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pluralsword · 1 year

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Bots helping out trans transformers - yes, all the circumstances depicted in this context are derivable from canon at this point. Also a post about part of how we got deep into transformers after watching Cyberverse, learning about trans ones, and the value of the stories. The thoughts are after the image IDs.

ID 1 of 4: A diorama of toy transformers on a trans flag floor in front of a sci-fi polity backdrop. On the bunk lying down is a IDW1 Arcee with her right hand raised in enthusiasm. Her left hand is held by PRID Arcee, who is also holding an energon goods box near her counterpart while turning to look to her left, as is Anode next to Lug, in turn near BBM, ER, IDW2, and Energon Arcees doing the same. Three medics are standing around PRID Arcee: BBM Ratchet with a hand to his head an MP Ratchet medical arm out his back, Minerva with an arm around him & clenching a wrench, & a custom Velocity sticking a cylindrical accessory into IDW1 Arcee's back stack as if a syringe. That Arcee has a cable running into her back. her sword hilts, a rifle, a red jetpack, & her old Spotlight Arcee back stacks by the bunk. In front is S86 Arcee with a sword over her shoulder & holding Jhiaxus's head, while Q-TF Arcee holds his rifle. Road Rage, Sideswipe, Chromia, & Animated Arcee block the entry of Ultra Magnus. End ID.

ID 2 of 4: On the same background as before is a diorama with boxes and books assembled to resemble two small apartment homes. A door made out of a sketchpaper cardboard cover is open to the apartment on the left, with a custom Velocity (from TR Blurr) standing in the doorway. Ahead of her to the right is a custom Nautica (from WFC Chromia) being embraced by a custom Lug (from TR Rewind) while a custom Anode (from RID15 Warrior Windblade) has her hands raised in excitement. Behind her IDW2 Arcee (from WFC Nightbird) shares an embrace with WFC Greenlight while the two have arms outstretched looking at the open home. Jetpack and prime armor accessories are at the feet of Lug, Anode, Arcee, and Greenlight, imitating luggage, and Anode has a fusion cannon firing chamber/grip stored in her back turbine, also imitating luggage of a sort. End ID.

ID 3 of 4: On the same backdrop with no additional structures are just some transformer toys. To the left is PotP Elita with and TR Overlord with arms on the hips or hanging to the side, and Origins Bumblebee waving. The three are watching with pride as BW Archadis and WFC Vertebreak run towards each other, WFC Acid Storm shares an embrace with Ion Storm and Nova Storm, and BBM Soundwave hugs a BBM Howlback who has leaped onto him, head and front legs on his shoulders. Gathered by those last two are BBM Buzzsaw sitting in bird mode, BBM Ravage sitting on back legs with jaws open in a howl, and BBM Frenzy waving back at Bumblebee. End ID.

ID 4 of 4: On the same trans flag and polityscape background as before, a tense situation is depicted with a transformer diorama. On the left side from back to front is Cheetor holding the Allspark & a sword, Legacy Prime Arcee holding the Omega Lock, & the Forge of Solus Prime is seen raised by a barely visible Smokescreen, standing behind the next row of bots: Legacy Bulkhead with his mace & rotary blaster out, FoC Jazz w/ a pistol raised, & Universe Tread Bolt with shoulder cannons up & his blaster over his shoulders. Next up are S86 Rodimus with a pistol and a blast effect lit Matrix, Siege Rung, WFC Airazor, a Mistress of Flame w/ hammer, IDW1 Arcee w/ swords, & CW Pyra Magna with her ax. Last in front are Cyberverse deluxe Grimlock in Trex mode, and TR Windblade holding the T30 Stormfall sword. Opposite the bots are SG Flamewar with a rotary blaster and shield raised, Cyberverse deluxe Dead End, Kingdom Cyclonus, Siege Megs, & Ultra Slipstream with blasters raised, & Motormaster with sword. End ID.

So- First image: IDW1 Arcee did actually have a reformatting surgery of her own volition from Ratchet in MTMTE #27 Dark Cybertron Chapter 10 The Becoming, and she was happy about it, unlike the extra bullshit Jhiaxus tacked on to her surgery from him! Anode helped her out in between those events for a while. Arcees generally, trans or no, care deeply about ethics and compassion of some sort, helping people out and willing to put their all into it. Showing up for the surgery of someone they care about is the kind of thing they'd do. Magnus is there cuz' he arrested her in Spotlight Arcee. Which well, prison wasn't what she (or anyone) needed for what her situation was. Sideswipe was there because even though he didn't understand her much until the end, HE TRUSTED HER ANYWAY, stood by her choices, risked his life for her as she did for him. Chromia is there because of how close she is with Windblade and how Windblade sees things, more on that later.

The second image is because Anode & Lug had been homeless for at least part of the duration of Great War, & Arcee in An Arcee Sort of Day having had trouble getting a housing loan. We chose Nautica to help them because she eventually understood Anode and Lug’s economic reasons for theft after initially taking issue with them.

The 3rd image doesn't have to do with the characters as much as it does things from IDW1 & AVP (although Archadis, Howlback, and Overlord’s gender expansive stories come up in Ask Vector Prime): in the former, the loneliness of trans characters shown, cut off from or having lost community & understanding from people, & eventually finding family. In the latter, working together for euphoria.

The last image is a bit more abstract/cobbled together. The Decepticons in e.g. Cyberverse, sought to meddle with Cybertron's reproductive autonomy: deciding form & role for new gens ('Perfect' Decepticons) with similar assignment for MTOs in IDW1, and forced weaponization (e.g. FoC). The Autobots have also sometimes been guilty of aspects of the latter two, but they more often champion autonomy as a way of life. Remaking/reforging derived from Solus Prime's story is an important metaphor/value for Camiens like Windblade, who respected Arcee when few would. The collective souls of reemerging generations in a cycle of life and death with the AllSpark parallels that reforging view, as shown by the words of Dai Atlas in the Escape miniseries, and the Matrix of Leadership had a direct link to the AllSpark in IDW2 as well.

From all this one can extrapolate that the fate of the AllSpark, the value of recreation of self and the access to capacity to do so have particular connotations both for trans transformers and all bots, just as building reciprocity, trust, wellbeing, and protection from malpractice do. Thus, to us, it's abundantly clear that while Transformers in regards to transformers does not deal with trans issues as a copy of Earth issues [this includes how in IDW1 Cybertronian androcentrism that (trans) gals face is not the same as ours] they speak to timeless aspects of autonomy. It is no accident that a number of trans people have been drawn to these stories over the years. Apart from enjoying them for other reasons, this aspect is there. Even when Transformers media is not talking about trans people, it is often dealing with things that effect us.

And that goes on a less dire level too. Like, the fact characters usually have two or more modes that are very different & related. And body modification is a deep & regular part of these stories, something a lot of people do. And the theme of change and agency itself in stories. This is say: if you either get what's happening in our world where gender expansive folks are in dire straits but we try to make joy and love anyway, just as the trans characters in these stories do, or if you can connect with how transformers is- there is something related.

If this motivates somebody to think carefully about how political engagement choices in how our lives are effected by issues mentioned prior and gets curious about transformer or robot stories that tackle this stuff, then we've achieved something. Thank you for reading :3 <3 ⚧️ 🏳️‍⚧️

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adarkrainbow · 1 year

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A look at Silly Symphonies: Babes in the Woods

And let’s conclude our Silly Symphonies exploration!

After the Three Little Pigs, after the Pied Piper of Hamelin... 1932′s “Babes in the Woods”.

Now you would expect the short to be an adaptation of the titular “Babes in the Woods” story... but no. The Babes in the Woods story is a traditional English tale of unclear origin that took many forms: at first a ballad, it became a Mother Goose nursery rhyme, the subject of popular pantomimes, and then kind of just spread everywhere. And what’s the story about?

It is about two orphan children, who are sent to their uncle’s house. But the uncle is a greedy and wicked man who wants their inheritance money, so while he pretends to his wife that he sends them to London to be educated, secretely he hires criminals to kill them. However the two murderers the uncle hired have a fight, and the “kinder” of the two kills the other. By “kinder” understand - instead of directly killing the children he just abandons them in the wood, promising to return with food but never doing so. The children wandered alone and hungry throughout the woods, until they died, and the robins in the forest covered their corpses with leaves as a form of funeral while the uncle suffered a dramatic demise due to “God’s wrath”, as it is the moral of the tale: if you do wicked deeds such as killing children, God will kill you in return.

... This Disney short has NOTHING to do with this story, as in fact it is an adaptation of the Brothers Grimm “Hansel and Gretel”. A very LOOSE adaptation.

# The introduction of the short presents us with a “Witch Rock”, a rock in the vague shape of a witch, and proposes us to reveal the origin behind this rock. While the narrative voice clearly insists on it being a fairytale-type of story (the use of “Once upon a time”, the description of a world of “fairies and goblins”), the actual framing of the story rather evokes folkloric and local legends. It is very frequent in several parts of Europe to designate specific stones as being a “witch-stone” or a “troll-stone”, because due to its unusual shape they were said by local legends to have been fairies or giants turned to stone for one reason or another. There is a lot of those local legends, not just for stones, but also for other unusual landscape features.

# The story begins with the two titular children, somehow dressed like Dutch old-fashioned peasants, entering the forest. We don’t know why they’re here, but they’re clearly lost. The first segment of the short consists of the kids being frightened by the sudden apparition of birds and rabbits - an owl in the shadow looks like an evil face, the trees’ crooked shapes imitate claws and mouths... If this sounds familiar: yes, you actually have here all the things Disney would later reused for their iconic “Snow-White”. The nightmarish hunt through the forest is already there.

# The children stumble upon a village of friendly little imps. (I know the official descriptions speak of “dwarfs”, but honestly they look too small to be “dwarfs” - if I wrote that in French I would have used “lutin”, but since English doesn’t have an exact correspondance I’ll use the closest thing - “imp” ; or “elves” if you take it as “Santa’s elves”). The imps are here joyful tiny bearded old men all dressed in red with pointy hats, busy merrily working and whistling all day in their village of literal tree-houses ornated with mushrooms and flowers. They drink beer and wash their beards and ride geese and pumpkins... And once more, we actually have here another prototype for Disney’s “Snow-White”: we have here a miniature ancestor to the seven dwarfs. People really underestimate the huge influence the Silly Symphonies had on the “Golden Age” Disney movies.

# While the imps merrily dance and welcome the two children, they are interrupted by the arrival of a witch on her broomstick (broomstick that actually has the end spinning around like helicopter blades - which notably causes the witch to arrive with a huge gust of wind). The scene is very reminiscent of the Wicked Witch in MGM’s “The Wizard of Oz”, from a village of merry little folks disturbed by the arrival of a witch from how everyone looks terrified a her shadow flies through the sky above. The witch herself looks very “traditional”: she is a hunched old lady with a hooked nose and hooked chin, wearing a ragged cape, patched-up dress and pointy hat, all in dull greys and inky black. And, while she doesn’t have yet the greenish “witch skin” (something that would be established by MGM’s “Wizard of Oz”), we can still note that her skin tone is not matching the one of the children - rather having a more sickly yellow to it.

# So far things didn’t felt very “Hansel and Gretel”, right? Well, we arrive to it. The witch lands in the village, and despite the imps fleeing away from her and trying to hide the children, said children are gullible enough to be fooled by her act of kindness. She offers the children to come with her and ride on her broomstick - and the children gleefully agree, fully enjoying their flight through the sky alongside the birds. Of course, we have here a first manifestation of the whole “Don’t trust people with too-nice gifts” - but with a unique twist, in that the witch doesn’t offer a shiny apple or a wonderful candy house (yet) but rather... flying on her broomstick. And this actually taps into the children’s very own fascination with flying, and with flying broomsticks in general. I think this is actually quite a clever idea to just have the seducing offering of the ride of a flying broomstick. It works really well.

# When the witch finally lands, we finally get to the “edible house” part. Like in Hansel and Gretel the witch lures them into her house due to it being made of candy. And, just like we would see in many modern adaptations, the house isn’t just the simple “bread and sugar” house of the original story, oh no! It is a feast of sweets: pies on the roof, candy canes in the garden, ice-cream cones by the windows, pretzels on the walls, giant lollipos springing off the ground... And with one additional elements that I haven’t reused anywhere so far: the roof is covered in giant candles like if the house was a birthday cake.

# But of course, the inside of the house is actually a dull, drab, shadowy lair of stones and chains. Now in the original tale, the witch tries to fatten up Hansel to eat him, and locks him in a cage to do so. Here the animators seemed to try to avoid the gruesomess of cannibalism, and so they reinvented COMPLETELY the witch’s actions. She does have cages in her house, alright... TONS AND TONS of cages everywhere, and if not cages, chains. And in it are looked all the traditional “witchy” animals: bats, lizards, huge spiders, black cats, rats... With one twist. Instead of being the witch’s familiars or allies, these beasts are all screaming and begging for help and to be saved, because as it turns out they are all children that the witch ravished and turned into animals. Why? BECAUSE SHE’S A WITCH THAT’S WHY! More seriously, we find here a typical case of the “simplification of the villain’s motif”, where a fairytale villain (especially if supernatural) will just do things for the sake of doing them, do wicked deeds for the sake of being cruel.

# Interestingly, while the whole turning into animals thing seems like just a way to avoid the cannibalizing of children while playing on the old legend of witches turning people into animals, it does bring to mind another Grimm fairytale: Jorinde and Joringel, depicting a witch who has the habit of turning into brids any girl that stumbles near her home. The parallel between “Jorinde and Joringel” is driven even further by the fact that, when a chained black cat anoys her too much, the witch pours a potion on it that turns it to stone. In Jorinde and Joringel, while the witch turned girls into birds, she rather petrified any boy she could find.

# The witch turns the boy Babe into a spider thanks to her potions, and plans to turn the girl into a rat when she is interrupted by the imps arriving to attack her: throwing arrows at her, riding their geese through the sky, crushing pumpkins on her head... I would like to point out that while the imp-village is a completely new addition by the Silly Symphonies, completely invented, they reuse lots of other “traditional” fairy tale elements, from the pumpkins made iconic by Cinderella to the geese (a nod to Mother Goose?). Even the fact that the imps throw tiny little arrows evoke the legend of the “elf-shots”, the belief elfs could shoot at human tiny hard-to-see arrows that could enter your body without wounding your skin and caused all sorts of diseases.

