#all of that and how easily they could switch it up and it'd just ADDS to it all?! deplorable of them to do that to me. how could they 😭?

[yakny]

"Please forgive the blood on my hands. Most of it is mine."

[restinslices]

Yo, still waiting for that if Tomas was a sub one (canon tbh)

Cannot believe I forgot. Y’all can boo me

Imma just come out and say it. He's such a whiny sub

There are characters that give me dom vibes but I think them as subs would be fun. There are characters that give me switch vibes. Tomas gives me only sub vibes. I don't detect a dom in there. idk, that's just me tho

So needy and whiny it'd probably throw you off when you see him doing anything other than begging you to touch him 

Cannot handle teasing at all. He's ok with teasing you but breaks easily when you tease him 

Honestly he can't backup any of the shit he talks. 

One of those subs who need attention at all times. Even if you're not interacting with him, he still wants you in the area 

Kinks I think he'd have are barebacking, biting, humiliation (a HUGE one and imma stand on it), breath play, collaring (in private), impact play, sex toys and sensory deprivation 

I just feel like he's a slut in disguise. Where's my proof? I made it the fuck up. I'm doing this for US 

If you have female anatomy he's also getting pegged. IDC IDC 

Humiliation is a big one for him because he knows it's still a safe space. You can taunt him about how he's a slut, write things on him, make him get off with something unusual, ect. but at the end of day you still love him and it's all for fun. 

You can tell when he's needy ‘cause he's extremely close to you. He follows you around normally, but he's right on your heels 

To torture him more you can pretend you have no idea what he wants. He knows you know and you know he knows, but watching him try to ignore how he feels ‘cause he doesn't wanna say it out loud is priceless. 

He also has a tendency to say he can't take anymore but in reality he wants you to keep going. This is a big guy, he can take it. 

There's two good punishments for him; Cockwarming and overstimulation 

Cockwarming because he can't handle teasing. It's so simple but he can't stand it and doesn't know which is worse; when you're inside of him (actual dick or strapon, doesn't matter) or when he's inside of you. Either way, it doesn't take long for him to apologize for whatever he's done and beg you to fuck him already. 

For overstimulation he gets turned on and cums pretty easily so it wouldn't take that much to overstimulate him. 

These two go well together. Cockwarming then overstimulation as a “isn't this what you wanted?”

What would make this better is quizzing him on something. His brain stops working when he's horny so quizzing him on Lin Kuei principles or something else he for sure knows adds to it. 

He knows he knows the answer but his brain is a fog. It kinda puts the punishment in his hands but that adds to the torture. If he could figure this out, then you'd actually fuck him (or you'd stop fucking him if you do this while overstimulating him)

As I'm typing this I thought of another thing that can be both a punishment but also something he enjoys. Dryhumping. Listen to me and listen to me well-

I can see him coming up behind you when you're alone and rubbing against you to let you know he's needy. And if you told him to keep going, he'd cum but it's not what he really wants to do. 

So him being in trouble and being forced to rub against you but not be inside you or have you inside him would drive him nuts. 

Aftercare for him would be showering together, cuddling and reassuring him you didn't mean any of the negative things you said. Especially after an intense punishment, he needs to hear you don't actually think negatively of him and you love him. 

Also reading together depending on the day. Just something really chill to pull him back to reality. 

I just realized he has the least amount of words so here are afterthoughts to fix that

I know I've called him whiny multiple times but I genuinely think sometimes he can't even form coherent sentences. All that comes out are noises 

Tries not to pout but does so anyway 

He can get off just from giving head 

Loves you leaving marks on him as long as he can cover it up. He can't be scrapping and the enemy sees a hickey on his neck

Tries to sneakily break rules. For example, if a rule is “no touching yourself when I'm gone” he'll do it anyway and try to get rid of the evidence. He'll shower, change clothes, clean any toy he used and whatever else he has to do but you somehow always know. 

Tomas is not the best liar and has some habits he does when lying, like tapping his fingertips together so you find out that way or from actually catching him and pretending you didn’t

The type to break rules on purpose if you haven't been giving him attention and then be surprised when actions have consequences 

Will call you whatever title you prefer if you don't just wanna go by your name

Like his brothers, he for sure could just throw you off but he never does. It adds to the fun. He's a skilled assassin but if you said “jump” he'd ask “how high?”

The best sub to have if you want one whos so pathetically in love with you but can be a little shit sometimes 

Even after his punishments, he keeps apologizing to make sure you're not actually mad at him. 

Probably begs you to cum inside him anyway you can

I see him and start tweaking fr

[sachirobabe]

Chapter 6

Gojo Satoru x reader

Wc: 2835

Curseless au

Summary: Amidst the zombie apocalypse, your courage shines as you not only saves lives but capture the heart of Gojo Satoru. Together with his first-year students, you all embark on a perilous journey, not only for survival but in a quest for a cure that adds a poignant layer to the unfolding romance.

<— Previous | Masterlist | Next —>

You packed as much as you could in your backpack, it was hard finding the balance between clothes and medical supplies; you never know what could happen.

Satoru somehow always finds a way to be near you, right now is no different. "Which ones should I bring?" He smiles happily, showing you two parts of socks, both having the most crazy and ugly patterns you've seen.

"Don't you think those are a little out of style, Satoru?" You raise an eyebrow at his sock choices.

"Yeah? Well I could say the same for you." He eyes what you're putting in your backpack.

"Are you suggesting we go to a mall? I hear they have great deals." You laugh, "buy one get the whole store for free."

Satoru laughs loudly, throwing his head back, his white hair going everywhere. You've started to find some of his hairs on your clothes now that you've been near him for a while. Each time you do, you return it rightfully back to him.

"C'mon, we should go get our weapons." You roll your eyes, but before you left you turned back to face him slightly, "and bring the pink ones." You point to his left hand.

He shakes his head, still chuckling to himself and throwing his backpack over one shoulder. Despite you guys planning on being gone for a few weeks, Satoru suggested everyone just bring one backpack, it was safer that way in case you all had to be running.

You meet up with Itadori who seems excited about switching out his brass knuckles for a gun. "Are you still going to use your bow?" He asks you.

"Probably not. I don't see how effective it would be, bullets are faster and quicker." You answer, your back feeling empty without your arrows.

"It would be quieter though. None of the guns here have silencers." He tells you. You only shrug, but still opt to use a gun.

It was still dark outside, with it being winter the sun arose later, that also meant it would be freezing outside. You zip up your third layer jacket, knowing you'd need it.

Shoko looks exhausted, she had a tendency to stay up late reading, last night was no different.

"Nobody's carrying you." Satoru points to her and she rolls her eyes.

"I'll be fine."

"You really should've gotten more rest. We aren't stopping until sundown." Nanami's deep voice echoing in the room. Shoko goes off into the kitchen, most likely to make some coffee for the go.

"Who's carrying the food?" You say, looking at everyone who's only carrying things in one backpack, knowing it'd be a lot of food to carry for everyone going.

"I have some granola bars and other small things, but if we want to eat, we'll need to hunt and cook it ourselves." Nanami says, "I suggest bringing your bow still, the guns scare the animals." You nod and make a mental note to grab if before leaving.

"Won't the fire we'd be cooking our food on bring attention?" Nobara asks.

"Not at night. Nobody in their right mind is out at night." Satoru answers for Nanami, wrapping a scarf around Megumi for warmth, knowing his face gets cold easily.

Everybody had chosen their guns, and were waiting at the basement door, you had quickly gone back and grabbed your bow and arrows.

"How're we gonna get let back in?" Itadori asks Maki.

"This door leads underground, We can get back in through there." She says, putting on her gloves, mentally preparing herself for the cold to hit her.

"Where is it," Megumi says, slightly muffled by his scarf.

"A little into the woods." Inumaki signs, he pauses before saying anything else, but ultimately signals he's done.

"Good enough for me." You smile and join back in, you had been practicing signing with Satoru and Inumaki while you were healing. You were getting a lot more comfortable. "Ready." You say.

Satoru leads the group, you falling somewhere in the middle to protect the younger ones, Nanami found himself in the back. It was a narrow hallway after the stairs.

You were a little claustrophobic, but this wasn't too bad, you still had a little room put your arms halfway out, but nobody could walk side by side down there.

It was cold already, your breath could be seen and you weren't even outside yet. You prayed to whoever was above that this would be a safe trip with no casualties.

Satoru signaled to stop as he opened up the door above, it took a little strength because it had been frozen, but that was no issue for him. He went up first and Megumi following after him.

After everyone was out, Nanami shut the door, making a mental note of where the door was when you'd all return. Everybody took out their flashlights, the sun was peeking on the horizon, but it'd still be awhile before you'd all be able to see.

You scoped the area around, making sure no zombies were close. Your gun was over your shoulder, but you had never shot one before. Nanami gave you the basic rundown.

The single file line that was underground had dismembered, you found yourself walking with the second-years, Nanami and Shoko leading the way and Satoru with his students.

You all kept conversations at a low volume, you were very tense. Every noise caused you to look in that direction despite nothing being there when you had looked prior.

At some point, Satoru and you had ended up behind the second and first years, time went by much faster after the sun came up, it was warming, but not enough.

"You scared?" Satoru asks.

"Not really." You answer, putting your flashlight away, calmer too now that you could see around you.

"That's good." He says, copying you and turning his flashlight off.

"I am starting to get hungry, though." You rub your stomach.

"Same here, you take a bite out of me and I'll take a bite out of you." He jokes, you roll your eyes at him and call him stupid. "I know Nanami said we would only stop to sleep, but he'd let us take a break after a while."

"Good, I know our legs will be needing it." You chuckle.

Nothing interesting had happened for the last 4 hours, occasionally you'd run into a zombie and Nanami would get rid of it then keep walking. The cold wasn't bothering anybody no more, who knew walking for hours would make you sweat.

"Let's go for another 4 hours and see how we feel." Nanami tells the entire group, Satoru extends his hand towards you to help you up and you gladly take it.

After the four hours the sun was setting, Nanami led the way to the first checkpoint to get settled into for the night.

You're unsure on how they found this place, but you're not complaining. It's in the middle of the woods, surrounded by trees which oddly makes you feel safe.

It was a little dusty inside, but everything was intact. The second years were tasked with setting up the beds and the first years did some light cleaning.

"You've got an hour or so of daylight to catch anything." Shoko tells you as she hands you a small map of the area.

"Any preferences?" You chuckle and wink at her, "You comin' Satoru?" You yell behind you.

You hear rushed footsteps and see the white haired boy, now wearing a beanie. "Aww, how cute." You pinch his cheek really hard making him frown.

"Can I shoot one?" Satoru asks as he opens the door for you both.

"Be safe." Nanami waves you two off.

"Absolutely not. You'll shoot me." You joke.

"How'd you know my plan?" He bumps into you. Your head shakes and you sigh at him. "Let's try this way." He points to your left and you both walk in that direction. "How're you feeling?"

"I feel alright, not too bad. And you?"

"Just cold." He shivers.

"You didn't have to come with me, I could've gotten Nanami or Shoko." You say, ducking under a tree branch.

"I'm offended." He says loudly and you hit him to remind him that he's scaring off the animals. "I'm better than any of them, so I figured you'd want the best."

"Cocky much?" You roll your eyes, "didn't I save the 'oh so strong one'."

"I wasn't armed." He side eyes you. "Plus I know you enjoy being around me."

"Mhm. And what gave you that idea?" You scrunch your nose.

"You're always near me."

"You follow me everywhere I go." You deadpan and he thinks for a moment, but ultimately changes the subject.

He extends his strong arm, making you huff as you run into it, he puts his finger to his lips, eyeing what's in front of him.

A fox was half behind a tree, it hadn't seen you both yet so you quickly crouch down and pull his tall self with you. Quietly you remove an arrow from your back, letting your bow fall slowly into your hands.

It was eating something it had killed, all of its attention was on it. You carefully draw your bow, slowly so it didn't make much noise, your aim was right at its head, wanting to make this quick and as painless as possible.

You let out a breath and released the arrow, the fox made a noise as it was hit and ultimately fell to the ground. Satoru was up before you were and ran as quickly as he could to finish it off.

He tied the foxes legs together to make it easier to carry. "Nice job." He praised. Then he pauses taking a good look at the fox. "What the fuck..." he whispers.

"What's wrong?" You ask worriedly.

"You hit it right in the eye." He says amazed. "You're incredible." His compliments gave you butterflies.

You took the arrow out of its eye and put it behind your back with the others. Satoru insisted on carrying the fox himself, you think he just wanted to show how strong he was. It was about 30 pounds, his guess.

Satoru tried to gloat about how he did all of the work, but nobody in their right mind believed him. Nanami was impressed, he was worried most of the animals would be dead from the zombies.

You watch from the window as Nanami chopped up some wood, you were just keeping a lookout for him in case anything happened, but Satoru had a sour look on his face.

He knew it was wrong. He quickly hid his very expressive face and stood alongside with you to see what was so interesting about Nanami.

"Oh good, now that you're keeping a lookout for him I'm gonna run to the bathroom real quick." You say and leave him.

Now he feels stupid for thinking you were just watching Nanami to see him in action. Nanami then dragged him out to help make the fire and skin the fox.

You've never had any sort of animal besides the basic ones, but fox wasn't too bad, it was bland.

"I'm still hungry." Itadori says.

"No, we have to save this." Nanami frowns.

"Please?" Itadori rubs his still growling stomach.

"I don't mind hunting, Nanami." You join in, feeling bad for Itadori.

"That's not the issue, I'm afraid that there won't be many animals left to hunt." He explains. "Go drink some water, Itadori. Fill your stomach."

Itadori sighs and does just that before getting ready for bed. Nanami kept the fire alive in the fireplace. Nobody could see smoke in the dark and especially not this far into the woods. You still suggested that somebody keep watch and he agreed.

You offered to do first watch, so you sat in the living room couch, feeling the warmth of the fire. Shoko handed you a book to read, but you had gotten some word puzzles to work on instead.

