciprocating around Pirate's Curse, but while she might not show it as blatantly or as frequently as Rotty, she is equally down bad for the zombie.
I imagine Rottytops as something of a casual flirt - before she met Shantae, during the games themselves, and even after they've gotten together to some extent! She enjoys getting a rise out of people, and flirting with them is both fairly simple and something she doesn't mind doing. She's definitely had a few relationships before Shantae, but nothing particularly serious. All of which is to say that, when she started having actual, deep, serious feelings for Shantae, Rotty had absolutely zero frame of reference, which was both frightening and incredibly exciting at the same time.
Rotty's exact reasons as to why she's so attracted to Shantae are...basically what's stated in-game, but to dig deeper into it, it's that right from the start, Shantae has looked at Rotty - a zombie girl who introduced herself by trying to eat Shantae's brains, a known trickster who wasn't that well-liked even among her fellow zombies, and who Shantae has no reason to trust or have any faith in, especially right after Risky's Revenge - and saw someone who could do better. Someone with potential to do good. Granted, that sentiment was initially expressed as frustrated disappointment, but even then Rotty was dumbfounded once she absorbed the implications of that. Even her brothers haven't expressed that kind of faith in her...more because they think she's fine as is than anything, but still! And while her initial reaction was to try and cling to that bit of faith before what she felt to be an inevitable loss of it, eventually, Rotty decided to take up the hard task of actually improving herself, and doing good, showing Shantae that that tiny bit of faith wasn't misplaced. And that one change in philosophy really made all the difference.
As for what draws Shantae to Rotty...well, after she realized that Rotty was never really malicious, and just trying to connect with her the only way she knew how, she naturally started viewing her a lot more charitably. And it was with that fresh perspective that she started noticing a few things. Like, for instance, how adventurous Rotty is. Daring. Bold. Everyone else Shantae knows tends to think at least a little bit before they say something, but Rotty is never afraid to speak her mind. She is loud, outspoken, and everything Shantae can't - refuses, really - let herself be, and as someone who's always at least a little worried about presenting herself as an ideal hero, a shining beacon to look to and inspire, there's something very appealing about a girl who just. Doesn't give a shit about any of that. And what really did it for Shantae is just how outspoken Rotty is regarding her. Rottytops has seen some of the aspects Shantae views least charitably about herself, mainly her temper, and in spite of it all, Rotty sees the world in her - and as the queen of self-esteem issues (even if most of them were ironed out post-Pirate's Curse), there's something very awe-inspiring about that to Shantae. Especially as Rottytops became more of an ally, her mind just...she had to wonder. Consider the possibilities. Something about the prospect of getting closer to Rotty got her heart racing, and yet- Rotty would have said something if she felt the same, right? Did she really want to risk losing it all?
Then Seven Sirens happened, and as Shantae and her friends were heading home, her mind happened to wander back to the moment where she encountered "Fillin" in her cage, and without the stress of dealing with the Sirens getting in the way, she then properly processed...literally everything in that scene, and that was when it clicked for Shantae that, "oh. OH. I don't think either of us are normal about this, actually." That was what finally compelled Shantae to confess, because, well...even if she was wrong, after all the shenanigans Rotty went through to get in just because she thought she might not be invited, she was fairly certain a love confession wouldn't get her to leave. And she was right on that front! Very, very right.
Their exact relationship hasn't overtly changed that much on Rotty's end, it's just that Rotty's turned her more subtle flirting into something significantly more blatant. She loves showering Shantae with affection, both physical and emotional, both because she feels Shantae deserves more of it and because she enjoys how easy it is to fluster Shantae with her flirting. She's also made more of a habit to let Shantae in on her schemes, which Shantae appreciates since it helps avoid another Fillin incident - not to mention, it lets her help Rotty be more reasonable with her schemes, pull her back when she might be going too far or redirecting her efforts if she thinks they might be a bit much...and, on the occasion that one of Rotty's schemes is perfectly fine and harmless, give Shantae a chance to lend a helping hand. Never let it be said that she doesn't have a mischievous side to her.
As for Shantae, she doesn't have nearly as much dating experience as Rotty does, so while she'll gladly return the favor when it comes to giving her affection, she doesn't do it to quite the same frequency as Rotty does, at least in public - partially because some irrational part of Shantae's brain is worried about doing too much, partially because Shantae personally likes to be a bit more deliberate with her affection. When in private, however, she's willing to get very intimate in a way that Rotty's previous relationships have not prepared her for in the slightest. She'll hold her close, whisper sweet nothings in her ear, slowly run her hands through Rotty's hair and down her back...and, honestly, Shantae would be lying if she said that there wasn't any appeal in flustering Rotty just as much as she can fluster her.
Rottytops personally gets a bit thrilled about the idea of Shantae having a darker side to her - I mean, just look at her initial reaction to Nega Shantae in Friends to the End - and it's a subject that comes up rather frequently in her more wild fantasies. Though, if push were to come to shove...she fell in love with Shantae for her kind and caring nature, and ultimately, Rotty prefers Shantae as she is. Although she'd never publicly admit it. She has a reputation to maintain as a bad influence, after all! That being said, Shantae is a lot more willing to play ball than you might think, at least in private, and has a few ideas of her own that she'd be far too embarrassed to try with anyone else, much to Rottytops' delight.
The most anyone else knows about that last part is when, one time, Rotty was walking home with about two dozen obvious bite marks and a dopey smile on her face, and Sky felt the need to stop her because she was worried that Rotty had run into a pack of feral zombies. She did not understand why Rottytops burst out laughing until she brought it up with Shantae and the half-genie went about as red as her outfit, muttering that she didn't think it was THAT obvious...at which point, Sky resolutely decided to never ask about Shantae and Rotty's private life. Ever.
Sky/Bolo
Moving on to our OTHER main protagonists...Sky and Bolo, despite being the only two characters who actively pursue romantic relationships in the games, have somehow never caught on that a potential romantic relationship with the potential to fill both of their needs is right there, and I imagine it takes them a little while longer for either of them to catch onto that little fact yet...as in, several months after Shantae and Rottytops have officially begun dating longer. I internally like calling this ship "Three Feet in Front of You" after the famous Mulan bit of "You missed! How could you miss, it was three feet in front of you!", because if that isn't a perfect summary of their relationship up until they actually start dating, I don't know what is.
