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writeforfandoms · 8 months

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The Little Things Give You Away

Find my CoD Masterlist

You've been with the 141 for a little while now, part of the team but not part of the pack. A mission to Urzikstan changes that.

Warnings: Feelings of inadequacy, canon typical violence, non descriptive violence, shifter etiquette, swearing.

Word count: 5.4k

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x f!reader (fennec fox shifter), with background Alex x Farah

You’d been with the 141 for a few months now, after tons of work and a few test runs. You meshed well with their skill sets, your long fuse and medical training giving you an advantage over other hopefuls. By now, you’d run ops with all of them, as a large group and in smaller groups. You knew these men, trusted them on the field.

But that trust still only went so far. You still didn’t feel like part of the pack.

It took time, you knew. You’d integrated into other packs before. Part and parcel of this kind of life - you’d already been in half a dozen packs. (Which was perhaps a high number but you got along well with people. You didn’t think that was a fault.)

So you had a job you loved, with men you trusted and respected. And a pack that kept you at arms length.

One of these things was not like the others.

You managed. You did the best you could, which was still pretty damn good. And that was enough.

Getting called to the briefing room was nothing new, and you sat a couple seats away from Gaz and Soap.

"Got a call from an old friend," Price said as he walked up the front of the room. "So we're gonna go help out. Off the books."

"Where are we going?" Gaz asked, looking interested.

"Urzikstan."

Gaz lit up, but Soap and Ghost didn't. Well. At least you weren't the only one who didn't know what was going on.

"Weapons will be provided once we get there," Price said. "Pack light, our ride will be here in an hour. Dismissed."

You stood and let the others go first. You didn't have too much you had to do, after all. Just throw some necessities in a bag.

"Question, sergeant?"

The voice of your captain and alpha broke you out of your thoughts, and you shook your head. "No, sir."

Price eyed you for a moment before he nodded. "Best hurry," he advised quietly.

You tipped your head in acknowledgement and walked faster, turning down a different corridor. Your quarters were a little bit away from the rest of the pack.

Which was fine. It was fine.

True to your prediction, you threw things in a bag and carried it out to the heli pad, and ended up being the first one there. You debated shifting, but knew you'd catch shit if anyone else saw you. So you sat down and pulled a book out of your bag, settling in to wait.

"Good book?" Gaz stood over you, his own bag slung over his shoulder.

"So far," you agreed, craning your neck back to look up at him. "Sounded like you know where we're going."

"I know which old friend, at least." Gaz shrugged, taking a step back so you could get to your feet. "You'll like her."

Your eyebrows shot up. Her? Well then. This would be interesting.

"Hurry up, wee menace!" Soap called as he passed the two of you. You immediately scowled after him. You hated that nickname and the whole team knew it.

"One of these days," you muttered.

"Only if you can catch him," Gaz pointed out with a grin. When you turned your withering stare to him, he held up his hands, laughing. "Was just a joke, love!"

You huffed and turned away from him, ignoring his soft groan. The walk out to the heli was short, and you buckled in silently. Gaz sat across from you, trying to catch your eye, and you relented somewhat. Enough to smile at him.

The flight was long and boring. The pilot, Nikolai, was a cheery man who occasionally told jokes over the headsets. Price sat up near him.

When you finally landed, Urzikstan was hot and dry. Nothing too unusual for the region. Part of you luxuriated in the heat, wanting to shift and stretch out.

But you didn't, falling in at the end of the line. The sandy tarmac crunched a little under your boots.

"You still know how to make an entrance," an American voice drawled. You blinked.

"Alex!" Gaz jogged forward, clearly excited.

"He's not wrong," a woman added. You finally got up to where you could see too. The man, Alex, stood next to the woman, both of them looking pleased.

"You're one to speak," Price said, holding out his hand. "You both know Gaz. These are the rest of my team." He introduced Soap, Ghost, and then you. Of course you were last. As usual. “These are Farah and Alex.”

You nodded to the pair, watching them. Hopefully you’d get some answers soon. You were starting to feel antsy.

“This way.” Farah took the lead, Price falling in next to her. Gaz stuck with Alex, and of course Soap and Ghost were together. You trudged after them, taking a few moments to look around.

Farah didn’t speak again until you were all inside, a little bit pressed together. The room was probably not really meant for five men as big as them.

“We’ve had problems with the Russians again,” she said, glancing meaningfully at Price.

“Who?” He frowned down at the map.

“A lieutenant of a man named Makarov.”

You straightened, feeling the tension in the room ratchet as your teammates did the same.

“One of his lieutenants, huh?” Price mused, leaning a little closer to the map. “Show me.”

Farah went over what she could, showing where the Russians had come from and what territory they’d claimed. It wasn’t much, yet, but she was rightfully worried about them taking more.

“We will need to do recon, but I can do that.” Farah shot Alex a quelling look.

Alex huffed softly. “Be better if you didn’t have to do it alone.”

“Nobody notices a cat,” Farah pointed out, half gentle, half exasperated, the tone of an old argument.

“I can go,” you offered, barely glancing at Price for permission. “I’ll blend right in.”

Price hesitated only a moment before he nodded. “Fennec fox,” he said to Farah’s questioning look.

Farah nodded, pleased. “We have time. We should learn each other’s scents now.”

You grinned, immediately stripping off your tac vest. Ignoring the noise of protest from Gaz, you dumped your vest and boots off to the side and shifted.

It was easy to wiggle out of your clothes as a fox. You were, you had to admit, pretty tiny, weighing only three pounds. Your ears swiveled, taking in all the sounds around you (you were pretty sure you heard a quickly stifled “aww” from Alex) before you yipped, once.

“Enough of that,” Price grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. You huffed at him, uncowed, and took a few steps back and forth.

Farah, when she emerged from Alex’s other side, was a cat. A sand cat. Also nearly perfectly suited to blend in with the sand, and very close to your size. But with smaller ears. You perked up, tail wagging as you crept forward. It had been a long, long time since you’d had anyone properly sized to play with. Farah’s nose twitched and she stepped closer to you, giving you both a chance to familiarize yourself with the other’s scent.

And then you carefully bopped her on the nose.

She reared back, looking startled, ears flickering. You readied yourself to roll over in apology, until her tail flicked and she bopped you right back. You yipped, high and pleased, and bounced at her before racing away.

You weren’t sure exactly how long the two of you played tag, but it was long enough that you were thoroughly worn out. You’d seen multiple buildings, wound your way between at least half a dozen people (not including your own pack), and had even stumped her twice. All in all, you’d say that was a pretty good showing.

Until one big hand scooped you up. You squeaked, resisting the urge to bite when you sniffed the hand. Gaz.

“Not leaving until tomorrow,” Gaz told you quietly, holding you close to his chest. You were still a little mad that he could hold you with one big hand, but, well… Being so small was to your advantage sometimes. “Food, then relaxing for a bit. Price’s orders.”

You huffed a little in acknowledgement, settling against him. Of your four packmates, he was the most conscientious about holding you, with Price as a close second. You didn’t even let Soap pick you up anymore.

You did shift back to eat, not quite surprised when Farah ended up next to you, and Alex on her other side.

“I have not seen a fox shifter in a long time,” Farah said, glancing at you.

You smiled. “I’m the only fennec in my family,” you admitted. “Which is okay! Not like any of us are too big.”

Farah nodded knowingly while Alex just blinked at you.

“How long have you been with the 141?” She nudged Alex into eating. Aww. Adorable.

“Few months.” You shrugged, pushing your food around your plate. You were hungry but not - the food looked good but sometimes making yourself actually eat was harder. You had protein bars stashed in your bag for this very reason.

She glanced between you and them. The rest of the pack had all settled around, not quite including you. Which didn’t bother you as much as it probably should. You could see the wheels turning in her head and shook your head a little. It wasn’t worth asking them.

“So, how’d you end up here?” You looked at Alex with an easy smile.

Dinner passed easily with the two of them, exchanging stories. You had a few of your own, including a few pranks you’d pulled off when you were younger. Sometimes being small had its advantages.

But when Price called your name, you still straightened and looked his way.

“Finish up,” he ordered, nodding to your plate. Dammit. You’d hoped he wouldn’t notice. “Then lights out, since you’re scouting tomorrow.”

“Yes sir,” you muttered, only a little sulky. You were quick to finish off your plate, even as Farah excused herself to talk to Price.

“Sure you’re alright?” Alex asked very softly, giving you a quick look over. “Just, I’ve seen packs before, not just here but all over. They’re normally…”

“Tighter?” you asked with a wry little smile, carefully keeping your voice low enough that the pack couldn’t hear you. “Yeah. I know.”

He eyed you carefully, gaze flicking over to where Farah and Price were talking. “Well, if you need anything, you let us know.”

Warmed by the unexpected offer, your smile softened. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” You nodded to him, and his lips quirked in return. You stood to put your dishes on the pile and retire for the night, per orders.

“Everything alright?” Gaz asked, catching up to you easily, almost touching you.

“Yeah, fine,” you were quick to assure him. “Which one’s ours?”

“Here.” He guided you to the room the pack had been given. Quarters were tight, you understood. Was far from the first time you’d be sharing with them. “You sure you’re alright?”

Your smile definitely felt frayed. “Why do people keep asking me that?” you mused, not quite expecting an answer. “Do I have some cosmic sign above my head?”

“No, just–” Gaz cut himself off with a sigh, shoulders slumping. “Checking, I guess. I know it’s easy to feel on the outside of things.”

You paused in the middle of taking your boots off, looking at him. For a wild moment, you wondered if he’d heard you talking to Alex. Then you shook it off. “It’s fine,” you said, looking back at your boots. “Not a big deal. Temporary additions are like that, I get it.”

“Temporary?” Gaz’s jaw dropped, distress leaking into his scent.

“Yeah?” You frowned at him.

“Who told you this was temporary?” He even sounded distressed now, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

You blinked. “My last CO,” you answered slowly, only a little uncertain now, even as you grabbed your sleeping bag. “Nobody said anything, so I figured–”

“That you were replaceable.” His eyes had gone wide now too.

You shrugged. “Pretty much.”

“Fuck.” He dropped his head. “You… fuck.”

“Hey, it’s fine, I get it.” You shot him a grin, easygoing and a little mischievous. “Foxes aren’t easy to be around for everybody.”

Gaz looked at you like you weren’t speaking the same language. "You think we care about that?"

You shrugged. "Who doesn't?" You shook your sleeping bag out and double checked that your stuff was as out of the way as you could get it. "It's not a big deal, Gaz."

His jaw clenched, distress still in his scent, but something else was overpowering it now. Some odd combination of anger and determination. "Think there's been a misunderstanding," he said slowly, looking at you.

You shrugged, wiggling into your sleeping bag. "Look, it's fine. Stop worrying about it. I'm here to do a job, same as you lot. Just leave it."

He did not look like he would leave it, but he did turn and walk out, letting you finally settle down to sleep.

Or at least to lay there with your eyes closed, trying to turn off your brain.

You woke briefly when the rest of the pack trooped in, but Price touched the top of your head. "Just us," he murmured, low and almost gentle. "Go back to sleep."

You blinked slowly at him before you nodded, closing your eyes again and curling up. You'd be less of a bother if you took up less space, so you tried to take as little as possible.

There was a soft but brief conversation behind you. You tried to tune them out, letting your eyes close and tucking your nose down again to block out errant scents.

You were asleep before the pack had finished settling in.

You woke first, slipping out of bed as quietly as possible and taking a moment to look at the pack. Soap and Ghost were curled together, Soap shamelessly using Ghost's bicep as a pillow. Price was between them and Gaz, stretched out and breathing deeply in sleep. Gaz… Gaz was on his side facing where you had been, a little furrow in his brow, looking faintly uncomfortable.

You resisted the urge to check on him, to crouch next to him and touch him. You wouldn't be welcomed, anyway. So you turned away and went in search of a warm drink.

Damn Gaz for making you wonder about your place in this pack.

You had some nice quiet time before the rest of the pack got up, and then it was mission time. You got ready silently, taking as little as possible. One of your teammates would hold your stuff while you were scouting, you knew.

But you didn't want to burden them further.

"Woke early?"

You nearly jumped at the voice of your captain behind you, and you turned to look at him. "Yes, sir."

He nodded, making tea and then sitting next to you, close enough that your knees touched. You eyed him for a moment, uncertain. Price was not exactly the most touchy-feely alpha, although you'd seen him touch the others plenty of times.

"After this mission, I think we need to have a talk, hm?" He tipped his head to look at you, eyes very blue for the brief look you allowed yourself before your gaze dropped to the table.

"Yes, sir," you agreed softly, heart plummeting. Well. Months was not a bad run in a pack. Better than your personal low of three weeks! You'd be fine. Everything would be fine.

"Nothing bad," he assured you, because of course he did. He didn't want you distracted on mission. "Just clarifying some things."

"I understand." And you did. Foxes weren't good for a lot beyond scouting and recall, after all.

