#( such a fun character we just could not let them go )

[lazysoulwriter]

a little too close. - drew starkey.

She loved her job. Working as a costume designer meant she got to be around some of the most talented actors in the industry, creating pieces that would bring their characters to life. It was creative, exciting, and full of challenges—just the way she liked it.

But what she hadn’t accounted for was Drew Starkey walking into her fitting room and throwing her entire sense of professionalism out the window.

The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the studio lights above. It was the first fitting, and Drew stood there, shirt off, in nothing but his jeans and a nervous smile. He couldn’t deny the growing tension as she stood there, her measuring tape in hand, eyeing him closely. The air was thick, and he could feel every inch of the space between them.

“Okay, this might feel a little... weird,” she said, clearing her throat as she adjusted her posture, the tape slipping between her fingers. Drew swallowed, trying to focus on the task at hand. But every time she moved closer to take his measurements, his body betrayed him. The way her fingers grazed his skin, the way she gently tugged at the waistband of his jeans—it was enough to make him lose his composure.

“Sorry if I’m making this awkward,” he said with a laugh, trying to ease the tension.

But she didn’t laugh back. Instead, her eyes flicked up to his, locking for a brief, electrifying moment. She tilted her head slightly, biting her lip as she measured around his shoulders. “It’s fine. Just... stay still,” she replied, voice a little lower than usual.

Drew couldn’t help but notice how her breath seemed to catch every time she leaned in a little too close. It felt like the space between them was shrinking, and the more they tried to pretend it wasn’t there, the more it consumed them.

A week later, the second fitting arrived. Drew had been looking forward to it. Not because of the costume—he was already used to wearing whatever the costume department picked out—but because he couldn’t get that first moment with her out of his mind. He couldn’t tell if it was just the chemistry of the job or something more, but every time he thought about it, his heart picked up its pace.

When he walked into the room, she was already there, the same measuring tape in hand, but this time there was something different about the way they interacted. Less formality, more... ease.

“Here we go again,” Drew said with a grin, taking his shirt off in one swift movement.

She glanced up, her eyes quickly scanning him before her lips curled into a playful smile. “This should be fun.”

The tension from the first fitting was still there, but this time it felt different, lighter—more like an unspoken promise than an awkward mistake.

“So, tell me about your character,” she asked as she adjusted his pants, bending down slightly to fix the hem. Drew, feeling particularly bold, leaned closer.

“Let’s just say, he’s a lot like me—charming, confident, and... very good looking,” he replied, his voice oozing with a playful arrogance. She rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“You sure about that?” she teased, standing up and looking him over. “I think you might have a little competition.”

Before he could ask what she meant, she stepped in a little too close for comfort, making it impossible for him to ignore the way their bodies seemed to align. His heart skipped a beat.

“I think you’re right,” he muttered, lowering his gaze. He wasn’t sure who moved first—whether it was him leaning in, or her meeting him halfway—but the next thing he knew, his lips were on hers, soft and eager, the kiss charged with months of unspoken tension.

When they pulled away, both breathless, Drew ran a hand through his hair, his grin impossible to hide. “Well, I guess that wasn’t too bad.”

She chuckled, taking a step back, trying to act like nothing happened. “I’m going to call that... a wardrobe malfunction,” she teased, a smirk playing on her lips.

The third fitting came, and Drew found himself anxiously awaiting their next encounter. The spark between them was undeniable now, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep his cool. When he walked into the room, she was there, looking as effortlessly stunning as always, her hands busy with fabric, but her eyes lighting up when she saw him.

“You’re early,” she said, glancing at the clock.

“I couldn’t wait to see you,” he said, his voice low, a flirty edge to it.

She raised an eyebrow, but the smile that followed was anything but innocent. “Careful, or you might end up getting in trouble.”

“You like trouble,” he shot back, his gaze locked on hers, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife.

And before she could say anything more, he closed the distance between them. His lips found hers again, this time more urgent, more desperate, as if neither of them could resist any longer. His hands slid to her waist, pulling her closer, his heart racing with the anticipation of something they both knew was inevitable.

When they finally broke apart, her breath coming in soft gasps, he cupped her cheek gently, his thumb brushing her skin. “You’re not getting away that easily,” he whispered.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” she replied, her voice almost teasing.

“I was thinking maybe... we could grab dinner after this?” he asked, his gaze flicking down to her lips before meeting her eyes again.

She smiled, the playful glint in her eyes never leaving. “I think that sounds like a good idea,” she said, her fingers grazing his arm as she stepped back to adjust his jacket.

Later that night, as they sat across from each other at a dimly lit restaurant, their chemistry was undeniable. The flirty banter continued, the attraction only growing stronger with every passing minute.

When Drew leaned in to kiss her once more, the world seemed to stop—just for a moment, as if nothing else mattered but the two of them. And as they pulled away, both breathless and smiling, they knew that this was just the beginning.

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

Poppy Playtime: True Ending (all toys saved, all secrets founds)

Synopsis: Angel saved all the toys inside PlayCo, and is now sitting outside waiting for the authorities to appear. What will happen now? Warnings: Canon-typical violence. Story is in 2nd person but Angel is their own character here. THIS HAS NOT BEEN PROOFREAD SO THERE WILL BE ERRORS. Have fun, byeee.

You are shaking.

Granted, this is the first time in the last two weeks that you aren't trembling due to fear of being killed or due to the cold, but anxiety. You're scared, still riding off adrenaline and without any idea of what could happen now, and you are certain that in any moment, you'll end up dropping unconscious on the floor. And yet, you don't. You cannot, really, considering your situation.

You take a deep breath, the smell of smoke filling your senses. Despite your best efforts, your hands are still dirty with dried blood.

Dogday lies against you, eyes turned towards the Sun. His white pupils seem to be sparkling in amazement; this is the first time in more than a decade that he has seen the Sun. Maybe two, who knows, you're too tired to do the math. You scratch his head, but he doesn't look away from the sky. The beautiful open sky. You had taken it for granted a few times in your life. Only a few. Never again. Never again...

Kissy is on your right side, anxiously holding your arm. Poppy is on your lap, still holding your Nokia phone and telling the kind 911 operator of your situation. You wonder how anxious she would be feeling if you were the one talking there... She was at the verge of tears before speaking up. "Understood, miss", she tells the second normal human she ever interacted with in the past decade. "Please warn them to be careful, we went through a lot and don't want to deal with even more".

You scratch her head. Huggy is next to your rundown car, on the other side of the parking lot, the mini critters and wuggies running around. Some of them grab the leaves and jump at the newfound texture. Others try digging in the dirt. One of them points at the car and ask each other how they can disassemble it. Catnap, standing right next to them, shakes his head. "This belongs to our Savior".

Baba is also sitting next to you. She watches over the mini nightmares debating over something you don't fully understand, as some of them climb over Catnap. He doesn't mind the act. Doey, on the other hand...

You stare at him. Little Simon is still sleeping on his arms, too anxious to join the others. Doey adjusts his own hat, his eyes going from corner to corner, especially towards where the little ones of Safe Haven are. Marie is taking good care of them, sitting on the concrete floor as they analyze flowers. Delight is next to her, tilting her head in curiosity as a centipede crawls over her hands, eyes sparkling. "This is fascinating!", she announces, happily stimming with her feet.

"... Doey?"

You reach your hand to him. He flinches before blinking, taken out of his trance. Upon noticing your worried stare, he forces a smile on his face: "I'm okay, Angel, no need to worry about me".

"And what about the other two?", you ask again, not letting go of him.

He's once again caught off-guard. You thought that by this point, the three kids would have gotten used to being equally acknowledged. Guess there's still work to be done, but we'll be alright. We have time, now. Just enough time.

"We're fine", Kevin grunts, looking away.

"Just tell me when it's too much, alright, kiddos? Don't want the sirens to scare you guys. They sound similar to the stuff back at PlayCo."

"I said we're fine", and there goes that familiar growl. "Shoosh, leave them".

"Matthew, let Kevin speak. It's okay for him to be upset".

"We can't scare the others"

"The others would like for all three of you to speak a bit", you reply, shaking your head. "Including Jack. Is he alright?"

"...", Doey shakes, before timidly nodding and fidgeting with his hands. "... I am".

You give him a smile. Dogday bumps his head against his shoulder, and Jack relaxes, his tense body softening. He repeats the gesture towards the critter, confirming that he'll be alright.

Pianosaurus and Yarnaby then bump their heads against your legs, both of them with plants hanging out from their mouths. Poppy jumps on your lap: "Thank you for the... Bouquet", you tell them, accepting the offering. Yarnaby purrs as a response, sitting on the ground. "Ollie, ya okay, kid?"

The baby long legs stares at you with that very, very energetic look of his, wrapped around a blanket and shaking in his lone seat next to yours. "It's fucking cold", he growls, grumpy as ever.

"Language!", Dogday warns him.

"We're not inside PlayCo. anymore, we can say whatever we want now, you dingus".

"Please don't have another argument before we arrive at the hospital", you ask the duo, sighing again. "... Want another blanket, Ollie?"

"I want a warm room away from this cold, that's what I want".

"Wait an hour or two, then".

"Urgh".

"You welcome".

You close your eyes, feeling the Sun against your skin. The Prototype's words echo in your head, the promise you two made still there:

These kids shall be safe and happy.

You can still hear the mechanical sounds his legs made when he walked. A part of you swears that it can feel him watching over your bunch from inside the factory, despite the cameras outside not being functional anymore. You don't doubt he would be capable of finding a way to watch the scene, though.

You stare at the burning parts of the factory in the background, and, before you can start doubting if this will grab the authorities' attention, you hear sirens in the background.

Cop sirens, to be exact.

Poppy looks up to you, Doey jumps on his seat, and you put the doll on Kissy's lap before jumping over Yarnaby:

"KIDS!", you call the others. "EVERYBODY, GET BACK THERE, THEY'RE COMING!"

Just one word:

FUCK.

Why did it have to be the COPS the first people to pop up, and not a fucking ambulance?! Fuckfuckfuckfuck. Just. Shit. FUCK (again). You are so, SO fucking lucky sometimes, urgh. Let's hope they don't scare the kids even more.

Huggy, Catnap, Marie and Doey help you retrieve the chaos gremlins back to the group. You count: All +100 of them are there, with no exceptions. You hold Doey's face and tell him to remain strong, you tell Kissy and Huggy that they have nothing to fear with you around, you assure Marie and Catnap don't make a murder plan, and you sit back on your seat.

The first car that appears makes your stomach curl. You stare at it, unmoving. The tension is palpable. The kids are anxious, terrified and horrified when the two cops get out of the car and turn to you.

You stare at them, suddenly more aware than ever that you have visible blood stains on your clothes and you must be looking like hell, and they stare at you in silence, approaching with their mean looks. Poppy moves on your seat, clinging to you even more, her call having just ended.

You stare at the cops again.

The cops stare at you again.

You bite your tongue. They aren't approaching you anymore, instead, stopping several meters away from your group, wide-eyed, and then you realize that they aren't reaching for their guns.

Finally, you roll your eyes:

"Do we have a problem here, officer?"