# After saving the girl, the boy-babe accidentally pours on himself a potion that turns him back into a child, and the Babes proceed to free all the other kids from their transformations (again, we have here another nod to Jorinde and Joringel). And then we have a twist on the Hansel and Gretel ending: instead of pushing the witch into her own oven, the kids here, seeing the witch falling from the sky, place her cauldron filled with petrifying potion under her, turning her into the very “Witch Rock” we saw at the beginning.

So... In conclusion, a bizarre mix of Hansel and Gretel, and Jorinde and Joringel. But why the “Babes in the Woods” title? It is known that throughout history, due to the original story’s shortness, adaptations of the Babes tended to add other elements - though usually the added elements come from the Robin Hood myth, with Maid Marian or Robin himself becoming involved in the child’s wanderings through the wood.

I think we have to look at a previous movie adaptation of the Babes: 1917′s “Babes in the Woods” by FOX Film, a silent short movie that actually was the first (to my knowledge) to have the lost Babes encounter the “Gingerbread House Witch” from the Grimms tales. I won’t make a post about it, but the only main differences I can point out is that in this story the Babes are actually protected by a good fairy that pops in-and-out of the story (notably when they escape the witch’s house, the fairy offers them a nice and rich carriage - leading them to be later captured by bandits, a la Andersen’s Snow Queen) ; and the female Babe doesn’t trick the Witch by pretending she doesn’t know how to climb in the oven, but rather she pretends that the oven won’t be big enough to fit her brother - to which the witch answers “Why, it is big enough to fit myself!” and... you know the rest.

#silly symphonies #disney #fairy tales #babes in the woods #english folktale #nursery rhyme #grimm fairytales #hansel and gretel #jorinde and joringel

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moonkissedmeli · 3 years

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Artemis [Greek, Olympian]

A page from my grimoire.

Goddess of: the Wild Mountains, the Crescent Moon, Girls, Childbirth & Midwifery, Weaving, & the Hunt.

Zodiac sign: Taurus; her birthday is May 6th

Planet: The moon, specifically the crescent moon

Lineage: Daughter of Zeus & Leto & sister of Apollo.

Primary cult centres: Brauron, Delos, Ephesos, & Sparta

Artemis is one of the most ancient deities in the Greek Olympian pantheon. Her name is of an unknown etymology & her origin rests in earlier, pre-Greek mythology.

Artemis was the Goddess who looked after young girls. The Arkteia, young girls who imitate she-bears, are protected by Artemis and eventually offer their childhood to her when they move into motherhood.

Artemis is the lion among women. She can spare their lives in childbirth, or she could take it away. The clothes of women who died in childbirth were left as offerings, much like the hunter would leave a pelt for the Goddess when he had a successful hunt. Likewise, when women had successful childbirth without much pain, they would consider this the work of Artemis & leave blankets for the Goddess. She assisted her mother, Leto, painlessly birth Apollo, Artemis’s twin brother.

Artemis is a virgin & is the only Greek Goddess to wear a short tunic, symbolic of her perpetual maidenhood & almost boyishness. However, she is a virgin by choice - representative of her fierce independence & autonomy. In fact, some say Artemis was the only Goddess to never be kidnapped or raped.

She has 20 Amnisides Nymphs as her handmaidens & 60 daughters of Okeanos, all aged 9 in her choir. She chose these as part of 12 wishes granted to her by her father. All of her companions remained virgins.

Artemis had various men interested in her & this never worked out well for the men. The river god Alpheus, Bouphagos, Siproites, Actaeon, Orion, &The Aloadaes are among the men that have loved or wanted her. These men often threatened her with rape or kidnapping. However, she was afraid of none of them & usually killed them, had them killed by animals, or turned them into animals. Sometimes it was some combination of the three.

Artemis can teach us wildness, independence, and a love of nature. She protects women, children, and anyone who exhibits exceptional self-sufficiency or who defies cultural gender roles. As a goddess of transitions, she helps us pass from one state to another. As a bringer of light, she can illuminate our lives and help us find our way.

In ancient Greece, cities prayed to Artemis before battle when the situation was a matter of life and death. When the options were to be victorious or be destroyed, they prayed to Artemis for survival. When they won, they would sacrifice in excess to her. Artemis can help us face whatever life throws at us. She teaches us how to adapt, survive, and never just be the sum of others' expectations.

Festivals & Worship

The 6th day of each month is sacred to Artemis.

Artemisia: Modern festival of Artemis where anything goes, celebrating freedom & modern inspiration. Celebrated on June 6th.

Elaphebolia: festival held in Athens & Phocis during Elaphenolion [March-April]. Modern Hellenistic practitioners observe Elaphebolia as a holiday which falls on the sixth day of that month. [March 1st in 2020]. Cakes made from flour, honey, & sesame in the shape of stages were offered to the goddess.

Mounikhia: 16th of the month of Mounichion of the Athenian calendar. Was created to commemorate the victory of the Greek fleet over the Persians at Salamis. Cakes w/ candles were offered to the goddess & young girls dressed up as bears.

Kharisteria: Festival of Artemis at Athens to thank her for their survival of the Persian assault at Marathon. Celebrated on 6 Boedromion [September/October].

Mounykhia: 16 Mounkyhion [April/May]. Festival to Artemis as a light bringer.

Brauronia: Festival to Artemis at Brauron & an initiation festival for young girls. At this festival, girls & maidens dance in their bear masks w/ phallus' strapped to them. The dance was slow & solemn as it was meant to imitate bears. Baskets of figs were also carried. The earliest participants actually wore bear skins; however, they were switched to Krokoton dresses. The dresses were short, saffron-yellow chiton, at the end of the festival they shed their dresses to symbolize maturation. Offerings found here are many, but include spindles, spindle whorls, loom weights, epinetra, textiles, & garments. Celebrated every 4 years.

Thargelia 6-7: May 6, which is the birthday of Artemis & Apollo.

Symbols

All animals, as she is the mother of all animals. Particularly, deer/stag, bear, goat, boar, buteo hawk, dog, horse, fresh water fish & ground dwelling birds.

Bow, arrows, & torch.

The crescent moon.

Colors: silver, white, red, green, turquiose

Offerings

Cypress, asphodel, amaranth, palm tree, mug wort, birch, wildflowers, female goat [drawing/toy/etc; I don’t really condone giving an actual goat, lol], toys from girls before their wedding, clothing [from women], garlands, statuettes of soldiers, clay masks [bear, rites of passage], moonstone, frankincense, fruit, music & dance, work & tasks, honey, port, incense [woodsy] game meat, & pelts.

Crystals

Moonstone, pearl, clear quartz, silver, turquoise, emerald & diamond.

How to Worship

Offerings, caring for the natural world & animals.

Support women's and all gender equality, supporting LGBTQ+, and trans rights and equality.

Spending time in nature.

Show gratitude to the natural world & its gifts, including using natural resources in witchcraft if you practice or any other creative hobby you may have.

Work, any kind of work. Dedicate it to Artemis. Create her things to offer her.

Knitting, sewing, crocheting, etc. Artemis as one of the goddesses of weaving so you can dedicate anything you make to her. Likewise, you can use knot magic with her.

Epithets

Agreia/ Agrotera – Of the Wild, Huntress

Brauronia – Of Brauron, Caretaker of Girls

Delia – Of Delos

Hegemone – Leader, Ruler

Karytis – Of the Walnut Tree

Keladeine – Noisy or Sounding

Kynthia – Of Kynthos

Leukophryne – White Brow

Limenia – Protector of Harbors

Limnatis – Of the Marsh

Lokheia – Protector of Women in Childbirth

Mounykhia – From Mounykhia

Parthenos – Virgin

Phoebe – Light Bringing

Phosphoros – Bringing Light, Shinning

Potnia Theron – Mistress of Animals

Soteira – Savior

Sources

“The Myth of the Goddess: Evolution of an Image” Anne Baring and Jules Cashford

“The Oxford Classic Dictionary” Simon Hornblower

“Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology“ Lucas Roman

“Artemis” Theoi.com

“Artemis” Wikipedia

“Artemis” Britannica

#hellenism #artemis #hellenic #artemis devotion #dieties #witchcraft #goddess #worship #grimoirepage #melitta

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bukojuiice · 3 years

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What happens when the bakusquad babysits Katsuki’s daughter? (Dad! Katsuki Bakugo x Mom! Reader) Headcanons + One-shot

ೃ pairing: (dad! katsuki bakugo x mom! reader)

ೃ warnings: none

ೃ genre: fluff overload, parent fic/hcs

ೃ word count: 5,141 words

ೃ 1/4 of @bukojuiice’s 800 followers special!

ೃ my nav → my mha writing masterlist → my katsuki bakugo x reader smau

ೃ A sequel in the form of headcanons + one-shot to my dad! Bakugo fic “like the soul of honey” I recommend reading that first before going through this! Don’t worry if you don’t want to though! Both are standalone and not really connected with each other.

ೃ This was originally just going to be headcanons, but I didn’t want to keep writing it in hcs style halfway through so be treated to both headcanons + a one-shot instead! as you can tell already, this was so so much fun to write and i felt so soft after writing this uwu

ೃ shoutout to two of my loves @sparkykatsuki for coming up with this idea! I just knew i had to do it bc i love bakusquad sm!! they give me such a serotonin boost and I find it really fun writing about them!! Thank you for having such big brain energy and for conspiring this concept franz! And to @chibishae34 bc i know she loves baby fics as much as I do HSHSHSH

ೃ your daughter’s name is hikari which means light. bakugo thought of that name because light is essentially a part of his quirk and hikari is a part of him.

ೃ please do reblog if you enjoyed!! (feel free to add tags too because i love reading them and my heart swells with happiness when people love my work!) ♡

— Hikari is blessed with the best uncles and aunts she could ever ask for!!

— Both Bakusquad and Dekusquad take turns in helping you and Katsuki get your well deserved rest and relaxation at least once a month ever since Hikari turned 6 as... she became quite the feisty girl. Too feisty to handle actually.

— She was energetic and playful 24/7. And so, it was hard to keep up with her energy most of the time.

— She still remained kind and obedient yet she was also an absolute bundle of joy who would just run around the house, play with her toys, and go on roleplaying adventures with you and Katsuki. She had absolutely no idea how much she would tire you and Katsuki, however, and sometimes she would go on for hours and hours just running around the house and interacting with everything she sees.

— She had an inquisitive mind, and although you always encourage her to be smart and be intrigued with everything, she tends to question almost everything she lays her eyes on and you end up having to come up with a witty and a very childlike answer for her to understand.

— A good example of this is when she asked you ever so innocently about where babies come from and your husband was ABOUT TO TAKE HER QUESTION LITERALLY and give her the science talk about sexual reproduction. When the two of you agreed to only give her that talk when she turns 8 as she might not even entirely understand it in the first place.

— “Mommy, Daddy, where do babies come from?”

— “I guess it’s time for the talk.” Bakugo shrugs, remarking sternly. He takes his daughter’s little hand in his and bringing her to the living room. “You see, Hikari, babies come from the wo-”

— “Storks!” You cut Bakugo off before he could say another word, nudging him on the elbow. “Hikari-chan, the babies are brought down to this world by the white and strong birds in the sky!” You whisper the last bits of information to her ear. “The storks told me that once you get older, they’ll tell you the secret of where they actually pick up the babies.”

— “Really!?” She says in disbelief, her eyes gleaming in excitement. “YAY! YAY! YAY! I can’t wait!” She goes back to running around the house looking for even more things to ask about and you breathe a sigh of relief as soon as she leaves.

— Although it was nice that you are able to bond as a family, it does get pretty tiring sometimes. Of course your weariness is worth the risk if it’s just to see Hikari smile.

— Especially since you and Bakugo were both pro-heroes (although you mostly do stand by pro hero work meaning you work from home almost all the time.) You found it much more enriching if both you and bakugo are guiding her and working together to create a loving and supportive family for Hikari.

— Both of your respective friend groups, whomst you remained close to ever since high school, noticed how the both of you looked tremendously exhausted and looked like you were in dire need to have 9 cups of coffee every time you would meet up with each other in between your pro hero duties.

— And so both squads came into an agreement, that they would help the two of you out by giving you a 48 hour day off every month to do whatever the heck married couples do as they would babysit Hikari and have fun.

— This was also a great way to get closer with their niece even if they dote on her so much already. As you and Bakugo are the first persons in your friend groups who got married and have a child together.

— This month, the Bakusquad is in charge of taking care of Hikari and just from the fact that Kirishima, Kaminari, Mina and Sero are going to babysit your daughter alone, you know it’s going to be chaotic.

— Things didn’t go swimmingly last time (literally), as only Kirisihima and Kaminari were the only ones available the last time they came to babysit. They took Hikari to a community pool, and she came back with a missing tooth and some scratches on her legs from playing too much. Katsuki was NOT pleased and you had to restrain your husband from trying to obliterate his best friends even if Hikari had little to no injuries and it was normal for kids her age to have these things happens to them at least once in their childhood.

— With your assurance and the look that was on Hikari’s face and how she would not shut up about how she loved spending time with Uncle Eijiro and Uncle Denki, Katsuki eventually let it slide and just gave his friends the usual “Katsuki Bakugo treatment” where he acts cold and angry at them, paired with his easily irritated and idgaf attitude.

— This month however, was going to be different because Mina and Sero are finally joining along and making sure that Hikari has the best weekend since they weren’t able to babysit last time.

— Hikari loved her Aunt Mina because she would braid her hair and style her with different cute outfits that only Mina, with her love for fashion and all things girly and pink could attempt to do and end up doing perfectly. She also taught Hikari all the dances to disney songs and nursery rhymes she knows how to do so far. Hikari affectionately refers to her Aunt Pinkie whenever Mina isn’t around.

— Kirishima, who was the most frequent to visit the 3 of you, out of all of the Bakusquad, considers Hikari as his new #1 best friend. Dethroning and kicking her very own father from that spot. Hikari is a much more gentle and sweet version of her explosive father, and so Eijiro is able to interact and play with Hikari because he already knows Bakugo and his mannerisms very well. Hikari calls him Uncle Sharkie and she always asks her dad about how he and Kirishima became such good friends. To which Katsuki would reply with, “It’s a long story princess.”