He nodded once, firm, and turned his attention back to his tea. You swallowed the last of your drink and slunk away quietly.

You needed to get your head on straight and stuff your feelings back in the little box to be examined never.

By the time you all gathered, you were ready, bouncing lightly on your toes. Gaz stood next to you, bumping into you lightly.

"We've got two forward teams," Price said without preamble. "Soap, Ghost, you're with Farah and Alex. You two are with me. Farah's people will provide backup once we've got our intel."

You nodded. No surprises there.

"We will need to look for numbers, locations, entrances," Farah told you. "Weapons."

You nodded again. "Got it."

"Right. Let's get on it, then." Price smirked, jerking his head to the waiting cars.

The drive out into the desert was quiet but for the roar of the engine. Gaz kept shooting you little looks, and you clenched your jaw.

He must have talked to Price. Maybe he'd talked about your position on the team… or lack thereof.

You couldn't help the niggling doubt that this talk Price wanted to have would end with you off the team and out of the pack.

You breathed in deep and shoved it back down. You needed to focus. You needed to be clear headed. So you could report accurate information.

The car stopped, and the two groups got out and moved up. Farah's group split off, and Price led you and Gaz away.

He halted and turned to look at you, one eyebrow raised. You hunkered down, stripping off your vest. Shifting took no time, and you stretched out.

"Ready?" He asked you softly. You resisted the urge to yip, instead stretching out your front legs and then bouncing in place. "Alright. You report right back to me."

You bounced again and took off, weaving through the sandy landscape easily. You blended in perfectly, your ears flickering.

Honestly, this kind of work wasn't hard. A former assignment had had you doing this near daily for a month to keep an eye on a high value target.

You could always do more of this after Price ousted you from the pack.

Huffing at yourself, you slowed as you approached the enemy base. Okay. Time to work.

You made sure to take thorough mental notes before you crossed paths with Farah. She flicked her ears at you, tail twitching. You bobbed your head carefully. She mrrped very softly and gently headbutted you before she turned and headed back to her group. You did the same.

You shifted back and Gaz hovered until you had your vest back on. You spoke while you dressed, being sure to speak clearly and as concisely as you could.

Price nodded. "Well done," he murmured. "Right. Follow me."

You shoved down the little thrill at the praise from your alpha (for however much longer that lasted) and nodded.

The op was… not easy. Never easy. But you all made an excellent battering ram, clearing enough enemies off the field for Farah's people to make good headway.

Price even managed to take the lieutenant alive, something that left him very pleased.

You stood off to the side after the dust settled, watching the celebrating with a little smile.

"Get over there and join in." Alex stopped next to you, nudging you a little towards Farah.

"Maybe in a bit." You shrugged, trying not to fidget anxiously.

"Hey." Alex frowned, ducking his head a little. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just… I'm fine." You shrugged again, fingers tapping against your vest in a restless pattern.

Alex didn't get a chance to ask further. Soap threw his arm over your shoulders, pressed up tight to your side, while Ghost's hand landed heavy on top of your head.

"There ye are!" Soap crowed, giving you a little shake. "Finally! Been hidin' from us?"

"What?" You blinked, caught off-guard. "No, I just–"

"Come on." Ghost tapped the top of your head and let his hand fall again.

Alex grinned, looking far too pleased as Soap dragged you away. You didn't fight it, too confused to even object.

"Found her?" Price asked, amused.

"Aye, Cap." Soap pulled you in front of the captain, grinning, before he finally let you go. You couldn't entirely shove down the slow curl of dread in your stomach.

"Have you eaten yet?” Price was once again focused on you.

“No,” you admitted slowly. “Figured I’d eat in a while.”

“Gaz told me you assumed this was a temporary position.”

You did not falter, because you’d been expecting this all day. “Yes, sir.”

“Your last CO?” Price’s head tipped, just a little. The kind of mild curiosity that you didn’t believe for a second.

“Yes.” You clenched your jaw, trying hard to be very still.

“He was wrong.” Price took one step forward, just barely in your space.

You blinked rapidly, confused. “...What do you mean?” You felt slow, like you were missing something that should be obvious.

“Means yer pack, ye dafty!” Soap piped up, and then yelped when someone slapped a hand over his mouth.

“It means you’re ours,” Price reiterated, not even sparing Soap a look. “I never intended you to be temporary.”

“Oh.” You blinked again, flabbergasted. “You… did?”

Price huffed softly, his hands landing on your shoulders and pulling you in, slow but sure, until he was properly hugging you. You melted. You’d been so sure you wouldn’t have this–

“You’re pack,” he rumbled quietly, just for you. “Until you tell me otherwise.”

You hid your grin in the hug. “You’ll be waiting a long time for that, sir.”

Price huffed, amused, and released you. Only for Soap to tackle you from behind, obnoxiously rubbing his head on top of yours and ignoring your yelled protests. Price just watched, not moving to help you.

Gaz came to your rescue, because he was the best.

“Shove off,” Gaz grumbled, helping free you from Soap’s grasp and instead wrapping his own arm over your shoulder. “C’mon, you need to eat.”

“Have you always been this fussy?” you asked, amused more than anything, letting him steer you to a table. “And just repressing it?”

“No,” Gaz tried to deny at the same time Price said, completely deadpan, “Yes.”

You sputtered a laugh, shaking your head even as you sat. But you didn’t have a chance to grab food - Gaz beat you to it, loading a plate for you and putting it in front of you. You blinked. That… that was new. And very interesting.

Even more interesting was him claiming the spot right next to you, sitting close enough that your thigh pressed against his.

But he didn’t say anything, so you didn’t either, just focusing on your food. You ignored Soap snickering about something with the ease of long practice. He was always a menace.

The celebration lasted well into the night. Soap pulled you into a few dances, Gaz kept you supplied with drinks and snacks, and Ghost silently watched over all three of you with little huffs of amusement. Price stayed for a little while before he slipped away to do work.

You honestly weren’t sure what time it was when you finally begged off to go sleep, but you did know that Gaz followed you back to the room you were all sharing.

“Think we’ll head out tomorrow?” you asked sleepily, dropping your boots next to your pack.

Gaz shrugged. “Depends how long it takes Price to get what he wants,” he murmured, sounding only slightly more alert than you.

“Leave packing for the morning, then.” You dropped down into your spot, curling up again without even waiting for confirmation.

“Good plan,” Gaz agreed, settling next to you. He didn’t quite touch you, but he did settle close enough that you could feel the warmth of him.

You woke to him curled around your back, his breath puffing softly on the back of your neck. You blinked sleepily, tempted for a few moments to just go back to sleep.

Until the position you were in actually sank in. Then you very carefully extricated yourself, praying your pounding heart didn’t wake him.

That… that was odd. And new. And a little bit terrifying, honestly. Because you liked Gaz, you’d always liked Gaz, even when he poked fun at you. You’d always forgiven him the fastest for the teasing.

So to wake up to him like that? Made you want things you shouldn’t want.

But you escaped without incident and went to find some food.

Somehow, you weren’t surprised when Farah stopped next to you, Alex behind her. “Come with me,” she said.

You didn’t even question her, just got to your feet and followed her. “Do I need to grab anything?”

Farah shook her head. “I’ve already told Price,” she said, glancing back at you over her shoulder. “We are not going far.”

Well, that wasn’t quite as reassuring as she thought it was, but you didn’t question her. You just followed her and Alex to a car.

“We will be scouting,” Farah told you as Alex drove. “Look for any sign of escaped Russians, or reinforcements.”

“Can do.” You sat up a little straighter, calmer now that you knew the mission. This wouldn’t be bad. Not bad at all.

You and Farah both shifted in the car and Alex opened the doors to let you out. Farah went one way, and you went another.

The base was large, spread out, but the two of you covered the ground easily. But everything was quiet, to your relief. You didn’t doubt that the Russians would hear of this, and they might retaliate. Possibly.

If they had the resources and decided this was a high value enough target.

You kind of hoped they just gave up. These poor people deserved some peace and quiet.

You passed Farah, darting over to greet her and sniff her face before you continued on your way. You just wanted to check one more area, just to be sure, and then you’d head back.

But you got lucky. No sign of life out here. (Apart from the little lizard you chased off.)

You trotted back to the car, enjoying the little buzz of a job well done. Farah was already back, sitting on Alex’s shoulder with one of his hands on her back to help stabilize her.

Aww. They were adorable. (And also making the ache in your soul much worse.)

You hopped into the back seat and shifted back, pulling your clothes on again. Alex didn’t get in until you were finished shifting, and even then, Farah just sat in the passenger seat very regally.

“All clear,” you said, and Farrah chirped her agreement.

“Good.” Alex started driving. “Thanks for the assist.”

“No problem.” You grinned. “Always a joy to go out for a run.”

Alex glanced at you in the rearview mirror. “Especially with someone your own size?”

You laughed, leaning back more in your seat. “Pretty much.”

Alex nodded. “Farah said something about that too,” he admitted, glancing at the cat next to him. She just huffed but didn’t actually object or bat at him. So clearly he was fine. “What do you do with your pack?”

“What, in terms of running?” You snorted, shaking your head. “I don’t. Not shifted, anyway. I can’t keep up.”

“So you and Gaz don’t…?” Alex trailed off.

You blinked. “I mean. Not really. Sometimes he trots after me, but we really can’t go running together.”

“He trots after you?” Alex grinned. “Boy’s got it bad.”

You blinked again, startled. “What?”

“Following you around. Saw him make you a plate last night, too.” Alex’s grin was mischievous. “Farah does that for me, sometimes. Confused the hell outta me the first couple times, until she explained.”

“Until she explained,” you repeated slowly. Because. He was wrong. There was no way Gaz had been… Had been…

“Yeah,” Alex said slowly, glancing at you in the mirror again. “She said it’s pretty typical behavior for shifters.”

“For courting, yeah,” you agreed, still speaking slowly. “But you’re wrong about Gaz.”

Farah actually turned around to look at you, giving you the most disbelieving look you’d ever seen on a cat. Alex gave you a matching look, which would have been hysterical under other circumstances.

“He’s been flirting with you literally the entire time you’ve been here,” Alex pointed out.

And you were about to deny that. You really were.

Except.

He’d been the one to follow you and check on you. He’d held on to your stuff while you’d been scouting. He’d made you a plate and made sure you ate.

Oh. Shit.

Ohhhh shit.

“Alright there?” Alex was not teasing any longer, concerned now.

“Yeah,” you muttered almost automatically. “Fine.”

Farah growled, low and short, expressing her disagreement with that. But she didn’t have a chance to do more - the car stopped.

Without a second thought, you popped your door open and shifted, slipping easily out of your clothes and running.

You didn’t want to be around people while you went over all the instances suddenly coming into startling clarity.

Gaz had been trying to court you. For weeks. He’d been subtle about it at first, just walking with you, or making sure he was the one to pick you up.

But dinner really cemented it. Sitting so close to you, fussing over your food like that… That was courting behavior, undoubtedly.

It was too much all at once.

You found a good space under a cluster of rocks right at the edge of base, burrowing under them and curling up.

Gaz had been trying to court you for weeks, and you were an absolute dumbass who hadn’t noticed. You covered your eyes with your tail.

A soft whine caught your attention some indeterminable amount of time later. You blinked and moved your tail to find Gaz as a wolf with his nose trying to get into your hiding spot. He whined softly again, and you could just see one paw scratching at the rocks.

You huffed and crawled towards him, pushing your body against his snout. He withdrew, backing up a step to give you plenty of room. You tucked your ears down and wiggled out of your hiding spot, shaking briefly to get rid of any lingering sand.

Gaz laid down in front of you, eyes big and pleading, tail wagging hopefully.

You cocked your head to one side, one ear up one down.

He huffed and wiggled a tiny bit closer to you, tail wagging a little harder. His tongue darted out for a quick kiss to your muzzle.

Oh. That. He must have talked to Alex or Farah.

You eyed him for a moment before you took one step closer, until you were right in front of him. If this were anyone else, it would be a little scary just how much bigger he was than you. But this was Gaz.

You weren’t scared.

You licked his nose. And when his eyes absolutely lit up, tail wagging so hard he was practically causing a sand storm behind him, you licked his nose again.

He hopped to his feet to nuzzle you, exceedingly careful. You huffed at him and started back towards the pack room, since you did want to have an actual conversation. Gaz, to your surprise, kept pace with you. Which meant you were trotting while he was walking leisurely.

Stupid long-legged wolf.

Soap got one look at you and whooped. “Took ye fuckin’ long enough!” he crowed.

Your ears flattened to your head and Gaz snapped at Soap with a low warning growl. Soap completely ignored the warning, starting to tease you two. And promptly ended up with a wolf tackling him.

You ignored the mess as the two of them rolled around, growling and snarking. Instead you went to the door and then sat and yipped at Price to open the door for you.

“Fuckin’ muppets,” Price muttered about the other two, scooping you up in one big hand. You yipped at him again and he huffed back. “Hush. We’ll talk while they figure shit out.” The door shut behind him. But you still weren’t scared.