The guy you think is the oldest of the duo, a pale man with sunken brown eyes, seems taken completely off-guard for a moment. Bunzo clings to your leg, anxious. PJ Pug-a-Pillar tilts his head in curiosity, and you notice that Delight is waving at the duo.

"W...", the younger man's voice fails him. "What the-"

"Don't ya finish that sentence, there's kids there", you grunt, noticing the other cars appearing. "We need as many ambulances as possible, now. The kids needs medical attention".

"What happened there?", the officer demands, and his eyes go to the very much still burning piece of factory. You glance back at it for a moment before returning your attention to him.

"Executives", you shrug, aaaand more people pop out of the cars. "Tell your friends to back off, it's been a decade since these kids saw other people, and they bite".

"This is private property. What are you doing here?"

Private property, private property my fucking ass- "get your friends to back off, or else I won't say shit to you".

"You have no right-"

"Mister Officer, please, you must listen!"

You would have laughed at the guy's face upon seeing Poppy getting up from your seat. Catnap growls as a response to his voice tone, and you don't know if it's the sound he makes or his movements, but it seems convincing enough for the asshole to actually back off, and actually and properly inform the rest of the group to not approach.

"Thank you", Poppy mutters.

"Don't thank him", you scratch her head. "I am in private property because the owner of this frickin' place invited me in because he and these kids were stuck in there for the past decade. I need a dang ambulance for once".

"And who is the owner?"

You almost say Elliot Ludwig, but even your own tolerance for absurdity isn't high enough to buy that one. So you bite your tongue, you stay on your seat, and you hear more sirens echoing in the background.

"Long ass story", you mutter, before getting up, bag on one hand, Poppy in another.

You have no idea how or why, but the officer almost doesn't react when you approach him. His friend places a hand on his gun, but you don't react either, merely giving him the heavy bag.

"These are the documents", you tell him, watching the ambulances arrive.

"Did you steal these documents?"

"They were given to me", you half-lie, half-tell the truth.

"I'll have to ask you to follow me, ma'am, and tell me why there's a fire happening in an abandoned factory".

"W-wait, no!", Poppy desperately stares at you, wide-eyed. "T-they can't go, we need them!"

You merely unzip your jacket, exposing your very much still bleeding out shoulder and your very much still soaked in blood torso, and shrug.

You see people coming out of the ambulances. Bunzo runs to you, grabbing your leg as he stares at the officer, wide-eyed. "I-I won't let you take mama away!"

Well, there goes the cop's control of the situation, because now some of the minis also approach you, clinging to both your legs and back, and you know they look too realistic and move too naturally for them to be animatronics or robots. Other cops start moving to approach you, and you...

Yawn.

Damn, you're tired as hell-

A guy presents himself as the lieutenant, and another as the deputy chief. You tilt your head. Looks like your way of grabbing attention may have worked too well...

Marie's hand grabs your good shoulder. You don't react to her staring at the group, merely waiting for your permission to probably kill them or something worse. Despite what you wish you can do, you merely hold her hand. The deputy chief grabs the bag, and stares at the nurses who just got out of the ambulance before petting the shoulders of the first officer.

"Looks like we got big fish in our hands", he tells the guy. Uhm. Okay. "Go take these things to the ambulance. Let us handle the rest".

You blink, remembering what the Prototype told you about many people knowing about what PlayCo. was doing, but never doing anything about it. You stare at the man's eyes, and you aren't very good with judging people by looks but your stomach curls around itself, and you know one damn thing.

He stares at you with a certain disdain and hatred in his eyes. You smile. You hear a helicopter approaching, alongside a van from a news report. Your smile widens, a shit eating grin that goes from ear to ear as you realize who has the power over the situation.

"Looks like the mess you ignored finally caught up to you, eh, officer?"

You turn your back to the group, unafraid. "W-what's going on, Angel?", Dogday asks on his seat, terrified, as you put Poppy on his lap.

"Oh, a lot", you now grab your actual backpack, reaching for your water bottle as the kids stare at you, anxious. "A whole, whooole lot".

"What are they going to do?", Marie asks in a whisper. "Should we...?"

"Nope. We aren't killing anyone, pirralhada", you take a generous sip of water. "We just hit the jackpot".

You hear the number of people growing in the background. Good thing you told the kids to keep themselves quiet, and even better thing that they are listening.

"We're going to take whatever remains of PlayCo. down. And, most importantly, we'll make sure the people who didn't help you guys pay. But, right now?"

You turn towards the humans again.

"Right now, we gotta go to the hospital".

[overadores]

･ ⟢ ⋮ without warning ゛༝. ✦ sophia laforteza

“We had the stars, you and I.

pairing.ᐟ sophia laforteza x sick!reader

about.ᐟ Sophia and Y/N’s college friendship blossomed through a shared love for adventure and literature, leading to countless spontaneous road trips. Unbeknownst to Sophia, Y/N carried a heartbreaking secret. As they created unforgettable memories, time quietly slipped away, leaving behind a final gift and a love that would last forever.

genre.ᐟ heavy angst, hurt no comfort.

cw.ᐟ major character death, friends - supposed to be lovers, language, sickness (leukemia).

wc.ᐟ 1353 words

a/n.ᐟ and another one :P i forgot to post today FUCKKK, i was too busy playing im so sorry TT and manon story for the fluff. pls i need more friends on airbuds.

And this is given once only.”

Sophia Laforteza met Y/N in college, an instant bond forming between them over their shared love for literature, adventure, and their equally extroverted nature. Their first encounter was playful—Sophia, being the new girl, had wandered into the wrong classroom.

"Hi, is this Literature 101?" she had asked as she carefully took her things out.

Y/N glanced around before smirking mischievously. "I don’t think so. This is Biology."

Sophia’s face paled, and she immediately stuffed her things back into her bag, ready to bolt, but before she could reach the door, Y/N called out, barely containing her laughter. "I’m kidding, new girl! This is Lit 101."

Sophia turned back, eyes dead serious, as she returned to her seat. "Ha ha, so funny," she muttered sarcastically.

Y/N grinned, offering a hand. "Oh, come on, let me have a little fun with you. I'm Y/N."

Sophia shook her hand, side-eyeing her. "Sophia."

"You're a feisty one, Sophia. Enjoy college, pretty."

That was the start of something beautiful. Y/N’s teasing and pestering became a constant in Sophia’s life, and strangely enough, Sophia never complained. She loved it. When Y/N invited her on a spontaneous road trip, Sophia—being the people pleaser she was—agreed without hesitation. One trip turned into many, and soon, Sophia bought a digital camera to capture their adventures. A sunset on a hiking trip, Y/N’s excitement at Six Flags, the quiet serenity of an empty beach at dawn—each moment immortalized in photographs.

At first, Sophia didn’t question why Y/N was always so eager to travel, but curiosity got the best of her one night. "Why do you always go on these trips?" she asked as they lay on a motel bed, scrolling through pictures on her camera.

Y/N hesitated before answering, "Fulfilling my bucket list, Forteza."

Sophia thought it was just Y/N’s way of romanticizing life. She didn't press further.

But in reality, Y/N was sick—dying, even. The spontaneous trips weren’t just for fun; they were a race against time. She knew she wouldn’t make it until forty, but if she had to go, she wanted to go with beautiful memories. And with Sophia.

There were only three things left on her list:

Try to fall in love again, give love another chance.

Watch the stars and have deep emotional talks.

Maybe, just maybe, try to make it until 40.

As days passed, Y/N grew more tired. She noticed her body weakening, but she pushed through. She had to. One evening, while strolling through the park, Y/N watched as Sophia played with a golden retriever, laughing at the way its tail wagged excitedly. Y/N smiled, storing the image in her heart.

Another memory to cherish.

"Soph, can we go now? I'm starving, darling," Y/N said, waiting for her to finish petting a golden retriever.

Sophia looked up, grinning, and linked arms with her. “Alright, alright.”

They walked side by side, chatting aimlessly. Sophia, unable to hold back her concern, finally pointed out, "You’ve been looking paler lately. And thinner. Are you okay?"

Y/N brushed it off with a laugh. "I’m always like this when I’m stressed. No big deal."

Sophia frowned but nodded. "Just… take a break sometimes, okay?"

"Yeah," Y/N murmured, guilt pooling in her stomach.

Later that night, they lay under the stars on the rooftop of Y/N’s loft. Pillows, a picnic cloth, and food were all prepared by Y/N. Sophia was surprised by the effort. "You really went all out," Sophia chuckled, settling beside her.

"Of course. I promised myself I’d watch the stars with someone special."

Y/N broke the comfortable silence. "Do you like the idea of soulmates?"

Sophia turned her head, furrowing her brows. "What do you mean?"

Y/N shrugged. "Do you get excited by the idea of finding someone that completes you?"

Sophia pondered before admitting, "I do get butterflies at the thought."

"What about you?" Sophia asked, turning toward Y/N.

Y/N inhaled deeply. "I like to believe that there's someone out there who will love me no matter what, even if I die." Sophia stiffened. "Why would you say that?"

Y/N just shrugged. "It’s comforting to think love doesn’t end, even when life does.

Sophia sat up slightly, watching Y/N’s face intently. "What would you do for the love of your life?"

Y/N smirked. "Maybe the usual romantic clichés—kissing in the rain, writing her letters, learning all her favorites and surprising her with them, 3 AM car rides. Maybe have a little fun."

Sophia giggled, pinching her side. "Hey, don't be dirty now."

Y/N laughed with her, closing her eyes as Sophia’s warmth surrounded her. This was enough. Even if it all ended too soon. 

Then, on the last day of exams, Y/N was nowhere to be found. Sophia looked around campus but gave up when their professor excused Y/N from the session. Concern gnawed at her.

She rushed to Y/N’s loft after the exam, only to find it eerily quiet. No music, no humming, no laughter. Sophia pushed open the bedroom door and saw Y/N lying there, breathing heavily, shivering, and burning up with fever.

Panic surged in Sophia’s chest. She shook Y/N desperately. "Hey, wake up! What’s wrong?!" Sophia shook her, panic flooding her veins. "Please, wake up." No response. Her forehead burned under Sophia’s touch.

She called an ambulance, hands trembling as she cradled Y/N. "You’re gonna be fine," she whispered, voice cracking. "Just hold on."

The hospital smelled sterile.

Cold.

Empty.

Sophia sat outside the emergency room, fingers digging into her palms, praying that it’s just a worsen flu, but the doctor’s words hit her like a train.

"The leukemia is progressing. She needs to stay hospitalized."

Sophia’s world shattered.

Sophia’s world tilted. "Leukemia?" Her voice came out broken. "She… she never told me."

The nurse handed her Y/N’s phone. "She’s awake. You can see her now."

When she was finally allowed to see Y/N, she walked into the room, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Y/N smiled softly and patted the space beside her.

"I'm sorry I didn’t tell you," Y/N murmured,

Sophia sniffled. "You should’ve never kept this from me."

Y/N sighed. "I just needed to be ready." leaning her head on Sophia’s shoulder. Sophia sat down, holding Y/N’s frail hand. "You should’ve told me. I would’ve… I don’t know. Done something."

Y/N chuckled weakly. "You did enough. You made my life beautiful."

