#(the tone progression is similar and i wonder if that has anything to do with how the fandom acts?)

[gumy-shark]

i need to study the fandom Torment Nexuses at some point bc i've noticed some interesting overlaps between the fandoms i've been in even though the actual medias were very different

[morehotch]

each time you fall in love

how your boyfriend turned into your husband and how the two of you started and grew a family

spencer reid x reader, parent au, dad!spencer x mom!reader, time jumps (parts w/ pregnant reader), 2.5k

Your thing with Spencer is really good, sometimes it just feels too good and too right. Everything feels like it’s fallen so effortlessly and perfectly in place. You definitely don’t want to jinx anything, but after eight months of officially dating- and two years of mutual pinning through work, Spencer has been absolutely everything you wanted and needed in a guy.

It’s easy to talk to him, to laugh; to tell him anything. Spencer wants to get to know you, to understand and help you. When you talk, he listens with his eyes never leaving yours and a soft smile always dancing on his lips. And during moments like these, when you're lying in bed, limbs tangled together, his large palm over your waist, and when you pet his bed head and he smiles sleepily- you never, ever want Spencer to leave.

Spencer watches you now with a dazed, blissed look of total comfort. One you love so much on him, one he deserves so much. He smells like your clean sheets and his usual wood and sea salt cologne as his warm fingers trace different patterns against your shoulder.

You both have been slowly convincing each other to get up eventually and tackle your Sunday plans of grocery shopping and putting together Spencer's new book shelf he ordered after he outgrew his other one. But it’s been over an hour of falling back asleep and slowly blinking awake and neither of you has made much progress yet.

“Do you ever think about having kids?” Spencer asks suddenly, making you twist in his arms to look at his sweet face and dazed eyes.

“Yeah,” you whisper, watching how intensely curious he looks. “Sometimes."

You subconsciously match his small smile, thoughts of an incredibly wholesome future together making your heart unfairly twist in excitement and want. “I think about it all the time with you,” you continue and Spencer grins instantly. You've seen how delicately and kindly Spencer interacts with children, how naturally warm and gentle he is. You wouldn't admit it, but even before you were dating, you had a few fleeting thoughts about Spencer as a father.

“Really?” He asks and you smile, hand running down his bicep, “Of course.”

Spencer is quiet for a while before he speaks again. "And, you think- you think I'd be a good dad, right?”

Your eyes soften as you roll over to kiss him. “Absolutely.” 

Spencer just looks at you like you said something entirely captivating and consuming.

“What?” You smile, pressing your lips against his jaw gently, "I'm just telling you the truth."

“I just want it so badly, I don’t know.” Spencer bends his arms to rest them behind his head. He watches you, totally suddenly peaceful and content. “I want so much with you.”

-

2 years later

You wake up to the muffled sound of Spencer's voice, momentarily wondering if he’s on the phone but you smile to yourself when you listen closely and hear his softer and higher tone- his baby voice. You excitedly make your way to your kitchen, leaning against the doorframe and appreciating the scene in front of you. Spencer is carefully holding your daughter, Nora, with both arms, walking around the kitchen, while simultaneously trying to make eggs.

He has messy bed hair- similar to yours, a now permanent fashion statement in the Reid household, and stubble dotted along his jaw. You listen to his soft whispers and your heart swells as your baby’s small fingers cling onto his white undershirt and her chubby hand grasps at his arm, softly patting over his chest.

Spencer has his back to you so you stay unnoticed, enjoying the serene beauty of your husband and daughter together. Nora is already almost eight months old and time felt like it was flying by- even if the sleepless nights felt incredibly long. Now, even if time alone and a longer than five-minute shower felt like a luxury, you couldn’t and don’t want to remember a time without Nora.

You absolutely love watching Spencer with her, you love watching the way he so gracefully and perfectly assumed the role of being a father, especially after the late night conversations you had when you were pregnant when Spencer tearfully admitted his fears of his ability to be a good father when he lacked one as a child. But between Spencer's reading of basically every pregnancy book on the market and the way Nora kicked immediately at the sound of Spencer's voice, it was quickly obvious he had nothing to worry about.

You love how attentive he is and how much he dotes on her and takes care of you at the same time. How he diligently learned how to cook- and make fresh, healthy baby food, how he reads a ridiculous amount of baby books to Nora daily, and how he insisted on making sure you get at least minimum of a few hours of sleep a night.

You watch him bounce Nora gently, leaning against the doorframe and you smile silently until your daughter spots you from behind his shoulder. She reaches out and giggles with a tiny grin and Spencer turns around, mirroring her smile, which looks enduringly similar to his own.

“Need help?” You ask as Spencer laughs. “There’s probably a more effective way to make breakfast but I didn't want to put her down.”

Nora stretches her arms out towards you and you reach over to gently grab her from his hold. "Coffee?” He asks, knowing your answer.

“Yes please,” you smile down at Nora, her soft hairs and long lashes. She leans her head against your chest, already comfortable in your arms. You watch Spencer stand on his tiptoes to grab a coffee mug and you press a kiss to the crown of Nora's head.

What a nice morning.

-

“Come take a picture!” Spencer says and your daughter giggles and toddles over to you, hurrying as fast as her tiny legs can carry her, bound in a large winter coat, mittens, and ear muffs. A tiny chubby arm extends out to you- a wordless ask for stability and help. You smile as she struggles to wrap her small arms around your shoulders, tiny hands grasping your jacket. Her full pink cheek smushes against yours as Spencer positions the picture, grinning behind the camera, “Your first snow this year, baby!”

Spencer had retired from the BAU and started teaching full time only a year and half after Nora was born, determined to be there for his daughter and that meant so many more family moments like these. Mornings like these when you wake up beside your husband and you're both there to see one of Nora's firsts.

“Snow!” She says loudly, head straining up towards the sky with fascination. She had just started talking and loved impressing everyone with her linguistic skills, taking her limited vocabulary very seriously as she already loved to talk and communicate with the two of you. Spencer loved entertaining her- and himself, by sitting her in his lap and reading her favorite books, the ones she had memorized, together.

“Smile!” He says excitedly, grinning behind the large camera.

Nora listens, with grin that has always looked exactly like her father’s. Your arm finds its way to the small of her back, holding her securely as Spencer takes the picture. 

“Perfect,” he mutters, more to himself, watching his family in front of him.

-

“What’s the surprise?” Nora cries, toying with the hem of her shirt. Her anxious gaze darts back and forth between you and Spencer, upset that you both know something she doesn’t.

At three years old, Nora hates feeling like she’s being excluded from something. The hardest part of her routine is now attempting to convince her that it's bedtime and neither of you would dare have fun without her while she's sleeping.

Spencer hands her a small transparent piece of film and your daughter plays with it gently, turning it around in her palm. “What does this mean?” She questions, not able to stay still and scooting towards you with wide, curious eyes. 

Spencer holds her close to his body, wrapping an arm around her as she gives him her full attention. “It means in a couple of months you’re going to be an older sister.” Nora blinks with her mouth open, she has friends in preschool who were younger siblings or already had younger brothers or sisters. Spencer's cousin recently had twins and Nora was completely fascinated by how tiny they were and that there were two babies.

You knew Spencer always wanted Nora to have at least one other sibling and the timing had finally felt right for the first time since she was born a few years ago.

“Really?” Her voice grows louder in pure excitement, looking at you in awe before her eyebrows furrow, confused. “Why not right now?” She pouts, immediately turning to her father for an explanation.

Spencer laughs loudly with an endeared smile that is always reserved solely for Nora. “That’s not how it works, angel." He pulls her into his lap, noting that patience is still hard a hard virtue for a three-year-old.

-

You’re tucking Nora into bed a few nights later when she brings up the baby again.

“There’s a baby in there?” Nora asks, pointing to your stomach where a small but noticeable bump began to show. After Spencer's scientific but three- year old friendly explanation, Nora has been fascinated with her younger sibling, always asking you and Spencer about babies. It had even made Spencer briefly tear up one night, hit with the realization Nora wasn't a baby anymore. Even though you quickly reminded him she still was only three.

“Yes, sweetheart,” you laugh as she smiles widely. “Wow,” her big eyes fill with excitement and curiosity. She reaches out and lays a small, warm hand on your stomach, “Hi baby.”

You smile at your daughter, already knowing what a great sister she'll be. She grips the comforter tightly as she moves to your side to cuddle you closer. “Love you,” she mumbles, eyes tightly shut, trying to lull herself into sleep. 

“I love you too,” you say quietly and you eventually think she’s successfully asleep, tucked tightly next to you until she whispers cutely, “I love you baby.” You feel a small tap on your stomach and she snuggles closer, satisfied and closes her eyes for a peaceful sleep. 

-

“Look!” Your daughter calls as she thrusts a picture towards Spencer, a pink and purple fingerprinted flower. He takes her in his arms, “For me?” Spencer grins, looking at her art. Spencer loves her artwork and his office at the university is filled with her masterpieces.

Nora's arms find his shoulders. “No,” she giggles, “for Mommy!” She finishes, still laughing at Spencer's reaction.                      

Spencer pretends to look hurt, pouting, “Well, can I have one too?” he asks. Nora thinks about it for a few moments, face twisting in thought, “Okay!” The little girl decides and Spencer's smile grows instantly, “Thank you, baby.”

She frowns, chiding her father with a grin, “I’m not baby.” 

“You’re not?” Spencer asks surprised and she nods approvingly. “Yes, the baby is in mommy right now,” she explains, looking at him to confirm he understands.

“Ahhh,” Spencer nods knowingly, smiling tugging on his lips, “I see. You’re right. You're so smart, my big girl.” Nora hides her smile, leaning against Spencer's shoulder and tucking her face into his chest.

“You’re still my baby though, right?“ He whisper as Nora buries her face further into his shirt, giggling out a sweet, “Yes."

-

Nemo has been the chosen movie for your weekly movie night- for the fourth time in a row, because Spencer can never find it in him to say no to Nora and she is somehow still incredibly invested in Nemo's storyline. But now, as the end credits of Nemo play, Nora sits in Spencer's lap, letting him braid her hair. You’re laying next to them, a blanket draped over you as Spencer watches you sleep peacefully, getting your well deserved and needed rest.

Nora sighs against Spencer's chest as he pats her shoulder. "Let’s go to bed, angel.”

She lets her father hoist her up and carry her into her room, the one right down the hall from yours, with pink walls and a newly upgraded twin bed.

“Daddy,” she whispers suddenly, clutching her favorite teddy bear like she's nervous. “Will you still love me even if I’m not a baby anymore?”

Spencer blinks and brushes back stray hairs from her face with a soft smile, trying to ignore the way his heart breaks inside his chest. “Of course honey, I could never not love you, never ever.”

