#I need to finish that fic series

[transingthoseformers]

Shoots a cold constructed mech with the deaging gun, what happens? since they were never a baby?

Two options:

They revert back to what they were like at that age as a newbuild

This is their first time being a child/baby

[withonly-sweetheart]

hear me out. nsfw mentions ahead

<><><><>

re6 leon in which the events of re2 never happen, he doesn't become a police officer until chris recommends it to get over a break up, smth abt finding your purpose or fuck tht

he's got no idea what he's doing in the goddamn room, six months of training later, but theres a shiny new badge on his chest and a can do attitude that disappears as soon as he twists over his shoulder to check out his t.o.

shit, you must be at least, what, a decade younger than him? he has to hold back a scoff when sergeant dismisses the room, and suddenly he's left alone with your silent, wide eyes looking up at him.

you keep him behind you in your quick, clicking steps, allowing little time for the questions he asks, trying to pry that little shell of yours open. but you're unrelenting, in the way that he is, in your serious posture and his amused demeanor.

a demeanor that "has no place on the force", you tell him a week later, just after he's turned the corner and tripped over the felony you handcuffed just seconds ago.

he huffs and puffs on the ground, but he knows that you're the big bad wolf in his story. and he's not about to swap roles to become little red riding hood.

so after crashing at chris' penthouse with a cooler full of cold beer, a recovering heart and heavy thoughts, he realizes that he can do so much better. become what you expect.

and the man that walks in the day after? well, he's not the same old man whose back you were snickering behind when he got the captain's office and the locker room mixed up, courtesy of your fellow cops.

you feel more like a cheetah around its prey than a partner to him, especially with the snarky banter that flows easily, the subtly thrown smiles and winks during an ambush, his awkward yet sweetly charming demeanor.

and guess who can really judge a book by its cover? well, in this case, you suppose by its age.

to be honest, the only thing stopping you from pouncing is the number printed next to his name on the file that's two months late, sending all you've known about him into a loophole.

it appears that sometimes, the force of objects thrust into motion cant be stopped, and the events that ensure one night during a late night study of the rook book ends up with a pair of boots tangled in his sheets.

the thrill of getting caught is delicious, hell, its the reason you became a goddamned cop. but you've been denied that thrill all your life, and when it finally comes to you in the form of this glorious man, you should've realized there would've been some kind of problem.

your crazy big hint was the sun-crinkled eyes, salt and pepper stubble and old man advice, but that's hard to think about when his mouth is buried between your thighs, and even harder is to remember the question he asked beforehand, now somehow expecting an answer as he smothers your hips in wet, sticky kisses. blissfully broken and gazing at the book with glazed eyes.

because how the fuck are you supposed to memorize how to identify a gun when that was the best head you've gotten in years? but when he finally sinks into you with a groan, you realize that there is one gun you will always be able to identify on sight.

better pray that doesn't show up on the quiz though.

series masterlist

[vigilante24ish]

🌙 Moon Phases 🌙

Agatha Harkness X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1365

Chapter 24:

The sky was beautiful at that time, and you let Teen in charge of the broom as you fell on the stars and the bright red full moon.

Your eyes closed, and you spread your hands, feeling the intense power of the full moon heating you with invisible waves.

A red full moon was rare and was the most powerful of moon phases, capable of even thinning the veil between living and dead.

Ironically, it was when your magic was also the most volatile but you still took pleasure in it's beautiful shade and that feeling of power that was bubbling inside of you liked a filled cauldron above a powerful fire.

"Mmm" you moaned faintly.

"Okay, this is creepy," Jen commented, watching your moon bathing with the ominous red mood.

You opened your eyes and looked at her, feeling amused, and it showed by the twinkle in your eye and that smirk you gave... one that definitely made Jen question your sanity for a moment.

The moment was interrupted by Teen, who had gotten the handle of controlling the broom.

"Why haven't we been doing this all along?" He asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

Before anyone could answer him, the world started to spin literally. As if someone was turning everything upside down, you all felt the gravity pulling you down and fast.

"It's's The Road. It's forcing us down." Lilia shouted amongst the screams of fear and shock.

"I don't think it's the Road," you exclaimed as suddenly you all started to fall straight for the ground, the brooms no longer able to fly.

"We're going to crash..." Alice exclaimed.

Screams followed, and only Rio cackled like a true evil witch from a children's fairytail; enjoying the ride and the thrill of adrenaline.

You leaned forward against Teen's back and grasped his hands, helping him steady the broom.

"Everyone pull!"

By your order, everyone did their best to pull the brooms, and somehow, you managed to avoid crashing. You kept flying, the ground far closer now to you, but at least you were alive and unharmed.

Up ahead, you all took notice of a wooden cabin with lighten lights in the middle of the dark woods; your next trial.

