#and with old ones like that you really need to enter with a higher level of suspensino of disbelief than modern kids films

[fruitsofhell]

I am literally such a proponent of just blocking or ignoring people and moving on with your life on the internet, even over the pettiest things because there’s no point in letting a bunch of random stings litter your dash throughout the day. Like I’ve blocked people for making mildly mean jokes about my favorite characters, I’m so serious.

But also sometimes you see someone so grossly misinterpret something that Really Isn’t That Deep, and... and I HAVE TO GO DIE IN INTERNET WAR FOR MY FAVORITE BABY MOVIE!!!

[billythesimp]

Found Family

⋘ 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎...

Prompt Idea: A child is found by the Belobog crew in a hollow and taken back to their work site. Cue how each would interact and babysit the kid.

I wanted something wholesome since Belobog Industry is my second favorite factor. Victoria Housekeeping being number one for now!

Gn!Kid since it was easier to write.

𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡...⋙

tw: slight angst? , very much fluff

While some workers were clearing out the rubble of another one of their machine’s drills. They followed the protocol given to them for a safe work environment within the hollows- protective gear, keeping an eye on their environment, and most important of all; Watching out for any ethereal in the area. While cleaning and prepping their machines, an alarm for distress goes off somewhere, some nearby workers giving each other a look before calling in for a higher up to join in their inspection.

It wasn’t abnormal for machines to break or require maintenance, but since their tech was highly advanced and used rather expensive parts, it was always important to check in if a distress signal was real or another one of Grace’s children having another outburst. After all, they did have that incident a couple of weeks ago, they couldn’t be sure until they really looked.

Upon further inspection of where they left the boring machine in question, a worker gasps as they pull out their walkie talkie, another rushing forward on the scene as their boring machine along with another drilling machine are crowding around what looks to be the size of a small Bangboo. But upon further inspection, it turns out to be more surprising.

“Hey, we need someone down here stat! There’s a kid on the site!” 

At first, Grace was more so worried about the news that one of her machines had sent out a distress signal. She arrived shortly after receiving news that her children had found something. Of course, she would be planning on scheduling an inspection to ensure nothing had affected their wiring but what she hadn’t expected was to be greeted by a little kid looking at her from behind one of the boring machine’s legs. She blinked slowly before the gears started turning in her head before lowering to the child's level, a soft expression on her face while trying to cox the child towards her and away from the potential danger.

“Hey there, dear. Come here, we won’t hurt you.” How did a kid get on site nonetheless, a  hollow at that. Slowly she was able to grab the kid, lifting them to her hip before requesting that PubSec be contacted for a lost child report.

While PubSec had filed the report and suggested in taking the kid with them, the little kid had suddenly grown attached to Grace. Fear in their little eyes as they hid behind the women’s legs, grasping her tailcoat. Grace then suggests that since she had entered the hollow most likely nearby, it would be best to try to find any parent or guardian nearby the hollow looking for a kid. For the time being, they would take responsibility for watching the kid. "Come on pumpkin, lets get you in the office, it'll be nice and refreshing in there. Better then inside that hollow I bet."

⋈ At first it seemed like a good idea, but after a while Grace started to realize just what she had gotten herself into. While she did have a hand in raising Koleda after the disappearance of her father, Koleda was a lot older than this kid here. She would constantly chase after the little one, warning them to be careful around her workshop and stopping them from leaving the office- as to not have any injuries with any machinery outside and in. It reminded her just how energetic children could be, let alone human ones. But she still gets those heartwarming memories of Koleda as a kid, wondrous eyes as she wandered around her dad’s shop. 

⋈ Sometimes, at random, Grace will feel the little hands tugging at her coat wanting her attention. She’d get little things they would find. A cool rock, some old wrench she lost a while ago, even a loose screw that she doesn’t know where it came from. Of course, she kept them in her pockets, smiling as the kid shyly expressed their glee and skipping away to either watch the workers out the window or find some more things around. Grace wishes she could show this kid around the place, taking notice of all the little things they take an interest in and try to explain to them what they do or what they are for. 

⋈ Though she doesn’t mind their presence that much and in fact enjoys it a lot, taking care of the little tyke reminded her just how hard it really was so she agrees that she enjoys her controlled chaos that comes with her mechanical children. But who can say no to that cute chubby smile of theirs. 

“Ah, Pumpkin! Don’t touch that, you could get hurt. Oh geez, don’t look at me like that. You knew it was off limits… ah why do you have to be so cute- how about I show you outside a little? Will that make you happy pumpkin?” The little kid stares with large eyes, blinking while nodding their head, reaching to take her hand which Grace doesn’t miss. Gushing about how cute they are skipping alongside her. 

Ben may look really intimidating at first, with that scar on his face and those gruff grizzly bear genes of his, but he is a softy at heart. So when others see him, they always perk up and show him respect, not wanting to get on his bad side even when he’s only passing by or addressing a concern of his in the workplace. He doesn’t mind this reaction, it’s almost expected at this point but sometimes even the little things catch him off guard. Especially when some kid comes running up to him to give him a hug.

“Teddy!” The gleeful squeal of a child catches his attention, turning in time to see a little kid escaping Grace’s grasp to run towards his looming figure. Sure they have many bear workers on site, but why would this kid go after him specifically? “Huh? Oh hello there little cub. What are you doing here?” 

“Teddy! Teddy!” They bounce on their toes as they take a hold of his hand, nudging it happily as Ben could only gruff out a confused snort. “I’m not teddy? My name is Ben, Ben Bigger.” Before Grace could apologize for the interruption, the child's eyes sparkled up at him before grinning wildly, “Benny!”

⋈ Affectionately known as Benny now, Ben tries to resume his work but is now followed around by the little cub, the kid imitating him from time to time only to turn into a fit of giggles as they pretended to be watching something else when he turns to look at them. Of course, it was a cute sight, a grizzly grin on his muzzle from time to time as he watched his step with his newest crew member. Many of the other workers found the sight rather cute, Ben wandering around to ensure stock or filing reports while a small child wearing a hard hat trails behind.

⋈ When entering a dangerous area or going up a lift, he made sure their guest was close behind him, holding their hand or even carrying them on his shoulders so they can have a better view of the construction sight. While they are given a piggyback, they will run their little hands over his fur and mumble about how soft Benny is. He doesn’t mind seeing as they are just a kid, though he just hopes they don’t make his hair look too unkempt and messy. Ears flicking as they giggles and curl up against his head in a small snuggle. 

⋈ “How’s the view up there?” He asks looking up at them with his one good eye, hands grasping his fur firm enough not to hurt but stay put. They are on one of the scaffoldings with some other workers, taking inventory. “Huge! I wanna see it all!” Ben only grins before returning to the matter at hand, one of his workers mentioning how the kid makes Ben seem more friendlier, many having approached him to ask about the kid or greet them both, said child waving shyly at everyone while cowarding behind Ben. All the wild, Ben notices an increase of work production as of the last hour. Hmm, wonder why.

⋈ All together, Ben is rather gentle and caring with the kid, being more gentle and soft spoken when addressing them. He does his best not to put them in danger all while keeping them entertained, even involving them in the more fun projects like mixing paints. His ears flickering whenever the childish glee of ‘Benny’ is announced, little hands taking his larger paws while they speak about what they did in their very broken, little English. 

“You mixed some more paints? That’s great! Maybe one day, you’ll be a hard working construction worker with that attitude.” He crouches down to their height, ruffling their hair while they smile at his praise, “I can already see it now, you might even be a better worker than me.”

“Benny the best! Number 1!” They cheer, Ben’s claw pressed against his chest as a heartwarming feeling engulfs his heart, rosy flowers seeming to appear around him before his attention is called upon.

“Let’s get moving now, can’t be late.”

It was roughly around lunch time, Anton meeting up with Ben to hand in any files he had gathered from the workers in the hollows as well as any inquires for the next move on construction and demolition. But when he spots a little kid munching on a sandwich, a lot of questions run through his mind. Whose kid is this? The President's? But isn’t she a little too young to have kids? Of course he needed to find out, waltzing up to see what his bro is up to now.

⋈ The moment he steps up and makes eye contact with the little one, he doesn’t know it but he’s scowling. Anton has a habit of looking scary when he is thinking or even when he’s trying to figure something out, so to the kid they look like a scary man. Eyes start watering before Anton can get a word out, leaving him to panic and wave his hands about. 

“Whoa whoa whoa! Hey there kid, didn’t mean to scare you! Look! I’m friendly, see!” He crouched down, smiling nervously while trying to cheer them up, Ben watching in amusement while eating his own lunch. Anton tries his best, pulling at his cheeks, messing his hair up or even trying to crack a joke. Soon, the kid could only stare in confusion at this stranger, wondering why he was being so… weird. 

“Anton, stop, you’re weirding them out.” He pouts, seeing that Ben was right. But at least they aren’t crying, fixing his original problem, “Sorry about that kid, names Anton! Who are you, little bro?” Blinking, they only look at him before trying to hide behind their sandwich, munching slowly as they choose to ignore him. Anton’s ego has been hit. 

⋈ He’s not bad with kids, though he’s not good with them either. He’s always cautious with them since he’s seen some odd children in New Eridu. But after getting to know them from what little they spoke and what Ben and Grace had told him, he seems to have gotten to a point of understanding with them. That being said, he’s making sure they are in the best care there while they still are waiting to receive news from their parents. During lunch, he’s offering them his best snacks, proud of himself that he’s slowly gaining their trust. Or even offering to show them around while Ben is on his break to give the bear a rest. 

⋈ Whilst showing them around, he plays little games with them, chasing around the Bangboos they point out, running circles around the many tables and chairs in the break areas, even giving them wild piggyback rides that leave them laughing and squealing. If not piggyback rides, he’s tossing them up in the air and catching them playfully, the excitement on their face making him even more happier. They started calling him, ‘Big brother Anton’- boosting his ego a little as he started addressing himself as such to other workers he comes across, many looking on in confusion as he trails after the little tyke to keep an eye on them like a big brother would. 

⋈ That being said, he knows when to reel in the playtime when he needs to be serious or careful for their safety. He always has an eye on them, steering them away from the dangerous machinery and preventing them from running into other workers carrying heavy parts and pieces. Of course, he does scold them but he does it out of care that they could end up getting hurt if he doesn’t keep a close eye on them. And they seem to know this too, always apologizing before sadly looking down to their dirtied sneakers, scuffing them on the hard concrete. 

“Hey, look at me kid. You’re not in trouble, ok. I just don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all. Do you like having a boo-boo?” He gently holds them at an arm's length, leaning towards them as he speaks softly, thumb rubbing their forearms. They slowly shake their heads no, on the verge of tears after almost running into another worker carrying a large panel of glass, tripping in front of them. Had Anton not been quick, the worker would have stepped on them or worse, tripped and dropped the glass on them leaving them open to being cut up by the shards.

“I don’t wanna see you hurt, so know when I yell at you or scold you, it’s because big brother Anton is looking out for you and wants to keep you safe, ok!” He smiles gently at them, pinching their cheek as they blink the tears away and nod in understanding. It takes them a little but soon they ask him an important question, “Will big brother always protect me?”

“Sure thing, kid. As long as I’m around, you’ll be safe!”

While the trio address their findings and wonder what they should do now with the kid since they all need to get back to work, their president has finally returned from one of her meetings to hear that there is a kid on site. Finding her trusted employees and her closest family, Koleda is surprised to see that the rumors were true, freaking out once the kid spots her. Grace only greets her with a smile, waving as she approaches.

“Hi sweet pea! Come meet pumpkin!” Koleda flinches once the child approaches her, staring up at her before taking a hold of her pants and tugging them gently. “Eh, let go of me. Grace! Why is there a kid here? Children should not be on the construction site, you know what will happen if the press hears about this!?”

“Calm down Koleda, Pubsec is working hard already to try and find their parents. In the meantime, we’re taking care of them. Besides, a lot of the crew love them, what a cute bundle of joy!” Koleda sighs before looking down at the kid beside her, the kids stare never letting down before they point at their face. “You're like my age.” Oh boy, was Koleda about to have a field day with this one. 

⋈ Usually Koleda is treated like the kid in the situation, after all she is pretty young to be running a business but she’s proven herself to be rather mature and grown for the task at hand. That being said, she doesn’t get along with children. So this new kid is nothing more than an obstacle in her routine. She is constantly being followed by them, annoyed at how many questions they ask or how they touch things that they shouldn’t touch. The amount of times she had picked a fight with this kid is insane, but of course they don't escalate into huge fights, really just calling names and pointing. The one time the kid kicks her after she called them 'small brain', Koleda pulled out the timeout card and grounded them to her office, calling for Grace who only laughed at them both.

⋈ The only thing she can think of doing is giving them something to distract them. Still has some old toys from when she was a kid in her office, little blue trucks and yellow cranes. But once giving them over to the kid, she starts nitpicking them about how they should be playing with them, explaining their roles as they aren’t race cars which is what the kid had assumed from the second they got them. So now Koleda is stuck playing with them while trying to find an excuse to leave, which seems to be non existence. 

⋈ She hates to admit it, but she likes bossing them around sometimes. It’s not everyday you get to boss around someone younger then you, making them get things for her here and there like files or tools. But still, it’s the moments when they call her ‘Cool Big Sis’ that she can’t help but find this kid alright. Usually, Grace is her big sis; So seeing that someone finds her as a good sister figure, she’s gotta show off a little and show them whose the boss around these parts. That’s right, Cool big sis is!

⋈ After a long day of venturing and eating and meeting so many people, the little kid finally settles down a little. Of course, it starts hitting them that the day is starting to end and workers are leaving to go home, they grow lonely and sad, sitting on Koleda’s couch in her office. Blinking away sleepy tears before curling up on the cushions, taking a nap before Koleda comes back. Finding the child sleeping peacefully, she drapes a blanket she had laying around on them, realizing that it’s an old one from when her dad was around, leaving it in his office for when she would fall asleep as a kid. Patting their head, she resumes her work beside them, remembering how her dad would do the same for her when she was their age. She can’t help but think of them as a mini me, smiling sadly before a knock at her door catches her attention. 