“Ok, daddy,” Nora smiles to herself, seemingly satisfied.

“Will you still love me?” Spencer asks and she giggles loudly.

“Yes!”

“I had to make sure!” He defends and Nora squeals, wrapping her arms around his torso and squeezing tight.

“Nora," Spencer finishes seriously, "Mommy and I will love you forever.”

-

“The baby is going to be small,” Spencer explains, walking Nora through the hospital halls as she swings their interlocked hands back and forth excitedly.

“Okay,” Nora bounces. “Isn’t it cool, daddy, that baby and I have the same birthday month?”

“Wow,” he looks down at Nora and her bright, excited eyes, “it really is.”

“But we have our own days,” she continues, “I think it was meant to be.” She decides, stopping when Spencer does, right in front of your hospital room.

“I think so too,” he smiles, squeezing her hand gently and opening the door carefully.

“Wow,” Nora gasps, consciously trying not to run up to the hospital bed where you hold a tiny bundle.

“Hi, sweetheart,” you smile, “Do you want to meet your sister?”

She nods with wide eyes, already on her tippy toes to try and peer over the tall bed. Spencer instead sits down in the chair next to you and lifts her into his lap. “Here,” he murmurs as you carefully pass over your newborn.

“Hi,” Nora stares at the small bundle, “Daddy,” she gasps, looking up at Spencer in awe. She touches the baby tentatively as her father's arm wraps around her waist. Nora is already hyper-fixated on her sibling, on her sister.

“What’s baby’s name?” She whispers like she’s scared of disturbing her.

“Amelia,” Spencer says quietly, meeting your eyes with a small, content smile.

“Hi Amelia,” Nora smiles, helping Spencer support the baby's head gently, turning to look at you. “Do you think she already knows how much I love her?”

You nod, “I know she does.” Nora nods with a satisfied smile, like that reassures her and you watch her hold her sister, sharing a silent but knowing look with Spencer; knowing now that your family feels so, so complete.

[happiest-hotch]

3 AM

part one

Summary: Aaron shows up somewhere he shouldn't be with some words for you

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader (Angst/Fluff)

Word Count: 1.4k

Content Warning: mutual cheating

You go home to a house that doesn't feel like home, which isn't anything new, but today, it upsets you. Maybe it's too late, and the case drained you too much. Your self-preservation instincts refuse you to consider an outside factor.

Thankfully, your need for sleep trumps any chance of facing an existential crisis, so instead of staring at the ceiling wondering how your life got to this point, you're asleep almost as soon as your head hits the pillow.

It doesn't last long. Too soon, a knock on your door wakes you, and you reach for your phone to check the time. 2:52- great. If it were BAU-related, Penelope would have called and left messages before pounding on your door in the early morning. You run through who it could be. Maybe your pathetic excuse of a husband lost his keys, but nothing would inspire him to come home unless he learned of your affair and was hypocritically mad. Or it could be much more mundane; police, firefighters, a neighbor. 

Speculation gets too exhausting, so you get up and walk to the front door, checking your gun is sitting on the side table before opening the door.

It's one of the last people you expect. You wrap your robe tighter around yourself, defensive and hyper-aware that he's in jeans and a shirt, and you're in a tank and sleeping shorts. 

"Hotch." You greet him coldly, colder than the chilly DC night air. 

He didn't expect a more positive reaction. "Don't call me that." He says slightly too pathetically. 

"What can I do for you?" You ask, unsure what's compelling you to continue the conversation and not just slam the door in his face.

He shouldn't be here.

He knows it, you know he knows it, and you know it.

"Let me in." The Unit Chief tone, commanding authority, is nowhere to be heard, no matter how hard he tries to muster it up.

You sigh, momentarily weighing the pros and cons before stepping aside. Aaron follows you in carefully. Houses, thus far, have been off limits, like there was some unwritten rule neither of you would show up at the other places, knowing the consequences, but he's here, and you're still not sure why.

As you lead him down the hallway, Aaron keeps his head down, obviously trying to avoid being nosey. It's amusing since the personal pieces he assumes you have and refuses to look at don't exist. You wonder if he's drawing similarities between you and where you live, both beautiful on the outside and empty on the inside.

"Is he-" His question quickly gets reframed. "Are you alone?"

"I was." You answer. "He's in Pierre, South Dakota."

"Our case was in Pierre, Sou- Oh." Unsurprisingly, he put it together quickly. Pierre, South Dakota, is not a big enough place for you not to have run into your husband.

You laugh humorlessly. "I know. It's smart to have an infallible lie, but maybe not that specific." You remark. "He's actually in Miami. I checked the credit card and told him our case was there, so he always has to look over his shoulder."

Aaron doesn't smirk at what you consider a wonderfully devious plan. Instead, he looks concerned. "You still have joint credit cards? Are you keeping any money he can't touch?"

"Surely you didn't come here to discuss my financials." You shoot back, but he raises his eyebrows, and you know you can't progress the conversation without answering his question. "Yes. I've been to a lawyer and an accountant. He's only running himself into massive amounts of debt." You assure him. "Although, I'm not sure when this became your business."

His answer doesn't come quickly, and when he speaks, it's inadequate. "It's not."

"Okay, so what are you doing here?" You prompt. "Because you look like hell, Aaron, and you could really do with some sleep."

"I went home and sat there for an hour just thinking." He tells you. So, he didn't get lucky enough to fall asleep and avoid dreadful spiraling thoughts.

"You want to talk about your feelings?" You ask incredulously, unsure how he conjured the audacity to come here. His lack of answer is an answer. "No." You shake your head firmly. "You don't get to do this. Whatever we are, we don't discuss feelings."

"We could," Aaron begs desperately. It's not hard to profile that he keeps his emotions bottled up until he's bursting, so you know Aaron's here for a different type of release, for you to drain yourself listening to his problems and leave before he can consider that you have feelings.

You could hit him hard enough that he stops talking, and it's tempting.

"I'm okay with running to you when you want to have sex, but I can't be who you run to when you want to talk to someone about your day." You explain it as simple as you possibly can. 

"I don't think of you like that," Aaron assures you, his eyes softening as his words fall short of being stern.

Frustrated, you huff. You're tired and wound up, easily upset, and Aaron shouldn't be here. "Well, I have to think of you like that... or I can't sleep with you and not feel anything."

"You're not hearing me." He argues, a tiny flicker of the fire you saw before appearing in his eyes. "I want you to feel things."

You bit down on your bottom lip to avoid crying. You've become so callous to everything around you, bottled so much of it up that it's difficult to let any emotion show without breaking the floodgate. 

"You don't." You fight back, although it comes off far weaker than you expected. "I'm messy, my whole life is just one disaster after another, and I'll never excite you if we're not sneaking around."

Aaron's hands come to cup your cheeks, surprising you completely. It's a soft touch that has your lips closed in a second. "Don't say that." He instructs, speaking firmly but gently. "You're not a mess, not at all."

"Look at where we are, Aaron!" You remind him, throwing your arm at your side. For a detail-orientated person, he's only focusing on the big picture. "I'm married, you're married, and this is so damn messy."

"I know, I know." He nods. "It's... less than ideal, but we can get through it." He promises, holding you tighter now, like he's worried you'll slip away. "I want to be there for you. I don't care about any mistakes from your past. And please, please don't say that you won't excite me because I will always be excited every time I see you." It's enough to have you in gentle tears, not angry, heavy sobs, and he does his best to wipe them up delicately. "But if you don't feel the same way..." 

Aaron's waiting for your decision, and he isn't about to add more pressure, but he will stand there for as long as you need to decide. 

"I do." You affirm. "God, Aaron, I want to be with you more than anything, but I'm not sure I know how to." Being married is just a technicality now, and a divorce is something you're fiscally ready to do now. 

"Tea." He decides, his permanently furrowed brows relaxing. 

"Tea?" You repeat. 

He moves slightly away from you. "Where's the kitchen?" You're still confused about why now is the right time for tea, so you wait for him to explain. "I'm going to make you tea, and we're going to drink it while you tell me how you're feeling, and then whatever you want- a drive, breakfast, you name it, it's yours."

You pull away from him, offering your hand to take him to the kitchen. "Sleep is what we're doing after this." You tell him. "I don't say it to be mean, but you do look like hell."

"Wait." He stops you before you're in the kitchen, turning to hold your hands in his. "You need to know that I don't care about anything in your distant or soon-to-be past, but it's always going to be my privilege to be part of your future."

Aaron isn't meant to be here, and you aren't either, but wherever you're meant to be, it's with him.

[z0mbiekisses]

SO HIGH SCHOOL !

a highschool au tyler joseph x reader based off the taylor swift song & haley and nathan from one tree hill..

WHERE reader is a dedicated student, who’s passionate about writing. a rory gilmore type of girl. who spends her free time in coffee shops & reading. tyler joseph on the other hand is a star basketball player. who spends his free time going to local concerts with his friends, and could care less about his grades. that was until his coach told him if tyler didn’t improve his grades, he couldn’t play basketball. so tyler asked the best student he knew.. y/n. tyler even offered to pay her for these tutoring sessions. and y/n needed the money. could these two get along long enough to hold their ends of the bargain? or will they despise each other more than they did from the start?

READ UNDER THE CUT !

tutoring was a great way for me to make money without having to take too much time away from school. it was actually enjoyable for me, until i was peacefully studying at my favorite coffee shop. and tyler approached me. we shared the same english class. and that’s about all that we had in common. i wasn’t a fan of him, not just because he seemed like the stereotypical jock. but because my brother, josh. he would often run into problems with tyler’s friends. i don’t know if tyler has any part of it, but i didn’t care enough to figure it out.

i looked up from my books, not bothering to say anything.

“hey i’m tyler-“

“i know who you are.” i didn’t have the patience to play whatever game tyler was apart of. though, i didn’t see his friends anywhere. we sat in silence for a moment before i spoke up,

“did you come here to stare at me or?” tyler let out an awkward laugh.

“no i was wondering if you could tutor me?” i wanted to laugh in tyler’s face.

“nope find someone else-“

“y/n you know you’re the best of our class.” tyler interrupted. i couldn’t argue with that logic per say. but why ME? he could easily afford some rich tutor or pay someone to do his work FOR him.

“look, it’ll be just for three weeks till midterms. and i’ll pay you 5 dollars an hou-“

“10 dollars.” tyler nodded his head in agreement. i can’t believe i agreed to this, but it would be good money. and it’s only for three weeks.

we had our first meeting out on the pier the next day. tyler was distracted, and it pissed me off. i didn’t come here to waste my time.