I'm not going to get into how they start dating because I have an entire fic about that - a fic which I really need to get to writing the other three chapters for at some point - but the tl;dr is that Rottytops, tired of waiting for them to get their heads out of their asses, decided to play matchmaker, and while said plan...didn't quite work the way she intended, it DID ultimately help get them together, albeit in a very roundabout way.
Both Sky and Bolo are bisexual. For Bolo, it was more of a quiet "huh" realization, with a very casual acceptance and slight change in lifestyle, but nothing particularly groundbreaking for him. Probably realized it before the events of the games, even. Sky, on the other hand...as I've said before, I imagine she was repressed for a WHILE on account of her parent's pressure, so she just assumed she was straight because she did experience attraction to men, and it wasn't like her parents would accept any other option. right? Or so she assumed. So, what exactly got Sky to realize she was bisexual? ...Rottytops. It was Rottytops. And that is a secret she fully intends on taking to her grave - no pun intended - because she knows Rotty would never let her live it down if she knew.
That being said, Rottytops was not Sky's first sapphic crush, at least beyond anything superficial. This is going to slightly spoil that fic I mentioned earlier whenever I DO get to finishing that second chapter, but that honor actually goes to Harmony - Rotty's plan to get Sky and Bolo together involved using Harmony to inspire jealousy in Sky, but what happened instead was that Sky quickly found herself to be incredibly attracted to the half-genie, and ended up asking her out. The relationship was short-lived, but they're on good terms, and Sky has entertained the idea of opening up her and Bolo's relationship and bringing Harmony in...but it'd take a while for her to bring up that possibility to Bolo, both because she'd want to get a good feel for what a stable, long-term relationship feels like before potentially shaking it up, and because Sky feels incredibly guilty about how she acted back then, even with Harmony being understanding, and it'd take a long time for that guilt to fade. Everyone agrees that Harmony was a significantly better choice than Barracuda Joe and Armor Baron, though.
Sky has a very specific type that pretty much all of her romantic endeavors fall under. She looks for someone who's...responsible. Someone grounded. Strong, both in a physical and metaphorical sense, someone she feels she can entrust her life to and be safe with. Barracuda Joe counted as a high-ranking lieutenant in the Ammonian Army who plays the straight man to Ammo Baron's over-the-top antics, Armor Baron...was at least able to act the part as a trusted authority figure in Armor Town up until he pulled out the rug from under her with his enchanted armor, Harmony goes without saying, and even if he can be a bit dense sometimes, Bolo was the one who taught Shantae how to fight, and he was shown to act as a babysitter for a bunch of zombie kids, so he can clearly be responsible if the situation calls for it. Bolo, meanwhile, is a lot less picky, more just looking for someone who appreciates him for who he is and doesn't automatically write him off as some meathead, and Sky is more than happy to oblige on that front.
Another criteria for Sky's romantic partners that Harmony accidentally introduced is "do Sky's birds like them?" Both Harmony and Bolo pass this criteria with flying colors, with Sky's birds absolutely adoring Harmony, and Bolo being the only human besides Sky who they trust and can really handle them. This has been a major relief for Sky, as she can often worry about how her birds are handling things without her whenever she leaves for an extended period of time, so having someone she can trust to keep an eye on them is...nice! Especially considering how both Shantae and Rottytops swear that Sky's birds are demons in disguise after one extended babysitting session. She had no idea they could get that agitated just from her not being there.
Sky and Bolo aren't the most physically affectionate couple, especially compared to Shantae and Rottytops, but that's more because they just show their affection in significantly different ways. For Sky, that comes in the form of meticulous planning, though she's thankfully toned it down to a much more reasonable level from the control freak/"planning their marriage after only a few hours" level of planning shown in Pirate's Curse. In Sky's eyes, the best way to show her love to Bolo is to give him the perfect date, or the perfect gift, and the level of planning and scheming she will do to achieve that is enough to impress even Rottytops. Bolo, meanwhile, is the more physically affectionate of the two, but for the most part his love tends to come in the form of gifts, whether it be traditional things like flowers and chocolates to the significantly less conventional when he puts his metalworking skills to good use. Sky actually finds herself more interested in the latter than the former, because Bolo's fairly good at doing metal sculptures - even if the finer details can escape him - and she's found herself far more entranced by the level of love and heart he puts into them than any of the traditional gifts she used to daydream about. It's a surprise for both of them, but it works.
Sky's always supported Bolo and helped with his insecurities, but now that she's DATING him, that support has become a lot more vocal. She's formed an unofficial alliance with Rottytops with the mutual sentiment of "if anyone talks shit about either of our partners we will beat them to death," and the intensity of this alliance is honestly a bit frightening for both Bolo and Shantae, but at the same time extremely flattering for both of them.
Risky Boots
This section is going to be a lot shorter than the other ones, because, well...I don't really ship Risky with anyone? And the amount of people she CAN be shipped with is very slim, especially considering that she is absolutely a lesbian in my mind and there is no budging on that front. It also doesn't help that romantic relationships require a lot of emotional vulnerability and getting Risky to be emotionally vulnerable in any capacity is like pulling teeth through a maze made entirely of knifes and trying not to get a single scratch. Buuuuuut, she IS the main antagonist of the franchise, and I have thought over a few options before, so getting into those now...
Risky/Empress Siren: AKA the "hand in unlovable hand" route. Noooooooot even remotely healthy for either party but it's definitely an option! In this case, I imagine the relationship springs up relatively naturally after Seven Sirens - Empress Siren survives, pulls herself together like I've described in my previous Siren headcanon posts...and at some point, her mind wanders to Risky. The treacherous pirate who hoodwinked her, keeping her just out of reach of pure ultimate power, and ultimately equally responsible for her downfall as that accursed half-genie...but. She's cunning, incredibly vicious, has a lofty ambition, and isn't exactly bad on the eyes, either - all of which are traits Empress Siren can admire and approve of. So, compared to Shantae, who she just actively wants dead, Empress views Risky both as a respectable and worthy rival AND as a potential romantic prospect. She either wants to kill Risky in a climactic battle or to have her as a consort when she launches her reign over the world; they're interchangeable to Empress, really, and either way she WILL openly flirt with Risky...though, exactly what Empress Siren considers flirting is not quite what most people would consider flirting.