“Sweet pea? It’s grace, PubSec is back! They believe they found the mother of little pumpkin here!” Grace walked in once Koleda lets her in, aweing at the sight of the little one cuddling up to Koleda’s lap who looked flustered to having been caught snuggling up to the kid after deeming them an annoyance. “W-What? Oh, ok then. I’ll get the out then- Don’t mention this to the others-”

“No promises Sweet Pea~”

“G-Grace!” But she was long gone, the door closed leaving her to pick the kid up, adjusting them on her hip so they could rest their head on her shoulder. Koleda strokes their head before leaving, muttering out a sad,

“Let’s get you home now, cub.”

Arriving at the gates of the main construction offices and sites, a PubSec officer stood along a rather distressed looking women, Ben and Anton with the lady comforting her until they caught sight of the three wandering over. The sight of the kid brought tears to her eyes, crying out their name before running up to Koleda. “Oh my, Thank you so much! I’m so sorry if they've been a bother, I was so worried when they didn’t come home.” Koleda handed the kid over, still sleeping but once in their mother’s arms, almost recognizing who it was curled in closer with a larger smile on their face, sighing in relief as they continued to doze off. 

“Eh, it was nothing. They are a great kid, though a troublemaker if they can wander off unnoticed. We did our best to make sure they didn’t get hurt, let alone the fact that they ended up in a hollow of all places.” Shaking her head, Grace apologizes for the inconvenience but the mother couldn’t be happier to have their child back and safe. Before leaving, she thanked Koleda one more time, ironically patting her head with a gentle smile, “You’re parents must be so proud to have raised such an amazing girl. Thank you again for watching over them. Goodbye now.”

They only watched as she left, child in hand who only woke up long enough to stare at them at a distance, PubSec officer joining them for a safe trip back home as it was already pretty late.

“Buh-bye big sister. I’ll miss you.” They smiled tired, Koleda only waving back, a small frown on her face as they turned the corner and left. 

“Bye kid, see you around.”

“Maybe we’ll see them again sometime. They are a sweet kid, huh sweet pea.”

“Yeah, maybe… But that’s wishful thinking. How about we all get heading home and relax after today.” Everyone nodded, together heading back on site to finish up what needed to be done. But they'll never forget them, that's for sure. Neither will the concrete after they had ran across it several time. Yeah, really troublesome that kid was.

[07/13/2024]

Zenless Zone Zero Belongs to Hoyoverse*

[mayfay-analysis]

Danny's Medical Complications

Or: I had an idea and it won’t leave (and unfortunately I can’t do dialogue to save my life)

It started simple enough, a quick visit to Frostbite for a general checkup. And then it kept going. New machines, techniques, people, and an increasingly worried yeti was starting to freak Danny out a bit. Eventually it all went away and Frostbite set him down for A Talk.

See, Halfas are hella rare for a reason. The conditions needed to form them are really rare yes, but they aren’t the Main problem. No the main issue is the Disparity. Ghosts are beings of emotions, sufficient stress, emotional/mental harm, lack of ecto, and more can all lead to death. And Halfas crank that up to 11. They have a human side to take care of that’s constantly changing and growing, a higher ecto requirement to fuel their higher base strength, and a myriad of other minor complications that haven’t been properly studied cause Halfas are rarely found and usually don’t form ghosts on death

Say what

What do you mean “don’t form a ghost” they’re already half way there!

And there lies the problem, they’re halfway there. Ghosts are pretty static. they might change yes, but it’s usually due to major events or over the course of eons. And how do they decide on what they’re gonna be? By dying of course! Once the body dies its ghost is formed based on the current life situation and they move on. Simple, quick, easy. No complications here no siree!

Enter Halfas

They already died, and while infant ghosts and experience some major changes as they settle it’s nothing to the degree humans do. And as time passes the static ghost half and changing human half can drift, wobbling on that line between life and death. And once it gets to extreme? They fall. If the ghost half starves or dies the human half experiences Major health complications, leading to death shortly after. If the human side dies they try to form a ghost using all the ambient ecto the ghost side has been feeding on, leading to the ghosts death in most cases but if not they’re practically two different beings and fusing them will kill both anyways.

Good news though! With all the combat and rediculously high ecto levels Danny was exposed to to form his other half, his ghost side has stayed pretty adaptable! The other ghosts didn’t realize they were fighting a literal infant thanks to the high ecto levels he had (and the knowledgeable ones that Did had other reasonings the meant a little smack down they totally wouldn’t lose was an acceptable trade off for them). Horrifying, he will spend the next century finding all sorts of animal pelts, boxes, music tracks, etc landing on him in the middle of the night. But it has a silver lining! Thanks to not being allowed to settle Danny can still shape his ghost form to a degree. And Clockwork, brilliant old man that he is, has an Idea on how to fix this.

Great! Lay it on him Clockwork! What’s he gotta do? Get de-aged and die? Ha Ha! You sure know how to make a good joke old man-child, now what’s the real way?

Oh

Oh no

Danny Can form a ghost on death, but it’ll require dying while as mentally and physically similar to how he was when the portal closed. Problem there, he’s changed. He’s changed a Good Bit. Luckily Clockwork can handle the physical aspect but Desiree needs some extra time for her end. See, she Can change brain chemistry and whatnot, but it takes time to become permanent. A quick fix like her usual work is fragile (lies, it’s still stupidly powerful but forming a ghost relies on the persons deepest core, and that takes time to settle in to Desiree’s magic). So they just have to de-age Danny to an appropriate age where once he hits around the age he was when the portal closed Desiree’s magic will have settled, molding his personality/core to as close as they can be.

And then he has to die.

Doesn’t have to be as extreme as the portal incident was (in fact new factors like major doses of ecto would be a Very bad idea, his malleable ghost side is already pushing the limits with the minor variation he’ll already have) but it Does need to be in an area with high levels of ambient ecto, preferably his new hometown to match his current life’s lack of geographic movement.

He’ll also need to have his ghost half locked away to a degree. He’ll still need to be liminal of course, that long term exposure to ecto is needed to fuel a ghosts transformation, but proper ghost powers are getting put away unless Clockwork thinks they’re needed (and if it Does get to that point he’s getting pulled out for a second try anyways).

So where to put him? Well Gotham of course!

Clockwork…. Why are you like this (it’s all for the good of the timeline. And Lady Gotham owes him a favor he prepared just for this)

From there if he ends up in the Bats care (Nasty Burger explosion, Ghost Jazz, or simply not having anyone capable of properly raising him knowing he’ll die at 14) it doesn’t take long for one John Constantine to notice the Heavy Infinite Realms influence on the small child and drag the big bat away for his own Talk (double angst if he’s able to recognize the specific brand of Time Magic indicating a death prophecy). If he ends up under Jazz’s care then it might take a bit longer, but she’ll likely end up tied up in Bat business and from there it wouldn’t take long for a Very stressed Jazz to accidentally reveal something (or a child Danny not realizing “I know when I’m going to Die in excruciating detail!” is Not something you share with strangers, especially not ones as paranoid as the Bats).

Also for loose threads I imagine Ellie is unstable because her ecto is cloned off of Danny, while her human half is its own person. That large disparity usually leads to death (as seen in the other clones) but she’s able to force it off with sheer ecto strength, using the ecto shots as fuel to Force her body to stay together until they reach an inevitable conclusion or potentially meld together like Dan does).

As for Dan he’s not Properly a Halfa. I never watched the show so I don’t have all the details but I understand he’s some kinda mix of future Danny and Vlad gone evil and destroying the world. This mix Might be able to last longer than a regular Halfa would due to the insane amounts of ecto he has in his system. And as time passes the mixed ghost halves Could be unstable enough to sort of meld with his human parts, creating something of a Highly unstable ghost-human hybrid (seperate from Halfas since this is a blending of the two, not a distinct line between two halves).

That wouldn’t work with Danny cause it requires a second ghost mixing with him And the two somehow not destabilizing during the years it takes for the blend to settle. And the Ellie route is out since that requires So Much fine control and vigilance over a Very long period of time to slowly manually shape the ghost half to better fit the human half, rather than the other way around like Danny’s doing.

[scrollonso]

You Don't Matter - Alex/Pecco

“I wanted to come in here and say sorry, Francesco,” Alex says, huffing out a breath that’s not quite a laugh.

Pecco turns away, and Alex watches the stiff shake of his head, the sharp clench of his jaw. 

I don’t need to play mind games with you. 

He was lying — or, at least, not being completely truthful — and Pecco knows it, too. To be fair, he did enter the Italians motorhome with the intention of rattling Pecco, just a little. To trap him with no other option but to finally face Alex after so obviously avoiding him since the crash. Wanting to tease him, ever so slightly, to try and bring his defenses down, even if just an inch. Call it leveling the playing field, or whatever.

Alex should’ve known that Pecco wouldn’t let him in that easily. If anything, the closeness between them only served to freeze Pecco further, rather than melt him down the way Alex had hoped. 

He can see the wheels turning in Pecco's head, can see the walls building higher and higher, with how hard he’s trying to not let Alex regain the upper hand. It’s his serve, and he’s not going to let Alex break it without a fight. Not anymore. He knows that all Alex needs is one goddamn inch to wiggle himself back into the advantage. 

Because, even after all these years have passed, Pecco still knows Alex. Whether he likes it or not. 

Really, all they’ve ever done — since they were sixteen years old — is play games with each other. It’s just that somewhere, along the way, it stopped being fun. 

“That makes no sense.”

“I wanted to say that I'm sorry I ruined our races. And I'm glad you're not hurt.”

And fuck, does he mean it. 

Pecco's lips twitch into his cheeks, but not with a smile — no, he’s biting back a snarl. Fighting the urge to show his sharp teeth, a last defense to warn Alex that he’s about to have his heart ripped right out of his chest if he isn’t careful. 

And Alex wants to just — push him to it. To bite. Pecco has always been all talk, and when it came down to the wire he’d just submit. Rolling over, retreating into safety. Never fighting back. Now, he’s so close, Alex can feel the air practically crackle with Pecco's barely-contained rage. 

Part of him is almost proud. It’s nice to see you lit up about something. 

Even if that something is hating me, he thinks.

And besides — he’s already spent his entire life hurting at Pecco's hands. Because of him. Because of the loss of him. May as well finish him off. 

Alex was wrong, all those years ago. Pecco isn’t a snake, slithering around in the grass, hiding below Alex's feet and twisting around him before reaching out to bite. No — he’s more of a tiger. Still hiding in the grass, but stalking, strategizing  — categorizing every weak point in his prey before striking. Before digging his razor sharp claws right into Alex's beating heart, his soft, unguarded stomach. Tearing him apart, all brutal strength and ice cold efficiency. 

It’s what’s been missing from your racing. 

He stares at the bob of Pecco's adam’s apple, glistening with sweat, as he swallows his anger down. And that, right there, is what Alex latches on to. 

“Yeah," Pecco grits out, unable to hide the crack of his voice. He hums, around a mean, derisive leer. 

Even after all the time they’ve spent apart, Alex is so pleased to find that he’s still an expert on reading Pecco. His tells haven’t changed. So he knows that he struck a nerve, has nicked Pecco's icy exterior. Just enough for Alex to see that he’s not the only one suffering here. 

Maybe, Pecco is still just as affected by Alex as Alex is by Pecco. Despite the heat, he shivers at the thought. 

“Well,” Pecco continues, voice steadier. He stands then, right in front of Alex, left hand gripping onto the band of Alex's sweatpants slung low on his hips. Alex's eyes trace down the strong lines of Pecco's body, lingering on the stretch of his pelvis for a beat too long. “I don’t miss playing with you. I’m too mature for it.” 

Pecco starts towards the door, not hesitating to leave his own motorhome if it means getting away from the Spaniard, but Alex lurches to his feet before he can make his escape. One hand stays by his side. The other grasps Pecco's wrist tightly — to ensure that his skin doesn’t slip out of his hold — and yanks, pulling him back into the room while the heavy door slams shut again. 

“No, you don’t get to leave, just like that. You don’t get to run away,” Alex snaps. 

Pecco stares at him for one long second, nostrils flaring, jaw grinding in a furious back and forth, before he’s on him. Twisting out of Alex's hold, he shoves him up against the wall, using his right forearm to push hard along Alex's collarbones — wrist to elbow pressing just under the divot of his throat. 

“That’s fucking rich, coming from you,” he sneers, letting out a mean laugh right in Alex's face.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Alex tries — albeit halfheartedly — to push back against Pecco's hold, but all it does is earn him another harsh shove. 

Pecco is probably stronger than him, he always has been, he realizes with a start. Now that his body is sculpted by the most expensive trainers and nutritionists and physical therapists money can buy. He’s not even sure he could actually escape Pecco's hold if he tried. 

It’s the closest they’ve physically been since they broke up nine years ago. He isn’t going to try.

His breaths come in and out in short bursts. The slight pressure on his neck limits his airflow, in addition to the heavy heat in the air that already makes it hard to breathe. All of it leaves him a bit dizzy — that, and the fact that all the blood in his body is rapidly rushing downwards. Suddenly he’s glad that his sweatpants are too big for his body, so they can hide the growing hardness of his dick. 

All traces of humor are gone from Pecco's face, sardonic or not, leaving only sharp lines and dangerous anger. 

“You fucking left first, Alex. You’re the one who ran away and never came back.”

“You’re the one who told me to go!” He yells, as well as he can, anyway, given the growing pressure below his throat. “You don’t get to put this all on me, Francesco. Just because you got off scot-free in the end doesn’t mean you get to blame me for everything. You’re at fault just as much as me. Probably more, actually, because you just couldn’t help yourself from blaming me for the fact you're a shit rider.”

Pecco shoves him back again, so hard that the back of his head slams against the wall. Presses up so close that his nose smashes into Alex's, so forcefully that he fears the cartilage is going to shatter. 

“Oh yeah? That's why you purposely crashed into me? To get back at me?” 

Pecco jerks away, and Alex has half a mind to think that he's going to hit him. He recoils as Pecco moves, only for him to turn around and take a rigid step away from Alex, leaving him still pressed against the wall. 

The words sink in, then, and Alex lets out a humorless laugh. He wonders if Pecco realizes that he just showed his hand. Probably not — he was always reckless in his anger. When he finally exploded after bottling everything in for too long, letting the pressure build and build and build. Alex never had to wonder why Pecco was mad when they were kids, he knew that Pecco would let it slip eventually — all he had to do was wait him out or needle it out of him. 