“tyler, i know you’re not spending 10 dollars an HOUR.. to dick around.” tyler chuckled. i eventually got him to focus. and we spent the next couple of hours actually doing work. tyler was smart, i figured that out fast. he just needed the motivation & a little extra help. he was a fast learner. as i was packing up my stuff tyler spoke up,

“cool shirt.” i looked down at my no doubt shirt. it surprised me tyler recognized it, though they were fairly popular.

“you listen to them?”

“yeah, don’t act so surprised.” i didn’t notice my tone of voice. i laughed softly. we ended up talking about the band, which lead to us talking about other music we had interest in. and to my amazement, we actually had pretty similar taste in music. i felt embarrassed for judging him so harshly when i didn’t know tyler. but it didn’t change the fact that he hung out with a bunch of assholes. i couldn’t tell josh about any of this. if he knew that i was even TALKING to tyler he’d get upset. and that’s the LAST thing i wanted. i wasn’t lying to josh, he knew i was a tutor. josh just didn’t know WHO i was working with.

the next few sessions went well. i could tell tyler was making actual progress. we’ve also been getting closer. i found out tyler makes music. when i went over to his house, he actually played me one of his songs titled “tonight”. it was beautiful, so full of emotions. it was crazy for me to see tyler the guy who i once thought was an arrogant asshole. singing such a amazing song, it spoke to me. i felt almost peaceful sitting on the edge of his bed watching him play piano. after he finished playing i gave him a small applause.

“you know, i’ve been working really hard this week.” tyler turned to face me. i mumbled a “mhm”. curious on what he was getting at.

“so i think you owe it to me to come to the game tomorrow.” i rolled my eyes. sport games weren’t really my thing. they were too loud, too crowded. which sure, you could say the same thing about concerts. but i like to think there’s a difference between the crowds.

“i don’t think so.” tyler sighed. i didn’t WANT to disappoint him per say. but there really wasn’t a point in me going.

“so you’re telling me i got this A for nothing?” tyler pulled out the mini quiz we took the other day in english. i squealed,

“tyler! oh my god i’m so proud of you!” i exclaimed, his eyes squinted up as he smiled. which turned into those pleading puppy dog eyes. i groaned,

“fine.. i’ll go ONLY this once.” however, it was a mistake.

it was fine at first. i saw tyler for a few minutes before the game. he was so happy to see me there. i sat with one of my best friends, ella. tyler was a really good player, he was the one scoring the most. i ended up finding myself cheering with the crowd a few points. maybe this all wasn’t as bad as i thought. i saw tyler in the hallway during halftime, giving him a quick hug before he went into the locker room. i turned around to go back to ella when i saw josh standing behind me. i tried to play it off,

“oh hey josh! you decided to come to the game too?” josh’s face was unphased.

“yes, i go to every game for yearbook.” fuck. i completely forgot. when i tried to come up with an excuse, josh spoke again.

“and never in my life have i seen you at a sports game that our dad didn’t drag us to.” i sighed. i looked down at my shoes. i couldn’t even look at josh.

“and now you’re hugging TYLER of all people?”

“he’s not that bad- we’re friends.” i tried to defend myself but josh didn’t want to hear it. his look still stern. i infact only pissed him off more.

“friends?! with THAT asshole after EVERYTHING?”

“it wasn’t him. it was his friends.” josh just scoffed. finally looking away from me.

“i didn’t think you’d stoop so low y/n.” and with that, josh walked away. i couldn’t even be excited when we won the game. i felt awful. how could i hurt my own brother? but tyler wasn’t this asshole i thought he was. his friends maybe. but not him. i didn’t want to LOSE tyler. but i couldn’t keep stabbing josh in the back.

part two coming soon

[darknight3904]

The Monster and The Lady

Masterlist / Main Masterlist

Happy Loki Season 2 Finale! As my gift to you here's the chapter a day early! ( The finale was amazing and it ripped my heart out and stomped on it.)

Asgard 2011

Astri was polishing her sword when Loki barged into her chambers. 

   "Remember the conversation we had about knocking, Loki?" She asked without looking up 

His lack of response got Astri to look away from her work. Loki was sitting on one of the large pieces of furniture that decorated her room. All of his attention was on his hands as he stared at them. 

   "If you're upset about what happened to Thor, I'm sure he is fine on Midgard." She said moving to sit next to him. "They love him there."

   "Stay back," Loki said, his deep voice suddenly scaring Astri. It was the same tone he often used when speaking to enemies in battle. It was intimidating, mean, and cold, and Astri hated everything about it.

She crossed so that she was sitting across from him, the small table felt like it was keeping her miles away from him. Loki's eyes looked red and swollen as he kept them focused on his hands. 

   "You've been crying." Astri observed, "What happened?" 

   "Nothing I can't handle." He lied.

   "It doesn't seem that way? Do you want some tea? We can talk about it, I'll send for Drifa." Astri offered gently

   "I didn't come here to talk," Loki said 

   "Then why are you here and not in your chambers?" Astri pushed, she knew he didn't just come here to sit, he had something he wanted to get off his chest. 

   "I don't want to be alone." He said, looking up, "You're the only thing that makes sense in this damn palace." 

Okay...progress. But he definitely had something else he wanted to say, Astri would take that for now. 

   "You don't have to worry. I won't be going anywhere, I'll stay here with you." Astri assured knowing her words were anything but lies.

   "You won't want to once you know though. That's what scares me." Loki said softly 

Astri wanted to reach across the table and hold his shaking hands but his harsh tone from earlier kept her grounded in her seat, hands folded neatly in her lap. The doors opened to her chambers and two guards walked in. 

   "Lady Astri, the queen summons you." The one on the right said. 

Astri wondered what could be amiss as she walked quickly through the halls. Loki was uncharacteristically a few paces behind her and dead silent when the guards directed them to Odin's chambers of all places. Frigga seemed frazzled and uncomposed when Astri saw her next to the Allfather. It was strange seeing her so distressed when she normally seemed to have everything under control. 

   "Astri, Loki." She stood and greeted them both with warm hugs. Loki's stiffened posture didn't go unnoticed by Astri. 

   "What happened?" Astri asked eyeing Odin's sleeping form 

   "He has fallen into the Odinsleep. It was too sudden this time. I fear he might not wake this time." Frigga said sadly 

   "He is strong, Frigga. I'm sure he will wake again soon." Astri said placing a warm hand on her mother figure's shoulder. Was this what Loki wanted to tell her? Did he cause this? The way he was acting made it seem worse than this. Odin had fallen to Odinsleep many times in the past.

The doors opened abruptly to reveal what had to be a full platoon of soldiers on the other side. When Loki turned to them they all bent their knee to him. One came forward and presented Loki with Gungnir, the spear Astri rarely saw Odin without. 

   "My king, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three request an audience with you." He said once Loki had taken it from him

Astri felt her face pale when she realized what was happening. Loki seemed to have a similar reaction but quickly recovered and nodded to the man. 

   "I'll meet them in the throne room," Loki said, dismissing him and his fellow soldiers. 

   "Loki..." Astri said, reaching out to grab his hand. She didn't know what she was going to say just that she didn't want him to leave her. 

   "Stay here. With my mother." Loki said, pulling his hand away from her reach 

   "But I want to-" 

   "Stay. I'll send Drifa to bring you those cakes." Loki cut her off 

   "Is that an order...my king?" Astri asked, the words felt bitter in her mouth. 

   "Yes." He hissed before turning on his heel and leaving the door. 

   "Come sit with me, darling." Frigga beckoned to her.

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

Loki kept his word and sent Drifa with Astri's favorite cakes. They were delicate little lemon-flavored things with soft powdered sugar on top. Beyond the cakes, he had also sent her the book she had been reading for the past week along with tea and a book for his mother. Even when he was upset, he was looking out for them.

   "What's on your mind?" Frigga asked, moving her eyes from Odin's form.

   "Nothing." Astri sighed 

   "Remember when I told you your mother and I were raised by witches?" 

Astri nodded. 

   "That means I can see with more than eyes. Now, why is my son troubling you?" She asked 

How does she always know what's wrong?

   "He seemed very distraught before you summoned me here. I know it could have just been Odin's condition but it seemed to be more than that." Astri confessed, "He kept staring at his hands too, and wouldn't let me sit next to him which you know he always does." 

   "I think it's best if I let him tell you what's wrong," Frigga advised suddenly looking away.

   "But you just asked me to tell you-" 

   "When Odin fell asleep, He and Loki were discussing...matters in the weapons vault. Loki told me what happened." Frigga explained, "But, it is not my place to tell my son's secrets to the world." 

   "But it's not the world. It's just me." Astri reasoned 

Silence passed and Astri could tell Frigga was thinking about something important.

   "Go to him. If he gets upset tell him he can whine about it to me." Frigga smiled

Astri groaned but stood up and went to the door anyway. 

   "You're sure you'll be ok alone?" She asked looking back at Odin. 

   "I have lived for thousands of years, darling. I will be alright." She smiled gently

Astri nodded before quietly slipping out the door. The walk to the throne room was incredibly brief. Perks of being the Allfather, your bedroom is closest to the most important room in the castle. 

Loki's armor was complimented by the large throne. The green he normally donned made him look more regal as his golden helmet shone when the light hit it. 

   "Lady Astri. I thought I ordered you to stay with my mother." 

  "And I thought you weren't an uptight jerk with a stick up your ass," Astri responded 

Loki's sharp gaze snapped to her and she stared up at him defiantly. He might be king now but she knew he'd never do anything to harm her. 

   "Leave us." He ordered the guards in the room 

Astri watched him slowly descend from the throne almost as if it was for dramatic purposes. King of Asgard? More like King of Dramatics.

   "What are you doing?" Loki asked, annoyed

   "I wanted to talk to you," Astri explained 

   "That doesn't mean you can call me names like that in front of others." Loki scolded "I'm acting king now." 

   "The guards do not care what names the king's childhood friend calls him. I bet some of them are old enough that they saw the time you and Thor went running through the castle naked." Astri smiled 

   "Stop it," Loki demanded, looking around to see if anyone had entered the room

   "I'll stop when you talk to me." Astri said, "Do you think any of them remember the time you went crying to Frigga after you had a nightmare from the scary story Thor told at that sleepover we had with Volstagg?" 

Loki snapped his fingers in her face before she could think of another embarrassing childhood moment of his. 

   "Alright. We'll talk. Just stop saying crazy things." He said 

   "Crazy? All those things happened Loki. Just like the time you farted in front of that gorgeous boy, you tried charming who was visiting from Xandar with her family." She laughed 

Loki's face had grown red as he gestured for her to follow him. 

   "Not another word about me as a child," Loki ordered 

   "The fart incident was 200 years ago. You were already fully grown at that point." She pointed out 

   "I'll cut your hair again," Loki said as they reached his chambers

Astri giggled as she sat down on his bed and gestured for him to sit next to her. 

