#and everyone thinks i can do better than my last

[ayukas]

r/UberEATS 014 are u a coward

r/UberEATS posted by

u/finickydriver141・14 hr. ago

my customer's little brother broke her heart and i don't know how to fix it

hi. this probably isn't the right subreddit to post on but i'm an uber eats driver if that helps...

so anyways, i've been delivering to this customer for a while now, and we've gotten really close, almost like a talking stage? idk. well, last night, she told me about this huge argument her and her brother had, and i wanna help fix things because i kinda like her. a lot.

tl;dr: her little brother lied to her two years ago and ruined her friendship with her best friend. now she's upset because she found out the truth and feels like she let him down, but imo, i think the kid is just being a brat lol. i wanna step in and make things better for her, let her know that she shouldn't feel guilty, but i don't really know how to go about it.

for context, her brother (let's call him A) basically told her that her best friend (we'll call him B) stole all his bread back when B was babysitting him. she got super upset and immediately cut B off because she loves her brother more than anything and thought B broke their trust. fast forward to now, A admitted that he lied about the whole thing because he felt like he was too mature for a babysitter (which is true to a certain extent... I GUESS...) now she feels guilty for not realizing that A hated having her take care of him like that, and she's convinced that he hates her.

here's the thing though, if A feels like he's so mature and independent, why did he feel the need to lie and cause this mess? i get that he did what he did to prove he was mature enough to take care of himself but lying to your sister and ruining her relationship with her best friend is kind of the opposite of maturity, right?

anyways, what should i do to help her? i tried asking B for A's number so i could talk to him, but B refused so now i'm stuck.

should i go over to her house when she's not around and beat him up or like... take his bread? or should i just let it go and focus on comforting her? it breaks my heart to see her sad :/

⬆️ 8 ⬇️ 💬 79

u/rainsinheaven・14 hr. ago

this seems so familiar

u/back2u・13 hr. ago

right?! omg i think this is the same uber eats driver from that love confession post

u/purplecarrot・13 hr. ago

sounds like a bunch of miscommunication and overdramatics to me

u/jjanguu・11 hr. ago

i vote to beat him up

u/mrkrabs_58・11 hr. ago

This is not related to Uber Eats

u/finickydriver141・10 hr. ago

im an uber eats driver so it IS related GTFO MRKRABS58

u/cooingpenguin・9 hr. ago

i think op is in love with the girl lmao

u/yuwushi・3 hr. ago

hi. dm me. i'm A's friend.

u/finickydriver141・2 hr. ago

prove it

u/yuwushi・20 min. ago

i can't prove it without doxxing them... just dm me bro are u a coward. what's wrong with you.

u/finickydriver141・18 min. ago

WHO THE FUCK ARE U CALLING A COWARD

u/lovable_star・2 hr. ago

convince B to give u A's number again!!! if ure preaching about maturity then communication is the best way around this whole situation

previous / masterlist / next

notes DID EVERYONE ENJOY SMTOWNNN i know i did (save me dreamies love me right cover. save me) also can u guys tell this smau is lowkey coming to an end soon (っ◞‸◟ c)

taglist @ddolbyong @nmbr1stickerenjoyer @wonpoem @jeonghansshitester @kukkurookkoo @dudekiss3r @https-yeonjun @nahyuckers @slayhaechan @luvvhaechan @chenlezip @ryuvrsie @aerivrs @snoopyjimin @yukisroom97 @snowyseungs @thegracerammy @purezitas @sundamariis @nctrawberries @sehunniepot @holyhaech @belleilichil @cyjzzl @haechology @ant-onie @n0hyuck @axo-l0tl @goquokka @jich3nle @gela0205 @irlrenjun @leevipipi @kodasity @taroddori @hyuckies18 @hibernatinghamster @renjunniex @haechyuckan @i-lovegood @chan-yeoldelling @lampcults @jae-n0 @jeongintwt @sunghoonsgfreal @injvns @sewergirlfriend @fluermeijisblog @pinklemonade34 @t-102

[jellofish-plant]

Caught in the Crossfire

Pairing: Jason Todd (Red Hood) x Reader

Summary: Being best friends with Nightwing means you're no stranger to chaos, but falling for Jason Todd, the Red Hood, takes danger to a new level. When a mission involving a dangerous gang puts you squarely in harm's way, the tension between your loyalties and your feelings boils over. Will your bond with Nightwing survive, and will Jason let you in despite his walls?

Warnings: Mentions of violence, injury, light angst, fluff, mild language

[Masterlist]

The sharp snap of a grappling hook echoed through Gotham's empty alleyways as you swung toward the rendezvous point. Another long night assisting Nightwing your best friend on patrol, and you’d already broken a sweat fending off a gang of thugs who apparently had more muscle than brain cells.

“You okay?” Nightwing’s voice crackled in your comms, concern lacing his tone.

“Fine. Just some bruises,” you replied, landing on the rooftop where he waited, leaning casually against a vent.

“That’s my partner,” he said with a grin, ruffling your hair playfully. You swatted his hand away, rolling your eyes.

“Your partner? More like your babysitter.”

Before he could retort, a familiar voice interrupted from the shadows.

“Am I interrupting this heartwarming moment, or should I come back later?”

You turned to see Jason Todd Red Hood approach, his helmet tucked under his arm. His leather jacket gleamed under the moonlight, and his signature smirk was enough to make your heart skip a beat.

“Jason,” you said, trying to sound neutral.

“Y/N,” he replied, his voice lower, smoother, sending a shiver down your spine.

“Why are you here?” Nightwing asked, crossing his arms and stepping slightly in front of you, the protective older brother act kicking in.

“Intel,” Jason said, holding up a USB drive. “Thought you might want to know the gang you just took down has ties to a bigger fish—one that’s gunning for Y/N.”

You froze. “Me? Why?”

Jason’s smirk disappeared, replaced by a rare seriousness. “You’ve been on their radar since you broke up their weapons shipment last month. They don’t like loose ends.”

Nightwing immediately turned to you, his face dark with worry. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” you admitted, guilt creeping in. “I can handle myself.”

“Clearly not,” Jason muttered, earning a glare from Nightwing.

“Enough,” you snapped, stepping between them. “If they’re coming for me, we deal with it together. No macho posturing.”

Jason’s lips twitched as though he wanted to argue but thought better of it. “Fine. But you’re sticking with me tonight.”

“Excuse me?” Nightwing said, stepping forward.

“Relax, Goldilocks,” Jason said with a smirk. “I’m better at keeping people alive when they’re in the crossfire. You can’t argue with that.”

The tension between the two of them was palpable, and you sighed, dragging a hand down your face. “I’ll go with Jason. We don’t have time for this.”

Nightwing looked like he wanted to protest but relented with a nod. “Fine. But you call me the second anything goes wrong.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “She’ll be fine, Dick. Trust me.”

Hours later, you and Jason were staking out a warehouse where the gang’s leader was supposed to be hiding. The silence between you was tense, but it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable.

“Why do you always do that?” you asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.

“Do what?” Jason replied, not looking at you.

“Push people away.”

He stiffened, his jaw tightening. “I don’t push people away.”

You scoffed. “Right. Because you’re such a social butterfly.”

Jason finally turned to face you, his piercing blue eyes locking onto yours. “I push people away because it’s easier than watching them get hurt because of me.”

The vulnerability in his voice caught you off guard. You softened, stepping closer. “Jason… You don’t have to do everything alone. You don’t have to protect everyone by shutting them out.”

His gaze flickered to your hand, which had unconsciously reached for his. For a moment, he didn’t move. Then, slowly, he took your hand in his, his grip firm but hesitant.

“Maybe,” he said quietly, “you’re the exception.”

Your heart fluttered, but before you could respond, the sound of footsteps interrupted the moment. Jason immediately pulled away, his gun in hand as he scanned the shadows.

“Stay close,” he murmured, his tone all business now.

You nodded, pulling out your own weapon as the two of you moved into the warehouse.

By the end of the night, the gang was neutralized, and you’d escaped with only a few minor scrapes. Jason had been relentless in keeping you safe, his protective side both frustrating and endearing.

As he walked you back to your apartment, you found yourself smiling despite the chaos.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, glancing at you.

“Nothing,” you said, shaking your head. “Just thinking about how Nightwing’s going to give me an earful for trusting you.”

Jason smirked, his confidence returning. “Let him. You’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”

You stopped at your door, turning to face him. “Thanks, Jason. For everything.”

He hesitated, then leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. “Anytime, Y/N.”

And with that, he disappeared into the night, leaving you with a heart that felt impossibly full.

[i-dared-myself]

Cuddle Fort

Stray Kids x reader

In which an exhausted Chan and an exhausted reader take a much needed nap

Chan knows you get tired often, which is why it is no surprise to him when during a particularly long practise, you keep stumbling over your own feet. You are usually better than this, but practise had been gruesome yesterday as well.

“Water break,” Chan calls before walking to his bottle. It’s next to the wall of mirrors, so he can still have a view of the others while drinking.

Chan hears Jeongin murmuring to you before you say something in response, laughing quietly. He ignores the sounds as he tips his head back to drink his water.

“Hey, did you finish the mix yet?” Changbin asks as he approaches. His baggy hoodie bunches around his forearms.

Chan sighs and nods. “I stayed up all night on it, but I finally have it ready to submit.”

He sees you in the reflection, sitting in the corner. You prop yourself up against the wall as Felix speaks with you.

“Again?” Changbin says, voice tinged with disapproval. “When are you going to have a healthy sleep schedule?”

Chan shrugs and smiles brightly. “One day.”

“Go take a break.” Changbin adjusts his sleeve to push it up further. “You have bags under your eyes again.”

Chan lifts a hand up to his face. “Ah, nothing a little makeup can’t hide.”

Changbin scowls slightly, but walks away nonetheless. Chan glances at the mirror to notice your eyes shut and breathing heavy. Felix crouches next to you and meets Chan’s gaze with a tiny nod of his head.

“Alright.” Chan presses a button to cut the music on the speakers. He keeps his voice low as to not wake you. “Practise is over. I’ll stay with them until they wakes up.”

Felix crosses his arms. “I was gonna call it. It’s my turn!”

Chan frowns. When was just sitting with you so exciting?

“Nuh-uh.” Hyunjin juts his hip out to the side. “Dibs.”

Felix splutters. “What- No! That’s not how this works!”

Chan massages his forehead. He can feel a headache coming on.

Jisung raises his hand. “Can I do it?”

“No!” Seungmin sharply says. “You did it last time!”

“You’re gonna wake her!” Minho hisses and smacks Seungmin’s arm. Seungmin flinches back before glowering at Minho.

“They look so peaceful when they sleep,” Jeongin remarks. He watches you for a moment before turning to Chan. “I wanna stay, pretty please?”

Changbin cleared his throat. “You’re all fighting like children. I’ll stay.”

“No way!” Felix protests loudly. “I-“

“What’s going on?” you blearily ask as you rub your eyes. You blink up at them in confusion.

“Practise is over,” Chan tells you before any of the others can speak. “You ready to go?”

“Oh! Is it move night?” You scramble to get your bag as everyone files out the door. 

“Sure,” Chan agrees, even though he had been planning to work more.

Why did he say yes? Was it because of the way your face lights up at his words? Was it due to how your hands clapped together in joy?

So everyone files out the door together and you somehow fall asleep in the car. Chan has no idea how you do it, considering the others are all bickering, but you do it.

“Quiet!” Chan calls from the driver’s seat. His grip on the wheel tightens. “They’re sleeping again!”

Hyunjin’s mouth falls open. “Again? I still think they should go to a doctor.”

“I think they’re drooling on you,” Jisung points out. He motions to Hyunjin’s shoulder, where your head was resting.

“Ew! Ugh!” Hyunjin curls inward, gagging. “Get them off!”

Jisung snorts and turns the other way. “Nah.”

Seungmin stretches out in the seat next to Chan. “Don’t wake her up, or Minho will air fry you.”