Seems he really hasn’t changed much at all. 

“You know, Francesco,” he starts, aiming to sound detached, even though he’s barely hanging on to a single thread of control. “It might not seem like it, given your entire goddamn life, but if you can believe it, not everything is about you.”

Casually, he pushes himself off the wall. “And besides, you’re not mad that I fucked your race”

He gets one hand on his shoulder, with the other mindlessly toying with the Italians jeans. In one intense move he twists Pecco around to face him, hand swiftly cupping the younger mans crotch. 

He can’t help the smirk that pulls at his lips at the reveal of Pecco's half-hard cock, the way it twitches when he catches sight of Alex's own proud erection, now undeniably visible even through the oversized sweats. 

“No, you’re just mad that I didn’t fuck you too .” Pecco nearly flinches at his words, at the vitriolic way Alex spits them at him, and that’s how he knows he’s right. “It drove you crazy, remembering I'm not only good at fucking you over but also fucking you stupid. I know it did.” 

A rough hand clasps around his throat — fingers and thumb spanning the sides, pressing against his bilateral pulse points. Not squeezing, just adding a firm, constant pressure as Pecco pulls him in close again. He can’t even find it in himself to be embarrassed at the choked moan that escapes his lips, or the way his eyes flutter shut at the feeling. 

“You don’t fucking know anything.”

Alex's smirk sharpens, dangerous. Maybe he can show his sharp teeth, too. 

“Don’t I?”

Next thing he knows, he’s nearly choking on Pecco's tongue. He doesn’t know who moved first — or maybe they simultaneously closed the gap between them, both possessed by the same magnetic force — but he moans again, a deep, guttural sound all the way from the depths of his soul. 

The kiss is rough, all teeth and tongue, like they’re mutually trying to devour each other. Alex presses his tongue deep into Pecco's mouth, trying to chase the taste of him. It’s so familiar . Pecco still tastes the same as he did all those years ago. The realization nearly brings him to fucking tears. 

Another moan gets caught in his throat, stuck underneath the grip that Pecco still has on his neck. 

He wants Pecco to press harder. Wants it to bruise, so he can wear Pecco's fingerprints on his skin like a brand. 

Alex's own hands can’t seem to settle. He rakes his fingers up Pecco's strong back, down his pecs that may as well be fucking tits , and across his taut abs, barely grazing the coarse hair that leads down to his groin, and back up again. Crazed with desire, hunger , to consume every inch of Pecco that he can get his hands on. His fingers finally settle in Pecco's hair, and he yearns for his old curls — just so he could really get a good handful and yank . Pecco still groans when he manages to pull at the short strands anyway, when he digs his nails into his scalp. 

Pecco releases his hold on Alex's throat — much to his dismay — and starts tracing a long line down Alex's chest. He scrapes his nails hard across his skin, moving so slowly, making Alex feel every raw pink line that he leaves in his wake. 

Alex whines when Pecco cruelly pinches at a nipple, hand snaked up his Gresini team shirt, while simultaneously biting hard at his bottom lip. He tries to tip his head back, needing to breathe, suddenly so overwhelmed — but Pecco keeps his teeth pressed into his lip, making it stretch painfully between them. Keeping Alex right where Pecco wants him. Eventually, he releases his bite, soothes the sting with his tongue. 

Pecco's hand continues on its downward path, making his abs quiver in response. 

His other hand twists into Alex's hair and pulls, thrusting his head back. Alex finally sucks in a deep breath, nearly heaving with the effort, but all the air is knocked right back out of him when Pecco wraps a calloused hand tightly around the base of his aching cock, while biting hard at the now-exposed sensitive line of his throat. 

Pecco starts pumping his fist at a brutal pace, squeezing so tight that it’s almost painful while his mouth is busy biting and sucking and licking at his neck, his jaw, his collarbones. There’s no way he isn’t leaving marks. Alex whimpers at the thought. Imagines wearing Pecco's claim on his skin in front of anyone and everyone. 

And god, they’ll all know . One look is all it will take to know, without a doubt, that Alex has been claimed by Pecco — mind, body, soul, everything . 

Fuck, it’s almost too much. 

Almost.

“I hate you,” Pecco pants into Alex's neck. He gives a particularly hard bite, punctuating his harsh words. Alex wouldn’t be surprised if he breaks the skin, bleeds him dry right here in his motorhome. “I hate you for going to Moto2. And I hate that you got with that whore after you left me. You were mine first, Alex.” 

“Yeah ,” he moans. He was. He is. 

He's quick to undo the Italians jeans, wrapping his own frantic hand around Pecco's cock, he nearly sees stars at the heavy weight of it against his palm. Matching Pecco's pace, he lets himself squeeze a little bit too hard to be mean back.

“I hate that you don’t give a fuck about anything,” Pecco continues. “That you’re wasting your fucking talent. And for what ? You were supposed to be great, but look at you now. All this time, and what do you have to show for it? Fucking nothing . I already won, Alex, and I really hate that you never cared enough to even play the fucking game .” 

Pecco gives another sharp bite to his throat, over the long muscle that spans its entire length, and digs his thumbnail mercilessly into Alex's slit, drags it across the aching head of his cock. Alex keens — high and needy. Feels his cock drool with precum, even as his hips instinctively try to squirm away. 

“Fuck you, Pecco,” he gasps, breathless. It comes out sounding so pathetic. So weak. 

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you.” Not a question, just a fact. The sky is blue, grass is green, Alex Marquez wants to fuck, be fucked by — in any and every way — Francesco Bagnaia.

Needs it more than he needs air to breathe. 

He reaches up to the hand Pecco still has clenched in his hair and pulls his fingers back, forcing him to release his grip. With the newfound ability to move his head again, he brings his lips back to Pecco's, kisses him deep and absolutely filthy . Desperate to convey how right Pecco is, how much he wants him. Has wanted him, for so long. 

They continue to feverishly jerk each other off, grips teetering on the knife’s edge of too painful. The frenzied sound of skin-on-skin mingles with the wet smacking of their lips in the otherwise silent sauna. 

It’s fucking obscene.

Pressure starts to build in Alex's gut, too fast too fast too fast . He’s not ready for this to be over, doesn’t want to come like this. He’s a glutton, he needs more . Needs to take everything Pecco will give him, if only for the fear that this is his only fucking chance. 

I don’t matter? 

Gathering a burst of strength, he shoves Pecco away, so hard that he stumbles a few steps backwards.

“What the fuck—”

Alex follows, pushing Pecco again, until the back of his knees hit the sofa behind him, and he just keeps going until Pecco has no option but to sit down. Head tilting back to keep Alex's eye as he towers over him. 

He leans down, nearly closing the gap between them again, but leaves barely a millimeter between their lips. They pant into each other’s open mouths, sharing air in warm bursts. A bead of sweat drips off Alex's nose and lands on Pecco's cheek. 

“You want me to play, Francesco?” He croons, right between his open lips. “Are you sure? Because you know I only play to win.”

“Yeah? That why you’re barely tenth?” 

“Well,” he smiles, pushing a laugh into Pecco's mouth. “I guess I only go for the points that matter.”

I don’t matter?

Not even to the most obsessive MotoGP fan in the entire world.

I don’t matter?

It’s exciting to see you this way. 

He stands back, takes a moment to appreciate the picture before him. And fuck, what a picture Pecco makes. Eyes glassy, cheeks and neck and chest flushed the prettiest pink beneath his glistening skin, his cock hard and nearly weeping between his thighs. And Pecco — he leans back, unabashedly kicks his jeans down and spreads his legs wide, he lets Alex look . 

Fuck, how could Pecco ever think that he belonged to anyone but Alex? 

He’s possessed, the need to take take take completely overcomes him. He needs to mark, to claim, to make sure that Pecco knows that he belongs to Alex just as much as he belongs to Pecco. 

In a sudden move, one that Pecco clearly wasn’t anticipating — see, I’ve always had the upper hand — he grabs one of Pecco's thighs, twists his body so that he’s practically laying sideways on the sofa. He pulls the leg he’s still gripping and thrusts it up, pushing until he meets the resistance of Pecco's hamstrings, nearly folding his right side in half. 

Pecco gasps when Alex places a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the sensitive skin of his thigh, just above the back crease of his knee. He tries to wrench his leg away, but Alex merely pushes Pecco further into the stretch. He smiles against Pecco's skin, feels the rippling tremor of his muscles below his lips. And then, he sinks his teeth in deep and sucks . Pecco groans, long and broken, as Alex relentlessly works to mar Pecco's sweet skin. 

To anyone else, it’ll just look like a bruise. It’s in an inconspicuous place. Unassuming, normal for an athlete to have. No one will think twice about it. 

But Pecco will know. Alex will know. Hell, maybe even Domizia will know. And tomorrow, when Alex gets a glimpse of his mark on Pecco's thigh, he’ll know he’s playing to win. 

Because he does fucking matter. 

“No matter what you think, Pecco,” he pants into Pecco's skin, too lazy to try to call the other by his full name, too lazy to try and pretend he doesn't care for him as he watches his handiwork turn an angry purple with a satisfied jolt in his stomach. Mine mine mine. “No matter how much you think you’re Domizia's, you know deep down that you belong to me. You’ve always belonged to me.”

He gives one last parting nip, which makes Pecco hiss out a short — hah — from the rawness of the already-forming bruise, and urges him to sit properly on the bench. Pecco splays his thighs out wide again, leaving just enough space for Alex to drop to his knees between them. Lightly, he runs his hands up the tops of Pecco's legs, feeling the rough scrape of his hair as he inches closer to his groin. He stops — just shy of where Pecco clearly wants him.— and drags his hands back down. Does it again, nails scraping this time. 

“Alex,” Pecco whines. 

He rests his cheek on Pecco's thigh, turns his head so he’s gazing up at him through his lashes. 

“Sì, amore, what do you want? Tell me.” 

The pet name slipped out unintentionally, likely a result of his brain short-circuiting from the heat and how fucking horny he is, but he can’t find it in himself to regret it. Not with the way Pecco's cock twitches in front of his face — nearly an invitation. 

Pecco lets out an impatient huff when Alex starts languidly mouthing at his leg. 

“God, you’re such a fucking dick.”

He hums, smiles against Pecco's skin. He tastes like salt, like sweat. 

“That didn’t sound like an answer to my question.”

Pecco growls then, grabs Alex's face and holds it between his hands. It’s almost tender, the way his thumbs caress over his temples, across his cheeks. That is, until he hooks both thumbs into Alex's mouth, pressing hard and forcing his jaw wide open. Pecco scoots forward on the sofa, using his height advantage while Alex is still kneeling on the floor, and leans down until their noses press together, switching their earlier positions. 

“I want you to show me. Show me how badly you want to be mine, Marquez.” 

He spits then, right into Alex's pried-open mouth, right on his tongue. Fuck, he’s going to pass out. He didn’t think Pecco had it in him to be such a nasty freak . 

He fucking loves it.

It’s exciting to see you this way. 

Pecco releases his face with a gentle shove and leans back on the bench. Alex wastes no time, gathers his own spit, pooling it around Pecco's in his mouth, and drops it perfectly over the pink head of Pecco's cock. Watches as it drips down the shaft, utterly transfixed. He desperately wants to burn this image into his retinas, wants to see it every time he closes his eyes. 

This is really happening . For so long, this only existed in the deepest recesses of his mind, only to be accessed in his weakest moments. When the loneliness — the longing — got so intense that he let himself slip up and imagine having Pecco this way. Twisting the knife further and further, deeper into his own stomach. 

And if this is his only chance, he’s desperate to ensure that Pecco knows no one will ever make him feel better than Alex does. 

Maybe then, if he makes it good enough, Pecco won’t try to leave him behind anymore. 

You were mine first.  

With a deep, steadying breath, he lowers his mouth around the base of Pecco's cock. Tantalizingly slow, he presses his tongue along the thick vein and licks a fat stripe up the entire length, tonguing hard at the frenulum. Pecco lets out an aborted moan, unable to stifle the sound completely. 

Alex starts swirling his tongue around the head, dips it into the slit to finally get a taste of the precome collecting there. Laps at the salty sweet taste of him, while tilting his head up to catch his gaze. He’s pleased to see that Pecco's eyes are wide open, locked on Alex with a hungry glint shining in their depths. 

With a final smirk — bottom lip catching against Pecco's cock — Alex gets to fucking work.

Still maintaining the delicious eye contact, in one swift move he takes Pecco's entire length in his mouth, pushing past his gag reflex. He feels Pecco curl up around him at the shock of it, scrabbling for some sort of purchase, eventually finding it with both hands gripping Alex's hair painfully. 

He sets up a ruthless rhythm, bobbing his head up and down Pecco's cock while occasionally opening his throat and swallowing around him, desperate to feel him as deep as he can. He must look like a mess — he can feel tears clumping his lashes and spit spilling down his chin, so fucking sloppy and he doesn’t fucking care . 

Pecco's hands keep a tight hold of Alex's hair, and Alex lets him take control of his movements. Lets Pecco take what he wants. He chokes out a punched-out groan when Pecco forces his head down to the base, as he thrusts his hips even further, nearly suffocating him on Pecco's cock. 

“Yeah ,” Pecco grunts out. “This— this is what you’re made for. This right here,” he gives another harsh jolt of his hips, holds Alex in place as he gags, as he makes him take it . 

“God, you’re so fucking desperate for it.” Alex hums in agreement, shivering in pleasure as Pecco moans from the vibrations. “Just wanna prove that you’re good at something , huh?” 

Tears are streaming down his face, and Alex doesn’t think it’s only from the pressure of Pecco's cock fucking into his throat. He feels like he’s on the verge of a precipice — like he’s one step away from falling off a cliff so high he knows he won’t survive. Still, he presses forward. Because he is fucking desperate for it. 

“That’s right, Alex,” Pecco continues, voice strained. “You’re only good when you’re playing for me . Everyone fucking knows it.” 

Without warning, Pecco forces Alex's head up and off his cock. He sucks in a deep breath, letting out a pitiful whine at the loss. Vision blurring, he tries to focus on Pecco, staring as he starts to frantically pull at his length, wet and shiny with Alex's spit. 