   "I'll say here." Loki declined still several feet from her 

   "I'm not going to bite you you know," Astri said

   "I just...don't want to hurt you." Loki softly said, piddling with his hands, a gesture Astri noticed he had down since they were children.

   "You won't. Just...tell me what's wrong. I'll help you fix it. I promise." She sincerely said 

   "You can't. I can't. No one can." Loki said looking away from her and at his shoes 

   "How do you know? What's even wrong anyway?" Astri asked 

   "If I tell you, you'll be scared of me," Loki said quietly

   "I won't. Nothing you do will ever scare me." Astri swore

A soft beat of silence passed over the room as Astri wished Loki would look up at her. 

   "I am a monster. A relic Odin kept here until he had a purpose for me." Loki said 

   "You're not a monster," Astri assured, standing and crossing the room so she was close to him again. 

   "You don't understand...I'm...one of them. One of those monsters who we've been told frightening stories about since we were children. I am a Frost Giant. The monster who Asgardian parents tell their children to be frightened of when they misbehave. I was nothing but a bargaining chip to Odin. Another object in this castle that represents his conquest over these Nine Realms." Loki said angrily, words cutting across the air like knives, as he finally looking her in the eyes 

   "What do you mean you're a Frost Giant?" Astri asked slowly, surprised at his speech.

Loki led Astri through the castle as he told her the story Odin had told him merely hours before. She stayed silent the whole time, absorbing what came from his mouth. Loki couldn't tell what was worse, her silence or what she might say about who he was. They reached the weapons vault quicker than he would have liked and soon were standing in front of the Joutun's casket. 

   "I will show you." He said, barely trusting his voice 

    "You don't have to. Let's go back to the library and read together." Astri said reaching for him again.

Loki ignored her request and placed his hands on the casket again. An indescribable coldless tingled through his body and he watched his hands turn blue once more. He felt it spread across his body and felt the soft facial lines that all Frost Giants bore rise from his skin. When he was sure he had held it long enough, he turned back to his dear Astri, awaiting her judgment.

   "I understand if you want to leave," Loki said

Astri was silent as her eyes roamed across him. Her light brown eyes we taking in every inch of blue skin that Loki had exposed to her and when she was finally done looking she opened her mouth.

   "I don't care." She said

   "What?" Loki balked, feeling his skin begin to change again

   "I don't care what you are. Tomorrow you could show me you're actually a dragon with wings the size of me and I'd still stay by your side. What matters to me is that you're Loki. I don't care if you're blue." Astri said finally taking his hands when they had gone back to normal.

   "Why?" He asked, closing his eyes and savoring how his hands felt in his. 

   "Because you're important to me," Astri said pressing her forehead to his "No one knows me like you do, and no one ever will." 

No spoilers to the finale but I have never felt more devastated yet fufilled by a Marvel project ever. I don't think I've been this distressed since I watched Infinity War and had to watch Loki die and then 2 hrs later watch Peter "die" in Tony's arms.

Taglist: (Comment below to Join)

@buttercupcookies-blog

@666-gothic-bat-666

@cyberwears

[smilingperformer]

Me: "Yaaaay it's Horizons anniversary soon!!"

Others: "It's been a year since Satoshi's journey ended"

I... I didn't even think about that |D

Guess I was that ready to just let him leave the story.

Considering that none of the original series staff stayed in the writing team, they were too.

Since it's soon been a year and we're reaching the end of act 2, I can confidently say this is like, my favourite Pokémon series. Alongside Sun & Moon. And both are favs for wholely different reasons, as in, love Sun & Moon for tackling mature topics and for having wonderful humor, alongside good world building and nice focus on family theme. While Horizons I love the story focus shift from normal, cast that is super enjoyable and a take on a found family type of group, new original villains that I've come to like a lot, etc etc.

I love how different both shows are. I love how both dare to try new things out in different way. Liko is one of THE most relatable characters to me, and I love the whole entire cast to bits. I even adore the Explorers, esp. Sango is slowly making a hole in my heart that wants me to call myself a fan of hers. Yes. She's been that enjoyable to me. Even Amethio's grown on me immensely, I like how his character works, and excited to see his role this upcoming ep.

At the start Roy felt a tad bit too alike to Satoshi, and at times I can see that similar type of "forget about a skill and then do the skill" writing from Satoshi era is thrown on him, but he's still mostly his own character. But that is probably why I'm more drawn to the likes of Liko, Dot, Friede, Amethio and Sango, because their fighting styles are so refreshing for me. I even like how Onyx and Sango pairing works, with Onyx fitting Sango's oni-speaking pattern (srsly wtf that must have been intended and now I want to know if dub has ANYTHING to match this speaking pattern with.)

There's been clear growth, clear character progression, much much slower team progress than whatever the fuck JN did (not jabbing at anyone who likes JN but I won't deny that I really hate how fucking fast most Pokémon evolved there. It seems Horizons knows not to rush things).

Act 1 suffered from pacing issue where stuff happens in one episode and then the next ep sort of shrugs it off and continues the plot in a really weird tone-shift, but I don't think act 2 had that, which I liked. But act 2 also had more fill-ins compared to the action-packed act 1. But imo, it was good to have a more slower, calming pace for a while. It helped build on the characters more, and show how the Rising Volt Tacklers exactly live like. Which makes the Brave Asagi breaking in recent episode ever so more heartbreaking aaaaaaaaah-

I'm also kinda glad I was wrong on the "only a one year long series", because so far I'm quite attached to the cast and definitely wouldn't have felt happy to see them go yet. So knowing that Horizons seems to follow the usual 3 year pace (maybe 2, maybe 4, who knows) makes me happy. And I totally look forward to act 3 that is definitely caused by the Brave Asagi needing long, long time for repairs.

So um yeh. This was a weird ramble lol. But like, love Horizons, don't exactly miss old show as I felt it told whatever it wanted to and had the danger of just, butchering characters further from what I enjoyed it for. Sometimes it's better to let go. Fanfics and fanarts will still exists for a long long time, I'm sure. But my enjoyment on Horizons has definitely caused me to not miss the old days at all. And I'm glad.

(Do I want Satoshi to return? Honestly? No. 26 years is long enough for me.)

[averysexyleon]

in which wintersberg progress

(longest excerpt ever, sorry)

Karl squinted.  He took Ethan’s hand, and just when Ethan wondered what in the world he was doing, Heisenberg turned the palm over and pulled away the gauze. Then, Heisenberg looked up, with that suspicious squint. 

“Don’t you uh…have a uh.  Partner.  Who’ll tell you those things?  That boulder punching asshole ?” 

Ethan frowned at the name, and then frowned more deeply at the question.  He tried to formulate a response, and realized this felt entirely too similar to the days he had to cover for Mia.  To formulate, for his friends and colleagues, an explanation of what happened with her.  Why she disappeared.  And before that, why she was gone for so long even though they were married.  

As Ethan fumbled an answer, Heisenberg nodded, an almost ethereal light filtering into his irises from the moonlight behind Ethan.  “Ahhh.  I see.  He never told you.  Never intended to.”  Heisenberg bit his lip.

Clearly he wanted to say more, chastise Redfield worse.  But at the very miserable expression on Ethan’s face, he forced himself to sigh instead.  Karl took both of Ethan’s hands, cradling them with a gentleness he didn’t quite seem capable of. 

“Ethan.  I’ll tell you, I will.  But I’ll also tell you…this kinda secret.  The kind Mia had, the kind Chris has–these ain’t the secrets you get to learn, and keep your relationship.  Why the hell d’you think she worked so hard to keep you from knowin’? Cause she wanted to keep you.”   A calloused thumb stroked over Ethan’s hand, and he could feel his own heart beating in his throat.  

His voice really was a whisper.  “How…how do you know all that, about Mia?”

“D’you understand what I’m tellin’ you right now.  You don’t get to know the truth of things, and then go back to playin’ housewife, Winters.  With anybody.  Knowin’ the truth isolates the fuck outta you.”

Why did Ethan’s heart feel like it would explode?  The same relationship anxiety that he’d always felt was creeping in on him.  He’d known all this was true, hadn’t he? Heisenberg just had the guts to put it into words.  And oh no, his vision was blurring, the intent, scarred face in front of him fading in sharpness when tears stung his eyes.  Oh no.  

The hands over his hands made their way to his cheeks.  Karl was going to kiss him, wasn’t he? He was right there, he was staring at Ethan’s lips, and his breath was hot, and he was RIGHT THERE…Ethan tried very desperately to speak or blink or do something that didn’t involve a trembling sob, but he failed, and Heisenberg didn’t kiss anything.  He held Ethan’s face, and tilted his own head to the side slightly.  His voice became a rumble, audible somewhere in Ethan’s throat, alongside the heartbeat.  

“I just want you know what you’re gettin’ into, by askin’.  If you can handle that.  You can hate me if you want to.  But I’ll tell you the truth.” 

Heisenberg’s question was sincere, his eyes almost pleading.  “You still trust me?”

There was a thick silence between them, Karl not daring to move, and finally Ethan wiped his eyes again and nodded, fervently.  His wandering eyes met Karl’s again, and he saw the relief there.  The satisfaction.  The silence stayed.  Ethan was staring at Heisenberg strangely; the engineer drew away, finally-slightly, and countered the stare with a, “What?”

Deeply embarrassed, the blond admitted with fiery red cheeks, “I thought...you were gonna kiss me.” 

Heisenberg looked confused, and finally the bright, dangerous smile returned.  Wide, in all its glory, with cheek creases and a raised brow that put more wrinkles onto the scarred forehead.  He pulled farther away, and adjusted the coat jacket, which had come unbuttoned during his fiery pacing earlier.  “Don’t be ridiculous, Winters,” he teased in a more characteristically exuberant tone.  He tipped his head sideways; it looked even more boyish without the hat. “Not til you’re single.” 