Naturally, Risky is not at all enthusiastic about this, for a multitude of reasons - Empress Siren is vile even by her standards, she doesn't appreciate being viewed as some sort of prize, and she's still a bit pissed about the whole "stealing her body" stunt. Yes, she expected Empress Siren to betray her in advance and made sure to prepare properly, but she wasn't expecting it to happen it like THAT! ...But. As much as she hates to admit it, Empress Siren is a formidable opponent, and her twisted affections are one of the few weaknesses she can readily and easily exploit, so sometimes it's more practical to just suck it up and play into it, if only so she can get the upper hand. And if she has the occasional fantasy of a better world - one where Empress Siren isn't an egomaniacal ex-tyrant to make the Pirate Master proud, one where she's interested in Risky for who she is rather than what she has to offer her, one where Risky could, just maybe, have a partner who wouldn't be scared of her reputation or her many, many enemies, one who could keep up with Risky in a fight and on the sea, one who she could share her self-proclaimed throne as the Queen of the Seven Seas with? Well, that's none of Empress Siren's business. Even if sometimes those fantasies are the only way Risky can manage to lock lips with the siren without giving the game away. ESPECIALLY considering that, actually.
Risky/Giga Mermaid: If you want an actually HEALTHY relationship for Risky that's also at least somewhat feasible...Giga Mermaid. This sounds like a crack ship and I can't really blame you if you think that but let me explain my reasoning here. As I sorta went into near the end of the Risky/Empress Siren section there, on top of literally ALL the aforementioned issues I mentioned before, I imagine Risky would have a few...concerns about how her lifestyle would affect the life of any potential romantic partner. Empress Siren side steps all of those concerns and would be PERFECT if not for her entire personality being a red flag in and of itself, but Giga Mermaid also manages to avoid most of the concerns Risky would have. Intimidated by Risky's reputation? Well, she's giant, so I imagine that not a lot actually intimidates her to begin with, and besides that Risky saved Giga Mermaid in Pirate Queen's Quest, marking her as one of the few people Risky has actually been nice to and meaning she actually has reason to see Risky in a positive light. Risky's enemies? After Techno Baron kidnaps her twice, Giga Mermaid would definitely invest in better security, and with her size and at least some magic she can hold her own in a fight when she's actually thinking straight. Risky being at sea most of the time isn't an issue for someone who's naturally aquatic, either. The only real potential issue is how Giga Mermaid would react to Risky's ambition, as well as one on Giga Mermaid's side: her reputation as a ruler. Oh, and also how they would even meet up again, but I have that covered.
The way I'm envisioning this would start is fairly simple: Risky's out on the sea, figuring out her next plan after Seven Sirens, and she finds that resources on her ship are running low, so she elects to head to a nearby island for a quick and quiet supply run...only for Giga Mermaid to suddenly emerge from the water and stop the ship in its tracks. After a bit of outraged raving from Risky, Giga Mermaid very calmly explains that the island Risky's trying to head to is currently home to a secret but very IMPORTANT meeting between a bunch of major political powers, meaning that the island is currently armed to the teeth. That gets Risky to shut up real fast. Right now, that island is a death trap for any criminal there, let alone one so infamous as Risky. Even with a disguise she'd get figured out pretty quickly with so many on the look out for potential miscreants who might want to crash the party, and she can't exactly go on the offensive with her supplies being low...so Giga Mermaid gives her a simple offer: she'll give Risky that favor Risky insisted she owed her for saving her life back then, stowing Risky and her crew away somewhere secret and away from prying eyes until the meeting is done in a few days. It burns at Risky's pride a bit, but she really doesn't have any other option that ends in her favor, so she takes Giga Mermaid up on that offer.
Once Giga Mermaid settles her and the Tinkerbats in, Risky initially assumes that it's going to be a quiet couple of days without much to do, except...as the sun begins to set on the first day, Giga Mermaid shows up, done with the meeting for the day, and just. Talks to her. Initially she tries to ask about Risky in an attempt to understand her more, which naturally results in Risky dodging those questions like the plague, but the pirate ends up opening up more the second day when Giga Mermaid comes in steaming and vents about some of the politicians she had to deal with, inadvertently revealing more about herself in the process. This continues on as the days go by, with Risky gradually becoming more comfortable with Giga Mermaid, up until the sixth and final day of Risky's stay, where she can tentatively call Giga Mermaid a friend...and, possibly, a bit more in her dreams. But she's also sure it won't last. And when all the other political parties leave, and Risky is finally able to get her supplies, she bids Giga Mermaid what she assumes to be a final farewell, because she isn't giving up being the Queen of the Seven Seas for anyone, not even for royalty, and having a friendly relationship with a pirate has to be a breaking point for her, if just because of her reputation...only to abruptly have those assumptions thrown out the window when Giga Mermaid bluntly informs her that she doesn't care what wild assumptions people might make about her for hanging out with a pirate, and for that matter she isn't going to fight Risky on her ambition either.
Naturally, Giga Mermaid's blunt confession confuses Risky to the point where she gets right in her face and asks if she's lost her mind. Giga Mermaid admits that, while she does have a few issues with Risky's choice of career, she can acknowledge that Risky is her own woman and she can't exactly STOP her. She does, however, have one suggestion: speaking from her experience dealing with other politicians and her own royal court, there are quite a few corrupt nobles out there. Ones that people probably wouldn't miss if they were gone…and also happen to have quite the mass of wealth to their name. If Risky shifts targets from large towns to those few nobles, she'll get just as much, if not MORE than she did before, and still maintain her fearsome reputation as Queen of the Seven Seas without anyone questioning her too much. It'd just be that who fears her the most would be a bit, ah, shifted, is all. And…Risky has to admit that she raises a valid point. Incredibly valid, actually. Some could accuse her of becoming soft, sure, but those voices wouldn't be quite so bold with a sword at their throat. The only real potential protestor to all this would really be herself. And while that's not enough to sway her completely…Risky does say she'll think on it.