You believed him when he called you pack. And if this was part of being his pack… You wouldn’t trade it for the world.

#kyle gaz garrick x reader #f!reader #shifter au

679 notes · View notes

vexwerewolf · 21 days

Note

I’ve been wracking my brain for a while to try and make a Melee and/or Grapple Manticore build. Just standing directly next to things and being a menace. I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on something like this. Thanks for reading regardless if you respond to this one. Love reading your stuff.

Luckily for you, this concept did spark joy.

-- HORUS Manticore @ LL6 -- [ LICENSES ] IPS-N Blackbeard 2, HORUS Manticore 3, IPS-N Tortuga 1 [ CORE BONUSES ] Improved Armament, Titanomachy Mesh [ TALENTS ] Duelist 3, PANKRATI 2, Skirmisher 2, Brawler 1, Combined Arms 1 [ STATS ] HULL:4 AGI:2 SYS:0 ENGI:2 STRUCTURE:4 HP:19 ARMOR:2 STRESS:4 HEATCAP:9 REPAIR:5 TECH ATK:+1 LIMITED:+1 SPD:4 EVA:8 EDEF:10 SENSE:10 SAVE:13 [ WEAPONS ] FLEX MOUNT: Chain Axe FLEX MOUNT: Chain Axe HEAVY MOUNT: Nanocarbon Sword [ SYSTEMS ] Synthetic Muscle Netting, Lightning Generator, Beckoner, Siege Ram

I call this one YOUR PUTRID FLESH WITHERS UNDER THE UNBLINKING GAZE OF MY DIVINE CONTEMPT. We're making a Manticore build; this is not the place for subtle or pithy names.

This is a melee-only build, which I normally recommend against. I think it's good for a build to have at least some sort of ranged attack capability, but in this case, there's just no room for it. We're ride or die here, and diluting the build by hedging our bets is just going to tip the scales towards "die."

You are not particularly fast, so we've got the Pankrati valiant charge and Beckoner to help you close gaps. What you want to do at that point is slam in as fast as you can and try to connect with a Main melee attack (Duelist gives you an accuracy to help with that) - not your Heavy, one of your Mains. You then immediately use Duelist 3 to spend the Blademaster die you just earned to free-Grapple the target, and then you use Titanomachy Mesh to follow up the free-Grapple with a free-Ram (and because they're Grappled, Brawler 1 turns on, making your Ram more accurate, and because being Grappled causes them to become Immobilized, Pankrati 1 also turns on, making your Ram EVEN MORE ACCURATE). Knock your enemy Prone but do not knock them away.

To summarize: your target has taken Main Melee damage from you, become Grappled, then been rammed Prone. Because Grappled causes Immobilization, they cannot use their regular movement to stand up from Prone, and because of Synthetic Muscle Netting, unless they're larger than you, they cannot ever gain control of the grapple.

If they don't have weapons or abilities that knock you away, they have two real options to get away from you. The first is to spend a quick action trying to escape the grapple, which they can fail, wasting the action entirely. Even if they succeed, they still either need to crawl away provoking your Overwatch (use your Heavy for this) or use their entire regular movement to stand back up, then their other quick action to Boost away, again provoking your Overwatch.

The second, if they're the same size as you or larger, is to Ram you back. This is more effective, since your Evasion is low, and knocking you away will break the grapple. This still only leaves you one space away from them, which is still within Threat of your Nanocarbon Sword, and unless they have a modifier that deals damage on Ram (which, to my knowledge, no vanilla NPC does), they've spent 2/3rds of their turn just getting 1 space away from you and standing upright. If they decline to move away from you, you can just stand up on your turn and Skirmish 2 spaces towards them to do the whole thing all over again.

If they are a melee class, their best bet is to focus you down, but with 2 Armor and resistance to two types of damage, that's harder than it looks - and if they're focusing on you, they're not attacking your team's squishies, which is the whole point of the Defender class.

If they're a ranged class, they're fucked. With you up in their grill, their attacks against everyone including you become inaccurate. Artillery NPC classes don't tend to have much HP, and rely on staying far away from players. If a weapon has Ordnance, they can't even fire it at you at all if they're in engagement.

On your next turn, if your target is still grappled, activate your Lightning Generator, and then Barrage. Your attack sequence looks like this:

Chain Axe -> free Ram (Duelist 3), no knockback -> free Ram (Titanomachy Mesh), no knockback -> Nanocarbon Sword

Against unarmored targets, this has a damage floor of 9 assuming all attacks hit, and will slam for 5 even if all your attacks miss. Lightning Generator will do different amounts of damage depending on whether you're in the Danger Zone, but Charged Exoskeleton will always trigger off of Lightning Generator (if you choose) and will always deal 2 AP.

Note that if you're in control of the grapple (which, thanks to SMN, you usually are), you can still make your standard move. This means you can drag your victim 4 spaces towards or away from your friends.

When you turn on your ult, enemies have an even more miserable time, because now not only are there two forms of damage you're resistant to, you're also resistant to Heat (which means you can Overcharge for half price). Worse, any Heat or Energy damage you take now increases a doomsday clock.

Be warned that this build only has 19 HP, and even with 2 Armor you're not going to last forever, but on the other hand, enemies must focus on you or you'll just be able to tear them apart one by one.

#lancer #lancer rpg #lancerrpg #lancer-rpg #manticore #ra #mecha #lancer builds

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choochooboss · 10 months

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Greetings passengers! Twitter is being silly again so it's high time to share my submas fiction, Team Break Submas & Submas plushies here on Tumbrl!

There is a fun submas tournament going on in which they are both competing in called @ultimate-submas-tournament! Go check it out!! There is so much cool submas content listed there, maybe you can find new favourites!! I hope you enjoy my silly submas shenanigans too!

Introducing...

youtube

Team Break Submas, aka. Breakmas!

"Menacing shadows are being cast over Pasio's streets, a rythmic march echoing through the night. The subway bosses are on a patrol challenging any sync pairs they come across, with the opponent's precious pokémon at stake! They are not pulling any stops to reach their goals!"

Two champion level pokémon trainers whose tactics mesh together precisely like gears in a clockwork, they make a terrifying force most sync pairs woulnd't be strong enough to handle even in teams of three! Would you dare to encounter them with the risk of losing your pokémon partner in their hands, or would you avoid conflict at any cost?

Whether I finish this story or not, I am planning to share all material I have eventually!

Next up...

Submas Plushies! (Ingy & Emmie) (Not sold separately!)

"100% huggable. Made with squishy materials. Wash with similar colors in 30°C. Use tumble dryer at low settings.

Caution: May induce sudden spikes in serotonin levels. If they start taking eye contact or move around the house, remain calm and contact the nearest ghost type specialist. With other inquiries, contact the manufacturer at ChooChooBoss@/iwishtheplushieswerereal.com

The original characters belong to Nintendo™, Game Freak™ & Creatures™"

The plushies are not alt versions of the twins, they are literally what they are supposed to be: plushies! I still have plenty of funny ideas for them which I like to draw in the viewer's point of view, as if you had them in real life! If I ever get the chance I would love to have actual physical versions of these one day!!

#submas #subway bosses #subway boss ingo #pokemon ingo #subway boss emmet #pokemon emmet #pokemon #breakmas #team break #pokemon masters ex #pokemas #submas plushies #plushie emmet #emmie #plushie ingo #ingy #ultimate submas tournament art

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justanerdy-gal · 3 months

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“Our Sinful Desires” (Astarion x Tav)

-> pairing: Astarion x Tav -> content: sexual tension/seduction, sfw (stops just before it gets nsfw) -> summary: Tav asks for a lesson in the rapier through a game of fencing. Astarion uses this opportunity to finally bridge the gap between him and Tav that he’d been building up to for weeks. Timed a few weeks after Tav first lets him bite her.

-> notes: wrote this from a prompt from @thefreak0fhawkinshigh about a romantically charged fencing session between Astarion and Tav hehe. I love reading sexual tension but I’ve never WRITTEN it before, I probably agonized too much about this one shot and I still don’t know if I like it but I hope you enjoy 🥹 The vision is that Astarion isn’t totally manipulating her here, he is actually interested her as well (which I HC Astarion was always a little interested even when manipulating her into a “tactical alliance” in the game, if you have high approval with him). But Tav is stubborn, and tries to fight a losing battle 😁

—————

Why was he doing this? he wondered.

Except he knows exactly why. The menace of a woman in front of him had seen him messing around with his rapier in camp, and had begged him to teach her a few concepts through a game of “fencing”.

He vaguely remembers the dull sport from his days as a magistrate in Baldur’s Gate, but he was rare to partake in it himself. His talents were more suited as a means to an end, rather than an enjoyment in and of itself.

However, Astarion found it exhaustingly hard to say no to Tav’s puppy eyes whenever she asked him for a favour.

No matter. He’d use this opportunity to his advantage.

In fact, this is the opportunity he’d been waiting weeks for. An opportunity he’d been building up to for weeks now, ever since Tav had allowed him to sup from her blood.

“So darling, ready to begin?”

“Born ready,” Tav said, as she adjusted the mesh armor she was wearing. He insisted on the two wearing chain mesh armor, and he had procured wood-fashioned rapiers for the two of them - they had surprisingly the same hand-feel as the real thing, but would help prevent any … accidental dangers.

He smirked. “I’d be careful, darling. I may make it look easy, but there’s a lot more… finesse to this sword than you might think.”

Tav pouted. “Think I can’t handle it?”

“Not at all,” he purred. Tav eyes widened for a second, but quickly composed herself, which earned a smirk from Astarion. “I just wouldn’t want you to hurt that pretty little head of yours.”

Tav’s pout began to turn into a frown. “Let’s just get to it, then,” Tav grumbled, and Astarion chuckled. She was right where he wanted her.

“Tsk tsk. First, you must bow,” Astarion wagged his finger at Tav.

“… You’re kidding me?” Tav questioned, as she got visibly more frustrated.

“It’s a part of the art, my dear” he stated, as if it was obvious. “I didn’t make the rules,” he shrugged.

Actually, the rule was to salute, but she didn’t need to know that.

Tav grumbled to herself, something about why she thought this was even a good idea, he thinks he heard. Astarion chuckled to himself. They both bow to each other, at the hip, holding the position for a moment.

As they bow, Astarion looked down towards her, as her head was tilted downwards. He thought about how he rather liked her in that position.

Tav happened to glance upward, and saw Astarion looking down at her through her lashes. She blushed as she saw Astarion’s stare on her, earning a smirk from him.

She stood up with an irritable look on her face, and Astarion chuckled yet again.

“Alright darling, show me what you got,” he said, facing his rapier upward.

Tav had a general understanding of how fencing worked - she had been the one to suggest it, after all. The trick was using the finesse of the weapon to hit the opponent, without giving them on opportunity to feint out of the way. A feat in Dexterity, one that Astarion did not lack.

Astarion settled in a stance, one that Tav tried to mimic. Astarion smiled at that. He knew he had the upper hand here, but Tav was doing her best to make a show of her own dexterity.

Tav attempted to make her first jab at Astarion, but he easily feinted out of the way. Astarion took his chance while she was off her balance to strike, his sword grazing her mesh armor lightly, as to not actually hit her.

“I guess that’s a point for me, love,” Astarion said with a smug look on his face.

“Lucky strike,” she muttered, as she settled herself back in her stance.

Astarion laughed. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, darling,” he said as he settled into his stance again, opting to wait for Tav to strike again. He knew she would, not being the patient type.

And strike again she did. A frustrated huff escaped her as she missed once again, by quite a margin. Astarion barely had to parry away to avoid her blade.

“I see why you wanted the lesson, darling,” Astarion taunted. “You’re going to need to do much better than that …” he said, as he took a step closer into her range.

Tav hesitated as he did, becoming acutely aware of how much closer they were getting without her awareness. Her gaze narrowed, but there was a tenseness as she seemed to get lost in his gaze. In her moment of hesitation, Astarion grinned, taking his chance.

Astarion lunged, the blade of his sword grazing hers, a clash echoing in the air. As their swords met, he used the momentum to pull himself in to her until they were standing right in front of each other. Not anticipating this, Tav did not have the chance to pull away, and she found herself staring up into his crimson eyes, a look akin to a deer in headlights.

“My, my, darling, I had expected a little more skill from you than this,” Astarion purred, as he watched Tav’s eyes adjust to the closeness of Astarion’s body to hers, only to attempt to face away.

“How am I supposed to when you’re not playing fair?” Tav grumbled, averting her eyes downward, refusing to look him in the face.

Astarion chuckled darkly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, as if matter-of-factly. “I am just playing the sport.” He quirked his head, as if examining her, a knowing smile on his face. “Perhaps you can tell me where your mind is wandering to then …. if we’re throwing accusations around.”