“Better believe it,” Minho mutters from the backseats.

Hyunjin pats your head comfortingly, barely hiding his disdain. “See? We get along. I like them.”

“Is movie night cancelled?” Jisung whines. He groans and crosses his arms. “I wanted to watch something!”

“You can still watch something by yourself,” Chan reminds him. “Seungmin, text whoever’s not driving in the other car and tell them movie night is off.”

“Sure.” Seungmin pulls out his phone. “Are we taking them back to the dorms or driving around to not wake them up?”

Chan glances back at the others. “Any thoughts?”

“I need to pee,” Hyunjin says. 

“We’re going to the dorms,” Chan tells Seungmin. “We’ll meet the others there.”

When they arrive, Chan carefully unbuckles you before carrying you inside. Jeongin runs ahead, opening doors, while Felix just follows.

Chan moves to lay you down on your bed, but you cling to him like a koala. He gives a hopeful look to Felix, who merely shrugs.

“You gonna nap with them?” Jeongin slyly smiles.

Chan gets flustered and straightens. You’re still hanging off of him with a frankly impressive grip strength. “What? No! I’m not even tired.”

“Fine. I will!” Jeongin volunteers cheerily before throwing himself into your bed. He spreads his arms out. “Give them to me.”

Chan wraps his arms around you tighter. “They said we could cuddle them if they fall asleep, but…”

“I want to, too!” Felix protests from the doorway. 

Changbin skids to a halt, having been walking by. “Wait, it’s cuddle time?”

Chan sighs and turns around. “Being everyone to the living room.”

Felix pumps his fist before sprinting away. Jeongin hurries after him, while Changbin stays by Chan’s side.

By the time they reach the living, a huge blanket fort has been created. Hyunjin makes grabby hands at you from his spot.

Chan rolls his eyes, but gently puts you down. You stir slightly, head lolling to the side. You snuggle further into Hyunjin, who grins widely.

“I want some of that,” Seungmin declares before claiming your other side. He tosses a leg over yours to pull you closer.

Chan perches himself on the edge of all the blankets and pillows, waiting to find a place after everyone else was settled. Felix surprises him by dragging him closer to you.

“It’s your turn to have the good snuggles,” Felix tells him. He pats Chan’s shoulder.

Chan hesitantly places his head in your lap, tense and unsure. In all the times he’s done this, he always was at the edge. It was easier to slip away to work.

You peek an eye open, staring down at Chan. You make a little sound from the back of your throat and reach down to run a hand through his hair.

“Shh,” Jisung shushes you. “You can sleep if you want.”

Your eyes flutter shut easily, chest rising and falling slowly. Chan swallows before letting his own eyes close, comforted by the warmth of the other members settling around him.

Maybe a short nap wouldn’t hurt.

[himasgod]

When you whisper to them what you want to do with them tonight

All the Characters!

(Hi everyone, it's been a while since I last wrote, so I'm back with a bang! First of all, a quick warning, my idea was to make this nsfw, but since it's impossible for me to think of some characters in that kind of situations, I've tried to make it as neutral and non-specific as possible so that everyone can adapt their ideas and imagination. Also, sorry if there are any spelling mistakes, I really find it very, very difficult to write with the pronouns they because I'm not used to them 😭Enjoy!)

They stand still for a moment, but then lets out a low, raw laugh. They stand up, turning to you with a look full of determination. “So this is what you planned. Very well, I like the way you think.” Their tone is authoritative but laden with desire. They take your face in their hands and, without hesitation, kisses you deeply, making it clear that theyre willing to put everything aside for you tonight.

Wriothesley, Kamisato Ayato, Mavuika, Keqing, Eula

They look at you with a mix of surprise and excitement, their smile widening. “That sounds like a challenge… and you know how much I love challenges.” Before you can respond, they pull you closer, letting their laugh morph into something lower and deeper. “Show me, but don’t be surprised if I have a few tricks up my sleeve, too.”

Yelan, Lyney, Yae Miko, Kaeya, Heizou

They stop what they're doing, their jaw tensing for a moment as they process your words. They slowly turns to you, their gaze steady and deep. "If you want me to break the rules, you better be ready for the consequences." Their tone are low, almost a challenge. Though they don't quite show it, the spark in their eyes reveals that they're willing to put their rigidity aside… just to please you.

Neuvillette, Tighnari, Zhongli, Raiden Shogun, Xiao, Shenhe, Kujou Sara.

They stop what they're doing, their expression remaining neutral, but you can notice their gaze darkening slightly. They turns to you, getting close enough for you to feel the warmth of their skin. "That sounds interesting… but I'll need a demonstration to convince me." Their tone is low and teasing, and though they seem relaxed, their posture makes it clear that they're more than willing to let themselves go in the moment.

Kinich, Cyno, Clorinde, Chasca, Aether, Lumine, Xilonen, Lynette, Rosaria

They froze for a second, as if they're processing the information. Slowly, they turns to you, their eyes boring into yours with overwhelming intensity and a teasing smile. "If you wanted my attention, you have it all now. What do you intend to do with it?" Their words are a veiled challenge, and though they maintain their composure, you can see the fire igniting behind their gaze. They took your hand firmly, leading you towards them, determined to explore what you've begun.

Dainsleif, Scaramouche, Alhaitham, Diluc, Raiden Ei, Mona, Chiori.

They pause, their face tinted with a soft blush as a warm smile forms on their lips. "You think so?" Their voice is soft, but there's clear emotion in it. They turns to you, taking your hands gently. "If that's what you want, I'm not going to resist." Though they're shy at first, their desire to please you leads them to completely give in.

Ganyu, Chongyun, Jean, Gorou, Noelle, Mika

She look straight at you, her eyebrows raised and a confident smile on her face. "Mess up, you say? That sounds like a challenge." Without losing the control that characterizes her so much, she leans towards you, getting close enough for her presence to completely envelop you. "I hope you're ready for what you've started, because I don't plan on stopping."

Arlecchino, Ningguang, Kuki Shinobu, Chevreuse, Yanfei, La Signora, Faruzan, Xianyun

They turns to you, their eyes shining with excitement and a wide smile. "Try new things? I think that's a fantastic idea." They take your hands and pulls you towards them, clearly excited by the idea of ​​doing something special together. Their energy is contagious, and they makes sure that every moment with you is unforgettable.

Furina, Mualani, Barbara, Nilou, Thoma, Amber, Kirara, Candace

They pause, their eyes meeting yours as a soft, shy smile appears on their face. "All my passion? I think I can do that." They leans into you, their movements slow but charged with emotion, letting their touch convey everything they feel. Their connection with you is deep, and they makes sure every moment is special.

Kazuha, Citlali, Yun Jin, Razor

They looks at you with a mischievous smile, their eyes sparkling with excitement. "All my energy? I think I can arrange that." They take your hand and leads you to a more private location, making sure every moment is as vibrant and exciting as they are. Their spontaneity makes the experience unforgettable, and they makes sure you're the center of their attention.

Arattaki Itto, Bennett, Xiangling, Xinyan.

They chuckled softly, turning to you with that mischievous spark in their eyes. "Oh yeah? Then let's not waste any time." Without hesitation, they takes you by the hand and leads you somewhere else, making sure the fun continues, but now just between the two of you.

Venti, Kaveh, Hu Tao, Navia, Yoimiya

They smiled, stopping what theyre doing before turning to you. Their gaze is warm but full of desire. "I can do that… and more." They take you in their arms, making sure you feel like the center of their world as they respond to your words with much more intense actions.

Baizhu, Lisa, Gaming, Charlotte

They blushes deeply, their eyes drifting to the floor as a shy smile appears on their face. "That sounds… wonderful." Though they seem a little nervous at first, they quickly perks up, taking your hand and gently caressing it. "Tell me more… or better yet, show me."

Ororon, Fischl, Freminet, Layla, Collei

They close the book carefully, as if every move is calculated. Their eyes search you, and though their gaze is calm, you can sense the intensity behind it. “If that’s what you want, I’m not going to stop you.” Their voice is low, almost a whisper, as they takes your hand and pulls you towards them, making sure every movement is as deep and meaningful as their words.

Ayaka, Xingqiu

They blinks, clearly taken by surprise, and their face is tinted with a slight blush. “That sounds… interesting.” Their voice is a low murmur, almost nervous, but you can sense the curiosity behind their words. They set the book aside and, although somewhat awkward, pulls you towards them. “Maybe I need a little help understanding your intentions… can you explain them better?” You can tell they're willing to go with the flow, even if it’s something new for them.

Albedo, Sucrose, Kokomi, Emilie

hey guys i came back i based myself on mbti to do this ngl

[ireneaesthetic]

Pointing out little moments and details of scenes that need to be remembered.

lake scene • episode 6

before diving into it, bare with me! the lake scene wouldn't be the lake scene if it wasn't for edvin and omar fr: the uncut version of the convo wilmon has was 8 minutes long and all improvised when it was shot. edmar just got told to say what they thought wilmon wanted to say and boom! this lake scene happened. no one is doing it like them.

oh alice is the cherry on top - the 'oh alice we're growing up', the melody fits the setting and the warm colors just right. the perfect song for the perfect scene.

talking about song - wille's song was written right after this scene as lisa said: 'i could see simon walking back home that night, sitting down by his keyboard, birds singing outside, the sun already up and finally it dawning in him: it shouldn't be a revolution to love someone'. do what you want with this info!

without further ado, let's get into it :)

the little smirk after wille stumbles is cuuute. terms are not the best but it still takes something so simple to lighten the mood.

wille's carrying his blue blanket with him can only mean they went to his room to take it before heading here - and so in the time between scenes they talked and thought about the lake to forget everything, planned to bring a blanket to lie down on and enjoy the sunrise, just the two of them :')

you can see the weight of the situation suddenly hitting him.

it's so bittersweet - the lake has always been their happy place but the mood is much darker now, they're sharing what they think is the last big moment together at sunrise.

they try to keep the convo as light as possible but they know too well how much this hurts.

the single tear streaming down.

the different reactions are what get me the most: wille seems almost relaxed in letting the emotions take over compared to simon who's very controlling over it - he blinks and bites his lip trying to stop more tears from falling, he averts his eyes.

simon's not so accepting whilst wille looks resigned.

the scene makes the best out of the limited time bc nothing feels rushed at all: there's no music at first to create that alone time intimacy properly and it keeps getting better with the camera focusing on the way they look at each other shot after shot.

wilhelm breaking the silence with it takes a fool to remain sane is the sickest thing isweartogod.

such a monumental and fond throwback. it's the first memory they have of each other but it's also the first one we have of wilmon too. it brings everyone back to that very first time.

this shot is incredible. young royals will always hold a special place in my heart and i want to remember wilmon just like this.

you would never tell they saw and touched and explored each other's body more than once by the way they're both so shy to undress and wilhelm has to tear his eyes away from simon.

they're still my favorite losers <3

it's also the first time simon undresses himself without wille's help. i think the essence is - to be completely bare and show the most vulnerable version of themselves, to get rid of all the layers and weights they carry around, to let it all behind for this one last time together.

the sparkle in simon's eyes when he looks at wille is so sweet. it's more of a bitter taste that comes with this scene, but in a list of moments that are a perfect example of how much they simply enjoy each other's company, this is definitely one of those - simon says 'when it was us it was good' at the end and it is very true.

all i see here is the plain and simple version of them, they feel so much and everything about this scene is telling us that they just needed to found the right place and the right time to let it out - the nostalgia, the sorrow, the sadness, the silly energy too. it's all so pure.