Tears slipped down Sophia’s cheeks. "Don’t talk like that. You’re going to be okay."

They sat in silence before Y/N whispered, "I have a surprise for you, but you’ll only get it next week."

Days passed, and Y/N grew weaker. Then, one morning, Sophia entered the room and saw the monitors still. The beeping had stopped.

Y/N was gone.

Sophia broke down, her cries echoing through the hospital room. The person who had filled her life with adventure and love was gone, leaving behind nothing but memories.

A week later, Sophia received a call to pick up a package. When she arrived, a golden retriever puppy was waiting for her, a polaroid of their first road trip, and a tiny collar, along with a letter in Y/N’s handwriting.

Dear Soph,

I wanted to give you something to remember me by. Someone to love, the way you loved me. I hope you look at him and see the best parts of us—the laughter, the adventures, the love.

I never told you, but I did fall in love again.

With you.

Thank you for giving me the happiest moments of my life. Don’t cry too much, okay? You still have so much living to do. I’ll always be with you, in every picture, in every adventure, in every sunset.

Thank you for being my greatest love story, even if it was shorter than I wanted it to be. Take lots of pictures for me.

With love, always, Y/N.

Sophia clutched the letter, tears streaming down her face. She looked down at the golden retriever, who wagged its tail at her, and she couldn't help but laugh through her tears.

Y/N was gone, but her love remained—in the dog, in the photographs, in every adventure they had shared. And in Sophia’s heart, forever.

[daylighted]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤBAYWATCH: RISING TIDES ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤepisode one.

the camera pans over the lapping ocean waves. WILL DAMERON rises from the depths of the water. his eyes immediately land on CELIA HOLLINSWORTH, the human embodiment of the water he drowns in.

RATED . . . TV-MA. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT ! EPISODE LENGTH . . . 1.9k WORDS.

▶ ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ . ㅤ NOW PLAYING !

the atlantic ocean’s waves splashed haphazardly alone the glittery sandy shores. in the sky, seagulls cawed and screeched, lingering in a slow beating circle around the set trailers and the snacks tent, swatted away by passing crew members.

inside one of the trailers is will dameron and celia hollinsworth. will’s fingers are beneath the thin scrap of cherry red fabric, two fingers curled in quotation marks inside of her soaked pussy.

it is not jensen and not you. he’d sought out your trailer with the intent of running lines and method acting before the cameras started rolling. just business, he’d said. and then will kissed celia in the scene, and you broke free from the characters you were playing, and pulled him to pin you to the small countertop. neither of you called cut, though, so who knew what was still chemistry building and what was a quickie in a trailer?

“chanel!” a muffled voice calls from outside of your trailer, as your toes curl and you pant into jensen’s collarbone, a whining moan deep in your throat while you try to pull yourself together, even a little.

jensen’s mouth latches onto your throat, and you come to clarity through the haze to slap at his bare chest. “no hickeys,” you growl at him, and your hand falls to his beneath your one-piece swimsuit, nails digging into the thin skin of his wrist, “no. hickeys. the makeup artist here will kill me.”

“won’t kill me,” he mumbles, teething at your throat still, undeterred by the red painted claws trying to pierce his veins, “so i don’t care.”

“chanel!”

you toss your head back with a nearly inaudible throaty whine, thighs clenching tightly on his hand, your walls clenching just as tightly to the fingers still buried inside of you. “i’m coming, okay?” you shout back through the trailer’s screen door.

“famous last words,” jensen says as he retracts his fingers from your pulsing cunt, raising them to his mouth and suckling on them.

you slap him in the arm. again. never has it deterred him but at least attempts are made. “shut up. shut the hell up. i never should have let you in.”

he releases his fingers from his mouth with a lewd pop noise. the same hand falls to your cheek, thumb smearing the little bit of saliva in the corner of your mouth. it’s all you can do to not latch onto his wrist and break skin this time. “not your line. maybe we should have worked on it a little more before getting to the fun stuff.”

the squeal of a frustrated growl that leaves your mouth is nothing short of childish, same with the stomp that follows. “you are impossible.”

you were going to fuck him again after you wrapped up on set today. properly. clearly, jensen needed it. he was hard in the thin fabric of his swim trunks, nothing left for the imagination.

“take care of that before you get on set,” you hum, flipping the salt dried mess of waves over your shoulder as you pull open the trailer door, “i’m not acting with a man who can’t control himself.”

“you’re not acting at all, diva,” jensen calls back after you with a snort, “you’re just chanel in a sexy red swimsuit.”

it probably wasn’t a compliment, but it sure as fuck wasn’t an insult. sexy? you could take sexy. that was why you'd even gotten wrapped up in this endless love affair with your co-star; you could take sexy, and you could take it hard.

you just wished that jensen wasn't such a prick about it.

you push the door to your trailer open, the assistant sent to gather you to set suddenly the subject of your irritation. he visibly flinches under the fury of your gaze. "what?"

his eyes drop, gaze buried beneath the brim of his hat. "you're wanted on set."

wanted.

not needed.

you would just have to make them realize they needed you.

when the assistant's head lifts, it darts behind you, toward the direction of your messy hair. he visibly swallows, and you know without turning around that jensen has decided you've had enough of the spotlight, and it's his turn, now.

"i'll be out there in ten," you say, slamming the trailer door shut again with one hand, and pushing jensen back with the other. you were going to fuck him now, you decided. let him have the reminder of who, exactly, was in charge between the two of you.

you spent years working toward something like this. your family's name was plastered everywhere already; if it wasn't your mother's face on magazines with your last name plastered on the tags of her successful fashion brand, it was your father's photography career, or your twin's modeling career.

you wanted to break free from the mold. what was the point of having a pretty face if you didn't use it to your advantage?

that led you to the auditions for celia hollinsworth. you loved the beach. they were typecasting an it girl. and you had a last name that got you bonus points in instances like this. you walked in with the confidence of a girl who'd already earned the part, and what do you know? of course you did.

it was also that same day that you met jensen. he was there doing readings with the auditioning it girls, the casting directors needing to test the chemistry between the show's it boy and its oncoming it girl.

he vouched heavy for you, even though he didn't need to, and that wasn't a detail that mattered in the long run, to you, so he never brought it up. the directors saw the easy back and forth with you and him and already made a note to keep your name in their heads.

the next day, you got your call. celia hollinsworth was yours, baby! will dameron led the daytona beach lifeguard crew, but he would be oh so lost without his anchor: you. that was why the chemistry testing mattered so much. what use was a celia if she didn't draw out desperate, fervent yearning from the main lead?

jensen spent the whole first season yearning for you. it didn't stop when the cameras did. everyone wanted a piece of the pretty girl in red, but he was the only one brave enough to step forward.

the last day of filming ended up being the first time you actually accepted those advances. what could you lose? your show was finished, unconfirmed or not if it was getting a season two. a little fun did not hurt anyone in the times for celebration.

and then baywatch: rising tides got a second season. and then jensen was accredited as one of the central reasons for it, what with all that yearning that you brought out in him, but there was no mention of the fact that he only yearned so good because of what you brought too. so jensen got cocky. jensen got annoying.

and now you were standing across from him while the atlantic waves splash your ankles, on this scene's sixth take, because he was completely and totally pissing you off.

"chanel," he says in that slow tone of his, the slow tone that meant he was about to be tackled into the waves and whaled on, "you know when the line says, kiss will dameron, you have to kiss will dameron?"

"i'm not kissing you when you're giving me that stupid look."

jensen's eyebrows shoot up. "what stupid look?"

"like you own this show or something. you are just a guy." and he was! a very pretty guy, but you were going to be the last person to tell him such. he already knew. he'd just fucked you in your trailer, and later today, he'd probably be in one of the other girls'.

you weren't serious, just having fun. but it also made you hate him, and like a snapping shark toward the other little fishes that were your costars.

"baby, i don't look like i'm baywatch, i am baywatch." jensen smiles like he knows, too, that he's going to lucy tyrell's trailer the second filming wraps up for the day. the frustrated growl that you let out just moments before you launch at him to break his pretty nose is interrupted by the crew.

"alright, diva. take five."

five minutes was not nearly enough time to get calmed down. no drug could sink into your veins enough in that amount of time to make you behave.

so instead, you do what's probably rational, and stomp over toward the snacks tent. see? you were good, sometimes. not every problem needed a party drug to solve it, sometimes it was just water that you needed - even though party drugs made things so much more fun.

jensen doesn't follow you, because, you guessed it: lucy tyrell is clinging off of his arm. fingers interlaced with the same ones that'd been inside of you hours earlier.

you squeeze the water bottle in your hand so tightly that it just might explode, plastic cap blasted into oblivion and water dousing you. then you'd need time to dry off, and then you'd have time to dip into your trailer and─

"what did that water bottle ever do to you?"

you startle so much that the plastic bottle falls into the sand at your feet, an irritated look on your face when you turn to find the source of who'd interrupted your completely and totally warranted jealousy. it was warranted. just having fun did not mean unspoken permission to fuck your onscreen best friend and make it so obvious right in front of you.

this guy looked like he was pulled straight from the rack of boy next door ken dolls. shaggy dark hair, bright blue eyes, a body that made you a little dry mouthed. water. you had water. somewhere.

"who the hell are you?" you manage to bite out as you bend to get it. because this stranger was wearing the classic red swim shorts that jensen had on, and whatever other guy lifeguard co-star there was. again, did anyone else on this set even exist beyond you and jensen?

undeterred, the man in front of you holds out a hand. "ryan shaw."

the name rings a bell, but none close enough in your mind to pick up on the meaning of it. you take his hand, still weary, as you lift the bottle to your lips and take a little sip. "i've never heard that name before."

"surely you have." his other hand lifts to wriggle the script clutched between his long fingers. "season two new addition."

one slow blink, and then another, and it clicks. ryan shaw: will dameron's childhood best friend returning to daytona beach after years spent in the city, given a job by dameron himself to get him reacclimated to the beach life.

the slow blinks turn into a slow, wicked smile. he was a minor role, sure, the script writers testing the waters, assumedly, to gauge audience reaction. but you heard will dameron's best friend and all manners of rational thinking left your head.

if jensen could sleep around, so could you, couldn't you? and here was this new little fish in the water, so easily walking up to the shark, daring you to take a bite.

"ryan shaw," you repeat back to him, setting your bottle down on the table beneath the snacks tent you were stood under, "i've been waiting to put a face to that name."

tags, @titsout4jackles @figthoughts @deansbite @whyyouegg @bluemerakis @honeyryewhiskey @ultravi0lence14 @moonstruksandco @deansbeer @bluestrd @mccartneyqp @chevroletdean @angelblqde @starzify @aileenunfiltered @beausling @sunsettsam @abox-of-rocks @sunsbaby @soldiersgirl @stereotypicalbarbie @theosaurous @rubyvhs @wa1ks @hyacinnths @soangelbaby @bombarda-babe

[stylespresleyhearted]

any mota fanfic recs?