— Kaminari was the fun uncle. He always gave off those vibes ever since high school anyway. Giving Hikari candy behind Katsuki’s back (although you made sure Kaminari didn’t give her any that were tooth rotting sweet ones) Buying her ice cream whenever he came to drop by, and bringing her to the nearby playground amongst many other things. He spoils her a lot (in a good way) and Hikari calls her the fun “sparkie” uncle.

— Then, there was Sero. He retained his love for Spiderman since he was a kid, and he was able to pass that on to Hikari. His way of playing with her was cute since Sero is super tall, he would let Hikari ride on his shoulders, trying to imitate airplane noises as they would “fly” around the house. He gifted Hikari some child-friendly comic books for you and Katsuki to read to her before. bed. Although she never fails to say that the best heroes are her mommy and daddy. She calls Sero her Uncle Spidey.

— Uncle Sharkie, Uncle Sparkie, Aunt Pinkie, and Uncle Spidey. The Holy Quaternity.

(One-shot starts below this!)

“AUNT MINA! UNCLE EIJIRO! UNCLE DENKI! UNCLE SEROOO!” Hikari rushes to the door as soon as she hears the doorbell ring, she jumps into Eijiro’s arms and the red-haired pro hero twirls her around. The rest of the Bakusquad forms a circle around her, and can’t help but look at her adoringly.

“How’s my little ball of sunshine!?” Mina squeezes Hikari’s cheekies, earning giggles from the little girl. “I’m fine Aunt Mina! I mished chu!” She begins to talk in a cute accent as she just can’t contain her excitement.

“Hikari-chan! Do you still remember our little handshake?” Sero kneels down to the little girl’s height, offering her his hand. The little girl nods, shakes it and their thumbs twiddle together, as if they were thumb wrestling. They do a few more quirky hand shakes and then end it with a bang by saying “BOOM!” Sparks suddenly fly out from Hikari’s hands, her aunt and uncles coo since noticing how much her quirk has developed ever since they started babysitting.

“Okay you two!” Mina turns to you and Katsuki, as she had noticed you had some distinct luggage packed for a quick hot spring getaway, she practically pushes the two of you out of the door when Katsuki stops in his tracks, turning to his friends.

He glares at them and points his fingers to his eyes in a “I’m watching you” type of gesture. “Not one single scratch on her or all of you are dead to me.”

Kaminari laughs, patting his friend on the back, “We gotchu buddy. Your little ball of sunshine is safe in our hands. She’ll have the best time with us!”

Hikari quickly runs to you and Katsuki, giving you both a tight hug. “We love you Hikari. We’ll just be gone for two days oki? Your uncles and your aunt here will keep you safe this weekend alright? We love you!” You peck her lightly on the cheek, a pout forming on your daughter’s face.

“I’ll miss you Mommy. Daddy.” She doesn’t let go, hugging the two of you even tighter. “I loaf you! See you soon!”

“Be a good girl okay Hikari?” Katsuki kneels down to meet his daughter’s eyes, orbs that were as passionate as his, planting a kiss on her forehead. “We’ll miss you kiddo.”

You could hear Kaminari and Sero silently snicker in the background since they still can’t wrap their head around the fact that their friend could become so soft when in front of his child as opposed to his usual rough demeanor he shows to everyone else.

Katsuki wraps his arm around your waist, holding you tightly, with you dragging along the luggage that the two of you were going to bring on this trip. You bid your final goodbyes with ease and relief, knowing that your daughter will be in “safe hands” the entire weekend.

“We’re going to have so much fun!” Mina squeezes Hikari and the rest of the Bakusquad into a hug. “What do you want to do first Hikari-chan?”

“Oh! Um! I don’t know if I should ask this b-but..” The blonde little girl hides her hands in her pockets, her feet tapping the floor. “I actually want to know how Mommy and Daddy met! Not the marry or the lovey thing! Just how they met and fell in love!”

“Hikari-chan!! You’re so cuteeeeeeee!” Kaminari begins to weep crocodile tears, pulling Hikari into another hug. “If that’s what you want to do for today, then we’ll gladly tell the story of how your mom and dad met!”

The Bakusquad formed and sat in a circle on the floor. Hikari was sitting on Mina’s lap as the latter braided her hair into what was called a Fishtail braid. Kirishima, with the help of Sato, baked some chocolate chip cookies a few days ago for all of them to snack on while they babysit Hikari.

Sero clears his voice and begins the story. “Your mom and your dad met each other in High School. Along with all of us and your Uncle Izuku, Uncle Tenya, Uncle Shoto, Aunt Ochaco, Aunt Tsuyu-” He continues to recall the names of all the other people Hikari know and love. “They were total opposites actually.”

“O-opposithes?” Hikari tilts her head, a puzzled look on her face as she tries to process what her Uncle Sero had just said. “D-does that mean that Daddy didn’t like Mommy?”

“It’s not like that Hikari-chan. Don’t worry.” Kirishima saves Sero from making the little girl misinterpret what he had just said, nudging his raven-haired friend in the arm. “It’s just that your dad was hot-headed and angry all the time, but he fell in love with your mom because she was sweet, patient and understanding!” Kirishima reiterates, a soft look on his face, looking back on the sweet sentimental memories of high school. “They were perfect for each other!”

“Oh! So daddy was angy all the time? Since mommy is really nice she told Daddy to be nice and they fell in love!?”

Mina giggles, continuing to style Hikari’s hair. “Yes Hikari-chan. That’s exactly what happened! You’re so good!”

“I am!?” Yay!” She claps her hands together, a wide smile present on her face, she was becoming more and more intrigued. “Tell me more please!”

“Well...” Kaminari continued where Kirishima had left off, “Your mom and dad got closer because they got teamed up to fight our pro hero teacher for our exam! They fought and they had a hard time talking to each other but they passed the exam in the end! It was hard at first. Your dad kept on telling us that he didn’t like your mom in a lovey way but we kept on pushing him until he accidentally said that he liked her! Your mommy heard what he said and then she told him that she liked him too!”

“F-fight? I thought Daddy only fights bad guys...” Her voice begins to crack as if she was about to cry. The Bakusquad were about to speak up and explain but failed to because as soon as Mina was done braiding her hair, Hikari immediately stands up and bows politely to the four adults. “I’m going to play with Mr. Rilakkuma for a while. See you later!” She grabs a cookie from the plate and rushes into her room, locking the door behind her.

“See you later Hikari-chan!” Kaminari waves cluelessly, not realizing what he had just said that prompted Hikari to leave the room in the first place. Mina stands up on her knees, shooting him a glare and flicking his forehead, “Did you not realize what you just did!?”

“Ahh what did I do!?” He rubs the spot on his forehead that Mina had just hit, and looks at his two other friends for a clue as to why they were ganging up with him.

“I guess Chargedolt will always be Chargedolt.” Sero shrugs, shaking his head in disappointment.. “Hikari misinterpreted what you said. She thinks that Bakubro used to fight (Y/N) like she’s a villain or something back when we were in High School.”

“WAIT! OBJECTION! SHE MISINTERPRETED YOUR STORY FIRST-”

“Guys. Guys. There’s nothing we can do about it. Both of you slipped, so let’s give Hikari-chan some space first then talk to her later.” Kirishima cuts Kaminari off before he and Sero would start an argument, which would prompt Hikari to further think more negative thoughts.

“(Y/N) said that Hikari-chan’s been liking Tonkotsu Ramen recently, so I think it’s best if all of us help out in cooking her favorite comfort food to cheer her up.” Mina sighs deeply, crossing her arms. She heads straight to the kitchen without uttering another word, the three other guys follow suit.

After several hours, it was finally night time and time for dinner! At the orders of Mina, Sero and Kaminari came to pick up Hikari from her room.

Sero knocked softly. “Hikari-chan? It’s time for dinner!”

“We cooked your favoriteee Tonkatsu Ramen!” Kaminari added in a playful voice.

No reply.

“Hikari-chan?” Sero knocks again, a bit louder this time. He then turns to Denki and whispers, “Maybe she’s asleep?”

Before the two men were to retreat and go back to the living room, the door to the little girl’s room was unlocked with a long click, as if there was hesitance..

Denki quickly turns the knob to be surprised at the sight of Hikari... packing her clothes into a cute backpack?

“Hikari-chan! W-what are you doing?” Kaminari runs to her, trying to stop her from folding her clothes.

“I’m going to go see Mommy and Daddy! I’ll go take a bus and find them!” She wipes the tears streaking down her cheeks, sniffing her nose while attempting to stuff her teddy bear inside her backpack. “Daddy took Mommy so that they’re going to fight aren’t they!? I don’t want that!”

“No no no no no Hikari. It’s not like that!” Kaminari wipes the little girl’s tears with a handkerchief, he gestures Sero to call Kirishima and Mina whilst he tries to comfort the girl. “Your dad took your mom out because today is their lovey anniversary! It wasn’t because they were going to fight!”

“Ah! Owkay!” Hikari suddenly raises her head, taking the handkerchief from Denki and wiping her tears. “Can I visit Daddy and Mommy then!?”

“O-oh well...”

“Of course we can go Hikari-chan!” Kirishima barges in, Sero and Mina close behind him. “Let’s surprise them!”

“Yay! Surprising them! I love surprises!” The little girl jumps up and down in her place. “What time do we go!? What time do we goooo!?”

“After dinner you little cutie.” Mina smiles at the younger Bakugo’s sudden shift in mood. “We cooked your favorite Tonkotsu Ramen!”

“AH! TONKOTSU RAMEN TONKOTSU RAMEN!” Hikari wiggles her arms, slightly pushing the adults out of the way and runs out of her room, Sero catches up to her, only to find her sitting properly on the dining table. “I’m ready to eat now! Just waiting for all of you!” She shouts from outside.

“She’s absolutely fricking adorable.” Kaminari remarks. “But Kiri.. are you serious? We’re actually going all the way to a prefecture and bring her to her parents? Isn’t our job supposed to be keeping her here while they rest and relax in the onsen?”

“W-well... It’s not like we can do anything about it right?” Eijiro shrugs off Denki’s concern, holding on to a stress ball that Hikari had in her room. “She’ll be moping around and going back to overthinking about what her parents are doing right now. We’ll take her there and besides, once we do get there, (Y/N) and Bakugo already had a day’s worth of rest. And I think it’s time for us to take Hikari on a road trip and have fun with her!”

“Uncle Eijiro.. Aunt Mina... Uncle Denki... what’s taking you so long?” Hikari yawns and rubs her eyes, still holding on to her chopsticks. “The ramen is going to get cold...”

“Oh no! It is!?” Mina reacts quickly, taking Hikari’s hand and leading her to the table. “Let’s get there before Elsa makes it even colder!”

“NOOOOOO!! Elsa’s going to do that!? Whyyyyyy!?”

“Let’s just hope that this isn’t a repeat of what happened when we took her to the community pool.” Kaminari shakes his head, recalling the past event. “Bakugo almost killed us if it weren’t for (Y/N).”

“I don’t think it will. Besides, Sero and Mina will be with us, so the more the merrier!”

Oh and the merrier it was.

“HAKUNA MATATA! WHAT A WONDERFUL PHRASE!” Bakusquad along with Hikari, sing in unison. Bopping along to the iconic song from Lion King.

“IT MEANS NO WORRIES! FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS!” Hikari belts out, the others clapping along to her singing, doing their best to hype her up

Kirishima was singing Timone’s lines, Kaminari was singing Pumba’s, Sero and Mina were the background vocals and and Hikari was singing Simba’s lines.

It was 6 am in the morning and they were finally on the road and on the way to a Hot Springs Resort in Chiba Prefecture, where you and Bakugo were staying in for the weekend.

Kirishima was driving the SUV that he immediately bought when he got his first Pro Hero paycheck, Denki was riding shotgun, and Hikari was seated at the middle squeezed in by both Mina and Sero.

Disney Songs were set to be played for the entire morning to tire out Hikari and so that she can sleep peacefully and rid Bakusquad of the slight annoyance they will receive when she asks “Are we there yet?” every 2 minutes.

Denki had unfortunately messed up the spotify playlist that Jiro had given him, and the piano opening of A Thousand Miles begins to play.

“OMG IT’S OUR SQUAD SONG!” Mina’s eyes lit up as soon as the well-known piano keys blared out from the speakers. “MAKING MY WAY DOWNTOWN, WALKING FAST, FACES PASS AND I’M HOMEBOUND!”

The iconic part before the chorus begins to play and the boys sing along, “AND I NEED YOU! AND I MISS YOUUU!” They shake their shoulders to the beat, and Hikari giggles along.

“CAUSE YOU KNOW I’D WALK A THOUSAND MILES IF I CAN JUST SEE YOU TONIGHTTTTT.” Bakusquad sings dramatically in unison, raising their hands up high and just vibing to the beat.

“Hikari-chan! You should totally hear your dad sing this! He loves this song!” Mina turns to the little girl who continued to laugh at how chaotic her aunt and uncles were being. “Really!? I want to learn it then so that Mommy and Daddy would know that I can be a singer too!”

The song ends and yet everyone else was still vibing. After the current song, the hype and the energy has died down and Hikari is fast asleep on Mina’s lap and her feet were lying on a pillow that was placed on Sero’s lap.

“She really is a spitting image of both (Y/N) and Bakugo. They’re really great parents.” said Sero, who wanted to break the silence and keep the atmosphere lively.

“My mind is still shook over the fact that Bakubro would turn so soft every time he’s in the same room as his daughter. It’s a complete 180 on his personality, and I really wanna tease him about it when we finally get the chance.” Kaminari interjects. “Do you think Bakugo would get mad when we arrive there?”

“Trust me on this guys.” Kirishima says casually, stepping on the gas pedal, as they go up the highway. “Bakugo won’t. In fact, I think both he and (Y/N) would be delighted to see their daughter travel for 180 miles just because of a misunderstanding.”

♡

“Suki-kun... do you think I should call up Mina to ask how Hikari’s doing?” You reach for your phone on the bedside table. “It’s 6 AM maybe Hikari forgot to drink her gummmy vitamins-”

“She’s going to be fine.” Katsuki murmurs in his bedhead voice, turning to your side of the bed to spoon you and nestle his head on your neck. “I trust Kirishima and the others.”

“This is surprising. You’re very casual about this now. What happened to your skepticism? Weren’t you too worried about how they were going to babysit Hikari after the pool incident?”