With a wink, he strode out the door, leaving Ethan to feel the fire on his cheeks and the sudden return of a cold bite – wind against his neck.  

le full chapter here

[obstinaterixatrix]

hey if you can i was wondering if you had some bl/gl/general manga recs for a particular kind of tonal vibe, given your like. expertise. ok so there's this manga by nemui asada i reread every so often called my little inferno and i really like it but the problem is the beginning is p much unreadable because she throws sa in there for no reason? esp since the sa is so disjointed from the rest of it which is fun and fairly normal beyond that. i wanna read something like it with the same tone but without the sa and longer if i can help it. i liked that it was a situation that was like Off and arguably fucked up but weirdly functional/mutually fulfilling without veering too far into the domestic but finding something like it has been harder than expected

yea lmao I really like asada nemui’s writing but sometimes it’s a little much. for kinda fucky vibes that don’t lean into assault, what immediately springs to mind is Tokyo Hikari Auction which is in progress, kind of similar dynamic with one person being more reluctant and wanting to drive the other person away and the other person Just Parking Here. the setting is… well I don’t get the logistics but it’s a black market auction that the main character runs and the love interest tries to sell himself on.

this isn’t the same tone but it’s the same kind of… weirdly functional relationship with dysfunctional characters, ‘Kiraware Joushi to Perfect Buka’ is a one volume manga about a rancid boss and his younger subordinate that’s infatuated with him. the state of the scans are kind of strange but they’re floating around

this one’s a oneshot, ‘Just when I thought I came here to die’ is really fun horror romcom vibes where it’s kind of off in that the love interest does in fact kill some random people that show up, and the main character starts out terrified of the love interest

actually, I think limo has really similar writing to asada nemui, in that it can get really intense and fucked up and sometimes probably too far for a lot of people. but check out chapter 2 of ‘Soine Lovers’ for something more lighthearted, it’s about a guy with a lot of debt being hassled by his rich classmate who he hasn’t seen in like 10 years. and don’t check out anything else unless you want to spin a roulette wheel of content warnings.

‘Kobamanai Otoko’… well it’s more on the manipulation side of fucky relationships but I’d say give it a go

‘A Declaration of Revenge’. lol. lmao. I hope they break up for real. extremely good weird rancid vibes. I am ignoring all of the police politics tho.

‘Never Good Enough’. has a college student/teacher relationship so depends how much that’ll put you off but I actually thought it was interesting how the writer kind of deconstructs the… framework of the love interest being obsessive and presented as unstable by others?

there’s your starter lemme know if any of em stick. oh wait I just realized you didn’t specifically ask for only bl hang on I got a couple of GL

‘Black and White: Tough Love at the Office’ has office ladies that just beat the shit out of each other and start making out lol

‘"The Villainess" and the Woman Who Would Do Anything for the Sake of Love’ it’s time prison deathloop and the main character gets kind of nuts about it. Might skew too far into the fucky relationship side of things, it does have confinement…?

Hm. Hmmm. ‘Qualia the purple’. not necessarily off and rancid, but I think the intensity somewhat matches. Look up content warnings tho. Okay now I’m done that was more than I thought I’d dig up and I’m off to do something else

[sonofkumiko]

QUBIT’s 9BIT Review - Better than expected

The first album to come from DAOKO’s new project, QUBIT. The album being appropriately named 9BIT (a play on words which sounds similar to the band’s name in Japanese), features 9 songs - 6 being brand new and one being an album mix.

As the first album from the band, I was pretty skeptical of the songs I’d be hearing, since the first couple of singles from them didn’t really resonate with me and felt a bit too out nowhere for me, however I’m glad to say that this album features a wide array of songs, from the energetic Mr. Sonic, to the dark distorted rumbles of Distant Dance.

This album has a lot of experimental tracks that can feature anywhere from little plucks in the bass to vocal effects being thrown everywhere throughout the song, hell, sometimes even the melodies don’t make sense - giving this album a very chaotic, erratic, and indie feel, but still working well as a commercial release.

For those who have kept up with DAOKO’s other works, this album feels a lot like a successor to the 2020 album Anima, although this album is much more cohesive and consistent with the quality and style it’s trying to portray (thankfully).

In the end I feel like this album definitely won’t be for everyone, or even people who like DAOKO’s 2014-2019 works, it’s its own thing derived from the same idea that DAOKO’s 2020 works were based on… ‘slap anything up there and see what sticks!’

Now, onto the actual song ratings…

Big Mouth 3.5/5 - it’s a nice intro song, but doesn’t do much on its own.

G.A.D - 3.5/5 - the debut song from QUBIT, it’s a bit too ‘weird’ and erratic for me. Still enjoyable but definitely gave me a very iffy first impression.

Mr. Sonic 5/5 - released as a promo single for the album and is probably the strongest song they’ve made so far. All of the chaos and sampling really work in their favor for this one, my only complaint is the outro is very abrupt.

Wonder World 3.5-4/5 - the harmonies and chord progression are very nice in this particular song, there’s not much more to say on it but it’s definitely worth a listen!

Distant Dance 4.5/5 - a very dark and grungy song with melodic moments that DAOKO really lends a hand to. Definitely one of the more standout songs from here.

Fast Life (album mix) 4/5 - this song feels less like a qubit song and more like a solo release from DAOKO. With a happy tone, heavy rapping and it being surprisingly safe with how it uses vocal sampling and unconventional methods. Not to say any of this is bad, I really enjoyed this song, and I’m glad that some of the songs here aren’t all over the place. The album mix doesn’t really add anything, more or less just rebalances some stuff - definitely more of a remaster if anything.

Room Tour Complex 4/5 - this track is either standout or bland depending on who you are. This song features glitchy vocals with the lyrics being a bit more standout than others and a very nice melody to follow. Along with some nice “oohs” during the chorus which makes this a very charming song.

Neon Diver 4/5 - a very melodic and mellow track, being a bit more minimalistic than the others. The synths have a very “poppy” feel to it with a pretty prominent and grooved bass. Her vocals feel really smooth in this song with a slightly longing melody paired with it. I feel like we could’ve gotten a bit more of a bridge for this song rather than the very short break in it but that’s my complaint.

Beautiful Days 4/5 - a very atmospheric, anthemic, and slightly psychedelic track that does a very good job leading out the album and summarizing what QUBIT actually is. A mix of different genres that lend themselves whenever and wherever. I love how upbeat this track is.

Overall album rating: 4/5 - absolute banger of an album and I love the new ideas that they’re experimenting with. Here’s hoping they keep trying new things!

Stream: https://qubit.lnk.to/9bit

Mr. Sonic official MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQfRyJ2v5RY

Official website: https://columbia.jp/qubit/

[the-butterfly-blues]

Budding Romance

Chapter Six A Friends to Lovers Series Pairing: Marc Spector x Reader, Steven Grant x Female Reader, eventual Jake Lockley x Reader. Word Count: 1,323 Summary: Waking up after a terrible nightmare, Steven's filled with confusion as [Name] returns home sooner than he originally thought. Content Warning: None. Requests or Prompts you'd like to see are gladly welcome. Unedited Series Masterlist * Previous Chapter * Next Chapter (In Progress)

Shooting up in bed with quite a loud shout, Steven pats his chest before yanking on the ankle restraint. It'd all been a dream. One of those incredibly stupid dreams. After removing the restraint and throwing the painters tape away, he grabs his phone. Even though it had been nothing but a dream, he can't shake the unease he feels. Dialing her number, he holds the phone up to his ear while trying to put together a bowl of cereal with one hand.

"Hey, it's [Name]!" "Hello, love!" "Sorry I missed your call, I'm going on a trip and decided it'd be best if I left my phone at home. If you're someone I know and it's important, you've got my spare number. If you don't, try again sometime Sunday afternoon."

His brows furrow as he realizes he's never listened to her voicemail before. She's always answered his calls.

"That's odd, isn't it, Gus?"

He glances over at his fish as he pours the cereal into a bowl.

"But, don't worry. I'm sure she's fine and she'll be home in just a few days like she said."

It takes him a moment to process what he'd just seen and he's utterly shocked to see his little one-finned wonder has grown a second fin.

"What the..."

~~~

"..Fudge."

Stepping off the bus, she stretches as if that could easily rid her of her pain. Things had not gone according to plan and left her with more bruises than she was comfortable with. She wastes no time rushing into her building and up the stairs, having no patience left for the elevator. Unlocking her door, she slams it open before kicking it closed with a sigh of relief. Her bag falls to the ground with a light thud as she kicks off her shoes. All she wants is to take a nice hot shower, but the light ringing in her ears causes her to stop.

"Khonshu?"

Even though the feeling of his hand on her shoulder causes a shiver to rack harshly through her body, she's relieved that it's only him. If he hadn't answered, she would've started meticulously looking for anything out of place. At the appearance of the god, she picks her bag back up. Marc had given her something he'd found on their mission, saying something along the lines of Khonshu wanting her to have it. It looked similar to the Eye of Ra, but it faced the opposite way, that much she knew. If anything, she'd have to ask Steven about it later.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

Flipping it this way and that, she finally takes notice of the little hole sitting at the top of the medallion. It was a necklace. Rummaging through her drawers, she finds some string and feeds it through the hole. Tying it off, she pulls it over her head and lets it rest gently on her chest.

'You are smarter than you make yourself out to be.'

She freezes at the sound of someone behind her. Her mind races to think of how someone could've possibly sneaked inside of her home without her knowledge.

'Turn around, little bug.'

Doing as the voice says, her eyes widen and slowly move up to the floating skull of the moon god. After getting over the initial shock, she jumps with her arm raised, fingers sticking to the ceiling and her feet dangle in the air as she takes a closer look at him.

"Marc never mentioned the bird skull." 'Well, Marc has never been one to talk much.' "Really? That's a bit hard to believe." 'He has changed upon meeting you.. I can see the charm.'

And he really could. The way she holds herself along with the tone of her voice when not hiding behind the mask is refreshing compared to the barbarity that people are capable of.

"Charm? Who? Me?"

She laughs as she drops back to the floor, grabbing her bag to start unpacking.

"I'm in no way charming, birdie. If anything, I'm quite the opposite."

A knock ends their conversation early. The god disappears as she opens the door to an incredibly confused Steven. Though he's absolutely happy to see her, he's confused as to what she's doing back so early.

"You said you wouldn't be back until Sunday." "It is Sunday, Steven." "What? No. You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"

It hurts her to see him so confused, especially when she knows the reason why. In a matter of seconds, as horrible as it makes her feel, she puts up a ruse, keeping in mind that this whole ordeal isn't for her to explain.

"It really is Sunday. Are you feeling alright?" "I.. I don't know."

He starts rambling, telling her about his dream and even the incident at the fish store. Throughout, his hands constantly run through his hair while she listens closely to each and every detail. It was exactly how she recalled it, save for the moments that Marc was able to push through.

"Maybe I should start seeing someone..."

That comment nearly breaks her resolve, but she harshly bites her tongue. With a small frown, she reaches out to him. Her hand grabbing his causes him to finally look up at her as he'd looked away as he talked. Gently, she pulls him into a hug, one arm wrapped around his waist while the other starts soothingly running through the hair at the nape of his neck. Melting in her hold, his arms wrap loosely around her as he bends down slightly to rest his head in the crook of her neck.

"It's going to be okay, love. I promise."

They stand in silence for a while, though neither of them really care.

"How about I pop over to yours after I get all washed up? We can order something in and watch a movie. How's that sound?" "That.. Nice. That sounds nice." "Yeah?"

Pulling away, she cup his cheeks with a caring smile. Her thumbs brush his cheeks bones and he can help but let his mind rest to be here in the moment.

"Yeah." "Alright, then I'll see you in just a little bit."