Just as you thought everyone had gone to bed, Satoru startles you as he walks into the living room with a blanket and pillow.

"What're you doing?" You frown.

"I wanted to keep you company." He smiles widely, setting his pillow up against you and lying down with his blanket, his long legs were stretched across.

"At least get some sleep." You shake your head and return to your puzzle. He mumbles something and you notice his eyes are closed. He's so exhausted, he barely sleeps every night and it catches up to him.

You hear his soft breathing, thankful that he doesn't snore like 90% of the male population. You feel yourself nodding off every once in a while, but you keep yourself busy.

Satoru had shifted in his sleep, but you paid no mind to it. Suddenly he opens his eyes and jolts awake, you're scared as he hyperventilates. You quickly make him face you and you softly tell him to breathe.

His eyes were filled with fear, this was new to you. After a few minutes he had calmed down, slumping himself onto you.

"Do you want some water?" You ask him and he silently nods. You quickly come back and hand it to him, he takes slow sips as he's still calming himself down. "Is..everything alright, Satoru?"

He nods his head, not making eye contact with you. "Yeah. Just a dream." He whispers, rubbing his eyes and feeling his cold sweat go away.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" You ask him and he immediately denies. You frown, he made you talk to him when something was wrong with you, now you are determined to get him to do the same. "What happened? Talking about it makes you feel better." You urge him.

He denies again. This time moving his head to face the wall. You take hold of his chin softly and turn him to face you, "This is my question." You demand and he shuts his eyes momentarily before talking.

"I had a bad dream." He says, almost embarrassed.

"What happened in it?" You urge him more and he shakes his head, "you can't back out of this." You say. "You made me tell you and now I expect the same."

"We all got split up and some of the students turned because of me." He says, his voice trembling a little, he told himself he was not going to cry and he was standing by it.

"That's really scary, I'm sorry Satoru. It was just a dream, nothing bad will happen to any of us." You promise. "It's okay to be upset."

"Ive been having these nightmares for a while." He admits. "Since day one of all of this."

"How often?"

"Everyday." He says. "Well—not since we've had you join us, it stopped for a little."

You nod, thinking about your next words. "I get nightmares too, it's normal. But I believe one day we'll never have them again, all of this will go back to as normal as it can get."

"That's starting to feel like this is now our new normal." He sighs.

"I know." You sink into the couch. "I don't like that you have nightmares."

"I don't like that you get panic attacks." He says.

"Nothing will happen to your students. I promise." You look into his eyes, they are half-lidded as they look down at you from the height difference.

"We'll survive." He nods.

You two were silent for a while. Satoru occasionally took sips from his water.

"Thank you." He says, "for talking to me, I do feel better."

"I told you so." You bump his shoulder lightly.

"Don't you wonder how the rest of the world is?" Satoru lays back down.

"Sometimes." You say.

"Like what are other people doing? Do they feel as hopeless as us?"

"Of course they do. I bet they have nightmares and panic attacks too." You fight the urge to play with his hair, it's really been getting long.

He hums, "You better get some sleep." He says to you.

"And what about you?"

"I won't be able to sleep after my nightmare." He sheepishly smiles and gets up from his spot to switch with you.

"Are you sure?" You say, already feeling your eyes closing as you lay on the warm pillow he left for you.

"Yes." He chuckles and throws the blanket over you, taking your seat and continuing your puzzle.

You begin to drift off, you can smell Satoru's hair off of the pillow. He smells really good. It helps you fall asleep.

Satoru notices your steady breathing and cannot resist the urge to not touch your hair. He twirls it around in his fingers for a little, not in a creepy way at all, but he finds a lot of comfort with you. He notices his heart beating a little quicker whenever he's near you.

He's really screwed now.

[kurosstuff]

EWPWLSJA I HAVE TO MAKE IT BEFORE THE EVENT CLOSES 🍯

*ahem* hello, how are you?

Lute x bottom!reader with nsfw prompts 3 and 4? (If you could fit prompt 1 that'd be ideal but i don't want to be too complicated)

Congratulations on your followers!!!!

HELP HI- I'm good♡ how are you~?

I hope you enjoy these fics♡♡

Warning(s): slight? Dirty talk? Maybe idk. Smut, gn reader but afab(so female parts), making out

Not sure ir you didnt want it a gn or a female reader so- I'll do gn♡

Also I wanted to do something a bit fun? The ending is up to you- thought it'd be a fun idea?

Lute x gn!reader

Sweet gentle kisses.

That's all that started this- just a gentle kiss to Lutes lips, not even aware of the sudden switch in her. How she grabbed you roughly pinning you to her bed practically growling against your lips. Getting lost in the kisses you both shared. How your tounges battled one another- Lute smug groaning for winning the "competition" each time.

Didn't take long for her hips to grind against yours, bucking into you- humping you like an animal. Dragging a deep moan from your lips as she finally pulled away to allow you to breath air before moving to nip- bite, marking up your neck roughly. Claiming you in a physical sense. To warn off others.

Your hers

"Fuck~" you gasped out breathlessly, feeling hot yet cold somehow. Glancing down at your front face, burning harder. When did your shirt come off? Almost bare for her greedy eyes to scan over "d-dont just stare~" you stuttered out feeling shy under her hungry gaze making her hum

Leaning close, biting at your chest undoing your pants for her- after getting the go ahead. "You look so good spread out like this for me dove~ good enough to devore whole ~" she purred, kissing your bruised lips, "which~? That's what I'm gonna do~" she growled out rubbing you gently, panting heavily

Gently pushing her finger in relishing in the groan- the squeak in your voice - as you shakily held her shoulders, clinging to her tightly "gonna make you feel so fucking good~" pushing one finger fully into you pumping slowly "make you break under me in the best way possible~"

Not even a second later, she added a second kissing the tears welling in your eyes "it's too much~" you whined gasping our feeling her add a third "wait~ lute~ too- too many~ can't handle three~" you choked out but spread your legs more for her feeling her pound into you rougher "wait~ please slow~ stop~?"

Humming, she stopped her movements at that rubbing your waist, watching you carefully, knowing if you truly wanted her to stop? You'd say your safe word. Which, She always looks out for everytime your intimate. No matter what

"You were just crying for my attention, sweetheart~ now your begging me to stop? you sure that's what you want~?" She smirked out cooing at how you tried to rut back into her hand "go on. Tell me pretty Dove~ or? Should I stop. And leave you like this so painfully turned on wanting.. no begging for that release~?" Lute purred out, humming softly

"No~" you choked out sobbing, looking up at her shakily, making her hum roughly watching your every reaction.

"That's My good pet~" she growled out, purring against your neck, relishing in those cries you let out. How you sobbed for her. How you cried begging her for more. "Oh dove~ I'll give you my all~" she purred out, kissing you deeply pounding rougher into you listening to your cries for her

"Oh~ right there~? Please~?" You sobbed out once she found your sweet spot humming she easily shifted pounded into that spot roughly smirking at the sobs escaping your throat "oh- oh god lute im~ I'm gonna~" you gasped out making her hum pounding rougher

"Go on. Cum for me dove ~"

At that? You clawed her shoulders, accidently squeezing your eyes shut, sobbing out cumming all over her hand- slumping onto her bed shaking moaning watching her wings expand smug at how hard you came from her

"That's my good pet~" purring out kissing a deep bite on your neck, humming out softly "maybe.. maybe I should court you properly?" Gently cleaning you up thinking aloud

Gasping softly, "My lute~, you want to take me on as a lover? Your mate?" You panted out breathlessly, watching hee stop in thought before nodding.

"Yeah. I do. I want you as a mate~ so? What do you say? Can I court you?' She hummed out watching you carefully

[thepalaceofharuhime]

Hmmm…

Looking at your fandoms, I can’t help but think some sort of Bingqiu in Spy X Family (or a SxF Xianxia fusion) could be super fun!

The question is… what would their roles be.

Assassin Luo Binghe, or spy Luo Binghe… and which of them gets gender swapped. 🤔

Oh!! Maybe Shen Yuan was meant to be an ally of the female half of the main duo, Liu Mingyan, but through shenanigans he somehow ends up with her role instead, and the System demands he fake marry Binghe anyway. 😂

This is exactly the kind of prompt i was hoping for! TY!!! 🙏

The way i see it Binghe would definitely be the assassin, Shen Yuan is too big of a softie not to mention one who so easily put on the mask of another man before so he would definitely be the spy.

But also being oblivious to feelings yet a capable badass, bad in the kitchen, feeling inadequate as a partner? All Shen Yuan. Binghe with his protagonist Halo meanwhile would fit better with Mr. All around perfect Husband. So i guess it'd be a little like Yor and Loyd had switched professions.

Shen Yuan's over protective brother in a position of power? I wonder who that would be? Enter Shen Jiu haha. Rather than secret police he'd be a detective looking in to all the murders rather than keeping state secrets from spies though. To keep that rivalry between him Binghe. The family member Binghe became an assassin to provide for? His mom. The gardener AKA the guy who hired him and hands him his missions? Meng Mo. Franky,the spy's funny informant and gadget supplier, occasional babysitter and not to mention bestfriend? Shang Qinghua.

I dont know if i should replace Fiona with Liu Quinge as Fiona's character really would fit Binghe better. But Liushen is a weakness of mine even if onesided and those two were just made for coworker romances. Maybe I should give Binge someone trying to woe him too? Sha hualing? Then if i dont go with your other idea of having SY transmigrate in to Liu Mingyan (which i am saving up in my head because i absolutely love the idea) then i can add something in the background with her and Sha hualing. I'm positive i could find a way to write in Mobei for SQH or i could go with Scumplane and have him end up Shen Jiu and actually yeah that would work, need to distract SJ long enough for Bingyuan to get it on afterall. Oh what about SQH x SJ x LQG? Or should Shen Yuan get a second husbandafterall? Alternatively imagine LQG crying over a bowl of icecream.

Next question is if SY didnt transmigrate into LMY then who is he? What about Ning Yingying? Who could be SJ's little sister in this world? Or he couldve just been put in there as a female version of himself. Or like it was with Shen quingiu a character who vaguely resembles him and has a similar name. She just happens to be a woman though. Or maybe go with the mulan aproach and have him crossdress? But then how does he explain to his brother that he's suddenly - he could say that he's in love with binghe and the only way to marry him was fake his papers to pretend to be a woman since queer marriage isnt yet allowed in their fictional country. Like no one cares if they date its just they havent gotten to the legalisation of marriage yet. And if SJ asks why they had to get married so suddenly anyway (cuz no way in hell is SY getting away with saying he forgot to tell him for a year) he could say that they had to so they could adopt their daughter. Who in this case scenario could be Ning Yingying, should she still have Anyas powers? damian could be Ming fan or the little palace girl or whatever (im not yet far enough in the books to now her and the old man that well so id have to check the wiki) and i could make the palace master donovan desmond and have SY and LBH team up to take him down in the end.

Anyways yeah these are just some ideas, and again thanks for the prompt! I can't wait to write this! Maybe i'll draw something for it later too. ❤️

[beatricebidelaire]

f/b. implied nsfw //

"F," Bertrand says. "Why are they re-assigning a new volunteer for next week's 3M operation and switching me to theater role, at the last minute?"

"It's not literally the last minute," Frank replies. "Technically, there are still three days."

"I can tell J's been spending more time at the hotel," Bertrand says dryly. "My point is, I've already planned for the infiltration into Mulctuary Money Management, and now a new volunteer without experience at the Victorious Financial District is taking over, and I'm going on a mission at the theaters instead?"

Frank grimaces. "It's orders from above. Apparently it's come to light the details of what happened during your last operation at Mulctuary's, and therefore concerns have been raised, and they came to a decision." He pauses. "I'm not most pleased about it either."

Bertrand raises an eyebrow. His tone is deliberately polite with a faint hint of sarcasm underneath that Frank has come to recognize all too easily. "May I point out that those were situations outside of our control and would've turned out the same way even if it'd been someone else on the scene?"

Frank shrugs, business like. "I'm aware. But apparently this is standard protocol for these kinds of situations. It's written down somewhere in the headquarter manual. Once again, I don't like this either. But protocol is protocol."

Bertrand narrows his eyes slightly. Thoughtfully. "Part of your role at the hotel includes distributing missions and adjusting to scheduling and personnel changes as you see fit, if necessary, right? There's flexibility here and you have certain authority to override the decisions that came from above."

Frank looks back at him, evenly. "True. But a report needs to be submitted afterwards."

"I can take care of the report part, if that's what you're worried about," Bertrand says.

"It's not," Frank says, simply. "More like, I'm just wondering if this is all enough reason to convince me to go against the protocol."

They look at each other.

"Is it convincing you're looking for," Bertrand says slowly. "Or are you open to bribery as well?"

Frank's expression remains a carefully neutral and business like one. "Depends on what you're offering."

Bertrand arches an eyebrow.

Frank folds his arms across his chest, and leans back against the desk. The barest hint of amusement flashes across his face.

Bertrand's eyes turn calculative. Then, all of a sudden, he drops down to his knees with remarkable agility and grace. His hand lands on Frank's belt. "If you're not above accepting bribery, may I?" He enquires, tone ever so polite.

Frank sighs. "No." He says. "Get up." He stands straight again, nodding at the desk. "Bend over." He says.

Bertrand looks at him.

"If you're still interested in and not above offering bribery, that is," Frank adds.

Bertrand resists the urge to roll his eyes. He does stand up, though. "What about 'protocols'?"

Frank shrugs, easily. "Part of the organization tradition. How do you think we managed to operate in The City for this long?"

__

[later]

"You were going to override the order anyway, weren't you?"

"B, you're far too clever to ask questions you already know the answer to," Frank admonishes lightly. He's wearing his businesslike expression again, but there's a hint of slyness underneath.

Bertrand rolls his eyes.

"Anyway, I'll take care of the report, don't worry about it," Frank adds.

"Thanks," Bertrand says. "You know, if you're too busy, I could type it up."

"No need." Frank says. He gestures at the cabinet. "It's in the topmost one, if you want to read it."