“To hell with that. If Hikari loves them, and they love her back just as much, might as well just roll with it. They’re my friends anyway and it’s better than Ilda scolding her for eating 4 M&Ms at 9 in the evening.”

You chuckle, holding his hands that were wrapped around your waist. “That’s harsh but you got a point. Although Hikari loves my friends and yours equally, they do think of Hikari as a little Bakugo so, they’re able to connect with her more.”

“What time do the private mixed gender hot springs open up again?” He grumbles suggestively and you giggle. “They open at 9 am. Should I reserve that time slot?”

“You should.” He growls but before you could even reply, he falls back to sleep.

♡

“WE’RE HERE!” Kirishima announces, waking Kaminari, Mina and Sero up from their sleep.

“W-what if this isn’t the right onsen?” Denki yawns, looking around to take in the view.

“I asked (Y/N) last night where they were staying. This is the place! She even gave me their room number for some reason.” Mina stretches her arms then pats Hikari on the forehead lightly. “Hikari we’re here...”

The little girl slowly opens her eyes, sitting up, then looks out the window.

“HOT SPRINGS! ONSEN!” She hastily tidies up her backpack and gets down the car as soon as Sero opens the door.

“Hikari-chan! Wait for us first!” Sero runs after her, making sure she doesn’t get too far.

“It’s 9 AM... I wonder if those two lovebirds are awake already.” Kaminari looks at the watch on his wrist, as he brings down their stuff from the trunk of the car.

“I looked this place up last night. It’s a family friendly hot springs resort, but it’s famed for it’s private mixed gender onsen. I wonder why though...” Mina mused, helping Denki out with bringing their stuff down.

Kirishima gets out of the car and bobs his head up as soon as he heard what Mina had said. He looks at Kaminari trying to tell him something through his stare. The mustard-haired man’s eyes widened when he realized why Kirishima was looking at him, then he turns to Mina who finally realizes what the mixed gender onsen meant.

“Oh.”

They enter the beautiful and lush resort, spotting Sero and Hikari who were sitting near the reception area, waiting for their reservation and for the rooms to be confirmed.

“Can’t believe we had to pay double the price for a standard room.” Kaminari pouts, whispering to Kirishima as the red-haired man hands him over the credit cards of each of his friends and then he hands it over to the concierge. He notices how excited Hikari looked and couldn’t help but smile.

As soon as the reservation was confirmed, Bakusquad and Hikari were able to check in immediately. Mina takes Hikari to her room while the three other boys were sharing their room with each other.

“Hikari before you can surprise your parents, you have to wear this Yukata first okay?” Mina helps fasten the bath robe on Hikari, but the little girl can’t help but be energetic and start dancing in her place. “Have you memorized the A Thousand Miles chorus already to sing to your mommy and daddy?”

“I have!”

Mina takes Hikari outside, the other boys were already out too and were wearing their bath robes.

“I saw (Y/N) enter this onsen. Maybe that’s where she and Bakugo are in? Should we take Hikari there?” Kaminari asks his three other friends, sipping on a fruit-flavored ramune, and handing one to Hikari.

“Yes please! I want to see Mommy and Daddy as soon as possible and then surprise them!” She sips on her ramune, looking at her aunt and uncles pleadingly, begging them to bring her there.

♡

“I could have sworn I heard Kaminari-kun’s voice outside.” You tell Katsuki, closing the screen door to the open air bath. You were holding a plate full of sliced Watermelon. Your robe was still on and you wanted to eat something first before getting in.

“Tch. Probably just your imagination.” Bakugo breathes a sigh of relief, slipping in further in the hot water. “I could get used to something like this every month.”

“Oh really?” You raise your eyebrow, and lick your lips. “Could you get used to-”

“If I could fall into the sky, do you think time would pass us ByYYY?”

You jolt up at the sweet and all too familiar voice that was echoing from the outside. Before you could even react properly, someone knocks on the door to reveal...

“Mommy! Daddy!”

“Hikari!?”

She jumps to you and pulls you into a tight hug. “I missed you so much! I thought you and Daddy were fighting that’s why you left!”

“Fighting!?” You look back and forth to Bakusquad then to your daughter. “Of course not! Why would we-”

“Uncle Sewo and Uncle Denki told me that you guys would always fight when you were in school! That’s why I thought that-”

“They did... what?” Bakugo’s tone becomes slightly irritated at the mention of Kaminari and Hanta’s name. The Bakusquad were about to face death and the consequences until...

“Oh! But! They also taught me a song today! It’s called A Thousand Miles! They said it was Daddy’s favorite!” She then turns to her father with such admiration in her eyes as she begins to sing the chorus. “Cause you know I’d walk a thousand miles just to see youuu~”

“Nice one sunshine. Did you learn that for me?” He gestures Hikari to approach him, ruffling her hair as she kneels down to peck him on the cheek. “I did!”

“It’s your favorite song! So, I also traveled a thousand miles to see you and Mommy!”

“Not necessarily a thousand miles, dear. But you’re close enough! You still traveled to see us! Yay!” You clap at the genius remark your daughter had made. You turn to the Bakusquad, nodding your head at them and smile. “Thank you for taking care of Hikari and bringing her here just because she wanted to. We’ll see you later at lunch?”

“Of course! Of course!” Mina waves goodbye, a tired but loving smile formed on her face. “We had a fun time with Hikari and we just couldn’t help but bring her here. But, you have Kiri to thank for all of this though!”

“No, I shouldn’t get all of the credit. This is a Bakusquad group effort, if Kaminari and Sero didn’t slip and if Hikari didn’t misunderstand their words, then we wouldn’t be here in the first place.” Kirishima cuts Mina off in a respectful way. He claps his hands together and pulls your other friends out of the room. “See ya guys later!”

“Thanks guys.” Bakugo nods generously to his friends. It was something he didn’t always do, but when he does, well, it’s worth seeing.

“Bye Uncle Sharkie, Aunt Pinkie, Uncle Sparkie and Uncle Spidey!” Hikari waves goodbye jovially, not realizing that she just called them the affectionate nicknames that she’s too embarrassed to say in front of them.

The four laugh at the little girl’s slip-up and they leave the hot springs in good spirits.

After that wonderful weekend, you explained to Hikari about why you’re taking a rest every month in the first place. She didn’t quite get the concept at first but after a little bit more of explaining, she came up with the idea that the two of you get four rest days in a month. One weekend just for you and Katsuki then the other weekend is for the three of you and if any of the Bakusquad or Dekusquad would want to come along.

It was the perfect agreement and if Hikari was going to grow up in an environment where she had the best aunts and uncles in the universe, then she’s going to grow up to be a great kid. Just like the adults in her life once were.

The End.

538 notes · View notes

yelenasgreenvest · 3 years

Text

Leningrad Zoo (Yelena Belova x reader)

Summary: You and Yelena escape to the Leningrad zoo to see both your favorite animal.

Word Count: 1,296

Translations: Solishko (Little sun)

It is true that St Petersburg was home to a lot of wonderful places. Whether you were seeking cultural, historical, or architectural sights, you were certain to find them all. There was so much to explore in the heart of the city, from the neva river flowing through it to the winter palace. Melina 's rambleshack home was located outside the city, about a half hour drive to all the amenities and a few times a year Yelena was made to look after the home from any secret organisations wanting to steal Melina’s lifelong work. As long as you were with her, there would be no loneliness on her part. There was a small bed in Yelena's room which had been upgraded to fit you both comfortably. You even had a few clothes stashed away here.

You always nag Yelena about taking you to some of the wonderful spots in St Petersburg that you should see, but you only ever went to the Leningrad Zoo, despite that. As she drove you into the city in the rusty truck Melina had stashed in the shed, you would run through your list of “Places I Want to go To In St Petersburg”. Your handwriting was messy, and only you could understand what was written there. Yelena would squint her eyes and would hold it up to the light as if she were Alexei when he wasn’t wearing his glasses, and sound out each letter as though she was only learning to read. In the Leningrad Zoo, you could see many animal species, from the ones originating in Russia to those that inhabited the African plains.

Your love of animals had always been ingrained in you. Whether it was dogs, cats, small amphibians, or birds, you loved them all. During your travels, you were respectful of the habitats of these creatures and would help any endangered or injured animals you encountered. Throughout the course of your efforts to rescue pigeons in the park, Yelena had been a constant companion. Taking the birds back, wrapped in her sweatshirts to which she would complain you got “Bird shit on my vest!”. In spite of this, the girl became enchanted with the birds, and she helped recover them by feeding them seed and fresh vegetables. The woman would even shed a few secret tears as she watched them fly off, safe and healthy.

She was not very interested in seeing the sights of the history of great mother Russia, because all Russia had done was to turn her into a monster against her will, against her own wishes. Visits to the zoo to see the animals behind bars and plexiglass reminded her of the time she spent in the red room, yet these animals were treated better in the zoo than she remembered. On top of that, the animals seemed to be in a good mood and she didn’t mind paying the entry fee for both of you which she was told went to paying for food for the animals.

During your walk around the park, you would be looking at animals and laughing as Yelena imitated the sounds they made in imitation of the sounds they made. It was unbelievable that Yelena did not get affected by the excessive smell of some cages, she was accustomed to handling high levels of extreme odors during her stay undercover. It was sometimes easy to forget that this woman was an assassin. The lemurs were all jumping and leaping from their stands to other places and Yelena claimed she could easily do that. “Alright Tarzan, let's keep moving! I want to see my favorite animal”

“Who is Tarzan?”

On your way to the jaguar enclosure, you were surprised to see the animal awake and stalking around the cage. In a small forest-like cage, they paced up and down. Yelena pointed at the big cat that was agitated and laughed, saying, "This one looks like you when you are stressed.". “Oh yeah!”, you say, “Well, the baboons look exactly like you!”. The tone of your voice shook with sarcasm as you clapped back. She immediately shut her mouth, knowing that there was no way to counter that. It must have been really hard on the poor kitty in the cage, who was really distressed by something. The moment you were about to give someone a piece of your mind, a keeper came in with a bucket of food and the jaguar seemed to get a little more energetic as dinnertime approached. With a joyful pounce, the jaguar jumped around, and you felt the anxiety leave your shoulders as it melted away.

“Come on, Malishka, in just a couple of minutes Khaarchaana is going to be fed.As you and Yelena were walking to the enclosure that contained both your favourite animals in the zoo, Yelena grabbed your hand. It was time for the large polar bear to be released from her bedding so she could feed. You pressed yourself further into the bars in order to get a better view of her as she stretched her back legs. As Yelena saw the true magnificence of the animal, you could hear her gasp as she marveled at how majestic it was.

"Oh my goodness, I wish there was a way for us to take her home with us!” You thought about filling the bathroom with really cold water and then making a large ice cold swimming pool in the backyard but of course you were only joking to yourself.

The dark mysterious look in Yelena's eyes was back again, as she slowly edged closer to the cage. "I think I have an idea how we might go about that" she replied. You did not have to ask her what was going through her mind, because you already knew it. “No. No Yelena, we are not stealing a polar bear!”

Her eyes widened in fake shock and she put a hand to her chest in fake surprise “I wasn’t even thinking about doing that”. In response to your eyebrow-raising look, she smiled as well. As soon as the beautiful bear had to go back to her pen, Yelena took your hand and guided you to the exit so that you could find the gift shop. In the store, you were captivated by all the different animal merchandise, plush bears, magnets and pens that were available. From a slimy fake snake to a soft, velvet notebook, there are a variety of colors and textures available.

Since you were too busy looking at the products, you had not noticed Yelena talking to the woman at the checkout. She found you by the fossils of dinosaurs and sharks from long ago. Let's go, Solnishko! Let's go!” she called from the door to the exit. You rushed over to her, linking your arm with hers. She led you out to the truck and opened the door for you. You gave her a small kiss on the cheek to show your appreciation for the sweetness she exhibited. Upon climbing to her side, she placed a small bag with the logo of the gift shop on it in front of you.

“What is this?” you asked. After shrugging a little, she put the key in the ignition and started the car. The first moment you looked into the bag, you saw the tufts of white fur and a wave of butterflies fluttering up from your stomach straight into your chest. "Now you can bring her home with you", Your face blushed at the incredibly kind gesture. Those moments when Yelena treated you like a princess were some of your favorite moments. It was such a blessing to have her in your life.

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intangibly-here · 3 years

Text

if I'm let go now (i’ll just fade to blue)

xiao x gn!reader

⁃ scenario; 1.7k words ⁃ forest child!reader ⁃ angst ⁃ hurt no comfort

————————————————————

he holds your heart (warm red, steadily beating) in his palms without even knowing.

title from chevy - floating.

————————————————————

your first memory is one of a forest.

the emerald green canopy of draping leaves, the mossy trails dotted with mushrooms. the singing of birds, small sparrows and rounded bluejays, filling the skies. the dry bark pressed against your back, but a small form nestled in the hollow of a tree stump.

you are a child of the forest.

and as a child of the forest, one without origin, one without mortal ties, one that only knows itself and it’s own longing - you know deep inside your soul there is only one thing you’re looking for.

what that thing is, you’re unsure of;

nonetheless,

you must look for it.

and so you pick yourself up and travel.

distantly, you know you’ve lived these lives over and over again.

the very first one was as a sand-built traveler of the desert, born encircled by a patch of cacti. in that life, you had searched for an oasis, a single child by your side.

the child spoke of a land where plumes of magic spiraled through the lands, where islands remained suspended in time, hovering over grounds unchanging.

you smiled and patted the child on the head.

upon arriving at the oasis and returning the child to their family, you felt a tug. the tug was not one of great strength and painful efforts, but one of a gravitational force that exceeded physical abilities of all kinds.

you followed it, retracing your steps back to the ring of cacti.

where everything begins, everything similarly ends.

you crumble and dissolve into golden pools of sand.

of the endless trail of lives you’ve lived, most have become inescapably forgotten, merged into a blur that made them indistinguishable from one another.

the most memorable would be the one you’d lived last, as a wisp of a spirit clinging to the shoulder of an ethereal woman.

though in the midst of war, she remained a gentle, kind, innovative soul, always seeking to change for the better.

she was stunning.

and as you watched her live her life out, eventually (inevitably) returning once more to the field of glaze lilies, lain on the flowering plants to drift away, you wondered.

wondered how immortal beings could care so much about loss, when endings were only the relieving path of entering the cycle of reincarnation. the path to wipe clean the slate of life and start anew.

staring at the regal man kneeling by the goddess’ side, silent tears running down his face, you disappear with the wind.

as you travel, you slowly realize the world you’ve manifested in is not one of roaring vehicles nor bustling machinery like several before, but of the last one you’d visited, the one of the goddess and the heartbroken man.

you make your way back to the same land, where once stood a ruined fortress now stands a flourishing city. you can see how stalls line the sidewalks, even from where you stand on the cliffs of the outskirts, paved pathing making for a guide towards the entrance of the harbor.

as you’re thinking about how far this city has grown since you last walked the land, you catch sight of a quick-footed figure, alert and patrolling the vast land that is liyue.

this is who you’ve been looking for.

at first, it was just an obligatory interest. one that is duty-bound, directed by a play-writer hidden behind the boundaries of the world and tied together by the strings of fate.

then, as the weeks, months, and then years go by, you find yourself watching the little things he does, inadvertently noticing things you wouldn’t have realized without paying even closer attention.

the way that he protects the city both day and night, even when there are hundreds of other adventurers like yourself (a side job you’d picked up where you’d complete commissions whenever you were free) to do that.

the way he lets his short hair flow loose and untamed, the mark on his forehead only drawing out the elegance he exudes.

the way he’s quiet, caring even in the silence when he still suffers. the hope that you can ease his pain, even if only for a moment, with a comfortable silence.

it all makes your mind spiral out of control, your emotions coming undone from the container you had them sealed in.

you wonder what it is.