However, before you could reach it, one of the Salem Seven appeared and blocked your path. They opened their mouth, letting ouf a swarm of bees.

More screams followed for as you passed through the cursed witch, hundreds of bees tried to sting and blind you; causing you all to fall to the ground.

Left with no choice, everyone rushed for the wooden cabin while trying to push away any bee too close to their faces.

You entered last and closed the door with more force than intended, panting heavily as the adrenaline was slowly leaving your body.

Agatha groaned, making you glance at her.

"Oh, my God!" She exclaimed. "Okay. All right. Okay. Okay. We're okay."

Jen did not agree, not that it surprised you. "No, we're not! The entire Halloween aisle's outside waiting for us."

"And it doesn't look like they can get in, does it?"

You turned your back on them and placed your ear against the wooden door, trying to listen. There was no sound outside, and you did not sense any magic whatsoever; making you leave a sigh of relief.

At least for the moment, you were safe, and you could breathe.

Agatha took your silence as an answer. "See, all good. So all we have to do is complete the trial and continue on before they can reach us. Okay?"

"How? Kiss, Marry, Kill?"

Her rhetoric question made you focus on the others, seeing their latest outfit change, and this time, you did not hide your stare.

Everyone was wearing some sort of pyjamas or night clothes, though you were uncertain from what era and for what age it was meant to be.

Everyone looked like teenagers in a sleepover, with their bright and funny outfits; not to mention the odd choice of hair styling.

You glanced at Rio and Agatha, seeing them, both, for the first time dressed in something like this.

Agatha had an oversized shirt that passed little after her waist, and you wondered if she had shorts beneath. Her legs were exposed, and she had white shocks, buggily pooling around her ankles.

Rio had a matching set of t-shirts and shorts, both revealing enough skin to make you stare; unwillingly.

You swore the road was doing it on purpose, to test how long you would hold without making a move; or perhaps testing if you could prevent yourself from staring.

So far, you had lost twice, and you felt you would not win any of the future ones; especially if Agatha and Rio had the most extreme of outfits.

"Aaaww, look at you," Rio said in a mocking voice, and for a moment, you thought she was commenting on your staring and roaming eyes. However, you soon realized her words once she moved behind you; handing holding your outfit. "Isn't this cute on you?"

You dared to glance at yourself, and it was immediately clear on your face that you did not share hers or the Road's humour.

"Seriously?" You exclaimed as you observed your chosen outfit.

It was a matching pyjama set consisting of long pants and a buttoned up long sleeved shirt. What irked you was, actually, the design in it. White crescent moons, yellow stars, and was that some sort of cow?!

"I think it's fitting," Rio commented, gently tugging the side of your pants, but you pulled yourself away.

"This is humiliating," you groaned, ignoring Teen who had lost his spellbook somewhere on the crazy flight with the brooms.

Left with no choice, you all started to explore the cabin; taking notice of how everything was styled like a teenage slumber party.

It had games, posters, light decorations, and pretty much everything else screamed teenage girls. All that was missing was fresh popcorn and maybe some hot cocoa, if not a projector for a movie.

The place did not look that bad, though you were not sure you would like to sleep in such conditions. Something about it felt odd, keeping you on edge.

"Whose trial is this?" Teen asked, wondering if perhaps this was his for he swore he saw some things he also had back in his rooms.

Suddenly, Rio chuckled. "Agatha's."

"How do you know?"

"A blood moon." Lilia informed him. "When the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest."

The boy was confused for a moment, evident by the deep frown on his face. "Wait. I thought talking to the dead was your department." He focused on the older witch.

"Oh, common misconception. I read people, I read time. But talking to spirits was just a con. And who better to commune with the dead than someone who's put so many in the grave?"

Agatha held back her tongue but did not hide her glare towards Lilia, clearly not happy with the comparison.

Like she was the only one having killed people.

Teen turned to you. "Shouldn't that be your expertise?"

"Hmm?" You exclaimed, drawing your attention from some unlight black candles to the boy. "Oh, no. I am a moon witch. I can dab in spirit magic, but I prefer not to. Don't like meddling with the dead"

Just then, a fake cough was heard, and you immediately knew who it was. You sent a side glare at Rio, who was amused.

"So, if it has to be your trial; what would it be?" Jen asked as she eyed you and Rio carefully.

"A new moon most likely," Rio answered for you, earning another glare that she brushed off like it was nothing.

"Why?"

"Long story," you commented. "Let's focus on this trial first,"

Just then, Teen spotted the next clue... an Ouija board.

"We have to, Ouija!" He exclaimed.

The watches on your wrists beeped, a count down starting the moment those words left his mouth.

"Guess we found out what we have to do," you said, trying to keep the focus on the new clue and not on what Rio said about your trial.