~~~

Putting some comfortable pants on, her brows furrow at a firm knock and the feeling of the hair on her neck raising. She looks around the room to spot Khonshu sitting on her small dining table with an aura of irritation.

"What's up, bird man?"

If he had eyes to roll in that moment, he would have, but instead he just sighs and responds as she slowly starts making her way to the door.

'The worm has further complicated things.' "The worm? The only other person apart of this that I know of is.. You mean Steven?" 'The worm, yes.' "Don't call him that. He's not a worm."

Opening the door, she puts on a calm smile at the sight of him, but quickly realizes that this isn't the man they were just talking of. Her smile doesn't exactly disappear, but it does shrink in concern as she looks at Marc. Before she can ask him anything, he starts going on a tangent about how Steven had found his things. He doesn't mention anything about the phone call that had been made earlier, but instead pushes past her to start pacing slightly. Steven wasn't meant to find out about any of this.

"Marc?"

He'd tried so hard to keep everything away from him and give him a life without worry. Feeling something touch the back of his hand, he finally comes back to reality. Her fingertips brush against him, taking it slow before wrapping them gently around his hand.

"Hey."

She moves to stand in front of him rather than his side, all the while still holding his hand.

"It'll be okay."

Though it's difficult to believe that, the way she looks at him causes him to nod gently.

~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Sorry this took so long, there's been a lot on my plate recently. Taglist: @ninjarose23, @ahookedheroespureheart, @wendds, @spicydonut25

[angievores]

A Theory on how these two could Start or have Already Started or can call it as random rambling on vegas pete

They said they toned down Vegaspete story a lot. That means with problematic parts they may also have changed their starting point. So here's my thoughts on how their story may progress keeping novel aside.

"They say their relationship is painful but beautiful.its all consensual.Be ready when it happens. It's equally fun as the main cp. They are two puzzle pieces which fits together." Everything is said by cast or showmakers.

For me to be painful means at any cost they would want to be together but can't because of their external goals. They both has some deep pain inside which they will embrace in each other's presence. It's beautiful that means their love is going to be pure and very deep. Achieving all of this in a room from starting seems difficult in 6 episode.

For their first time to be consensual after getting captured,both should have at least certain amount of attraction for it to be impactful. The attraction from pete ( even if it's very slight,just physical nothing romantic)at least should exist before confinement for people to not call it stockholm Syndrome. Vegas we know could get it in a split second. Even if pete initiates just to buy some time, it would still be dubious and without any attraction, it's difficult to make it beautiful.

So what if they had a history ,not anything sexual but some important interaction, maybe something emotional where they saw an interesting side of each other. It's not impossible as they know each other for a long time. But that very very little spark is hushed down by them as it was impossible. For pete it was his boss and his boss enemy. For Vegas he is very much obsessed with kinn to focus on anything else and pete isn't of any strategic importance towards his goal.

Vegas keeps tabs on everything around kinn. He sent that lady assassin to check porshe even before his dad told him so. So he must have done similar on his all bodyguards. He may have found someone cute or handsome (you know whom) but not of very much importance to kinn. They changed kinn's type so why can't vegas type also. In the series every bodyguard belongs to kinn, just arm, pol, pete are assigned to khun. There doesn't seem to be any head bodyguard for khun. In fact pete, arm, big and porshe are his most trusted and of highest ranks. Vegas must keep all of them on check from time to time.

Vegas did found porshe handsome but it's not until kinn chocking porshe, he realized porshe importance. Then after his dad's order he has to focus on him. For whole second family and bodyguards to participate in friendly facade in ep 7 , it must be kan's order (getting porshe on there side is that important to them).

Now talk about vegas pete,This interaction is very odd in ep 4. (Very unlikely but what if he came for pete but got kinn and porshe luckily).The gesture of Vegas touching Pete's shoulder seems to be signify their relationship. It's same when pete played Vegas in special episode. In evry poster, trailer Vegas hands are on pete shoulder or chest or face. We all can see pete is very nervous or scared in his presence compared to others even when he wasn't spying. But why?? and what for??

He could sense Vegas evilness but he was unhinged in ep 7 when Vegas mutilated a body and was comfortable in working with him. So it's not just fear of authority.

He is scared Vegas would do something to him. Why? Did Vegas tried something on him in past? Like making some advances as in ep 6.

He is interested in him or is aware of Vegas intentions towards him (if they have such). But it's not anything deep and very little physical attraction or amusement that is insignificant to Vegas compared to his goal kinn.

Was he this excited bcz of porshe headbutt (a challenge) Or bcz that reminded him of something similar in the past. Or bcz this time porshe (a challenge)is kinn's weakness too? I wondered that bcz this still was present in a romantic mv and hand gestures represent him and pete. Why giving porshe related still when his romantic pairing is pete? (If there's such a twist as Vegas liked porshe bcz of pete, I'll die). Because Except this still, there's no solid proof that he follows porshe bcz he is personally interested in him. In fact it's all ambiguous , he is trying so hard bcz of dad, bcz of kinn Or both. He himself never said anything when porshe isn't around. They can easily change this ambiguous love triangle situation into vegas never liked porshe Or was interested in pete from beginning. This way it serves both the purposes in first half (vegas being second lead) and second half (vegas being crazy for pete)of series.

But pete is always blurred or not shown in porshe presence to Vegas. Maybe bcz even if pete somewhat interested him at some point,he chooses to completely ignore him as his main focus is kinn and pete would be a waste of time. (Novel spoiler-he is driven by revenge) or because they don't want to show us pete reaction now(because it's insignificant or because it'll be a huge spoiler).

This time, pete himself walked into Vegas vicinity. Was Vegas showing his intentions or caught on pete's feelings (if he has some). That "take care" was a warning that if you come more closer , you have no idea what I'll do to you. How would he know a condom will get such a reaction from pete? (Has he observed pete before). Pete was totally creeped out. He got the message very clear.Or has he seen or sensed this vegas before too?

pete has successfully caught his attention till this point. Vegas no longer wants to ignore him. Was Vegas thinking "you are very daring, even after so many warnings came this close". Vegas is in full mood to play with him. This interaction was very different from any novel interaction (although more creepy) Vegas didn't gave him any warning but played according to pete's lame excuse. Dropping him quietly to his room doesn't seem like Vegas (maybe gave him indirect warning or gave him food to confuse him more).

One more thing vegas doesn't leave a single opportunity to touch pete. While pete doesn't like or feels uncomfortable with any unfamiliar closeness or touches, especially from vegas. I did another post on this. He has a very strong sense of personal space.

Another reason is in their consume you trailer,vegas approaches pete first before observing him and instantly got obsessed at first touch while both were already bathing in red chrysanthemum (passionate love) and red wine (transformation). He plays with his chest (heart), before hurting him. While Pete's body reacts, his face observes. I don't know how to interpret it. Either after capturing he'll first play with him and then hurt him more Or if he hurts him just after capturing, now he's playing with him (in background of course)

If that's true then when he'll found this boy in his wardrobe one day,he won't let him go that easily. He would be presented with a golden opportunity where he can play with pete however he wants. vegas capture pete because he interests him (as his prey) rather than to just vent his emotions on him. That submerged spark will came floating and will turn into fire when they get unmasked in the room.

There's a single still hinted at Vegas torturing pete (electric taser one) &so far many stills are misleading, like kinn chocking porshe.(Have you any idea what could be misleading about it if it is) . If not for consume you trailer, there isn't single frame of them being together but they can't start their story abruptly, there needs to be significant hints dropped in background which will later show that their story was progressing and will make us coming back to these episodes.

Puzzle pieces that fit together.Those who are love starved can give tonnes of love upon receiving a drop. Vegas wants someone to see him and pete wants someone to take care of him, the guy is always tired taking care of others. Of course they'll later share deep emotional bonding .

Before you accuse me of being delusional,I myself also don't believe fully in it. I don't expect anything at this point. @secondtime20 it's because of your post that I got these thoughts in my mind. Anyway It's just a theory or possibility,and may seem like a ff but if they go by such a path, it'll somewhat solve their problematic start. Also explain their late start as being in same room will be just catalyst for their relationship. And it won't be totally out of context . There are ambiguous hints here and there. (Man if he needs to be obsessed with pete, do it from the very first episode). Also explain why they can't show much interaction between them in first half.

Another way is pete turns out as fcked up as Vegas. Will directly look into his eyes when unmasked. Will be the one initiating everything.

On a side note, very unlikely but what if he was serious here.

I know he was joking and it was foreshadowing future. But so far I have noticed they sometimes hide serious plot behind comedy. For example, khun smacking vegas for jealousy but was actually protecting his brother, actually khun's whole existence, pete having guts to plan search his boss room but was actually ordered by kinn(maybe), him acting oblivious to kinnporshe relationship, him acting idiot in hallway but founding vegas room. But it's still very unlikely of above pic being true.

[pokemon-ash-aus]

False!Twin AU: WIP

Log 1:

Several amounts of ancient DNA have been pressed along our path, coding points to an unknown pokemon with DNA matching to several species we currently have.

According to directors, our best bet is to try and recreate it in order to find out if this is the pokemon we need.

Log 2:

After several failures and multiple sleepless nights, we have finally manipulated the DNA enough to incubate an egg.

We've also extracted enough to try and create incubated fetuses within test Tubes.

Here's to hoping our experiments are a success.

Log 8:

After several weeks, we are finally seeing progress.

As stated in log 6, the egg was a failure and released the same Ditto like pokemon that drowned. We have taken to analyzing it's body.

Professor Corduroy has taken to setting up the internal tube pokemon with several wires to take in their dilemma.

All of them are slowly taking form, they seem to be taking on that of a Meowth.

We are not optimistic.

Log 16:

All three incubators are showing wonderful progress!

We've noted that there is a heartbeat within the three and their shape is starting to take form much more.

While they originally seemed quiet similar to a meowth hatchling, we've been able to see a mass amount of differences, including the lack of a coin.

Their colors are slowly coming in, resembling that of a Jigglypuffs as opposed to the tan hide of a Meowth.

One has taken an odd blue hue, though statistics show that it is in perfect health, we will be keeping a closer eye on it.

Log 34:

After farming several vials of blood from the subjects, we found that the next morning they were gone.

Upon looking into the security footage, we don't know how they left. There is no excessive use of force, nor is there any indication of teleportation.

We can only assume that their structure has failed and they assimilated with the liquid inside.

As such, we have been given a prerogative to stabilize the DNA with several other creatures and given a batch of useless and unused DNA

Hopefully, this works.