(you might have an inkling of the answer already.)

“today’s your birthday?”

you turn around, brightening slightly at the sight of the adeptus. you could get lost in the mirrors of his eyes if he would let you.

maybe he would let you.

“..something like that.”

you’d only revealed it last year when mrs. goldet had asked. it’s been a few years since you’ve made your way to this inn when you think about it.

he shifts where he stands for a moment, maybe a little nervously, and then presents you with a neatly wrapped gift box. he must’ve taken time with it.

“may i open it?”

he gives you a brief, confirming nod of his head.

when you undo the ribbon and carefully open the lid of the small box, you come to see a finely weaved butterfly of leaves.

you lift your gaze from the tiny creation, and xiao immediately looks to the side.

“take it. it’s an adepti amulet- staves off evil.”

you look at the reddened tips of his ears and the defensive scowl on his face and file it into the archive of your memories.

“thank you, xiao.”

“please hand this to xiao.”

you look at the packet the geo archon (zhongli, you learn he’s called) presses into your palms with utmost sincerity.

“it’s... to relieve his pain.”

your eyes soften unconsciously, and you dip your head in silent agreement. now, to look for him.

ah, so this is where he was.

your heart aches, the feeling of an overwhelming, all-consuming urge to cry rising up in you.

the wind picks up, tree leaves swaying in the breeze, following the movements of the two figures residing in the hollow of the forest.

a safe place for just the two of them.

you are intruding.

the longer you stand, watching, staring, unable to look away no matter how desperately you wish to, the more your chest throbs, the bone-deep ache of wanting to disappear spreading throughout your body.

the sound of a flute, clear and sweet, floats through the air, slim fingers smoothing over the sides and playing with skill you could never imitate.

the figure you’ve been looking for, upright and powerful and all that you have ever seen (all that he has ever allowed you to see), is relaxed for once. you can see it in the way his shoulders slump, the way his spear is left untouched, rested upright against the trunk of a tree at the edges of the clearing.

you do not belong here.

then, to the sound of the flute, xiao begins to dance. the field of flowers blooms with his gentle, languid movements, petals surrounding him as he flows around the serene space.

it is exactly as he’d described to you once before, that his sweet dream would be to dance in a field of flowers to the sound of a flute.

his dream has become a beautiful reality.

you cannot dream that it would be you he dances with anymore.

as he spins around, a stunning dance that displays his years of experience with agile movement, he turns, takes off his mask, and smiles, the genuine kind that is both awkward due to disuse and tooth-rottingly sweet at the same time. a full blush covers his face warmly.

you should’ve realized long ago whose flute he was imagining.

you blink once, twice, and the tears start to fall, ones you never thought you would cry.

if you could, you would offer your entire being up to him, your heart, these thoughts, these new feelings, on a platter for him to keep, stored away from where anyone could ever reach them. it is not theirs’ to see, only his. it would never be anyone else’s, only his.

(he does not need them, not your heart, nor the medicine.)

the pain in your chest doubles over.

(he does not want them - except it’s only your heart he does not want.)

you understand now what morax had understood hundreds of years ago, where you as an immortal spirit did not.

(he does not want you.)

your gaze tilts upwards from where you stand in the shadows of the greenery, watching the picturesque scene in front of you unfold.

you are a child of the forest, but for once, this forest is not for you.

the moment you walk back to the inn, you feel the otherworldly tug.

how convenient.

(oh. you love him.)

it’s to be expected. your time here is up.

you smile at the owner, and maybe she sees something in your eyes because when you hand her the packet (“give this to xiao when he returns, please.”), she nods and says nothing.

(love, love.)

and so you return to your forest, steady footsteps over hills and plains and lakes and rivers. the blue of the sky melts to orange-reds, then to navy-blacks, then back to orange-reds once more, and the cycle repeats over and over and over again.

(lovelovelovelove-)

the moss greets you first, shifting under your feet in semblance of the way his eyes would whenever you met his gaze.

then, it’s the birds, singing slow melodies you know he loves, their clear song a reminder of how he would hum familiar tunes.

finally, it’s the trees, their leaves falling and submerging you softly, like how you would to him with blankets when he fell asleep out on the balcony, tired from the weariness of an immortal life.

you too, are now tired.

for one last time, you sob your heart out, sitting on the forest floor with nothing around you but the animals and plants.

what do you cry for? the birth of these painful feelings? the lack of reciprocation?

(you’re unsure.)

(maybe it is for your unimportant existence.)

you blink your eyes closed for the final time, and your body falls to the ground with a thump.

the butterfly of leaves drifts out of your clutches and fades with a desolate glow.

where everything begins, everything similarly ends.

(may you stay asleep for eternity so you don’t have to remember.)

you disappear.

#angst #hurt no comfort #xiao #genshin impact #cecilia #xiao x gn!reader

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ressyfaerie · 3 years

Note

Request: I saw this tattoo programme where 2 lesbian friends went on and they got to pick the other's tattoo and they can't look till it's done. One picked "you mean everything" for the friend and she was so worried about her seeing in case she hated it. Then hers (from her friend) was "I love you". This had them all emotional and got them both to confess & get together. Anywaaaay, a similar idea for Tyka?

Sorry for the late response! I’m working again and still recovering! This is the LAST FIC REQUEST of this askbox being open!

Soooo likkee. Once upon a time I talked to someone about a tattoo shop AU? This gave me some serious inspiration sooooooo here we gooooo

Halfway through I remembered! I (mentally?) based a lot of this idea on @ishkajules tattoo tyka shop AU!

Oh, disclaimer, I want a tattoo but know NOTHING about them aaaahhhahaha

“You’re a great artist, but you’re scaring away your clients.”

“Why do you care, Tala?”

“I don’t. They come to me after you reject them, or make them so uncomfortable they sit in the next chair over.”

“So then, why are you telling me this?”

Kai cleaned his equipment. It was nearing the end of the day, he figured he wouldn’t have any more walk-in customers.

“I just thought I’d let you know. You’re losing us money. If you don’t fix it, I’ll change your pay to commission only.”

Kai scowled. Who did he think he was? Threatening his pay like that?

“Like I said. You’re a phenomenal artist. But you're lucky I hired you. No one else will with your personality.”

Kai gave him a glare, “I’ll try to do better, boss.”

“Good. Keep that mouth in check.” Tala gave him a ‘I’m watching you’ gesture.

As soon as he turned away Kai rolled his eyes.

The bell in the shop rang.

“Hello! Welcome, how can we help you?” Tala welcomed the new customer with his regular fake friendly greeting.

“Hey... I’m Tyson.”

The kid seemed nervous. He didn’t have any art on his body.

Blank canvas.

“Um. Is Kai here?”

“Kai? Are you looking for him specifically?”

“Yeah! I follow his stuff on instagram and I really want my first tattoo to be done by him!”

The boy’s face brightened the whole shop. Kai’s lip curled.

“Of course! Let me get him for you!”

Tala made his way to Kai in the corner, he got up in his face.

“Listen, this kid’s a newbie—”

Kai rolled his eyes, “you know I don’t ink tattoo virgins—”

“Think of it as a blank canvas. As artists we all like a good canvas, look at him! He’s perfect!”

Kai took a look at this Tyson character. He hated to admit Tala was right. He was a good blank canvas. But Kai hated working with newbie clients; always so nervous, worried about the pain. He would just rather work with a regular.

Tala got angrier, “you will tattoo him. You’ll do exactly what he wants, and above all, you will be nice.”

“Or else what?”

Tala shrugged his shoulders and smiled, “or else you’re fired.”

Kai didn’t want to admit that Tala's threat got to him. He sighed, played off as if he was slightly annoyed but obedient, “fine.”

“Good. Now go do your job.” Tala pointed to the front desk where the new client was waiting.

Kai shot Tala a glare, as he made his way to the desk. He put on his biggest fakest smile.

“Hey, I’m Kai.”

Tyson held a backpack around his shoulder, he grasped it firmly, while giving Kai the widest grin.

“I’ve been following you for a long time! I um… decided when I had enough money I wanted my first tattoo to be done by you…”

Awkward silence.

“Uh, what do you have in mind?” Kai learned how much it hurt when you kept smiling.

“I know you specialize in birds… I would love to have a red phoenix. Eventually I want a dragon. But I’d love to start with your strongest area!”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

Tyson watched Kai like he was a celebrity. He had a popular art account, but that was about it. Kai just stared back at him.

“Um... I think I want it on my back…” Tyson trailed off as he grew more nervous.

“That’s a good choice. Do any designs come to mind?”

Tyson bit his lip, he looked up to the ceiling in thought, “oh!” He pulled out his phone.

He passed it to Kai showing him an old post of his. It wasn’t his best work, but he understood why he liked it.

“I can do that design easily.” Kai wondered why he was so worried—”

“I just… Don’t want it exactly like this.”

Ah right. Newbies.

“So what do you have in mind then?” Kai’s eyebrow twitched.

“I um.” Tyson rubbed the back of his head as his cheeks turned a bit red.

Kai sighed, “kid, I can’t work on you if I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Tala called to Kai, “Hey Kai! Don’t forget about your happy little tattoo gun over here!”

Kai reluctantly put on his big smile, “yeah boss, I haven't forgotten!”

He turned back to Tyson. “So what are your ideas?”

Tyson bit his lip.

“Do you have a reference I can make a design off of? Anything?”

“I… do.”

“Then show it to me.”

Tyson exhaled, then slid his backpack off his shoulder. He opened it and pulled out a sketchbook. He had it turned away from Kai making sure he wouldn’t see. He flipped through a few pages, and turned it towards Kai.

Kai grabbed it, and placed it down on the counter. He saw the sketch of the phoenix that was clearly an imitation of his style… with a twist.

Kai found himself impressed. It was a good design.

“I’ve worked on this for a few months… I’m pretty confident this is what I want… What do you think of it?”

Kai was trying to be extra nice, but he couldn't deny it was good. “It’s well done.”

“Thanks!” Tyson grinned.

The more Kai inspected the drawing the more detailed it became, it gave him new inspiration, a kind he never had before.

“Do you..” Kai cleared his throat and prodded the page with his finger. “Do you want this exact design or a design done by me?”

Tyson looked ecstatic, “would you be willing to make me an original design!?”

Kai thought for a moment. His original designs were usually reserved for regulars or people willing to drop more cash. But something about this design called to him…

He convinced himself he was inspired by his jealousy. He couldn't let this poor imitation see the world.

“I can make you a design based on this one.”

“Really!? Wow, thanks!”

“Can I borrow this sketch book?” Kai asked, while flipping the book closed.

“Um…”

“I need the design.”

“Could you take a picture?”

“I’d prefer to work with the original.” Kai’s lips hurt from smiling.

“Okay… You can borrow it.” It seemed Tyson was an extremely shy guy. “Be careful with it, okay?”

“I will.”

Kai stayed late in the shop. He worked in the studio.

“I’m locking up. Kai, I’m surprised you're still here?” Tala twirled the keys around his finger.

Kai was hunched over the small desk. He had already drawn out a few sketches. Tala inspected his work over his shoulder.

“Can you not?” Kai spat back.

“It’s a good design. I’m surprised you're putting so much effort into this kid's request. It’s not like you.”

Kai shrugged.

“He’s not loaded, you know? You’re not going to make up for it in tips.”

“I know.”

Tala felt a strange proud emotion emerge. “Alright,” he dropped the keys on the desk. “You can lock up. Have fun with your drawings.”

Kai watched the keys as they fell in front of him. He heard the door open, and close.

He sighed, then scrunched up the paper he was working with into a ball, and tossed it into the bin with the rest of the failed projects.

The sketchbook laid in front of him. He wanted to take a look at the design again. But he had lost the bookmark.

Shit.

He had to look through the book to find the right page.

There better not be anything dirty in here…

He opened it to another design.

Oh, wow.

It was a dragon, scribbled with faint watercolour. Kai grew curious, what other masterpieces did this book hold?

He began to flip through, curiously studying each design.

There were tons of dragons. Kai was interested, as he had always wanted a dragon tattoo, but he hadn’t yet met an artist who could ink scales the way he wanted.

These designs were so close to what he wanted, until—

He turned to a page with a very detailed dragon design. It took up the whole page. The colours were perfect, mixes of blues and silver. He was immediately captivated by it. His mouth hung open slightly.

It had been a long time since an art piece caught his attention.

He ran his finger down the page, careful not to smudge the drawing.

“Wow.”

Two days later Tyson came back to the shop, eagerly awaiting his tattoo.

Tala gestures to Kai from across the shop, pointing to the front desk where Tyson had just entered. He mouthed the words ‘be nice!’. Kai looked to the ceiling to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

Kai got up from his station. The night before he had pulled an all-nighter. Until finally—he came out with the perfect piece. He knew Tyson would love it. He was upset with himself for putting so much thought into it, after all, he was just a newbie.