He slightly adjusted his stance, just enough so that his lower body pulled closer to Tav, and his hand lightly rests on Tav’s waist. He heard a light intake of breath that Tav obviously tries to hide. Astarion watched as Tav eyes shifted, her mind at war with her logical side, vs. the side that felt an incessant need to melt into Astarion’s stare. To add to the agony, he caressed her hip with his thumb, small circles meant to soothe and lower her guard.

Tav’s eyebrows furrowed.

“And why would you think my mind is elsewhere?” Tav said, attempting to maintain composure, but there is a slight rasp to her voice as she spat out the words.

“Mm,” Astarion hummed, in a low whisper, leaning ever closer towards her, until his breath fanned her face. “Well, I’m a pretty good reader of body language. I can see when a person’s eyes dilate, when they lose focus. I can feel the quickening of their heartbeat, when they hold their breath, the little tremors when they’re held close. And darling…you have all the tells.”

Tav did not move, trying not think about how close they were, considering her response. “And let’s say your judgement is actually right…. what would you say about it?”

Astarion pretended to consider, raising the hand that was on her hip, to brush against her cheek, earning a jolt from Tav. “I would say that…. perhaps it’s time to let your guard down, for once.”

Tav was surprised. That was not what she was expecting to come from his lips. “What?” she said, slightly affronted.

“I’ve watched you, you know,” Astarion said. “ You help people as if it does not mean a thing in the world, but you remain closed off - to your own needs, your own wants… your own desires.”

Tav scoffed. “What importance do my desires have with everything that’s going on?”

“On the contrary, darling, I happen to think one’s desires are very important. It’s not a sin to give in to your desires sometimes… no matter how sinful those desires may be,” Astarion smiled smugly. “How is one to remain sane amongst the chaos?”

“Hah,” Tav muttered, trying to remain indignant but with not much bite left to her words. “I’m sure your desires are always sinful…”

Astarion lips twitched upward at that remark. He held the silence between them for a moment longer, considering, the tension like a taut string.

Astarion finally smiles. “But, perhaps I am wrong after all. Tell me, then…” he tilted his head as he inched towards her lips. “Would you stop me … if I did this?” he whispered against her, before he finally closed the distance.

As their lips met, Astarion entwined his hand in her own, releasing both their grips on their swords. They clattered onto the floor, but neither of them paid attention to the sound - both entranced by feeling of their lips against each others’.

Tav was the first to pull away, eyes wide at the realization of what just happened, and that she had let it happen. Astarion’s eyes, on the other hand, were hooded, and had darkened in a way that had a shiver running through Tav. He doesn’t let go of her hand.

“Well, my dear, tell me … have I read you right?”

As Astarion looked into her eyes, he knew he had her.

“Fuck you,” Tav answered. But she held fast onto his hand.

Astarion grinned. Jackpot. “Oh my darling, I’d love to.”

——————

Should I make a part 2???

My AO3 and Twitter 🙂

MASTERLIST

#baldurs gate 3 fanfiction #baldurs gate 3 #astarion fic #astarion fanfic #astarion #astarion x tav #tav fanfic #baldur’s gate tav #astarion romance #baldurs gate 3 fic #baldurs gate 3 fanfic #bg3 fanfic idea #bg3 fanfiction #bg3

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majimasleftasscheek · 1 year

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Hi, im very sorry if this has already been answered or established somewhere else but im curious, with your Kazumaji stuff, around what time did they start dating (i.e. after the events of Yakuza 0 and all that) and how?

tbh, I dunno!

I don't really have an established date for that cuz sometimes I'm like man they'd be really cute during y0 and then other times I set it between post y0 and the beginning of y1. The latest they would start me thinks is some months after the events of y1 but in general it sorta depends on how I'm feeling and what silly scenarios play in my head

ideas under the cut tho 👀

if we're talking y0: I like to think Kiryu has to go to Sotenbori for some reason, be it business or he's there with Nishiki for some partying. he sees Majima at the Grand being depressed and is like "damn girl those bags under your eyes makes my dick go *boing sound effect*" and asks him out 🥺 Kiryu gets rejected immediately cuz Majima's in this cycle of 'I deserve nothing but pain and suffering' but Kiryu can't read the room so he is persistently showing up at the Grand despite Majima very obviously wanting to kick his ass. eventually he relents and goes on cute™ dates with Kiryu and realizes oof maybe human intimacy be kinda gucci

if between y0 and y1: Majima's fresh in his mad dog era starting shit with people just to be annoying and Kiryu's one of his targets mainly due to the events of y0. he's kinda like "lol this goober really did some important plot stuff, huh?" and his curiosity gets the better of him because Kiryu is an enigma who eats bugs and Majima cannot suppress his need to get some sense of understanding on this weirdo. in this timeline, it's more one-sided affection from Majima that comes in the form of stabbing while Kiryu is desperately trying to fight the gay allegations and failing. eventually he caves but it's a sorta unofficial, on and off thing that Kiryu doesn't really know how to evaluate for himself. Majima doesn't really care what they are since he's high on life atm and has a cute dude with big boobs on his arm

if during y1: literally just everything Majima Everywhere. Goromi. GOROMI 😩💦 Kiryu is all: I LIKE PUSSY but everyone's like okay big man then why's Majima pole dancing for you huh. the two braincells he has start to click and he realizes maybe Majima wants to hold hands or something unthinkable like that. ngl I like to think Kiryu's thing for Yumi is like a demisexual bi thing where he's like, I do love her but she don't zap my brain quite like the bowlcut freak who knows how to punch me real good and it becomes sorta his personal introspective journey during this time. Majima is also floating in the space of am I doing this for his benefit cuz "training" or am I falling for this dork. he's pretty sad about it cuz of the Saejima reminder vibes but eventually Kiryu falls into his own person that Majima really meshes with and the two of them struggle to actually voice how they feel all the while their pants are down in some dirty alley

if after y1: (going to insert shit from a fic I'm working on) Kiryu's absolutely devastated with what happened in the Millennium Tower + now having to take care of Haruka that he's shut himself off from everyone and everything other than doing the bare minimum to live. in comes Majima being a menace like yo you can't like, let a child parent herself you gotta get outta this slump and Kiryu's all fuck you stop breaking into my house. so it's a long pain in the ass process to help Kiryu deal with his grief while Majima keeps unintentionally making googoo eyes at him and both of them are like boy I sure hope this doesn't awaken anything within me. there's also a lotta dadjima stuff going on and Kiryu's like wowie zowie so you do have a heart and Majima's like no way loser while being just 😳👉👈

#apologies for the way I write sometimes I like to put out total garble because it makes my heart go thumpa thump #god I love them I LOVE THEM #THEY UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER ON A LEVEL BEYOND THAT OF FLESH AND BLOOD AND IT HURTS KNOWING THEY DO #THAT THEY BOTH SUFFER AND THEY FEEL THAT IT'S BEST TO BE ALONE RATHER THAN BRING SOMEONE ELSE ON THE RIDE #BUT THAT RIDE BRINGS THEM BOTH TO THE SAME DESTINATION THAT THEY ARE BOTH BROKEN MEN HAUNTED BY THINGS THEY DID—THINGS THEY COULD HAVE DONE #BUT MAYBE THERE'S HOPE IN HAVING SOMEONE TO LIVE FOR—SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE STRUGGLE OF REDEMPTION DESPITE ONE'S NATURE #TO LIFT EACH OTHER FROM THE DEPTHS OF SELF LOATHING BECAUSE THEY CAN DO BETTER #then I'm tranquilized and shoved back into my cage for relocation #kazumaji #kiryu kazuma #majima goro #my hcs

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sp00kymulderr · 4 months

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Gideon, how are you doing???

I have been thinking about this non-stop for the past two days, and I have a VERY important question to ask you...

do you think Dieter would be into wearing panties? and if so, why would it be these:

or really, if so, what kind do you think he'd gravitate towards?

I just really like the idea of Dieter in something lacy or mesh and hot pink, because hot pink is such a good color on him... but what are YOUR thots???

anyways, I hope you're having a great weekend so far!!! 💕

KAITLIN YOU MENACE! Yes. Yes. And yes. This is exactly the kind of thing I'm all about lmao thank you so much for making me think about Dieter like this. He absolutely would love it and hot pink is FOR SURE his colour, or maybe a sexy deep green, or nice black lacy, or some pretty sheer floral ones. Oof.

I uh wrote a little something because I HAD to. (18+, 400ish words)

~~~~~~~ It wasn’t the first time, not even the second. Dieter had never been one to be who he’s told to be, wear what he’s told to wear. He’d worn a dainty pair of underwear plenty of times; under his comfy pants on read through days, or beneath his slacks for a bit of thrill at those boring luncheons his agents made him go to.

But yours...they were even more tempting. Pretty lace and silky fabric and bright colours that made his heart race when you wore them. He liked the slip of them on his skin as he pulled on the pink pair he’d found with the clean laundry. You’d worn them under that beautiful outfit at the Hunger Strike premiere and yeah, he liked putting them on even more remembering how they’d barely survived that night.

Fuck, he looks good in them. They’re a little tight, pinching in at the hips and ass. When Dieter turns to the mirror it makes his breath hitch a little to see himself like this again.

He’s stood there for a while, just studying. Enjoying the view of himself; something he rarely does or feels he can but something about the hot pink and the lace and the tight bunch of the panties on him and the fact that they're yours makes him feel so confident.

He’s half-hard, the fabric getting tighter there as he grows the more he watches himself. He doesn’t really register you approaching until you’re behind him, eyes meeting his in the mirror when he finally looks up from his crotch and finds you watching him watch himself.

His pupils are blown, mouth a little slack. Headiness fills the space as you slowly – dangerously slowly - drag your finger tips down his sides to meet the material at his hips. A tug on each side makes him grunt, his cock hardening almost to the point of pain as the fabric grows more taut. Your soft hands reach down to his ass and grab, making him tip his head back against you.

It gives you access to his neck and shoulder, and you suck the skin between your teeth several times. Marked up and pretty, just for you. Reaching forward, you feel him as your lips continue a familiar but always thrilling journey across his neck. Hand gently rubbing the front of the smooth fabric and squeezing the hardness beneath.

“You look good” You murmur in his ear, a flick of your tongue against his lobe as you squeeze again and he shivers when your hands retreat – you both turn your heads to watch the patch of wet grow at the front of the panties, muscles in his thighs straining at the pleasure of the tight pull against his cock.

“I know” He moans back, turning to kiss you fully. To devour you, prideful smile turning to a whimper as you tug him towards the bed.

~~~~~~~

#kaitlin i adore you thanks for this #fuelling my imagination rn

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atinyjules · 1 year

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MY BALLERINAS - JENO

Pairings: Dad!Jeno x Female oc

Genre: fluff, established relationship, dad au.

Warnings: none

Characters: Jeno, Jaemin, Haechan, Si-ah (4), Soo-ah (2), Chaein (3), Chaeyeon (2), Bomin (4), Haerin (2)

An hour after Jeno had taken a time out from decorating the backyard with pink mesh drapes, everything you would possibly need for a tea party and a lot of pink decor he woke up with a groan, rubbing his eyes. Letting out a sigh as he stretched his body and yawned.

Being the sole male of the household was hard work, especially when both his daughters loved hosting tea parties. But he wouldn't have had it any other way. He was in the process of preparing one such tea party. The girls would be back home in an hour from their cousins place so he had to finish getting everything ready. And it did not help that his wife was in Paris for a performance.

"Okay, I'm done!" he exclaimed in victory and looked at his masterpiece with pride.

And as though on queue, the familiar sound Jaemin's cars pulling up in front of the house caught his attention as Jeno went out to greet his two princesses.

"Daddy!" He picked up Si-ah who ran to him and engulfed her in a tight bear hug.

"Hey Princess! You had fun?" she nodded at that as Jaemin got out of the car with Soo-ah fast asleep in her baby carrier on his right and Haerin in her carrier on the other side.

"Hey Bomin!" Jeno greeted his nephew who hugged him and greeted him.

"Hi uncle Jeno!"

"I hoped they weren't a menace to you." Jeno asked as he took Soo-ah's baby carrier from Jaemin's hand.

"Of course not! They were well behaved like Princesses, just like their mama right Si-ah?" Jaemin said to which Si-ah agreed almost instantly.

"Okay, that's great." Jeno said as Jaemin gave him a smug smile.

"I mean they do get it from their mama's side of the family." he said earning a sigh from Jeno.

"If you say so." Jeno said as they laughed it off and went in.

"Woah...I'm impressed." Jaemin said looking at the set up as Si-ah and Bomin gasped.

"Daddy! It's amazing!!" Si-ah exclaimed and hugged her father who grinned proudly.

"It's sooo....Pink!" Bomin exclaimed earning a loud chuckle from his father.

"It's a tea party Bomin." Jaemin told his son who only groaned in response.

"But I'm a boyy!"

"Shut uppp it's beautiful! It's just like my mommy! Elegant and cheek!" Si-ah said as Jeno chuckled.

"Chic, Si-ah, chic." Jeno said as she nodded.

"Oh!"

"Am I going to be the only boy?" Bomin asked Jeno who shook his head.