And so, the unlikely friendship carries on, albeit meeting in secret - more at Risky's insistence than Giga Mermaid's - with Risky gradually leaning more into morally gray territory rather than being an outright villain as she speaks more and more with Giga Mermaid, even if she'd never admit it. And then - it happens. Risky doesn't know what prompts it. Maybe it's being at sea with no one to interact but the Tinkerbats for a while, maybe it's the way Giga Mermaid laughs when she regales the queen with the tale of how she utterly humiliated a major noble - one who, coincidentally, happened to give Giga Mermaid a lot of trouble during that fateful political meeting - or maybe it's just because she's wanted to do it for a while, but during one of their meetings, Risky ends up kissing Giga Mermaid. Just a simple peck on the tip of the queen's nose, nothing more, but it's still enough to get Risky to freeze up, internally reprimand herself because what is she DOING, and immediately start barking out half-baked threats to keep Giga Mermaid from mentioning the incident to anyone…which all promptly fall short in the face of the surprised, but sly smile on Giga Mermaid's face. She wasn't EXPECTING for Risky to feel that way towards her, but she isn't complaining, and casually mentions that there's a spell she uses whenever she has to go to a political meeting not in her own kingdom, and therefore not built for her size, that she'd like to show Risky next time they meet. Confused, but mostly just relieved that Giga Mermaid isn't going to say anything, Risky agrees to see the spell. Cut to a few days later, when something suddenly stops Risky's ship. She instinctively looks around to see if she can spot Giga Mermaid…only to hear her clear her throat at a considerably quieter volume than usual. Risky turns around to see the Giga Mermaid at a more human size with the slightest of smirks and a raised eyebrow. Turns out, that's the spell - something that shrinks Giga Mermaid down to a more manageable size, if only for a few hours. And that's when she gives Risky another offer: a true, proper kiss this time. Risky takes the deal without any hesitation.
OKAY. Risky/Giga Mermaid scenario over. So, what relationship could possibly top that? …honestly, nothing; that scenario ended up being more intensive than I expected, but! Anyway, for the last Risky ship, I have one quick offering: Risky/Squidsmith. This one is definitely a crackship since the two haven't even interacted, but it IS pretty funny to me because, if you don't already know, I headcanon Squidsmith to be Bolo's mom, as detailed here. So the way I imagine this working is that Risky ends up walking into a bar where the Squidsmith is at after a long day of work. And in a brilliant moment that shows exactly where her son got his denseness from, she proceeds to not recognize Risky at all and casually flirt with her. Risky attempts to dissuade her, but Squidsmith is insistent, and eventually…Risky sighs, deciding to humor the woman and stay at her temporary home for her work for the night. And then that night goes very well for her, so when Risky happens to run into Squidsmith again…she a bit more easily persuaded this time. And the next time. And the next time. And the next time…and all the while, Squidsmith STILL doesn't connect the dots, and does not until word eventually spreads to Shantae via Bolo and she promptly realizes just who Bolo's mom has been dating. Naturally, hilarity ensues.
The Half Genies
So! Onto the half-genies! These four tend to be subject to the whole "whoever I ship is subject to whatever would be funniest" phenomenon the most frequently, since I don't really have any particular ships in mind for them. There's still more to talk about than Risky, though...which, uh, might not QUITE be the right thing to say considering how long that Risky/Giga Mermaid section ended up being. Hopefully I don't have to break up the list this time.
Starting with a half-genie I've already mentioned - and have notably more solid headcanons for - Harmony! I've only very briefly mentioned it before in a different post, but I firmly think she's asexual, though still open to romantic relationships of the sapphic variety. There's a certain level of irony to this because Harmony is also built like an Amazon, and there are a lot of people who find her attractive...and Harmony, through a combination of the aforementioned asexuality and just not having a lot of social interaction to go off of, has been completely oblivious to this up until recently. Up until she was used for the set up for Rottytops' plan to get Sky and Bolo together that ended up resulting in her briefly dating Sky, to be precise. It was her first experience being in a romantic relationship, and even if it wasn't exactly perfect by any stretch, Harmony still thinks of it fondly. If Sky were to approach her with the prospect of including her in Sky and Bolo's relationship, she'd be more than happy to say yes.
Harmony is actually fairly similar to Shantae when it comes to romantic relationships - she may be incredibly confident in herself, with a lot of experience in defending her town, being a leader, and keeping a calm and level-headed demeanor, but a romantic relationship is still a relatively new and exciting prospect for her, so she can be a bit nervous, especially in public settings. To be quite honest, though, she doesn't mind. It's actually part of the appeal of a romantic relationship to her, that she's so incredibly new to the whole thing and vulnerable in a way she normally isn't. Harmony takes her duties as a Guardian Genie very seriously, making herself a pillar of strength and self-confidence that others can look up to and depend on...but that doesn't mean that Harmony doesn't want some support herself, sometimes. And sure, with the Half-Genie festival she's gotten some friends who are more than willing to help in that regard, and she's very thankful for it, but- part of what appeals so much about a romantic relationship to Harmony is the prospect of someone who she can always trust to have her back when it all gets to be a bit too much. Someone she can trust to protect her at her weakest, and someone she can protect in turn. It's part of what made Sky so appealing to her - she'd heard how Sky helped Shantae through some of her lowest moments, and then seeing Sky with her birds, being so gentle and caring and kind...she may not have been the one to ask for a relationship, but she accepted it incredibly quick.
With all that being said, I, uh. Don't really have anyone I ship with Harmony besides the whole "did previously date Sky"/"would be open to a Sky/Bolo/Harmony polycule" thing. Like, I see a lot of people attracted to Harmony, sure, but not so much in a romantic relationship with her. In all honesty besides the polycule scenario I think Harmony's best romantic option would probably be a civilian? Which we don't really have any particularly stand-out examples of, so...yeah. I did have a fic idea for where Harmony strikes it up with that one zombie tourist girl NPC we see in Seven Sirens, though. Unfortunately I do not remember any of the details in the slightest so you'll have to get back to me on that one.