Kai tossed a black file folder on the desk.

Tyson jumped a bit, then settled back in with his backpack on his shoulder, “good morning, Kai!”

Kai put on a smile, “good morning.”

Tyson tilted his head, it was kind of cute, “did you manage to come up with anything? I know it hasn’t been long—”

“I did, I think you’ll enjoy it.” Kai opened the folder and revealed a paper, he placed it on the desk and flipped it around to show the blue-haired boy.

“Woah! Holy shit that’s so cool!” Tyson placed both his hands on the corners, admired it with an open mouth.

“Is it what you wanted?” Kai accidentally let his smile drop as he awaited the response.

“It’s perfect!” Tyson was so happy you could see his dimples.

It made Kai perform… maybe… a real smile.

“I have a test here, do you want to see what it would look like?”

“Can I? Oh man that’s so fucking cool…”

Kai gestured behind the desk, Tyson happily pushed himself through the gate. Kai pointed to his station “that’s my chair, put your stuff anywhere out of my way. Take your shirt off.”

Tyson suddenly stopped smiling and froze, Kai almost ran into him.

“Hey!” Kai started to lose his temper, but saw Tala’s red hair in the corner of his eye, he took a deep breath. “You said you wanted it on your back didn’t you?”

“Yeah…” Tyson answered back nervously.

Kai dropped the folder on his desk near the chair, “then take off your shirt and lay on your stomach.”

Tyson swallowed a hard lump in his throat.

Kai just stared at him.

Newbies. It’s just some skin. So annoying.

Tyson let his bag slide to the floor, he kicked it to the corner of the room, then he folded his arms.

Kai turned around, ready to place the stencil, then he frowned, “why do you still have your shirt on?”

Tyson went to say something, but stopped.

Kai sighed, “it’s just bare skin. I’ve worked on way more intimate body parts. You have nothing to worry about.”

Tyson shrugged, he acted confident but Kai could tell he was nervous. He grasped the ends of his shirt and rolled it over his head, throwing it on top of his bag.

“Now lay down.” Kai gestured to the chair that was horizontal from the last client.

Tyon nodded, and laid down in front of Kai, “is it going to hurt!?”

Kai closed his eyes for a moment, it took everything in him to not retort with sass, “it’s just a sticker, so we can determine the placement. It won’t hurt.”

Tyson nodded.

Kai flicked his arm, “you need to have your arms near your sides… like this.”

Kai had grabbed his closest arm and manipulated it like a rag doll, Tyson hid his face, hoping his idol didn’t see him blush.

“Okay, I’m applying it now.”

Kai expertly placed the test paper exactly where Tyson had described he wanted it. Along his right shoulder. Tyson barely moved, but Kai wasn’t sure how he would react when the actual inking started.

“Done. Take a look in the mirror.”

Tyson jumped up, nearly running to the full length mirror in the shop, twirling his body so he could see it better.

“Wow! It’s so cool!” His voice rang through the whole shop, even Tala’s client looked up from his chair.

“Thank you, Kai!”

“No problem.” Kai sat down in his chair, he picked up his tattoo gun and started to tinker with it, he looked at Tyson. “So are you ready?”

Tyson’s eyes grew wide, “r—right now!?”

Kai gave him a genuine grin, “no better time than the present.”

Tyson made his way back to Kai’s station. He looked down at the chair, “is it going to take a while?”

Kai nodded, “I’ll do the outline today. Then you can come back tomorrow and we will ink as much as we can.”

Tyson sat on the chair, still too nervous to lay down.

“Hey kid!”

Tyson looked around the shop for the echoing voice.

It came from the client on Tala’s chair. He was covered in different tattoos, “don’t be worried! But remember it's addicting! Once you get one you can’t stop!”

Tyson laughed, “thanks man!”

The man gave Tyson a thumbs up, Tala smirked in Kai’s direction.

He must enjoy torturing me… asshole.

Tyson gave Kai a huge smile, “I’m ready!”

“Good.” Kai had reached over to his station, he placed a pair of glasses on his face.

“You wear glasses!?” Tyson was intrigued.

“Yeah? Why is that surprising?” Kai wondered why Tyson cared so much, they just met after all.

Tyson mumbled, “you just… never shared anything on your instagram I guess…”

“There’s more to me than my online persona. Get on your stomach.”

Tyson instantly obeyed. He curled in his fists.

Kai made the necessary procedures, he wiped his back with a sterile wipe, Tyson shivered.

Kai had to bite his tongue from sighing.

“Sorry… it was cold.” Tyson muttered.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.” Kai tried to reassure him but realized he had never really reassured anyone before.

Kai prepared the gun, Tyson turned his head to him, “how much… is it going to hurt?”

God damn it. Why do they always ask...

“Not as much as you��re going to love it.”

Kai impressed himself with his response.

Tyson nodded, and turned his head away from Kai.

“Alright, I’m starting.”

Kai had done it a million times before, but it was Tyson’s first. When the gun first ran along his skin he tensed up, he made a quiet high pitched noise. Kai kept going.

He kept tensing up, too much, it would ruin the work, and Kai’s concentration. Kai stopped for a moment, “you have to untense. It hurts now but it’ll go numb soon, then it won’t be so bad.”

Kai just saw the back of Tyson’s head as he nodded.

Kai grasped his shoulder, “good, now untense.”

Tyson tried to loosen up, but his muscles were still tight.

“Breathe.”

Kai wasn’t sure what to do, but he still had his hand on his shoulder, he gave Tyson a gentle rub with the edge of his thumb.

He heard Tyson exhale, and his whole body relaxed.

“Good job.” Kai readjusted his glasses, and continued. He was leaning over Tyson’s body.

Tyson was aware just how close his idol was, he could feel his breathing as he worked. His face turned red. Over the next hour he grew used to it. He was loving the closeness. He was excited to see what it looked like done.

Tala was surprised, usually Kai put his earbuds in and avoided talking to clients. But this time, Kai kept glancing at Tyson’s hair, as if he wanted to say something, but was stalling. At just over the hour mark, Kai made his move.

“I have to admit. I looked through your sketchbook.”

Tyson jumped, “what?”

“Don’t move—”

“Sorry, but why did you do that?”

“I lost the page the design was on. Then I just kept looking.”

Tyson went silent, clearly he was upset.

Kai stopped for a second, “they’re really good.” he immediately started again.

Tyson went stone cold.

Kai continued, “your dragons are insanely intricate. I’ve never seen scale work like yours. Are they all original?”

Tyson hesitated, “yes…”

“I’m quite fond of the silver-blue dragon, the one near the end.”

“I know which one you’re talking about. It’s one of my favourites too.”

“Mhm.” Kai trailed off, still not ready to ask the question he wanted to.

A few hours later, Kai stopped, “I think that’s good for today.”

Kai put his equipment down, and laid his glasses back on his desk.

Tyson went to get up, “ow…”

“Sore?”

“Yeah, I’ve been in this position too long…”

Tyson slowly rose to a sitting position. Kai admired his shoulder.

It’s great work. I did well.

“I want to see it!” Tyson jumped to his feet making his way to the mirror. He looked in the mirror and gasped in awe.

Tala had approached, he observed the design and raised an eyebrow, “it’s really good, Kai.”

Kai crossed his arms, “come back tomorrow. I’ll colour it. But it will be a bit of work.”

Tala agreed, “it might be best to split the coloring into two appointments. Since it’s his first… How was it, Tyson?”

Tyson was still admiring his tattoo, “the pain? It was fine once I got used to it, Kai really helped.”

“Really!?” Tala looked at Kai in disbelief.

Kai shot him a glare.

Tyson put his shirt back on while Tala described how to take care of it. They made their way to the front desk and finished off some paperwork.

Tala had gone back to his desk, still within earshot.

“Thanks so much. Kai! It’s going to be awesome!” Tyson grinned, “but um… can I have my sketchbook back?”

Kai nodded, then went back to his station, and came back with the book, he slid it across the table, but held on to it when Tyson tried to take it.

Kai didn’t let go of the book, he looked into Tyson’s eyes, with his first genuine expression, “I have a question. About your design.”

“Huh?” Tyson looked up to Kai. He was positive there was nothing he could ask that he wouldn’t know himself.

“I want to buy it.”

“What?” Tyson’s voice rang with disbelief.

“Well, I don’t want to buy the rights. Just the design, so I can have it tattooed.”

“You want my design!?”

“Yes, is that a problem?”

Tala’s ear twitched, the situation tickled his interest, and he made his way back to the counter.

“I uh—um.” Tyson was lost for words.

“How much?” Kai badgered him.

Tala intervened, “Kai leave the poor kid alone, let him think on it.”

Kai looked at Tyson, Tyson stared back.

Tyson let go of the book, “keep the book till tomorrow… I’ll think about what you said…”

Tyson backed up towards the door, “b—bye! See you tomorrow!”

He had left the shop faster than either of them could say bye.

Kai still held the sketchbook, he looked down at it. Tala was immediately furious.

“Kai Hiwatari, what the hell!? Are you an ass or head over heels? You’re going to bully some rookie artist into stealing his design? What is wrong with you—”

Kai had opened the book to his favourite page. Tala’s voice changed right away.

“Shit.”

Kai held the open book close to his chest, “I know. It’s well done.”

“You’re not kidding, here let me see—”

Kai handed him the book. Tala admired the drawing for a long time. Before flipping through the book. He let out a long high pitched whistle.

“Could you do it?” Kai asked.

“Do what?”

“Could you tattoo this for me? I want it on my right shoulder—”

Tala laughed, “no. My specialty lies in fangs and fur. I’ve never done a dragon, plus these scales… this could only be done by the original artist.”

Tala looked up from the book, “if you love this design, it has to be done by the original artist. Does he know how to use a gun?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Ah, shame.”

“How come?”

Tala went back to flipping through pages, “because I'd hire him on the spot.”

Kai was dumbfounded, “for real?”

“Absolutely.”

Dude I have so many more ideas for this AU it’s INSANE. AAAH but this is all I have time for now <3 if there’s a demand for more I might write more!

#sorry for accidently stealing ideas #it was just so good #if i continue it ill ask for permission i promise lol #tyka #ressyfaerie #ressyfaerie fic #au #tattoo

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guiltycorp · 3 years

Text

Owls in Genshin (as symbols & factions) 1) Two different groups (’owls’ and ‘falcons’) in Sal Vindagnyr ~more than 2600 years ago. Owls only hunted at night and had a gift of foresight, yet nobody listened to them and after the great tree had withered the owls gained dominion over the mountain. The one who fed the surviving 'weak young falcons' was 'a crimson-red falcon' who later took on the night owls' name (perhaps Imunlaukr due to somewhat similar stories, specific parallels in Icebreaker's Resolve; he continued fighting in a war torn land, fitting the description of the Archon War).

''In the silence of the night, they call out, passing the secret along: We shall rise again. The withered tree has sprouted anew, for a time of greater trial is coming.''

Also, the Abyss and its monsters must have already existed since Imunlaukr's sword was said to drip with black blood when he briefly returned to the mountain to find everyone already dead. Interesting parallels to those Sal Vind owls can also be found in the tiaras’ description, each of them tell the same tale in different words, a tale about ancient civilizations coming to an end by Celestia’s hand and ancient priests trying to understand this cycle. For example Tiara of Thunder describes one of the chief priests - And into the deep places he went, seeking the hidden wisdom of the silver tree in the ancient capitol... And Prayers for Springtime: A mountain of crowns in a secret place, beneath a withered tree — each one hiding a lifetime of secrets kept. Describing the crowns of those chief priests, presumably. I think the owls might have come from that ‘deep place’, too. Just in case I should note that Khaenri’ah only appeared by the end of Sal Vindagnyr’s fall so no, it wasn’t Khaenri’ah. Might be the kingdom described in The Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies though! And this might be reaching but some of those abyssal visuals are kind of owl-looking immo.

2) 2600 years ago when Decarabian was overthrown and the Archon War ended: "May the dawn be our spirit and follow us into the winds of true freedom." ... 'A red-haired warrior turned his back on the newborn god, hidden like a single raindrop in a tidal wave of humanity. He was first among those who passed the secret sign of Windblume, the one who wove threads of dawn throughout the long night.' ... 'The fate of this clan will likely never change: they shall ever live in the darkness and bring forth the flame of dawn.'

If we assume that the red-haired warrior was Imunlaukr or a descendant of his, the references to living in darkness, as well as his disdain for the gods (including the newly ascended Venti) would make sense. And the clan in question is then the future Ragnvindr, both because of identical appearance and references to dawn.

3) 1000 years ago there was a Lawrence clan member who had been a part of the Wanderer's Troupe. He formed Kreuzlied after the Troupe's disbandment. While its initial goals were to overthrow aristocracy, the organization later devoted itself to working for the city's benefit in the shadows, possibly spreading to the whole of Teyvat in current game events (unconfirmed so far). At the same time there was an aristocrat and a knight in training called Ragnvindr the Dawn Knight who nicknamed himself after the Dawnlight Swordswoman from the Wanderer's Troupe. He participated in the rebellion on Vennessa's side and returned to the Dawn Winery (or founded it, it's unclear). His descendants seem to be named after him. By the way, since he saw the swordswoman in gladiatorial combat which the Imunlaukr clan inspired... it would make sense to me if his name was actually Ragnvindr Imunlaukr, like maybe he abandoned the family name thinking that it only represented the aristocracy and that woman's death. Her own origins are so far unknown. 4) 500 years ago Rostam the Wolf Pup (the right-hand man of the Grand Master of the Knight of Favonius, Arundolyn) apparently led Kreuzlied. He was from a peasant family but his personality seems to parallel Diluc's as he is now (unsmiling, curt, focused on destroying evil, almost never drinking alcohol). Tbf Arundolyn who was ‘from a long line of knights’ also has parallels to Diluc since he was 'a crownless king at the head of many knights' which to me personally looks better anyway since 1 to 1 reincarnations remind me of naruto in a bad way.

5) Current times - the organization that Diluc joined during his 4 years of absence from Mondstadt is an underground intelligence network 'from the north' (which fits Mond actually, it's called a Jewel of the North in the comic and Andrius was the King of the North) and in the winery there's a figurine of an owl with a line about the dawn. At the Light of Dawn EP has full text:

O watcher of the night, forget not the splendor of the dawn. O ye who contend with evildoers, sway not from the path of righteousness. On this long path under the faint light of dawn... Even the herald of daybreak once lingered, lost in thought...