Log 52:

The eggs are showing signs of life and several are growing well.

As a sign of good faith, I volunteered to provide human DNA in order to make a pokemon human hybrid.

There are only two that survived with my DNA and they seem to be thriving.

We have several unknown batches of DNA, some of which look similar to the human DNA mixes.

We hope one of these will be a success.

Log 60:

Another one has passed, an unfortunate little Raichu mix that sunk to the bottom of it's tank.

I watched the poor thing reach out for help.

This doesn't feel right.

Log 62:

We sent away a human DNA twin, the pinker of the two.

She's beautiful and a part of me doesn't want to send her away at all.

I feel I need sleep, as I watched her look at me as we shipped her off.

A part of my heart yearns for her to be back.

Log….

I don't know how long it's been since this project has started.

I don't know how long I can stay here and pretend everything is okay.

I believe that a part of me reaching out to these creatures is solely based on the fact that one of these things has my DNA.

They have been named.

Mewtwo, based on that one mythical pokemon.

I don't like it.

These creatures have a beating heart, they cry for someone to help.

Another dies and my heart aches.

When will this end?

Delia shakily placed the pencil down, snapping her logbook shut without another word.

She was all alone, listening to the wail of the incubated duo.

They were sick, she could hear it in their rasoy tones, could see it in the way they huffed and puffed and reached for comfort.

One of them was black, with a blue underbelly, now a sickly grey tangled in wires and trying to move.

Too sick, too weak to do anything.

The other one, the human DNA one, had once been a soft lilac, now a pale white, curling in on itself as a soft wheeze broke out it's throat.

Sick.

That's how they all died.

They had grown sick despite their insistence on keeping the laboratory clean, despite their best efforts to provide the proper vitamins and nutrients that the young pokemon needed.

Sickness was what it was.

Delia was alone, she had no experience dealing with their sickness, she was a researcher not a doctor.

Thrumming her fingers against her logbook, she pushed away from her chair, moving back to switch shifts with Jackson.

Another wail.

Her breathing stuttered, and with wide eyes she turned to look at them, just outside the camera's roaming eye.

They were just pokemon.

Just experiments.

She could hear her coworkers laughing, could hear the conversation turn teasing as they talked about families.

Another cry.

"You're just kids," Her resolve broke, guilt sinking heavily into her stomach.

That's what they were, pokemon or not.

They were children.

Dear Mew, what was she thinking!?

[askkrenko]

Krenko’s Guide to Pokemon: Cyndaquil Line

It’s not smiling, its eyes just do that.

DESIGN:

The Pokedex claims Cyndaquil is a Mouse. This is pretty obviously a lie. Cyndaquil is some sort of Echidna/Porcupine hybrid, which makes sense because they’re both spiney things. Its English name has Quil in it, and the Japanese one is based on Porcupine, so the Dex is just a liar.

Anyway, it’s a basic two tone animal design, with a few marks on its back to show where the fire comes out… And then we often just set the back on fire and woosh! This is a cool and unique idea for a fire type that immediately reads as a small mammal that is also on fire. Also, it’s comfortably adorable. Still doing that weird one-toe thing, though.

Cyndaquil’s first evolution, Quilava, is basically more of the same. Its nose is shorter and its body is longer, but that’s clearly a sign of just growing up. The major difference is that Quilava’s fire is now both on its back and its head, which feels like a natural progression. Also, it has ears now for some reason. It also has ore toes,  which is nice, though I have to wonder where those claws went.

Quilava is fine. It works, it’s obviously a middle form. I don’t have much to say about it. 

Typhlosion’s flame placement confuses me. I understand the added flames from Cyndaquil to Quilava, but then they moved down from the head to the neck, and there’s less of them. Watching the first evolution, I’d have expected Typhlosion’s entire back to be covered in fire. The evolution of its body shape is fine and reasonable (though now it’s more badger than anteater), but why does the fully evolved version have less fire than the middle one? 

Hisiuan Typhlosian gets a similar response. The design is fine, the fire is neat, and it works well in body as a follow-up to Quilava, but I’d have expected a lot more flames. Also, both of them look really bland when their fire is off, which makes sense outside of battle but really hurts their visuals. Hisiuan Typhlosian’s ghost-fire looks way cooler than the original, and the collar really brings the whole look together.

ECOLOGY:

According to Professor Laventon, Cyndaquil ‘hail from the Johto region.’ While this might have been true in the past, no wild Cyndaquil or evolution thereof can be found in Johto. If Cyndaquil are truly Johto natives, they are extinct in the wild. It is possible, however, that Laventon was simply incorrect. Cyndaquil can be found in the Sinnoh Underground, specifically in the Typhlo Cavern, and though the Underground’s strange nature raises the question of whether anything is truly native there, there is little doubt that the cave was named for Typhlosion. 

Whatever Cyndaquil ate in the wilds of Johto is unknown, though Typhlosion’s fangs suggest that it’s carnivorous. If the Sinnoh underground is its true natural habitat, it most likely feeds on Skorupi. Skorupi are extremely populous in all areas Cyndaquil have been sighted and are extremely susceptible to Ember attacks. This is potentially dangerous prey due to Cyndaquil’s lack of poison resistance, but nobody has ever accused Cyndaquil of being a widely successful, thriving species. If males hunt and females do not, this high mortality rate would explain why the vast majority of Cyndaquil young are male.

Hisuian Typhlosion is a particular oddity. Though photographs and accounts of it exist, there are no recent incidents of a Quilava evolving in this way. Professor Laventon theorized that it was caused by Mount Coronet’s sacred energy cannot be a complete answer, as Quilava trained on the mountain today evolve to “Johto” Typhlosion as they do everywhere else.

Art by ArtKitt Creations

TYPING:

Fire is fine. There is nothing special to say about Fire that you haven’t heard before.  Expect these ‘typing’ sections to become increasingly smaller as time goes on. 

Hisiuan Typhlosion, on the other hand, is Fire/Ghost, which has extra defenses and resistances. With Ghost’s two immunities and seven resistances, Hisiuan Typhlosion can take a lot of different attacks. On the other hand, it also has five weaknesses instead of just three, and no one type resists both Fire and Ghost. These two types give Hisiuan Typhlosion STAB super effective attacks against six different types. Overall, this is mostly an improvement.

STATS: 

Typhlosion’s best stats are a 109 Special Attack and a 100 Speed, which immediately makes its role clear. Hisiuan Typhlosion has 119 Special Attack, but 95 speed. Defensively, they’re both fine with Hisiuan having a smidge less HP. Either way, both Typhlosion forms are fine. They do have a lot of competition in the role of fast special attacker, but that doesn’t inherently make them bad at it.

Art by Ivan-Jhang, note that this link is very furry

ABILITIES:

It’s a Fire Starter. It has Blaze. Moving on.

Typhlosion’s hidden ability, seemingly in both forms, is Flash Fire, which upgrades its Fire Resistance into an immunity and gives it a 50% boost to its own Fire damage if hit by a Fire attack. This is… fine. Note that Hisuian’s hidden ability is not actually certain, as Legends: Arceus does not have Hidden abilities, and this information is based on the in-game data for trading a Hisuian Pokemon to another Pokemon game... which is not yet even possible.

Neither of these abilities are particularly impressive. Typhlosion’s not durable enough to sit around at low health (and doesn’t want to, because of Eruption), and catching a Fire attack is unlikely to be common… and when it is, it’ll often be from a Fire pokemon that you won’t want to then use a Fire attack on, even at +50%. Yes, they both have uses, but neither gives Typhlosion an edge over other fire types.

Art by dekunobou-kizakura

MOVES:

Typhlosion is one of only a few Pokemon that can use the devastatingly powerful Eruption, the most powerful Fire move after Victini’s signature V-Create. Further, without involving Mega Stones or Primal Reversion, Typhlosion has the highest Special Attack of any Pokemon capable of using Eruption.

Eruption is a special attack with base power based on your current HP, doing 1.5 base damage for each % of HP you have left. This means that a fully healthy Typhlosion is attacking at 150 base power, and it’s fast enough to usually do that at least once. In Doubles, Eruption is a spread move. 

Because Eruption’s power is only 75 at half health and even lower below, Typhlosion will often opt to have a backup Fire attack, like Fire Blast or Flamethrower or Heat Wave. There’s plenty of options, and Typhlosion gets basically all the Fire attacks.

Outside of fire, Typhlosion’s moves are questionable. Focus Blast is a major hit for a special attacker, but it’s very risky at 70 accuracy. Solar Beam is an amazing attack, but requires working on a Sun team. This is fine, as Eruption also loves sunlight, but it does mean it’s basically a useless move without weather. Typhlosion does learn a decent number of off-type physical attacks, but its stats aren’t conducive to using them. 

Typhlosion is a one-trick pony. It’s a good trick, but if something can handle that Eruption, Typhlosion’s Plan B is extremely basic.

Hisiuan Typhlosion… might fix this issue. It’s impossible to say for sure, as Pokemon Legends Arceus doesn’t use the same movesets as other games, but Shadow Ball is a great coverage option, and Hisiuan Typhlosian gets a signature move in Infernal Parade. Infernal Parade is a 60 power Ghost move with a 30% chance of Burn, and doubles in power if the target already has a status condition. While that specific move might not matter, STAB Shadow Ball is a pretty solid Plan B on its own. And Hisiuan Typhlosion still has the issue of learning too many Physical attacks despite having 84 Attack and 119 Special Attack.

Infernal Parade, by Raizy

OVERALL:

Typhlosion is decent, with a clear strategy working for it and a near-signature attack in Eruption, but the lack of any Special coverage worth a damn and two extremely mediocre abilities keeps it from really being great. Even with high Special Attack and a 150 power move, it’s extremely easy to throw something in front of Typhlosion it can’t punch through, and if anything does manage to hit it it’s going to be doing much less damage.

Hisiuan Typhlosion looks like a step toward fixing one of these issues, but it might not be enough. A better hidden ability could go a long way, but I’d say the biggest fix Typhlosion could use is getting Energy Ball as a TM/TR/Egg/whatever move. It’s frequently available to non-Grass types and would give a great option to punch through Water and Rock types that resist Eruption. 

Still don’t get why the fire’s only on the neck, though. Seriously, let me see flames that go the whole way along its back. That’d be cool.

The Revelation, also by Raizy

[luimagines]

Dame part 3! I’ll gladly tell ya about the prince and FD :)

Okay so the prince is horrible, he’s incredibly controlling in general but when it comes to fame it’s worse. If the chain ever ends up in dames Hyrule all the progress that they made with dame is out the window, her walls are back up.

Her stance is tense and she’ll be stone faced, she would find away to tell them by either speaking or signing that they have to go to hyrule castle, she needs to report what has happened meaning they will meet the mysterious prince.