Chapter 25

[insomnya777]

sneak peek of bfop halloween special for those that are interested 😁🤞

[ladylynse]

'Write something of a sequel' won the poll, so people can drop the names of fics they'd like to see that 'something of a sequel' for the next poll.

(Apologies to all the folks who just want me to update my WIPs instead of writing something else.)

[baekhyunsbestie]

── ❝ hopelessly devoted to you ❞ 💗ྀི ̟!!

⟢ an ex-husband!baekhyun x ex-wife!reader series

જ⁀➴°⋆ content: rated E for everybody lmao. 1.2k+ words. angst, longing, yearning. divorce. explicit language. pet names. jealous baek. lmk if i missed anything, lol.

thinkin bout ex-husband!baekhyun, who’s still hopelessly, painfully in love with you.

no, he never got over the divorce. never got over you. how could he? you weren’t just his first love—you were the love, the only one who ever truly mattered.

even now, long after the papers were signed, baekhyun finds reasons to stay in your orbit. he drops by unannounced, armed with excuses that don’t fool anyone. "just wanted to check on you," he’d say, holding up a bag of your favorite takeout like a peace offering. or, with that familiar teasing grin, “you suck at taking care of yourself, sweetheart. someone’s gotta step up, right?”

but today, as he sets the bag of food down in the kitchen you once shared, his easygoing facade falters. his eyes catch on a vase of fresh flowers sitting on the counter—bright, delicate, and undoubtedly new.

they weren’t there last week when he came by to fix that "leaky faucet." no, he’s sure of it.

his chest tightens, a cocktail of jealousy and heartache bubbling up. someone else brought them. someone who isn’t him.

"hey, sweets," baekhyun calls out for you as he strides over to the vase, his eyes narrowing in scrutiny. he picks it up, tilting it slightly as though inspecting a priceless artifact or hunting for some incriminating evidence. of course, you weren’t stupid enough to leave the card from the sender out for him to see.

you’ve learned better by now. baekhyun’s nosiness knows no bounds. just last week, you’d caught him red-handed snooping under your christmas tree, crouched low and flipping through the gift tags like a detective on a mission. you could only guess he was hunting for a guy’s name to latch onto, but all he’d found were the usual suspects—your friends and family. he’d been smugly satisfied only for him to confront you, wide-eyed and grinning.

“so, what’s in that tiny box at the back of the tree?” he’d asked, his excitement barely contained. “y’know, the one with my name and the fancy red bow?”

now, as he gestures toward the roses with a casual wave, the teasing lilt in his voice returns. “what’s the deal? you got a boyfriend i don't know about or something? since when did you start liking roses? peonies are your favorite.”

his words hang in the air, the feigned indifference unable to mask the flicker of jealousy in his tone.

you leaned against the archway of the kitchen entry, arms folded tightly across your chest as if the posture alone could steady the rising panic bubbling beneath your skin. your voice, carefully measured, betrayed none of the unease you felt. “maybe i bought them for myself,” you lie, the words sounding hollow even to your own ears. baekhyun’s sharp eyes flicked to yours, and you knew instantly—you weren’t fooling him.

“riiiigghhht,” he drawled, stretching the word out as he straightened his stance. “because you’re definitely the type to buy yourself a bouquet of flowers you hate.” his scoff was sharp, laced with just enough bite to sting. shifting his weight, he leaned against the kitchen island, mirroring your stance with his arms crossed, the flowers sitting between you, an unspoken challenge. “seriously, who even gets you roses? you told me you hated them before we even started dating.” his pout deepened, his gaze dropping as his foot scuffed idly against the tiled floor. “pfft, what kind of dumbass gives you the wrong fuckin' flowers?”

“that was like eight years ago, baekhyun,” you scoffed, taking a few steps into the kitchen. “maybe i like roses now?” you lied, and the bombastic side eye he gave you as soon as the words left your mouth told you he knew it, too. “though i’m actually kind of shocked you even remembered that.”

the soft shuffle of his feet, the unmistakable pout on his lips—these tiny details triggered a surge of emotion within you, a vulnerability you hadn’t felt in so long. 

“well… yeah.” his voice softened, a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. “how could i forget when i had that vase filled with your favorites at all times? expensive ones, too. not like this garbage,” he shot a disdainful look at the cheap flowers, “where were they even brought from anyway? a fuckin’ grocery store?”