"You have me and your dad!" Jeno replied as Jaemin nodded his head when a car pulled up in front of the house.

"All hail the Princesses of the Lee Empire!!" They went out to see Haechan putting out a red carpet towards the door.

"What in the world-" Jeno was cut off by Haechan.

"Shush! Its a royal tea party! Chaeyeon come over here with your sister!" he said as a toddler clad in a poofy blue ball gown came out of the car with her little sister who were a matching blue gown.

"HII!!" Chaeyeon exclaimed loudly and went to hug Si-ah, Soo-ah, Bomin and Haerin.

"Shh! Baby, Haerin and Soo-ah are sleeping!" Haechan whispered to his daughter.

"OH!!" She exclaimed loudly causing everyone to flinch.

While the kids were going about their tea party the fathers were all watching them with loving eyes from the kitchen.

"Aren't they adorable~" Haechan cooed as Jeno and Jaemin agreed while snapping pictures.

"Too bad Eunbi has work, she would've totally loved this." Jaemin said referring to his younger twin and Jeno's wife.

"Yeah...she wanted to be present for this but there's always next time." Jeno said as Haechan chuckled.

"I bet Bi chose the girl's outfits." Haechan said as Jeno chuckled.

"Yup, I thought you wouldn't notice." Jeno said as Jaemin snorted.

"They're literally wearing pink matching ball gowns with a swan tiara...the whole look screams Eunbi." Jaemin said as Jeno looked at his daughters trying to mimic their mother's dance steps with love and adoration.

"Yeah, it does...gosh I love them so much." Jeno confessed as Haechan chuckled.

"Look at us, fatherhood turned us into goddamn softies." Haechan said as Jaemin smiled looking at the kids.

"I'm not complaining though, fatherhood made us happier even though the circumstances were out of our control." He said and looked at Jeno whose eyes were fixated on his two princesses.

" I definetly am a lot happier with the three of my girls." Jeno said as they continued watching the kids try ballet with the sound of Si-ah and Soo-ah's music box playing in the background.

Whether the circumstances were out of his control or not Jeno knew for sure that he won't regret nor plan on doing so anytime soon. Whether it meant having to be surrounded by pink his whole life and organizing tea parties, if it meant that he gets to be with his Ballerinas for the rest of his life he was willing to do it for eternity.

#nct dream dad au #nct dream fluff #nct dream masterlist #nct aus #nct jeno #nct renjun #nct mark #nct jaemin #nct haechan #nct chenle #nct jisung #ballerina #nct dream young dads #nct dream

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theaudacitytowrite · 1 year

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Chapter 6 - Turning point

Series Masterlist

<- Chapter 5

A/N: Took me only over a year (?!?!?) for another update... I’m so sorry guys. I promise to finally finish the last 3 Chapters. And all of them this year. If not you are welcome to shun me publicly.

As a treat, this one is a bit longer... but not proof read.

word count: 2.607

Likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated! <3

Monday had arrived earlier than you had liked it to. But then again you couldn’t wait for it to be over as well. You stood in front of the Stark Tower that was looming over you intimidatingly. You twisted the strap of your bag tightly in your hands, your knuckles turning white already. You wanted to run. You didn’t know where to, but you just wanted to be somewhere else.

“Y/N.” Loki’s soft baritone directed your focus to him as he walked towards you. “For a second there I thought you’d run from me.” he teased as he gave you a tight hug. At first, you hesitated but you were quick to reciprocate.

Shielded from the prying glances of others Loki escorted you towards the training room that was insulated especially to withstand your power outbursts. You dreaded stepping foot into this chamber again, as all the memories of your failures flooded your brain.

“Hey, you’re not alone.” Loki sensed your anxiousness. You nodded slowly at him and took a deep breath. You packed away your bag and sat down with Loki on the ground.

“We’ll start slow.” he calmed you down, his eyes never leaving yours, “First I want you to relax.”

“Y/N, good to see you again.” Tony’s voice suddenly echoed through the room. Loki sighed annoyed, so much to relaxing your nerves.

“Maybe at another time.” you half smiled at Loki; his irritation was plastered all over his face.

“I have to be honest; I was quite shocked when Loki told me you two would train together from now on. But then again, it shouldn’t have surprised me after all.” Tony raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“With what can we help you.” you got up to your feet, trying to ignore Tony’s cheeky remarks.

“The reason I’m so rudely interrupting your little training date-”

“Not a date.” Loki objected.

“Is that I wasn’t too lazy myself the last couple of weeks.” Tony continued unswerving, pulling out a cloth from behind his back “Tada!”

“Wow, it looks nice.” you let your fingers run over the textured grey mesh.

“It’s an enhanced fabric, a further development from my first prototypes. Not only will it allow you full mobility while still compressing your scar tissue, but it also has a smart regulation for temperature. If it recognizes that your temperature goes off rail, it can cool you off immediately and will soothe you with deep pressure, helping you to ground yourself.” Tony explained, “Of course, it will be adjusted to your gear once you are satisfied with this rendition.”

“That’s amazing. How did you do it?” you gaped.

“Let’s say I had some help from the little spider menace and your secret admirer.” Tony grinned.

“Wonderful. You did what you came here for Stark, now you can let us continue our training. We have a lot to do.” Loki interrupted, taking the cloth from Tony’s hand while he gestured to the door with his free hand.

“Lover boy seems to get impatient. Then I won’t impose myself on the two love birds anymore.” Tony wiggled his eyebrows.

“I don’t think Y/N came to get her time wasted,” Loki grumbled.

“He’s quite the charmer, isn’t he?” Tony scrunched his nose towards you, a cheeky smile growing on his lips.

“I don’t know what you mean, Tony. He’s always polite to me.” you quipped back.

“Of course, he is.” Tony huffed amused.

“Before you do leave us, do you perhaps have some time for me this week? To go over some stuff, if you know what I mean.” you nervously choked out.

“Oh, is someone considering returning officially ?” Tony excitedly asked.

“Maybe.” You shrugged sheepishly.

“I’ll let Jarvis send you an invite.” Tony nodded affirmatively.

“Great.” you couldn’t contain your relieved laugh.

“That’s all then.” Loki reminded Tony again, so he would finally leave.

“Bye, you two sweethearts. Remember, other people do have access to this room, so consider locking the door.” Tony winked before he was ushered out of the room by Loki.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” Loki sighed, as he shut the door.

“Don’t be.” you giggled, “That you still let him get to you like that.”

“I know.” Loki whined, “I can’t help it. He’s worse than Thor.”

“Do you mind?” you pointed at the cloth Loki was still holding, “I’d like to test it while we train.”

“Oh, sure.” Loki handed it to you – he didn’t even register that he had started staring when you cleared your throat.

“I need to wear it under my shirt…” you explained bashfully.

“Yes, yes. Of course.” Loki apologized, “Go ahead, I’m just going to prepare some… stuff.” he rambled, turning his back to you.

You took off your shirt and removed your compression suit before you put on the mesh top. Usually, you struggled to get your compression suit on but Tony‘s miracle fabric felt like a second skin. It fit snugly against your arm but you could barely feel it on your skin. You marvelled at Tony’s technology for a while when Loki’s voice made you jump.

“Shall we start?” he called over his shoulder.

“Ready when you are.” You put back on your shirt quickly, jogging over to him.

You sat back on the ground crisscrossed, facing each other. Loki started with breathing exercises, trying to get rid of all the anxiousness that was ready to flood your veins. As you sat there with your eyes closed, Loki started to explain how to listen into yourself – to search for a tingling force of your power that was hiding deep in your core.

“How will I know if I found it?” your eyebrow raised.

“It’s like a breeze washing over you, lending you fresh air,” he explained.

“Hm… all I feel is my pulse beating.”

“Let me show you.” Loki’s hand softly clasped around your wrists. You could feel his powers coursing through your body, softly caressing every inch of your skin. A pleasant shudder overtook your body. Loki’s powers ebbed away slowly, another sensation coming to the front.

“Can you feel it?”

“I definitely felt yours but mine only faintly.” you scrunched your eyebrows together in an attempt to coerce your powers to show themselves, “It’s not really like the breeze you said, right now it’s more like a short little draft, I guess?”

“Very well. But you can make it out.” he highlighted.

“I guess.” you opened your eyes and instantly the sensation was gone.

“How about a break?” Loki proposed.

“Are you in my head again?” you glare at him playfully.

“I just know you,” he smirked.

“Y/N!” “Welcome back.” “We missed you.” a jumble of voices greeted you as Loki and you entered the kitchen area. Much to your surprise no one attempted to attack hug you, not even Peter. You could only imagine that Loki must have briefed them beforehand.

“How is the training going?” Clint wanted to know.

“Is my brother a good teacher?” Thor threw into the conversation.

“Y/N!” Peter squealed excitedly, pushing past the others, “How do you like your suit?” Peter excitedly smiled at you.

“Hm… I dunno to be honest...” you hummed as you inspected it warily.

“Oh… you don’t like it?” Peter’s face fell.

“Are you kidding me? It’s awesome, Peter!” you exclaimed.

“For a second you got me there!” Peter scolded you.

“Stark already told me that you were helping him while designing it. Was the smart regulating system your work?” you asked intrigued.

“Oh, that. No, that was Loki’s doing. He had the idea for it. I helped with the flexibility part.” Peter giddily explained.

“So, you did help as well?” you glanced over your shoulder to Loki.

“Just minor things.” Loki shrugged dismissively.

“Minor? You advocated for another rendition of her suit in the first place.” Peter corrected, “He even had a collection of sketches and lists of what we should incorporate for your safety and well-being. He even-”

“Well, those were more like silly ideas. Nothing more.” Loki downplayed again, pulling the young avenger into a side hug as he covered his mouth.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the final colour of it will be.” You mused, “I hope Tony won’t change it into a red suit. I don’t think I could bear it if all my gear will probably be reddish from now on.” You cringed visibly.

“You’re not a fan of red?” Thor asked heartbroken.

“Sorry Thor, but it’s not necessarily my favourite.” you shrugged, “But it suits you.”

“Tough luck, brother.” Loki grinned.

“Why would he tho?” Nat asked intrigued, “From a tactical point it would be much better to keep your dark blue suit. Red could give away your powers to a new opponent.”

“It would have the surprise advantage.” Peter nodded, “I will definitely keep that in mind as soon as we design your suit.”

“Great, now I can sleep tonight.” you joked.

The room fell back into a light-hearted chatter. It felt good to be around your team again. It felt good to laugh again, to feel at home. Your eyes roamed over your team members, getting stuck on a certain pair of blue eyes that were looking straight at you. You smiled brightly at him.

“Do we wanna continue?” you asked elated.

After several days and attempts to lure out your powers, you had reached a breaking point. All the motivation from the start of the week had been lost again. And the repetitive exercises made any ounce of fun go up in smoke after day two.

“Ugh, I’m done.” you let yourself fall back onto your back.

“Just one more time, ok? You were so close this time.” Loki shook you by your thighs.

“You said that 10 tries before that.” you groaned.

“And now you’re even close.” he argued, “You just need to be a bit more patient with yourself.”

“Loki, I think this is pointless. We are sitting here since Monday. We haven’t had one success yet. I think I’m lost cause.”

“Don’t say that. You just need some more time.” Loki towered over you on his hands.

“How much more time?!” you raised your voice in frustration, “Today is my meeting with Tony and I still can’t summon a flame, not even a spark will ignite.”

“Because you’re too tense. You expect to play the moonlight sonata perfectly at your first piano lesson.”

“But this isn’t my first lesson! And it’s not as simple as playing the piano!” you grew louder, sitting back up and pushing Loki back to sit on his legs, “Don’t you get it? Just because you think so highly of me, doesn’t mean I actually am that person you believe me to be. I’m not special. I don’t have any hidden talents. I’m not a sorcerer or some kind of fire bender. I'm just plain old me!”

“But-”

“NO LOKI! Nothing but!” you interrupted him harshly, getting up to your feet. All the anger in you bubbled up, taking a hold of your entire body. The tension burned in your throat as you vent your spleen. A rush of heat spurred through you, even reaching up to your eyes. “When will you realise that I can’t do this? I can’t just say, ‘Fire appear’ and a flame will miraculously appear on my palm!”

“Are you sure?” Loki gulped as he nodded towards your open palm.

“Wha-” you looked at your hand in disbelief, then back to Loki. A little flame was crackling on your palm, softly swaying from side to side.

“I know this probably isn’t the best moment to say this… but I think you owe me an apology.” Loki snickered as he cautiously approached you, gently holding your palms in his.

“What now?” you asked with a panicked look.

“Breathe. Close your eyes.” Loki urged you, “How does it feel?”

“Like a-a… breeze.” you noticed, “But it’s towards my palms.”

“Can you locate the source?” You closed your eyes even tighter, trying to listen deeply within yourself just as Loki had taught you.

“Steady.” he encouraged you, “Exactly like this, you’re doing a great job.”

“I can feel it.” you breathed out with excitement.