Diluc's name comes from 'dawn' in latin, his constellation is an owl, his favorite bird is an owl, too (a mistranslation in eng). He's always talking about corrupt souls, demons, evil doers and what have you... Walking in darkness before the dawn comes etc etc. Master of karate and friendship for everyone. Also, his mask (and batarangs haha) in the comic looked like an owl.

The man is committed to his aesthetic. He left the mask behind along with the delusion though. Then there’s Kaeya's line about owls - 'Have you ever seen the owl of Dragonspine? If you look directly at it, it seems to look right through you, while letting go of none of its own secrets..' and coupled with Wings of Concealing Snow it does seem like he is referencing the original yet unknown faction of Sal Vindagnyr. Or perhaps he’s just talking about regular owls which weren’t placed in the game because there was no time to make owl assets, also possible to be honest! TLDR: most of the game so far we get references to owls and dawn in relation to ragnvindrs and mondstadt, but there is also definitely some other faction which they originally imitated, unclear if it's still active, unclear what side they take, but it all goes back to the Abyss

#genshin #genshin lore #diluc #ragnvindr #owls #text

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adorablele · 4 years

Text

a lovely day; p.js

↬ pairing; park jisung x reader ↬ genre; fluff, very domestic ↬ word count; 2.3k+ ↬ summary; he teaches you how to ride a skateboard on your first date at the park ↬ a/n; for dahlen ♡ @jisvngy ; let’s not focus on how I missed your birthday. this is your gift that was supposed to be a timestamp. I hope that you had an amazing birthday and that you received all the love in the galaxy because that is what you deserve. please enjoy <3 also this isn’t proofread

“Jisung, hey!” you greeted, standing at the skate park entrance.

At the sound of your voice, he turned his head. He failed to focus on the flip he was doing mid-air, and before he knew it, he was rolling down the ramp, skateboard sliding down next to him.

You gasped, guilt and worry seeping through your veins as you saw his friend–you believed his name was Jaemin–lent him a hand to pull him up. Jisung accepted the blue haired boy’s help and then grabbed his skateboard, quick to leave the ramp full of other skaters. The tips of his ears were flushed red in embarrassment; that only caused more guilt to flood to your heart.

“I’m so sorry,” you immediately exclaimed, hands reaching out and examining his arms, “are you okay? Did you get cut again? I have some-” You paused when you saw Jisung flush a deeper shade of red.

You were embarrassing him.

And Jisung was embarrassed, but not because of the iron-man band-aids you had on hand for him or the frantic concern etched into your eyes (you were absolutely adorable and it made his heart melt). Rather, he was embarrassed because he failed to successfully complete the trick in front of you. He could care less about the snickers of the other skaters or the teasing smirks of his friends.

All that mattered was you.

“Uhm,” you cleared your throat, noticing how the two of you managed to capture a bunch of attention, “should we get going?”

He nodded mutely, arm tightening around his skateboard.

With his confirmation, you started to walk out of the skate park.

“You’re going to have to speak sometime,” Chenle teased.

“‘I’m going to impress y/n with this trick, just you watch,’” Hyuck imitated, recalling Jisung’s words from before you arrived.

“‘They’ll think I’m so cool!’” added Renjun, causing Hyuck to double over in laughter.

Jaemin attempted to encourage jisung, “You always have next time-”

“To fall,” Jeno laughed, interrupting the hopeful words of Jaemin.

Jisung rolled his eyes at them, “Whatever, you guys aren’t the one who’s going on a date.”

You watched as Jisung shook his head at his friends and walked over to you with a smile.

Only a few feet away was an actual park, fields of green grass and dandelions welcoming the two of you. For a while, it was silent, only the faint clatters of skateboards against the concrete and the chatter of other park-goers.

“Here good?” you asked, stopping right by a tree. It provided enough shade and privacy for your...date. As you thought of the word, you tried not to giggle out of giddy. You felt stupid, but that didn’t stop the wide grin on your face when he nodded.

He set down his skateboard and helped you lay out the blanket.

You started to unpack the food in the basket, a tub of cookies you baked for him hidden at the very bottom. You remembered casually asking his friends what his favorite cookies were and they all replied, ‘anything from you.’ While their answers managed to heat up your face, it wasn’t quite helpful. In the end, you baked the basic chocolate chip cookies.

You really hoped that he liked them.

Closing the basket, you gave a brief rundown of all the food that you packed and you felt relief massage your shoulders when he happily munched away. Anyone looking at your picnic would see two people simply eating while admiring the scenery in front of them with occasional glances at the other person when the other wasn’t looking.

It was a bit awkward, as all first dates tend to be, and eventually, all the food was gone except the cookies. You felt your heart speed up, nervous energy tingling your hands as you clutched the tub.

“Room for dessert?” you asked, showing him the cookies.

His eyes lit up with delight, “Of course.”

Fumbling with the lid, you prayed to any higher being that these cookies were as good as you remembered them to be when you tasted them earlier.

Jisung chuckled from beside you, “Do you need help?”

“Sure,” you mumbled, face heated as you handed him the tightly lidded plastic container.

He nervously laughed when he, too, started to fumble with the lid, but you were too busy getting distracted by the rays of sun that peeked through the leaves of the tree above and highlighted the youth of the man in front of you.

In a daze, you didn’t realize he managed to open the container until he let out a triumphant ‘a-ha!’ Back was the anxiety. You shook your head when he offered you to take a cookie; you insisted that he should taste it first.

“Okay,” he shrugged, grabbing one. You licked your lips nervously, time ticking incredibly slow as he lifted the cookie to his mouth.

One second, two seconds, three seconds, four until he stuffed the whole thing in his mouth.

“Wow, these are really good! Where did you get them?”

All the weight on your shoulders lifted at his complement and you smiled so wide your cheeks hurt. “Really, you think so?”

He bit into another cookie, “Yeah, I’m about to eat all of this, are you sure you don’t want one?”

“No, it’s okay! I taste tested a lot when I was baking them,” you chuckled.

Jisung lingered on your words. You baked cookies for him.

You chuckled again, feeling a bit shy when he stopped mid-bite of his cookie at your confession, “I’m glad that you enjoy them though. I tried asking your friends what your favorite was but they weren’t helpful. I was actually thinking about baking-”

“Th- this is my favorite!” he sputtered, stopping your ramble session, “these are my favorite cookies.”

You tilted your head, “Chocolate chip cookies?”

He shook his head, “Any cookie baked by you is my favorite.”

Although his friends told you he would say that, it still caught you off-guard. He continued to casually eat his cookie while you felt like you had the power to fly, to soar high like the birds chirping up above. But you didn’t realize that he was only stuffing his face with more food in hopes that it covered the erratic beating of his heart.

“Thanks,” you murmured, staring down at dandelion next to you.

The cookies were an ice breaker, allowing him to ask if you were serious about baking and you told him that you only considered it a hobby. You asked him about skateboarding, and his eyes reflected the sun’s rays as flowers bloomed at the tip of his tongue. Passion darted through his irises as he shared how he wished to accomplish a certain trick–a heel flip 720, you think–and how thrilling it is to be up so high in the air. You almost pinched yourself to make sure that you hadn’t melted into a puddle when his lips curved into a faint heart, his smile breath-taking and the low rumble of his laugh sweeping you off your feet.

He finished the last cookie, unaware of the tiny crumbs in the corner of his mouth. Instinctively, you grabbed a napkin and wiped them away. His voice faltered in the middle of explaining how Renjun pushed Hyuck who bumped into Jeno who hit his skateboard which rolled over to Jaemin who tried kicking it back to Jeno, but ultimately just made it roll towards Chenle who was busy on his phone and almost tripped on it.

“And he didn’t warn…”

You told him to continue his story, leaning back to your original position on the picnic blanket. You smiled softly at him like you didn’t just cause the butterflies in his stomach to flutter.

He only stared at you with wide brown eyes and an o shaped mouth. You chuckled and pinched his cheek, “Cute.”

All the words Jisung wanted to say, whatever else would’ve finished the story he was telling, vanished. He could only stare into your eyes, wondering how in the world an angel lost their way to heaven.

He then got an idea.

“Do you want to try skateboarding?”

“What?”

He stood up, brushing off any grass that stuck to him. He turned to you with a smile, “I could teach you.”

You didn’t want to set yourself up for embarrassment, but he looked excited.

“Okay.”

“We’ll start on the grass since it’s softer,” he informed, laying out his skateboard. Lending his hand, he pulled you up from the blanket. “Get used to standing on the board first.”

You listened to his advice and planted yourself on the skateboard. The nervousness surrounding your pounding heart made it hard to focus on his instructions about posture. Though, you assumed you were doing well because he asked, “Ready to move onto the sidewalk?”

No, you weren’t, yet you found yourself wobbling anxiously on his skateboard that sat on the smooth sidewalk.

“It’s okay, I got you,” he reassured. Jisung held your hand, his other supporting the small of your back. “If you fall, I’ll catch you.”

His sentence sounded cliche which caused you to laugh lightly.

“What?” He asked, smiling slightly at the melodic sound.

You shook your head, “nothing, what said just sounded cliche is all.”

“It’s true,” he shrugged.

you hummed in agreement before staring straight ahead at the clear path. “So...I’ll just go down there.”

“Yep, it doesn’t curve and it’s relatively flat,” he observed, “you’ll be fine.”

You let out a loud exhale, “Alright.”

“Ready?”

You nodded.

Slowly, he started to push you. The trees around you started to blur green and before you knew it, Jisung was shouting behind you, “You’re skating!” The wind caressed your face and adrenaline pumped through your veins.

It was peaceful.

You could hear the wheels bumping against the sidewalk. Why was it bumpy? Jisung’s heavy footsteps pounded behind you as you started to wobble.

Your stomach dropped.

This was it. This was where you fell and hurt yourself. You squeezed your eyes shut while awaiting for the impact of the floor. The floor never said hello because Jisung practically tackled you, allowing his body to greet the floor rather than you.

He winced, face churned into a grimace.

Your eyes widened and you quickly sat up. “Oh my- Jisung, are you okay?”

“Fine,” he choked out.

The discomfort in his words prompted you to stand up. With the aid of your hand, he followed suit. You ushered him back to the blanket, worried eyes scanning over the blond boy. He waved you off, insisting that he was fine despite the tiny scrunch of pain between his brows.

You brushed away his bangs, checking to see if he had any cuts on his head. Too caught up in your concern, you didn’t realize how close you were to him. “Are you sure you’re fine?” you brushed away pieces of grass he had in his hair, “you hit the ground pretty hard.”

This was the second time today where you left Jisung speechless. He didn’t know what to say, he suddenly forgot how to speak. When you failed to get a response, you focused on his face. Your thumb brushed over his cheek, eyes aligning against his.

You realized it now; the two of you were quite close.

Blinking, you backed away, bringing your hand along with you. Your focus shifted to his arms and hands, checking to see if he needed band-aids. You continued rambling on, apologizing for being the cause of him crashing to the ground, not once, but twice. “I could’ve just fell and it would’ve been fine. There was no need to dart after me like that, I mean you already got hurt today-”

He called out your name.

“I’ll bake you more cookies to make up for it! I know you said that any type that I bake is your favorite but-”

“Y/n,” he told you, hands wrapping around yours.

You looked up at him.

“Just...lie down with me.”

He slowly rolled down onto his back while letting out short winces here and there. Each time you tried to reach for him, he waved you off, “I’m okay, just lie down.”

Once he was fully situated, you did as he asked.

It was silent as the two of you gazed into the endless depth of the vivid blue sky decorated with white cotton clouds. You could hear the birds harmonizing with the melody of the wind. Children’s laughter and the hum of the cars passing by accompanied the track. You could smell the reminiscence of your chocolate chip cookies and the refreshing scent of grass. The blanket beneath you was soft, warm like the sun beaming down on the two of you.

Something tickled your left hand.

You almost panicked that it was a bug until you felt slender fingers slot themselves loosely between yours. You resisted the urge to turn your head and kept your focus trained on the sky.

The blanket was still soft under you, albeit a bit cozier this time. The air was still filled with the scent of grass, yet it was mixed with vanilla and wood. The children still laughed, the cars still roared, the wind still whistled along with the birds, but they all moved along with the loud beat of your heart. The sky still matched the sea, white clouds swimming before your eyes, though, one specific cloud caught your attention.

A heart.

You found yourself smiling. It looked like a heart. You turned your head to the left, physically feeling your whole being soften at the love that swirled in the chocolate rings of Jisung’s eyes, or perhaps they just mirrored the passion floating in your own eyes. When he gave your hand a light squeeze, you knew that it wasn’t one sided.

“I like you,” he whispered, words light and airy.

“Enough to go on a second date?” you mused.

He gave your knuckle a peck, “Enough to go on as many dates as you want.”

#nct-writers #nctcreations #kafenetwork #neowriters #neothestars #starryktown #park jisung #jisung scenarios #jisung imagines #jisung fluff #jisung soft hours #nct dream #nct dream scenarios #nct dream imagines #nct dream fluff #nct dream soft hours #park jisung x reader #nct dream x reader

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fromthehellmouth · 3 years

Text

One for Sorrow, Two for Mirth

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: Part Two! Part One here. Maledictus! Femme! Gryffindor! oc. Some tension & angst! original prompt suggested by @hyacinthsandbooks

Drawing by me and inspired by scenes from the story.

Overview:

Tom find’s Lucia in an embarrassing moment, which later goes awry as they find themselves in a compromising situation by unforgiving eyes. Tom causes a bit of a scene in front of Lucia’s friends.

...I couldn’t stop thinking about the way his bright eyes flashed in that cold room. It was as if the only thing my head could focus on were those piercing eyes and the image of that magpie darting right toward me.

I decided to go for a flyover of the grounds again tonight, and buy time before I could confront Tom about his nighttime leisures. Defeatedly, I cleaned up my mess of books from the commonroom table by the fireplace and dropped my bag on the surface with a thud. I ascended the staircase to the girls’ dorm and in the dark I wandered to the window where I opened it about halfway. My housemates knew of my struggles with insomnia and the girls in the dorm with me had begun to routinely shut the curtains surrounding their beds because they knew I would be up with my light for hours into the night. Although I wasn’t in the commonroom before they fell asleep, it had become somewhat of a routine, and I appreciated the privacy for continuing my transformations. Changing into my winged self I perched on the propped open windowsill. The view overlooked the grounds, and in the far reaches of the horizon I could glimpse the outline of the thick woods in the distance, “forbidden to students” was obviously not a clear enough restriction, I thought, and propelled myself into the crisp open air.