OH MY GOODNESS DO I EVER 🗣️🗣️

the *amount* of talent found in the mota fandom alone is insane, it blows my mind. i read these pieces and my mind can’t comprehend that someone wrote something so beautifully heartwarming or heart-wrenching and is allowing me to read it for FREE on the internet. it belongs in an archive of beautiful literature. (I think i meant a library …)

of course i got to start w marina (mommy 🫶🏻) : @precious-little-scoundrel

dear john - of course i gotta be biased it was part of my yelling and the beginning of john egan stealing my heart. john writes a letter to lana tierney, a famous actress, who writes back and slips in a gift to raise the major’s spirits 😉 (also coming up with the acornym A.C.O.R.N was so fun)

she’s also got a phenomenon currently ongoing Those Who Can - I support all these characters and Marina beautifully juggles so many sensitive, delicate topics and does so with the respect and understanding needed to do so.

But in all seriousness I followed Marina from the Elvis fandom (where we were also in cahoots) to MOTA fandom & she’s so lovely, supportive, protective, and in many ways has become a rock for me. what i don’t see in myself she manages to bring out and encourages me to keep trying my hand at writing so i’m grateful for her always ♥️

@joeyalohadream her cooler-verse fics oh my gooodnesssss i am NOT exaggerating when i say i have reread like at least 13 times. i love love love to read them late at night or early in the morning it’s comfort reading to me and the love language displayed between john and gale in her stories resonates deeply with my love language so i think it helps me further invest into the story. so heartbreakingly good. it truly only hurts because they love each other SO MUCH.

- at this point i’d be lying if i said i haven’t read everything she has written though. let your heart be light currently occupies my time, thoughts, and soul. there’s one portion in it’s different with you and me that has made me reread a handful of times: She eyes him in his uniform and he sees the way the night could go. The way it should go.

But all it makes him think about is Gale.

Gale, who doesn’t watch the girls at the pub, but who watches John.

Gale, who tenses up when the guys crowd him, but melts under John’s arm like it’s the most comfortable place in the world for him to be.

Gale, who went a whole day and a half giving him the cold shoulder after John came back to their room painted in red lipstick stains and smelling of cheap perfume.

So, he chats and he smiles, but he doesn’t flirt and he doesn’t touch. Because if there’s even a possibility in this world that there’s a chance Gale is like him and that he likes him, he’s not blowing it for anymore nights of chasing a fleeting good feeling.

@johnslittlespoon i stumbled upon their tough and sweet universe and ohhhhh myyyy looordddd. Yes pls. Age gap. Younger bucky. Biker gale. Biker Gale who is so tender and gentle and caring and sensitive to all of Bucky’s emotions and helps stabalize him. Gale who asks him what he wants to do and how his day was and respects his boundaries and cares for him. brb gonna go cry. so soft for them. (Im secretly hoping benny and brady are gay in this fic but idk lmao) also marge is awesome but we all knew that. and paulina’s a bad ass every fic.

@swifty-fox geez louiseee where do i even start!!! i just reread wormwood today (retaliation has been promised 🥵) and one thing that continuously draws me in is the backstory they manage to create. obsessed w little beasts it’s burnout! John and pastor! Gale and i wish i had the words to talk about how amazing it is. we were left on such a cliff hanger and they’ve been brought into each other’s family now (kinda) and gale said this line: only me? that i haven’t been able to stop thinking about. i can’t believe (and also can’t wait) that these two are gonna date and be a couple and hold hands and kiss and cuddle and - 🤯 most recently there is cicada season and i don’t want to go into that one i just want everyone to read it. their way of writing human complexity, sin, acceptance, grief, anger, insecurity — everything is so raw and cutting and beautiful. i wanna poke swifty’s brain bc they are so smart and knowledgeable but alas i want to remain unblocked.

I feel like I’m missing SO MANYYYYY GAHHH there are so many one shots i’m sure i’ll probably reblog to add 😭😭

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

question! apologies if you've already answered this, but you've talked about how each alpha kid has a beta troll counterpart that would match well(or at least, was alluded to match well) with them thematically, or at least fit their interests. roxy = eridan, jake = vriska, jane = equius. following that theming, who would dirk's be?

It's not as obvious for Dirk, but given the pattern followed by the other alpha kids, probably Tavros?

The other kids, it's practically indisputable - Jake's intro literally yammers about how he loves "cerulean knockouts, hubba hubba" and how he wishes he could be the guy who dated Neytiri from James Cameron's Avatar, wording it in a way that makes it sound exactly like the TaVris SGRUB situationship. The other big hint is that Jake is pretty much at the center of the venn diagram of Vriska's two love interests, John and Tavros (three if you count Nic Cage). Let's note that one of those interests shares a Class with Jake, a Page.

Roxy's is also practically indisputable; she fucking loves wizards, she's a hipster, but crucially, she also has a crush on a broody Prince, and her other interest is John, who's got black hair and glasses (and in their initial meeting, she literally isn't even listening to him, just going "wow... black hair and glasses... is he single" hahaha). Similar to VrisJake, Roxy is in the center of the venn diagram of Eridan's two red interests, Feferi and Nepeta - a bubbly pink nice girl, and a cat-themed Rogue. Let's notice again that some major foreshadowing here is class.

Finally, Jane literally talks about having a wall of "cobalt beefcakes," and she's constantly described as a "tightass" who starts out correcting peoples' grammar and chastising them when they cuss. Equius's main redcrush? Aradia... a Maid, except he laments her low social status because he's really into being dommed. Well. Guess who is also a Maid and of high social status (heiress).

So, following this pattern, it's very likely that Dirk's redrom situation will be someone who shares a class with his extant red interest... which would be a Page. Moreover, while it's subtler, his interest sets him up for Tavros in a similar way to the other three - he unironically loves Rainbow Dash, a flying horse, with Tavros also having a preoccupation with flight; he has a tiny horse similar to Tinkerbull (and Tavros also has horse associations, given his fiduspawn of choice is Horsearoni), and he's shown in his introduction rapping with a robot significantly less good at it than he is, winning by dousing it with orange soda. This same orange soda is later used by Dirk to pacify Gamzee, and Tavros and Gamzee are implied to be destined moirails, so that also gives it a more direct Tavros association. It's also not the first time soda of a corresponding blood color has been used to represent a troll character, as part of pale EriKar foreshadowing is the cherry-red Faygo that Eridan picks up. Tavros is a real mess in the romance department, meanwhile, because he regularly pursues people purely for status/accomplishment - Vriska (after dying) and Jade most notably - but he also has a weird something-something with Dave, being the first one to show up to doomed!Dave's bubble besides Aradia to challenge him to a rap battle. As we've seen with Vriska and John, an indicator of compatability might be interest in a similar family member.

Plus, the glimpse we get to see of Jake and Dirk casts Dirk in an interesting light - he IS needy and IS pushy, but his messages largely read as "what do YOU want to do? Let's go do something fun for YOU. Or if you need space, that's OK, just tell me and I'll give you some. But still you have to tell me". In a very Heart-esque way, he's super comfortable putting his own wants aside to accommodate his partner - he's just pushy about knowing what his partner wants.

(Quick sidenote - I believe that Hal is a fully separate entity from Dirk, so I don't lump any of Hal's actions in with Dirk's.)

This actually seems like what Tavros would need - as we see with Gamzee, he ghosts people who are too forward, but Gamzee is also deeply pessimistic and self-conscious, so he probably didn't bother trying to get back in touch after the first ghosting. Meanwhile, we see from Vriska that Tavros actually doesn't mind some pushiness, and there are even parts of their adventure he had fun with, since he just genuinely loves adventuring - she was just ultimately too inconsiderate and selfish for him.

And again, the major caveat to all these relationships is that every character needs character development to get to a point where the relationship is viable. Eridan, Vriska, AND Equius, given how they were before they died, and sometimes after, were all far too unstable, their worst traits untreated, for them to be good matches with the Alpha kids - but with some char dev and maturation, each of these characters' best selves are basically perfect fits.

Vriska's character development cuts out her need to live up to her society's murderous standards, and learns to be a bit nicer, meaning she ends up as a confident, take-no-shit bitch, whose adventuring style would mesh well with Jake, who's a fan of a challenge to a greater degree than Tavros and rebounds better from humiliation and defeat.

Eridan at full character development is likely still a naturally arrogant-sounding, despotic-acting freak, but firmly on the side of good (the "i will kill for you" type of friend), much like Slinus Marlevort from Roxy's wizard fanfic, but 1) she's really into all of that, she DOES NOT STOP describing Slinus as Hot as Hell, and 2) he's also a simp, like he would do anything his dating partner asked LOL

Equius at full character development has had a very long reflection on the fact that he's mostly just got a fetish, which - because he hasn't realized it's a fetish - he's inadvertantly been pushing onto other people. And he would stop that. Equius, at his core, is a polite and helpful lil' stoic, and most of his casteism is a combination of being a sub mixed with "this makes sense to me as an explanation of the horrible things that happen around me". Once he learns to rein in his fetish, his natural tendency is already to be the strong, silent type - à la Ron Swanson, Jane's "ideal man". Moreover, we see from tiaratop!Jane (and Jane and Jade later describe their mind control as them acting on their worst impulses, so it's still meant to be read as a reflection of Jane) treats Jake like an object/breeding stud, meaning that there's a part of Jane that's looking for submission, deference, and obedience in a partner............ Equius.

And finally, Tavros with full character development sees Tavros friendly, nice, confident, and outgoing. It's the version of him that puts together a massive pirate army at the end just by asking them nicely. Dirk's introduction describes that he unironically loves Rainbow Dash... because she's so spunky <3. Spunky is a good word to describe this final form of Tavros we get to see at the end.

Just wish I could see these characters happy, man. Like, I get why I can't, but still.

[knnichs]

you were mine (but you were awful everytime.)

with kinich’s busy schedule, he somehow can’t find the time to even send you short letters on how he was doing.  or: watching your childhood friend disappear from your hands.

c. kinich & gn!reader ( platonic or romantic, not explicitly stated )

t. character(s) are childhood friends with reader, can be read as platonic or romantic, word vomit, NO BETA WE DIE LIKE .... LIKE WHO???, angst, hurt/no comfort wow i can finally use this tag, little to no dialogue, wc: 1.4k

taglist. @honeyney @pneumosia @tragedy-of-commons @gl4di0lus @ariadnehelx @azuresaqua @mikashisus -> join the taglist here!

A REQUEST FROM @ MIKASHISUS: i’m here for the valentine’s event >:3 may i req iris + evanesce + kalopsia + lacuna for kinich? 🤍 GARDENERS NOTE: RAY IM GOING TO STRANGLE YOU. THIS WAS LITERALLY SO INSANE TO WRITE heres me self projecting AGAIN!

more author notes at the end !

“You don’t think that one day we’ll be separated, right?” 

You played with the grass underneath you, plucking out one after the other and attempting to braid them together to create a makeshift crown. It doesn’t work, it unravels itself on your palm and the blades of green straighten itself back to its original shape. The sun was just setting, this was yet another boring day in the fields of Natlan. The boy beside you scoffs at your question, almost offended if you listen in real hard. 

“No. And I’ll make sure of it.” 

Kinich never liked to talk of the future. When you ask him of what he sees himself doing a few years from now–he would redirect the conversation and ask you to help him with some chores the tribe chief assigned him to do instead. He buries himself in work, even as a child, just to stop his mind from drifting to those kinds of philosophical questions. Who has the time for it anyway?