“Wonderful.” Loki praised you, “Now open your eyes. Look at your flame. Command her to grow.”

“Are you sure?” you asked precautiously.

“You can do it.” he smiled at you reassuringly. You nodded and took a deep breath. You concentrated on the flame, urging the breeze inside you to grow and flow towards your palms. Slowly the flame began to grow.

“Excellent.” Loki beamed, “Can you extinguish it?”

In a heartbeat, your flame had been blown out.

“You did it!” Loki bit his lip.

“I did it.” you repeated in disbelief, “WE DID IT!” you squealed, falling around Loki’s neck. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.” you suddenly pulled back, remorse written all over your face.

“Don’t be. I know you didn’t mean to.” Loki chuckled.

“It’s still not nice of me. You were by my side from the start. The least I could be is appreciative.”

“I know that you are. But it’s also a draining process.” he excused your outburst, “Don’t beat yourself up about this.”

“Thank you, Lo’” you hugged him tightly once more.

A beep suddenly rang through the room.

“Oh gosh, what time is it?” you pulled out your phone to shut off the alarm.

“Your meeting!” Loki gasped, “Let’s go, we don’t want you to be late now, do we?” he smiled softly, reaching out his hand for you to take.

In front of Tony’s office Loki and you waited for him to call you in. You nervously chewed on your lips when Loki gently squeezed your hand.

“Hey, everything is going to be ok.” he reassured you. Before you could answer the door to Tony’s office opened.

“Y/N, are you ready?” Tony asked, eyeing Loki quickly but decided to drop his remark quickly and disappear into his office instead.

“You got this.” Loki gazed deeply into your eyes, squeezing your hand one last time, “I will be waiting for you.”

With heavy legs you walked into Tony’s office, darting one last glance to Loki as Tony closed the doors behind you.

“An Avenger?” Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“I know it’s a big step from my current position and being an avenger brings a lot of responsibilities with it but I’m willing to prove myself and work even harder to reach the standards you demand.” you gulped.

“Oh, I’m more than convinced you’d be able to be one of us. You have shown your qualities time and time again.” Tony remarked, “I will have to talk with Fury about it but I’m sure we’ll be able to find something for you.”

“Really?” you asked with wide eyes.

“Of course. You were always of interest to us. Without the incident, you’d probably already be a part of our team.” Tony revealed, “However I do have one request for you to join the avengers.”

“Ok?” you asked nervously.

“Don’t you think it would be better for you to move into the tower?” Tony observed your mimic, “You’d safe your money on gas, rent and a lot of time in the morning.”

“Yes!” you exclaimed enthusiastically.

“Yes?” Tony asked confused, “Am I dreaming right now? I prepared this whole speech about why you should move in with us because you are never convinced easily and now you just say yes?”

“Would you feel better if you’d tell me all the reasons why I should move into the tower?” you raised your eyebrow quizzically.

“Yes, yes I think I would like to do that.” Tony huffed, continuing his speech.

Chapter 7 ->

#loki #loki x reader #loki series #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki drabble #loki laufeyson #loki friggason #loki odinson

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windermeresimblr · 1 year

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Zoste Patrikia: A Middle Byzantine Propoloma Accessory for TYAEF.

It’s a new year, and I’m back on my Byzantine nonsense as a break from the texturing long-haul of the bustle project and to give myself a quick “ooh fancy fancy” project. So have a propoloma as a Tres Reyes/Epiphany/Twelfth Night gift!

What is a Propoloma?

During the early Byzantine empire, the “propoloma” was a simple turban, as seen on the iconic mosaic of Theodora in Ravenna (1). While most depictions show it on courtiers or saints, because Byzantine art tended to focus on courtiers and saints, it is by no means improbable that a Byzantine woman with enough fabric and time on her hands could give herself a nice turban to wear. It could be worn by itself, if the fabric was nice enough, or worn under a veil.

By the 10th century, it had somehow transformed into a fascinating trapezoidal/pyramidal cone, usually worn over one’s maforion, or over one’s hair, whether worn loose or styled (2). This ‘new’ propoloma was almost certainly a court headdress or upper-class headdress, if only for reasons of practicality.

The propoloma was usually white, although the zoste patrikia--the Empress’ most high-ranking lady-in-waiting--wore hers with a purple stripe, and ladies of the Imperial family wore theirs in solid purple (1). Because this is the Sims, of course, you can make yours neon pink with zebra stripes if you so desire.

Although a propoloma of a similar shape and orientation on the head is worn in a Byzantine depiction of David’s entry into Jerusalem, as illustrated in the 1082 Vatican Psalter (3), and in the iconic Venetus A illuminated manuscript of the Illiad, circa 900-1000 (4), I would like to clarify that this is probably not the most historically accurate shape or style! Most reconstructions (e.g. Levantia and Anna’s New Rome) show the propoloma as fitted around the wearer’s head (1, 2). However, it’s extant, it’s documented, and I think it has a certain charm, so I’m sharing this with all of you.

I did not create this mesh; I took it from Bipsouille’s TS2 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace hair. You can see the original here; as you can probably tell, I took off the danglies and the earmuffs, and retextured it so that the propoloma is now fabric-textured instead of hair-textured. I also removed the original overlays and created five masks; the “x” and diagonal stripe are from the eleventh century (1001-1100) and the horizontal stripes and horizontal stripes with bezants are from the twelfth century (1101-1200) (5). I am unsure if the original Star Wars headdress was inspired by Manchu liangbatou headdresses, Russian kokoshniks, or a combination of the two, as I am not familiar with all the varieties of either of those headdresses.

Download your propoloma here!

Important Information

Polycount 86 Vertices, 168 Faces.

Bone Assignment Head Dome.

Recolorable? Yes, with one, two, or three channels depending on the mask. The mesh is curved, so some patterns may not “read” successfully.

Ages and Genders Teen through Elder females. You may use NRAAS or another mod to make this available for teen through elder males!

Categories Found in “Earrings” under Everyday, Formal, Career (for courtiers, of course), Makeover, and Maternity.

Custom Thumbnail? No, sorry!

EPs Necessary Base Game Compatible.

Credits

Bipsouille, whose original mesh I’ve hacked to pieces. Merci!

@aprilrainsimblr, whose linen texture I used to retexture the propoloma.

@ninjaofthepurplethings, @ice-creamforbreakfast, @sweetdevil-sims, and @simlicious for the models used (Penny O’Hare, Margaret Crabtree-Spencer, Helen Ray, and Aurora Brunetti).

@danjaley for the poses (Medieval Story).

Mammut from the SimsZoo for the outfits (EF, TF, and AF Mittelalter).

@carversims and @procrasimnation for the veils (Carver’s Scarf Casual and one of the Aanhamdan conversions; Procrasimnation’s Sporty Hijab and LumiaLover’s Hijab).

Parsimonious for the patterns.

Recommended Downloads

My conversion of Wawa’s Byzantine crown (unisex)

My conversion of Wiccandove’s veil (female only)

Citations

(1) Syrakousina, A. D. (2015, January 16). The propoloma: A headdress of the ZOSTE patrikia and other high ranking women in the courts of Eastern Rome. Anna's New Rome. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://annasrome.com/2014/08/13/the-propoloma-a-headdress-of-the-zoste-patrikia-and-other-high-ranking-women-in-the-courts-of-eastern-rome/

(2) Dawson, T. (n.d.). A woman of the high aristocracy. Levantia. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://www.levantia.com.au/zoste.html.

(3) Meyer, M. “DID THE DAUGHTERS OF ISRAEL COME OUT DANCING AND SINGING TO MEET... DAVID ? A BIBLICAL IMAGE IN CHRISTIAN-MACEDONIAN IMPERIAL ATTIRE.” Byzantion 73, no. 2 (2003): 467–87. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44172607.

(4) Manuscript miniatures: Iliad (venetus A). (n.d.). Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://manuscriptminiatures.com/4919/14628.

(5) “Byzantine Clothing Inspiration Page.” House Capuchin 3, September 24, 2021. https://housecapuchin.com/clothing-inspirations/byzantine-clothing-inspiration-page/.

#ts3cc #the costuming is not as accurate as i would like but i wanted this done #this has been several years in the making i think #i just like fun hats for my pixel dolls

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butterflybuckethat · 2 years

Text

Wildflower

Notes: Gregory Bridgerton x Reader - I made a 🌾moodboard🌾 lol

Request: gregory pls

🦋 Masterlist 🦋

You pulled open the mahogany double doors of Gregory Bridgerton’s wardrobe as he argued with his mother downstairs. Violet chastised him for overworking her maids with all the tears and stains he returned home with in his white chemises. She wanted him to look presentable this evening for dinner, we were having guests apparently. It was a simple enough request but Greg always found the need to argue back. You were typically amused by these interactions but, when it came to Violet, you preferred he just do what she asked so you took the initiative upon yourself. You paid careful attention to the hems as that was where they were most often torn. You could still hear them exchanging words when you found the right one and were going to rush it down to them when a number of letters, with your name on them, scattered onto the floor.

“Gregory,” you spat, desperately holding back tears you would only allow to spill once you were alone, clutching the crumpled stack of letters “how could you?” You and Gregory had always been close, him being the Bridgerton closest to your age. Your families frequently summered together. You both resided in England, of course, but you mother felt as thought you could benefit from the camaraderie siblings afford, even for just the summer, as you were an only child.

You fit in well, slotting right in as Gregory’s twin menace. You ran amuck, the two of you, arm in arm-picking on the Bridgerton siblings and, if they weren’t available, your parents. Though this was the perfect dynamic for you both, it didn’t always mesh with the larger English society. You were always a little too loud, a little too sun-kissed, with muddy hems and bare feet. Gregory was your best friend, your other half, and you could forgive him anything, except this. This was unforgivable.

A few months ago, you and Francesca had join a little salon of sorts. The women who comprised it were mostly older, treating the gathering as an escape from their familial responsibilities, and politics were seldom spoken about but it was, nonetheless, incredible. They would exchange baubles and gossip as if it were air, playing cards and complaining about their husbands. Sometimes they would give you and Francesca instruction on how to attract a husband, teaching you how to handle a fan, drop your handkerchief, and take a turn about the room. You took to the advice slower than Francesca. A wicked streak ran deep in you both but she was something you definitely weren’t: malleable. She took to instruction like a fish to water, all while maintaining her wit and precocious air, and you were stuck in the mud.

Your carriage was late one evening. Francesca had offered to drop you off but you were certain it was just around the corner. The salon was in relatively low attendance so the two of you spent the majority of the evening speaking with that nights host, Lady Francis Eve. She was a rather eccentric woman, well adorned and always the first to know all the secrets of the ton. Lady Francis was widowed early in her life and produced no offspring, though she did have a truly incredible number of nephews. You were standing in her foyer, apologizing every so often for the tardiness of you ride, when she tapped her chin and said, “my nephew Peter would simply adore you.”

Three weeks later you received a letter addressed from Viscount Peter Bough containing only two lines: I sincerely hope you are the Lady Y/FN Y/LN my beloved aunt speaks so fondly of. If not, please disregard. You indulged of course, scribbling a little something in return, and so began a months long correspondence.

“Gregory,” you said again, weaker this time. It had been over a fortnight since you had last received a letter but you did send three. Your were left in something of a lurch. You had yet to meet Lord Bough in person, and he had hinted at perhaps coming to London, “with a ring” Eloise had joked. You thought that perhaps he had fallen ill, or his home had caught fire, or was killed in the ricochet of a duel.

“Please,” Gregory whispered, his large eyes wet. You felt a pang in your chest but steeled yourself, snatching the letters out of his hands and storming off into the gardens.

Though the Bridgertons keep their lawns and gardens well-manicured, but you preferred the tall grasses by the creek. That sliver sat between the Bridgerton property and the next, left completely untouched. You lied down, uncharacteristically uncaring of the wildflowers you crushed beneath you, and hid from the world. You couldn’t open the letters, not yet. You had always shared everything with Gregory and he must have hidden the letters for a reason. You stared at the sun until your eyes hurt and all you could see was purple.

“Y/N,” Gregory cast a shadow across your face, barefoot and collar untucked. He sat next to you, twiddling blades of grass between his long fingers. “My mother wanted me to tell you to get out of the sun.” You looked up at him, deadpan. “She didn’t, actually,” he coughed.

“You must be kidding.”

“You haven’t opened them,” he pointed at the stack of white envelopes scattered beside you.

“I don’t yet know why you hid them.” You still trusted him. How could you not? He was the one who snuck you sweets from the kitchen when you were kids, stood in front of you when the governess would chastise your muddy smock, kept you from feeling completely alone when you were ignored at luncheons and balls.

“Do you detest me?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” You knew why you were upset. It wasn’t so much the violation of your property and privacy, but because you felt as if this were your shot. Never had any man in the ton shown you any genuine affection or interest, at least not one you would ever consider marrying, and you did want to marry. Lord Peter Bough was interested. This was the first time you had hope that you weren’t going to die an old maid. Only Greg knew of your guilty pleasure of trading the most ridiculous novels with the maids.