"............ you wrote it already."

"Obviously," Frank says. "I like to be prepared."

[1dcommunityficrecs]

Thank you so much for doing this! It's a wonderful idea to collect fic recs in one place, where authors can promote their own works as well!

Just a suggestion for the future! Could you tag the authors, or maybe add links to their fic posts, too? It'd be super convenient to be able to browse their blogs!

Hi! I'm glad you're enjoying the rec lists :)

I appreciate your suggestions. I agree that those additions would make sense, and they are definitely things I've considered including, but at the moment, I'm trying to keep everything as manageable as I can so that I don't feel overwhelmed by the size of the tasks -- I really want this to be a project that's sustainable for me, and having the spreadsheet with an extraction script for posting makes it really helpful (I click three buttons and 90% of the formatting is done for me!), but also does somewhat limit what is easily HTML-able.

I do have a space in the rec form to include a fic post, but at least on this first list I believe only three posts were linked. I don't know if that's because only a few had posts, or if most people didn't want/know how to go looking for the posts, but I also don't know that I have the time or ability to search for 20-odd fic posts, without knowing which ones don't exist. Posting the first list took me about 40 minutes, which might go down as I get more used to things, but even if I only spent a minute or two searching for each post, that could still double the amount of time I'm spending. So for the moment, I’ll be linking and reblogging the fic posts submitted in the form, but probably not hunting any down myself.

Similarly, I did name all the authors as they were listed in the form submissions, but I'm not sure if those are the AO3s or the Tumblrs -- sometimes they're the same but sometimes they're not (mine aren't!). Further, the original form was set up to not assume posting location -- it could be on AO3 but it could be on FF.net, or Tumblr, or Twitter, hell even Wattpad, and I like that open-endedness. Even if I did request Tumblrs separately (and if the writer has one/makes it clear what it is), I don't know if there's a simple way to embed user-tags into the HTML, so I'd have to do it manually (which is more formatting on my end, especially when there are a lot of fics) or hyperlink it (which would let readers click through at least, but wouldn't notify the writers)... there's just a lot of layers of complexity haha. The folks I borrowed this idea from do leave comments on recced fics, to let people know they've been spotlighted, and I'm hoping to add that to my process, but haven't fully gotten that sorted yet.

I didn't mean for this to turn into an essay haha but I hope that all makes sense and clarifies my thought process? I'm open to switching things up as I learn more about this project and what's feasible for me, or if I figure out ways that don't add much complexity, but I want to aim simple so that I don't overestimate my capacity and overwhelm myself and have to stop. But I appreciate your ideas and am definitely open to hearing suggestions, even if I'm not sure I'm able to incorporate all of them right now.

[spacexseven]

Omg omg! Weird thought: SELKIE DARL.

mini rundown: selfies are supernatural seals that can turn into gorgeous humans when they shed their skin/coat. Buutt, if a human takes their coat, they usually end having to marry said human.

I imagine Chuuya and Akutagawa wouldn’t our right take to coat at first. Maybe they become friends and soon they find themselves catching feeling for the selkie. They’ll probably take the coat and hide it out of guilt. Offer to help selkie darl. But they soon find out and fight ensues.

With Dazai and Fyodor they might just watch you from afar at first and then straight up take the coat and trap you. You have no choice to get married ti them do you? After the marriage thing, they might threaten to or even go through with tearing the coat and permanently stoping you from turning to your seal form and wining away.

Buut, if you do manage to get you coat and leave? What would happen then?

i've read about selkies before but i'm not familiar with everything about them, so if i get anything wrong here do let me know :>

cw: yandere characters (chuuya, akutagawa, dazai, fyodor), obsessive behavior, manipulation, stalking, threats, imprisonment, forced marriage

chuuya sees you slip out of your skin one night, and he's mesmerized. of course, he isn't stupid enough to fall for someone just because of their otherworldly beauty, even if he knew they were actually something not human. what really gets him is when he starts seeing you around town in your human form, all smiling and friendly to everyone around you—including him, though the both of you were virtually strangers. you're so sweet to him, despite not knowing him, when you see him around your eyes light up and you get excited and he finds it...cute. in this scenario, you're more likely to fall for him first. after all, he's stunning, and it helps that he's so elusive; the mysterious air around him definitely adds to the appeal.

you were too good to him, especially since you had no idea of all the sinister things he was planning, but he would be lying if he said he hated the attention. eventually, he can't hide his feelings back, and even if you reciprocate, he insists it's for the best that you hand over your coat. what if someone took it, or hurt you because of it? at least, it'd always be safe with chuuya. you could trust him, you know.

akutagawa would be the opposite; he falls for you before knowing you weren't human. he's also taken by you, your personality, your friendliness—even if you don't like him in that way, he falls for you, and hard. it just so happens one day that he learns about your secret, and without thinking, when your back was turned, he swoops in and runs off with your coat.

you might realize he has it, perhaps he tells you he found something on the shore, not making it obvious he knew it was yours. you wouldn't want him to know you weren't human, so you decide the next best thing was to get him to gift it back to you. he did say he might save it as a gift for someone special in the future, and you could easily weasel your way to that spot with him being more than aware of your intentions but just as happy. regardless, akutagawa holds it from you for as long as he can, frantically searching for ways to forcefully keep you by his side because he knows you'd take it and disappear if he gave you your coat back. it's possible he might destroy it if he finds no other way. i don't think it's possible to escape in this scenario because akutagawa pulls all the stops (including destroying your coat) to make sure you stay with him.

dazai...he approaches you out of curiosity at first. you'd have foolishly switched into your human/seal form in a place where he had seen you, which is how he learned about your true identity. he's mostly only curious about you, at least, at first. he had no idea that such creatures existed and he wants to know more. dazai makes it clear from the start that he knows all about you, and stalks you constantly so that you couldn't hide from him. if it comes to a point where he thinks he likes you too much to risk you running off or going back to the sea, especially since he still has so many unanswered questions, dazai can easily find and steal your coat, leaving you at his mercy. and then, at every small mishap, he's all like, "i hope nothing happens to your coat!" and it's torture because you know he would easily go through with his threats. after all, he has nothing to lose from it.

for fyodor, i think similarly to chuuya it might be that selkie! reader falls for him first. i'm thinking, maybe a little mermaidesque thing where you're like wow humans are so cool and fyodor just happens to be walking by (pure coincidence! of course he hadn't been watching you for long before that and knew that you thought humans were interesting! of course not!) fyodor just has that charm about him.

he pretends to catch you staring at him one day, pretends to be startled by your presence. and it's worth it when your shocked expression meets his feigned one. it's easy for fyodor to start an unlikely friendship with you though he's not very talkative or expressive, you're satisfied with his company. and you trust him enough to not suspect him when one day your coat is missing and you're stuck in your human form. fyodor swoops in to help you, offering you shelter and food while he promises to find your coat.

obviously, the truth quickly comes to light when you realize it was fyodor with your coat all along. it's not like you can fight him when he's got a literal part of you that you need to return to your family in hand. he doesn't take any chances and destroys it at once, trapping you with him and dooming you to a miserable future forever.

[sparkler-v]

I just realized something. Nintendo Switch has online capabilities. THEORETICALLY, could Sparkler be on Tumblr? like, imagine the slates Irene made being given the ability to browse the internet and the lot of them deciding they want to have blogs to share neat stuff and talk long distance. what would Sparkler even reblog if she could have a blog? what sort of ridiculousness would she post? would she follow everybody else or just family? how many family photos would she spam everybody with? this isn't me trying to go 'make an IC blog for her' so I can have my own idiots talk to her without making an AU of my AU where I am the only one in the AU world sandbox instead of me with my friends in our AU world sandbox. though I do think it'd be neat, and incredibly funny.

Sparkler: "What are you talkin' about? I'm already on Tumblr!"

Irene, *pinches her nose*: "Sparkler. That is not what they mean."

Sparkler: "Hi people of Tumblr!!"

(( I've actually thought of this before! In fact back during a thread with @sugarrushwrecker, I had ideas of dragging in Tumblr itself into the thread in order to make a joke of it. The idea was that Ralph and the others would break into the Tumblr building at some point, and the room they'd break into would just so happen to house my Personal Nonsense AU where he'd run into the Sparkler, Chase, Jay, and Irene of that AU before they'd be thrown back into the main plot.

If Sparkler had a blog of her own though? She would definitely fill up her space with pictures of things she thinks are neat, like a random cactus that looks like a cat and other weird things like that. She would post pictures and videos of friends and family. Though none of herself as I imagine that as a virus made of energy and lacking a physical body, she would only appear as an electrical disturbance on the screens of Players. Which is one of the reasons why it is so important that she isn’t around when the Player is. 

She would love funny animal, Chocolate Guy, and video game videos. Images of lightening and thunder storms, and anything on video games hacks and glitches. I can definitely see her making a couple posts showing videos or images of things happening in games she's visiting during their down times. Then say nothing as people either debate on how she found these cut scenes or where she found these animations if they don't assume she made them. Which she won't claim that she did.

I honestly think that she'd develop a bit of an addiction at first to social media, what with instant gratification and the fact that no one knowing that she's a virus would mean she could easily make lots of "friends". Of course she'd eventually come down from that and realize who her real friends are, but it could possibly be a problem at first.

Theoretically, Irene absolutely could give the slates a connection to the internet. It's already been established that Chase has a connection through his communicator, as well as Deegee, Rem, and Link through theirs. So if she took a look at his, she could figure out how to add the technology to the slates. Which would make it all the more easy for everyone to stay in contact after Sparkler heads home with her family. Just another thought I had. :) ))

[alastair-1205]

Am I allowed to add to this? I Wanna add to this because it has opened my eyes omg. I have a lot of unrelated thoughts so just bare with me and my somewhat weird organization lol. I'm also gonna make a cut off cuz this went stupid L o n g.

The idea of Jordana and Arin being two sides of the same coin!!! Amazing yes and it's so so true. They're both searching for that approval, but what makes them so different is how the people around them react to that.

Arin is the one who's been held up to higher expectations due to his homemade spinjizu, and becasue of that he feels like he can never live up to what everyone said he was capable of and what the world may one day demand of him . Kinda like Morro a little bit. They're just coming off a fight where 2 of their allies 'died' and I can't imagine that's feel all that great when he thinks he's failing to measure up to the standards needed to save the world. He's less then just someone falling behind, he's becoming a liability that might get someone hurt or worse which just adds to the already feelings of hurt pride and not met expectations and disappointed mentors/idol figures.

Meanwhile nobody expects anything of Jrodana and it infuriates her. Sora forgets her name and that she even exists, Ras hands duties over to Cinder, LaRow was willing to toss her aside for Sora's smarts almost instantly, Jay wouldn't really pay much attention to her cuz he's focusing on the other guy who knows spinjitzu now (Arin), and I'd bet good money her parents did something similar if she was willing and able to just leave Impirium that easily. She's constantly searching for those expectations that Arin had thrust upon him becasue it would mean that people actually take her seriously. That they think she has something to offer, and that they actually notice her and her skills enough to realize that in the first place.

It's also even worse because she seems like she actually could become a very big threat/asset if given the chance. We don't see a lot of just straight up magic users and the ones we have were all shown to be really powerful. Jordana managed to learn enough in -at the very most but probably less than- a year to be able to conduct/hijack an ancient ritual. That's something I'd expect Clouse to pull and he mentored fucking Garmadon.

And on the topic of Arin and Jordana. I find it so insane that in this situation they would both be put in a position to resent Sora. Jordana does for obvious and already discussed reasons, but then there's Arin who, as Cable mentioned, would be watching as Sora managed to do everything he couldn't all while having an elemental power as well. The perfect mentee where he is the one who failed.

And for the record I don't think Arin could every fully hate Sora, not really at least. I think if he did, it would be more him projecting his own self-hatred and irritation onto her than anything else. That being said I could totally see a situation where Jordana is talking about how much she despises Sora, and Arin, in his head, is kinda agreeing at first. And then being absolutely horrified at his own thoughts because that's still Sora no matter how mad he is at her for lying to him and being so much better at everything that him and having a cool elemental power... And then he's even more freaked out that his own feeling are so similar to Jordana's at all. But at then end of the day he still switched sides for reasons he still believes in, and even if not, it'd be a bit late to back out by then. So, like with him not helping Jordana even if he manages to see some of himself in her, he doesn't help himself either by just letting those feelings sit there and linger instead of confronting them. Had he done that from the start he wouldn't even be in this mess to begin with but feelings are hard so it's understandable.

(On a semi related note and because I can't think of where else to put this. I think that Arin's resentment of anyone if it were to exist would never extend to someone like Lloyd like it might with other characters, becasue all of Arin's insecurities come from a place of feeling like He Himself failed somehow. So even if he ended up projecting onto Sora becasue she's an easy target, that internal logic wouldn't track onto someone like Lloyd. Just smth I thought of that I think is fun ANYWAY)

OK AND MY LAST POINT IM SO SORRY LOL. Is that for as much as Ras has all of his team trapped in a cycle of their own and everyone else's fucked up emotions (Jay's confused, Jordana's angry, Cinder's cocky and Arin's desperate), the system he's created is still fragile and bound to fail eventually which is what makes it's existence at all so interesting. Like they're all in competition with each other in some way whether they realize it or not, and that can only sustain itself for so long. On top of that, the fact that all of them are in vulnerable emotional states also makes the entire thing fragile, because the second one of them snaps or strikes out or switches sides, everything will start to fall apart (say for example, Jordana getting a redemption, plz Ninjago I am begging).

Ras won't be able to hide Jay's identity from the ninja forever; Arin figured it out after like 20 collective minutes. Ras can only disregard and belittle Jordana for so long before she either leaves, is convinced to switch sides, or betrays Ras. Arin has a lot of people on the good side who love and would chase after him for a long ass time before giving up, and also, Ras can only make Arin do so much as a 'villain' before Arin refuses to follow him becasue at the end of the day Arin is a hurt person not a bad one. And honestly I don't think we know enough about Cinder for me to say what would be enough to make him ditch or revolt (especially considering he already shattered his soul and we don't know how to fix that yet if it can be fixed) but I'd say that if the rest of Ras' main group left, he'd either try to undermine Ras to get power for himself, or just strike out on his own as an insanely powerful elemental master.