You, ever so displeased by his straightforward answer, pressed him even more. You wanted to hear more–what he thought of you, what he would do if you were ever to drift away from him, so you asked him: How?

He fell silent for a moment, looking down to his feet. Kinich fiddled with something in his hand before he turned to you, giving you a weak smile. The boy hands you a flower, white and pure, and sits right in front of you. 

“I’ll make a promise,” He raises his pinkie, tilting his head as he did–his bright eyes sure to be forever ingrained in your memory. “That I’ll promise to stand by you until we both die. Is that enough?” 

“But how will you make sure that you’ll keep that promise? Swear it.”

He reaches for your hand, trying to set up the pinkie promise ceremony to get this over with. 

“Then… I swear on my heart, I will be with you.”

You hook your finger around his tightly, as if trying not to let go of the moment. Kinich blocked the sun–but the orange glow reached the tufts of his hair and seeped through the black strands. He used his other hand to cover where the two of you linked, sealing the promise, and he let go.

“You better make sure of it–or else I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life.” You say, pointing a finger at him accusingly. He raises his hands up, surrendering to your wishes. 

Kinich has always been popular in the Scions. You remember the people who once made fun of him as a kid were now fawning over his looks now that he was older, you were really only the real person who stuck by him through the years. You were there when the other kids picked on him, and you were there even after he had gotten his vision.

But now? You could only wish to be a part of his itinerary. 

You don’t blame him, life as a saurian hunter is difficult. Yes, not many would go into that kind of profession, it’s cruel, but someone has to do it. Kinich had no issue choosing to go to that rabbit hole even when you explained to him multiple times that you were concerned about him going through all of that just for some pouches of mora. Well–the amount of mora you get per commission is indeed quite a lot, but there must’ve been some better way to earn it, right?

Day by day, you never fail to return to the same tree where the two of you had made that promise. An emptiness would fill your chest–one so painful you’re sure nothing or no one else could help fix it but him. You hold Kinich so dear to your heart that it’s difficult to imagine a world without him. What if you had never met? Would things have been different then?

The same sun would sink below the grass, the same gust of wind that greets you–brushing past your hair with the gentlest touch. The same tree would shed its leaves seasonally, and the occasional smell of nostalgia hits you hard. How you had missed lounging around here, under the leaves, with your friend. How you missed when days were boring, and your biggest worry was how you’d get home before it got dark and your parents would scold you for being out too long.

Kinich held your hand when you walked through the streets of Natlan once the moon rose, he held your hand when talking to the vendors in the market and you had no clue how to talk to them–they were intimidating, he couldn’t blame you. It’s a shame he was forced to grow up so young. He protected you as a way to heal his inner child–to give the love he never got. 

You just had to ruin it. 

You just had to be so selfish–to ask him for more time, just a few minutes more or seconds, even. Just a little more time to spend with him, just enough to watch the sun rise or fall, just enough to have one more conversation about nothing and everything. When he does give in to your requests–the two of you end up saying nothing, the silence speaks volumes, you’ve drifted apart. There’s nothing to talk about but the past. You know almost nothing of his life now that he seems so far. 

Those were the same eyes that looked at you with such fondness it was hard to express it in words. You remember the sound of his footsteps when he’d creep up behind you to greet you, you remember the messy handwriting he had when he was just learning–the random letters he’d give you throughout the day just to show you how appreciative he was of your presence. Because you were there when others weren’t, you made him feel loved when the others didn’t think of him as someone equal simply because of his childhood.

His name has always been on the tip of your tongue, a silent prayer of wanting to see him for just a second, swinging through the trees with the boxes in hand for his delivery. The bright yellow of his saurian companion, the brightness of his eyes, the sound of his voice. You had never imagined it would end like this, with him frustrated–your tears close to spilling, under the same tree you had spent time with the most, he would tell you how much you bugged him asking for time out of his very busy life. You couldn’t say anything but recall the times of your youth. 

“No one has the right to dictate my time,” He’d glare at you, his voice laced with something unfamiliar–for the very first time he was angry. “Even you.”

“You promised… you promised you’d stick with me until death. Does that mean nothing to you, at all?”

“We were kids, I don’t believe that counts–you know what? Give me a break. I already have so much to my plate that I don’t think I have the energy to do this.”

The situation was helpless. You didn’t trust your voice enough that you would retort with some witty remark like you used to as a child–you couldn’t shout back at him for being rude to you when all you’ve ever done to him was treat him with the kindness he didn’t know existed. Each word shared between the two of you were etched deep within your mind, he was a part of your soul. You couldn’t believe he would leave you this easily.

So you whisper–because you can’t shout, you can’t speak. 

“Don’t be a stranger,”

Your vision was blurry when he finally turned his back on you. You’re not sure if that was still him, stopping in his tracks, or if it was the tree swaying from the wind– almost mocking you of what just happened, giving the illusion that he was still here, that he’d be willing to salvage whatever the two of you had.

When you call out for his name, no one appears. He wasn’t there to lend you his bandana to dry your tear stained cheeks, stop you from roughly rubbing your eyes so it wouldn’t get itchy later. 

He was truly the only person that felt like home, and on the day of love–you had never expected for him to leave so easily. 

@ knnichs 2023 ﹑ do not repost, republish, translate, feed to ai or modify any of my works. doing so can and will result into me blocking you.

reblogs with comments are INCREDIBLY appreciated! go scream go feral idc i will eat all of them up and run away with a familiarly shaped reblog in my mouth, thank you.

DAWG THE WAY THIS WAS SO SELF INDULGENT UM the prompts reminded me of something that happened way back THIS IS MY FIRST TIME WRITING ABOUT IT SO I HOPE IT WAS SO BAD UMMMM i literally dont know how to put my feelings into words if u can tell LOL! anyway probably my first time ?? writing hurt no comfort or pure angst ... this is new TO ME !!!! i hope its ok !!

[thenatezone]

Having digested the Bell's Hells finale I think I want to make some observations that, FULL DISCLOSURE, will veer into gentle criticism, but that's fine because we're all incredibly normal and mature and we'll just be cool about it.

I know that these last few episodes had to close out not just campaign 3 but presumably also this version of the show. I know the cast likes to revisit their old, iconic characters and that the constant references and connections to previous campaigns are really fun for them. But, fun as it was, I feel it came at the expense of crowding Bells Hells out of their own campaign.

I believe we have reached MCU Phase 4 (?) levels of callbacks and references to previous campaigns, which, in my opinion, M9 handled with much more restraint. Easier for the cast to do back then, you might say, with only one previous campaign and no supplemental series like EXU to weave in, but I would respond by reminding you that no one made them ratchet up the shared universe storytelling. To continue with the Marvel analogy, sometimes a Spider-Man story has pretty high stakes that might justify the X-Men or FF or Avengers showing up to help. If they're going to, fine, but you have to keep the focus on Spider-Man or you've failed to tell a Spider-Man story and you shouldn't have involved so many other heroes if they're just going to take away opportunities for his character development.

Also, with so many EXU installments and the main series only running 3 weeks a month, I thought campaign 3 really dragged compared to the others. Maybe that's because it was a lot less...vignette-y, I guess, than VM or M9? I'm guesstimating here but it felt like Bells Hells had identified the bad guys (and more or less what their plan was) about one-third into the campaign and the other two-thirds was pretty much exclusively about stopping it. Just not my preference for the pacing of a multi-year campaign.

As far as revisiting VM and M9 to give them updated endings, I found this...emotionally satisfying in the moment, let's say, but kind of narratively weak and cloyingly sentimental when considered after the fact. It reminds me (I am old) of the finale of Lost, which ends on an uplifting and feelgood scene. This emotional satisfaction lingers for a moment and then you (if you are me) realize that you will have to make your peace with the fact that the show has been promising answers to its many mysteries and will not be delivering on any of them. It's not a waste of time because you have enjoyed yourself, but you wish the show had delivered more relative to what it had promised. That's how I feel about Bells Hells.

Now I do want to note that if I had played Bells Hells as a home campaign I would have loved it! Would never have shut up about it. Would have been completely on board with the meta-references and the constant in-character arguing and planning and ethical debates that kept going in circles. Would have appreciated the players all taking big swings with their characters even if some of them weren't as successful as others. Would definitely have supported of a final session that wrapped everything up a little too neatly, because it might have been the last time our crew could play after years together and the real world had gotten so unpleasant that maybe the fantasy world could lighten up just a bit. And while it's unfair to hold Critical Role to the same standards as a scripted show when it's not, we have to acknowledge that it's also not just some friends playing DnD at home with only themselves to satisfy.

Still love the program, still love the chemistry of the cast, still can't wait to see what they do next with this last EXU and then Daggerheart. The worst day fishin' is better than the best day workin' after all, but I hope some bigger fish will be biting next time.

[neomechanicaldoll]

Beast yeast episode 8 spoilers!

So. I've been going a little bit cuckoo bananas over the new update and its happenings, and I just cannot get this stupid game out of my head. and thus to cope I have made

The pure vanilla conspiracy

Basically just a bunch of things both big and small that I find kind of strange about pure vanilla cookie and associated things

Starting small we have: the pure vanilla kingdom and my first thought is, how is it floating? Just... how did it get there. I don't think it's natural and even if it were how would cookies of gotten up there. In the story gingerbrave and co get up there by using a teleporter and I can't think of a way anyone could of gotten up to the floating island to build it if it were a natural structure.

And speaking of that teleporter, the pure vanilla kingdom is surprisingly technologically advanced. Of course the golden cheese kingdom has all its stuff going on but that place is the exception to everywhere else, the only other places with automations and/or machines I can think of off the top of my head is creme republic, city of wizards and whatever was going on in the summer music festival story(I haven't really played much of that so idk) there could be some I'm missing that I'm just not thinking of right now but point is the pure vanilla kingdom is surprisingly advanced compared to most other places

Quick another thing is the pure vanilla kingdom possibly being responsible for the valley beneath it being so baren, there's something to be said here but I don't remember remember what so uh

Moving on to actually important stuff, I wanna talk about pure vanilla cookies design and the design motifs associated with him.

Basic stuff out of the way first, pure vanilla cookie looks like an ice cream cone and I think that's pretty cool

Next I've got to talk about the eight pointed star which if you haven't noticed important characters (pretty much just exclusively the beasts and the ancients) have certain symbols or sets of symbols tied to them (basically like a visual leitmotif) when these symbols show up somewhere it signifies the characters connection to that thing and pure vanilla's is an eight pointed star (specifically an eight pointed one not a six pointed star those show up everywhere) and so here are some places where I have found said star

Predictable places are of course on pure vanilla cookie's design, the pure vanilla kingdom some and episodes 7 and 8 of beast yeast (only in the background though). More interesting possibly lore important places for this to be is his soul jam (I know this one seems obvious but I'll get to why it's interesting later), on the avatar of destiny's design (and I WILL be talking about this one just you wait), both dream station and eternal city of wizards (I'm not totally sure if this one holds any implications or if devsis just wanted more shapes for stars but they are there and if it is intentional than, oh my does it make things interesting)

There is 100% more places than this since I've mostly just looked through the backgrounds of the world maps, I'm just not bothered enough to look through the whole story and the level backgrounds and decors, maybe I'll do it another day

So- avatar of destiny

I am admittedly a little confused about this thing I really thought it might come into play in these past few updates and it kind of just hasn't, it wasn't even really hinted towards. I am an avid pure vanilla cookie will be avatar of destiny theory enjoyer and I still think that it'll be involved in the story but now I'm not exactly sure how. I originally thought that pure vanilla cookie would become the avatar of destiny a la dark cacao cookie in episode 14 which I still think is a possibility for it to happen I'm just not sure exactly how now. Although there is that one strange line shadow milk cookie has in his interaction with candy apple cookie that has some very fun implications.