“god, you’re such a snob,” you half-laughed, shaking your head. as you reached for the bag of food he brought, the savory aroma curled around you like a warm hug, the comforting scent grounding you in the moment. “mmm, thank you for this, baek,” you murmured, offering him a small smile as you began unpacking the contents.

that was all it took—your gratitude, the soft curve of your lips as you thanked him. his face lit up, radiant and warm, like the sun breaking through a stubborn bank of clouds. “couldn’t let my girl starve,” he quipped, the playful lilt in his voice wrapping around the words like a bow. the pet name fell from his lips effortlessly, so natural it almost slipped past unnoticed.

almost.

your wince was small, fleeting—a ghost of discomfort that vanished as quickly as it appeared, but not before he caught it. his smile faltered, just for a heartbeat, before he masked it with a casual shift in his posture.

you, ever composed, pretended not to see. instead, you busied yourself with the food, your hands moving deftly as you divided the portions between two plates. the savory aroma filled the space between you, but it did little to distract him from the pang of longing that your reaction had stirred.

“come on. let’s eat,” you said at last, your voice light and accompanied by that signature smile of yours—the one that made his heart skip in the way it always had whenever it came to you.

“right behind ya, sweets,” he replied, tossing you a wink, the playfulness in his eyes masking the quiet storm brewing beneath.

as you turned to lead the way, he followed, but the sight of your back—familiar, heartbreakingly so—triggered an instinct he hadn’t yet mastered silencing. his hand twitched at his side, the urge to reach out and settle it against the curve of your waist surging like muscle memory. almost a year had passed since the divorce, yet his body hadn’t caught up to the reality of it all.

he clenched his fists tightly, forcing them to stay by his sides, his nails biting into his palms to ground himself. the thought of you catching him—of seeing his vulnerability so plainly written in an unspoken gesture—sent a flush of shame crawling up his neck. thank god you couldn’t see him.

baekhyun exhaled a slow, steadying breath, forcing the longing back down into the hollow it came from before slipping into his seat. but when you set the plate down in front of him, he was already gone—lost in thought, his knee bouncing restlessly under the table.

his hands were clasped tightly in front of his mouth, his gaze unfocused but intense, like a detective piecing together a puzzle he refused to leave unsolved. the flowers had done more than catch his eye—they’d planted a question in his mind, one he wouldn’t rest until he answered. just who in the hell is sending you flowers?

you knew that look too well, the gears turning behind his eyes. you swallowed hard, trying to ignore the creeping unease curling in your chest.

he’ll figure it out, you thought, dread pooling low in your stomach. one way or another.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ a/n ꒱ ˎˊ˗ i’ve been mulling over starting this series for a while, and here it finally is!!! i don’t really know where i’m going w this, but hey, we’ll figure it out together lmao. this series is probably gonna be filled with lil scenarios like this—lots of longing, yearning, jealousy, and angst, all that fun stuff :’) k bye hope you guys enjoyed this because there’s definitely more ex-husband!baekhyun coming ur way!!!!!!

ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* masterlist ° ᡣ𐭩 . 

[sunsetsandsunshine]

~ 𝙸 𝚜𝚙𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚎𝚢𝚎… ~

❤️👻💜👻🧡👻❤️👻💜👻🧡

·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚𝚃𝙸𝙲𝙺𝙻𝙴𝚃𝙾𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝙳𝙰𝚈 𝟷𝟹: 𝙲𝙰𝚁 𝚁𝙸𝙳𝙴˚*•✩•̩̩͙*＊·̩̩̥͙

𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝙵𝚕𝚞𝚏𝚏

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜: 𝟷,𝟾𝟺𝟻

𝙻𝚎𝚎: 𝚁𝚊𝚙𝚑 🐢❤️

𝙻𝚎𝚛’𝚜: 𝙳𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚎 🐢💜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚢 🐢🧡

𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: 𝚁𝚊𝚙𝚑, 𝙳𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚛 𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝙳𝚊𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝙻𝚎𝚘 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙰𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚕 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝…𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎…

(𝙰/𝙽: 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢: 𝙳𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚞𝚢! 𝚃*𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚔/𝙽𝚂𝙵𝚆 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚜 𝙳𝙽𝙸!!!)

𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: 𝙲𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚞𝚐𝚜 👁️👄👁️…

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚𝚂𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚍𝚗𝚍𝚑𝚜𝚓𝚓𝚜˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙

“Are we there yet?” Mikey whined loudly. 

“Uh…no?” His immediate older brother said, sighing impatiently. 

“…Are we there yet now?” Mikey whined louder. 

“No, Mike.” Donnie huffed through his palm as he rested his cheek on his hand, effortlessly playing his Nintendo Switch as he started to drown out his younger brother’s consistent complaining and restlessness. 

Which…you would think he got used to by now. 

The orange cladded turtle let out a short grunt loudly and dramatically, dragging his hands down his face, “Are we there yet now—?”

“Mikey, I swear to God if you ask that question one more damn time I will not hesitate to open the car door and throw you into ongoing traffic.” Raph growled lowly at the youngest. 

“Boys…be nice to each other, please…” Splinter exclaimed from the front seat as he drove. 