'they undress, they walk down into the water naked, and they are rebirthed'. lisa once described this moment using these words and they're probably the most accurate. it reminds me of the thing i wrote earlier - taking the white clothes off feels like freeing themselves of every burden and then stepping into the water as a form of sanctification of it.

whether you see it in a religious or a non-religious way, it is a very beautiful image.

the eye contact game is going stronger than everrr.

they're too pretty to be real ugh.

the splash of water :')

this is extremely beautiful and the transition between the two is perfectly made.

it's such a loving gesture - we can't really tell which one of the two is done before but it's the fact simon does it twice that matters: he follows the instinct to do it once but it's still not enough so he feels the need to do it again.

this shot was one of the stills that came out for promo before the season's release and i remember being completely blown away by it.

i claimed it and said this scene would be one of the core ones of the show and well, i guess i was right!

the whole water sequence is a visual representation of simon getting further and further away from wilhelm. both times he turns around to look at him tho - it's not what he wants to do but he has to do it for their sake.

also! one pov is from into the water and the other one is from the shore. idk if it's casual or hides an actual meaning but it's fun to point out sooo

too many single tears were shed for my fragile heart to handle.

this pretty much sums up the way i felt at the end too.

pain is written all over simon's face but i was not prepared for wille's sobs and his shoulders uncontrollably shaking. stab me.

he just keeps watching simon slip through his fingers and he's left to wonder what's supposed to happen now?.

from wille's words - 'how can you just be over me? i thought it would be us' - we learn that he's convinced simon is already over them and he's alone in struggling to accept it and move on (oh if only he knew).

he breathes but this is more of a this is it sigh - now it's time for me to learn how to let him go.

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 9/1

Anonymous asked: has sally been introduced to cursed tavros yet?

[ cursed tavros jumpscare :D ]

Cursed indeed - but mind you, I don't think I could do much better. My handcraft skills are nonexistent!

Anonymous asked: ol tavvy is down with the clown ;o) Anonymous asked: Please, if you will, imagine if when Vriska kissed Tavros, he told her that he was already dating Gamzee.

Heh. I really do think Gamzee x Tavros could have worked out, at least until Gamzee lost his shit. Hell, even if Gamzee did lose his shit, he'd probably still be less of a threat to Tavros than Vriska was.

Anonymous asked: Did you notice Gamzee referenced Earth in his rap? ("6 trillion hemos all up on one rock bleeding as equals") How do you think he learned about it? Some weird pre-game precognition or just his stoned mind being accidentally right?

This isn't necessarily a reference to Earth - but it wouldn't surprise me if it was, because Gamzee's cult seems fully aware of the existence of Earth.

The 'paradise planet' referenced in Gamzee's intro is stated to not exist yet, which is exactly how the narration refereed to Earth in Hivebent's intro. I believe that the 'rowdy minstrels' he's talking about are literally ICP, although he clearly isn't aware of that fact.

@wizardlyghost asked:

A sentiment shared by Eggman, every Space Player, and the villain of Muppets Most Wanted.

Anonymous asked: Now that you've passed where fedorafreak's gray, serviceable hand-held computing device's battery has died, you might appreciate the following short piece of fan art: www tumblr com/vastderp-placeholder/7741061457/savior-of-the-texting-world-rise-up

The fucking implication that the phone is the Player in this scenario is obliterating me.

Also, its God Tier form has wings. Was it a troll all along, or are wings a symbol of divine apotheosis in phone culture, too?

@clueless-rarito asked: Heeey paranatural reference! Hell yeah!

Is anyone else totally stoked to see Eightfold again? I know I am!

Anonymous asked: bilious sick 😭

English's trick made our Bilious sick. :(

Anonymous asked: One of, if not my absolute favorite, quotes/moments in Homestuck is Karkat’s speech to Jade about his failed frog breeding here. Just such a wonderfully tragic moment that stuck with me since the first time I read it.

In a comic chock-full of great lines, that last one might just be the best so far. This was one of the last scenes before Act 5's true finale, and it was an excellent pick.

@drakethedeep asked: One theory I've heard about the Denizen's Choice that tend to headcanon, Is that the choice is to be happy/free or to matter. That much as how God-tiers only grants survival by never having an impact, the denizens have thier playes coose between seeking their happiness and survival, or to struggle to achieve things that while objevtivly monumental, might not be worth the sacrifices needed to achieve it. I like this theory because of how it themes to fit the themes of Sburb.

I really like the space you're playing in, but I'm not so sure if all the Choices we've seen would necessarily fit this interpretation. After all, Davesprite implicitly chose the 'survival' option when he first met Hephaestus, and he's not exactly a happy camper. He didn't end up particularly free, either, since he was almost immediately bound to a Sprite, and later to the Battlefield.

I guess you could say he 'mattered', because he is he reason the Alpha Timeline exists the way it does - but, technically, everyone's actions contribute to the Alpha Timeline being the way it is. I definitely think there's something to this theory.

Anonymous asked: Without the Door to actually enter the universe, all you've done is make a really big frog.

I guess, when you think about it, there's not really anything they can do with their universe without that door. I suppose they could just fly towards their frog and hope for the best, but somehow, I don't think that'll achieve much.

@morganwick asked: Of course, even though he wasn't fooled by Gamzee using Terezi's "voice", Karkat still showed up on the roof anyway. Perhaps he decided he couldn't take the risk that Terezi was actually there and Gamzee might catch her unawares.

Gamzee's been having a lot of fun 'impersonating' Terezi lately. Just like before, I don't think he ever intended to fool Karkat with his transparent ruse - he just wanted to unsettle the guy. It worked.

@morganwick asked: If Typheus is the mailman, does that make him PM's favorite Denizen?

Maybe it makes him the head of her mail service!

We never saw any other mail Carapacians, and I kind of love the idea that they were operating out of a Denizen's Palace the whole time.

@bladekindeyewear asked: You said: "Mind you, I don’t know if it’s necessarily always a good or heroic thing to allow a Sburb Player full agency over their actions, nor is it necessarily a bad thing to restrict them, in certain cases." Oh I'm completely with you there. In fact, you might DEFINE Heroism as denying agency to those who would do ill, in part. This would make both "Heroic" and "Just" deaths result from trying to stamp your own intentions upon reality, halted by others. Neutrality would be ineffectual.

That's certainly part of heroism - but to me, it's not even close to all of it. A firefighter, for example, is heroic in ways which don't involve another person, as their only real 'opponent' is nature itself.

I personally define heroism as the will to do good, in situations where doing good requires bravery. 'Good', of course, is a fairly slippery concept, though, so that definition is just as ambiguous as any other.

Anonymous asked: Doctor Who anon here. Doctor Who has no canon for purely practical reasons. It's so massive - there's the show, but there's also the Big Finish audio dramas, the DW magazine comics, the Radio Times comics, the IDW comics, the Titan comics, the Virgin novels and short stories, the BBC novels and short stories. And no one owns all of it. The BBC don't even own the daleks or K9. And each piece of media will freely contradict others. No one has the right to decide what's canon, so they just don't. It's also because the people running Doctor Who the show have a deep respect for the extended media. In the 90s, it was the non-BBC licensed, fan-led projects which kept DW alive. Russell T. Davies, first showrunner of the modern era, wrote Virgin novels, so did Mark Gatiss. Nick Briggs, modern voice of the daleks, is the head of Big Finish. So they didn't want to decanonise that stuff, but they also don't want to be beholden to it when writing their own stories. So the fanbase tends to operate on tiers of canon. Basically something can be assumed to still be part of the show's continiuity until the show contradicts it. Big Finish would generally be considered the next highest "tier" of canon. The Doctor Who magazine comics probably wouldn't contradict the show, but the show could contradict them any time. The old books and comics are dubious. But that's all just fan categorisation. Officially, nothing has been deemed canon or not. In fact, rather amusingly, the only thing that has been explicitly deemed "canon" by the BBC is the Doctor Who: Battles in Time card game. That's officially canon. Nothing else. Not even the show.

I think I've heard of 'canon tiers' before, in the context of the Star Wars fandom. I think it's a good way to delineate how 'true' a given event is considered to be, especially in a large, complex shared universe - but at the same time, being consciously aware of these tiers might hurt your investment a little.

You'll never be able to escape the fact that your favourite stories or characters are effectively fanfiction, at least from the perspective of higher tiers. They have no influence whatsoever over the more ''real'' part of the story, unless they're promoted its tier some day.

I do like the idea that all the other Doctor Who stories are fanfiction of the card game, though. That's definitely going to be my canon, from now on.

@morganwick asked: Well, back in Act 4 you said that John and Dave would make S-Tier if and when "John [threw] aside his passivity to do something heroic, and…Dave [would] finally drop that poker face and do something sincere", which is why I pegged the suicide mission conversation as when Dave might make the jump.

I think, on reflection, it's almost always a heartwarming event that catapults a character into S-Tier.

In my opinion, that's one of the most impressive feelings that a work of fiction can inspire in you, mostly because it's really hard to get you invested enough for it to hit properly. Homestuck's pulled it off an extremely impressive number of times already, and we're only halfway finished!

Anonymous asked: It is so fucking awesome to see a new reader in the year of our lord 2024 2025 who's actually like. Engaging with the themes of the story. Lotta people just see it for the memes or the "totally random" plot but some of the shit you're reading into what's happening is like. Eerily similar to actual Hussie commentary. Gold star for reading comprehension, you do not piss on the poor Anonymous asked: Your homestuck liveblogs are lovely and insightful and make me remember a lot of details of the comic that have been lost to time. You will comment on something and I'll go "oh huh homestuck was better than I remember it being." Thank you <3 @honestlyvan asked: Truly your liveblog is the best kind of re-experiencing the experience. I'm surprised at how much your thoughts and reads parallel mine, it's kind of fun to see someone else's deductions go along the same routes. I can't wait for you to get to the Truly Horseshit portions of the plot (and I say this lovingly, I think you're in a great position to give us a real raw read on them without having to deal with the various Mega and Gigapauses) Also -- you keep pointing out a shitton of foreshadowing I didn't catch until my second readthrough. I can't wait for you to get to the bits where it applies and be like "son of a bitch", I think where I'm in the reading of your backlog and where you're in the reading of the comic you've passed at least one of those bits already :D @worldweary-walker asked: The liveblog is so cool. It's a lot of fun seeing you put things together, and the posts where you come up with three completely right conclusions and two wrong ones always amaze me. Impressive work!

Thank you so much! I know I say this a lot, but a lot of these sentiments are exactly why I like reading liveblogs myself. I'm just really glad I can do that for others.

I can totally understand why someone would just read Homestuck for the memes. I wouldn't have been nearly as analytical if I'd read it as a schoolgirl, and a lot of the 2010s fandom were even younger than that!

@divineerdrick asked: Now we have multiple explanations for what is wrong with the kid's session. Vriska has made herself responsible for Jack's rise to power, Karkat believes he gave Bilious Slick cancer, and Gamzee created the harlequin doll that would torment John and prompt Jack's rage-fueled act of rebellion. You've already suspected that Doc Scratch probably has multiple plans in play at once, and we can see that here. It seems he insured, through multiple causes, the kid's universe has always been doomed. Gamzee, as usual, seems to be the wild card. But he's acting out during a crisis of faith, a faith tied to Alternia's twisted social structure, which Scratch seems to have had a hand in. So despite how random Gamzee's actions appear to be, it's possible Scratch managed to seed even this seemingly unpredictable action.

I think Scratch probably did 90% of the work in making Gamzee go ballistic, from multiple directions at once. Looking back, it's shocking just how much of the comic was Scratch's doing.

'Caused' is a loaded phrase in Paradox Space, but what's happening is definitely what he planned.

Anonymous asked: It kind of seems like Rage as an aspect is evil, no? Do you think an aspect can carry an inherent moral weight? If not, what are the neutral meanings of aspects that seem to, and if so, how do you feel about it?

Personally, I doubt that any of the Aspects have a moral alignment - not even the scary-sounding ones. After all, you can Rage against tyranny, or bring Doom to a corrupt institution. Yeah, Gamzee is using Rage for evil, but his perception-shielding could just as easily be used to hide an innocent bystander from an aggressive Underling.

I think that more or less any ability can be used for both good or evil. The only real exception would be a power that's deliberately designed to be irreparably, comically evil. 'The ability to torture everyone for all eternity' would be one of those powers, but Homestuck's Aspect abilities would not.