His body must realize what’s about to happen before his mind catches up, because he barely manages to shut his eyes before feeling hot ribbons of Pecco's come land all over his face, in his hair, down his neck and chest. Pecco keeps letting out these sweet, choked little noises — just the same as he did in his motorhome back in Moto3, when he’d jerk himself off after the thought Alex was asleep. 

“God, just look at you.” 

Alex cautiously opens his eyes — hyper-aware of the come matting his eyelashes and dripping off his eyelids — just in time to watch Pecco hold his softening cock in his fingers and drag the head against Alex's face. Rubbing his release into his skin, against his swollen lips. Possessive. Claiming. 

Alex sticks out his tongue, gives a little kitten-lick to the head, where it rests against his lips, causing Pecco to hiss and retreat from oversensitivity. 

He quickly replaces his cock with his thumb, collecting come from the corner of Alex's mouth and feeding it to him. He laves his tongue over the digit, savoring the taste of Pecco in his mouth. He continues to suck and nip at Pecco's thumb as he feverishly gets his hand on his own neglected cock, chasing his impending release. He’s nearly there already, just needs a few long tugs before he’s coming hard, spilling over his fist and the floor with a sob. 

The heat must be getting to him, because he thinks he blacks out — the pleasure from his orgasm nearly blinding him. He loses awareness for a moment, lost in a floaty sensation, finding comfort in the smell, the feel of Pecco around him. 

As he feels himself drift back, Pecco is lifting his body off the floor, hefting him into a seated position on the sofa. His eyes blink open, and he watches as Pecco reaches for the small towel that he quickly grabbed from the bathroom, and uses it to gently — so gently — wipe the remaining come off of Alex's face.

The intimacy of it is what finally cracks him open, right down the middle. He can’t keep up, can’t conflate the tenderness of Pecco's actions with the mean, unforgiving version of him that he’s been this whole time. 

Embarrassingly, his eyes start to well up, and despite blinking to try to keep them at bay, one single tear manages to escape. His bottom lip starts to wobble, so he sucks them both into his mouth to hide it. 

None of it escapes Pecco's notice, though. Once he finishes wiping the remaining come off his chest and his fist, he brings the towel back up to his cheek to collect the tear, face completely void of emotion. 

He turns away, bends down to collect their forgotten clothes, and helps the Spaniard get dressed. As if nothing ever happened.

Panic rips through him, completely filling his gut with the heavy dread of fear. Pecco is going to ask him to leave, is going to go back to his wife and his dog and his fucking penthouse life, and he’s going to leave Alex here — alone, destroyed — again, forever . 

He thought he’d be able to handle it. That even having Pecco once more would be enough, that he’d be able to live on the memory for the rest of his life. But fuck, he was wrong. 

He can’t live without this, he doesn’t think he’ll survive without Pecco in his life. Not now, not again. Not when he finally got a taste of what he’s spent years yearning for. He can’t go back, will do anything to not go back. 

I don’t matter?

His hand reaches back out, lands on Pecco's forearm, where it rests against the knot of the towel. 

“Pecco—” he tries, desperately, but his voice is shot to hell, completely wrecked. “Please ,” he whispers, hoping he can read his mind. He could have, once upon a time. Maybe he still can.

Pecco finally drops the emotionless mask, lets a hint of resignation show on his face. He steps back into Alex's space, eyes flitting back and forth rapidly between Alex's own. He leans down, resting his hands on the sofa behind Alex, effectively caging him in. Slowly, resolutely, he presses his lips back to Alex's. It’s chaste, almost sweet. Alex whimpers into it, prompting Pecco to pull back after barely a second has passed. 

“Shh, just— tomorrow, okay? We’ll talk tomorrow. I promise.” 

Alex lets out a deep, shaky breath as Pecco stands him up, heading back for the door.

He opens the door for Alex who doesn’t turn back as the door swings shut behind him. 

Head swimming, gut swirling, Pecco watches Alex go, eyes caught on the purple marks littering his neck.

Pressing fingers against his thigh, he feels the ache of tender marks littering his own skin, and actually lets himself believe his own promise of tomorrow. Tomorrow they would fix this. Tomorrow they would find a way.

[mayfay]

Danny’s Medical Complications

Or: I had an idea and it won’t leave (and unfortunately I can’t do dialogue to save my life)

It started simple enough, a quick visit to Frostbite for a general checkup. And then it kept going. New machines, techniques, people, and an increasingly worried yeti was starting to freak Danny out a bit. Eventually it all went away and Frostbite set him down for A Talk.

See, Halfas are hella rare for a reason. The conditions needed to form them are really rare yes, but they aren’t the Main problem. No the main issue is the Disparity. Ghosts are beings of emotions, sufficient stress, emotional/mental harm, lack of ecto, and more can all lead to death. And Halfas crank that up to 11. They have a human side to take care of that’s constantly changing and growing, a higher ecto requirement to fuel their higher base strength, and a myriad of other minor complications that haven’t been properly studied cause Halfas are rarely found and usually don’t form ghosts on death

Say what

What do you mean “don’t form a ghost” they’re already half way there!

And there lies the problem, they’re halfway there. Ghosts are pretty static. they might change yes, but it’s usually due to major events or over the course of eons. And how do they decide on what they’re gonna be? By dying of course! Once the body dies its ghost is formed based on the current life situation and they move on. Simple, quick, easy. No complications here no siree!

Enter Halfas

They already died, and while infant ghosts and experience some major changes as they settle it’s nothing to the degree humans do. And as time passes the static ghost half and changing human half can drift, wobbling on that line between life and death. And once it gets to extreme? They fall. If the ghost half starves or dies the human half experiences Major health complications, leading to death shortly after. If the human side dies they try to form a ghost using all the ambient ecto the ghost side has been feeding on, leading to the ghosts death in most cases but if not they’re practically two different beings and fusing them will kill both anyways.

Good news though! With all the combat and rediculously high ecto levels Danny was exposed to to form his other half, his ghost side has stayed pretty adaptable! The other ghosts didn’t realize they were fighting a literal infant thanks to the high ecto levels he had (and the knowledgeable ones that Did had other reasonings the meant a little smack down they totally wouldn’t lose was an acceptable trade off for them). Horrifying, he will spend the next century finding all sorts of animal pelts, boxes, music tracks, etc landing on him in the middle of the night. But it has a silver lining! Thanks to not being allowed to settle Danny can still shape his ghost form to a degree. And Clockwork, brilliant old man that he is, has an Idea on how to fix this.

Great! Lay it on him Clockwork! What’s he gotta do? Get de-aged and die? Ha Ha! You sure know how to make a good joke old man-child, now what’s the real way?

Oh

Oh no

Danny Can form a ghost on death, but it’ll require dying while as mentally and physically similar to how he was when the portal closed. Problem there, he’s changed. He’s changed a Good Bit. Luckily Clockwork can handle the physical aspect but Desiree needs some extra time for her end. See, she Can change brain chemistry and whatnot, but it takes time to become permanent. A quick fix like her usual work is fragile (lies, it’s still stupidly powerful but forming a ghost relies on the persons deepest core, and that takes time to settle in to Desiree’s magic). So they just have to de-age Danny to an appropriate age where once he hits around the age he was when the portal closed Desiree’s magic will have settled, molding his personality/core to as close as they can be.

And then he has to die.

Doesn’t have to be as extreme as the portal incident was (in fact new factors like major doses of ecto would be a Very bad idea, his malleable ghost side is already pushing the limits with the minor variation he’ll already have) but it Does need to be in an area with high levels of ambient ecto, preferably his new hometown to match his current life’s lack of geographic movement.

He’ll also need to have his ghost half locked away to a degree. He’ll still need to be liminal of course, that long term exposure to ecto is needed to fuel a ghosts transformation, but proper ghost powers are getting put away unless Clockwork thinks they’re needed (and if it Does get to that point he’s getting pulled out for a second try anyways).

So where to put him? Well Gotham of course!

Clockwork…. Why are you like this (it’s all for the good of the timeline. And Lady Gotham owes him a favor he prepared just for this)

From there if he ends up in the Bats care (Nasty Burger explosion, Ghost Jazz, or simply not having anyone capable of properly raising him knowing he’ll die at 14) it doesn’t take long for one John Constantine to notice the Heavy Infinite Realms influence on the small child and drag the big bat away for his own Talk (double angst if he’s able to recognize the specific brand of Time Magic indicating a death prophecy). If he ends up under Jazz’s care then it might take a bit longer, but she’ll likely end up tied up in Bat business and from there it wouldn’t take long for a Very stressed Jazz to accidentally reveal something (or a child Danny not realizing “I know when I’m going to Die in excruciating detail!” is Not something you share with strangers, especially not ones as paranoid as the Bats).

Also for loose threads I imagine Ellie is unstable because her ecto is cloned off of Danny, while her human half is its own person. That large disparity usually leads to death (as seen in the other clones) but she’s able to force it off with sheer ecto strength, using the ecto shots as fuel to Force her body to stay together until they reach an inevitable conclusion or potentially meld together like Dan does).

As for Dan he’s not Properly a Halfa. I never watched the show so I don’t have all the details but I understand he’s some kinda mix of future Danny and Vlad gone evil and destroying the world. This mix Might be able to last longer than a regular Halfa would due to the insane amounts of ecto he has in his system. And as time passes the mixed ghost halves Could be unstable enough to sort of meld with his human parts, creating something of a Highly unstable ghost-human hybrid (seperate from Halfas since this is a blending of the two, not a distinct line between two halves).

That wouldn’t work with Danny cause it requires a second ghost mixing with him And the two somehow not destabilizing during the years it takes for the blend to settle. And the Ellie route is out since that requires So Much fine control and vigilance over a Very long period of time to slowly manually shape the ghost half to better fit the human half, rather than the other way around like Danny’s doing.

[xsentatia]

Fall From Grace

Gracie wasn't sure how she got to this point.

She was sitting on her couch, wearing a skintight bodysuit, accentuating every single detail of her curves - and making her recently-bought implants pop out like they were begging to be squeezed. Her face was covered in makeup that, in the past, she'd be hesitant to wear to a club. And she was horny. Oh my god she was so horny. The vibrator she was told to put in underneath her outfit has been teasing her for the entire day now. She couldn't think anymore. She'd do anything for her mistress to just finally come home and use her.

In the past, she'd have wondered how did she let herself fall so low. She might have wondered why did she let this woman control her orgasms, her wardrobe and, now that she had the size of her tits doubled at her request, her body. Her thoughts were too clouded by her need to be the perfect toy to question anything, though.

Maybe when mistress came home, she'd finally let Gracie eat her out. Finally put her mouth to use. Or at least squeeze her new tits, slap her ass or maybe just comment how much of a beautiful toy she is. Anything. Back in the day, she may have hoped to be eaten out herself, to come from her touch, but today she knew that good toys didn't orgasm. So she kept herself horny, hoping that today, she'd be used.

Finally, she heard the doorknob turning. A shiver went down her spine, she hasn't been this horny since she agreed to have her tits made better. That was the last time she came too. Maybe she'd get to make them bigger for another orgasm someday again? Maybe today?

"Hello, Gracie!" her voice cooed, as she entered. It was like honey to her ears. "My, you were good today, weren't you?", Gracie did not respond, she just pierced mistress' eyes with a stare hornier than anything she has seen before, "Oh, I might have overdone it with the vibrator a little… then again, you look like such a good toy right now, love". She locked eyes with her and squeezed her silicone tits. Gracie's mind was a sliver from exploding at that moment.

The mistress paused for a second, taking a long look at Gracie. It was hard to discern what exactly was going through her mind at that moment - and it wasn't exactly within the capabilities of the edged-out-of-her-mind girl to try and found out.

Finally, she spoke, turning the vibrator that's been teasing Gracie's clit for the past several hours to a higher setting, "You've been a really good toy recently, Gracie. I think you deserve a reward", Gracie's eyes lit up at the mention of the word "reward", "I think I'll be making you come today, sweetie…", she turned the vibrator yet another level higher, "…you just have to promise one thing to me, okay?"

"ANYTHING! PLEASE!", Gracie nearly screamed in return, teetering on the edge of an orgasm. "Okay, calm down a little honey", mistress said, lowering the vibrator's setting to what it was before she entered, giving Gracie the most desperate and frustrating edge of her life, "I'll let you come, but your name isn't Gracie anymore, okay? You're going to forget it", the girl nodded furiously in return - she didn't need a name, she needed to come, "From now on, you're Toy. You're not allowed to call yourself anything else. If anyone else calls you your old name, you're going to politely correct them, alright?".

Toy kept nodding, keeping eye contact, while the most furiously horny and blank expression occupied her face. She didn't need a name. Good toys didn't have names. Her vibrator didn't have a name, why should she? She wasn't going to let a vibrator be a better toy than she was!

"Okay, very good…", mistress turned to contemplation for one more moment, turning the vibrator up again, "…introduce yourself, Toy, and I'll let you come".

"M-my name is T-Toy…", she could barely speak in between her moans, "…I'm, uh, not a p-person, just, um, a Toy…'", the vibrator turned to the max setting, "…and I l-love being used…", she could feel the orgasm building, "…could you please use me however you'd like?"

"Good job, Toy. You made a big step today. Now be good and come for me"

The moment mistress uttered these words, Toy exploded with pleasure, moaning so loud it could probably be heard in the block on the opposite side of the street. She came harder than ever before, even harder than when she agreed to have plastic put inside her tits. She was writhing, shaking, and it wasn't stopping. Every time it felt as if she stopped coming, another orgasm began, a cascade of pleasure, each stronger than the last. Her mind was going blank from the pleasure, lost in the moment that seemed to last forever.

And then, mistress turned off the vibrator. The rush started to slow down. Her head was spinning from the intensity of the experience. And when she reached back into her mind, she couldn't remember what her name used to be. She was Toy.

--- --- ---

Normally I'd put my new stuff on Patreon, but I'm looking to move my horny stuff here from deviantart, so look - here's a brand new hot shiny story!