Getting to the other three...the two most prominent ships involving them are here are Zapple/Vera and Plink/Vera, and while I still don't plan on locking down a solid headcanon for which one I'd go with...I will say that, at least in the early days of the blog, I tended to lean more towards Zapple/Vera, but I have been seeing the appeal of Plink/Vera these days. So, getting into those ships now-
With Zapple/Vera, I imagine the dynamic doesn't really change much from the one I've given them as friends. Zapple is similar to Rottytops in that she can be a bit of a troublemaker, but whereas Rottytops just loves causing problems on purpose, in Zapple's case it's moreso because she has at least five different conspiracies in her head at all times and doesn't fear god. Vera's used to this just from knowing Zapple for so long, but dating her ratchets up the intensity somehow just because her dating ideas really aren't too different from the multitude of times she's gone "hey Vera you know what would be a cool idea" or went "Vera there's no time to explain we need to commit arson." You can never say a date Zapple plans is a dull one, that's for sure. But she's also a lot more...attentive to Vera than before. She's always known Zapple cares, willing to help her with any problem that arises and helping lift her spirits with her dry sense of humor and sheer enthusiasm, but now she pays attention to Vera's physical and mental health with the same paranoid intensity she gives her various conspiracies, declaring herself Vera's medic and fussing over the smallest things in a way that Vera finds both hilarious and heartwarming. As for Vera's side of things...again, it's similar to before, where she acts as a grounding presence for Zapple both in terms of her more adventurous ideas and her wild conspiracies, it's just that it's gotten notably easier - partially because Zapple is more willing to listen to her, and partially because Vera's found that any sort of physical intimacy makes Zapple's brain short circuit, and she's more than willing to take advantage of that if it keeps Zapple from staying up all night with a conspiracy board.
As for Plink/Vera...while the two might PHYSICALLY be far apart, when you have friends with teleportation magic, any given "long distance" relationship becomes a lot easier to manage, and this one would be no exception. Vera's taken a liking to showing Plink some of the natural wonders of Siren Island she never got around to seeing during her brief stay with the Half-Genie Fesitval, and seeing her eyes light up with delight at whatever Vera shows her is always worth a smile in her eyes. Plink, meanwhile, doesn't come up with the date ideas that often, but when she does, they're always spectacular. One particularly memorable moment in their relationship for both Plink and Vera is when Plink took Vera up a grassy hill late one night, refusing to elaborate what for to avoid spoiling the surprise, sitting her down, and then using her magic to let Vera see what was effectively the supernatural equivalent of an aurora borealis, with equally fantastical sights and colors to be seen. Both of them are also fairly physically intimate, with Vera being especially so when Plink is distressed, holding her close to calm her down. Meanwhile, Plink will give Vera hugs and hold hands with her often, but can be a bit nervous to take it beyond that. Doesn't mean she hasn't, though. Overall, just a particularly nice relationship...nothing crazy, but neither Vera nor Plink mind that at all.
Slightly breaking the mold and going back to Zapple here - ever since I've written my updated Siren headcanons post, which I linked earlier in Risky's section, one ship idea involving Zapple that showed up out of nowhere but has grown on me is Zapple/Octo Siren. Again, this makes more sense if you read that headcanon post, so I recommend you read that, but anyway…after all the Sirens are redeemed, I imagine Octo Siren just. Lives in Zapple's house now. They threw her in there when they kidnapped her for her own good, and she sees zero reason to leave after the fact. I stand by this regardless of whether they'd be in a romantic relationship or not, but it also happens to make for a great starting point for one! Because, as mentioned earlier, Zapple's brain short circuits with physical intimacy, and pretty much all of the Seven Sirens have zero sense of personal space. Which, well. Zapple DID catch onto that a bit with Lobster Siren, but she just figured that she didn't get out much and shrugged it off. It was only when the dust settled and everyone could let out a sigh of relief that she realized that, oh, no, they're all just like this. And now she's living with a girl that is not only fairly attractive, around her age, if a bit older - or at least the equivalent of that by Siren standards - and she shares a mutual understanding with, but also just...has a habit of casually draping herself over Zapple like she's a living lounge chair? Forget short circuiting, something in Zapple's brain has caught fire at this point and the fans are working overtime in a feeble effort to solve the issue while smoke blows out her ears.
Meanwhile, completely oblivious to Zapple's plight, Octo Siren...well. She has to admit, there's actually something of a romantic spark in her heart regarding Zapple, what with the softer side Zapple showed her that fateful night, the way she can relate to her mental struggles, the more wild side of her life that seems both a bit frightening and exciting at the same time...but, she also doesn't want to make the same mistake did with Shantae, even if the half-genie wasn't dating Rottytops at the time, and she's about...75% sure that Zapple and Vera are dating. So, Octo Siren doesn't say anything, intending to latch that romantic spark down, only to find it growing stronger and stronger until one day, she finally cracks a little and asks Zapple if she and Vera are dating. Whatever response she was expecting, it was not Zapple snapping her head over to Octo Siren and very bluntly informing her that Vera and Plink are dating, and also you have been driving me insane for the past three weeks for the love of god please date me.
Needless to say, after a lot of confusion and some explanations, the two ended up dating. Now with something of a proper sense of boundaries, Octo Siren has actually toned down how physical she is with Zapple, which is both a slight disappointment and a MAJOR relief because, as nice as all that contact and touching was, she also kinda needs her brain intact to do her job properly. Octo Siren will still drape herself over Zapple like she's a lounge chair, though, especially if she can tell Zapple's had a long day or that she's making a bad decision for herself - like, say, staying up all night to figure out conspiracies. Octo Siren doesn't have that many date ideas, but everything I said about Zapple's dates regarding the Zapple/Vera ship applies here as well, and while at first Octo Siren finds herself terrified...she also loves it a little? It does not take long into her and Zapple's relationship to become an adrenaline junkie, though thankfully one with more common sense, much to Vera's relief. Zapple is also equally attentive to Octo Siren, which is maybe a bit weird for her since she really hasn't anyone hovering over her like that in her life, but still rather flattering. Octo Siren has found that a good way to keep Zapple from committing to a bad idea - or just to receive a LOT of comfort after a particularly bad day - is to fake having a minor cold, and then watching as Zapple drops everything to help Octo Siren out.