@worldweary-walker asked: have you read Kill Six Billion Demons?

I have not! It's on my long and constantly growing list, which means I'll get to it between now and, uh, 2096.

Anonymous asked: re: the ancestors' story. WHAT IF WE ALL JUST CRIED like. the sheer transition from inane antics to the. that @corporalotherbear asked: There's a very popular fanmade version of the sufferer's final sermon and following vast expletive, voiced by a man that would go on to be the english voice actor of Izuku Midoriya. I can't add links to asks but if it's spoiler-friendly then your vetter can probably send you "The sufferer's last sermon"

Oh, I kind of love this interpretation. It really sells just how unwinnable the Sufferer's rebellion truly was.

@wolygan asked: I forgot how she is so happy when she is running away. This Girl is still able to believe that good is coming. Except Lord English won't let that happen, no matter what. @wickedsick asked:

That was possibly the fastest you have ever been proven wrong about something

That poor girl. She suffered just as much as the Signless did, but she'll only be known to Alternia as a monster - and unlike Troll Jesus, no one will ever mourn the Handmaid.

Anonymous asked: the sufferer cult is definitely independent of the juggalos! the use of the word sectarian to describe the war waged against the signless's beliefs is not a coincidence, imo. (we also see that highblood is most often used to specifically describe purplebloods). they're just two different religious organizations. given that the grand highblood was a juggalo man/subjuggulator and occupied significant power it seems to suggest that clown religion was a Big Thing among the purplebloods, which would not truck with the signless' cult being so small and secretive. there's one theory that part of the reason the neophyte was sent on mindfang's case was bc the GHB (given that mindfang mentions the neophyte was sent by subjuggulators specifically) knew she was a secret sufferite and wanted to get rid of her. mindfang does talk about how it seemed like they were giving up on her case entirely by sending just one neophyte (granted this is partially bc she underestimated her). it would track that while they definitely wanted to get rid of mindfang, they also were fine with the neophyte dying. this also follows with the fact that after mindfang gets out of that trial, she manages to persist without being caught right up until her death at the hands of the summoner. were they happy that the neophyte got killed, enough to stop putting much effort into mindfang's capture?

I think the Highbloods probably did set Redglare up. I speculated that it was possible when we first heard about her death, and that was before we knew she was a Signless cultist.

Also: lmao, do you remember when Hussie told us that the Juggalo Cult was 'obscure'? That's starting to feel like something that was quietly retconned offscreen.

@clueless-rarito asked: In case you like to know, "Dolorosa" is meant to evoke the spanish word "Doloroso" meaning painful but changing the O for an A turn it feminine.

Dolorosa; in other words, the woman in pain.

Fucking hell, she deserved so much better. It's amazing how much bleaker the Ancestors' lives were, compared to their descendants. Modern Alternia is bad enough as it is!

@lon-kasi asked: Fanwork recommendation: The same guy who did the EoA5 reanimation just did Intermission 2 as well. Like, less than six hours before I sent this ask. It's incredible.

Yessss! These are amazing.

My favorite parts are all the extra touches that weren't in the original animation, such as Rose beginning to realizing how badly she was tricked - or Jade, unused to her own powers, almost knocking John on his ass while she teleports him.

Anonymous asked: Now that you've seen what a Reckoning on Skaia looks like, you can see why Karkat was rushing Kanaya to get their frog done. Despite jumping the gun, skipping the lore elements and just killing their way to the end, the troll kids never had enough time. Especially since, now that I'm thinking about it, if it wasn't the Reckoning then it probably would have been Jack as the "time's up, now turn in your work" event. @marinerofthestars asked: With the revelation that Alternia was built to and ended up speedrunning an Sgrub/Sburb session to catastrophic effect (great job reading this far, btw), how long would you expect a “standard” session to take?

We've got two different asks here - one saying that normal sessions are meant to be shorter than Hivebent's, and the other saying they're meant to be longer.

I honestly don't know which I believe. It feels unrealistic for a Sburb session to take months, but Scratch really did seem to be saying that the trolls were extremely effective Players, implying most sessions take longer to beat. Maybe the reboot session will clue us in a little?

Anonymous asked: “How do you expect to out run me, When I Am Already Here.” Is such a hard line, and it’s completely missable in the alt text for the site banner. I know a lot of people missed it when these panels dropped. I remember HS being considered super unique because of how much the comic messes with formatting things like that.

I was super close to missing some of that scene, even though I'd already been warned about the alt text. There was just so much going on at the time, I almost didn't think to look at the banners.

@royalvorpal asked: "I thought words would be exchanged" How do you expect them to talk when they are in person?

pffffffffffffffffffft

Alright, that one fucking got me.

@bladekindeyewear asked: "But no, apparently not, because it took Karkat zero words and sixty seconds to completely shut Gamzee down. Now, don’t get me wrong, that’s incredibly impressive - but what did he actually do?" If you look back IN RETROSPECT at some of what Gamzee has been telling Karkat, it almost looks like pale flirting, like he was actually WANTING him to do this behind his threats. p3361: "FTC: i wonder if you can all be at with me in time and make me get my reconsider on?" Anonymous asked: You may not like it, but this is what peak moirallegience looks like.

Yeah, this really does make that exchange read as a little flirtatious.

Still, is this really how a moirallegiance is meant to work? Are moirails really expected to risk their lives to halt their prospective partner's rampage? This is starting to sound more dangerous than a kismesissitude!

@bladekindeyewear asked: I'm not sure how well it applies to the revised Homestuck website and it's probably impossible in the collection, but you could view any past/future page in any CSS format the site gave you with a keyword, like the black-on-green Doc Scratch format. So when Andrew did the "SNOP" to SBAHJ-mode, he was intentionally giving us a tool to view the ENTIRE SITE in SBAHJ mode.

There's a 'theme override' button, but I need to finish Homestuck to unlock it. I guess the comic's theme will change in more spoilery ways, later on.

Anonymous asked: Dolorosa/Mindfang is the true kicker of the “vriska keeps ending up in mirror relationships to her ancestor” belief, bc its the one where there is NO way vriska could know that shes in a mirror relationship. Eridan- orphaner dualscar and mindfangs romance was in the journal. Tavros- she knew about the summoner. But while there are hints to the dolorosas identity- sharp teeth, lower blood color, and a very vague if you stretch it hint about horn shape- no way vriska could have put those pieces together!!!

Man, it's still so fucked up that the Dolorosa went out like that. I still think it's at least remotely possible that she revived as a vampire, but I'm not gonna kid myself - her story is over. We're not gonna see her.

Anonymous asked: You've mentioned "ratfic" and something called "the Methods" before, is that something you've read?

If I could write an essay about Steven Moffat, I could write an entire thesis about Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality - but it'd be radioactively critical, and it feels mean-spirited to just post a rant about something unprompted.

If people want my thoughts in detail, I might stick them on the sideblog later - but for now, I'll just tell you that if it wasn't for that fic, XAE A-12 Musk would never have been born. Not a joke.

Anonymous asked: i love the complete about face on gamzee lol. "clearly the fact that he's gone nuts is something wrong with the timeline" gamzee is revealed to be responsible for lil cal "actually fuck this guy"

If we do ever recover the original Gamzee, it's going to really suck for him to face his friends. After everything he's done, will anyone ever really trust him again?

@elkian asked: Love the Exiles. So glad nothing bad happens to them, ever, (I assume the pause before the third s175 post is bc you, like me, took a break to cry over AR hesitating to kill his friend :,(

I was so bummed, guys. Carapacians don't have ghosts, I assume - so the Exiles, sans PM and maybe WV, are gone forever.

The Red Miles will probably have obliterated their corpses, so we can't even prototype most of them - but I'm holding out hope for Waywardsprite.

Anonymous asked: heh, you aren't alone in preferring god tier dave without his hood. i was around for when cascade dropped and wasnt able to watch it straight away due to the various troubles, but one of the first things i heard about it was people talking about how stupid they thought dave's hood looked.

I know, right? Like, yeah, it definitely says 'knight', but Dave's got great hair, and it feels like a shame to cover it.

@bladekindeyewear asked: "PCG: SHE WAS CONSTANTLY FIXING MY FUCKUPS. PCG: ROBOTS FROM THE FUTURE ALWAYS COMING BACK TO TELL ME HOW SOME HASTY SHIT I DID WITH FROG BREEDING OR WHATEVER WOULD MAKE IT BE IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN. PCG: MY OWN PERSONAL MISTAKES PROBABLY ACCOUNTED FOR MORE DOOMED ARADIABOTS THAN ANYTHING ELSE." Now that the Tumor's revealed for the precision device it was, it's also clear that Aradia, likely following the Horrorterrors' instructions, FORCED them to breed the frog JUST RIGHT to create the Sun.

Yeah, the existence of that precision device really fucking threw me. Whatever it did, the frog cancer probably was deliberately engineered to cause it - and I think it was engineered by Scratch, rather than the Horrorterrors. He was also talking to Aradia during the session, and this event was key to his plan.

Anonymous asked: (And one more ask from the person without a tumblr. -DJ) The thing is, Scratch could have just said "you must create the Green Sun, it is essential for the existence of the multiverse, not doing so will create a paradox". But either he chose to trick them, by only but saying "true words", just for fun…or there is some reason telling them about their true mission wouldn't work - RM

Either is possible, and it's pretty much impossible to say. That said, the Vast Glub is proof that he does just like messing with people, so I'm going with the former answer.

Anonymous asked: (forwarding another ask from the person without a Tumblr account -DJ) Do you think there are interesting parallels between Scratch and Tarquin from OOTS? - RM

Well, they are both meta-aware villains with extremely wide-reaching plans, and they're both pretty weird about women. Hopefully this means that Scratch's much cooler son will kick his ass in a later Act.

@bladekindeyewear asked: One tiny cute detail in Cascade I love is how when the Green Sun lights up in the distance for the trolls, Terezi tries to point at it, and Karkat gently takes her arm and re-points it in the right direction. XD

Shoulda brought the Smelloscope, Terezi!

Anonymous asked: The first time i read homestuck my shit bugged out and I literally just missed the entire scrapbook section and cascade. The SECOND time I read homestuck cascade gave me such a neuron firing high that only harrow the ninth has ever gotten close to

That's exactly how to describe it. Cascade blasted my neurons, in exactly the same way that part of Harrow the Ninth did.

@rwbypro asked: Ngl one of my favorite parts about homestuck is the fact that Doc Scratch Won, like he got Exactly what he wanted, and he played everyone like fiddles, one of my all time favorite villains in anything!

He did, the bastard! Scratch managed to pull it off without a hitch.

These are the exact kind of convoluted masterstrokes you want to see in a time-travel story, and I think English's machinations will only grow more intricate, going forward.

@sanctferum asked: The juggalo cult believes in a pair of mirthful messiahs rather than just the one, so if English is one of the messiahs, that's only half the equation. Presumably, the other messiah would be Scratch.

That works! I originally thought that the Messiahs were the two members of ICP, but let's be honest, they still could be. I absolutely would not put it past this comic to reveal that Lord English was Shaggy 2 Dope the whole time.

@sanctferum asked: So now that you've seen Lord English's true appearance: he's got a peg leg, and that peg leg is a golden cuestick, filling in the last missing piece of the Felt analogy - the one that moves the billiards around in the first place. For good measure, English's peg leg, single golden tooth and his garish coat give him a stereotypical pimp appearance, which is fitting given his treatment of his female servants so far (not to mention Scratch's own treatment of both the Handmaid and whichever female player he is manipulating at any given moment. He even explicitly uses the word grooming to describe raising Handmaid!). If there was ever a pimp for Dave to lock in his own crib while dropping it like it was hot, this would be him.

Ayy, you're right! I've been waiting for the Felt's cuestick since the Intermission days!

You're also right about the comic's villains. Scratch and English aren't just screwing over female Players - they've also been fucking with Mindfang, the Handmaid, the Condesce, and even Snowman. It's absolutely a pattern.