[ask-the-royal-absol]

*It felt strange going back to how things were before the sleepover. A familiar feeling of dizziness washed through Destino. It was the same one Felix and them felt when they were just about to leave the Underdark. Weird. That whole sleepover event was odd. They could remember what happened however some details were fuzzy. They couldn’t remember the being that was with them. Not even a name. Why not? Looking around, Destino drew themself back to the current situation. They were on top of a rocky mountain, it was night and the three of them were heading down a tunnel to go to Terrestria. Yes. That was it.

Destino followed Hope through the tunnel. Felix hovered close by. The absol wondered how long this tunnel that led to Terrestria had been around for. Was it since that trade deal Hope had mentioned around 400 years ago? After then? Or perhaps even before? All Destino knew is that they were in unknown territory and they wouldn’t be able to use their handsome face to travel around. The disguise didn’t look too bad however.

After what felt like ages walking in awkward silence, they made it to a leafy covering. Hope leapt up with ease. Destino struggled to pull their body up so Felix offered a hand, to which the absol accepted.*

*Hope went on ahead, walking through the wooden door in front of them. She didn’t want to waste anymore time on this pointless discussion. Destino followed, with Felix in tow. Felix hung his head low at what Destino had said. He was annoyed with himself. Annoyed he’d let something so secretive slip that easily to someone he barely knew. How was Hope able to get that information out of him like that? It was too late now. Felix would need to have a conversation with Destino to try and clear the air.

The narrow corridor stretched out before the group. Three doors of a similar fashion stood to the left side of the room, each with a towering rock column facing them on the right side. A few stained glass windows were seen along the right walls, each with unique patterns on. A mosaic mural slotted in the centre of two of the windows, each of the tiles used in its creation a different shade of colour. A door hung on the opposite side of the short corridor.*

*Hope could hear a rather loud voice coming from behind the closed door in front of her. A recognisable voice. One that sounded awfully panicked too. The other voice of higher tones. She had to time this perfectly. Hushing Destino’s constant complaining about the similarity of the architecture, Hope told the duo a signal she wanted to use to alert them of the right moment for them to enter. She wanted to brace her old man first before he got to meet the absol he’d heard many stories about. She knew there’d be some level of excitement for Destino’s arrival. Listening in, she could hear the conversation clearer than before.*

*The surprise hit King Flint like a ninjask at full speed. It was them. Prime Destino. In the flesh. He never thought he'd see the day anytime soon, considering what their parents had said about them. Destino, glaring towards Hope, spoke with annoyance. They weren’t going to let Hope call them an idiot when it was clearly her fault. Felix, not wanting to cause anymore freak outs, hid inside of Destino’s shadow. Not the most comfortable hiding place but it’d work for now.*

Destino: Oh I see, it was my fault that your signal wasn't good enough. Of course it was. It totally had nothing to do with the fact that you were taking far too long for my liking.

*Noticing the spear, Destino turned to face the wielder of the weapon, lowering it a bit with a single paw.*

Destino: And you need to get that damn stick away from my face. Do you really think you’re intimidating anyone looking like a walking potato? Come on, a four year old would laugh at you. I would say try harder but I doubt any amount of effort would fix your predicament. Hope, you need better bodyguards. Ones that don’t look like that.

*Flint still stared in disbelief. It really was them. With hushed tones, he spoke to his daughter.*

King Flint: So, Nox and Karma were telling the truth after all. You really did go down to the Underdark. I thought they were pulling my leg so I sent them back on their way.

Hope: Yeah. It was pretty interesting down there. I know Destino’s parents described the huge chunks of crystal ores and all but it’s a whole other thing seeing it. Turns out that prophecy is real too and Destino just so happens to be a part of it.

*The prophecy. One that had been passed down through their family for many, many years. Flint had told it to his daughter as a story, much like his family had to him. It was spoken as fact but there was always some part of him who thought that it may be untrue. It had grave implications if it was indeed coming into fruition.*

King Flint: Was it the Guardian who told you?

Hope: And she told me I was responsible for getting them too.

King Flint: Really? Well, I know we can trust her but I still would have preferred you letting me know where you went off to. I can’t have you running off to who knows where.

Hope: It was a bit of a time-sensitive thing.

King Flint: I see…

*King Flint gave a big smile towards the absol.*

King Flint: Well, I’ll be damned. The Prime of the Underdark. Never thought I’d ever get to meet you at this rate. Your ma and pa have told me all about you, kiddo! Stan, you can put the spear down. They’re not going to cause us any harm!

*The hitmonlee, still worried about the absol making a move towards his king, slowly lowered his spear. With suspicious eyes, he followed the movements of the absol as they made their way towards King Flint.*

Destino: Oh thank the Gods you have tight control over this one. I could see the murder in his eyes from the moment he set them upon me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stabbed me in the back in this instance. Stan, was it? Keep your spear at a distance away from me, buddy. Or better yet, leave this room so I don’t have to look at your repulsively-bald head ever again. Would probably be best for the both of us.

*The Hitmonlee stared Destino, frustrated by this Absol’s comments. He looked towards the king for some reassurance but all he could see was his majesty laughing at his predicament.*

King Flint: Hahaha! You are hilarious! Utterly hilarious! If you weren’t the heir to the throne of the Underdark, I’d love to have you as my personal jester!

Destino: Wow, I’m hurt by that. Truly, I am. You see me as a lowly jester. Hope, you and your family are not making a good impression on me.

King Flint: That was a compliment, kiddo! I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in a long time! Your parents never told me you had a sense of humour! Please, I’d love to hear some more of your insults!

Hope: Dad, stop that. You really don’t need to make their ego larger than it needs to be.

*Destino, Felix, Hope and King Flint are available for 6 questions.*

[lemonnsss]

Moral of the Story: Chapter 10

Credit: @comixology

A/N: I'm hoping to have the Battle of NY( or at least the first half of it) in Chapter 11, thank y'all for sticking around!

MotS Masterlist

Taglist: @vicmc624 , @mostlymarvelgirl,@yvonneeeee, @beetlejuicesupremacy , @moonlightreader649 , @whattheduckisupkyle , @chrisevans-realwife , @nekoannie-chan , @mrsbarnes32557038 , @imyourbratzdoll , @weallhaveadestiny , @oldsoulmagic

Word Count: 1.7k

"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" Fury came in yelling.

"Uh...kind of been wondering the same thing about you." Tony replied.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."

"We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile." Bruce said, barely batting an eye.

"And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss. What is PHASE 2?" Tony prodded.

Steve dropped an old-looking assault rifle, "PHASE 2 is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons. 

Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow."

Am I mistaken or is the Nick Fury backed into a corner, "Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're..."

The blue crystal looked too familiar. I got up and pulled it out of the gun.

"I'm sorry, Nick." I looked up to see Tony turning his monitor, filled with weapons of all kinds. 

"Why were you lying?"

"I was wrong, director. The world hasn't changed a bit." Steve and Bruce looked pissed, while Tony seemed to be as calm as one can be. Fair enough, he's always held the cards.

Natasha and Thor entered the lab. Poor timing, really. Bruce looked at Natasha before asking, "Did you know about this?"

I phased out Bruce and Natasha's conversation to look at the Director. "The same thing you used to rain hellfire on us." I held up the crystal, "Blue fire and brimstone."

The director shifted his focus from me, "Because of him."

"Me?" Thor was stunned.

"Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned." Fury defended.

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor appeared, understandably, offended.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled.

" Like mutants, Fury?”

"Like you controlled the cube?" Steve contested.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war." Thor explained.

"A higher form?" Steve asked.

"You forced our hand. We had to come up with something." The director still played diplomat, always coming up with excuses.

"Nuclear deterrent. 'Cause that always calms everything right down." Tony laughed.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Fury pushed.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep..." Steve criticized.

"Wait! Wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?" Tony asked.

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?" Steve said sneeringly.

"I thought humans were more evolved than this."

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Nick asked the god.

"Did you always give your champions such mistrust?" The god responds.

The room was in utter chaos, yelling surrounding me.

"Are you all really that naïve? Captain America is on S.H.I.E.L.D monitors potential threats." Natasha states bluntly.

"Potential threats? Watch list?" Steve asks, obliviously.

"You're on that list?"

"I swear to God, Stark"

More and more of these people's conversations blur together until I can't distinguish what's being said.

"Where? You rented my room." Bruce raised his voice, pulling me out of whatever trance I was in.

"The cell was just in case..."

"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know! I tried!" A moment of collective silence passed, "I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out! So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!"

Bruce grabbed the scepter, "You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" Fury and Natasha grabbed their guns.

"Doctor Banner... put down the scepter." Steve said softly.

"Got it," Tony assured.

Banner put the scepter down and walked over to the computer, "Sorry, kids. You don't get to see my little party trick after all." Holy shit, Doc.

"Located the Tesseract?" Thor asked.

"I can get there faster."

"Look, all of us..."

"The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it," Thor argued.

Tony starts walking out, "You're not going alone!" Steve grabbed him.

"You gonna stop me?" Tony slapped him away.

"Put on the suit, let's find out."Steve said.

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man." Tony said coolly.

"Put on the suit." Steve affirmed.

Bruce leaned closer to the monitor, "Oh, my God..."

An explosion sparked through the air vents, shoving everything, and everyone, into the walls. The sound of glass shattering took a backseat to a structural beam, throwing me into the wall.

I could hear my head ringing. My vision felt blurry as the world spun around me.

"Put on the suit!" The Captain gasped.

"Yep!" Stark groaned.

The two men got up and ran out of the room.

I tried to stand up, my vision going black for a moment before I fell back down. I heard 

Fury yelling, a few words remaining intelligible, "Coulson... detention section... armory..." Before he too left the room.

I looked through the room before shoving the beam off of my abdomen. The dull, yet sharp pain towards the base of my ribcage was already subsiding. I stood up, my vision going dark around the edges. After a moment of leaning on the walls, I moved to the behind workbench. 

Everything on the table was broken in one way or another. I saw the scepter lying on the ground by my feet. I leaned through the window frame, careful not to cut myself on the pieces of glass still in the frame. I looked down to see Natasha lodged under some debris, streaks of green flowed around Bruce’s neck and arms.

“We’re okay, right?” Natasha asked him softly.

I ran out of the Lab, across the hall- the flood of agents swarming the halls, shoving me around and stopping me in my tracks-, and down the stairs before being stopped in my tracks by what I can only assume is the “Hulk” running through the wall to my left.

After a moment I turned around and went back up the stairs, pulling some agent aside to ask for directions to the detention sector, thanking them, and running over there.

Of course the detention center was in the opposite direction of foot traffic.

I shoved my way through the flood of agents until I found the stairwell the agent mentioned, luckily for me, empty. I ran down the stairs, occasionally tripping over my feet. When the stairs ended I cautiously peered around the corner, eager to avoid being run over by the Hulk. Finding that the lower levels were empty, I ran through the hallways- occasionally hitting my feet against the bottom of the bulkheads.

Then I heard it. The sound of the cage’s mechanisms dropping, though stalled for a moment, released. I knew I couldn’t have been far from the detention center.

I found my way to the second to last bulkhead when I heard the screeching of tearing metal.

I did my best to find where the sound of the blast came from and head there. I knew I’d found it when looking through the first open door; I saw the side of the room with a gaping hole in the far wall.

I ran into the room, barely given a moment to glance around before hearing Coulson’s weak voice calling out to me. I turned around to see him leaning up against the wall across from the gouged wall with a weapon that seemed vaguely familiar and a gaping hole in his chest.

“PHIL!?” I darted over to his weak form, kneeling by his side as I examined the perforation in his thoracic cavity.

“Hey, kid.” Phil rasped out with his regular soft, kind voice.

“It’ll be okay, I can fix this… I think?”

I saw the cavity filling with blood. Whatever had stabbed Coulson had pierced his chest and cut straight through, severing the left pulmonary artery.

He pulled my hand off of his chest, “Don’t. It’s okay.”

“What do you mean? Of course it’s not! I can help you.” I grabbed his hand, pleading with him.

I felt my tears pricking my eyes. I looked down, closing my eyes. I felt a hand tilt my face up. I opened my eyes, knowing it’d would be the last time I’d see Coulson’s kind, soulful eyes.

I heard the sound of footsteps, and while Coulson turned to see who it was, I couldn’t tear my eyes off of him. 

I hadn’t known him for a year, and yet, he had become such an important figure in my life. I wanted to remember the details, how he’d gone out of his way to make me feel comfortable when healing Capsicle. How he’d covered for me when I’d accidentally spilled about Xaviers and my time there. How he’d comforted me when he learned about Logan. The way his eyes creased when he smiled. How every time I was uncomfortable in a conversation, he’d give me an entry point in his. How he’d made me feel safe in this otherwise terrifying situation.

How do you encapsulate what someone means to you? The depth at which they have changed your life, and the lasting impact they will never get to see? When the time comes, and you lose the words to tell them how much you care? The realization that they will never know how you treasured them.

“I’m sorry, Boss. They got rabbited.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fury kneel on the other side of Coulson.

Taking Coulson’s hand in his own, he said, “Just stay awake. Eyes on me.” It was the first time I’d seen the director genuinely desperate.

“No. I’m clocked out here.”

“Not an option.” Fury fired back.

“It’s okay, Boss. This was never going to work… if they didn’t have something… to…” Coulson struggled with the last words, turning to me, he smiled and wheezed out his last breath.

[crescencestudio]

Devlog #35 | 09.26.23

Hi everyone!

Hope the beginning of Fall has been kind to you all <3 To be Frank, it has not been Kind to me LMFAO. But I'll get into that, so let's dive in yippee!

Before I do, someone liked this post recently, which was such a throwback. It was before the full demo was out and everything!! I was so young and full of life. I'm going to sprinkle some comparison shots of the new assets with the old ones to break up the text and also walk down memory lane with me! (Full GUI not shown as I'm still waiting on the assets)

Chapter Cards (Left: After | Right: Before)

The "Progress"

I'm going to structure this devlog a little differently from the usual template. The main reason being, for those of you who didn't see, I have not been feeling Myself recently.

This month I found myself all out of sorts. While I felt like I was making progress and doing so much everyday read: fighting for my life, when I looked back on things at the end of this month, I didn't feel like I really did much.