Holly Lingerbean
Now, ending on a bit of a high note...Holly Lingerbean! Some of you are probably wondering WHY Holly in particular instead of, say, the Barons, but I went with Holly for three reasons: firstly, I am incredibly biased. Holly is one of my personal favorite Shantae characters just because she hits a lot of the right buttons for me. Secondly, there's only like two things to talk about for Holly, whereas with the Barons I'd probably have to break up their list twice just going off of Risky and the section with the half-genies. Thirdly, she's like half the reason I had the idea to write this PARTICULAR headcanon post in the first place, but I'll get to that in a bit.
Getting into the first ship, which long-time followers of the blog are probably expecting a bit...Holly Lingerbean/Nega Shantae! These two actually fairly consistently show up in my quotes as a couple, whether that be in a romantic sense or a platonic one, and, well...to be completely honest, I don't really ship the two romantically, it's just that: A.), Holly's like, one of the only few characters Nega Shantae could plausibly be interacting with besides the main four and Uncle Mimic, so it makes sense to put them together, and B.), like I mentioned before, Holly's one of my favorite Shantae characters, and she and Nega Shantae have a very interesting dynamic where, with Nega Shantae's over the top villainous personality, it's maybe one of the few times Holly can actually reasonably play the straight man, and obviously Nega Shantae can play the straight man to Holly just as well. So, in other words, this was mostly a pairing formed out of convenience that serves the actual gimmick of this blog pretty nicely...but, uh, again, I honestly don't ship them that seriously. I DO think they could work as a couple, but I'm personally not that invested in figuring out the specifics. I imagine they'd give off old married couple vibes, i.e. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in the Looney Tunes Show.
Now, to the main event...some of you are probably aware of the Holly redemption AU I have going on with Living Memoir, though I haven't really added to it beyond that initial fic. But that's hardly for lack of trying! I've had plenty of ideas for it, some of which have shown up in other places - hell, the thing about Giga Mermaid having a spell to shrink herself down to a more normal size is actually from one of those fic ideas - and when it got around to pride month last year...well. I ended up having an idea. An idea completely out of left field, mind you, but one that seemed only captivating, so I mused on it. And mused on it. And then I mused on it a bit too hard, and it has been driving me insane ever since, DOUBLY so after I did my updated siren headcanon post and my brain was filled with ideas anew. But I have had approximately no place to really talk about it...until now, when I wrote this headcanon post specifically talking about couples. So, without further ado - Holly Lingerbean/Lobster Siren! ...I swear I can make this make sense
I'm not going to go too much into how they meet because I DO plan on writing that fic at some point, but to make a long story short - Shantae teleports to Siren Island with Holly, still early on in her path to redemption, in order to talk with Zapple and Vera and figure out where Harmony is, since she figures Harmony would be the best mentor for helping Holly expand her magical repertoire beyond...existing, and also messing with memories. Holly, meanwhile, doesn't really care too much about all that jazz, and just wants to get a tan...or at least act like she's getting one. But, as she manages to set herself up in a resort and get out the tanning board, she happens to spot someone out of the corner of her eye - Lobster Siren, currently hiding the best she can and spying on her. Vaguely knowing who she is from Shantae's brief rundown and not really having any thoughts about Lobster besides "huh, she's kinda cute now that I see her in person," Holly asks if she can get the waiting staff so she can order a drink. When Lobster doesn't respond, Holly remembers that she doesn't speak English, and considering her silent nature, opts for sign language instead. She is beyond pleased with herself when she gets a response, Lobster Siren asking in sign how she knows that - ha, success! - only for that pleasure to promptly shatter into a million pieces as she's informed that the particular sign language she's speaking is several centuries out of date.
Legitimately distressed from this news, as taking the time to learn that language to speak to the deaf and mute was one of the few achievements about herself she could still hold high, Holly does what she deems to be the most healthy and normal method of dealing with this issue and very quickly speedwalks away from the problem, ignoring Lobster Siren's cry of concern. This seems like a perfect plan up until Lobster Siren, very quickly fed up with being ignored, teleports directly in front of Holly and physically holds her in place so she can get her to stand still and tell her what's wrong. Because, with Lobster Siren...well. She'd been intending to avoid Holly - first impression spotting her arrival with Shantae a biiiiiiiiit too similar to Empress Siren for her tastes - but now that she's actually interacted with her...there's clearly something different going on here. Empress Siren only bothered learning the language of the surface to better convey her superiority to them, while Holly, as rude as she might have been at first, clearly learned sign language to actually TALK to people considering her reaction. So, beyond feeling a bit guilty for inadvertently causing Holly distress, Lobster Siren wants to take the time to understand Holly better - both how she knows a language lost to time, and how she is as a person. Holly, meanwhile, had pretty much all of her thoughts leave the room as soon as Lobster Siren grabbed her by the wrists and looked at her with that intense gaze, as her status of "mildly interested" very quickly spiraled into "down atrocious," and it goes from there.
Holly is a similar case to Zapple where physical intimacy makes her brain go blank, only with the main difference that she has not had any kind of physical intimacy for a good few centuries, so it is notably worse. Less touch starved and more touch drought. Also, since Holly's not the best at reading people and Lobster is not the best at communicating, for a good while Holly completely misinterpreted Lobster's complete lack of personal space as her being physically possessive, which, ah...really, only made Lobster Siren that much more attractive to Holly. As big as her ego is, it's all mostly hot air, so the idea of someone finding her valuable, someone treating her as important and worthy, even if she's not busy being a hero or a showman or whatever and just being HOLLY? To the point of them physically pulling her close, as if to say "back off, she's mine?" Oh, that gets Holly's heart racing and her brain to melt out her ears. Even when the misconception is cleared up, her immediate first thought is "okay I know you aren't actually like that and that's fine but maybe you could act like you are? for me? please? pretty please?" And Lobster Siren...is actually completely fine with that, since, as previously established, all Lobster Siren did for Holly to think that was act as her usual, lack of personal space self, so she just...deliberately does that afterwards. And Holly loves it.