These guys aren't just cosmic villains, they're misogynist cosmic villains. Mundane evil and supernatural evil, all together in one convenient package of shit.

Anonymous asked: Now that we've gotten past this point in the comic- I just wanted to say I forgot Expatri8 was ever a name used to refer to Darkleer- mainly because all I ever see people refering to him as is Darkleer. And at first it kinda threw me for a loop when you called him that even though it's the only name you knew for him- Anyhows- You probably noted this at some point but only upper middle class to high blood colors seem to have name names, with some exceptions. Like, they're weird, but Mindfang, Redglare, and Dualscar are all fesable names. Meanwhile the lower bloods just have titles.

It is absolutely in character of Alternia not to allow lowbloods to have names.

Anonymous asked: Just read your liveblog over the last two days. I adore your analysis! I second that one person’s reccomendation of In Stars And Time. Also I reccomend the Blue Lips homestuck video, it’s lived in my head for ages. I’m 99% sure it’s safe to watch now? It’s about the events of murderstuck and I don’t THINK it references anything you don’t know. Anyhoot! I know you mentioned vriska being like Azula when you first started getting to know her. Now that you’re as far as you are, I’d like to argue… Vriska is more like Zuko, in a way? Like. The way she wants to wipe things clean, the way he wants to restore his honor. The way they both have a “parent” that leads them to how things are, and for a while they cling to that as “right” and how things should be… One time I saw a post that Vriska is girl Zuko and Eridan is boy Azula and all the comments were arguing that no, vriska is Azula, but lowkey that post changed my brain chemistry and idk why people were SO vehemently against changing the genders of the characters in the comparison

I think Vriska works well as girl Zuko. You're right - they both started off under the thumb of an abusive parent, and they both try to 'fix' their past mistakes without understanding the wider context behind why they made them. Now, does this mean Vriska will also be getting a kickass redemption arc, which turns her into one of the comic's most straightforwardly heroic characters? Possibly, but I ain't holding my breath.

It's a little harder for me to see the second comparison, though. Like her brother, Azula was made into what she is by her horrible father, whereas Eridan became what he is on his own, with some assistance from Alternian culture.

Perhaps there are layers here that I'm just not seeing. I haven't read the Avatar sequel comics yet, so they might do more with Azula's character that I don't know about.

@mrjocrafter asked: I was trying to think about what the characters' moon alignment means in terms of their characterization, thought "Prospit dreamers are relatively passive while Derse dreamers are relatively active", then realized that's only true for the humans, the Post-Scratch Trolls' 6 Prospit dreamers (excluding Sollux, as his 'official' alignment, according to the Extended Zodiac, is Derse) are the more active characters. Then I realized that on Earth darkness and dark-associated characters are edgy and countercultural, while on Alternia light and light-associated characters are countercultural instead! Goddamn this comic just keeps coming back for more themes Also, I know you've compared Taylor to Vriska in the past, but she really strikes me as more of a Terezi. Beyond the surface level stuff (like going blind and then relying on a supernatural sense), Taylor, like Terezi has a strong moral compass but will twist it into pretzels to do the most horrific shit and there's a 50/50 chance she even regrets it afterwards. Meanwhile, Amy, who I think makes a much better Vriska, does her atrocities either under manipulation (like Vriska) or just does it without thinking about it and feels bad about it later (hey, also like Vriska). Also, Taylor Hebert and Amelia Dallon are coincidentally both valid troll names.

Yup! Which means Kanaya is a troll goth, which is still amazing.

And... hmm, I'm not sure whether I'd call Dave active or passive. He certainly acts more on his own initiative than John, but he also spends a lot of time getting bossed around by Terezi. He's kind of in the middle, really.

I do think Terezi's reframing of her violence as 'justice' is very Taylor-coded - and Amy is absolutely a Vriska, if we're working off the 'female, controversial, and morally ambiguous' definition given by a previous asker. Plus, well...

...yeah. And let's not even talk about Ward. (Because I haven't read it.)

Really, all these characters are multifaceted, and you can draw many different parallels in many different directions. If I had the time, I could probably draw lines from each of the trolls to a different cape in the Wormverse - but for now, we must continue!

@morganwick asked: Bec's influence on Jack is so strong that not only is he reduced to following Jade around like a puppy, he kills CD for completing the mission he gave him and leaves Jade, one of the players he's supposed to be killing, on her quest bed, the nature of which he didn't seem to know about when it came to John. Bec = absolute king.

Bec is a king.

It really does seem like his influence over Jack is increasing as time passes. Is Davesprite going to get more birdlike, as well? Or is Bec just a special case because he's a First Guardian?

Anonymous asked: oh my god you really just cleaned the board with the last minute Dave+Rose quest slab guess??? Like. You were going on about other things and then you just casually mention "oh I guess this could happen too" like okay!!! Seer!!!!

Yeah, I'm pretty proud of that one. I was just thinking about how Aradia might help the Derse kids, once she'd met them at the Sun, and then it hit me: she's been in exactly the same situation, in exactly the same place, because of exactly the same sun!

Anonymous asked: dogtier IS in fact what the entire fandom calls her, if you came up with that yourself congrats on the authentic 2011 homestuck experience, move over carcinisation this is the new big thing in convergent evolution

I did, but come on. That pun makes itself.

Anonymous asked: Fun fact: the music used in [S] Begin Intermission 2, "English", is the same when reversed. It is an EXTREMELY excellent detail. And another example of Toby Fox being a brilliant composer. @sanctferum asked: English by Toby Fox is a really cool song in that its a musical palindrome, playing the same both forwards and backwards, as befits the titular entity. The whole Felt album it's from is based around creating songs with time gimmicks in them, so it serves as a very good semifinal track to almost close the album out. @emotionallyglued asked: You finally got to the part where our big bad man appears! Simple question to ask but I'm looking forward towards the answer: what do you think of Lord English's theme? Grandiose enough to fit a villain of his caliber or did you expect something more/else?

Oh, shit, that's cool!

I liked the song a lot. Sure, it's not as bombastic as the boss theme I went with myself, but it is much, much scarier. It was the perfect way to remind us that this wasn't really a victory - that English's plan went off without a hitch. Our heroes are still in terrible, terrible danger.

@morganwick asked: post/756751870755733504 Still think of Doc Scratch as "Big Cal"? @sanctferum asked: You've heard of Lil' Cal and Big Cal, now get ready for the deadliest and dastardliest villain of all: Biggest Cal. Anonymous asked: you've seen lil cal, now get ready for BIG CAL @lon-kasi asked: finally, Big Ca- well. actually. Scratch was Big Cal, wasn't he? so finally, Bigger Cal

This is the real reason Scratch wouldn't tell Rose his boss's name - because if she'd known her manipulator worked for Bigger Cal, she'd have been too god damn scared to go grimdark.

Anonymous asked: T1ck T0ck goes the God Tier Clock. Its chime signals the Br8k of Scratch's H34D. And with the arrival of Lord English, he lets loose two great, Vast honk HONKS. Anonymous asked: Did you notice something about the English sequence? First, we see Scratch's clock. t1ck, t0ck. Then, his head breaks. 8r8k H34DS. He releases the Vast Honk. honk HONK.

This motherfucker died to the very words that birthed him.

I guarantee you that this was deliberate on Scratch's part. He didn't need to foreshadow his plan so blatantly - but this horrible little troll knew that nobody would get the joke until it was too late.

bladekindeyewear asked: "S u c k e r s ." The bioorganic-looking Tumor opening up to reveal a precision device. Twice the mass of a universe. Doc Scratch fucking played EVERYONE SO HARD. We couldn't believe THEY CREATED THE GREEN SUN, so hard many of us watched without REALIZING IT. If you reread the talk Doc and Rose had from p3627 onward, the amount of TRANSPARENT DODGES AND WEASELING he did in that conversation to mislead Rose and the entire readership is so blatant and shameless, oh my fucking god!!! Anonymous asked: Not only did Scratch never said the tumor would destroy the green sun, he also specifically said they would travel to the green sun LOCATION, not to the green sun itself.

God damn it!

Scratch may have been stoic on the outside, but you mark my words: he was absolutely roaring with laughter on the inside.

@sunbluethinking asked: Regarding 'a dozen or two sweeps,' you do have to remember that it seems like one sweep is roughly equivalent to two human years? (See Terezi's and Dave's 'I'm six' conversation, or whatever it was.) So my impression is that a dozen sweeps would be equivalent to 24 years and two dozen sweeps would be equivalent to 48 years. Still really short, but not quite as absurdly short. (Which actually reminds me of the question of the problem of rate of maturation in fictional races with different lifespans. (Dungeon Meshi touches on this, but) in the case of Homestuck, I think it seems like the trolls mature to adulthood at about the same rate. It's just their adult lifespans that are different.) @bellcarved asked: If my math is correct, "a dozen or two sweeps" is a range of 26 to 52 years. Still not great, but 26 would be the low end of the life expectancy, while they tend to live around half as long as a human.

So either Aradia was about to die, or she wasn't - but either way, she was always going to die young.

We still don't know whether God Tier stops you aging, do we? I have to assume so, because death by old age isn't really Heroic or Just, but I'd feel a lot better if it was 100% confirmed.

Anonymous asked: And here we learn the story of Jesus and the second coming- @bellcarved asked: Now you know the truth: Karkat Vantas is the second coming of Troll Jegus Christ. Anonymous asked: I doubt I'm the first to say this but, the story of the Signless is undeniably based off the story of Jesus Christ. @skelekingfeddy asked: you do realise that the sufferer is Troll Jegus right. the irons/cancer symbol is the crucifix. his method of execution turned into the main symbol of a religion. the dolorosa is mary. karkat is the second coming. hes literally just Troll Jegus lmao @sanctferum asked: turns out, Terezi was right all along. troll jegus was real after all, and he was indeed the best jegus. shame on you for not believing, Dave

God damn it, Karkat. You hate yourself so much, even though you're literally the second coming of Christ.

And really does add weight to Terezi's claim that Alternia had the 'best' Jesus. Sure, says she's joking here, but... well, her Ancestor was a follower of the Signless, wasn't she? Could Terezi have inherited more of Redglare's legacy than we thought?

Anonymous asked: now that you know about the signless i recommend you take another read of karkat's long password on page 3972

...huh.

It almost makes it seem like Karkat's vaguely cognizant of the Sufferer's life, the same way the Sufferer was cognizant of his pre-Scratch incarnation. Funny, that.

@morganwick asked: "For a bisexual alien, his shipping is awfully straight, isn't it?" Well, consider that when he drew that he was trying to adhere to the human model of reproduction with its explicit requirement of one person of each sex, as best he could from his alien perspective. Note that in the same conversation he's struggling to understand the "human taboo of incest". @manorinthewoods asked: Karkat's humanshipping is straight because John told him he wasn't gay, and presumably, he extrapolated. ~LOSS (28/12/24) Anonymous asked: Karkat's very straight shipping chart is the way it is because John's Not A Homosexual:tm:

I totally forgot I came to the same conclusion, back in that legendary group chat.

Man, Rose x Kanaya is really going to throw Karkat for a loop. He'll probably think that John was just bullshitting him.

@skelekingfeddy asked: steven moffat is a valid troll name Anonymous asked: You've brought it up too much not to ask, what did Moffat do that pissed you off so badly?

Once more, I am very tempted to make this a full essay, but I'll save time by just pointing to Hbomberguy's famous Sherlock video, which I agree with, like, 80% of - particularly the Doctor Who segment that I've timestamped.

In a nutshell, Moffat was always really good at generating intrigue, and building hype for future events - but as a showrunner, he never really delivered on his promises, and was very fond of handwaving established canon to the side. Pet peeve of mine, as you can imagine.