But all that aside let's look at the design!

All this considered I feel like there's no possible way that the avatar of destiny and pure vanilla cookie aren't related in some way. I would compare the attacks avatar of destiny and pure vanilla have but aod isn't in guild raid right now and I don't have super sparkle pure vanilla yet so I can't (also I don't want to)

Ok now it's soul jam time. I can't really say alot about this bit because there's no that much information so uh. Pure vanilla cookie's soul jam is kinda really strange, like why does it look like this

It's so strange, pure vanilla's soul jam is the only one that looks different when in its non physical form. There's not really much I can say about this since nothing in the game ever comments on this, although there is something interesting where whenever the light of truth talks to pure vanilla cookie his soul jam appears on screen in comparison whenever shadow milk cookie talks to pure vanilla whilst pretending to be the light of truth this doesn't happen which means me think that shadow milk is unaware of pure vanilla's soul jam being like it is, just some food for thought

Now we finally talk personality and in terms of character the new updates have been a all you can eat buffet, but we're here to talk suspicious things incase you've forgotten which you probably have by now. It was mentioned in a post by piromina that pure vanilla is being mighty suspicious especially during that ending part of beacon of truth and it has made me think a little. When the other golden cheese and dark cacao cookie awakened they did so by denying the ideology of their counterparts (I think, I don't remember completely) but pure vanilla doesn't. Instead of doing something like I dunno just believing real hard he tricks shadow milk cookie, something that shadow milk would do himself. Also that lie shall vanquish a lie line was pretty concerning, I don't think pure vanilla cookie is entirely ok (I hope he isn't, I hope devsis puts him in the metaphorical torture blender again \affectionate)

Oooo suprise shadow milk section. Uh "why is this here? Isn't this supposed to be the pure vanilla cookie conspiracy?" don't worry about it, I just discovered some stuff during my crappy research and thought I should bring them up

So fun things I found, shadow milk eye motif on the walls of that one cave, y'know that one cave with the tapestrys of pure vanilla, it's that one and the weird blueberry eye plant things in city of wizards so that's cool

Uuuhh ya tgis was uh fun definitely helped with the brain worms I would do more character analysis stuff but I'm too tired to, maybe I'll come back another day, who knows

[34saveme34]

I really love hcs on how characters handle flusteredness when it comes to crushing

where Mario will become The Cockroach to you and be Really annoying but also sometimes is self aware enough where he can really make himself seem endearing and that's how he gets to you, and this is all entirely natural from him, you can just stand there and he's doing it like courting bird dance

4 well, we know how he bickers with 3, the mutual "you can't fluster me if I fluster YOU" going on with them, they never get tired of the bit I swear with the bonus of 4 being able to appreciate compliments when he sees them as at least somewhat genuine while 3 is still biting your head off and fighting or tries to manipulate you into thinking that you only say things you do because he conditioned you into them, therefore adapting a new Bit to avoid Feelings. this does not work with 4 sadly rip 3

Meggy is the "I'm gonna play this cool but I'm screaming inside" as in a thing happens that flusters and then she struggles to either change the subject or somehow try to downplay things happening, she likes feeling calm and collected too hard to actually let herself just feel stuff

Tari I think, depending on how embarrassing it is for her, from a scale of 0 to oh my god I gotta get out of here the whole world is making fun of me for this, she could be at either end depending on the situation. at 0 she's like giggling, smiling, blushing, fiddling with her hands and being so coy and so cute

Saiko hmm.......... a bit harder to put into words how I exactly see her. she gets lost in people's strength I think, like whoever she turns out to love she would definitely think about perphas her beloved's strenghts and power, whether that is to be themselves, I don't mean like......... deity powers necessarily ehjnklreekl but I think she would BOTTLE it up SO HARD and then feel it in private. She will like find the space to let herself feel stuff and how much her head has been spinning over such silly little feelings and if you accidentally find her while she's going through these feels depending on how close you are she can maybe either confide in you or you're immediately getting flattened by her hammer

Puzzles is stupid and puts his feelings into metaphors several times. recontextualising his feelings in many ways until it fully comes to surface and he can't hide it anymore. He would go through all the stages of love before he could truly ever let himself admit to it. He would feel the pain the agony the happiness the distance the closeness the warmth or lackthereof the light and the dark and everything and nothing, he would lay it out several times and do a spin on it as it slowly turnes out his stories about him and whoever he loves going around each other as maybe no story of his would actually have him get the person he desires because he just couldn't see such a reality and yet he bares this part of him out again and again as it itches his brain, a virus of a muse, until he lets it all out and all that is left is for him to realise what it truly was all this time

Melony. demisexual, that's my big headcanon. maybe demidemi. Her love would spring out of deep friendship, the slow build up of seeing a friend of hers differently, but it's slow enough where it never quite flusters her that much though casual romantic things would make her smile and giggle,

NOW KAREN!!! GOD. okay. OKAY. so. yall know I really like her w Flurrie. like really really. And that woman could absolutely fluster her, but even outside of that, I don't think it's hard to fluster her. NOW keeping her is a bit of a difference. I think she would find mutual trust the most attractive thing in a partner, where she could let herself have it as well and feel a bit more comfortable in being flustered and less like she wants to shut it down regardless of how it makes her feel because it could lead down an all too well known path she wasn't happy with even before, but when she trusts you, you WILL be partners in crime and what more could you ask for

can't really think of anyone else. despite REALLY liking Kaizo and Whimpu, I'm still not sure of my interpretation of them, I think I need to make them better before I can do anything interesting with them such as this post

wish they would star in episodes more often!! (not APPEAR. star means actually meaning something to the plot besides cameo)

anyways this has been brought to you by wowww the day of love of the partnership kind, just a few days ahead wow!!

[tomahachi12]

I was thinking about your Virus AU and I had an interesting thought: 1. You showed us all the Solver-infected drones in their wild form, but what if we go further? From the category of "What if?" other characters who are not infected in canon would be infected and become wild? For example: Khan, Nikolai, Lizzy, Thad and maybe Beau? 2. We know that wild Alice is a deer, then who will Cynthia be? A bat or a deer? And then perhaps this concerns Noah, because in the first post there is a hint of his infection. 3. And lastly: I still can't fully understand what Manor is in Virus AU? There are 2 universes where in one Manor Drones have always been beasts and the second where they became them after the end of the series? And what about the other drones from the Manor? Are they also wild? And what about that Cyntessa from the very first AU art? P.S.: Sorry if this is too much for one question.

oh goodness! uuuh, lemme see

1: "From the category of "What if?" other characters who are not infected in canon would be infected and become wild? For example: Khan, Nikolai, Lizzy, Thad and maybe Beau?"

That's a lot to think about! And honestly, I haven't put too much thought into it. Lets get some ideas going anyway!

Khan: a beaver. Beavers build dams, Khan builds doors. Same thing, right?

Nikolai: Eurasian Brown Bear. Big, but cuddly and protective of his family (even though I canon him as a bit of a nervous wreck)

Lizzy: probably something sassy, like a cat or maybe an otter just because.

Thad: either a dog or a cheetah

Beau: if he was still in his little bby body, he'd be an armadillo, but if he had an acual body, a coyote.

--

2. "We know that wild Alice is a deer, then who will Cynthia be? A bat or a deer? And then perhaps this concerns Noah, because in the first post there is a hint of his infection."

"And then perhaps this concerns Noah, because in the first post there is a hint of his infection." <- There was? did I write something I wasn't suppose to? Wouldn't be the first time, honestly.

Alice is a deer, yes, but for Cynthia, she could have both! Bat stuff coming from her solver and the deer stuff from her mom. Now I imagine as her solver becomes more active, she gets antlers like her mom does.

Y'ALL MAKING ME THINK AND NOW I GOTTA REWRITE CHAPTER 5.

--

3. "And lastly: I still can't fully understand what Manor is in Virus AU? There are 2 universes where in one Manor Drones have always been beasts and the second where they became them after the end of the series? And what about the other drones from the Manor? Are they also wild? And what about that Cyntessa from the very first AU art?"

The Manor stuff is purely for fun. It isn't canon in any way to the Virus AU, I think I just tag it the same to keep it all together.

The other drones in the manor are completly normal. J, N , V and Cyn are just special lol

Infected Cynessa also isn't canon either, just fun exploration.

[lesbianherald]

Yeah, I totally get you. With all of it's flaws, S2 gave Jayvik a beautiful finale that could get messed up easily if they were to give their story to the same people that messed up everyone else's arcs before.

Not to mention Riot alleged treatment of other ships. Like, I'd be scared they wouldn't let them be together if, hypothetically, they were to be brought back.

I wonder if they would somehow go their old lore way? How would they deal with Viktor's guilt over what happened? Idk I don't trust them with these characters haha.

I feel like Ralph rn.

I was so hype like an hour ago, now I'm just like "this is giving me anxiety". 🫠

NOOOOO!!!! I don't want to take away from the fact that it's an exciting thing. I'm just so bitter about season 2 that it's tainting my excitement for future projects. season 2 reeked of corporate interference that I'm worried that'll continue. I'm very anti-franchise too so I'm just naturally against these things DKLFJHSd.

But, there are some incredibly talented people in this world and I'm sure if they brought Jayce and Viktor back there would inevitably be some on that team.

I think, hopefully Arc season 2 was a learning experience. They didn't even win at the game awards. They're a former industry darling. Hopefully someone will take note of this and say hey! Maybe we should prioritize the storytelling still.

I just... you know. I like what the ending gave us. It felt like it completed their stories in a sense and it was open ended enough we could have fun with post canon. I always worry about what happens when people don't let their stories end. That's very common these days. not to old man yell at cloud.

[hopefullhearts]

Spin You Around. [Scott Miller x f!reader]

summary: Could be read as a prequel to 'Sickeningly Sweet' or as a standalone fic! Reader is Tyler's childhood best friend and marketing guru, and she is a total southern belle ray of sunshine. Scott is Scott. The tension goes crazy. Especially, when dancing is involved.

content warnings: only one use of y/n (it was unavoidable forgive me pls), very bad writing because it's 1 am and I barely proofread this. alcohol consumption and lots of dancing!

word count: 1.9k

a/n: I have other fics in my drafts with other characters but Scott is just so easy to write for me that the words pour out. so here ya go!

--

The storms that you and the team had come out to chase had ended up dying out, but it was far too late in the afternoon to head back to Arkansas. This left you all with a free Saturday night in a small town in the middle of the Kansas, and you had hatched a great plan on how to spend it.