As for Lobster Siren's end…she's not down as bad as Holly is, but once Holly does tell her exactly how she feels? She can't help but love her back. For one thing, Holly's one of the few people she knows who isn't either frightened of her - i.e., most of Siren Island's tourists - or babies her, and instead just…treats her with respect like an actual adult. Sure, the two aforementioned groups are getting better at that, but Holly did it right from the start and has no intention of stopping. It also helps that, even if Holly's not the best person in the world by a long shot, she is willing to try and get better, which is very admirable in Lobster's eyes. And, what ultimately ends up sealing the deal for Lobster Siren, at least when it comes to turning their friendship into an actual romance, is just how deep Holly's devotion is for her. How much Holly wants to be with her, how much she sees in her that, honestly, Lobster Siren doesn't see in herself most days, how she is 100% willing to spend the rest of her life with her, without hesitation, and without regret. It's frankly surprising how devoted Holly is to Lobster, but she finds it very sweet...if not mildly concerning at times. Again, down atrocious. Once, Holly described an elaborate fantasy she had of Lobster Siren within minutes of them first meeting to her, of her dragging Holly down to the depths and then showing her all the incredible underwater sights, holding her close to make sure she doesn't fall into the abyss of the sea, scaring off any undersea predator that dared draw near, and Lobster politely waited for her to finish before interjecting with a concerned [So did you forget the part where you need to breathe?] in sign, to which Holly went, "Huh? Oh, no, I'm a memory; I don't actually have to breathe if I want to. Why? Are you interested?"
Holly may not be much of a physical fighter, but if you cause Lobster Siren distress in any way, well...she can certainly verbally eviscerate you, and she is damn good at it, what being a former villain and all. Shantae, Bolo, and Lobster Siren are all quietly relieved that Sky and Rottytops don't like Holly enough to include her in their unofficial "if anyone talks shit about our partners we beat them to death" alliance. They fear what the world would look like if they did.
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Oooh, The Furnaced!Macaque AU be looking good. So many angst options!
(At least Buddha was nice enough to make the urn with the FFM top)
Spideys Brain: <Ey, let’s make this angstier.>
“What, Mac actually being dead?”
<Nope! Even better!SWK and Mac were reduced to ashes, yeah? What if they were really close in there, so the ash piles were actually one pile?>
“Go on…”
<SWK regenerating from the ashes…he also grabbed onto Mac’s ashes – I mean, it was probs reactionary, like, starting as soon as he dissolved into ash…right on top of Mac’s. Or Mac dissolved into ashes while on top of him, whichever floats the boat…>
“Wait, you mean, like Mac being like an ashy symbiote inside SWKs body that comes out. Would be, him breathing out smoke and, whoa, here’s Macky!”
<Cool idea, not quite. Think Steven Universe Gems.>
“So, they like fused. Can they unfuse?”
<Nope! Loss of self and identity crisis up the wazoo!>
So yeah…Lao Tzu cracking that bad boy open to see what’s up and this unholy combination of both SWK and LEM comes out screaming and hitting – confused, gotta be in a lot of pain, freaking the fuck out in general. Heaven shrieks in terror as this abomination continues the rampage that leaves nearly all of Heaven in shambles – can’t believe they are wishing for SWK to be the one to do it instead.
Dunno what else to say, but I guess there would be a lot of derealizations, disassociations and identity crises down the line. Maybe identity death? Definitely grieving over the loss of self. That Journey is gonna be FUN.
Hmm….Welded Monkey AU? It’s a synonym of fused and, get this, *married*. Guess when they work it out, they might go Garnet on all this, then? Just a Garnet that couldn’t defuse even if they wanted to…okay, bad example…
(Also, imagine the general Wukongverse reaction to this…this fused monkey that still struggles with feeling real and has no actual identity…like, they love their LEMs but that is just the purest of nightmare fuel even for them – who would’ve thought the furnace could bring forth even more fears?)
Ohohoho
"Welded Monkey!au" is delightfully devious.
Sun Wukong and the Six Eared Macaque may have technically "died" to the Furnace...
But the four-armed, firey-eyed, six-eared, and two-tailed Welded Monkey King of the Crucible was born.
And of course this is considering that the being born from the furnace is a grown fusion, and was not compressed into a fresh Diamond Stone Egg from the ashes...
Both two previous minds clashing and marrying and a whole new mind forming all at once. Not even the Buddha is sure what to make of it.
The battle in heaven is legendary, and even the strongest warrior Erlang Shen is left permanently injured - the Welded Monkey being his equal match + 1. But like with the original story, the Monkey proves far too proud to turn down a bet from the Buddha (though the Macaque part of them yells that it's a trick).
Tripitaka finds his bodyguard 500 years later chained under the Mountain, and nearly faints from the sight.
A tall, bronze-furred monkey that looks at the monk with equal fascination and disgust. Molten copper and iron still dripping from their maw. Lets just say Guanyin needs to apply the crown immediately or else the combined anger of SWK and the spite of LEM means one less Journey member.
Many demons run at the sight of them.
The Welded Monkey (aka "Alloy/Héjīn) refers to themselves only in plural pronouns, as to respect their original forms.
They wield a staff and can jump into the shadows of their foes. To the unknowing, it's like seeing an Asura fight on earth.
Their personality is one of opposites; cheeky and demure, boisterous and calculating, honest and scheming, theatric and shy. So many aspects of Sun Wukong and Macaque combined.
It gets a little awkward for them to explain what's exactly going on. Enemies think it's an interesting power-up. Former friends are the most confused.
PIF: "So are you Sun Wukong or are you Macaque?"
Hejin: "Yes and no."
DBK: "So their child? Being a combination of both?"
Hejin: "We have their memories though."
DBK: "Hmm... what's it like?"
Hejin, thinking for a while: "Noisy. On the inside."
PIF: "I always did think Wukong and Macaque would marry. Just not in this way."
I imagine their Journey is more one of finding their own personality and identity after their creation, and them/the world as a whole accepting the loss of who they once were.