@rwbypro asked: We warned you bro, we warned you about the most important character @skelekingfeddy asked: carcinoGeneticist may have engineered the cancer…but terminallyCapricious was the one who made it terminal. ;o) @capribornio asked: Honk, honk :0) Heyyyy you reached the part where Gamzee became my favorite enemy. Forget Vriska, Jack and Doc Scratch - Gamzee may have his buttons pushed by the good ol' Doc, but he managed to make things worse than even Vriska got to (and killed more main characters, too!). Anonymous asked:Congratulations on reaching this point. So, Gamzee chucklefucked the universe. Crazy, right? @bellcarved asked: Gamzee's "Bard of Rage" title is looking more accurate than ever, now. His own rage lead him to put the clowns in John's dreams, which ended up inspiring the rage that made Jack Noir go to the lengths he did. Bardic inspiration, if you will. …also, this makes Perfect Jack a collaborative effort between Vriska and Gamzee. @capribornio asked: I feel like you get Gamzee much better than most livebloggers (and a part of the fandom, too). Gamzee is an orchestrator, on a much bigger level than any could have predicted. The silly little troll dissappeared once he got off the slime, got his religion destroyed, and got Lil Cal.

I told you, guys! I told you Bards were overpowered!

Yeah, he's already getting pretty crafty, isn't he? Maybe, instead of manipulating Gamzee like he did the girls, Scratch has actually been coaching him. After all, his own manipulating days are over, so maybe he saw fit to train a successor...

Anonymous asked: if vriska was presented with a choice about the creation of bec noir, it would have had to be before the veil because the trolls only flee into the veil AFTER bec shows up and wrecks their reward- and that's their first introduction to him. any choice she could have made about bec/jack after that would result in a doomed timeline, because it would break the loop. that's why it has to be before the veil. @manorinthewoods asked: What I mean is that the Choice that would have prevented Bec Noir is something that would have made Vriska change who she was, in such a way that she wouldn't later make Bec. Vriska's Choice that made Bec can't have occurred in the Veil, because there wasn't a Denizen to give it, so whatever it was, it must have been something to do with character growth that she failed to do. ~LOSS (28/12/24)

Oh, right, that makes sense!

Yeah, poor Vriska simply wasn't self-aware enough to make such a Choice before the Veil. It's interesting what-if, though.

@flambeaufelid asked: ICP albums liveblog maybe??? (Do people liveblog music reactions? They should.) Anonymous asked: Since you mentioned the possibility of having to listen to ICP albums to understand Gamzee better, I figured I’d better let you know that while reading a bit about juggalos, ICP, and ICP’s music does help with understanding Gamzee better if you’re unfamiliar with them (though I wouldn’t say it’s crucial), I don’t recommend listening to their music unless you’re comfortable with graphic depictions of gore, murder, and other forms of violence. (Speaking from personal experience here; I tried listening to them because Gamzee’s my favorite character and quickly realized I didn’t enjoy that.) Anonymous asked: I would say listening to icp is not necessary… I tried myself and failed not even half way through one album so I admittedly could be wrong but… I think it was never intended to be THAT serious

I checked out Miracles, back when ICP was first brought up, but I haven't seen any of their other music. It's probably not actually necessary to listen to the band to understand Gamzee, but I might still do it for fun, since the graphic content wouldn't bother me much.

@skelekingfeddy asked: according to hussie the fifth wall is what divides two narrators/authors @sanctferum asked: According to Hussie's comments, if the fourth wall is the wall between the character and the author/their audience, then the fifth wall is specifically the wall dividing omniscient narrators from each other. or something like that

I, uh, guess that makes sense. Presumably Scratch would be our second 'author' in this scenario, even though he's not literally another author of Homestuck.

[athousandbyeol]

keep up the thamepo [episode 5]

i was a bit frustrated with myself initially because, after the first watch, I was left confused... and jaded... and a bit dissatisfied with this week's episode.

it has nothing to do with the acting, but I thought it felt a bit fragmented? nano's story arc didn't flow as smoothly as jun's or dylan's? i was trying to make sense of it—why it felt like there were still missing puzzle pieces in nano's portrait. but I guess, after making another observation, I guess nano was the last puzzle piece. i didn't realise it until I watched the episode again.

i wonder if this has to do with how the story is told from thame's perspective? the simplicity, somewhat straightforward nature of how everything unfolds kind of reflects thame's perception of his feelings for po? how he thought that po was just wanting 'to be friends' with him. how he didn't know he was in love with po—not until pepper provided a different approach for him to understand and come to terms with his feelings?

therefore, in this week's recap, it'll be a bit shorter than my previous posts because this episode was quite straightforward in terms of storytelling. however, I do want to address some apparent parts that itch my brain, which are, jun and thame's dynamic, the parallelism between nano and po, and also po and thame's upcoming love arc.

1. jun and thame — one who ignites the fire; one who is on fire

i think 80% of the confusion comes from me not understanding what on earth jun was doing.

in last week's post, i said that jun might be fond of po in the sense that he was concerned about him because of his closeness with thame? jun might have an idea of po and thame's emotions for each other, so this is his way of showing his concern.

however...

everything he did somehow sent me to the edge. it made me assume that he might... like... po? romantically. i mean, if I don't know jun and po the way I do now, I might assume that they have feelings for each other (or at least, jun has feelings for po).

but then again, when i watched the episode, I didn't think jun likes po romantically? it's more like jun's trying to test the connection between po and thame—or he was just testing thame all along.

but one thing that i really like about the whole 'jun answered all of thame's calls on po's phone' is how transparent thame's jealousy is to everyone, but it's still transparent to him.

it's so interesting how thame is visibly uncomfortable with the idea of jun being close to po—at least in his eyes—romantically. because I feel like thame has always tried to conceal some parts of himself from the world due to his selflessness. yet, in this week's episode, I can safely say that thame has finally shown his selfishness.

and it kind of makes my heart skip a beat because po is the reason. thame's behaviour and demeanour in this episode stem certainty in me that aside from his dreams of making everyone's wishes come true, making po happy and loved is his new dream. and it's not forced, this dream of showing and giving po the whole world—it's because he genuinely loves him. (but at this point, thame didn't realise it yet xD)

a quick shoutout to pepper for being the group's observer. he's closely monitoring the group, helping thame bridge the members together, and giving advice to thame from the perspective of an outsider—a watcher. I'm thankful that thame has pepper as the vice leader because in my opinion, pepper judges with this sense and intuition, while thame makes decisions more on his senses than feelings. so it's great that thame and pepper are the leaders of the group because they complement each other well; pepper emotionally supports thame and helps him get a better grasp of the smaller picture—thame's way of helping pepper will unfold next week, I assume (and I'm excited/nervous for it to be honest...)

but again... the jealousy thame portrays is delicious.

it's fascinating because thame's jealousy is directed solely at jun and not po.

he could still smile at po. he was excited to have a conversation with po. he was always looking out for po.

but whenever he was looking at po, there was jun.

i like that in this scene, po was really just genuinely sharing about his day (I could imagine them being exactly like this when they start dating). he was so happy to talk to thame (po's so precious I'm actually devastated T_T). but as soon as the mentioned jun... thame just... he was set aflame. and it's so satisfying to see him this way. he's finally being selfish for once.

and jun kept pushing thame's buttons, all the right ones. and he was on edge. he was jealous. he was fuming. he was confused. he was... dejected.

however, i wonder still if everything jun said to po holds an opposite meaning? was he trying to tell po that "can't you see? thame really likes you?" what are your thoughts on jun? i really want to know (because I still don't understand his intentions t_t)

thank you pepper for helping thame realise his feelings for po :(

i like the idea of thame's inexperience of never liking or having a crush on someone makes his feelings for po appear stronger, bolder and limitless. thame has so much love to give po once he accepts the buzz in his head and the heaviness in his chest as I'm in love with phi po.

i think, the moment of epiphany for thame is beautifully done. the self-acceptance, the happiness and the relief that he finally understood his fondness for po are gorgeous. (so, jun, stop teasing thame and po, will you? po is definitely thame's type and thame's definitely in love with po.)

2. nano and po — a shadow, a reflection, two hearts

i'm actually geeking out at the idea of nano and po as a shadow, a reflection and heart to the people who regard them as important in their lives.

nano is just... beautiful.

to me, nano navigates his thoughts and feelings as a member of MARS with his heart. it makes him somewhat pure and innocent. he just loves his members. he loves MARS so much.

but it's heartbreaking how he doesn't see his significance as a member of the group—as the group's core.

all these stills of nano building the tent, helping the members, etc, illustrate his importance to the group. to me, he enhances each member's charms. he brings them to the spotlight. he helps clear the mist clouding them so that people can see MARS in all of their glory.

however, i do realise that nano is struggling with self-confidence. he doesn't know if he could ever make it without MARS. he's unsure if he could ever exist just as nano and not nano of MARS. he feels like a shadow underneath the members' feet. he doesn't feel he holds any importance.

nano reflects po. nano parallels the old po.

it's a beautiful parallelism—these two broken hearts were just afraid of disappointment. of uncertainty. of grief. of incompetence. of falling apart.

but i'm so thankful that po steps up to help nano realise that he's important—he's the heart and soul of MARS. with his portrayal of honesty from past experience, I love how sincere and raw po's words are. i surely believe it's everything nano needed.

(and i absolutely love how nano and po are wearing the same shade of yellow, indicating that both of them experienced similar scenarios. i think po will be nano's favourite phi in the future. he'll emotionally lean on po the most because po understood him through and through. it's so sweet T_T)

i think it's also healing po emotionally. he has finally confronted his past emotional trauma by indirectly talking about it to nano. it must've been tough to share a part of our utmost vulnerability with someone, but I'm glad po was strong enough to make a truce with everything he experienced in the past and helped nano see just how important he's to MARS. thank you, po <3

i love that MARS finally feels complete now—they finally feel like a family again.

even if the future is uncertain, at least they have each other to lean on (I'm just going to cry in the corner when that time comes...) and nano being in the centre? that's MARS's heart and soul right there. <3

3. thame and po — one step closer, 5 cm

finally, thame and po are physically close.

episodes 1 to 4 did an amazing job of showing us how thame and po build their emotional closeness through heart-to-heart talks, helping each other out, eating sandwiches together, remembering one's phone number, etc. thame and po are already close without thame realising, without po thinking.

i'm obsessed with how thame's deepest feelings now overboil once it's constantly triggered by the idea of jun and po's ambiguous connection in his eyes. i think it's how most of us realise our first crush on someone—the intensity, and the confusion are somewhat daunting. but again, I'm glad pepper was there for thame to understand his feelings—and jun was there for po to doubt if it was ever true.

this shot is INSANE.

my heart really skipped a beat. really.

i think it's because thame initiated this touch and it was the first time that they've ever touched this intimately (at the waist—in my head it's one of the most intimate places to touch) and it was after he made a move to understand his boggling feelings for po—

(distant screaming and screeching)

the shock and happiness and yearning and intimacy is just SCRUMPTUOUS I'm honestly jumping off—

just the notion of thame finally coming to terms with his emotions—finally understanding that he likes po and he likes everything about po and it makes sense now is just gorgeous.

the happiness on thame's face... my heart is aching. i hope he'll be happy for a long time.

(AND THE HUG! THE HUG! instead of holding po's hand, thame hugged po. i like the idea that they are chest to chest, heart to heart, listening to the sync beat of their thundering hearts, realising that oh, I like phi po. ph, phi po likes me too. INSANE INSANE THAME I SWEAR THIS IS THE START OF A HAPPIER JOURNEY FOR YOU DON'T WORRY LOVE PO LOVES YOU AND YOU LOVE PO AND THAT'S ENOUGH)

but...

what will happen next week? are we finally getting pepper's (devastating) story arc? and what's up with the heartbreaking tension between po and thame? and why are we getting jun's "between phi and thame, it's impossible" next week? I'M NOT EVEN MENTALLY SANE TO TAKE IT—

*jumps off* *crying* *screaming* i don't know anymore.

[leapingbadger]

One of Us

This is a gift for @lonewolflupe for the @galactic-gift-gathering. A bit of Bad Batch downtime fluff. I hope you like it!