Once inside the castle the prince is already waiting for them, he won’t pay much attention to the others first choosing to single out dame and that exchange would go like this.

“ it’s about time you came back, you’ve been gone for a month. You’ve missed every training session since and your lessons.” He stared down at dame with a look that they others can’t identify but they do know the tone of his voice is harsh. Dame doesn’t say anything and just stands there. “ go to the training grounds now. I’m assuming you know better than joining us for dinner tonight, now go so I may talk to our guests.” Dame would give a bow and walk to the training grounds.

The others stared in shock, he’s not concerned about where’s she’s been or if she’s injured or anything. As well as telling her to go train and not to come for dinner, their confusion is about to get worse as the prince does a 180 in personality when talking to them. “Welcome! It’s my honor to have the hero’s of the past in my presence, my apologies of my knight gave you a hard time, she’s quite stubborn but we’re working on that. Now how may I help you all?”

No one wanted to speak up , but someone had to and after that exchange it was surprising the captain. “ she wasn’t a bother at all your highness in fact she’s quite a delight to have around. As for how you can help, we need a place to stay for a while” he didn’t dare bring up the portal there was something off about this prince. Who treats their knight like that , let alone one who wields the master sword.

The prince nods and speaks up once again “there’s plenty of rooms here in the castle and it’ll by my honor to host you all for the time being if there’s anything you need just ask me. Also if my knight or her…friends..cause any issues let me now and they shall be dealt with accordingly. I trust most of you know your way around, so feel free to explore the only rooms off limits are the personal quarters of those who are work and live here I’ll leave you all to explore now.” After that the princes walks off.

The others share a look around and time speaks up “no wonder dame didn’t wish to speak about him, he’s harsh to her to harsh.” Time sighs and then captain speaks up “he’s forcing her to train and then not to attend dinner. Zelda didn’t even do that to the troops even preparing for war. Dame didn’t even fight back it’s ass if all of the sass left her. I’m going to the grounds to check out what’s going on.” The captain walks off , time chooses to follow him as for the others they want to do a bit more digging to see what exactly is going on in theses castles walls. Wind , wild and hyrule go exploring around castle with wild knowing this place pretty well take them to find hidden paths. Four and veteran head off the the archives to see what exactly this hyrule has down there. Sky and rancher to to check around the castle it’s self seeing if they run in to someone willing to give them some info.

When captain and time reach the training grounds they aren’t noticed at first. The grounds look similar to wars’s, there’s a good amount of knights training and dame is among them. Several of the other knights are sparing with her and aren’t holding back as for what she’s training with hers using a claymore. There’s a lot of noise but in the mix the two hero’s can hear a conversation near by.

“I can’t believe she came back, I thought she left for good.” Then a second voice spoke up “I did to , she makes it seem like she hates it here and the prince, how can we be sure she’s not working with ganon?” “I heard that she actually doesn’t pray to the goddesses of anyone.” “Really I heard she caught the attention of a god almost as bad as ganon , a god of war and death.” “I wouldn’t be surprised look at how she fights it’s as if it’s to kill.”

Time and captain know exactly what their talking about , the snap out of their thoughts when then hear dame scream. When they look over she’s taken down all the knights she was fighting she shoves the blade of the claymore down into the ground as she’s painting. She’s past her limit but that’s not going to stop her or the others.

Suddenly rain starts to fall and then a flash of lightning with the boom of thunder happened and at the same time dame looks over to where the captain and time are and for a split second as quick as the lightning came and went they see behind their friend the god who they both know and fear with his hand on her shoulder.

There behind dame is the fierce deity himself, staring at the two hero’s shocked expressions, it’s clear that their friend has his favor and it only means one thing.

There’s a war coming and dames destined to something big, for better or for worse.

———

Wow that’s the most I’ve written in a while! I’ll probably send in more about dame, her friends and the prince tomorrow hope this answered some questions and maybe even left more :)

....................AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I'm ok

Ok

I'm ok

I'm not

But it's fine.

Buddy, are you planning on writing a full fic of this? Like... where can I find more? You can't leave me like this!

[natsspammityspamspamham]

I wonder if it's even possible for Romantic Killer to get a second season since the anime already covered the manga in it's entirety.

Yeah! I reblogged someone's post on that:

My thoughts on a possible season two (+ ideas for season two):

TL;DR: Conclusive endings and decisions can change the show entirely. Many romance anime have taken different routes to combat this issue to varying levels of success. I personally think that either Anzu has no clear romance route in the end or they portray all of the routes (all or nothing). Because of this, I think it would be risky to make a second season (although I really want one). Maintaining the balance between entertainment and progress is a difficult one, but if they can do it, by all means, I want another season!

I wouldn't want another season if it ruined the first one. Personally, I wasn't in favour of making Riri a love interest. I found them to be unnecessary. In fact, I'd be more okay with making Saki a love interest instead. Riri just seems too out there. I don't mean the gender-fluidity. I mean the fact that they are LITERALLY A MASCOT IN THEIR NATURAL FORM. I mean, I get why people would get behind it though. I just find it odd.

Prepare for a tangent...

Edit: Another thing I'd need if a season two were to happen is an episode with just Tsubasa and Junta. The reasoning will be put below the cut since it's part of the tangent.

The thing is that this premise gives rise to a problem similar to most other harem romcoms. This is the problem where you can't really end it conclusively without feeling like you're losing a part of the show. It can change the whole tone of the show if you want to continue after the MC has chosen the love interest they like the most. Ranma 1/2 had him choose a girl at the very end of the manga, but they never officially got married or anything because that would ruin the tone of the hi-jinks. In contrast, Kaguya-sama, although not a harem, arguably took a gamble because of the confession potentially getting rid of some of the tension. Gotoubun no Hanayome had him choose a girl (arguably the wrong one) to the dismay of most of the fanbase (and man, they were LOUD). Or you have the route that I personally think is the superior one to all of these will-they-won't-they which is to make paths for each of the main love interests. It's definitely the most costly, and it would be a waste of time for those love interests that are definitely not of the same caliber as the others. We saw this done with BokuBen. This option is not polygamy at its core (although, poly-relationships are a-okay when consensual). These are presented as alternative universes in their own right like paths in an RPG or dating sim.

If they were to make a second season, I think it would need the same wackiness as before. I don't think the show would be able to pull off a tonal shift as it is right now. I know that if they picked one guy, it would default to Kazuki since he was the first one to show up and be introduced to the audience, and it's heavily foreshadowed in the opening. This leaves all the Junta fans in stitches, and I always have a soft spot for the childhood friend who has loved the MC for a long time.

To continue back to the edit point, I'd like to reference that in other harems before it (like BokuBen or Gotoubun no Hanayome), there have been episodes or even arcs where the main concern is the relationship between two members the harem (I get that Gotoubun is because they're literally quintuplets, but it still counts!) I feel like this adds more depth to the characters, and it focuses on relations outside of their relationship with just the main character. After all, real people are more than their relationship with their significant other. Plus, I really appreciate how this Romantic Killer doesn't use their two options against each other. Tsubasa doesn't harbour any ill will towards Junta, and Junta is just not capable of harbouring ill will 99% of the time. In a ton of other romance anime, Junta would've gotten mad at Tsubasa for "putting Anzu in danger by association" which is stupid, and I'm glad they skipped it and even had a conversation about it. Anyways, I think there is just a bag of potential.

Of course, the opposite is also true when it comes to building platonic relationships between the MC and others. We have OreSuki (can't believe I'm referencing that hot trash show that was too enjoyable for me to drop) that showcases that you can have an MC who has a ton of girls vying for his attention just up and choose his best friend because "bros before hoes". If they're not going to make Saki a romance option (which I think is a completely valid option), they should at least give her a "best friend ending" option. Heck, I thought they were going to go that route with Riri until they kind of shoehorned the romance option onto that puntable fricking potato blob.

Do I want a second season? Yes, but I would want a lot of thought to go into it since it's a very tricky balancing act between being entertaining while maintaining some sort of progress (it's possible to entertain without progress, but even that gets tiring after a while).

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Hi BTM !

Have you listened to bad decisions ? What are your thoughts ?

I liked it, it’s a catchy pop song, it’s cute. I love the boys’ vocals, all 4 of them were amazing but I gotta say Jimin and Jungkook blew me away once again I just love their voices so much. I’d do anything for a Jikook subunit tbh. The MV was a little cheesy and cringey but I enjoyed it lol.

Have a nice day !

Hi @sarangkookmin! Thank you for the question 😊

I listened to the song first thing in the morning before I went to work, so it was an interesting way to wake up, to say the least. I'll talk about the positives first. I agree with you, this song was basically made to highlight the vocal line and they did a good job, as expected. Jungkook sets the tone, being the first and then it progresses from there. Jimin's voice will always be a plus to me, the cherry on top that makes the melody stand out in certain places. His pronunciation got really good and there's something about his way of singing that makes the particular verse stand out, it's similar to what happened in Run BTS as well. The vocal line had equal distribution, so no one can complain. I for one I'm glad I got to hear Jimin more, as opposed to another colab like My Universe, but the situation is also different. They only had to fit in 5 people in a song, not 8.

Now, let me move to other, less positive aspects. As much as I like Snoop Dogg, I listen to his music, he really had no place in this song. It's like I could hear how much he doesn't really care and this is nothing but a paycheck to him. I won't judge him for it too much, he wants the money, but his contribution is forgettable at best. And the funny thing is that he was rapping in a way that a few years ago he criticized the younger generation for. It was that same rhythm. But I also haven't followed what music Snoop releases nowadays, so what do I know? My point is, I think his only purpose was to have his name on that collab, bringing in other categories of fans.

To me, Bad Decisions really is a typical summer bop that people will forget soon enough. I don't think it's going to make a difference for BTS or any other party involved. I wonder if the purpose of these collabs is merely to bring their name to the general public's attention, preparing for the future in their solo ventures? It's in line with Hybe's strategy in the past 2 years. We shall see.

As to the music video, my guess is a lot of fans could be disappointed, but I haven't really followed the reception of the song (I do know there was a bit of focus on mistranslation about Jimin's verse, but it died down soon enough). The promotions were a clue that none of the members will appear in the music video and it seems their involvement was strictly recording the song. The music video is too much on the cringe side for me, although it tries to be funny. Except Benny Blanco is not funny. Boy does he really try!

Overall, it's not the worst song out there, but my guess is that in a month, it will be out of people's mind and playlists.

P.S. Just because a somehow "famous" guy hid a USB in the woods and then asked fans to meet him there in the evening, I hope Army knows or at least learns that just because someone has candy, you don't get in a van with them. I know this was an innocent promo, but the way they just rushed there is a sign that they need to have a talk about stranger danger.