You sat in silence as the sun set, letters burning between you both. But you could feel him sticking little purple flowers in your hair, across the crown of your head and tucked into the loosened tresses from that morning. “You should read them,” Gregory said.

“Why?” you turned to face him, “what do they say?”

“I never read them.”

“Then why did you take them?”

“It’s been a month,” he shrugged. You waited for him to continue, building the silence until it forced him to speak, “Eloise...” he cleared his throat, “she made that comment,” he did it again, “about the ring.”

“Greg-”

“I haven’t seen you-”

“You have.”

“Not really, not like before.” He stuck his hands in his pockets, “you’re in your room, writing.”

“That’s how Eloise-”

“Found a husband!” he finished for you. You were going to say ‘spent her summers.’ Your cheeks burned red. What you were too embarrassed to admit, even to Gregory, was that you were hoping that you would. Eloise was also wild and outspoken but she, unlike you, had the cushion of good breeding. Not that you weren’t well bred, but not in any way that was comparable to the Bridgerton name.

“I am a woman, Greg. It is my prerogative to be married.” This might be the closest you would ever get to admitting your desire. It was embarrassing, craving romance to such a degree.

“Not you.” Your eyes burned and watered as you stood, so quickly you were likely to fall back down again. Gregory grabbed your wrist before you could run off, “wait.” You yanked your arm but he held tight. “I didn’t mean-”

“How-” you choked. It was as if a dam had broken, all the whispers and disapproving glances from the mamas, scoffs from your peers, disappointed looks from your own mother, just confirmed by the one person you trusted most. “How-” you sobbed. He moved to wrap his arms around you but you pushed him back, hard enough that he stumbled. “Why would you say that to me?” All that fear and pain was replaced by rage. Why not you? What made you less worthy of love than anyone else?

“That’s not-”

“I am deserving of love, Gregory.” You dug your finger into his chest, “is that so hard to believe? That a man would be interested in me? I am funny and kind and well-read...for the most part.” You lost steam pretty quickly. It was always like that, large bursts of emotion that fell just as quickly as they came. Gregory’s face broke, as if he were seeing you for the first time in years. He stepped toward you, snaking his arm around your waist and his hand on you cheek.

“You are deserving of more love than any one man can offer.” He pulled you close enough that you could feel the warmth of his skin seep into yours. “Certainly more than little Petey Bough can offer.”

It was dark and you could barely see one another but you knew what he looked like. The only lights were the distant one of the house and the yellow and green flickers of the fireflies that surrounded you. Your hear beat so loud you could hear it in your ears as you tentatively placed your hands on his chest. You could feel it steadily rise and fall.

“There is not a moment I do not think of you,” Gregory pushed a loose strand of your hair behind your ear. “I took the letters-” he took a breath. “I took the letters because if Peter had any sense in the world he would ask you to marry him the moment her stepped foot in London,” he paused again, “and I don’t think I would be able to stomach it.”

You wanted to kiss him. You wanted to kiss him more than you wanted anything in your entire life. But he was all you had and you weren’t sure if you were ready to let go of life as it was.

“Greg?” Violet shouted from the house. You could make a life with Greg, you knew that, if that’s what he wanted. And you did want love, so so badly, but part of you was terrified, wondering if a future as an unwed maid would really be so bad.

“Master Gregory,” the deep voice of Smathers the butler startled you both.

“Smathers!” Gregory had jumped nearly two feet into the air, “make some noise next time, I beg of you.”

“My apologies, sir. Dinner is awaiting your presence.” You walked ahead, not waiting for the two men to catch up.

#Gregory Bridgerton #gregory bridgerton ff #gregory bridgerton imagine #gregory bridgerton x reader #gregory bridgerton x you #Bridgerton #bridgerton ff #bridgerton imagine #bridgerton fanfiction #Wildflower

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ripperdoc-is-daddy · 2 years

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Ohagi and chill Pt.1

Pic from https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/99277487

You spend time with the Shinazugawa bros. Fluff, Wholesome, some non s3xual intimacy, Minor s3xual intimacy, Snog session, brief mentions of nudity, swearing, Reader is a black female. MINORS DNI

“It had been a month since the gelato incident. You did eventually replace it. You hadn’t wanted to but you had been played so well by him, that you just had to do it. Once again you were in Sanemi’s house. You had texted him earlier letting him know you were coming over and wanted to spend some time together.” Prologue pt2 pt3

It had been a month since the gelato incident. You did eventually replace it. You hadn’t wanted to, but you had been played so well by Sanemi that you just had to do it. Sanemi was a dick when he wanted to be. Also, too damn smart. Which was great for his job but not so great for you when he decided to be mischievous. After that day, an unspoken rule was established. Don’t touch the after-work snacks. If you did, you better have a replacement before he noticed.

Once again, you were in Sanemi’s house. You had texted him earlier, letting him know you were coming over and wanted to spend some time together. Otherwise, you were going to grab the laundry you had left there the other day when your dryer had died, and he’d just told you to use his. He’d texted back that it was cool to go ahead and make yourself comfortable. He’d wanted to spend some time with you anyways. It had been a few days, and he missed you.

You loved the fact that he was so open with his feelings. To others, he was a fierce, sarcastic menace to society. For you, he was an open book. He is honest and open about his feelings. Still a sarcastic ass, but he was loving, caring and gentle when he needed to be. The two of you were Intune with each other, and it was a great feeling to be in such a happy and healthy relationship. You thanked your lucky stars; the two of you had meshed so well together. Even if the man seemed to have a particular bee-in-his-bonnet about Ohagi and Gelato. Those were two things he was not about to share with anyone.

Keeping that in mind- you had decided to make some Ohagi for your man. A way to show your appreciation of his kindness and understanding. Also, you had a craving. These things happen. This time around, you want to express thankfulness which was at the same time aligned with your need to have some snacky time. You worked around his kitchen, getting your ingredients and doing your prep. When you started cooking your rice, you heard his front door open. Anticipating your boyfriend's arrival, you kept on with your business. “Hey! Would you mind working on the bean curd for me? I don’t wanna fuck up this rice, and I know I am going to.” You ask aloud, staring at the rice before you with determination.

You are so obsessed with cooking this rice to perfection that you don’t notice that the bean curd is done until you see the bowl slide into your line of sight on the counter. Your eyes return to scrolling through the recipe on your phone, responding without missing a beat, “Thanks ‘nemi. Love you. UwU.” Your voice was sickeningly sweet because you knew it would annoy him but also that he loved when you acted like a brat.

“My name is Genya.” a deep, raspy voice replied. Your head whipped over to look at him so fast that he feared you would develop whiplash. “Oh shiiiiit!” you exclaimed. “Genya, hiiii! Thank you, kindly. When did you get here? Is your brother not here yet? Why are you here?” you rapid-fired a series of questions at him. The teenager rolled his eyes holding up a finger for each question and lowering it as he answered them. “I got here when you asked for help with the rice. No, SAnemi isn’t here.” He emphasized his brother’s name. “And finally, because summer break started and I don’t wanna stay at home the whole time. May as well spend a few weeks here.” Genya nudged you to the side and took over cooking. Noting you were no longer paying attention to the rice they needed.

You let him take over and sat on Sanemi’s table. A habit both of you had developed. Probably not the best, but if he wasn’t complaining, you were not gonna stop. Looking over at your lover’s younger brother, you did a quick appraisal. He was just about ‘nemi’s height. Maybe slightly taller. You weren’t sure. The youngin’ had filled out since you last saw him. That was around a year ago. He had to be what? Sixteen now. You felt old thinking about that. He had some scarring on his face. Something both of the brothers shared. You never asked questions about it, and neither of them were supplying the answers. That was fine with you. It might be a sensitive topic, and you didn’t want to offend anyone.

“Stop staring at me,” Genya growled out. “I can feel your eyes boring into the back of my head. What is your problem?” he asked accusingly. “Nothing, I was just seeing if you finally stopped looking like a baby. Still 100% baby.” you gently ribbed. He turned away from whatever part of fixing the Ohagi he was on and faced you briefly. Long enough to give you the bird and sneer. The two brothers indeed were alike. You got up off the table and went over to Sanemi’s fridge. As you grabbed some frozen berries, you heard the front door again open.

You paused with a frozen cherry in your mouth. Wondering how your man was going to react to the surprise guest. Your habit of showing up was to be expected by this point. His little bro, that was a different story. They didn’t even live in the same city. Closing the fridge door, you stepped off next to it so you were out of his immediate sight when he walked into the kitchen.

Sanemi could be heard divesting himself of his keys, key card, shoes and whatever else he had on him that day. The door clicked closed, and he stepped into the room. Loosening his tie with one hand, he sighed and started unbuttoning his shirt with his other. Your man was mid groan of exasperation when he saw his brother. The two stared at each other. Neither saying a single word. You could have cut the tension with a knife. Genya pointed in your direction, and your boyfriend turned to look at you. He looked tired. That was it. Just tired. Which you don’t think was helped by the sudden visit by his sibling.

“Hey, ‘nemi. Welcome home.” You said weakly. Giving him a shy handwave. You didn’t know why you were doing this. You just were. It was probably because you felt super awkward being the center of attention. Sanemi dropped his tie on the floor and strode over to you. You “meeped” as his hands grabbed and pulled you into his arms. Giving you a crushing hug. Your face is buried in his scarred pectorals. He sighed and rested his chin on your head. “Mm... Genya is on break and decided to come to see you. Isn’t that sweet?” you decided to throw his lil’ brother a bone and break the news yourself since your boyfriend was seemingly more receptive to your existence at present.

He growled. Effectively shutting you up and stopping you from babbling. “Whatever, I still plan on spending the night with you how we planned earlier. Genya is going to behave himself and be scarce. Correct?” The question wasn’t a question. Both of you were aware of that much. The fair-haired man released you and looked at the finished Ohagi. He strode forward, swiped one, and gave his brother a nod of recognition before exiting the room. “I’m taking a shower. Don’t bother me!” His voice was yelled down from the stairwell.

You and his little brother silently stared at each other for a good few moments. He pointed to the plate of sweets and made a questioning motion. You shook your head and exited the kitchen to go upstairs. Bypassing the hall bathroom where Sanemi was to go to his guest bedroom and open the window airing it out. It was empty sans an Alberta king bed, side table, dresser, and a medium-sized, circular, grey rug on naturally colored, bamboo flooring. The walls were white. There was a reading nook with a massive skylight and some bay windows. You fluffed up the pillows and smacked the comforter checking for dust. Disrupting the thin layer that had developed. Happy you had done a thing, you wandered back downstairs, down the hall and into your man’s room. You heard Genya in the living room across the hall turn on the TV, settling down.

Closing the door, you began to strip out of your clothes. Making your way to your basket of clean and folded laundry. Once again, you thanked the stars for Sanemi. He had folded your laundry because you sure weren’t going to. You began to get dressed by selecting a pair of super plush, black boy shorts with a white tank top and some black grippy socks. The bedroom door opened, and you quickly looked over your shoulder only to find the scarred older brother looking at you. A towel wrapped around his waist and black fuzzy slippers on his feet. “Don’t mind me. Please, continue.” he said huskily. You stuck your tongue out at him and resumed dressing.

As you bent over to put your socks on, you felt a hand smack your plump, round, brown ass. You yelped and whirled on your boyfriend, ready to retaliate, when your eyes caught movement. He had dropped his towel, and you found yourself forgetting what it was you were going to do as you stood there looking at him in the buff. Eyes darting from head to toe. This man did not play fair. He chuckled darkly behind you, then went to his Mahogony dresser and grabbed some O.D. green joggers and a black tank top. You growled at him and went back to putting your socks on.

You watched him get dressed, coming up behind him with a hug. Giving him a kiss on his clothed back. “I missed you.” you sighed out in a sing-song manner. His hands envelop yours, and he leans back a little. Not enough to knock you off balance. “Missed you too. Sucks my brother chose tonight to come over. I had plans for you.” You both sigh together. Some regret is evidenced in both of you. “Nothing I can do about it now. He’s here, and I’m not sending him back home.” His voice sounds as tired as he looked earlier. You can feel his chest rumbling as he speaks. “Mm, it might be nice to spend some time together, though.” You said into his warm back. The white-haired man scoffed, released you, turned himself around in your arms, then flicked you in the forehead. “That’s not the point. I wanted to have fun with you. Now I have to deal with my little brother making smart-assed comments about being soft while I snuggle with you on the couch. That I will be forced to share with him so I can’t fully stretch out.” He lamented.

You let him go and rubbed your forehead. “Your couch can comfortably fit you, Kyojuro, and Tengen. Don’t even lie. Genya is probably going to stay in the guest room on his phone tonight, making plans. So, we can still snuggle on the couch in peace. And what exactly is wrong with him calling you soft? You are.” A finger jabbing into his chest at the end of your tangent. “I don’t mind being called soft if it concerns you. I do mind being teased like it’s a bad thing.” the muscular man grabbed your finger and brought it to his lip. Placed a kiss on your closest knuckle, then walked off towards the door. You blushed, holding your finger close to your face. “Softie.” you teased. In response, you got a grunt and a bird before he opened the door and exited. Going towards the living room. You rolled your eyes because the brothers were too damn similar.