This will likely be my last gift, but I've loved writing for these prompts and seeing what everyone else came up with. Thanks so much to the organizers for putting this together! hope to take part again next year!

Beautiful Batch banner by @blackseafoam

Read on AO3

“No, I do not think it should go there, Echo.” Tech said pointedly.

“Give it to me,” Crosshair said, snatching the brush out of his new brother’s hand.

“Crosshair, it was my turn.” Tech protested with a scowl.

“Actually, it was mine,” Echo’s deep voice said as he watched the commotion with a wry smile.

“You take too long, Reg. Look, there…”

“No, you did it wrong, give it to me.” Tech said, leaning over his brother’s arm, reaching for his right hand and the brush clasped hard within it.

“Get off me,” Crosshair hissed, his left knee kicking out at his brother’s ribs to keep him at bay.

“If you bite me again, Crosshair I promise you will not be prepared for the consequences.” Tech spat.

“Fella’s, Theres plenty of time. Tech, get off of Cross. Cross, give Echo back the brush. It’s his armor, it can look how he wants.”

Tech settled back on the floor with a huff, adjusting his goggles that had been pushed sideways on his face. Crosshair reluctantly handed the paint brush back to Echo, his scowling face not leaving Hunter’s gaze. Echo gave the Sergeant an appreciative nod as he methodically carried on with his task.

The Marauder had been covered in pots of paint and pieces of wet armor for the last few hours. Clone Force 99 had been waiting for their new orders after their second successful mission as a squad of five. Hunter grinned as he watched his brothers clustered on the grated floor, dabbing at bits of plastoid.

The requisition had finally come in for Echo’s new and improved armor. With some suggestions from Tech and quite a bit of tinkering, the plastoid fit perfectly around his cybernetic enhancements, if you could call them that. The white armor of the GAR, however, wouldn’t really work with the squad’s aesthetic, which Crosshair had been quick to point out.

“You look like a reg.” he had said, hand on his hip, toothpick hanging languidly in the corner of his mouth.

“I am a reg, Crosshair.” Echo said calmly, looking down at the shiny white armor.

“Not anymore,” he said, reaching into a storage compartment on the ship, removing a small pot, and smearing a large black stain on the chest of the brand-new armor.

“Was that really necessary?” Echo asked, his large amber eyes rolling in frustration.

Crosshair smirked and handed him the paint, “yes.” He said, before collapsing into a nearby chair.

It hadn’t taken much convincing for the rest of the brothers to get involved. All offering their advice on design ideas.

“How about a giant skull in the middle of your chest. ‘Cos you faced death and survived,” Wrecker said enthusiastically.

“Erm,” Echo started before being interrupted by Tech.

“I do not think Echo needs a giant skull to remind him of his ordeal, Wrecker.”

“Yeah, that’d be like Tech having a datapad painted on his chest,” Crosshair said sarcastically.

“And what would you have? A toothpick?” Tech said with a sideways look to his silver haired brother.

Hunter chuckled before his brothers rounded on him.

“What about Hunter?” Wrecker asked with a smile.

“Hunter has already fully committed to the squad by having our emblem tattooed on his face. Anything more and it may come off as parody,” Tech said seriously.

“Or stupidity,” Cross followed up.

“Need I remind you, Cross, that you were planning on getting the same tattoo on the opposite side of your face, until you backed out at the last minute?” Hunter teased.

“Only ‘cos I saw how stupid it looked on you.” The youngest brother spat.

“It’s better than the stick and poke you ended up with.” Hunter said with a chuckle.

Crosshair crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, heat climbing to his cheeks.

“Aw, you’ve hurt his feelings now,” Wrecker called from the far end of the ship.

“Grow up, Wrecker.” Crosshair hissed.

“Aw do you need a hug from Lula to cheer you up?” Wrecker asked teasingly, on his feet with his tooka doll in his shovel sized fist.

“Get away from me with that. I don’t need a doll.” Crosshair said, hands up in defense as his enormous brother tiptoed around the pots of paint to smash the toy in his brother’s face.

“I told you. She’s. A. Stuffy.” Wrecker said with a chuckle, smacking Crosshair across the face with every punctuated word.

Hunter stole a look at Echo, giving him an apologetic shrug as his brothers descended into chaos. After a quick mele, a few knocked over pots of paint and Hunter threatening to trap them in binders together until they sorted things out, Wrecker and Crosshair settled back on the floor to finish up the final touch ups on their armor.

They looked comfy in their blacks and he smiled thinking back to their time as cadets and the late night slumber parties they’d have after lights out, blankets spread over their room to make a fort, string lights Wrecker had made suspended from a pully system of Tech’s own invention. Hunter would smuggle snacks from the mess while Tech read them stories he’d found on the holonet.

“I need the red,” Wrecker barked from the far end near the gunner’s mount, “who’s got the red?”

“Here you go.” Echo said, putting on the lid and throwing it like a thermal detonator down the end of the ship.

Wrecker caught it easily in one hand and started dabbing and the blood red of his helmet, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth as he did so.

“Do ya think I should add some blood on the teeth?” Wrecker asked the room at large.

“I do not think you need to strive to look any more intimidating than you already do. A separatist wet himself at the site of you a few days ago.” Tech said seriously, but there was a twinkle in his eye.

Hunter chuckled and finally sat down between Crosshair and Echo, the former shifting away, likely harboring resentment that Hunter would pay for later.

Echo held up his chest plate, running his hand over the black paint tentatively. He lunged to his left to take the white paint from Tech. His left hand hung suspended over the right side of the plate.

“Need a hand?” Hunter asked quietly.

Echo smiled, casting a quick look at the other brothers, momentarily distracted by the red paint spilling dangerously close to Lula.

“Quick, move her, move her” Wrecker cried, leaning over Tech to get to her in time.

“Thanks” Echo said looking embarrassed “…it…ah…I’m not really left-handed…” he said, a faint pink stain coloring his sharp cheekbones.

Hunter smiled and took the chest plate, “Don’t worry about it. I painted the other skulls too.” He said with a nod to his brothers’ armor littering the ship.

Echo grinned, “I guess it makes sense that you’re the resident skull expert with the…ah…tattoo…”

Hunter shrugged, unashamed, “I drew it when we were cadets. I just kind of stuck, I guess.” He said.

“What about the 99?” Echo asked, curiosity finally getting the best of him, “did you know him?”

Hunter closed his eyes and sighed, smiling as he thought about his older brother. “Yeah, we knew him. He…ah…kind of adopted us…kept an eye on us, when he could. You know. He was like that. Kind.”

Echo smiled back, “Yeah, I know. I fought with him. I watched him…I was with him. When he died.”

Hunter’s eyes flicked to the others before boring into Echo’s amber gaze. “I know.” he said quietly, dabbing gently at the armor as he completed his first pass at the white skull. “I read the report. After he died.” He felt his shoulders slump and tried to pull them back, to pull himself back from the memories.

“How’d you get hold of that? I thought all reports on the attack on Kamino were sealed?” Echo said, his voice full of admiration.

Hunter chuckled and nodded to his brother, “there’s nothing Tech can’t get into. We… we needed to know. ‘Cos we weren’t here to help, you know. We were off world. Training.”

Echo nodded his understanding.

Hunter took a deep breath and Echo paused, perhaps expecting some deep, emotional revelation but he just blew on the white paint on the armor before handing it back to his new brother.

“Want to add anything else?” he asked.

Echo paused, resting the chest plate on his scomp and running his left hand over the left side.

“I dunno, maybe a handprint?”

“A handprint?” Hunter asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion.

Echo laughed, “it’s a throwback from my first mission. Rex put a handprint of eel blood on my armor to make a point. I kept it. Had him do it with paint when I became an ARC.”

Hunter laughed, “Hey Tech, any idea where Captain Rex is right now?”

Tech adjusted his goggles, putting down his paint brush and picking up his datapad, never too far from his hand.

“Hmm…It appears he is on a classified assignment with General Skywalker.”

Echo smiled, “It doesn’t matter. Maybe you should do it.” he said, offering his chest plate back to Hunter.

The Sergeant stiffened, taking hold of it tentatively. “Are you sure? I’m no Captain Rex” he said.

“You got that right!” Crosshair hissed.

“Hey, be nice” Wrecker said with a playful bonk to his youngest brother’s shoulder from the back of the ship, Lula crammed into the neck of his blacks to keep her away from the paint.

“You’re my new boss. Makes sense to me” he said with a shrug.

Hunter looked back into Echo’s eyes, they seemed to glow in the low light of the ship, impossibly so. Hunter took off his right glove, carefully painting the palm of his hand in red paint and kneeling in front of the chest plate on the floor.

The other brothers had stopped what they were doing to watch, and Hunter felt their eyes on him. He looked up at Echo one last time before turning the chest plate over and placing his handprint on the inside.

“What are you doing?” Echo asked as Hunter used his left hand to press down on his right.

“Saving room for the Captain” he said quietly, pulling away his hand to reveal a blood red print, “it’ll be the best of both worlds. You can have Rex do it when we see him next.”

Echo picked up the armor and looked at it closely. “I like that idea,” he said, handing the chest plate to Tech and reaching to shake Hunter’s hand. “Thanks, Sarg.”

“Welcome to the Squad, Echo.” he said.

[wangxianficrecs]

Follower Recs

~*~

opening lives like lockets

by QueenWithABeeThrone (@piratekenway)

T, 8k, Wangxian

Summary: “I bet you could do better,” said Nie Huaisang. “I know I could,” Wei Wuxian said. “I could run a museum better than anyone else. Who else would be best at it? I’m smart and hot and immortal and a living witness to a shitton of things and I wouldn’t do something incredibly stupid like put cursed artifacts in the same room, my god, remember that?”

~*~

cascade：只缘身在此山中

by auberjing (@wrecklwj)

T, 5k, Wangxian

Summary: “Lan-laoshi, ah,” Wei Ying says. He's smiling now, a watery smile, but a real one. “Being in your class, hearing you read the four classics aloud… it had a calming effect on me. I'll never forget what you did for me. It's actually why I went into teaching, you know. I hoped that someday, I might be like you. And then I’d be able to do the same, to help all of the other kids like me. Or: Lan Qiren is initially dismayed to learn that a former disruptive student of his will be starting at his school as a teacher. He doesn’t expect the gamut of emotions that follows when he discovers the real reason.

~*~

Heart Like Mine

by nekojita

T, 42k, Wangxian & Ningxian (?) (Ningxian might be mistagged)

Part of the MDZS Big Bang 2024

Summary: With Wen Ruohan is interested in Wei Wuxian due to his talent with talismans, Gusu Lan and Yunmeng Jiang agree to an arranged marriage between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian to prevent Qishan Wen from growing more powerful (while there is still a threat of war looming). Things get off to the usual rocky start, with Lan Wangji and much of Gusu Lan (except for the younger Lans) looking down on Wei Wuxian. This disapproval eventually leads to a situation where Wei Wuxian is framed for a crime by Su Mishan and friends and is punished by the discipline whip and seclusion in the Cold Pond Cave. A cave that holds more than one secret that will impact Cloud Recesses and the Jianghu's future.

~*~

Hello Darlin' Nice to See You It's Been a Long Time

by Alwritey87 (@alwritey87)

T, 4k, Wangxian

Part of Juniors Quartet Gotcha for Gaza

Summary: “This one is Er-HeiZi.” The black bunny wiggled out of the boy's arms and jumped squarely on her lap. Laughing, she picked it up, cuddling it close to her chest. The rabbit was inordinately friendly, eager for her attention. "And what about you?" Jiang Yanli moved Er-Heizi to one arm so she could straighten the Lan child's collar. "This one is Lan Yuan." Lan Yuan. Yuan. A-Yuan. What were the chances?