But yea I think that's it lmao. There's just a lot to talk about when it comes to this group of people and how fucked up they are.

I have put more thought into this than an other essay I've ever written, and it took like 4 hours becasue I kept getting distracted. Thank you and my bad for lowkey hijacking a post.

“wolf clan jay becomes jordana’s mentor” yes i love that idea. but have you considered: wolf clan jay becomes a corrupted arin’s mentor.

arin finding jay on the opposite side of the battle.

arin seeing one of his heroes, fallen, and learning that if one of the ninja uses shatterspin then maybe there’s nothing stopping him from using it too. all he needs is a mask and the gong. a mask and a gong. it’s easy.

arin getting to know jay, and discovering a person just as conflicted as he is. a person who is still, underneath layers of doubt and skepticism and bitterness and sorrow, trying to do good. looking at himself in a mirror and finding it easier and easier to picture the wolf clan’s mantle draped over his shoulders.

arin thinking that with shatterspin, maybe he can finally grow powerful enough to have a chance to prove himself - because if shatterspin was really that bad, why would a ninja be using it? ninja fight for good. he can use shatterspin for good. it’s not dangerous. this is his chance. this is how he can finally be useful. this is how he can still be a hero.

arin considering that maybe it’s not so bad to fall.

[afoxysunny]

Robbie as Bullock

This post will probably differ from the others in structure and be a lot longer for one big reason

When choosing Miraculous for the Lazytown characters i really wanted to only use ones that we've already seen in use in Miraculous Ladybug and know how they work from there.

For Robbie i broke that rule. I don't really remember what first made me consider it but it probably had to do with the fact that i think the Ox Miraculous, just aesthetically, would fit Robbie perfectly!

So for this one i had to start from scratch completely, no reference for a canon hero design, no idea what power or weapon he'd get, no clue what the phrase to transform could be.

Of cause i used the most references for him but here are the ten i found most important

Obviously i don't expect any of my speculations to become even remotely canon once we find out what Stompp, the Ox Miraculous, actually does but i hope it at least makes sense for now.

I like how I've drawn all the others standing head on to face the camera and Robbie just leans there. That's because you have to think he doesn't care, the little Tsundere

Concept Overview:

In the Miraculous Ladybug episode we meet all the Kwamis, including Stompp, he is the most actively concerned about Nooroo so now that the Butterfly Kwami is back I'm sure Stompp would want to stay around him. With Sportacus partnering with Nooroo, teaming up Robbie and Stompp made the most sense to them.

Design Notes Incoherent Thoughts I had to justify what I'm Drawing:

Purple and Blue - it amused me no end that with the choices i made blue Sportacus got a purple Kwami and purple Robbie got a blue kwami. I did kinda dislike at first how little blue the costume has in comparison to purple but i decided i don't have to make a decision because apparently the canon show can't make up its mind about Stompp's colour either. The blue and purple can always be swapped if i decide i don't like it

Harness - Ox' are hard working animals, mostly used to pull heavy objects. For that purpose they get strapped into a harness. Obviously i had to include that in this design, the chain hanging from the collar around his neck has a similar purpose (it only occured to me way too late how kinky it looks please ignore that)

Cape? No cape? - because of the imbalance in colours i briefly considered giving him a cape like a Matador would have but only for a second or so. I wanted to keep Robbie's iconic body shape untouched by a bunky cape, also the few times he wore a cape in the show he really struggled with it and also i think it would've clashed with the tail

Tail - speaking of which, an ox' tail has that frizzy end to it but i really liked the chain as his tail so to emulate the thicker part at the end i hung a padlock there. And that really worked. Not only bc that's just how bulls and ox are kept in check with their strength but also because the oblong shape of a combination lock makes for a fitting shape and can be used in universe. You see, Robbie is not that good with just saying what he wants or expressing how he feels. This four letter combination lock is magic and kinda betrays and helps him at the same time. It spells out any given four letter word that fits his mood best at any given moment

Miraculous Nosering - if a Lazytown character would unironically get a nosering, it'd be Robbie. I'm sorry, i don't take criticism on that

Horns - he needed horns. He just did. Look how good he looks with horns! But for real, in Miraculous Ladybug Chat Noir gets actual cat ears so he can get actual horns, also like Chat he the white parts of his eyes turn yellow like Stompp's while keeping his signature grey iris

Hair - ox' are mostly shown with like bangs covering their eyes so i couldn't resist ruffling his usually so perfectly done hair up to make it fall a little like that

Weapon - my first thought of "Miraculous takes cliché traits for animals to base their powers on so i guess bullfighting is the way to go here" made me really sad. This "Sport" is so disgusting i wanted to cry and puke while reading about it. I'll spare you the details but in addition to the Matador in the arena there's other guys too to weaken the bull before the Matador kills it, one of them throws knives. Miraculous Ladybug likes combining weapons with toys so I'm giving him darts. They are fastened to the front of his harness and i think how they can be used is along the lines of, once he zhrows them with his super strength and they pin into something they can only be removed when he allows that, also like the ladybug's jojo they can fly how long and whatever direction he wants, and probably also is able to just manifest them back to himself if ever one gets lost

Miraculous Power - again, just pure speculation here, but the powers we so far know of are all loosely based on an exaggerated cartoon trope of each animal so for the ox that is hard working and persistent and for the bull that'd be aggression and tunnel vision. While typing this i get the urge to add blinders to his mask but i digress. So i made up an exaggerated power that'd fit both but when i told my test group (two people) one said "oh, kinda like Bloodhound from Apex Legends" and the ozher said "so like hunter's mark from DnD" i play neither so i don't know but maybe you do do that's the short version of the explanation xD his power is based on the cartoonish depiction of a bull seeing something that bothers him and then charging at it for as long as he can until he gets it. Once Robbie focuses on an enemy or someone running away or someone he is following for whatever reason he can use his power to keep track of them. No matter how far away they go or where they try to hide. It sounds OP as shit but think of the Snake and Bunny who can both time travel and then say that again. The catch is he needs to use it while that person is still in clear sight for him so i think it balances a little better

Name:

Do you know the difference between a Bull and an Ox? Well, let me mansplain it to you anyway

The reason i kept switching between drawing inspiration from bulls and ox' is because it's the same animal. Those are both names for an adult male cow. The only difference being that an ox is castrated and a bull is not. Stompp is the Ox Miraculous so tough nuts Robbie, literally. But making babies isn't really on his to do list anyway with Sportacus as his partner so who cares.

Anyway, I had the design done and like always i struggled a lot with naming it

But then i learned a Bullock is not only a cool word that seems to be a mix of bull and lock like his design is but it also is the official name of a male cow too young to be castrated yet! Isn't that just perfect? I think it is

Also I'll include in this section the phrases one needs to speak to have Stompp transform them into this Ox themed Superhero and for the power to activate. If you think of something more fitting for either please let me know!

Transformation:

simple version - horns up / horns down

More detailed - time to charge / time to loaf

(charging is when a bull starts running blindly at something; loafing is the professional farmer term for a resting cow)

Power: Target Charge, Locked On, or my personal favorite option Head-On. Again going with the more in depth terminology, that's what the running style of a bull is called when he's chatging at a target

Story:

Robbie lived in Lazytown but when the kids grew louder and older and he got more annoyed wih not having his peace and quiet he just up and left. He spent a lot of time traveling around, living wherever it was comfortable and leaving when it wasn't anymore. Thanks to being an inventor and overall talanted crafty person he got by pretty easily as there was always a company running on "hire a lazy person for an important job, they'll find the easiest solution for the most complicated problems" so he never really had to worry.

Whether by coincidence or fate Robbie and Sportacus run into each other and despite Robbie being a little difficult they both immediately feel strangely drawn to one another. With time going by they meet more often, at first more or less by chance but eventually they plan to meet up regularly. They might have very different ways of doing it but they share a common lifestyle: helping out others to live a comfortable and fulfilling life.

Only after Sportacus was chosen to be the new Guardian of the Miracle Box he finally asks Robbie to join him, full time by his side traveling in his airship around the world wherever they may be needed. Of cause only for moral support and such, obviously. You see, they always enjoyed each others company and sort of over time eased into a relationship like coexistence but neither of them ever really acknowledged that. Only when Sportacus got Nooroo's power to sense other people's feelings that barrier of miscommunication fully fell. Robbie is incredibly bad with conveying his emotions but now Sportacus can sense that he has potentially the most powerful and purest emotions he ever encountered. Not only is each feeling of his powerful but when there is more than one at play they don't mix together and muddy each other but instead boost even more. He knew before that he wanted Robbie to join him but that discovery made it a necessity.

Despite not being able to actually say so Robbie is thrilled to come along. Only over time and with a lot of painfully slow conversations they manage to agree to make their relationship official.

Stompp, the sassy Ox Kwami, regularly bursts out of the Miracle Box to want to check on Nooroo and slowly he and Robbie bond over telling Sportacus and Nooroo to go easier on themselves and let a little responsibility get taken off their shoulders so eventually they team up and Bullock is created.

Thanks to Robbie's hard work to better himself with Sportacus' help, Stompp's magic transformation provides him with a tail that conveys his feelings for him.

When they hear that Lazytown has been wiped clean of grown-ups Sportacus immediately flies them over there so Robbie can check on his hometown. Finding only a few children, now teens, left there Robbie recognizes them and the two form the plan to give them Miraculous' too so they can help to find their lost family, friends and neighbors and fight together to bring them back.

Wow that was so much to read and you did it! I'm so impressed and thankful! You deserve a pat on the back (if you want one) and a cookie and/or sportscandy on your way out

[ziamhaze]

Hi, I hope you're well! I just want to start off by thanking you for all the wonderful fics you have blessed me with!

I just finished Red vs. Black and was hoping you wouldn't mind answering some questions I have. As someone who risks his own life to save others, how does Liam justify being with someone he knows has killed innocent people? It'd be one thing if Zayn had only killed those directly involved with what happened to his family, but he's killed innocent civilians over minor inconveniences (such as the teenagers in the convertible). Does Zayn still think he is justified in doing so? Does he ever feel guilty about it? If not, how would Liam and Zayn be compatible if their moral compasses are so different?

Also, did Zayn's father ever make his way to the UK? Or was that just a lie he told Zayn to comfort him? Does Zayn ever find his family, especially his younger sister?

I know it's a lot, but I'd really love to hear your answers if you want to give them! Again thank you for all of your wonderful works!

So sorry it’s taken me this long to reply, but I didn’t forget!

To start I’d like to thank you for clicking, and finishing, Red vs. Black.  It isn’t the shortest of fics, nor is it the most delicate - to put it lightly.  For the latter alone, thank you.

These are such poignant, important questions.  Ones that are nearly word for word what I asked myself while planning the ending.

                         SPOILERS FOR ALL OF RED VS. BLACK

1)  How does Liam stay with Zayn after learning of all his senseless killings?

Honestly, I questioned this the most when feeling out the concept.  As a fic writer it’s expected of me to write not only a romance, but also a happy ending.  Of course fics exist that do neither, but they’re very rare and not exactly well-loved.  And truthfully, a massive point that I wanted to get across - and which in effect answers this question - is that despite people’s pasts, they cannot overcome them without being given the opportunity.  100%.  No ands, ifs, or buts.  For a prisoner to assimilate back into society and not go back to their old ways, they need to be trusted with a job.  With a salary (no matter how small), they need to trust themselves to be able to not buy anything that may contribute to poor habits: drugs, alcohol, weapons, gambling, a means of transport that will give them the ability to visit bad influences (more of a psychological thing, but still).  A lot of prisoners are never given this opportunity (especially in the United States), and therefore fall back into their old ways, which are more often than not coping mechanisms to deal with the fact that they can’t fit into society as easily as privileged people to begin with; it’s a terrible cycle.  However, there are plenty of success stories of those that truly wish to change and are lucky enough to stumble upon an employer or mentor or sponsor of some sort that hands them an inkling of hope/trust that they use to fight their way back up.  The fic is fantasy, and while Zayn’s story is rooted in real world PTSD, I think the prisoner analogy is easy for us to envision and therefore, understand why Liam acts the way he does.  I also made it a point in the last scene when they’re talking things out to have Liam voice his contingency: if Zayn so much as spits at anyone, he’s done for.  That’s to say, he’s not wiping his slate clean just yet.

2)  Does Zayn still feel his useless killings were justified?

I’m going to answer assuming that you’re referring to the time after the fic ends.

Looking back at his actions is something that would be inevitable when he starts therapy, and this is a perfect example of one of the questions his therapist would ask.  You may not like my answer, but as an author I find it imperative that I speak of my characters realistically and to keep them true, not how I want them to act.  That said, yes, Zayn would still find justification in why he’s done what he’s done.

There are a few instances in the story where this is actually explained.  Take the scene in the bar with fancy mixologists.  Zayn begins to get aggravated over the people in the room simply because they’re ignorant to the feeling of significant pain.  There’s also the scene where he’s back home in Cheshire and Harry straight out tells him, he may be furious at the unfairness of the world, but he needs to learn how to come to terms with it.  It’s not going to change.  This right here is what a therapist would work with him to do, and also why I had Harry be the one to bring this up in the story - he is one.

I know it sounds incredibly foreign to the average person, but trust me when I say that people struggling with anger problems founded in (un)fairness, exist.  I’ve spoken with professionals about it.  Add on crippling childhood PTSD and a villain like Zayn can definitely be born.  It’s why treatment is needed, and why the answer is ‘yes’ in the beginning of Zayn’s journey to peace.  When his answer switches over to ‘no’, that’s when it’ll be outwardly apparent that he’s beating his ailment.  Unfortunately, for many, the inner battle with mental health is lifelong; the answer ‘no’ will never turn solid.