"Hey Tyler!" You approached him with your phone in hand. "I found this bar about 10 minutes from here. Says online they have a dance floor. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

His smile immediately mirrors yours. "Absolutely, darling."

You squealed with excitement. "It's been forever since we went dancing! And, I already know what I'm going to wear. I had a hunch about us having a night off so I brought this one dress that-"

Your rant was cut off by the roar of several white trucks pulling into the motel parking lot. Storm Par, of course, always seeming to follow you, meaning they would likely have the night off as well.

Tyler could see the wheels in your head turning. "You think they would even want to come? I think they're incapable of having fun."

Your head snapped toward him. "How did you know I was going to invite them?"

"Intuition maybe?" He shrugged with a smirk.

"Whatever." You shoved his shoulder with yours. "I'm sure they have nothing to do anyways, and it would be polite to invite them."

Tyler gasped, mocking you. "And God forbid we not be polite."

You walked away, approaching Javi as he got out of his truck, flipping Tyler off as you did so, which was met with a hearty laugh from him.

"Javi!" You caught the man's attention. "Shame that these storms died out, huh?"

"Yeah. Hurts our data collection but I'm happy to have a night off."

"Well, I am just so glad you said that." Your grin spreading from ear to ear.

"Uh-oh. That smile is a little scary. What you got planned?" Javi joked with you.

"Me and the gang are going dancing at-" You looked at your phone again to check out the place's info. "Silver Saddle Saloon. Any chance you and your boys would be interested in joining us?"

"That sounds like a good time, honestly." He smiled, genuinely charmed by your invitation. "I'll ask around and see if anyone is down. But count me in for sure."

"Count you in for what?" You heard a deeper voice ask from behind you, and you didn't have to turn around to see who it was.

You chose to ignore how the tone of his voice sent a chill down your spine and caused a flutter in your stomach.

"(Y/n) was just inviting us to join her and her friends at a saloon nearby for some dancing." Javi filled him in. "You interested?"

"No. I've got work to do tonight." He said coldly and you finally looked him in his eyes.

"Oh, c'mon, you can take one night off." You insisted, unsure of why you wanted him to come so badly.

"Maybe that's how it works in hillbilly land, but I actually have real work to do." He responded quickly, his witty remark clearly intending to hurt you.

However, you refused to let him break your spirit. It was your way of not backing down from the fight. But, you figured it wouldn't hurt to try out a new tactic.

"Is that so?" You challenged. He gave you a nod in response, urging you on. He could see in your eyes you had something else to say. "No, no, no. I don't think that's it. I think that you can't dance."

Scott scoffed. It was the most reaction you think you had ever gotten out of him. "I can dance."

"I don't believe you." You teased, enjoying how his cheeks turned even just a tiny shade of pink. "I think you have two left feet and you're too scared to show us."

"I can dance. I just have better things to do tonight." Scott insisted, hating that he was too distracted by how cute you looked to come up with a smartass response.

"Sure." You dragged out the 'e', exposing the delightful southern charm in your voice that made his heart thump. "Well, Javi, I'll see you there. Save me a dance okay?"

And with that, you sauntered off. You carried a new spring in your step from the fact that you got under Scott's skin without being rude. It felt like a victory.

--

That earlier victory felt a lot less meaningful when you were only a beer deep at the bar and already viciously fighting off the urge to glance at the door every five seconds. Thankfully, you were able to ignore your very conflicting feelings with a tequila shot, offered to you by none other than Boone.

You took it quickly with a salt and a lime, slammed the shot glass on the counter, and grabbed his arm.

"Dance with me?" You asked, a gleam in your eyes that made you impossible to say no to (not that Boone wanted to anyways).

"Lead the way, sugar." He replied, letting you drag him along onto the hardwood floor.

You two-stepped around the floor for a few songs, and you thought you were being sneaky by taking peeks at the entrance over Boone's shoulder. But Boone unfortunately knew you better.

No one knew you as well as Tyler did, but Boone was a close second, and you were cursing his ability to read you in this moment.

"You wanna tell me who you're looking for?" Boone snapped you out of your train of thought and caught you red-handed. "Or do I need to guess?"

"I'm not looking for anyone." You lied.

You had always been a horrible liar. It was one of Boone's favorite traits of yours. If he wanted an honest opinion, he could always count on you.

He glared at you, and you sighed in defeat. "Well, I invited the Storm Par guys and none of them have showed up yet."

"And?" He goaded you on.

"And Javi said he would come. And it would be rude of them not to come."

"So you want Javi to show up?"

"Sure." You nodded, hoping Boone would drop it, but timing was not in your favor. All of the sudden, you and Boone saw the door open. Javi walked inside with Scott and a few other Storm Par guys trailing behind him.

Boone studied your reaction as you took in all of them, following your gaze until it clicked, the revelation coming to him almost too easily.

"You wanted Scott to show up, huh?" Boone teased. "And here I thought you liked cowboys."

Your face heated instantly. "I don't like Scott!"

"I never said you did, sweetheart."

"Well-"

"Why did you want Scott to come?" He cut off what he knew would be a long-winded rant of explanations, none of them real.

"I don't know!" You buried your face in his chest in embarrassment. "I told him I didn't think he could dance. A small part of me wanted him to show up and prove me wrong."

Boone audibly laughed, much to your dismay. "Oh that's cute, sugar, real cute."

You groaned even louder, wishing you would melt away into a puddle on the floor.

"I mean, that's like rom-com cute." Boone howled.

After a moment, you pulled away from his chest to look at him, your eyes pleading with him to leave it alone. He saw the helplessness on your face and relented quickly.

He sighed, caving to your puppy dog eyes . "Alright, I'm done."

You breathed out in relief. "Thank you."

The song began to fade out, and Boone brought you out of your spiraling thoughts with a rub up and down your arm. "More tequila?"

Nothing sounded better to you. "Yes, please."

While waiting for your shots at the bar, you were met by Javi and Scott.

"You came!" You smiled at Javi, giving him a hug.

"Had to show you how Storm Par gets down." He hugged you back.

"And how is that?" Boone asked from behind you.

"Like true southern gentlemen." Javi smiled, turning back to you. "Would you like to dance, darling?"

You outright giggled at his overdramatic southern accent, matching it with your own. Ignoring Scott's presence entirely, you replied: "Why I would love to."

And that's how the rest of the night went. You danced with Javi, and then had a drink or two. You took a spin with Tyler and then did another shot with Lily. You did a line dance with Boone and then chugged two waters to stop all the sweating.

Meanwhile, Scott watched you through it all. He felt a little like a creep with the way he was staring at you, but it was physically impossible to not watch you out on the floor with all your friends. A slight bead of sweat running down your neck from the heat of the lights, the brightest smile on your face, and that goddamn dress twirling around you as you spun.

You danced with everyone else, and he tried to ignore the twinge of jealously he felt when Tyler's hand slotted right onto your lower back.

However, he felt less like a creep and a whole lot less jealous when he occasionally caught your eyes over Tyler's shoulder.

You tried not to look at him all night. You knew he was looking at you. You could feel his eyes burning into you everywhere you went, and it lit you on fire. He was wearing a button down that clung to his arms, brown cowboy boots, and Levi's that fit him perfectly. He looked good, and you knew that he knew it.

Finally, with enough liquid courage in your system, small glances across the room stopped being enough, so you chose to approach him.

"So," You slid up next to where he leaned against the bar, beer in hand. "What happened to all those 'better things' you had to do tonight?"

Scott shrugged. "Figured I'd take the night off."

"I haven't seen you on that dance floor all night." You challenged. "Starting to think I was right about my theory."

"Been waiting for the right dance partner." He pushed off the bar and turned to face you, and you physically felt the tension in the air thicken.

"And that's supposed to be me?" You spoke back confidently, hoping he didn't notice how nervous he made you.

"If you want." He said, ever so nonchalantly. "Seems like you've been holding your own with everyone else."

"You been watching me, Miller?" You took the opportunity to strike, already knowing the answer, only because you had been watching him too.

For once, Scott was speechless, and you laughed in response. He hated how much he loved the sound of it, even when you were laughing at him.

"So, you going to dance with me or what?" You raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to make a move.

Scott finished the last sip of his beer, set the glass on the counter, and offered you his hand. You took it and followed his lead out to the dance floor.

Your skin burned red hot as he placed his large hand on your lower back and guided you through the steps. You weren't the smallest of girls, but the way that he lead you on the floor made you feel fully consumed by him, like putty in his hands.

You audibly gasped when he used his hand to lead you into a spin, pulling you back in and dipping you low, pausing to look in your eyes as he held you up.

"I told you, princess. I can dance."

[the-spam-specialist]

Fluffy request!

Zooble and Caine spend time brainstorming ideas for parts together. I think it would be cute! (platonically)

It goes about as well as you think. Caine will still be Caine sometimes.

Brainstorming Session

Characters: Zooble, Caine

Word Count: 800-ish

Zooble sat cross-legged in their room—a cozy burst of shapes and patterns that mirrored their eccentric appearance. Today was special, apparently; Caine had decided to dedicate the afternoon to helping them brainstorm new attachable limbs. Or more like he had shown up at their door and proposed the idea with more excitement than should be legally allowed. 

Zooble sighed, “Look, Caine, I appreciate the enthusiasm, really. But I’m… fine.” They waved their arm dismissively. “It’s not like I need new limbs.”

“Nonsense, nonsense! Everyone needs a little pizzazz! And besides,” Caine lowered his voice conspiratorially, “haven't you mentioned wanting… adjustments?” 

Zooble lowered their head a bit. They had told Caine they had been trying to find parts they liked since they had gotten here. It made sense Caine wanted to talk with them about making new parts. They sighed and let him into the room, “Alright, come in.” 

“Wonderful!” He zipped into the room and summoned a notepad and a comically oversized pencil. “Operation: Zooble’s Bodily Bliss is officially underway!”

Zooble narrowed their eyes, “Don’t ever call it that again.” 

“Catchy, isn’t it? Right, so, let’s brainstorm! Think of anything, anything at all! Perhaps… spring-loaded legs for extra bouncy movement? Or maybe arms that can extend to unimaginable lengths for reaching those high shelves I keep forgetting to index?” Caine’s eyes, located within his denture head, gleamed with manic creativity.

Zooble rubbed their mismatched eyes. “Actually…I was thinking…maybe just…normal legs?”

Caine paused, pencil hovering over the notepad. “Normal? Fascinating concept! Elaborate, if you please! Are we talking…bipedal locomotion? Standard issue…human-esque?” He seemed genuinely perplexed.

“Yeah, like… matching legs. So I don’t wobble when I walk. And maybe… matching wing parts for my shoulder slots?” Zooble gestured to the empty slots on their blocky shoulders where wing attachments sometimes resided.

“Hmmm…I think I can make that happen!” The AI jotted all of these notes down, his mind already thinking of all the models he was going to create for these new parts. He then flipped to a page in his notebook that already had words written down on it, as well as some drawings, “I’ve been exploring possibilities for your new arms, too! How about ones shaped like candy canes? They'd be sweet!"

Zooble blinked their mismatched eyes, colors shifting with a gentle annoyance. "Caine, I appreciate it. But candy canes... that’s not really my vibe."