“But Dad! Mikey’s being annoying!” The tallest turtle moaned and groaned as he sunk in the middle seat.

“When is he not?” Donatello mumbled under his breath. 

“Boys…” The rat said warningly. 

“…Sorry, Dad…” The teenager’s grumbled collectively as they glared at one another. 

The rodent father sighed, plugging his phone into the car unit as he stopped on a red light. “…Why don’t we listen to some Podcasts on the radio?” He offered, trying to find something that his boys would enjoy that didn’t involve ripping each of their tails off.

“Yohou listen to podcasts?” The purple banded teenager exclaimed curiously as he took off his headphones. 

“Of course!” Splinter announced proudly, “I’ve been listening to this one that Spy-itify recommended me…it’s really good and well thought out!”

“It’s…It’s…'Spotify', Dad…” The hazelnut eyed teen corrected. 

“That’s what I said; 'Spy-itify'.” The father said simply, causing Raph to facepalm and stuff his face right back into his phone.

“What’s the podcast about?” Michelangelo asked as he leaned his head on the closed window as Splinter started to drive again once more.  

“It’s about this man talking about nature…it’s extremely interesting; I think you three will enjoy it.” The charcoal eyed rat explained. 

“Huh…sounds cool enough.” Donnie snickered, “What’s the guy’s name? Like, the one who mainly talks in the podcast and stuff.”

“Zach Green.” The rat said. 

“He sounds like a drug dealer…” Raphael mumbled under his breath, earning some small snickers from his younger brother’s as their Dad started to play the podcast in the vehicle. 

A guy, most likely 'Zach Green', started singing as there was a ukulele playing in the background…

…And he sang…

…And sang…

…And. SANG.

And the three teenager’s wouldn’t have minded if the dude sounded…y'know, good! 

But he didn’t sound good. 

At all. 

“Grass is green~! The green is the grass~! The grass is the green and the green itself is greeeen~!” The speaker’s sung as the three teenagers collectively sighed as the Podcast continued to play amongst them. 

“…How about we play 'I spy' instead of listening to Shaggy get high?” Mikey suggested as his Dad hummed along to the tune…

Poor soul probably knew this song from heart…

“Anything but this.” Donnie agreed. 

“Best idea I’ve heard all day.” The second oldest murmured, crossing his arms as he looked at the youngest expectantly, “Well? You gonna say 'I spy' or what?”

“Let a guy think for a moment!” Mikey shrieked, “Okay, okay, okay…I spy with my little eye—”

“—More like pink eye.” The turtle with glasses giggled under his breath, trying to cover it as a cough as he saw his younger brother side-eyeing him. “Y'know, Dee…we could really go.” The orange banded teenager glared.

“Bet. Catch me outside. 3:30 on the dot.” The purple cladded mutant threatened. 

“Bet.” The youngest repeated. 

Donatello raised an unamused brow, “I already said 'bet' you phrase snatcher!” 

“You don’t own the word 'bet', you four-eyed freak!”

“God— 'BET' YOURSELVES!” Raphael snapped, taking a deep breath as he pinched the bridge of his snout, “I swear to literally anything and everything holy I am completely envying the fact that Leo doesn’t have to suffer in this freaking hell-hole with me.”

The second oldest leaned forward and tapped his Dad’s shoulder, “Speaking of which…how come Leo got to study with April while I—”

“We.” Donnie corrected swiftly. 

“—I had to stay with these two excuses for mutants, Dad?” Raphael continued, frowning deeper as his Dad became unresponsive and became completely entranced by the radio, “Dad? Dad? Dad? Daddy? Father? Dad— aaaaand you have your 'I’m locked in to this music' face…gotchu...” The tallest turtle huffed as he sat back down in the middle seat.

“As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted.” The youngest huffed, “I spy something…grey/gray.”

“Grey/Gray? Grey/Gray as in ashy? Ashy as in you?” Donnie smirked, his smirk turning to a smug grin as the orange banded teen glared back at him with a mix of disdain and pure disgust.  

“Donnie, I swear—”

“Is it the car seat?” Raph muttered, dying in complete humiliation about the fact that this was his onlysource of entertainment. 

Michelangelo shook his head, crossing his arms as he leaned back on the seat, “Nope. Try again.” 

“Is it…Dad’s fur?” The turtle with glasses guessed.

“Nooooooope!” The smallest mutant dragged out, sticking his tongue out at the second youngest causing Raph to just sigh, slumping in the chair further.

This car ride was going to be his 13 Reasons Why…

“Okay…seriously, though. Raph-Taff, what’s up?” Mikey asked carefully, looking over his older brother’s stiff and utterly overall unhappy demeanor. 

The second oldest just grunted, glancing away and his frown drooping as he locked eyes with his immediate younger brother, “You can tell us anything.” Donnie assured.