The Wukongverse def pities/is terrified of what Hejin respresents. Hejin is not a SWK/LEM child, nor are they just them combined - they are something Else.
The different Lao Tzu/Laozi's make sure to note; "Do Not put more than one monkey in the Furnace at once."
#furnaced!macaque au#furnaced!macaque#welded monkey!au#others aus#lego monkie kid#lmk#shadowpeach#sun wukong#liu er mihou#six eared macaque#character fusion
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See. What frustrates me most with the mage/templar thing in Dragon Age is that I completely understand what they were trying to do
On paper, the mage/templar debate reads like this: "There are a group of people who are inherently dangerous, and because of this they are locked away and hated. That hate is often exaggerated, and based in religion, but it is undeniable that the danger is still there. So what do you do? Is it fair to lock up these people for something they can't control? Is it fair to let them loose where they pose a very real threat to defenseless people? What do you do?"
On paper, that is a genuinely very interesting concept. It makes you think! It sparks a debate in your brain! I get what they were trying to do, I don't fault them for that
The problem is. Entirely in the execution, and in the language used around it.
Because it takes an ethical dilemma and treats it exactly like a civil rights issue and those are not the same thing
An ethical dilemma is what I described above. You have two options. Neither are ideal. You need to decide between the lesser of two evils. Which does the most good? Which causes the least harm? The trolley problem. The self-driving cars decision.
That is a far cry from a civil rights issue
In actual real-world civil rights, there has never been a group of people who had to fight for rights that posed some sort of inherent danger. The only danger was bigotry, and that danger is towards them. Real civil rights aren't an issue because the oppressed group has a chance of turning into a blood thirsty fire-monster at any giving second, they're an issue because a different group of people have decided that they are superior to that group for no other reason than the differences they can find. That's it
Now, it does annoy me when people talk about the mage/templar debate like it is a real life civil rights issue. I don't think those discussions are productive, because it... isn't. There is no real mage rights campaign. But the handling of it in the game just has very unfortunate implications for how the writers think oppression works, be it intentional or not.
They wanted to make their issue interesting by giving "both sides a point." And unfortuntely this implies that in real life "both sides" should be taken into consideration in a civil rights issue. But they shouldn't. Because when the fight is based in bigotry, "both sides" are not equal. One is right and one is wrong. The shades of grey come from how the bigotry is presented and who it comes from, but the bigotry itself never "has a point." It's hate. It's hate based in one group's need for superiority and nothing else
An ethical dilemma angle is still a very hard concept to execute properly when you are using people at the core of your ethical dilemma. In this case, it's not "who gets run over by the trolley" it's "who is the trolley." You have to be EXTREMELY careful with that not to end up with, well, what the final product was. Clearly, Dragon Age wasn't
And obviously, even if the mage/templar thing had dropped the civil-rights language and been treated just as an ethical dilemma, the ethical thing to do is still not to lock up the mages. You can't punish people for a crime they might commit. But at least the argument would make more sense and be less frustrating
If they even just adjusted the language, didn't use words like "oppression" didn't call it the "mage rights movement." Didn't directly mirror the language and atrocities committed by Nazis in the Holocaust that's already an improvement. It's not perfect, but it's an improvement.
I believe there could've been a way to do the mage/templar debate right. I honestly think that with careful writing, it still has a chance to be "fixed" and "done right" in the upcoming games. I don't hope for that, I just think it's possible
So yeah, that's the biggest thing for me. I don't think the concept of the mage/templar conflict is a bad one. I get what they wanted to do, but the execution has been fumbled in the lightest of terms.
Cool concept! Badly handled
#dragon age#dragon age 2#this will be the last mage/templar debate post i will ever make. i have now said everything i could ever say on it#until dreadwolf comes out at least#i might delete this i'm not sure i'm getting my point across perfectly but i wanted to get it off my chest for now
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Other quick reviews/notes:
Hellagur's Y module sucks ass because it focuses on survivability when Hellagur's X module gave him ASPD and shelter and thus, survivability but also DPS. His X module is super good though so it's okay if his Y mod sucks.
Phantom Y module is complete despair gaming. He turns off his own module effect if he deploys his clone right beside him, and it only works on S2 because S3 has Phantom autoactivate his skill on drop which STILL won't match Kirin Yato's S2 in physical DPS even if both Phantom and his clone attack the same target. Stick with his X module I'd say, buffing the clone's redeployment time actually helps Phantom differentiate himself from Texas and Yato
Flagbearer module's base effect is good, but in another extremely funny example of Hypergryph balancing Myrtle has the strongest module when it comes to cost efficiency. 28 HP per second for all Vanguards to 33 for the cost of a 4 star's modules is really good for Vanguardknights. Elysium's isn't bad either when running him as Sniper support, as he gains +5 ASPD for Sniper units when casting skills, and also he gets a huge +50 DEF for some reason, he's just not as tanky as Myrtle. Saileach... Gains +3 ASPD and +3 -ASPD debuff for enemies, not bad but she's a 6 star so her module upgraded are incredibly expensive, I'd say keep it at level 1.
AFK players will like Typhon having an infinite double shot skill with a 40% chance to stun and with Besieger range. I definitely see her being new best friends with Thorns, Horn, Mudrock, Mountain, Blaze, and all other lazy day operators.
However, Typhon's S3 is what really makes her a siege unit. 5x 175% ATK per ammo is a gargantuan amount of damage, though because it slows down her attack interval to an equally gargantuan 5.5 seconds, she's not going to be instantly bursting enemies down. Best pair her with support units that can keep enemies tied down such as Ethan or Mostima, anything that lets Typhon chip (and by chip I mean blast) away at an enemy while keeping them inside her marked range.
Also pleased to see Typhon and Rosa occupy different niches. A pure DPS comparison will see Typhon coming out on top, but the sheer inconvenience of her S3 (it hits random targets, it's slow as shit, enemies need to stand still), vs Rosa's no-nonsense S2 means there are situations where Rosa is the more efficient pick. However, if you can make Typhon work, she does 125k total skill damage with S3 (lol, lmao even) making her a rare 100k+ operator. Rosa of course, also still has her S3 with the Bind for control options.
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