The weather was beginning to get colder, and some leaves had begun to yellow on the tops of the trees surrounding the castle grounds, beautifully blending with the indigo sky to create a haze of emerald green that wafted through the chilling air. It reminded me of his eyes, the striking sea-green, the thick dark lashes and the low furrowed brows that screamed of caution and thinly veiled anxiety. I let my mind wander as I surveyed the hills for his familiar frame, and finding nothing I circled back to the south of the castle toward the Black Lake. The large body of water looked almost completely black with the exception of tiny sparkles that shimmered and twinkled like the reflections of the moon’s imitation of the stars in the sky. Diving down to the lake I soared closely above the surface, feeling small sprays of water splashing up against my body as I cut ripples in the water with my talons. It was a carnal and otherworldly feeling, pure visceral adrenaline, your core pounding with desire. It must have been like what dragonologists feel like when they fly their first dragon, touching the rough scales with their bare hands that they’ve studied for years, or what aurors feel like when they finally see the dark wizard they’ve been stalking bound with their incarcerous charm. My mind followed the train of thought through to its end, soon plunging the images into the realization that I would have none of these accomplishments by the end of my human life. These realizations never ceased to make me feel so hollow and full of dread that I wished I could just fly into the horizon and forget my anxieties. There was that unexplainable comfort with being a beast that paired with a dread of never living my life as a witch to the extent I had dreamed of since I was so little.

My wings had begun to get more wet, and I decided to circle around back to the courtyard, to dry off my dark feathers. The grounds were unexplainably peaceful as I flew over the endless clusters of tonal-green forest-tops, the moisture in the air beautifully cohesive with the scent of pine, fir, and balsam that wafted up from the leaves and needles below. It smelled like a winter wreath, like a childhood Christmas, like a walk in the forest on a snowy day. The time must have been near 1am, and after checking the large gothic clocktower my suspicions had been confirmed. I had found my way over the courtyard fountain, and I looked for a place to land. Swooping down from my aerial position, I perched myself on one of the winged stone gargoyles decorating the reflective pool. Floating down into the pool below I cupped some water up with my beak and let it fall down my throat as I raised my beak to the night sky. My feathers completely wet at this point, and for a moment I had forgotten about looking for Tom. It was, of course, in this moment when he revealed himself.

“There you are.” His cool voice seemed to slip down my neck.

I froze, suddenly my body felt cold, shivers ran down my wings over and over, and I knew there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t fly away, he had seen me, and I couldn't act as though I was a regular bird--you could spot a magpie easily from afar. So I changed. My hair was wet, and my face felt damp and cold. The shivers hadn’t stopped, and it was as if my body had gone into a state of arrest, almost feverish, just cold and damp and also somehow simultaneously, my face felt so very hot.

“I was waiting for you,” I lied, looking up at him through matted eyelashes, my bare feet still stood in the fountain. I always removed my shoes when I transformed, and the clothes we wear before we change materialize as we form back into our human selves. I couldn’t take my mind off my freezing feet.

“It looked like you were playing in the fountain.”

“I wasn’t playing, I was cooling down.”

“Do you get very heated when you fly the campus looking for me?”

I didn’t say anything, I looked away and wrapped my hands around my arms, feeling a shiver wrack through my body.

“You don’t look very hot now.” I saw him remove his robes and fold them over his arm, taking a step toward me. “Here, take my robes.” A glint of moonlight flickered in his enchanting eyes.

“I don’t need them,” I shook my head. “I’m not very cold.”

“I’m not asking you if you want my robes, I’m telling you to take them.”

Another shiver.

I swiftly pulled the long draping fabric from his strong arms, my hands swiping it around my shoulders, allowing the robe to settle on me. I soon realized they were meant for someone much much taller, and the bottom of the robes had brushed the surface of the pool I was still standing in, and the fabric had begun to darken in the water. He held out his forearm, and I cautiously clutched it, stepping out of the cold water onto the even colder stone courtyard floor.

Suddenly, the massive doors of the clocktower begun to shudder a monstrous creak as they slowly snuck open. Without warning, Tom grabbed my arm, and aggressively thrust my body along with him as he ran behind the wall at the far end of the courtyard. Behind the shadow of the stone wall he pushed my body against it, and silently raised a finger to his pink lips. “Don’t make a sound.” He whispered, barely audible. The door continued to groan, and footsteps could be heard as someone entered the courtyard.

“Is anyone out there?” a hoarse voice called. The caretaker? Was it a professor? His face was so close to mine, but the movement happened too quickly for me to process it immediately. I felt his hot breath on my neck, and I also felt the awkward tension thicken. He turned his head to the side in a feeble attempt to break it. He couldn’t move back, or the side of his frame would be in view of the investigator, and we couldn’t move farther into the shadow or our steps would be heard. I soon realized my bare foot and his shoe were actually touching, and I could feel the outline of his clothed ankle with my bare one. I desperately wanted to look down at the strange arrangement of our feet, but I worried that he would think I was looking at something else, so I moved my head to the side as well. The footsteps ceased for a moment, and as Tom begun to move his face closer into the light, in a moment of falter I quickly grabbed his face with my left hand, preventing him from exposing our location.

“No!” I let my mouth form the words but said nothing, and quickly removed my hand, I soon felt the hot red blush flow up to my cheeks. I couldn’t help but look down at our feet--our still touching feet.

***

“Quite the close call,” Tom whispered after the footsteps ceased and the door made a small shudder. His expression was blank, but I could tell he was confused by my sudden touch and our intimate position.

We walked into the light together and immediately froze in our tracks. Professor Merrythought stood in front of us, her arms crossed and a concerned look shone across her pale, aged skin. A gray curl of hair fell in her face and her lips were pulled tight in a reluctant frown.

“Lucia?” Her voice shook slightly, as her focus seemed to shoot right for my face. “Mr. Riddle?” She turned to Tom, who had straightened out his stance, attempting to gain back some dignity after being caught out far past curfew even for a prefect.

“Mr. Riddle, you will see me after class for detention. Off to the dungeons. Now.” She sternly pointed to the door leading back to the castle. Tom shot me a look full of a feeling I couldn’t place, and walked briskly to the door, not looking back. “Lucia...” I swallowed. “Come with me to my office and we’ll have a talk.” Her lips had come together once more to form an small apologetic frown, as if there was nothing else that could be done but many things she wanted to do.

We walked silently through the castle, and my pace a meter or so behind her made me feel small, and childlike. I let my head hang, and I felt completely foolish walking in the castle still, with no shoes on. My bare feet made soft patting noises as I followed the echoing click Merrythought’s shoes. Her office was massive, and I had been invited to it on only one other occasion which had been when we discussed my curse for the first time. The walls drove up to the ceiling in pointed arches, leaving the center of the room shaped in a beautiful dome. She had a large roaring fireplace at the front of the room with long red velvet couches flanking it. In the far back of the room was her desk and her numerous bookshelves lining the walls. She lead me to one of the couches where she beckoned me to sit, my feet overlapping at the awkwardness of my strange exposure.

“Lucia, I know we have not discussed the status of transformations recently, would you like to talk about that?” She let out a heaving sigh.

“They’re still voluntary at the moment.”

“I see,” she started, and turned away, walking toward the back of the room where a kettle sat on a little furnace. “And I assume that is how you got down to the courtyard, considering you are not currently wearing shoes.”

“Yes professor, that’s correct. I haven’t been sleeping very well lately and I found that releasing my stress by flying has been very calming.”

“You know I want to see you finding helpful ways to cope with your anxiety but I cannot openly condone breaking school curfew. Tea?”

“Yes please, miss.”

“I know your situation is quite unique, and so if this were any other student I’m sure we would be having a very different conversation.” I saw a faint flicker of a smile prance across her thin burgundy painted lips. “Milk or sugar?”

“No thank you.”

“Which is why you came with me and not to detention.”

“I’m very grateful for your pardon.”

“There is not much else I can do it ease your surely... frustrating transition.” She handed me the hot cup and sat down across from me. “Now, I must ask what you were doing out in the courtyard with Mr. Riddle.”

“I had just barely noticed him when you found us.”

“That is not how it appeared to me.”

“It’s the truth... I just went out by myself and he happened to find me.” I muttered. She didn’t have to know I was hoping to find him. She also didn’t have to know I had met him before, and she definitely didn’t need to know--

“You are wearing Mr. Riddle’s robes, Lucia.”

A shot of panic rushed down my core. I had completely forgotten I still had them on, and suddenly I felt so exposed, as if my wardrobe had utterly switched, leaving me with no clothes... but my feet covered with warm wool socks... There was no way to explain this without looking as if I was trying to meet with him after hours.

“He gave them to be because he saw I was wet...” I quickly tried to explain. “I was in the fountain.”

Merrythought slowly closed her eyes and let her brow furrow deeply as she brought her hand up to her temple and gently massaged her skin. She looked strangely young, and I saw remnants of my mother’s countless disappointed expressions in her current face.

“Please never let me find you out at 1 in the morning with him again or I will have to take house points.”

I nodded, and sipped my tea in silence. Merrythought had gotten up and walked to her bookshelves where she returned with a small black leather book with gothic script scrawled across the smooth surface:

The History of Magical Blood Curses and Afflictions.

“Chapter thirteen.” She said, handing me the book as I finished my tea.

“Thank you for the tea professor. I’ll just go straight to my dorms, then.” She muttered something in response I couldn’t understand as I quickly rushed from the room, my feet pattering in an awkward tapping rhythm in the halls as I made my way to the Gryffindor tower.

***

It was strange to think of how intimate I had gotten in so little time with that boy, considering we had never spoken before yesterday when he had come across me in the fountain. I didn’t even know his name until a few days ago. Tom. It rolled off my tongue, it seemed so natural and sweet--maybe too natural, as I realized I had accidentally said his name out loud while I was changing. A girl named Jude, with enviously-beautiful wavy copper hair turned to me after she slipped on her slightly thinning, likely hand-me-down shirt. She lazily raised her eyebrows, cooly bringing her thick hair up in a messy ponytail, her hair waving around in the movement.

“Did you just say Tom?” she smirked slightly, removing the ribbon from her teeth and wrapping her hair in the thin, smooth fabric.

“No--I didn’t say anything.”

“Come on Lucia, what did you just say?”

“Nothing, Jude.”

“You just said Tom, I heard you. Were you thinking about him?” She fell back onto her bed, bringing the uniform’s socks up over her ankles.

“What Tom, it’s a quite common name.”

“So you were thinking of a Tom, then.” My stomach cringed and I tried my hardest to hide a defeated expression from peaking through. “Is it the Tom everyone in our DADA class has been talking about? The Riddle boy? You know, the Tom whose boggart was that terrifyingly ghastly corpse that made Merrythought end class early?” I swallowed hard.

“Perhaps it’s that Tom, perhaps it’s another Tom.”

Jude looked up at me through her lashes and raised a brow critically. She just opened her mouth in a small grin and let out a small huff, getting up from the bed and finding her shoes. We finished dressing in silence, but some of the other girls who had begun to watch our escalating conversation looked at each other and exchanged small smiles. I sniffed, and put a thick button-up cardigan over my blouse, I felt a fever coming on--most likely because of getting in that damn fountain. I glanced at his robes I awkwardly kept with me after Merrythought sent him to the Slytherin common room, and when I came up to my dorm I quickly took them off before anyone could see me in them. The black robes sat neatly folded under my bed, the accents of dark green shone on the top, and his silver prefect badge pinned on the green strip glinted slightly in the dim light. Pushing it slightly farther under my bed, I put my loafers on and followed Jude to breakfast.

***

I sat at the Gryffindor table, my hands wrapped around a small cup of black tea, and my body shivering slightly. It felt so unreasonably cold in the Dining Hall, but I suspected it was just a cold or a fever creeping into my immune system. Not being very hungry, I finished my tea before anyone was done with their meal, and was suddenly interrupted by a firm hand being pushed into my shoulder. I almost let out a small gasp as I turned to see who had touched me. Tom stood next to me, looking down from his tall height, his lips were opened slightly, and his eyes looked dull and tired. His hair looked slightly messier than normal, and a single strand of hair fell into his face.

“Hello Lucia.”

“Oh, hello Tom.” The air felt so thick and I felt like the entire hall had gone quiet as we spoke. I felt Jude’s eyes prying into the side of my face.

“I came by to ask for my robes back.” Good Godric! He did not just say that in front of the entire Gryffindor table! I felt heat immediately rush to my cheeks as my eyes widened and my mouth hung slightly open in confusion.

“Well… I--I don’t have them with me right now Tom, I’m not sure what you expect me to do.” My stomach felt tight and constricted inside me and I swallowed hard.

“I’ll just come with you after class then.”

“I suppose that’s fine.” I say calmly as my heart races simultaneously.

“Splendid. And I see you’ve finally found some shoes.” His eyes danced down my body to my feet and back up to my eyes. With that, Tom left the table.

“What the bloody hell?” Jude’s mouth sprung open in a teasing grin, her tongue ran across her bottom lip in a taunting fashion. “You’ve got his clothes Lucy? Tell me why the hell you’ve got his clothes! I didn't even know you knew Riddle.”

“It’s so complicated...” I whispered, my face fell into my hands defeatedly. I was in shock--the way he worded his comments insinuated so much more than I felt comfortable with the table knowing. I began to picture the taunting that would surely happen in the common room later. How was I going to explain my situation without revealing my blood curse? My mind jumped from worry to worry... He acted as if we knew each other, as if we were close friends with inside jokes who share each other's clothes--or even worse, that we were in the position to mix up our clothes… I couldn’t imagine the kind of things Jude would say about the incident, so I decided to pretend it didn’t happen. Unfortunately, that was the last thing my mind allowed me to do.

Part three here!

Tags: @tmr-simp-pride

#tom riddle #tom marvolo riddle #tom riddle fic #Harry Potter #Harry Potter fic #harry potter imagine #tom riddle x reader #tom riddle x oc #tom riddle imagine

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