“Well…not everything. Almost everything. Semi-everything.” The genius clarified, “Buuuut you get the point…”

“No, no Ihi really really dohon’t...” The red banded teen grimaced. 

“What Egghead Humpty Dumpty is trying to say is that you can tell us what’s bothering you. You haven’t been your usual…let’s just say 'Sarcastic Sappy Self'.” The hazel eyed teen confirmed, biting back a chuckle as he saw his purple themed brother gasp in offense. 

“I just needa get out of here…” Raphael emphasized, rubbing his temples like he’s seen centuries worth of knowledge, “School was rough. School is annoying. Kids are annoying. Y'all are annoying— no offense.”

“None taken.” The two youngest said in sync.

“And I just need to distress…” Said the older turtle, going on his phone only to be met with a completely pitch black screen, “And my phone is dead. Yip dee doo da fuckin' day…” He cursed. 

Mikey rubbed his chin in thought, leaning on the inside door hand rest, “I have an idea for that, actually. Just trust me.”

“'I have an idea' and 'just trust me'…two words I never want to hear come out of your mouth ever again.” Donatello insisted almost immediatelty. 

“Shut up.” The smallest mutant exclaimed to his immediate older brother, inhaling and exhaling loudly before continuing, “Okay…so I spy with my little eye—“

“Seriously?” The elder mutant deadpanned. 

“Trust me, I said!!!” The younger shouted once more to try and get his point across, “I spy something…black.” 

“…Black?” The second youngest asked, tilting his head. 

“Black.” Mikey confirmed.

“Ohooo…black.” Donatello snapped his fingers, nodding as he relaxed in his seat. 

“Black!” Michelangelo beamed as Raphael looked around in confusion, wondering if his younger brother’s were going to elaborate on this whole 'black' nonsense or if they were just going to communicate via gibberish. 

The red banded teen scratched his head in confusion, “…What is happening…?”

The youngest gave his red cladded older brother a knowing look, causing the red cladded mutant in question to just simply sigh longly, “Right riiiight…trust. I got it…”

“Uhhh…” Raphael hummed, looking around the car for something…well, black; as his little brother’s so veeeeery clearly stated. 

The chocolate eyed teen raised an uncertain eye ridge, pointing at his own black sweatshirt that he was wearing. 

The purple and orange duo nodded, “See? Black!” Donnie grinned, poking his older brother’s sides and causing his older brother in question to shriek loudly and try to cover his middles, wiggling his way over more to Michelangelo. 

Whiiiiiich…was a first. 

“Yeah! Black!” The smallest mutant smirked cheeringly, prodding the other side of the black sweatshirt wearing boy, “You got it?”

“Ihihi gohohot ihihat I-Ihi gahat ihat!!” Raph said immiediatley, kicking his legs on the car floor as he pushed on the other two’s shoulder’s. “Ehhhhh…I don’t think you do…” The young genius teased lightly. 

“Dohon’t a-act smahart with me yohou l-lihittle shIHIT NO!! Mihikey nonononohoh!” He said as he saw Mikey wiggling his fingers near his neck, causing him to try and hide his face in Donnie’s shoulder, swatting the youngest away. 

“D'aww~! Hey, big bro! Need a hug~?” The scientist said innocently, wrapping the taller in a hug as the shortest of the three skittered and scratched the red banded mutant’s shell lightly; almost barelytouching it. 

The red banded mutant in question wheezed loudly, banging his fists on the car seat whilst his legs stomped up and down, “Wohohoah! Mr. Deflating Balloon Man— yohou okay?” Mikey teased, making sure to trace the patterns on his elder brother’s shell in a very veeeery mean manner. 

“Are you boys alright back there?” Splinter asked, getting out of his trance as the podcast soon and finally ended. 

“We’re fine!” Donnie beamed, wiggling his fingers into the crooks of the chocolate eyed teen’s neck right beside him, “Right, Raph?”

Raph squealed loudly with laughter, not answering.

Well…not answering in word form, perhaps.

The Father rolled his eyes fondly at his son's, looking away from the rearview mirror and focusing back on the road. 

“See!? He agrees.” The youngest beamed, “We’re perfectly fine and dandy, Dadio.”

“'Fine and dandy?'” Donnie repeated in amusement, causing the orange banded teen to almost laugh as loudly as Raph currently was.

Key word: Almost. 

“Fine and dandy.” Michelangelo confirmed, kneading his hot-headed brother’s hips and sides as the taller leaped like a drunk frog, “STAHAHOP!! HIC LEHEHET HIC HIC GOHOHOH!!!” 

“People are gonna think we’re beating you up or something by the way you’re squirming, bud.” The purple banded turtle joked, letting go of the taller teenager as the smaller teenager spidered his fingers all over his tummy.