3)  Does Zayn feel guilty about the above?

Again, there are a couple times when I write Zayn to literally mention how he feels zero guilt.  However, if you really really pay attention you’ll notice that these instances aren’t villain related.

For example, meeting Liam’s parents:

After handing his father and Zayn each their tea, Liam looks between them suspiciously. "Leaving the two of you in a room together was a bad idea."

"Don't know what you're on about," Geoff replies innocently. "We were just talking about cars, weren't we Zayn?" Even with all eyes on him, the pressure of lying doesn't get to Zayn. It never does.

"Yeah," he agrees, bringing his drink up to his lips carefully, "cars."

Or, after Zayn walks out from the comedy club:

"It takes a lot of courage to get up there and do something like that, don't you think?"

"Not really."

Liam looks to the side, hoping that he can interpret more from Zayn's answers by seeing the expressions that go with their frankness. "So if I signed you up, you would do it?"

"Why would I want to make a room full of strangers laugh?" Zayn retorts, his right eye scrunching up in distaste, like it's a mannerism of his provoked by moronic questions. "I don't have a superiority complex." Liam thinks he might, but. "I know I'm better than those people, no mediocracy to cover up here."

So we’ve got those, but then we’ve also got this massive character point:

Right as the last of the snake's body emerges, Zayn snaps his fingers, triggering heavy hip-hop music to flow through his headphones and drown out the man's blood curdling cry.

If he could permanently damage people who deserved it, not always because they did something to Zayn, but because he liked to play god and throw them a massive curveball like life had done to him, then why shouldn't he? So long as he pulls his soundproof headphones off the little robot on the inside of his right arm to avoid listening to the pain his choice brutality caused, there's no valid reason he shouldn't take advantage of the gift he was given.

From where he's sitting, he probably won't be able to hear anything, but he fastens the equipment over his ears just in case.

All at once, the atmospheric sounds of central London, mixed with the terrified screams of those in the burning building beneath them, hit Zayn at full force. The sensory overload alone would normally be enough to piss him off, but tack on his protection from audible trauma being taken and being spoken to while in villain mode, and he's seeing red as deep as the pits of hell he knows he's destined for.

I wrote Zayn’s headphone usage as a way to alert that the reader that he does, in fact, feel villain-related guilt.  He can’t act on his anger without them on.  He’ll have his victims screams stuck in his head, and he’d never be able to handle that a.k.a. there’s zero satisfaction from their literal pain.  Think about that and it’ll answer your follow-up question.

4)  What happened to Zayn’s family?

Zayn’s father meant what he said - he’d do whatever he needed to reunite his family.  That wasn’t a falsity at all.  The problem is money.  And politics, but let’s start with the issue of money.  It took Yaser nine years to save up the amount he paid to have Zayn and Waliyha smuggled across the border.  The whole concept of smuggling is that it’s a cheaper option than the legal one.  So if we look at this, you can see how long it would take him to save for three adult visa fees, three adult plane tickets, and enough to stay afloat for a month or so when they get to England.  Now add in the politics of the early 2000s and the Afghanistan/Pakistan region.  We know that Yaser fixed air conditioners for a living.  No person with that average of a background is going to have an easy time immigrating anywhere.  Even so, would it really take him over 18 years?  While it’s plausible, perhaps a man with such determination would find another way.  Or...was that unnecessary because he was fed lies?

Think about it.  After several weeks and no word from his children, don’t you think he’d cause a riot?  He’s the type to drive over to Badar’s house and demand his relatives get in contact with him to find out what’s going on.  But, given the flashback Zayn has, it’s obvious that Badar never planned on accompanying any of the children to the UK, and if that’s the case, he clearly couldn’t return to Quetta.  I imagine a fully rehearsed story was told to all of the children’s parents about how they were killed somewhere along the way.

As for Waliyha, her whereabouts were told to my gang over on Patreon a while ago.  In short, yes, she’s still alive and I plan on pitching the book’s sequel to publishers as a graphic novel series revolved around her location.  Louis’ dark web bot finally found a hint as to where that might be, so Zayn and Liam go on a journey across Europe to find her.  Each issue would (probably) take place in a new city and involve both fighting a single bad guy.

Just a quick reminder to anyone who reads this, Red vs. Black and all involved characters are my intellectual property and cannot be replicated, manipulated, or stolen.

Again, thank you for your question and time!  I know my fics aren’t short and take a huge time commitment to finish.  If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to send them my way!  I’m super busy writing the next story and doing critical work, but I promise I’ll get around to it.

[punkscowardschampions]