On a higher level, I finished fulfilling Kickstarter physical rewards, opened a Kofi shop of the remaining merch, edited Druk's route and continued writing Etza's route, updated assets and code for the updated demo, and then general commission stuff (BGs from Vui, soundtracks from Peter, etc.).

But overall, Alaris felt largely like it was kinda sitting at around the same spot as it did when I entered this month. Which made me a little sad! I had wanted to make So Much Progress on Alaris because next month I won't be able to work on it really. Then, I realized I haven't taken a break from game development since I started it two years ago HA!!!

The Real Progress

Development for me has been back-to-back. Chapter releases every 1-2 months during my first half year of development, Full Demo release shortly after, Kickstarter shortly after, Full Game Development shortly after. When I was feeling burnt out from Alaris, I made intertwine. Then I was Heavily Involved in the development of two games shortly after.

All of this on top of my IRL responsibilities, which include a job, PhD school, and well, functioning as a normal human occasionally.

And then here we are at the end of September 2023, and I'm wondering why even though I creatively want to work on Alaris, I find my brain literally just getting too tired to think.

Etza CG (Left: After | Right: Before)

I think ever since the Kickstarter, I've put a lot of pressure on myself to consistently put out LOTS of updates for each monthly devlog. I don't want people to think I'm not working on things or I'm not committed to delivering after giving me their hard earned money. But now, with two years under my belt, I'm realizing that is... HMM maybe too high of a standard to put on myself for my first game ever. There are many much more seasoned developers than me who don't put that pressure on themselves (which is Good and Healthy).

So this month, I debated scrounging around and gathering all my crumbs to give you all a devlog that you'll be satisfied with. But I decided ultimately that wouldn't be good for me and would honestly not be the most transparent way to present the current process of things.

And so. Here I am. Head in my Hands. Letting you all know that while I'm not "burnt out," I am.... only human LOL (one human at that). And so some months, like this one, will just not have much progress to report. Not because I'm not working on it or any other deeper reason. But because it's physically impossible and unreasonable for me to be continuously pushing out a steady stream of content.

In-Game Sprites & BGs (Left: After | Right: Before)

Next month, I'lll be taking a vacation. It's actually my first Big, Official one in a Long Time! I'm very excited for it. And while I did initially think about working on Alaris while I was traveling on trains or things like that, I decided to respect my own need to be a Human and just take a break for once in my life. I don't even want to say I Might work on things, because that sentiment alone will pressure me to make some progress. So yes. Next month, there will be no devlog or updates. But please rest assured, I am "working on Alaris" by letting myself just Exist and Rest Up!

Not an Alaris screenshot but it is market research that deserves to be included because I played House in Fata Morgana recently and it was Phenomenal!

Thank you all for understanding and your continued support. I'm extremely appreciative to have such a kind and patient community. Hope you all have a wonderful October filled with Fall Treats, and I'll see you in November! <3

[tgmsunmontue]

More than movie magic... 2/24

Hangster AU. Explicit (eventually). Jake is a Hollywood actor and Bradley is a stunt coordinator. Jake's about to make a few self-discoveries.

PART ONE

                He doesn’t have time to deal with this, whatever it is. He’s too fucking old to be discovering new things about his own sexuality or desires or whatever the fuck is going on right now. He’s okay being attracted to anyone and everyone, is out as bisexual in Hollywood, despite it being conveniently forgotten every time he enters a relationship with a woman. He works with a lot of attractive people, has never really acted on attraction alone. Has always enjoyed and had better sex when he’s in a relationship with someone so his response to seeing Bradley simply… working. Practicing his skills… it’s new. Different.

                Despite not having the time, or the mental or emotional capacity to really reflect he finds his mind drifting to it every moment he’s not busy with something. He’s still half-convinced that it was maybe something to do with the whip, but he’s been around whips his entire life and a quick foray into certain porn just to check and nope, the whip does nothing for him. He tries to imagine Bradley and it helps a little but nowhere near the level of arousal he’d felt from simply watching him open fucking bottle of water. Completely non-sexual.

                Jake doesn’t even have to try and avoid Bradley for the next few weeks, he’s far too busy shooting other scenes, working with his co-stars on the actual acting parts of the movies versus the action part. Some days he forgets where they are in the script, but quick re-reads and he’s back in perfect form, taking on the role of suave and experienced treasure-slash-bounty hunter intent on returning items to the communities from which they’ve been taken from. Like a Robin Hood. Except time travelling and through space. It’s certainly a thing. Fun and not too serious, although he still wants to be doing more of the stunts himself he’s resigned himself to the fact that Bradley Bradshaw is an unmoving, impenetrable brick wall.

                A brick wall he finds attractive.

                He’s just going to ignore it.

…            …            …

                “You’re pretty handy with that,” Bradley states, and Jake startles a little, turns to face him.

                “I’ve used a whip before. I grew up on a ranch.”

                “Think you can open a bottle of water at six yards?”

                “I know I can’t. I know you can though…”

                “And how do you know that?”

                “Saw you practicing.”

                “Hmm.”

                Jake licks his lips, watches Bradley track the movement and everything about this man is hyper focussed, being under that amount of attention is far too arousing for its own good.

                Yeah, ignoring it is going great.

…            …            …

                He watches as Bradley ties him to the fake dynamite, his fingers working deftly and Jake can’t think of anything but having those sure and steady fingers on him. Wonders what they’d feel like on more sensitive parts of his body, although as Bradley’s fingertips brush over the inside of his wrists his entire body feels hot and he guesses that’s his answer.

                “Not too tight?” Bradley asks, his voice quiet, low, and very very close, he can feel the moisture on his breath settling on his neck and he squeezes his eyes shut. “Jake? You okay?”

                “Just, uh, need a break,” Jake says, words coming out higher than usual, pulling the one rope he knows will instantly unravel his bound wrists and he walks to his trailer as fast as he can.

                Ignoring it is not working.

…            …            …

                Someone else ties the bindings next time and Jake is grateful but also disappointed. It keeps filming ticking along and he feels like he’s entered a delicate dance of two-steps forward, three-steps back of trying to figure out what he’s got going on. He’s obviously got something for Bradley Bradshaw. Maybe he’s developed a finger thing, or maybe it’s his hands? His hands are really nice, he’s found himself watching his hands more than once. He’s daydreaming now, picking at the fruit and vegetable platter on the craft table; not really paying attention to anything when he hears someone call Bradley’s name. He does a double take, because he recognizes the man, and Pete Mitchell is not working on this movie.

                “Bradley!”

                “Mav, what are you doing here?” He doesn’t sound overly pleased to see him, more like resigned and it immediately makes Jake curious. Who the fuck talks to Pete Mitchell like that?

                “Thought I’d have lunch with you…”

                “Did you bring lunch?”

                “No. You have a craft table though right?”

                “Yes, but it’s not your craft table.”

                “You think they’ll say no to me?”

                “They should do, cut you down to size. Oh wait, somebody beat me to it…”

                “Ha ha, bringing out the short jokes. Can you take a break though?”

                “Yeah, of course. Again, who is going to say no to you?”

                Jake watches with interest, because they’re clearly comfortable with each other, walking toward him and Pete Mitchell is trying to put his arm around Bradley’s shoulder. Trying being the operative word because Bradley is just that much taller than him. They get closer and Bradley gives him a head nod and polite smile.

                “Hi Jake, this is Pete Mitchell.”

                “Hi Pete, good to see you again …”

                “Hey Jake, good to see you too! We worked on Turn It Up together. Bradley here is a hard task master. Should have sent you a message and warned you about him. But you couldn’t be in safer hands…”

                Jake glances at the hands in question and then up to Bradley’s face where he’s wearing that contemplative look he often wears when he’s looking at Jake, like he’s trying to figure him out. Pete is looking entertained and amused in equal measure and he was always far too preceptive for his own good. Jake flushes, looks away, doesn’t want to ask how Bradley Bradshaw and Pete Mitchell might know each other, is a little worried he might not like the answer.

                “I’ll leave you two to catch up,” he says, grabbing another handful of raw vegetables and heading back to his trailer to munch in peace, his mind stuck in the never-ending spiral that is his response to Bradley Bradshaw. He can’t figure it out. Sometimes he looks at him and all he sees is an attractive man. He’s polite with Jake, firm and doesn’t take any bullshit. But then sometimes he’s just doing something and suddenly all Jake can think about is fucking him. Or getting fucked. He’s stopped being picky the more he’s thought about it. Is pretty sure Bradley would be good at fucking as well. He seems to be good at everything.

                Oh.

                Is that it?

                Is it just because Bradley is… competent? Well. More than competent he supposes, thinking about the water bottles and opening them with a whip. Who needs to do that? And he hadn’t been doing it to show off, had just been doing it for fun… He wants to know if it’s anyone being good at something that gets him hot, or whether this is unique to Bradley.

                Yes, he realizes, it’s Bradley’s level of confidence, that he knows he’s good at what he’s doing, it’s that which is also a huge turn on. It’s not arrogance, just an assuredness that he knows what he is doing and has full confidence in his own abilities. It’s that. That thing which is unbearably sexy and Jake tries to think if there is anyone else he knows who has that character trait. Sure he knows lots of people who are good at things. That know that they’re good, there are also people that are crap at things but think they’re shit hot… none of them seem to exude what Bradley does.

                As filming progresses and starts to wind up, he spends time with some of his old friends and hookups, lets them talk about their passions, asks them to show him certain things, and none of it sparks quite the level of heat that Bradley Bradshaw does. He wants to ask him out. Get to know him better. Has no idea if Bradley is even single or interested, although sometimes he sees him watching. But he watches everything, all the time, so he can’t put any weight to it. Plus Jake’s got his fame to deal with, the fact that any dating they did would either be completely hidden away or under a microscope. There is no normal for him, not anymore. A lot of people can’t or won’t handle it.

                He’ll leave it.

                Soon Bradley will just be a guy he once worked with and he’ll be over this infatuation with his whole thing. He’s got a different film lined up, one that doesn’t require any type of stunts, then the press tour for this film once it’s post-production and he’ll probably never cross paths with Bradley Bradshaw again.

THREE

[seafoamreadings]

week of april 16th, 2023

aries: beginning with an aries moon, the week starts out with the wild anticipation of another new moon in your sign by mid week, the second in a row. and this one's at the last degree of your sign. and it's an eclipse so, yes, it can be crazy. the focus is on how you relate to others, and how they mirror you back to yourself.

taurus: there's an eclipse in aries, the start of taurus season (!), and then a little mercury retrograde starting up in your sign as well, all before the week is out. so in a way the spotlight is on you. even though the eclipse is in aries, the closely related north node of the moon is still in your sign for now. don't let anyone rush you about anything.

gemini: it's all about your soul-mate friends this week. the little pod of souls you are most at home with. you'll get word from some of those you haven't heard from in what seems like (and maybe has been) ages, and you might also make some new ones! so what if there's an eclipse and a mercury retrograde? just don't take things too quickly or impulsively and it's actually great for you.

cancerians: as a lunar-ruled being you're affected more than most by eclipses like the one this week. the bad news there is it'll be a frazzling one. the good news though is that whatever change it brings is needed, and immediately following the eclipse the moon enters taurus, where it is exalted. so you will have a good opportunity for recovery and integration.

leo: the volatile aries vibes all week actually favor you, causing philosophical/spiritual/even academic changes. while these may be stretching you a bit thin, they are ultimately bringing you to even higher leonine levels of greatness. meanwhile, taurus vibes simultaneously can cause an apparent setback in some career/status arena, but this is likely mostly just an illusion.

virgo: it's not the best time for stuff like taking out a loan, applying for college, etc, but if you've already got those things in motion from before? they're going to be super fruitful starting around now.

libra: relationships may be in chaos, or they may be about to reach new highs. really, both these things are very possible. venus is favorable to you more now even than usual, so you have her as an ally; any chaos is the good kind, whatever it looks like initially. you'll look back on this period as some major breakthrough.

scorpio: it's not that eclipses don't normally affect you, but it isn't usually so strong. the last eclipse season did occur over the axis you share with taurus. this one does not. but you have an old affinity with aries, and this occurs at the very very end of that sign. and the south node is still in scorpio, so you're still putting in real work there.

sagittarius: some people say not to say intentions at all eclipse but i say it's a great idea as long as you're willing to relinquish control over the outcome and are prepared for volatility along the way. this one's at the end of aries, ruling over your romances, creativity, and fun.

capricorn: earth vibe so dependable and steady suits you, even if mercury does go retrograde (which it will.) the eclipse? mostly not really your problem but a close family member might try to make it seem that way. that firm earth is still there to ground you as needed.

aquarius: if pluto or the eclipse vibes have you frazzled, this week provides an opportunity to make your home base a real sanctuary. mercury retrograde needn't be feared; just take it as a sign to get settled in instead of flitting about.

pisces: perhaps it seems trite or boring in such a trying time, but for your unity with all things nothing is trite in the end; so the week's best advice is to consider where your money goes, and how okay you feel about that. then make any needed adjustments.

[cursedvibes]

Okay so first things first, I don't mind Yuki dying. She was in a clash of ideals with Kenjaku and Kenjaku ended up winning. I kind of expected that because Gege seems out for chaos and carnage re overall plot. My problem is that her death revolved entirely around Choso. Why did she need to die for him to be able to live on as a human? I get that her plan was to kill Kenjaku who's responsible for the curse side of him but girl, this is your fight. The fate of the world and jujutsu society literally depends on it. Focus on the important stuff. Sorry, but Choso's identity crisis is not important right now.

Now for the stuff I liked about this fight aka Yuki and Kenjaku's entire dynamic.

Their chosen techniques match each other so well. Mass vs (anti) Gravity. The matter of stars vs the force manipulating them. It is so fitting that Kenjaku used Kaori's technique to fight her (a true milf v milf fight) and only survived relatively unscathed because they used anti-gravity, the only thing able to break away from a dying star, on their body. Kaori herself must have left a huge impression on Kenjaku for them to choose to remember her technique and not for example Noritoshi's blood manipulation. I'm very glad she wasn't revealed to be from some big clan but seemingly just had a unique ability. Like with the Culling Game players, Kenjaku consistently chooses to elevate unusual techniques and people over the established clans and higher-ups. Their ideal world fluctuates and changes with the times and does not compromise for traditions or old bloodlines.