“MIHIHIHIKEY!!!” The older wailed, pushing the other’s hands away as they slowly but surely stopped. 

The two youngest’s giggled, fist bumping each other for successfully turning Raph’s frown upside down. 

Splinter drove into the O’Neil’s driveway as Leo walked out of the front door to the apartment, waving his goodbyes to April as he got into the car. 

The eldest sat in the front seat, buckling up as their Dad drove to their home.

The blue banded teenager let out a small snort, looking towards the back to see his immediate younger brother’s face the exact same shade as his own bandana, “Jeeheez..whahat dihid I miss?” 

“I daha— hic don’t wanna tahalk ahabohout it…” Raph grumbled, his beet red blush deepening on his face as Donnie and Mikey snickered slightly, giving each other one last fist bump of victory. 

·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚𝙵𝙸𝙽˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙ 

(𝙿.𝚂.: 𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚌, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐!!!)

[dg-outlaw]

Why No Love for Red Hood: The Hill?

I think it's all in the marketing and about what's being delivered versus what readers expected.

So I almost made this post on a reblog, but I didn't want to overwhelm that thread. Plus, I'm not sure if people get mad when someone does a long reblog on their short OG post? Anyway, the point of that post was that Issue 3 of 'Red Hood: The Hill' came out and no one's really talking about it, especially Jason/Red Hood fans.

I think the biggest problem (IMO) with this series is that someone wanted to write a story about The Hill and some new characters (which is fine), but like the 'Batman: The Hill' comic (which I think this series is sort of a sequel to), it's banking off a known character, Red Hood, to be it's selling point. "Come for the Red Hood, but stay for these other characters and their story." All fine and good, but a little deceptive when the marketing leans more toward it being a Red Hood (and new 'Outlaw' friends) story rather than one where Jason is a random guest star.

Series description:

In Gotham City’s early days, The Hill was one of Gotham City’s most dangerous neighborhoods, one that required the residents to band together to keep themselves safe when the police – and sometimes even Batman – wouldn’t. Now, as the Hill finds itself gentrifying, old habits die hard as the vigilante known only as Strike works with her team to keep the town safe—but she’s not alone. Jason Todd, one of the Hill’s newest residents, is more than happy to don the visage of Red Hood to help Strike keep his new home safe. But a new villain is emerging from the shadows. Will Red Hood, Strike and the Hill’s small militia of vigilantes be able to keep their home safe?

And this brings me back to the marketing and advertising of this series, especially versus the Batman: The Hill comic.

Obviously we can see the artistic parallels between these two covers (above). Overall, good job and nice throwback, but... there's a major difference. These two are not similar.

The first cover has "THE HILL" in bold, prominent text and Batman is in the background. This says that Batman is part of the story, but he seems secondary to whatever's going on in the foreground, which is mostly true to the story.

The second cover has "RED HOOD" prominent in the title with "The Hill" as secondary and smaller. Jason is also front and center with Batman looming behind him (who only just showed up at the end of issue 3. There's only two more issues left). The character of Strike, our new protagonist and The Hill's main hero, is down at the bottom and barely in-frame, further suggesting it's more about Jason (and maybe Batman) than The Hill or other characters. Again, clever marketing and nice design nod to the original cover, but deceptive when it comes to the series content. I don't necessarily blame the cover artist here as they might've been given a different brief on what the story was about and I get the fun throwback to the old Hill cover, but these covers are almost reversed in terms of Bat-character prominence.

In the original, Batman was more intertwined in that comic's story than Jason is in his series, which further adds to the audience letdown. If anything, this series needed to go with the coffee shop musician strategy: play a bunch of cover songs to win over the crowd and then slip in your original music (OCs) here and there. Once you have your audience hooked, go all out with your original stuff and then throw in 'Wonderwall' just for kicks and to keep them invested.

Ultimately, I think the biggest problem of this series is pacing and balance. The series needs more Jason to allow readers time to invest in the new characters, but as those new characters develop through their interactions with him THEN Jason can fade back as a partner character or just random character who comes in to help out. As it is, he's a guest star in series called, 'RED HOOD: the hill' with most of Jason's actions being 'day-in-the-life' stuff or a random action panel or two.

If anything, I think Red Hood #51 and #52 did a better job of establishing Jason as a main player, but also working alongside a new hero (Strike) and citizens of The Hill in solving a case. The covers above also display a more balanced composition and preview of what you're getting. Yes, you're reading a Red Hood comic, but there will be some other significant characters playing in this sandbox that you should care about and watch out for.