"Ah! Right! Not candy canes, then! How about...tentacles? They could be all squiggly and playful!" His big, googly eyes widened with enthusiasm.

They shuddered at the idea. They knew Caine’s creativity was always front and center with his thinking, but his mind needed to be…grounded while thinking of parts for someone else.  "Caine, I get you want the limbs to be fun, but none of it feels normal. I mean, can I just get something like…hands? Just normal hands."

Caine paused. "Normal, right! Right! What does ‘normal’ feel like to you?”

Zooble looked away, their heart racing at the challenge of explaining something so intrinsic, yet so elusive, even to themselves. They wished for something that didn't call attention but felt like an extension of who they were. “It’s hard to explain. When I think of hands, I think of… you know, helping, holding, existing without all mismatched confusion. I just want to blend in without losing who I am.”

A thoughtful look crossed Caine’s face, “Ah, I see! Blending in while being you...we can do that! How about we create hands that can change colors but function like regular human hands?”

Zooble’s geometric form twisted in curiosity. “Hmmm… that has potential.”

“Imagine transforming from a soft blue for calm moments to a vibrant orange with excitement! You can express yourself while feeling less out of place!” Caine beamed, his enthusiasm lighting up the room.

“Maybe…that could work,” Zooble mused, warming to the idea. It did sound kind of fun. They liked the idea of their arms turning red with anger as they choked the [%$!#] out of Jax. 

After a burst of sketches and ideas filled the digital air, a moment of silence enveloped them. Caine’s eyes flicked back and forth, a hint of uncertainty surfacing amidst his charismatic demeanor.

“Do you…like these concepts?” he asked, a soft gleam in his eye betraying the fear of disappointing them.

“In all honesty,” Zooble began, heartened by Caine’s concerned expression, “this really means a lot to me. Thanks for taking the time to help me with this.”

Caine floated a bit higher, his dentures shining with pride. “You deserve to feel good in your own shape! I will do my absolute best to ensure your limbs feel just right, Zooble! Remember, this circus is a home for everyone, and you should feel comfortable being yourself.”

Zooble felt a tingle within, a mix of gratitude and relief. They had spent so long trying to adjust to an environment which often felt foreign, but here within the warmth of Caine’s endeavor, they felt understood. For once. 

[marzipanilla]

I think I just desperately miss shows with 20+ eps a season.

Even with him fumbling it I would love Mark actually attempting to be a bastion of morals/attempting the right thing. I think they're almost trying to do that this season with his confrontation with Cecil, but it all falls so flat because Mark struggles to even articulate why he thinks he's right to begin with except by defining himself as not his father. Once more we missed out on him attempting to find a role model people consider good and doing what he could in his power to emulate and either learning something about what being a beacon for ppl means or realizing that everyone fucks up and purity culture in a trauma response job ain't gunna get you no where. He's so obsessed with power level he doesn't realize he needs to actually learn things. Like why it's important to help people at all. He doesn't know apparently, since he can't explain to Oliver that being a hero is more than killing people who were hurting others. hint Mark- it's because the unilateral power Cecil fears you capable of wielding is the same shit he wields

We need flashbacks to Nolan's time w the Guardian bc what was that like before he had the slightly awkward shit we see in S1 ep 1. Immortal mostly trusts him during the white house attack and is genuinely horrified at the thought of him hurting the team ! Unlike in the comic where he just says 'I've always hated you' which like I could take either canon- tho it really feels more like a dick measuring contest gone wrong instead of 'I knew you were bad I just couldn't put my finger on it' in the comic.

Team dynamics my beloved. Wonder Woman was under some rubble and Batman was desperately digging her out and they made him stop and when she emerged a moment later she noticed the dirt on his hands !! and comforted him even tho he tried to hide the fact he was scrambling to get her out ! no words just actions ! like ! give me tiny character moments -sob- The JL getting coffee and blankets for each other when sleepy D : (and more a character moment than a team moment but Clark crawling into the rocket he came to Earth on to hide bc his dream monster form was hurting people and he just wanted to be safe !!! all visual never discussed w dialogue !! beautiful!!) Also Lisa Edelstein showed up as a voice for a side char and I spent the whole ep going who ??? until I saw the credits lol

Oh that's a fun scene! I've maybe only ever seen the first Madagascar film lol But yeah, even changing the tone- please let the team play off of each other! We get .5 seconds of that in S1 during the end of the Machine Head fight. a tiny. tiny moment. Definitely limitations and budget for animation, but gah- like !! the whole squad going up for the sequid invasion threat and literally two people doing anything at all !! like !! WHY DID ALL OF YOU GO YOU LITERALLY DID NOTHING. Blame yourselves for what happened on the ground team, like, damn, the whole team did not need to go into space. You'd think you would have figured that out by now.

Everyone gets female characters jewelry in media and I hate it lol Look, there are times it can work- heirlooms, genuinely discussed mcguffin/backstory pieces where whatever it is means something, but the vast majority of the time it's just a shiny necklace picked up from the fucking mall. And what do the women get their men? Insanely thoughtful gifts about their personalities and interests. If you can only think to get your partner jewelry, then you fucking know nothing about them at all. My biggest example of this is from the show Castle, where one episode has the main chick setting up a recreation of Rear Window for the main dude to experience/play out like it's real bc he's stuck at home on his birthday. The entire episode is about what goes down. When it's her birthday? He buys her a necklace, and it's a subplot to whatever it going on in the ep, and it's a comedic subplot bc he loses it at one point and most of the antics around the gift aren't even about her. And then he gives her the necklace at the end that we're never going to see her wear again because she has a job where wearing shit like that isn't a good idea.

I fucking hate jewelry as a gift. It says I don't know anything about this character and I refuse to put any effort in.

Also is Kate gunna where her fucking wedding ring on missions??? like ??? what ??? Then again, I think Nolan, Mark and Eve are legit the only heroes in the entire series who have secret identities/civilian identities, so like- I guess it doesn't matter?? 90% of you have your fucking name as part of your hero name if you have a name at all. A part of me is glad the show never really deep dives into those stories, they sort of did with Amber in S1, and they bring it up a bit with Debbie telling Paul this season, but like, at the end of the day, this is a world where secret identities are 1000% just... not a thing. Everyone calls Mark, Mark. Like. EVERYONE. To the point that it didn't even occur to him that A SPACE ALIEN knowing his first name might have been a red flag in S2 when he went to Thraxa.

Mark is only strong in the 11th hour and I would hope someone is genre savvy enough to realize that by now. Do not call on Invincible unless everyone is already dead, he is worthless otherwise lol

The rogue's gallery is kind of sad for this show. Like. There is no personal element to any of the reoccurring villains (there's like.. one coming up that's personal and then there's Levi), and if you want them to be menacing and reoccurring they either really need to rep something socially bad and you're commenting on it each time they make their appearance and its about THAT and the teams response to it, or you need a personal connection with the villain. Doc Seismic just makes broad strokes first semester of college level commentary about the current state of society! Tho, I will say, I think his token diversity comment is literally the first time Mark has been acknowledged as not white? Which like, I get not bringing it up all the fucking time especially since it is a change from the comics, but, it IS a change from the comics and in either medium he is a mixed race kid! We ever going to give him a chance to talk about that? You know, the thing he and Oliver SHOULD ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THAT'S PERSONAL TO THEM AND HUMANIZING AND NOT ABOUT HAVING COME OUT OF NOLAN'S DICK? Where is the moment where Oliver is slathering on make-up to go outside and lamenting on not being human passing the way Mark is? Where does Mark get to acknowledge being alien?

Cecil did go to Debbie in an attempt to get a hand in Oliver's training and it IS wild to think about what that would have entailed. 'Cause like, I think he woulda seen that kid go 'and then I kill them now, right??' and had to go : / pretty damn quick about it lol Also him constantly antagonizing Mark after everything is hilarious. Like. Are you trying to prove to everyone watching that Mark is also being unhinged or are you Just Like That Cecil. Like, when Cecil called off the reanimen but they kept beating on Mark- was that just him putting in a false call to make it sound like he was calling them off and then Mark went cray cray on them anyway, or did he genuinely try and call them off and it didn't work for some reason? Bc him trying to get other heroes on his side by showing off how powerful/dangerous Mark could be is kinda funny.

Some blank space is fun to work with in fic, but too much blank space and it feels like you're floating in the ether going ?? this ?? make sense maybe ?? but then what do you push off of? Just make up some shit to justify why the char thinks that way or skip over justifying it and hope the narrative stays strong despite it?

While I'm not too familiar with the DCU- your batfam meta posts are intiguing- so in transfering some of the broader strokes from them- I think you tackling a 'Mark isn't Nolan's biological son' fic would be fascinating. Sort of a step to the side of the 'what if Mark never got his powers' fic that sometimes pop up in the fandom

OOOOOO chewing on this currently, hm, the much a distinct flavor of exactly what you’re talking about, but the potential for more family drama depending on WHO knows. Does Mark know?? Is he waiting every day only to be crushed? Does he confused non-Debbie features with Nolan’s? I suppose I’m not the most enthusiastic about non-power AUs, but I think there’s something very fun to explore about Mark having to settle with, if he knows all his life, he will never have powers? I think the trajectory of his dreams will obviously shift, I can see him still having that distinct fatherly idolization, but perhaps embraces being useful to the GDA? Cecil’s number one intern—only intern—curtesy of nepotism, ha! There is something tickling me about Mark taking the Robin Route/Role for the Teen Team in terms of having no powers, just insane skills, BUT there’s something way more delicious about intern Mark when s1e01 happens and Mark tries snooping around to find out the truth about what happened to his Dad.

I wonder if, with Mark having a whole another father, if they’re more or less distant relationship, depending on WHEN Nolan entered Mark’s life? Like if Debbie met Nolan later for this, or just for fun, they dated once, separated (Mark being born during then), then they happened to stumble into each others lives again and Mark’s already been born, anywhere from tween to teenager so there’s a gap in how close they are. I feel like one important aspect of the whole Family Drama is how close they’re supposed to be, a functional, loving family turned upside down? So I wonder what more distance does. I wonder how Nolan copes when his family is entirely human and he can’t project onto Mark.

I love thinking about these, omg.

[turtleblogatlast]

Small but significant character moments that I actually really adore are from both the times we see the boys as tots. There is a reoccurrence that happens in both of them that I find so incredibly interesting.

For the turtle tot short, Splinter leaves the boys with weapons. In the short, Raph is the one who suggests they do “what Lou Jitsu would do” and Leo is the one who takes point when Splinter comes back to reprimand them. Leo, in taking point, is the one to defend them and get Splinter off their tails.

And then, in the flashback regarding the Kuroi Yōroi helmet, Raph is the one who grabs and throws “Skully” as a way to replace their missing ball which breaks it into pieces, but Leo is the one who speaks for the group and rushes into action to fix the teapot.

I love this for multiple reasons, but the biggest are how it shows that Raph has always been inclined toward the bold and fun and making the plans to include his brothers in what he loves and believes they’d love, whereas Leo has always been inclined to be the “Face” of the group and shoulder the attention even if it’s potentially negative all while coming up with on the spot attempts to fix the situation.