Taking a detour, you went into the kitchen, grabbed the plate of Ohagi, went to the fridge and grabbed a sweet iced tea. Satisfied with your loots, you closed the fridge with a foot and then strutted into his living room by the door connecting the two adjacent rooms. The two brothers were sitting on opposite sides of each other. Genya is on his phone, and your lover is watching tv. A comedy, cooking, competition show. You plopped your ass into your man’s lap, wiggling to get comfortable. “Are you done?” he barks out. Wiggling once more, you settle down, then hold up the plate. “Hmph.” he huffs, taking it and setting it on one of the cushions beside him. He removed one of the treats from the plate and offered it to you. You took a healthy bite out of it. He never shared. You were not going to waste this rare opportunity.

Genya looks up from his screen to see his brother and your snuggling. You were biting at the offered treat like a hamster in his older sibling's lap. His brother had a gentle glow in his eyes. Face revealing he was at peace with everything. Genya thought that if you had tried to eat the whole thing, Sanemi would have let you at that moment because Sanemi was comfortable. He was comfortable showing it in a much more major turn of events. That was a new thing. His brother was private with his personal life. Always had been. Now he was showing the Sanemi equivalent of blatant PDA. Genya turned his phone discreetly and took a quick picture of the two of you enjoying each other's company. Staring into each other’s eyes. Doofy-looking smiles on your faces. He quickly saved it and changed screens to his earlier texting before he got caught.

The three of you coexist peacefully long enough for the plate to be wiped clean between all of you. The youngest member of the room got up to return the dish to the kitchen. You took the opportunity to change your position in Sanemi’s lap during his absence, so you were facing him. Pulling his face down and placing a quick, shy kiss on his lips when he is in range. One of his hands grabs your ass while the other goes to cradle your head. You mewl at his touch and nuzzle into the hand on your head. He guides you into another kiss. This one was more heated. A tongue flicks across your lips, asking for entrance. It is granted, and you open your mouth. His tongue plunges in and begins to explore your wet cavern hungrily. You whimper into his kiss. Your hands slide up his chest to wrap around his neck. Pulling him closer still.

“Can the two of you stop for a moment?” the teenager, the two of you had forgotten about, whined exasperated. “No, go away.” his older brother grumbled. Having broken the kiss to shoo his younger sibling off. “I’m going out for a bit. I got friends in the area.” the younger stated as he moved through the room to pick up his phone from its place on the couch. “Whatever, just don’t bring anyone back with you. I don’t feel like babysitting a herd of brats.” Sanemi countered. Genya mumbled something unintelligible and made his way out. The older sibling looked over your head at his brother. Watching and listening till he heard his brother gear up and exit his home.

“Move; I want to lay down.” The man ordered once he was alone with you. When you didn’t move, he removed you from his person and set you down on the floor. He laid down and patted the spot in front of him. You hurry up and settle in next to him. He wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you flush against his body. A remote is dropped on the ledge in front of you, and you feel his hot breath on your neck. You try to turn your head to ask him what’s up, but he bites your neck. You let out a tiny moan and roll your behind into his groin. “Too tired.” a mumbled voice speaks into your flesh. Your head nods, and you change apps, looking for something to watch on his tv

Settling down on a telenovela, you both had started watching a little while ago. Y’all would generally watch it with the volume down low. Being part of an unwind routine. You adjusted yourself to lay on your boyfriend’s bicep as a pillow, then let yourself get lost in the story. Several episodes later, you were engrossed. Things had escalated, and this shit was starting to get spicy. An elbow began to nudge the man behind you when you noticed his breathing had steadied out. Rhythmic breaths are warming your neck. “Oooh, you’re sleep.” you whisper silently. The situation is adorable as hell to you.

“I was until you started talking.” a sleep-rough voice ground out against your throat. That whisper had been one of the quietest you could manage. Part of you felt slightly wrong; you had woken him up. The other half wondered why the hell he was such a light sleeper. Sanemi bites the junction of your throat to your shoulder lightly in a warning, then tucks his head back in and goes back to sleep. Meanwhile, you were biting your moan back. He knew your neck was one of your weaknesses, so he does what? He attacks it. You swore in your head that he needed to stop playing dirty because one of these days. He was going to get it.

You lost track of time and fell asleep snuggled up to Sanemi. You were woken up by his brother draping a Minky blanket over the two of you. He hadn’t noticed your weary slow blinks up at him. He began to adjust the mantle to his liking over the both of you. Nodded once he was satisfied and departed the room. Your eyes slid shut before he even hit the bottom stair. Tucked in and warm against the man you loved.

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mercy-misrule · 2 years

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kinnporsche thoughts

i really like how they have interpreted the vegaspete relationship. it’s super fucked up, but it’s not just the misery i felt when i read the novel parts. There’s room for something good(ish) to develop here. At the very least, there’s a chance for something around the fucked up level of Kinn and Porsche to develop

I know the tag is throwing around the terms Stockholm and occasionally Lima syndrome (not real things) but babey this is trauma bonding, in the wildest way

like, whomst among us hasn’t formed an intense, all consuming relationship that blurs the lines between platonic, romantic and/or sexual, with another traumatised person, and had it be a codependant mess? and sometimes those relationships can repair into something that isn’t a spiral of meshing trauma.

i mean, straight (lol) up, I have had three relationships like that, two when i was a teen, one as a younger adult. (domestic violence mention) only one of those became violent, but the only thing that broke it up was that person moving towns.

but there’s such power in being the only person that someone has disclosed their trauma to. its a position of power and responsibility to be offered it, you bond with that person who has offered you that and if you have similar trauma or abuse survival you are drawn to them.

and the fact that Vegas is both victim and abuser...its a heady combo of fucked up vibes that people with boundary issues, like child abuse survivors are often drawn to.

no wonder pete can offer sympathy and empathy to vegas, no wonder vegas is drawn to pete in a way that he wouldn’t be to others because seriously, no bond as immediate and all consuming as a trauma bond.

its wild seeing it played out on screen. immediately i was reminded of one of the similar friendships I had, where I didn’t know this other girl from anything, but i found out via a mutual friend that this girl was also, like me, a survivor of a major car crash when she was a child. I’d never met anyone else like that (I still haven’t). No one else could understand exactly what I meant, how I felt. We lived in each other’s spaces for the rest of my adolescence, in a deeply unhealthy way.

and obvs, the vegaspete thing is a highly fictionalised version of the same sort of bond, but it works, it really does.

now is it a hugely toxic, unbalanced, abusive connection? yes. Is it so much more interesting and nuanced and complex than the book? also yes.

i don’t want anyone to be ‘redeemed’ but I do want this connection to deepen and to fuck them both up. Im so glad they chose the psychological and emotional horror route for vegaspete, the same way they did for kinnporsche’s relationship.

Sexual menace was a part of Vegas and Pete’s interaction which should’t be overlooked, but its also a far cry from the book continual sexual violence.

Idk, I’m so glad they chose this, they are adding so much texture to their characterisations.

#kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #vegaspete #plus along side all this we had so many pathetic vegas moments #my favourite thing to see my dude just absolutely lose his dignanty

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crystalelemental · 6 months

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Do you have any opinions on the lodge stories so far? Whose lodge story is your favorite? Or, do you have some sort of Top 3 Lodge Story?

So, as soon as I got this, I was like...oh shit. I can't remember most of the Lodge stories. Like I do not remember anything of over half of these. Which is probably telling of how...kinda uninteresting a lot of these are. A lot of them tread old ground or are pretty bare bones; very few give new information or really delve into something.

As an easy top three from memory: Gladion, Adaman, Irida. Gladion actually ended on a really interesting note, with his internal fear of losing people close to him being driven by the events of the main game. It's actually really interesting and one of the better stories for a character. Adaman because he gets fixated on his iPhone and is a menace, Irida for the comedy of learning about virtual reality. Those two were great. That said, I had to revisit these so I could remember what the hell they even talked about, so to go over each:

Blue: Kinda bland, being focused on him training you and all that. Currently the most infuriating one by miles because we openly acknowledge that he's a better teacher than Red because Red's silent and doesn't mesh well with people, only for fourth anniversary to shit all over that. Thanks, DeNA. 2/10

Leaf: Benign but somewhat cute. I do love the bit in the second half about Blue teasing her about the cuddling thing. Like of course people cuddle, but if you tell her no she gets really dejected. It's really cute. 7/10.

Giovanni: Stupid. "Ooh, I'm so ambiguously evil despite never accomplishing anything, you'd risk yourself to save this Pokemon." Fuck off. 1/10.

Silver: Friendship Hour. Benign but cute enough. I have an affinity for this character type so it's endearing to me. 6/10.

Morty: Lunatic hour. Let's go meet up with ghosts. Excitedly tells you about ghosts and jokes about dying. Fun character in general. 6/10.

May: Benign and kinda bland. Did you know May does field work and makes secret bases? 3/10.

Steven: Relatively cute. Talks about potential and what excites him about his interests in a way that isn't just talking about rocks again. Not the most exciting, but fine. 6/10.

Cynthia: Cynthia's my girl, and I do actually like this one more than I remembered. She talks about how champions change, and that being someone significant isn't intrinsic to the title, then you get the introduction of Cynthia liking piano and having a deep interesting in music as a new angle to her character. I think these events are best when they have something new that we don't already know, and this is a good one, even if it's not the deepest. 8/10.

Dawn: I kinda like this one too. Dawn's interested in all sorts of things, and it starts with stuff we know, like performances and the sweets from Palentine's. But the focus on not knowing what to make Her Thing in that sense is endearing, and it's a neat presentation for her character that isn't seen outside of this conversation. 8/10.

Adaman: Honestly I love this one. Just calling you up at like 5am to demand your presence because he made you breakfast, and the recognition of the phone being used to take up people's time. This one's fun, and it has a nice blend of what we know about Adaman (impatient) with fun new stuff (phone, he can cook apparently). 9/10.

Irida: Similar to Adaman, a good blend of what we know (flute, focus on space), and new (virtual reality, her response to needing all sensations of a place). 9/10.

Rosa: Similar to Dawn, in that her focus is on doing something else she loves in addition to the Champion thing. Lands on movies, as a thing we already knew, so I don't feel as much impact from it, but it's fine. 5/10.

N: Admittedly kinda boring? Like it's fine, but it's all fixation on stuff we know: that he was raised how Ghetsis wanted, that he loves the ferris wheel, that he wants to change the world and how people and pokemon interact, etc. Nothing new or exciting in that sense. 4/10.

Elesa: On the one hand, this is a fairly neat approach, focusing on how fans are intimidated to meet Elesa directly, and what she's like outside of the limelight. It's fine, but this is one of the heaviest "MC is such a special person for no reason" ones yet. Like she even mentions Skyla, who doesn't count for some reason. 3/10.

Sycamore: Benign but fine. I do like his research topic but they don't push much we don't know already. The cafe is also very in line with what's known. 4/10.

Serena: Similar to Leaf, it's a lot we know, focusing on her fashion and PR video fixation. But it's fairly cute so it's fine. 5/10.

Calem: Very similar, Calem's into style, but we do get that he worked with Furfrou grooming so there's something. 5/10.

Lillie: Lillie's coasting on being cute. She makes you a doll even though she's not great at sewing and wants to thank you for...something. Like the lesson she'd learned was in the main games, but MC fixation I guess. It's cute though. 6/10.

Acerola: Actually kinda sweet. Starts with the known focus of her getting stuff for the kids at Aether House, pivots into what she wants to do and you taking her around and letting her be a kid. It's fairly sweet. 8/10.

Gladion: Actually super good, I wasn't expecting anything from him, but they swung with the fear of losing his family and how connection can break and he'll lose people and how fearful he is of that. It's fantastic character building that goes beyond the other top performers, focusing on an actual aspect of him as a person rather than an interest or encountering a new thing and seeing the reaction. 10/10.

Marnie: It's fine. I feel like I should have more attachment to Marnie than I do. The difficulty expressing is an interesting angle, and including expressing anger here was a good move, even if it falls back on the smile practice thing that I think I just find weird. I dunno. I'm all about unemotional characters learning emotions but usually by organic means, rather than trying to push the smile physically up. 5/10.

Raihan: Again, fine. The discussion around Leon's attitude against his is neat, the knowledge that he's actually pretty good at figuring out outfits is new. I dunno, it's fine. I may be tiring out on these, or I'm just being pissy about Galar again. 6/10.

Gloria: Camping, curry, I do like the focus on "this is a good way to get people to open up," feels very in the style of that guy who gets people back to his place by talking about his stew. Nothing too exciting. 5/10.

#books-are-my-life-stuff #trainer lodge

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