Sadly, I think the untrue message DC will take away from this series if it doesn't do well is that: (1) Jason is NOT an instant seller so let's shelf him because he couldn't carry this series (that he's barely in), and (2) readers don't like these new characters (most of which are BIPOC and/or LGBTQ), so let's ditch them and do more Batman stuff. 🤦‍♂️

And that's unfortunate because I think there's potential here had this series been executed in a better way. I see where the writer wanted to go with these new characters and they actually seem like an interesting and cozy bunch, but I feel like I'm stepping into an already established found family/friend group, but I don't really know them and I'm the outsider. So eventually I'll find a random distracted moment to quietly say bye to my friend Jason and slip out before anyone notices... like the socially awkward introvert that I am.

[fist-of-vengeance]

thinking about how essentially every relationship john locke formed in the early seasons of lost has completely disintegrated by the time of his death.

of course there's his relationship with jack, which starts tense but manageable and culminates in jack pointing a gun at john's head and pulling the trigger. but even his smaller, less narratively prominent relationships either implode or drift apart. he bonds with walt in season one but then walt leaves the island, which is itself a severing of their bond since it was mainly based on being the only two people who wanted to stay. still, he goes and visits walt off the island so this is probably john's most successful relationship. I dont think i need to explain how he fucked up with boone, "the sacrifice that the island demanded." charlie viewed john as a mentor and claimed to trust him more than anyone on the island, but after the events of fire and water, that trust is destroyed and charlie despises him. at the same time we get john bonding with claire and having a pseudo-paternal dynamic with her, but their closeness basically drops off the face of the earth as he gets less and less involved with the other survivors.

his arc in the series is essentially a gradual distancing from everyone around him. it starts when he abandons hunting (providing for the others) in favor of trying to get the hatch open (it's extremely clear his primary motive isn't any survival applications but getting answers to the mystery). when they do open the hatch, he spends more and more time inside, underground, cut off from other people. he spends more and more time interacting with ben, a human mystery box that he's obsessed with cracking even if it gets him killed. he follows the proverbial white rabbit deeper down the hole and leaves his connection to humanity behind. the island and its mysteries become more important to john than anything or anyone else.

then in season three we get him claiming to go undercover with the others only to unceremoniously tell sawyer that he's actually going to join them. and it doesn't feel shocking, it feels inevitable. because john has spent the entire series becoming less and less connected with the people he arrived with. in that sense he actually makes a fascinating foil to juliet, who is introduced as one of the others and yet never really fits, she's increasingly sympathetic and kind in a way the rest of them aren't, her redemption arc feels so natural that she actually starts referring to her old people as "the others" like she's been one of the crash survivors from the beginning. her and john basically have inverse arcs, which is probably accidental but very neat.

in season five john tries to convince everyone to go back to the island, and fails spectacularly. and of course he does, because he was so consumed by obsession that he stopped maintaining his relationships, and in many cases actively alienated people (this is also basically what happened with helen) and now he can't wrap his head around why they're all so hostile to him. i am forever obsessed with the scene where he confronts kate and she brutally calls him out for wanting to return to the island because he doesn't love anyone. it actually struck me on rewatch how well the two of them got along in season one, and how badly their relationship has degraded by this point. john repeatedly casts aside interpersonal relationships in favor of his obsession with destiny, so when said destiny actually involves persuading the people he once shunned, he's at a loss. this is because john treats purpose as a supplement for connection, destiny as an alternative to love.

as an aside, this aspect of john's character kinda ties into my opinion that several lost characters can be read as allegorically neurdivergent under a certain lens. i know this was absolutely not intended, but as an adhd former gifted kid who struggles socially, there is something uncomfortably familiar about a character who allows their relationships to burn around them because of a single-minded obsession, especially as a result of being promised the fickle status of "special."

tl/dr: john locke is a doomed idiot and i love him

[buriedinmyownfeelings]

I’m in trouble boys

[ennabear]

hey team… consider this: western sevika au… inspired by ethel cain songs (not the actual lore of preacher’s daughter)… fluff and smut and a tiny bit of angst/pining… ends with a happy found family (including caitvi + jinx and isha, maybe some of sevika’s family because she deserves it)… reader and sevika are both scary mean outlaw cowboy butches but they’re soft for each other… yay or nay…

[juustozzi]

Like a déjà vu, but across the universes

[eywaseclipse]

Perhaps we all deserve cute little Sully family scenarios where the sky people never came back…. Just saying

[reading-writing-dying]

If anyone has any family-centered giggs (or giggs adjacent) fics you should send them my way maybe 👀

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

I need the 12 year old Rangi with her mother lore dropped like yesterday FC Yee. Don't leave me hanging. TT0TT

[wistfxlwishes]

me, 3 hours ago, full of hubris: i've been wanting to watch sk8 the infinity... maybe i should try it out!

me now, 8 episodes in and all of my hopes and dreams crushed: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO REKI STOP IT