I'm sad that Yuki had to resort to these methods, but at least she could take down the Star Corridor with her. She separated the rope holding Tengen's tree together and also erased Riko's bloodstains with her. It's not the same as the world she imagined but at least she could take down the system that exploited her and the Star Plasma Vessels before her. Her technique is written as "Wrath of the Star(s)" and it's final form is capable of destroying the whole world with it if left unchecked. It is a very good representation of the mentality a Star Plasma Vessel could easily fall into. They are created to have their personhood erased. It is only natural that that would foster resentment on some level, against the system and even against the whole world which seems to be sworn against them. Yuki managed to hold onto a vision that would improve society but I'm sure, deep underneath she still has that hatred, amplified by hearing the voices of the previous vessels, and this would have been her trump card if she ever decided to kill Tengen for what she did to her and her people. She literally becomes a dying star and turns everything compromising The Star (Tengen) against them. I would really like to know what the merged ones have to say to all this. If they are happy for her, that she could die on her own terms or maybe want Kenjaku to succeed because at least that means change and would result in almost as much destruction as the Black Hole.

The structure of the fight was really well done. Yuki enters the fight when Kenjaku resorts to Gravity for the first time, i.e. they enter the world of stars and subjugate themselves to the rules of the Star Tomb. You have a push and pull between gravity and mass, all surrounding the brightness of the star. When the star is close to dying (applies to Yuki but also Tengen), it's mass collapses in on itself and uses the force of gravity against the world around it, sucking in everything with it. In the end, Kenjaku was only able to survive because they broke the system and removed themselves from rules the stars are subjugated to by using anti-gravity. That's why their body is unharmed while Yuki's collapsed in on itself due to it's own mass.

I've seen some copium going around along the lines of "Yuki is still alive, she could still merge with Tengen". No. I much prefer her going out on her own terms like this than her surviving only to subjugate herself to Tengen's will. Tengen has to go no matter what. While Yuki doesn't share Kenjaku's vision, she still wants a world free from cursed energy and thereby Tengen. She contributed to that. Not in the way she wanted to or planned, but it's better than following the "fate" Tengen gave her when she was born.

Nonetheless, I feel that there could've been done more with Yuki and Kenjaku's dynamic. We only ever got one conversation between Yuki and Tengen about her being a Star Plasma Vessel and in the actual fight it never came up. When she and Kenjaku were sizing each other up, she could've explained her side of the story a bit more. Why she wants to break away from cursed energy and how she plans to do that (something about Maki but we never got any details... maybe later, she must've told someone like Larue e.g. about her plans). We might get more information later through flashbacks, but it would've just been better to have her say it here. While the fight might've been to show that her plan isn't a viable option, I still would want to know more about it before it is crushed. It makes Kenjaku's win more meaningful too. Her final thoughts/words would've been the perfect moment to lay her ideology bare and say everything she always wanted to say to Tengen. One last fuck you. We got it in her actions by destroying the tomb but there could've been done so much more.

[triviareads]

ARC Review of The Mistress Experience by Scarlett Peckham

Rating: 4.5/5 Heat Level: 3.75/5 Publication Date: June 25th

Premise:

Thaïs Magdalene is Britain's most infamous courtesan, and she agrees to auction herself off as someone's mistress for a month in exchange for funding her women's rights institute. The highest bidder is Lord Alistair Eden, who wants her help learning how to please his future wife sexually.

My review:

This is a gorgeous, sex-positive, feminist romance that answers the perennial historical romance reader question: "how do all these heroes come by their sexual prowess?" The answer here is sex lessons.

Thaïs is loud, proud, and unabashed about being a sex worker, and her bawdy sense of humor kept me laughing throughout the book, and kept our hero perpetually blushing. Alistair is starchy, charmingly sweet hero— a cinnamon roll, if you will. Where he deviates from most HR heroes is that he has performance anxiety and he's been celibate for a long time. Enter Thaïs, who agrees to teach him by way of sex lessons. I'm a huge fan of this trope, and the fact that it's a sexually-experienced woman teaching a less-experienced man is something I really enjoyed reading.

One of my pet romance theories is that when you have a main character who has much-higher-than-average sexual experience, the novelty for them tends to be the emotional rather than physical connection with their love interest, so the author needs to build on that convincingly while not sacrificing the heat (because love can absolutely impact sexual chemistry). And I thought Scarlett Peckham did an amazing job of this; I adored all these lovely moments of growing intimacy between them— Alistair cooks for Thaïs and helps her with her correspondence because she can't read or write very well, and there's so much laughter and tenderness and teasing just because of how different they are. And then there's the hugs; listen, if you'd told me hugs can be written erotically a few months ago, I'd never have believed you, but now I'm a believer.

And as this intimacy builds, they both unwittingly start to torture one another with reminders of exactly what will happen once their month together ends: Thaïs insists on judging every one of the dossiers compiled on Alistair's potential brides even as she becomes increasingly hurt over them, and in a particularly heartbreaking scene, they roleplay his future wedding night, which NEVER ends well because feelings are always caught, AND YET. Alistair is hellbent upon doing the Right and Proper thing, namely marrying an upper-class virgin, and Thaïs doesn't figure into his future plans. I thought the class difference conflict, and the portrayal of stigma against sex workers, were both handled well.

Also, can we talk about this cover?? it's so lush and beautiful and harkens back to old romance clinch covers in the best way.

The sex:

This book felt honest about a lot of aspects of sex in a way not many romance novels are. Alistair's performance anxiety is real and the book doesn't beat around the bush when it comes to portraying it, but I want to clarify, Scarlett Peckham managed to make even this hot. There's a particularly steamy moment where Alistair is washing the mud out of Thaïs's hair and like, giving her a head massage. All it takes is her returning the massage favor (which... was honestly so romantic??) and a kiss, and it's game over for him lolol.

I also thought it was kind of great that he built up his *sexual stamina* by masturbating a multiple times a day— you don't get a lot of male masturbation scenes in HR, so I do appreciate this. And once it clicks for Alistair, there is no stopping this man. He's insatiable.

Thaïs is an experienced courtesan and tends to disassociate during sex, and she feels like this is even more critical as her feelings start to grow for Alistair. She also doesn't necessarily orgasm every time earlier in their sexual relationship even though she derives pleasure from their encounters. But once again, once Alistair is able to figure his stuff out (and by figuring out, I mean eating her out), and Thaïs lets go, there's no going back.

Overall:

I can't tell you how much I appreciate Scarlett Peckham for writing a historical romance that falls outside the norm in so many ways, and yet feels true to the subgenre in the way it merges certain realities with the romance of it all. I had so much fun reading The Mistress Experience, and I'd absolutely recommend it to any HR reader.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[keepmeinmind-01]

Hi! Will Percival and Theseus meet again in the future? What's your headcanon on their past? I really enjoyed their friendship during the captivity. Having Percy so broken was heartbreaking. Yet he still looked at Theseus as someone who could save him (it was awful of Grindelwald to mock him for that). It was really validating when he told Newt about the vow after everything. Did the meeting rekindled something between Thes and Percy? I assume that Grindelwald knew about their past when he captured Theseus? What's his view on past and present relationship between Percy and Theseus?

mild spoilers for my fic keep me in mind!

but mostly just Theseus and Percival backstory

.

.

.

.

.

.

Hello and thank you for your question!! :D The way they meet is a little convoluted because of the wartime context, so brace yourself for a massive set of paragraphs ahaha.

Yes, they will meet again in the future. Percival comes back into the plot after I finish this arc (which ends with the canon plot of SOD) and start the next one. Until then, he’s essentially in a recovery facility. Then I have quite a few interactions, etc, planned for them, although I’m still building out the subplot that involves Percy for the last bit. If I ever get the numbers or dates weird, it’s on me LOL.

My headcanon on their past! I don’t know how historically accurate it is LOL but here goes. So I write Theseus as having gone to the front a few months after WW1 begins, being one of the first/the first surviving wizard to have broken Evermonde’s decree. A few million British soldiers did survive the entire war from start to finish, even if the average lifespan was quite short, so I imagine Theseus having served the whole way through (age 25-29). So he’d have the “Pip, Squeak, and Wilfred” set of medals.

I then imagine Percival has joined the war roughly at the time America entered, which would be in about 1917, where MACUSA was deliberately sending in higher level officers to essentially monitor the situation, keep a low profile, etc, as Percival is (in my headcanon) about 8 years older than Theseus and consistently a rank higher.

Theseus, like a lot of British soldiers, was deployed to France in 1914. I headcanon he was then reassigned to Ypres, Belgium in around 1916, after the Second Battle of Ypres but before the Battle of Passchendaele. Percival would have landed in 1917, earlier than the majority of American troops, who arrived in 1918 for the German Spring Offensive, because as a Senior Auror he wouldn’t have needed the same training time as civilian troops and was on a slightly different mission anyway.

So they both end being in the field in Belgium at the same time, but in different places. At this point, Theseus has been promoted from private to lance corporal to corporal and is commanding his unit section. Awful things were going on in Belgium at this time, in particular war crimes against civilians, so a lot of effort was targeted there.

I see MACUSA as sending a handful of people in not necessarily as foot soldiers, but more to keep an eye on things, passing through regiments, being more flexible on the Statue and so on, just because I feel like it aligns with US policy at the time, where they partly only entered the war (“belligerency”) to gain a foothold in the later international treaties and debates that’d follow. That and the early American attacks were ineffective and recycled some of the old tactics already used by European forces earlier on, so I could sort of see MACUSA wanting to do some kind of patriotic intervention.

So I imagine that therefore, in early 1917, Theseus is defending a Belgian village/civilians with his platoon. The village is lightly shelled to break the defence and then they’re attacked by the troops from the Central Powers. But the perimeter defence is killed, etc, and Theseus and the others end up having to surrender after a drawn out fight. It’s an incredibly tough fight where most of the Allied troops are killed along with lots of the civilians in proximity.

Therefore, the survivors of the platoon are taken as prisoners of war, including Theseus. As a corporal, Theseus probably wouldn’t have been interrogated for intelligence because there’d be the officer and sergeant ranking above him. But he uses magic during the fight to try and protect fellow soldiers and the Belgian civilians, a few things that aren’t really dramatic or noticeable (I don’t think he’d have had the power or reserves) but enough that the captors note this strange phenomenon.

Once Theseus is in the POW camp, Percival, who’s kind of bouncing around units/faking his death, etc, is in the area and senses a magical signature. Theseus gets interrogated a bit but has no special intelligence. Percival observes this and considers leaving him (in theory, the POW camps weren’t a death sentence, but they were pretty awful regardless) to continue his mission, but then after a few days of observation, Theseus is pushed to the point of doing accidental magic. So Percival has to just get him out ASAP as damage cleanup to avoid the Statue getting absolutely destroyed (although Theseus has already broken the Statue a load of times, especially in some of the earlier gas attacks, but this could get high level quite quickly in a POW camp vs on the chaotic battlefield).

Percival then breaks in and helps Theseus escape. But they’re caught and have to full-on apparate out as they’re about to be executed. That’s the incident they talk about in one of the earlier chapters where it was right down to the wire in terms of getting shot by a rifle LOL. Percival is “fresher” and a bit more skilled than Theseus, who’s been essentially living as a Muggle for a few years with rusty magic, so they fake new identities and join another unit. This is Percival’s first taste of being in the trenches for a long period of time and having to act fully like a Muggle. This goes on for a few more months where they’re actually fighting side by side until Percival gets an owl. Which is for the more senior Americans (which he is as a Senior Auror) out in the field to regroup in Ukraine, because the British Ministry has started a programme on the Eastern Front involving dragons.

I’ll be honest here, I can’t remember if I wrote that Theseus manages to get home and briefly report back to the Ministry or goes straight there with Percival (so please forgive the inconsistency on this, as I think I wrote Newt as believing Theseus “followed” him to the eastern front but it wasn’t quite as deliberate as that haha). They travel with magic, some help from other agents, etc. Percival has got a solid rep at MACUSA so they’re keen to get him there safe for his excellent leadership skills. Of course, when Theseus rocks up, Newt’s there too. Which gobsmacks Theseus but also is classic Newt ahaha.

From there until a month before the end of the war, the three of them are there. Percival and Newt both go back as soon as the programme fails (Percival because he’s extracted, Newt because he’s devastated/furious at the Ministry killing the dragons) and Theseus does clean up for that last month. Hence Newt having to pick him up when he goes back on a conventional troop carrier, as the Ministry doesn’t want to expose any of the wizards among the Muggle troops.

I headcanon that they become friends at first and then the spark grows until in Ukraine, where they do become lovers (and have a physical relationship LOL). It’s kind of a situational thing but the attraction is quite deep and they’ve been through a lot together. Then, after the war, it’s easy for Theseus to find Percival, and they start a sort of relationship again.

It lasts barely two months and devolves into hookups as the two get busier and busier with work and generally more distant in different continents. They end up going back to friends because it’s clear it doesn’t quite work for either of them. They’re not quite long term compatible, they decide, just personality-wise, with Percival being the more decisive in breaking it off. And then in about two years, Theseus meets Leta, by which point they’re colleagues with no trace of the old feelings.

Haha, that was so long. I didn’t manage to get it smoothly into the captivity part of the story because there wasn’t much pacing leeway unless I did a massive flashback, but once more, your excellent question has made me realise it’s got to get written in somewhere rather than just floating around in my head LOL. Or maybe I do it as a linked one shot. In a way, it’s kind of fate, because Percy saved Theseus and then Theseus saved Percy :D

I wouldn’t say it necessarily rekindled something in a significant sense. It definitely helped them both, just because Percival was so touch and affection starved for something from a normal person (sorry, Grindelwald) that he was just instantly hit with the feels, but Theseus is also still being eaten alive by his grief over Leta. So there’s a bit of that intimate spark from surviving something awful together there which almost straddles any kind of relationship description, whether it’s friends, lovers, etc. Sort of like they might be happy to experiment again in the future, and definitely are desperate to see one another again as friends if nothing else, but probably don’t imagine a long term romantic relationship together.