Janis & Grace & Jimmy

Janis: Fucking Phones! *Janis shouts, her frustration kicked into overdrive, phone shotput at the nearest wall before she can think about it. If it wasn't broken before, like. Paces over to the shattered remains, not to cradle with regret, but to put the boot in further, stomping heavily on the useless hunk of junk 'til she's satisfied. Deep breaths were saved for AFTER the storm, not some pathetic vain attempt to stop the inevitable. She was well past that stage. Had she EVER been so naive to be at that stage? Had she ever tried to stop herself? What was the point? She knew how strong she was, how strong IT was, knew better than to get in her own way, like. As she was pondering what the fuck to do now, someone who had NEVER learnt to get out of the oncoming tide's way walked through the door. Oh, Gracie. How many times have you been left shattered on the floor? Stung to think about. Not just 'cos she'd got glass in her feet that needed dealing with. But first- Despite agreeing with Jim earlier, Janis knew her twin better, knew there was more to it. What she did not know was what to do about it. Whatever it was. Gulp. An olive branch disguised as you'd be doing me a favour. That'd have to do it.* Grace? Can I borrow your phone quick, like. *She gestured to the crime scene below her feet.* Grace: *She's a liar, concerned with only the promise that today the gym would be packed, and it was. Every lad who flexed to get girls had eyes for the ones they ranked before Grace walked in, and the girls that were above it, or faking that they were, locked onto their camera roll as they did their work out, looking at themselves, 'done with anyone else, honestly'. She took selfies herself, because without being focused on the insta numbers what did she have, a playlist that preached empowerment without giving her any? Tragic. Pathetic was all she felt next to them, solidarity wiped off her radar by the invisibility she needed and hated. Fuck the sisterhood. Mother nature's turned her back and over it without a 'thank you, next. There's more space at home for her than here. Beyond tragic. Still she goes there minus any juice or coffee stops, there's no craving that can touch how much she doesn't want to run into the growing list of people who she'd die if she had to deal with being around. Obviously she near collides with one of the first immediately because OH MY GOD she can't get a break right now. Coping with only being wanted for her phone is easier than expected though. Grace unlocks and hands it over wordlessly, keeping her attention on what is gestured and so #relatable.* Janis: *Janis nods her thanks, doing her level-best to pretend her sister, silent, wasn't a total headfuck; Wished for many a time but she'd never professed to being careful, had she? The tapping out of a quick text the only sound allowed to occupy the vast space between them. Allowing the awkwardness to grow, as if it could bridge the gap, Janis read his reply (received in record time, by the way) and made huge effort not to smile smugly because she REFUSED to be one of those girls, even though that had had the potential to unite her with her twin in the past, it felt like a bad move now. She wasn't one of those girls either. Not really Not deep down. And she certainly did not seem it nowadays. Oh how we have changed, my friend. She handed the phone back as silently as it had been given, intent on leaving it at that but, for some reason, words tumbling as thoughtless as the rain of violence had upon her own phone just moments ago, she just asked her.* Do you want to come out with us? We're not doing anything exciting, like. So you don't have to...But if a bit of normality sounds good, though; gotta walk the dogs and his brother and sister, run some errands up town. *She finishes lamely with a casual shrug, as if that took nothing, as if they always did this kinda thing. Before they did, but the past was a different place, a town they didn't occupy any more. Whether you thought that a tragedy (and Janis did think it that, too) or otherwise, it was what it was.* Grace: *This headfuck adds itself to the pile, leaving her again, clueless as to who the fuck she is. Grace had long been thinking it of her twin, before barista boy had moved in and got her shaken off from her sister totally, but it's pushed away whenever it enters her head and tries to shake up her own persona. No way and no time like. Until now that it had run out for her anyway. It doesn't matter what her mum said, over and over, she feels broken. And ashamed. And somehow, Janis knew that without knowing, offering her a pity hang to keep the vibe from leaving her alone. Obviously she could go off, hard, in the moment and get everyone else to leave her but what was the point if that's her only power? A pity party is the only one that'll be thrown for her these days, there's no choice but to cope with that. Later. After she's called Janis out in gestures and expressions that scream UGH and AS IF because too much has changed to let go of that. Even as she realises she's accepting, all 'thank god I showered and changed at the gym' crossing her mind and face.* Okay, Jan, no need to beg babes. *Grace fluffs her hair, smiling wide enough to hurt. Later too.* Gotta change my bag first like OMG, a dog that cute has just gotta come home with me. Unfair that your feed gets all of her when mine's the most poppin'. She's welcome. Janis: *Janis rolls her eyes but that action, so overused it went way beyond practiced into straight up muscle memory, was accompanied by a less usual smile. Small but conveying the too-big-and-awkward-to-mention idea that today, just this once, she would let shit slide. Still, it'd feel to alien for both if she let her twin get away with EVERYTHING, like. Sympathies SHOULD only stretch so far, otherwise who even were they?* Sure she'll be buzzin' for the fame, Grace. Just be quick about it, alright? I've already left 'em hanging long enough meself with the fecking phone dramas... *And the shower. And the actually taking longer than ten seconds to pick out somethin' decent to wear, somethin' he might like. Push that feeling down, along with the bile it caused. Don't think about it. Deal with it later. She busied herself in the kitchen, NOT like the proper little housewife the stupidity of giving a shit was mockingly making her feel, but by fishing out the promised leftovers for Twix, finding the sparklers, and chucking in some leftovers for the kids too, Holiday food still coming out their earholes here. Again she ignored the mocking voice from within, trying to be rational about it. It weren't like she gave a fuck like THAT, and not about Jim but if their dad was AWOL it was probably microwave meals and takeaway grub, the kiddos may as well have something decent to line their bellies, Lord knows her fam didn't need it. No sense wasting it. So there. Fuck you. Janis grabbed her house keys and chucked her new cropped hoodie over her outfit, untucking her curls and waiting by the door, foot tapping from impatience, nothing more, alright?* Grace: *Grace moves fast, not because she's feeling it herself but she knows Janis is and can't handle the fight, impatience so blatant to cause it that even without a twin connection that Jimmy would see it himself as quick. Her stomach twists painfully, the idea that no man will ever want her again resurfacing before it can be pushed back down. Her body flops down on her bed staying separate from her, face pressed into the tear-stained pillow until she has a reason for not being able to breathe. A small sound comes out, nothing else. The other girl will be charging up the stairs if she doesn't hurry so she forces herself up and does the switch, grabbing stuff she might need blindly. The 'who am I?' question throws itself out again but it's better than any Janis will ask otherwise. Grace reassures herself its her reasoning for no mirror check before walking away. * Janis: *The 'okay, let's do this' doesn't need to be vocalized (need or want? they're two very different beasts but let's both pretend we don't know otherwise), so it isn't. Quickly jostling out the door, matching pace on the short walk to the Grandparent's, like this was a two-step or a tango another dance that required two to- somehow keeping rhythm, keeping time, so well and so naturally between them it was like they'd never stopped being a double act. Now with Killer in tow, the truth that they had stopped being Graceandjanis, presented itself readily in the hugs and love she received and the awkward hellos and suspicious barks Grace did when they made their date. Janis couldn't very well push the kiddos away, no need to be that much of a cunt on anyone's behalf, her sister especially wouldn't thank her for it- but she converted Jim's into a one-arm handshake type hug affair; 'accidentally (who knew?) pushing her extended fist into his stomach with a 'whoops'. She withdrew, choosing to do what she knew how before anything else could be said or done or even thought.* Race ya to the swings! *It was a challenge for the entire group, fuck it, the dogs could get in on the action if they liked, just give a fucking distraction. Bobby hung back Grace too. Janis looked back, wondering if she should run back too, not leave her sister so soon but she found her legs continuing regardless, beyond her control. That was just how it was these days.* Grace: *She can breathe again, easily, of course she can, when they are walking side by side. Grace forgets until the park's in sight, reminding her hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. She blinks them away, refusing to be that girl, but the buggy's still there, being pushed in time with her own steps so close she can't help but remember how far away any of that is for her. Frantically she clutches her phone, acting out living a life where what the screen is showing her is something she cares deeply about knowing. The distraction can't last and doesn't. There they are, Jimmy and his brother, his sister keeping pace with a sniffing puppy, kicking her own toes against the ground. 'I feel you girl' she thinks, automatically despite having no idea what the girl's deal is and barely a grip on her own either. They all smile, waves and everything, but hers doesn't hurt now and won't tonight. None of this is real. She might as well not be here, that's not news anymore than Janis being gone again is, so why react to it? It's hard enough pretending to give them her usual vibes. The boy doesn't run when the rest do, sticking with her. What the fuck is she meant to do or say to that? She blinks again, breathing deep and he mirrors it. Too relatable. Horrible. If he starts sobbing she can't just stand there. No way. Janis would kill her. It'd look suss af even if she handled it well, a kid crying with nobody but her around to blame. Oh god. She can't do this. He's looking at her like she trod on his dog with her heels on, and hasn't stopped. Grace bends down to his level with another whispered 'hey, cutie', cussing herself for packing her bag on autopilot because she couldn't guarantee having anything he might like. At a loss she falls into old habits, asking him quietly if he wants to take a selfie. He shakes his head no first, until she pulls up all the best features her phone can offer, filters making him smile wider and wider as he skips through. He almost loses it when she makes herself into a singing dog emoji thing and insists loudly that she send it to his big sister's phone. She tells him to go ahead, all it takes to secure a friend for the afternoon apparently. Grace shakes her head, smiling without realizing it. He hasn't even found her games yet. Just you wait boy.* Jimmy: *It's been a headache getting them sorted, but the fresh air eventually clears it before it turns into more than a heaviness behind his eyes. Janis not having a phone, and the thought of him having to text Grace's more than once had him picking up the pace and the kids followed eagerly despite dragging their feet when he first told 'em to get a move on. Cass has no choice unless she was about Twix wrecking her Christmas trackies in all the excitement of her true love appearing and Bobby makes up his mind just as fast when he catches on too. The park or the cramped four walls of their living room, no contest, like. He was with them both there. #Buzzing he thinks with a smirk that's a grin until it's nothing. She pushes him away, forcing him to push himself to catch back up. He touches the chain of the swing just after she does, dogs at his heels, only moving aside so his sister can jump on (and off as soon probably, but go for it, Cass). No prizes for coming second. He looks over his shoulder for bobby, seeking him out, relaxing when he sees Grace with him. He's alright. Wish he could say the same, having lost.* Janis: *Janis took as much internal pleasure from the victory as she could get- not much, nothing if we're being real (we aren't). Empty as she felt, plenty of room, like; still, she found the silly little 'win' just as hollow. Still, could fake that that wasn't the case, throwing up loser signs as she raised her arms in 'triumph'. Being an arrogant cunt was a surefire way to keep people at a safe distance, that method beyond tried and tested now. 'Let's get this whole situation back to fakery, yeah?' Her every sane impulse urges, terror white hot, cornered animal scared, ready to lash out for her survival, (and his). 'Please, no. I'm not ready to stop this!' The part of her that burns with wanting him, loving- this, whatever 'this' was, begs, thick with need. Need was not allowed. Needing things just meant hurt and disappointment, every time. And Janis felt she had enough stacked already. Call her weak or a pussy for knowing she wasn't super-human, (not even human), for knowing her limits (Weak. Pussy.) Enough was enough, do what you do best already, and run; run so far ahead of him that all he's left with is your dust, not even memories, good or otherwise, to remember you by. Forget about it, kid. Ignoring Jim might be a task she was up for the challenge of but ignoring Twix proved near impossible, Janis patted the pup's head absent-mindedly, just to get her to calm down a bit, like. Working out what was wrong when she was met with manic sniffing, she dug around in her pockets and produced a bone. She tossed it lazily but it still flew a great distance through the air out into the open field. She then had the perfect excuse to casually follow after the running dog. So chill. So natural.* Jimmy: *He pushes Cass on the swing a few times, helping her get the speed up she needs to make the jump, but hard as he goes for it, it doesn't help. The only thing that's gonna is to sort out why Janis is being off with him. He asks himself first, thinking that since Grace was being uncharacteristically quiet too that was the answer. Being mad that Gracie has invited herself to tag along made sense but taking it out on him was a dickhead move like. Shrugging to convince any watching sisters that he didn't give a shit, he jogs over to where the two of them are, bending to annoy Twix 'cause that'll get to her most.* Gracie coming too town too? I see how it is, getting coffee when she knows her real faves on shift. None taken.* It's bollocks but going off for a smoke'll go down like a lead balloon with Bobby when he notices which means Cass getting pissed off at him when Janis already is. Instead he nods over to where his little brother is, still beside Grace. *We should get in on that, bet our selfie game's well stronger and you'd make a gorgeous bunny mate it has to be said. Janis: *Janis nudges him away from Twix as if the daft thing were hers and not at least part his, making a 'leave off' sound too.* Don't blame me if she goes for your ankles, like. I didn't teach her how to do that or nowt but you know, s'a bitch's prerogative. *She nods, not looking at him, eyes kept on the horizon, as if he were a stranger she was having a meaningless chat to about the weather whilst keeping an eye out for the bus still.* Yeah. Anything to get out the house though, init. *Said as if Grace was driving her as mad as two hyper kids, which usually wouldn't be a lie but currently her sister had about as much life in her as the Christmas tree they'd just chucked. She did her best to ignore the joke about the other baristas, 'cos at the end of the day it was one, it just didn't feel like it when her twin was in such a way. But even Janis couldn't pin that on the boy stood with her now, she had enough pride to not appear entirely irrational, like. She could, however, lower herself to an eye-roll at the equally as jokey suggestion.* Nah. Bobby's cuter. Besides, I'm so fucking sick of selfies. Jimmy: *He shakes his head exaggeratedly, smirking.* No chance. She's soft as. Lot of that going about.* Jimmy nudges Janis playfully. *Like trainer, like dog, don't they say? *Anything to get a reaction out of her that isn't this. 'Cause fucking hell he doesn't get it. They'd had a good day before, only better if he'd beat her at paintball too, and a decent night despite the actually mad amount of family she had for him to meet. This morning she'd been alright with him. Their normal. Until now. What the fuck had gone wrong? Panic makes his palms slick and he uses her nan's husky as means to destroy the evidence before she twigs it to be, patting the dog's head affectionately.* This one on the other hand, #savage. Twix, get taking those notes, hun. *He laughs, hating what it sounds like when it lands, but preserving. Why the fuck not. Might as well go one further he thinks, and does, acting like he'd been shot down by what's actually true as he raises his hands to demand a ceasefire before making a show of putting the phone away and patting his pocket. * You'll change your tune once that new model's in your hand. Janis: Fuck off! *She says, indignant, voice raised. Couldn't even help it, correct button pressed; well done, mate. Nail on head, the ease in which he could do it sickening, a punch in the guts. A warning sign. No, it wasn't. She just got angry, she was an angry person, that was all, nothing more to it. Now calm down. Calm the fuck down before you embarrass yourself further. 1 2 3- Fuck it. Janis snorts, again words out before she can help it. Before she can censor the shit he doesn't need to know. The shit she doesn't talk about. Ever. With anyone.* Yeah well, that's what happens when you're not raised- *Stopping herself before its too late, 'cos nope not going there, not today, not with him. She let him distract the both of them with his amateur dramatics, looking him up and down skeptically.* Not too late to join the drama club, you know. You need an outlet, mate. About as much as I need the newest iPhone and all its megapixels, like. *She does her own mime act, clicking an invisible camera at him.* Grace: *They are playing some brightly coloured tapping game together when his shyness of her wears off. The questions are easy at first, listing off the cats names as far back as she can remember when she tells him regretfully about not having a dog, counting on her fingers and using his when they run out. They are both laughing at the end of it and she continues after hearing his mum was allergic to dogs so they couldn't get Twix 'til she went. Way to own and finalise that separation Mr Taylor, Grace thinks. Such a mood. Janis would 100% approve. She looks over at her sister but her gaze won't linger long enough to be felt. Not now. It just can't. She can't go there. She asks him more about her, this mum who he insists is 'far away', letting him talk. He deserves to say anything he wants, in whatever sense her absence means to him. None of her family do and look at them all. There's a huge part of her desperate to join in, just have the words 'my sister Edie is gone too' come out, but she can't go there either. It isn't right. Not when she means dead and this kid is what, like 5? If her twin's ever shared that info with her she can't find it in the moment, like it matters. She's not gonna offload that on him. No way. Better to keep smiling and encouraging, at least he's thriving off it.* Jimmy: Calm it down! *His own tone stays playful, matching the smirk he doesn't dare to drop. Fuck him for forgetting his shades the one time he needs them for something that isn't posing, if anything in his face gives him away to her they aren't gonna make it to town, making him a peak dickhead. He nods at the next bit, letting her know how 'so relatable he finds it, like' as he looks over at Cass and Bobby both, wearing the 'don't I know it' on his face wearily. Joke's over there. Call it a raw nerve, or too much truth to shrug through.* Yeah. *Before his weariness can piss them both off he takes the out his given to keep this banter jokey. Hip Hip Hooray!* Countin' on it. Shame you've missed the deadline for being one of us art pricks. You'll always have the 'gram though. #blessed. Janis: *'Great' Janis thinks to herself, sinking further into the regret consuming her every thought and action today as she realizes, (or at least presumes), he picked up on the dead sister vibes and now feels awkward as arse. Well done, dickhead. It wasn't as if she could plead ignorance, four years gone had taught them all that other people were crap with dealing with the death conversation. No one wanted the reminder. Least of all them, to be honest. Had to seep into everything, didn't she? Never any good at staying gone. Fuck you, Edie. Janis swallowed following his gaze to Cass and Bobby, taking the time to check up on her sibling too. Nothing, she tells herself, she feels nothing. Fuck them all. Its the blisteringly cold wind making her eyes water, that's all. She grunts in response, hardly worth it but it was all she had to give, not sorry about it. Sorry. She walks on in silence, throwing things for the dogs, shouting out commands, doing her best to disguise the cracks in her voice as a sore throat and nowt else. In the spirit of throwing a bone, she attempts to say something real, give him anything to work with. Purely 'cos this was boring, like. If they were gonna be wasting their afternoon regardless, yeah?*  Let's play a game. You have to answer every question truthfully and straight away, like, if you don't you lose your chance to ask a question back. Meaning I get to go again or you pussy-out fully and call game over then you lose. Got it? I'll even let you go first, gracious victor that I am. Jimmy: *He doesn't know what to do when he sees it in her eyes any more than when he does in his sister's. The fight. He knows what he wants to do, every damn time, but he knows what it'll earn him from Janis. Same as Cass near enough. A smack or a strop off. He's had plenty of the first, naturally, but the second has him frozen in place. He sees it in his head, Janis stepping back as he moves forward and can't bear the maybe like. He breathes out hard, forcing it until he coughs. By the time he has his shit together, it's done. Chance missed for him to go for asking 'why are you being so off with me?' Thank fuck, 'cause honestly he knows the answer, doesn't he? She's fed up now they aren't faking it. He shouldn't hold blame, state of him, but it's there. For himself mostly, thinking she'd be any different. Nobody stays. Give her a few years and Cass'd be off to, looking for better. Bobby after some more. Still, he trails along, trying to be wrong. Needing to be. He feels it when he kisses her, more than his desperation, and if it exists, he can keep on to it.  So he gets a grip now, sorts himself enough to be properly back next to her. Grins when he is, 'cause there it is. A new chance. Fucking hell. Jimmy nods. * Yeah okay. *He catches her eye, challenging her to back down already but bricking it that she might. What would he do then? He nudges her, the contact meaning more to him than the casual gesture lets anyone else know. He tries, ready to lose if needs be. * What's up with you then? Janis: *Janis resists the urge to pull a face, an 'of all the questions' kind of look, 'cos obviously that's the entire point of the game and she was the one who started it so- man up, like. She opts for the classic 'is that it?' look instead, faking out on her answer not being an option (she wouldn't do that to him) but she could at least front some bravado before answering truthfully. She leaned into his nudge as if to prove to herself otherwise as she said-* I'm scared. *A shrug, again, as if to counteract her words. She also fought the urge to ask what was wrong with him too, settling on an easier question, but one she'd still care to know the answer to.* How many girls have you slept with? Jimmy: *There's so many questions that come to mind when she gives her answer but it isn't his turn and honestly, if it was, he's scared too. More than a bit. Probably more than she is, truthfully. 'Cause the feeling is too strong to be alone in, he's about to let her know she isn't, by reaching for her hand and squeezing but there's no time for that. She takes her go, digging at him less than expected. Jim hides his surprise with a snort, shaking his head. 'What are you like?' that gesture implies, but he's bothered more about the state of himself, hiding behind all this bollocks again. He returns the shrug she gave him, easy as. She already knows about Skerries. There's no mystery despite what they all seemed to believe when he arrived as a newbie * 2. I had a girlfriend at home before. Ages go. * He shoots her a look, hopefully unreadable.* That scare you more or less? Janis: *She nods. Honestly, pleased, just a hint of a smile gracing her face. Yeah, yeah, yeah that shit shouldn't matter and it didn't, like; when you were on level-pegging, her bitterness told her, even if Jim's number was low, hers was always gonna be lower, wasn't it? Still, there was only one honest answer to his question. Didn't even compare, like.* Less. *Janis was tempted to ask him why he was wasting questions but she would be doing the same in-turn so, nah. She let herself think for slightly longer than last time, working out how best to play this. Interesting enough to keep him playing but not coming out with the real scary shit 'cos that'd have him quitting even faster if she went there with no warming him up, like.* Why'd you not wait to find a real girlfriend here? Jimmy: *He laughs, it's her directness that does it. Yeah that's the point of the game but she's there shamelessly #buzzing by his 'revelation.' It's the first time he's done something right since they got here and he can't help smiling himself. Finally not a smirk. Cheers, mate. He stops himself shrugging yet again, in case that feels like a step back, though for real, he could care less about this question. He'd never lied about his lack of interest or any of that. Still wasn't. * I didn't want one. *Until he did. And here they are. Scary shit. It's better to focus on the game, something he can ask while still playing safe enough to keep going. What then? Come on, dickhead. There's a part of him, also from ages ago apparently, that wants to blurt out something about that cunt Harry she kept kissing, the jealousy existing, making him feel shitty. Reminding him he is, like. His smile fades. Can't keep anything, can he? *Why me when you could've just told your haters about other school Harry and left it at that? He loved boasting about the two of you, he'd have been enough. Janis: *Janis stuck her middle finger up but she joined in the laughter all the same, 'cos not would give her away more than she already had and she couldn't have that. Just let him think she was a jealous girl or whatever had him cracking up. 'Cos surely she hadn't let him close enough that he could actually know what was up, had she? She considered his answer as she stressed over her own. Guess he hadn't...But why now? What had changed? Was they really still just mates, but with benefits, like? Was that all he waiting for? Oh wait, stupid bitch, YOU have to answer first. And that is way more than your allotted one question per turn. And just much too much in general. Calm it. And answer before you look any weirder.* 'Cos he weren't my boyfriend. Ever. Anyone can get a lad like that to get off with them, didn't really prove anything. Besides, I wanted to help you, like. I dunna why. Sue me. *She pokes her tongue out, turning to face him, walking backward as she asks her next. Changing tact, 'cos she's not sure if she can actually handle knowing the answers to all the questions she'd posed in her head.* Do you really hate it here? Jimmy: *It doesn't seem like she's gonna answer at first, but instead of feeling good about another victory to his name, it just lets in all the shit waiting there in his own head to fill in the blanks. He's heard and told a load to piss off before she gives hers. It's nowt he didn't proper know by himself but there's comfort in how she says 'ever' as a fuck you. Fuck off Harry you prick. The feeling only builds when she gets walking like that, reminding him of Jaden's party. He'd never wanted to stop kissing her that night. Still didn't. Same finality. 'Cause yeah, right now he didn't ever. There it was. So when he shakes his head it's no pisstake. Banter's the furthest thing from the gesture and he let's his face show it. Just for now, like. * Nah, I hate that them two do, but not me. *He looks over at his siblings, Bobbin's taken Cass' place on the swings now but she's stayed nearby, phone out, snapping him. Do it for the 'gram, he can't help thinking, an affectionate smile lingering as he looks back at his girlfriend. *You? Wish you'd kept running when you did one from school and me like? Janis: *Back to nodding again, following the direction of his gaze and topic of conversation, 'cos she gets it. Without second-guessing and stopping herself with 'well their situation is probably worse' type of thoughts, she just lets it come out. The first thing she's ever said to him about Edie. The first time she's spoken about her in a long time, except to tell Grace she's glad she's dead, and that she wished she were too, of course. Standard.* We haven't always lived here, either...Lived lots of places for Mum's job and just 'cos. Ireland was barely Home for the older lot; when we came back my sister Edie hated it so fucking much. Not exciting enough, I guess. Or she liked people not knowing us the rest of the places, unlike here... *She trails off red-faced. Shrugging for cover as always.* What I mean is, probably the exact opposite for them two. Not enough people know 'em. We could change that. Introduce them to the unwashed mass of my lot. They will get more comfortable, you know... *Again the trail-off 'cos why the fuck was she offering up useless platitudes like he was a total idiot? Jesus. Distract with your answer time, bitch. As if that would diffuse the tension any. HA.* Kind of...but nah, not really, 'cos its just the people and their talk and the good and bad memories and all the ghosts, init? No matter the destination, all that shit follows so- It ain't really Dublin's fault. Just nice to take a break sometimes. *She smiles, hoping it'll just be taken as a reference to always having Skerries or some shit, and not the fact that being with him felt like a break, wherever they were. Don't need to scare him off THAT hard. And not yet. Fuck a good decision. For now.* What about you, why'd your Da move yous here? Jimmy: *It's his turn to nod dumbly then, 'cause he gets it, Edie's (supposed) feeling. It's what he likes best about this city, that even when his (supposed) new boy shine wears off, there's still much none of them know about him. Won't. He can breathe here for that, a bit, and does until he's reminded of the limits by Janis says after. She isn't wrong. Here he isn't the lad whose mum vanished, but he still is. Always will be, unless she does some magic fucking reappearing act, and how likely is that? It isn't doable, he tells himself so every damn night and for good reason. But Janis isn't wrong about what Cass and Bob need either. It isn't fair for him to keep them shut in this tight circle knowing that they can't keep their mouths shut. Why should they? They're just kids and its their normal, bound to feel like the kind of shit chatted about over the school lunch table. His hands shove themselves deep in his pockets not knowing what else to do. He wants a smoke bad but isn't far enough away from the park yet. Won't get to be. This is why they're here like. Shit. * Yeah. *It's all he has to say, barely able to look at her as is. Lifting his head back to her level is a bigger challenge than he can rise to now. Loser. Fuck. More than anything else he wants to ask her for a break, demand it, but he can't. Janis hit right on how there's no escaping this. He sighs, pulling his hood up. If she thinks he's only keeping the cold out then he'll take that, if not, he'll handle it when. Fuck it. There's only so much trying Jimmy can do today. * He got fired. Wanted a fresh start then.* He shrugs. All true. He doesn't believe if lying by omission or any of that bollocks. She didn't ask why he was sacked. Why a fresh start had to be so drastic. Those are other questions, ones he's not about to answer come to that.* We goin' down town or what? Janis: *That was it. Game over. Before she even had tie to register his answer he was sick of giving it. His hood and guard back up. Sighing with it too. Oh, how Janis wished it made HER mad. What she wouldn't give to feel that familiar friend close to her right now, to take comfort in its arms when he was shutting her out. But of course not, of course fucking not. Couldn't even have that, could she? All she felt was desperation, desperate to be let back in, to know what she did wrong so she could avoid doing it again, and it made her feel fucking sick. At least the nausea gave her valid reason to spit on the ground.* Can't be bothered now, don't matter, you lot still go if you wanna. *She fumbled in her hoodie pocket for Killer's lead, whistling him over so she could get the fuck out of here, NOW. Of course, Twix came bounding and the oblivious husky didn't. Great.* Good girl, Twix... *She mumbled, giving her some love and a treat, wishing the ground could swallow her whole.* Jimmy: *He starts walking back toward the swings, knowing it'll take ages to get both of them ready to go, longer than Janis is gonna stick around for definitely. Jimmy keeps his gaze there, Twix'll move when Cass does and there and then, if she didn't he didn't give a shit. There's no room for it. He's only filled up with how badly he's fucked this when the answer comes and a question won't follow. His sister starts mouthing off when he makes it clear they're off home but a look sorts it. Gotta leave before he's left, sorry. Cass gets Bobby and Twix with her, which should make him feel worse but there's no room for that either. Not yet. One for later like. The two them say their goodbyes, Bobby gives hugs to both twins. He doesn't. Can't if it's the last. There's nowt to do but this.* Probs text you, Gracie. *He's aiming for a joke, without waiting for it to land. Any answers. It's too much, being fake again. Especially like this.* Janis: *Even though she's the one who said it, AND she was the one who started to pack up first, when he just walks away, without so much as a glance back, nevermind a goodbye, it's like a punch in the face. (Don't you know by now I don't mean it? Dickhead)* Oi! *She pushes past him, letting the shout sail over his head like it wasn't even a little bit aimed at him, rushing up to Cass to give her the bag of goodies she'd foraged.* Enjoy, yeah? *Saying her Goodbyes to both kid's as if her and Jim already had, nothing to see here. Janis grits her teeth, poor excuse for a good-humored smile to match his worse attempt at a joke. Have her, if that's what you really want, just cut me off 'cos I can't keep hanging on your every word, Jimmy Taylor. She says nothing, figuring she can let her twin, like she used to. Feeling that unnecessary and unwanted again.* Grace: *Grace has no idea what's happening, beyond the obvious. The tragic. She was in her own world until Jimmy came through, a world where she could deal with being around these kids 'cause they're older and Cass reminds her of Gus which hurts, but in the old way, one she's learned to cope with. This new pain is too new to try and deal. It takes everything not to cry when she hears a newborn doing that. She's hates it, being back to being this lost, a hopeless saddo again, so obviously latches onto the tension surrounding her twin and the barista. She can't fix it, can't even really put her finger on the vibe, but it's enough that it isn't hers. A distraction she can sit in. Drama that can never be as deep as the one her body's done on her.* Oh, you're going. Cool. Laters then, babes. Hope I'll see you around, cutie. * She smiles wide at Bobby, a better fake than Janis can ever be. *No offense, Jimmy.* The laugh sounds real. Only the kids give her something back, but it's for them she does it, not wanting what her sister is gonna dish out in this mood. And if looks could kill, the boyfriend's could have them all in the ground. No fucking thanks. Off you go, boy, bye.* Jimmy: *He waves both twins off as if they're on equal footing suddenly like. Funny fucker he is. Even more of a twat. He keeps going, lighting up as he does, every word Cass might say about it blocked out before it gets out. Enough. It's this or worse, sorry. The kids start bickering as they round the corner, taking out the bullshit he'd started and let seep out on each other when they can't reach him. Jimmy feels like handling it like he's younger than Bobby's age, throwing himself to the floor and sobbing for a bit. There's no getting rid that easily though. Not for him. Janis was the lucky one there. Shame she didn't feel it, but it was too late for him to do anything about that. She wasn't even in sight anymore. Fuck knows when she next would be. He couldn't think of school starting when tomorrow was too far. Too much. He rubs his eyes, ready to call it tiredness but nobody was there to issue a challenge. Fuck.* Janis: *Janis turns on her heel, without acknowledging him again (not hard when all she can think to do is knock him out or beg at his feet, neither of those an option she could live with), but its cheapened by the fact he did it first, and meant it. She prays the walk Home can be as shrouded in sweet silence as the walk here was. For her sake this time. But as they walk on, further and further away from him, she starts to wish Grace would say something, ANYTHING! She needed the distraction from her own thoughts, the ones that had got her in this mess in the fucking first place! Differences aside, even her twin was better company.* Did you wanna go up-town, like? We still can... *She shrugs. What else does she have to say or offer right now?* Grace: *The walk back doesn't feel anything like the one going, they are in step, yeah, but it means nothing 'cause they're both so in their own 'drama'. She nearly tells her sister, at least part of it, as an excuse for why she's being this 'ugh' (none of these stupid, basic words fit, but they are what she automatically reaches for), feeling she owes her that, knowing Janis would be down for her being a bitch over giving her nothing to kick back against. None of the words will come out though. Of course. Only more of her usual kinda convo stuff will. She's that bitch now. Shadowing her former self. God, it's even more pathetic than anything she'd tried to pull on her twin. But it fits, and she flips her hair, turning to the other with a smile which doesn't come as easy but she forces herself to wear anyway. *Well, girl, you still need a phone. Even if just to tell him to fuck off when he tries blowing mine up. Janis: *She's looking down at their feet; looking anywhere else, a risk. She nods, allowing a small 'true' chuckle to follow too. Janis raises her head, straightening her back and standing up taller. She groans as she cracks her bones and stretches out her arms and legs like she's warming up for something. Too little too late, perhaps? God damn.* Fuck this shit, Gracie. Fuck.This.Shit. *She doesn't even know fully what her sister's shit is yet but she feels confident in sending it to Hell with her own.* What are we gonna do, eh? Grace: *She whispers it herself, 'fuck it' so soft, but so 'fire'. (Another word than couldn't touch how things were) It felt good to have it out of her. More than that, feeling connected to her twin again (bad as she felt for thinking it under these conditions, god she was such a bitch.) was even better. A more genuine smile is offered up while she thinks of what she can say, tapping her nails against denim. *We're going to town, sister, and owning the rest of this day. New phone, new clothes, whatever we want. Fuck it. Janis: *Janis smiles back, as genuine.* Fuck it. Let's do this.