As Grindelwald knew basically everything about Percival’s life, he did know, as you’ve said :) I honestly think he didn’t care that much about the past relationship, to the extent where he’s like “Ohh, the Auror from Paris is the same man from Belgium?? Ohhh, I forgot.” He doesn’t massively approve of the war and might see it as being born of violence, being too physical, etc, but I don’t think he’d really be too bothered about it. The present one annoyed him because he could tell it was making Percival less loyal. I don’t know if Grindelwald romantically loves Percival so much as he loves him like an object (not like Vinda, with some more genuine feeling, but there’s only space in his heart for Albus).

I think he could even consider a relationship between Theseus and Percival, if it ever happened (I’m not writing them as endgame, but might play with the boundaries between friends and friends with something extra a little) as useful in some form, as it gets the targets together. He might feel a bit bad for Percival though, given how much he hates Theseus for tricking him, in Grindelwald logic LOL.

I hope this all makes sense :)

[ironwitchau]

A continuation of this post. Because I got bored and people leave me alone with pen and paper. Oh well. I might keep updating this, so if anyone is interested and want to be alerted when this specific au gets updated, let me know.

---

Leaving The Nest:

Prim & Proper was a store in the Night Market that had a physical building, making it unique from the other shops.

A casual player wouldn't find the little shop until the Golden Arc had neared its climax and the Unity Arc was about to hit full force. At that point the shop was all but closed and the owner had joined the Oracle Coven. This led people to believe the shop could never be accessed but in truth, much like the Night Market itself, you merely needed to be careful.

Luz didn't like going to the market. She was always nervous that she would go to the market on the day the plot started and she would run into the Owl Lady. Today however she didn't have much of a choice. Raven had all but forced the girl to take the day off. Something about overworking herself, Luz didn't really care. The only good thing about the day off was the quest.

[Leaving the Nest: spend at least an hour out of the store

Rewards: 1000 EXP, +1 reputation with Raven, ?

Fail: -2 reputation with Raven]

The question mark made Luz take the quest. Usually that meant some rare item or a skill she couldn't get otherwise. So Luz accepted and now walked the Market in search of Prim & Proper.

While the average player may think Prim & Proper was used as a hint of what was to come, a player of Luz’s caliber knew that you could find the store earlier in the game and buy some enchanted items. And because it was a building, rather than a tent, it was open during the day, hidden behind an illusion.

[It is a regular building, no magic detected]

[Observe!]

[Someone lives here, no magic detected]

[A skill has leveled up!

Observe: 9 → 10]

It was great her skill had leveled up so much in the past hour but where the hell was the shop?! It probably didn't help that Luz gained the detecting magic bit around three levels ago.

[Observe!]

Likely she would have to go back and [observe] some buildings again. Just to make sure she co-

[Illusion magic has been placed over this building]

Or not. Luz squinted her eyes and noticed a light blue tint on the two story building. Had she not been looking for such things, Luz never would have thought the building was out of place. The illusion seemed to flicker as she focused on it, revealing a familiar sign. ‘Prim & Proper’.

[New skill unlocked!

Illusionist’s Eyes (Passive) Lv 1/100:

The ability to see an illusion for what it is. No one can fool you. The more you focus the more the illusion falls apart]

That could be useful if she ever ran into an Illusionist. She blinked the pop up away and entered the store.

The demon atop the door shrieked as its tail was pulled with the door opening. Luz winced at the sound. She hated it when playing the game and she hated it now.

The shop was mostly empty, no one out front. The only evidence that someone was there was the bustling noises coming from the back of the store.

“Hello?” Luz called. Something fell and there was a yelp. She felt bad for startling whoever was back there, likely Prim herself.

A short old woman with auburn hair walked out and glared at the teen through squinted eyes. She tensed and gave a sheepish smile.

“Go away.” Prim commanded. “I’m busy and closing right now.”

“I can’t even browse?” Luz tried, a bit shocked that Prim was closing so early. The Night Market wasn't for a few more days, so there was no need to close so early.

“No, I don't have the time. So unless you have an appointment, get out.”

“Can’t I just look? It’s bad for business if you don't, right?”

“I already said I don't have the time. I need to get some supplies for a customer with an appointment.” She stressed. Luz hummed and grinned.

“If I got the supplies for you, will you let me browse?”

Prim paused.

[To convinced Prim, user needs to have 10 or higher in Charisma

You have: 13

Passed]

Oh thank god for that. Prim looked her up and down. “You have an hour to get me what I need. Let me get you the address.”

Luz mentally cheered as a screen came into existence.

[Secret Quest Unlocked!

A New Fit: find Prim’s supplier and bring her order back within an hour

Rewards: 2000 EXP, +5 reputation with Prim, +2 reputation with supplier

Fail: -5 reputation with Prim, Coven Scouts are alerted of your presence

Accept?

Y/N]

‘Yes!’ Once she had the paper with the address she was out the door, ignoring the small stopwatch that appeared in the corner of her eye.

---

Maybe having to deal with the scouts wouldn't be so bad? She should have realized how familiar this part of the market was or that the two had to have known each other somehow.

The Human Collectable stand was the exact spot that the slip had led her to. And running the stand was a pale woman with gray hair, golden eyes, and a gold fang that stuck out of her mouth.

[Observe!]

[Name: Edalyn Clawthorne, ?

Species: witch, ?

Titles: The Owl Lady, Cursed One, ?]

That was it. The world hated her, and was laughing at her despair. This was the second plot-important person she met and had a bigger role than Amity.

Maybe she could get out of this without being dragged into the Wrath Arc. Do whatever she did with Amity and hope for the best. She just had to act natural. Luz could do that.

The human shoved her hands into her pockets and approached the Owl Lady. Gold eyes seemed to brighten as Luz glanced over the stand.

It was implied in-game that Eda’s human collectable side hustle only stayed in business because Trash Slugs ate the items and the witch raided their dead bodies. It was never explained how human things got to the isles but there was no technology more advanced than a typewriter. Some fans created theories as to why this was.

Luz’s favorite was that there was once a portal to the human realm that got destroyed before the game began. There wasn't any evidence of it but that never stopped her in the past. Speaking of typewriters, a dark blue one sat front and center of the stand and Luz was tempted to buy it.

“300 snails.” Eda said, so suddenly that Luz almost jumped.

“What?”

“300 snails for the oversized clicker.”

“Oh, no.” Luz shook her head and dug the paper Prim gave her out of her pocket. “I’m running an errand for Prim.”

Eda took the slip from her and gave Luz a side-eye. The human stood there hoping her stimming didn't come across as nervous. Curse her ADHD and lack of Gamer’s Body.

“I didn't realize Prim had a go-for.” She finally said.

“It’s hopefully a one time deal.” Luz responded.

“What? Don't want to be fraternizing with a wanted criminal?”

Luz eyed the Coven Scout that passed then warily. “More like I don't need the attention.”

Eda laughed, “I like you, kid. Give me a sec.”

The witch slipped into the tent as a new screen appeared.

[+3 reputation with Eda]

How the hell did that happen? She thought reputation could only go up from quests. She couldn't think of it much as Eda came back holding a box with fabric sticking out. “50 snails.”

“Oh, come on! Hasn't Prim paid already?”

“Pay on pick up or delivery only.”

“Damn you, Owl Lady.” Luz grumbled as she dug the requested amount out of her pocket. She slammed it onto the table and took the box.

‘For the clothes, for the clothes, for the clothes.’ She reminded herself.

---

“I’m back!” Luz called as the demon shrieked again.

“Just a moment!” Prim yelled back. There were soft, hushed voices before the witch entered the main store. “You get everything?”

Luz placed the box onto the counter. “Of course, but maybe tell me your supplier is the Owl Lady next time. Almost gave me a heart attack.”

Prim looked over the box's contents, ignoring Luz. That was fine because it allowed Luz to look at the various pins on the counter.

[Observe!]

[A flame pin: 

A small pin with a flame design on it

Effect: boosts fire magic by 20%]

That could be helpful when she got a fire glyph but now? Useless.

[Construction pin:

A pin in the shape of the Construction Coven symbol

Effect: construct time is shorten by 16%]

Also useless to her. There had to be something.

[Oracle pin:

A purple pin with a dark purple eye in the center

Effect: boosts user’s resistance to Oracle magic by 25%]

Oh shit! This was perfect. Odalia Blight was an Oracle Witch and, even if Luz was avoiding the plot like it was her ex, such a pin would be crucial if she wanted to get close to Amity. If she could figure out how to do so without plot happening.

“Everything seems to be in order.” Prim finally said, gaining the human’s attention. “Good job. Feel free to look around.

Luz nodded.

[Secret Quest Complete!

A New Fit: find Prim’s supplier and bring her order back within an hour

Rewards: 2000 EXP, +5 reputation with Prim, +2 reputation with supplier]

Luz made her way through the store looking for a certain set of clothes. A new screen popped up.

[You leveled up!

Lv: 3 → 4

+1 spending point]

Wow. Her levels were low. Oh, well, it didn't matter if she wasn't going to fight anyone. She was only here for some reassurances and for a trip.

She came across a green army jacket and grinned.

[Observe!]

[Hunter’s Jacket:

A green Jacket often given to Coven-Trained Hunters. Good for cold environments

Effects: +2 resistance to attacks with slashing damage, strong against Cold, 25% chance to absorb fire magic]

The slashing could have been better but this was perfect for the knee. She took it off the hook and continued looking.

Next she found an orange beanie.

[Observe!]

[Wool Beanie:

An orange beanie made from wool. A good way to keep you warm

Effects: strong against Cold]

Luz took it too, finding it stylish. Once done, she went back to the counter.

She placed the items down and put the Oracle pin on top.

“That's everything?” Prim asked, calculating the amount.

“Yup. How much?” She pulled out a bag of snails.

“83 snails.”

Luz frowned. She wished it was less, she already spent a good bit of her pay, but if she wanted to go to the knee she needed to be prepared.

“Fine.” She counted the snails and gave Prim the coins.

“You want a bag for this?”

“Is it going to cost extra?”

Prim laughed and shook her head. “No, I suppose not.”

“Then please and thank you.”

“Have a good day, young lady.” The old woman passed her the bag of clothes and Luz was on her way.

---

Luz entered the Raven’s Nest, tired beyond belief.

“Welcome back, Luz.” Raven greeted with a wide smile. “How was your day?”

She merely groaned as she collapsed on one of the comfy chairs available to the customers.

“Long day?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you at least have fun?”

Luz chuckled and nodded. In spite of the anxiety she felt all day, she did have fun.

“Hey, can I take a trip to the knee?”

“Sure, when do you want to go?”

“I was thinking over the weekend.”

Eda would be too busy at the market so Luz wouldn't need to worry.

“Alright.” Raven stood, stretching her arms. “I’ll prep some camping supplies for us.”

“Us?”

“You think I’m going to let you go alone?” Raven laughed. “Titan, no. Rest up, I’m heading home for the night.”

Luz didn't respond. Just blinked as the demon left.

[Quest Complete!

Leaving the Nest: spend at least an hour out of the store

Rewards: 1000 EXP, +1 reputation with Raven, Fast Travel to Prim & Proper unlocked]

Huh. That was a new mechanic for her. Did that mean she could fast travel to Raven’s Nest too? Things to think about later. Right now, she was tired.

[megabuild]

this was like a five minute doodle just to get the concept down but ive been thinkin about greggory..

obvious full disclaimer him being more human shaped is inspired by qsmp fanarts ofc. pushes that out of the way

ive talked a little about nl!olipix here and here but tldr oli ""dies"" at the end of empires and runs away and leaves olipelago to greggory. pixelle gets nothing in his will btw which he doesnt really care about on like a physical level because hes more upset about his boyfriend fucking dying but there is a part that stings that hes not even mentioned in the will despite them being so close he feels a little like oh so did that not mean anything to you.. but thags his issue.

the most immediate problem is that greggory is like not competent enough to live alone or maintain the olipelago. sorry. he's still in his shell at this point and like six months old tops he's baby. pixelle was already lowkey his parent because he babysat and hung out with oli a lot so it sort of happens naturally.. plus as a dragon its honestly a bit more like a slightly higher maintenance cat. who can breathe fire once hes out of the shell a couple months down the line. thats scary.

pix wraps up work on the ancient capital and moves back to the city to continue his previous job but things don't work out for .. various reasons. he's literally still like part ghost. but when he moves he takes greggory with him ofc because like he can't leave him alone... pix doesn't actually like children he was really bad with hermes but gregg grows on him. maybe in part because he's not really a child he's a dragon like i said. until. har har.

at about a year old greggory starts mimicking the humans around him a lot better than he was before. like. he starts walking on two legs. and at first pixelle is like lol how cute and then he seriouses because oh shit what the fuck raising dragons is sort of not really that common especially not in this sort of environment. on the rare occasions they've been tamed before they've been wiled beasts and this is an ender dragon which is nigh unheard of. (Violet from arc 1 still exists but is a very difficult and separate case that doesn't apply.) so suddenly instead of a little kittycat this thang is trying to walk and grab things with his little claw hands and vocalising (he doesn't have vocal chords capable of human speech but he does little grunts and stuff it's cute.) pixelle is equal parts fascinated from a scholarly pov but also like oh my god i am not qualified at all for this what the fuuuck

this is the point that makes pixelle sit up and go ok i need to unghost myself because i cant. raise my weird son like this. (his entire ghost thing is a weird metaphor for depression and trauma and grief because all the ghosts in aoyuer are about that. so yea) and then him and greggory go do that and its a whole thing i wont get into but it leads into him entering the land that new life is set in and meeting oli again who he had kind of figured out was alive and was trying to track down but didnt expect it to happen here. and so begins their divorce arc

fun notes though: pixelle calls greggory omelette sometimes as a cute nickname! he suggested that as a name when he was still in his egg. sort of mean. also since gregg can't speak english pix learns and then teaches him sign language ^_^ at the start of new life / arc 3 he's only a basic communicator but can get his point across usually.

oli is by no means a bad dad he's just not a great one either. it's clear he tries very hard and he does love gregg. part of the reason he leaves him is BECAUSE he loves him and he recognises he's not really able to raise him and it would be unfair to drag him along wherever he plans on going post empires... but that doesn't make it right etc etc. Hes aware of that too and feels generally awful about the whole thing... His and greggorys relationship is weird and strained at the start but he tries by god does he try. And they make it work eventually. They have to get through the horrors first though.