[mutatedangels-a]

"We'll worry about that later," Nancy insisted. The answer was probably easily seen on her face. Once sporting a set of chubby cheeks, she was now sunken in the eyes and by her smile. But she gave him a warm expression, despite how cold he had been lately, and perhaps even more frigid now that he was wounded. "First, we've got to get moving before the sun goes down. I have a granola bar in my bag if I really can't stand it anymore. I promise."

She wanted to add that she'd had two, but she had a feeling Kat wouldn't take it if it was offered. It'd have to be forced in his hand someway, sort of like the way she'd torn her shirt up to craft him a sling without asking first. She was reminded, for a moment, of a student she'd had on the job as a nurse at the elementary school.

He was a little boy, big shot at lunch. Summer had just ended and he said he'd spent the whole time training with some college football players nearby, and now he'd had the greatest arm ever. In a scrimmage (if you could call it that, at age 9?) during recess, he took too long to throw the ball and got tackled by a bigger kid (same grade, Nancy only remembers because she testified during the incident report). The truth was, he hadn't spent all summer at Northwestern University, tossing the pigskin around with Kain Colter. He'd spent all summer inside, growing his ant farm. He just wanted to be cool, like everybody else.

Except, it cost him a sprained shoulder.

Nancy wasn't quite sure yet what that little boy and Kat had in common. At least, not concretely. If she had to guess, she'd think they both just wanted to assimilate. In Kat's case, this world might be the most ideal one for him; one where he could be camouflaged, be like everyone else. And everyone else was just fending for themselves, accepting no help from others.

She was not like that.

"You should just get some rest. It'll heal faster if you sleep."

-

Eventually in the morning they got up and got on their feet and got on the road. Nancy's pistol was handy in her holster; an axe dangled from her hand. She half-led the way, but mostly stayed by Kat's side. The sun followed them from behind, rising in the sky ever so gently. It was funny, thinking that any other morning, she would be reading a book or getting ready for her shift at school.

Now, she was en route to a pharmacy she wasn't sure even existed, praying to God (if he was still listening) that something, anything was left on the shelves. Kat should be good without it, but something to swallow would expedite his healing process. Get him back on the road to feeling useful again if that was what he really wanted.

At least it seemed as if no one was in sight. When was the last time she'd come across anyone infected? A clicker? A person? Even a Firefly? Or some bandit? It had been long, too long, and that was relieving but only for a short time. Because eventually, what replaced that relief was a harrowing feeling. Something that told her that maybe, really, and perhaps finally, this might be the sign of the end.

If the world ended, what would be left of her?

Not wanting to think so grimly first thing in the morning, she stuck her axe in a slot in her backpack, switching it for a pair of granola bars. It was something that annoyed the Reaper Squad, namely Soap; how she could just look ahead and pretend like everything was going to be okay when it seemed more and more like things were not. But she was not like them. She needed warmth once in a while. And if she couldn't get it from anyone else, well... she'd forge her own fire.

"Are you more of a chocolate chip or a strawberry yogurt?"

And no matter what he said, she'd toss him one anyway.

She chomped on the one leftover, climbing a hilly part of the road in the meantime. On the other side of it, the sign for a local apothecary—likely gentrified verbiage for a pharmacy—appeared. "Hey. I think that's what we're looking for. How's that arm of yours feeling?"

sometimes the shortened version of his name was all too applicable. like cats, he seemed to have nine lives. more than nine lives, in fact. there were many times that katsunari nearly died and should have. each time, he survived. mostly by himself, sometimes by seeking out someone like nancy. he learned from a young age how to rely only on himself, almost as if his mind subconsciously knew that this was all coming. he had been waiting. when he was a child and couldn’t speak to his mother without them screaming at each other; when his father could barely look at him moving throughout the house like an unwanted roommate; when he was told he was ‘weird’ by other kids at school because he rarely smiled, or expressed any emotion at all. those were all things he had to endure, all things that he had to tolerate as he waited.

and then it came. the day he had waited for came, and the world began to match what he felt inside. everyone panicked, katsunari included at first. at college in pittsburgh at the start, he drove home to cleveland near instantaneously, a surprise to his father and himself. it was like it all happened slowly but fast at the same time. some parts of the world crumbled like paper in rain and some took weeks to finally fall. he still had to wait, weeks before kat left his father and their home goodbye without much of a second thought, before he was able to truly live as he was meant to.

it wasn’t easy. despite how comfortable he felt as a survivor, it was by no means a peaceful or safe way to live. especially not on his own. he had waited so long for the end of the world, but he still had to adapt, too. he had to learn to live completely by himself—no help with anything, no one to talk to, no one to survive with. he spent most of the apocalypse, up until coming across nancy, in almost complete solitude. he had to adapt, and once he did, it was easy to become an animal. to live only on pure instinct. to survive, even if he had to hurt or kill someone else in the process, by his own hand or by circumstance.

well, it hadn’t been complete solitude. occasionally he’d come across other survivors, even sticking around for a few days, but he ultimately ended up leaving. he just couldn’t commit himself to constant conversation. to have someone look at him all the time. even with nancy, he had a hard time keeping eye contact with her. if he hadn’t been a wounded animal, he probably would’ve just avoided her.

but he was a wounded animal. though he gave his arm to her, he still felt a bit uneasy with her hands on him. watching as she tore up her shirt, he almost protested that she didn’t need to waste any of her personal items on him. instead, he grimaced as she maneuvered his arm to place it into a makeshift sling. kat didn’t like the feeling of it, his arm trapped against his torso. now he’d be a wounded, cornered animal. he still had his other arm and his legs too, but it made him feel helpless, defenseless. it meant he had to rely on nancy. 

kat nodded though he didn’t want to head into a town. the world had been dead for years, but there was guaranteed someone to be lurking around—infected or otherwise. occasionally he would come across a firefly compound and, if they didn’t immediately try to shoot him, offered to show him the light. he would tell them to fuck off. still, with a sprained arm, he had to rely on nancy. that meant following her wherever she wanted to go. until his arm healed, at least. “okay. i don’t know how much more use we’re going to get out of this place anyway.” katsunari looked around them, frowning slightly. that was another part of being on the road: they had to constantly move. “are you hungry?” he asked, uncharacteristically caring. 

[furryprovocateur]

no one asked but here is my opinion on every boss in the game (disregarding all aesthetics/music/etc. and just talking about the fight itself)

skelter helter or whatever his name is: not a fan of his "i have a kick that breaks your guard instantly with no tell or windup" move. other than that he's a standard "attack me when i use this one specific combo that leaves me open" boss.

nathan copeland: kind of a nothing boss, i don't feel like i really had to learn like any of his patterns and i only ever really got thrown off by the cacophony of bullshit in his arena

charlie: literally nothing boss

kimmy howell: one of the more fun fights of the game, though her moveset feels slightly more limited than i recall. if you can learn her darkstep timing she's kind of pathetically easy

matt helms: literally one of the worst fights in the duology for me, just such an incredibly unfun fight to deal with the fire + the reach of the axe overhead. often times it feels like a knock down drag out fight that you kind of just have to tank damage for.

cloe walsh: nothing boss to me. her poison attacks are easy enough to dodge and if you get hit by them the QTE to punish her is so forgiving that it almost feels like an advantageous way to interrupt her. she has that one dark groundwave attack that's fucking impossible to dodge though and idk what they were thinking when they designed it lol

dr. letz shake: nothing boss, what if we had a boss that could do 3 attacks and took forever to do and was very boring to fight

million gunman: nothing boss because you can infinite him really easily as shinobu if you just switch up your highs and lows. and if you don't abuse that infinite strat he's still just like, kind of not threatening in the slightest. only issue with his fight is the god awful platforming shinobu's gameplay has.

new destroyman: hey another worst fight in the duology! god awful to fight because i usually end up playing asshole chicken with the ranged one after i kill the physical one. in regards to moveset it's basically identical to nmh1 destroyman before he starts using destroy buster (read: very easy). honestly as much as i love the meme of bringing destroyman back, he's so god damn uninteresting to fight a second time, especially when he was already one of the easiest fights in nmh1.

ryuji: probably the first fight that made me go "hey this is a no more heroes game". if it weren't for his shitty fucking dragon i'd probably like the fight to some degree. but punishing his thousand stabs move sucks and his dragon is like playing smash bros. with items on. like you basically cannot do any combos while that shitty thing is out because it'll invariably attack you while you're on the offensive so seeing the dragon is like "cool i gotta wait 2 minutes until this is over" and it adds up because he uses it so frequently. ngl seeing his pathetic corpse get riddled with bullets is cathartic

mimmy: simple fight but it's kinda okay. like once you learn the two attacks she uses it's basically over but it's fine considering it'd be a little annoying if they made you do much more with a new moveset.

marge moonwight: ive never found her song that catchy and she's overall a cakewalk boss considering how easy she is to dodge and how little damage her attacks actually do. not to mention the several transformers she destroys drop health pickups pretty reliably so it's like. you kinda have to be really bad at the game to die to her.

captain vladimir: how the fuck is a random astronaut an assassin. whatever. fight sucks because it's really straightforward and unchallenging. it goes on for way longer than necessary but it's not like, the worst fight at least

alice twilight: best fight in the game by far, actually interesting design that translates to moves with telegraphs that feel fair and unique. obviously im biased because she's in heroes' paradise's boss attack mode so i've learned her pattern the best out of all of NMH2's bosses but that's because she fucks. it's honestly a shame she doesn't have more HP because the fight feels like it's over right as it's getting started. but i guess it's better than if it went on too long.

jasper batt 1: what the fuck this is terrible

jasper batt 2: i think it would be cool if suda51 had decided the final boss should be a fun fight instead of a really bad one. almost everything about this fight is shitty in some way. the fact that you can get instakilled by getting hit out a window (which you have literally no control over due to his teleport moves) sucks. the fact that his teleport moves have no windup/tell and even if you space emergency evades you're gonna get hit. why does he have a grab move when it is slower than childbirth and you legitimately have to be ignoring his attack pattern to get hit by it. why does it do so little damage. he's just such an exceptionally shitty final boss. wait nvm there's jasper batt 3 hold on let's talk about jasper batt 3

jasper batt 3: lol

anyways most of these are pending because i'm still doing a bitter mode playthrough and i've only beaten nathan so far. so yeah

no more heroes 2 has a better OST than i recall (much better, honestly) but the gameplay and bosses are about as bad as i recall, if not a little worse

[dracox-serdriel]

My left leg has had issues for a while. When I first had issues, I attributed it to bad posture (which 100% contributed to the problem but didn't cause it).

When I started doing martial arts, the discrepencies between the left and right leg got much more obvious - literally every joint (big toe, ankle, knee, hip) on the left leg has a smaller range of movement than the one on the right--I went to chiro for adjustments and a PT to help reduce muscle imbalances, hoping to correct the issues. And while I did get some results, they were weak results from constantly working on it. If I stopped working on it, it went right back to where it was.

I had all sorts of issues with this leg. At one point, I had a proximal fibula stress fracture (and to this day, no doctor has been able to tell me how I did this, let alone how I managed to get this in one leg but not the other). I was assessed for exertional compartment syndrome, and the test revealed I met the diagnostic criteria for it--but only in my left leg, not my right.

Eventually, my left hip starting hurting. I did PT. I wore braces. I took strategic breaks from martial arts training. At one point, the only exercise I did was swimming. But the hip kept hurting. And it eventually got to the point where it hurt if I didn't exercise -- or if I did. And it'd hurt if I sat at a desk all day -- or if I stood instead -- or if I switched between the two. At this point, my myriad "left leg issues" had been written off as either not "bad enough" (particularly the big toe joint - despite the discrepency in range of motion being easily visible) to assess, let alone treat, or 100% attributed to my weight.

Yes, their argument was that my left leg was negatively impacted by the "added strian of being overeight" -- and to this day, not one doctor could explain why or how the "added strain" only managed to affect one leg.

I'd go through phases of "no, I need to advocate for myself and figure this out" and complete defeat/exhaustion/giving up on any doctor actually willing to listen to me. When my left hip pain became constant, the number one topic of conversation was my BMI. Only two of the countless doctors I sought out for help asked me anything about the martial arts I do (specifically, about the kinds of stepping/kicks done in my martial arts). Those that didn't ask still got my summary anyway, but they mostly just nodded along. Each time, the doctor would check a few things (confirm range of motion issues, assess hip pain levels, etc.) and - if I was lucky - they'd order a test or two. But after those tests came back clear (or "not bad enough" to treat), they'd tell me how important weight loss was, and how much my symptoms would improve if I'd "just lose the weight".

About three years ago, a friend (who also has a "the BMI blocker" issue) told me that she finally got help when she saw a physiatrist (aka a PM&R physician), and though I had seen many different types of doctors, I couldn't recall having seen a physiatrist.

During my initial appointment, I spent nintey (90) minutes talking to the doctor, explaining my medical history, etc. This was the first doctor to not only acquire all the medical history himself, but also documented it correctly in the appointment summary (which was posted in the patient portal the next day).

He looked over my records (which I brought hard copies of because previous doctors either failed to add results to the portal, or failed to document PT/chiro/treatments that were outside of their practices, so the digital documentation was spotty). And at the end of this appointment, he ordered 4 x-rays and 3 MRIs for my left leg. I didn't realize until after the appointment... he hadn't mentioned my weight once. I explained to him that other doctors had tried to say it was a weight-related issue, but there's no logical reason why only the left leg would be impacted by said weight-related issues. But he never mentioned my weight. Or BMI. Or anything.

I had a labral tear in my left hip. The head of the femur wasn't shaped quite right, so it didn't fit into the socket correctly. And on top of that, there was this jagged bone bump sticking out of it---essentially, my femur was stabbing the soft tissue in the hip joint, causing the labral tear (and preventing it from healing because the stabbing was constant), which got progressively worse -- and the reason pain was constant now was because of how bad the tear/joint issue had gotten.

Had any other doctor I saw for my hip pain ordered an MRI of the hip, they would've seen the mishapen bone and poorly matched up joint--even before the labral tear occurred. I could've been diagnosed and had corrective surgery 5+ years earlier. In fact, I found out that It should've been ordered because pain in that area + my level of activity in martial arts (10+ hours a week). Fun fact: Doctors assume patients are lying. I can't blame them. I'm sure some patients do. But it's concerning that that so many doctors simply assumed I was lying about my activity level--probably because they believe that someone with my BMI who is that active would be losing weight, and since I wasn't losing weight, I must be lying.

Had my BMI been "right", I would've been diagnosed and treated 5 years earlier. And the only reason I was diagnosed and treated at all was because I kept advocating for myself, looking for another angle, doing to different doctors.

Fat phobia is needing to spend 5+ years on fighting for a diagnosis, spending time/money/energy in countless diagnostic tests, seeking second/third/fourth/twentieth opinions before finding a doctor who doesn't assume you're lying about activity level, pain level, and/or exaggerating previous medical history just because an arbitrary number (produced by a senseless formula) wasn't "within range."

Fat phobia is spending hours looking at patient reviews of medical staff, hoping to diving whether or not this medical professional implements a "fat-first" mindset, so I can avoid people who honestly thought "your left leg has bad joints because of your weight" was a logical, reasonable thing to say to another human being.

The BMI (and similar assessments), are arbitrary formula. They take your weight and height and BOOM! there's the number. People who have heavier skeletal mass - and particularly women who have significant muscle mass - are told they're "overeweight" when they're not. If the medical evidence points to additional fat being dangerous (spoiler alert: it doesn't), why don't any of those measurements actually assess how much fat a person has? I suppose the fact that there isn't actually evidence that more fat = more problems drives the active ignoring of logic here.

There was a time - many years ago - when I was 20 lbs. lighter. But it wasn't because I was healthier. I had suddenly lost the ability to feel hunger, so I was literally starving to death but didn't know it. I'd experience nausea, horrible headaches, dry mouth because I was starving, but since I no longer had hunger to warn me I needed food, I didn't know that was what was happening. And you know what? My rib bones and hip bones were clearly visible. I didn't look healthy, and I sure as hell didn't feel better.

But because I was one 20 lbs. lighter and remained at that weight for nearly a year as I struggled to figure out how to not starve without the hunger impulse to alert me to sustenance needs, doctors see this as evidence that my current weight is abberant. I can repeat the fact that I lost 20 lbs rapidly due to accidental starving till I'm blue in the face, but they still see it as me "putting on 20 lbs." rather than me returning to a healthy weight after a period of extreme sickness and stress. What's worse, so many doctors have said to me, "You've lost weight before, so you can do it again." As if they didn't just hear me explain that the weight loss was not done on purpose nor was it in any way healthy. The very last thing I want is a repeat experience of that hellish year.

I work at a daycare with infants.

One of our baby girls is fat, in the 99th percentile for her age. She is super cute and sweet. Lately, she has been sick with various breathing issues, so she has been reluctant to take her bottles. Normally, she’ll take 4 ounces of formula at lunch and 8 ounces in the afternoon. Today, I was lucky to get to her take 5 all day.

There was a substitute covering a lunch break in my classroom today. We emphasized to her that we need to keep trying to get the baby to drink her bottle until she finished it. She said, “Why are you guys so worried about taking her bottle?”

My coworker replied, “That’s where all her nutrients are. She needs the nutrients and the water.”

To which the substitute replied, “But she’s so fat. She doesn’t need it.”

Thin privilege is a small, pretty baby getting better childcare because the caretaker doesn’t think she’s too fat to be allowed to eat.