~*~

A Devil's Revenge

by VyKa21

T, 15k, Wangxian & Chengyao & Xuexuan

Summary: Mò - None / Nothing / Nobody Mó - Devil What happens when a nobody in the cultivation world decides he's gonna be the bad guy everyone thinks he is anyway? [A person is never wholly good or bad, all of us know that. But if the colours the world paints them in make them a devil, there’s nothing much else to be done about it. They could bear the slander and die in shame. Or they could pick up the stick society handed to them and take revenge. Not in blood and bones necessarily, no. But one can have the last laugh. There’s so many devils in this world. What’s one more?]

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for these hard-working authors if you like – or think others might like – these stories.)

[old-fandom]

HELLO! I HAVE AN ESTABLISHED TEEN STANCEST IDEA!

Idk what I would call this but basically, it's "Ford is part of a DD&MD group with a bunch of other asshole losers who basically use Ford for his basement and Stan is the stupid but hot twin brother that the guys all talk made shit about both sexually and bullying wise. Ford is pissed about it."

Basically, Ford is invited into a group at high school with a bunch of other outcast losers who decide to let Ford join because he has a basement they can use to play. They used the play at another guys house but their mom kicked them out after they broke one of her coffee tables wrestling over a dice roll. Ford, for the first time, finally has a group of guys that he could call his friends. These "friends" are assholes. They're comic book snobs and misogynistic white knights and anti-deodorant wearing teenager boys. Think incel but less "I want to kill women" and more "I am smarter than everyone here due to my impressive and ultra rare card binder and everyone else is a poser if you don't know this trivia fact!" But none the less, Ford is accepted into the fold. He's able to actually play the game, or at least, be DM, which he doesn't mind! In fact, he likes being in charge. He's still a little shy but he's slowly cracking out of his shell, being less cagey and more open with jabbing back at the others taunts and even being able to continue the flow of conversation effortlessly. He's able to be nerdly aggressive where his threats, his taunts, his nerdy accomplishments that aren't academic are recognized and envied over. It kind of works for the group and Ford is happy.

Except for one thing.

They all have a thing for Stanley.

And Ford hates that they have a thing for Stanley.

Stanley is perfectly happy with Ford having a friend group, especially one that lets him nerd out to the max. He usually doesn't bother them when they're over, either because he doesn't want to be around that much nerdiness or because the smell shuns him away. But this doesn't mean he hasn't gone down there before.

The first time he went down there, it was to tell Ford that Ma wanted him to take a look at the telephone before he went to bed. She thinks one of the wires is loose again and he might need to fix it. Ford says he will and Stan leaves. That's when the comments start up.

They start jaunting about his wit, asking Ford what it's like to have a dumb jock for a brother. Ford defends Stan, saying he's more than just a dumb jock. In fact, he's not really a jock at all, he just likes boxing. But it doesn't stop the conversation. They start sharing stories about Stans exploits around school, whether it be one of his infamous fights with the Cramplter gang or him being so atrociously stupid in class that the teacher walked out. It finally breaks off once someone rolls a Nat 20 and the campaign continues.

But it doesn't stop completely.

Every time Stanly comes down for something, either to tell Ford something, bring the group snacks that their Ma made for them (swiping one for himself), grabbing something for his Pa to sell, or really anything, the group always starts talking about Stanley. And it makes Ford blood boil. He'll defend him alright, and he'll make their campaign a fucking nightmare for everything they've said, but he's scared to really do something. This is the first friend group he's ever had and he doesn't wanna lose it, even though something in him tells him that he'd be better off without them talking shit about Stanley every time he comes down.

Then the faithful day happens when Stan comes down after a shower, no shirt on, hair wet, wearing a part of dolphin shorts as it's the middle of summer. He's down there grabbing a drink from Ford's DD&MD group snack tray. They took the last of the Pit Cola and he'd be damned if he didn't get one. So he does and leaves without really saying anything, unaware of the eyes staring at him all the way.

Ford braces himself for the onslaught of his brother but nothing. The group continues the game like nothing happened. And Ford is excited because maybe they've finally gotten it together, seen that Stan really isn't just those things, he is so much more. He's kind hearted and compassionate, he's artistic and business smart, he's hands on and crafty, he's strong and hunky and good looking and so so sexy and - Ford has to shake his head. Now is not the time to get a boner.

Ford's Ma calls him in the middle of the game for something and he has to leave them for a second. When he comes back and over hears the group talking about Stan but it's not about how stupid he looks - it's about how slutty he is. He stops on the stairs and listens in.

He hears them make incredibly inappropriate remarks about his brother, about what he must look like on his knees, wishing that they put the drinks on the ground so he would have to bend all the way over in those shorts to get it, that if it weren't for his body, he'd be a waste of air. They joke about having sex with them, calling him slurs, doing things to him that Ford knows first hand Stan does not like to do. They talk about his chub, how they mock him for being fat, but hey, at least he has nice tits. They go on and on about it, unaware of the simmering Ford up the stairs. After hearing enough, Ford finally comes down, making them all unaware that he had been listening in on them for 10 minutes.

That session becomes the hardest, most brutal session, where Ford successfully kills all of their characters off. The guys get pissed at Ford, saying he did that shit on purpose, and Ford answers back that they're lucky it was only their characters he killed off and not the real people behind them, especially after those comments. They get into a fight, the guys saying that Ford shouldn't be wasting his time defending a stupid whore like Stanley, he'd only leave and hold back Ford. Ford finally snaps when one the guys mentions how easy it would be to get with Stanley, no matter what.

Ford ends up fist fighting the guys, beating the shit out of each other, breaking and ruining their game, destroying their papers and character sheets and models. His Pa ends up coming down stairs after hearing the commotion and kicks the guys out, telling them they aren't welcome back until they can pay for the broken table. They scramble and Ford is given a talking to about picking better people to hangout with and to clean up the mess.

Ford goes down stairs to find Stan already down there, going over the mess, still in his shorts and no shirt. Ford, still high on adrenaline, runs smack dab into Stanley, pushing him up against the wall and making out with him. Stan has no idea what spurred him on though he does have an inkling. He pushes Ford back just enough to ask him about the fight, seeing how Ford does have bruises on his knuckles.

Ford tells him it wasn't important, that they weren't all that much fun anyway, he'd rather spend his time with Stanley anyway. Stanley doesn't protest too much, and they end up having sex in the basement before cleaning up the mess.

Later that night, Ford does properly take Stan to bed, making love to him and showering him in praise and acceptance. Stan lets him.

He knew going down their in those shorts would cause a stir, he just didn't know it would go so far into his favor.

[tobiasdrake]

Dragon Ball Daima 01x13 - Surprise

And we're back. I think episode 12 was probably the halfway point for the series?

And holy shit. This is just gonna be non-stop bitching 'cause this is hands-down the worst episode of Dragon Ball Daima. I genuinely cannot imagine a worse episode than this existing.

This is worse than that time Gomah and Degesu spent half an episode watching Dragon Ball Z and nerding out over how much better of a show it was.

This guy's so fucking screwed. Gomah's never been a credible opponent, and now he's got both Dr. Arinsu and the Dragon Team gunning for him.

Degesu's reaction to shutting down Warp-sama is surprising. He legit acts like this is the most unthinkably vile thing anyone's ever done.

There's a bit of metaphysical whiplash going on here where it's like.

Oh shit! They're gonna, like, attack Warp-sama or kidnap Warp-sama or--

Oh, no. Warp-sama's just a machine. There's a switch in the basement they can use to turn Warp-sama on or off with at any time. It's fine.

BUT turning Warp-sama off is, like, the most heinous thing ever. Like, even for a bunch of fascists in the demon world, THIS is a bridge too far. How DARE.

Neva over here still trying to make krakens seem menacing after we already beat one's ass last episode.

It's fine. He never opens his eyes so he might not have seen that.

Yeah, crashing makes sense. Popping into Makai #2 just to grab the Dragon Ball and then skedaddling did seem a bit too easy. We already visited the former home of the Namekians. This is gonna be the former home of the Glind, then?

Yeah, but we've defeated two Tamagami. I think we'll be fine.

Bulma and Pansy nerding out about tech together is the best part of this episode. I haven't even finished the episode yet as I say this. I just know nothing's gonna top this.

^_^

The mega-hamsters are adorable and I kind of love them. XD But also they're only a threat because Vegeta's the only one actually willing to fight them.

I really hope this is going somewhere because we're halfway through the episode and this detour has, so far, been utterly inconsequential.

A "stranded in bear country" type episode generally serves the purposes of forcing a small number of characters into a tight situation where they'll have to interact with one another, building their dynamic with each other or forging one anew.

But we have the entire cast stranded in bear country and all we're doing is walking around going, "Sure is bear country around here."

Man, they really do think "what if things were very big" is in and of itself, interesting enough to carry an entire episode premise.

Over two minutes of this episode is just watching this kid sit down and have lunch while everyone goes "OH MY GOD IT EATS LUUUUUUUUUNCH!?!?!?!?"

Toei. You do not have a manga to keep pace with. You do not need to insert filler.

Just punch it really hard, Goku.

Thanks, Vegeta. You're the only character not pretending to be threatened by this stupid filler plot, and I appreciate you for that.

Sure, that might as well happen.

I mean, you're using 0.25% of your speed right now, and also you can teleport. But sure.

(sigh) Do I even need to say it?

Goku is choosing to lose this altercation.

At least Vegeta's kicking things up to a Super Saiyan form. He's not faring much better but, like, I can believe he's actually trying to win. That's what's important. It's not about the results, it's about selling the idea that this character is committed to the task that they're doing.

I dunno. Maybe you should just teleport and not be in this situation.

Maybe you should just teleport and not be in this situation.

God, we had a whole episode re-establishing Goku's ability to teleport and everything. This is literally the one and only character in the entire cast who can't be put in predicaments like this.

And now he's free-falling into a bag while screaming for his life.

This character who can both fly and teleport is trapped in free-fall and screaming for his life.

And it all culminates in a desperate last second dive to save Goku from being crushed, because he refuses to teleport out of IDK sportsmanship or whatever.

This is so boring. It's the first episode of Daima I actually had to force myself to finish because it was unwatchably bad. Absolutely nothing happened. We got lost in bear country and then proceeded to be menaced by bears because we forgot how our powers work.

This would fit right in as an episode of Dragon Ball GT. The first arc, were Trunks has to go Super Saiyan to lift some breaks and everyone keeps forgetting how to fly. That's how bad this is.

[pistol-grippump]

Stability is something I really admire, I really would appreciate to experience the understanding of being able to comfortably exist. Something I feel that I personally struggle with is definitely boundaries and simple thinking. I am always interested in the psychology behind people who don't have extremely in depth thoughts about nearly everything, I don't say this in a way where I'm trying to make it sound like I think my thoughts are superior or some shit.

I kind of wonder about this a lot, like how exactly other people think; this is probably the reason I enjoy reading Dylan and Eric's writing so much. While there isn't a lot of material (not as much as I would want, anyways.) it still gives you a bit of insight on their personalities beyond the guns n shooting n overall being a profile of violence.

I know this is wondered a lot but I always wonder what their last thoughts were before dying, which is generic of course but none of us are dead yet, so none of us have really had "ultimate" thoughts. I feel like that's something I'll think about when I do it? I'll think about what my last thought would be.

I don't think it'd be so much about family or feeling bad (except for the cleanup guy. Maybe don't choose that profession then I guess.)

Coming close to suicide multiple times has always given me a sort of idea where my mind would be, like the general field of thought I would be in, which is almost always afterlife. I personally don't care so much about religion, as said before. Like I know I'm not about to meet "god" or higher power; I just want to understand whether or not there is anything after? Unless it's just straight reincarnation, in that case, you just cycle through the universe millions and millions of times until the sun explodes or something.

Whenever I think about this, I always get some sort of idea that I'm definitely right. Like my predictions are definitely on point, because why else would I think it? Unless I know something everyone doesn't? My mind is complicated I think. I just want some sort of release. It just kind sucks because I'll have to wait a couple days short of exactly a year from now.

I kinda already had a plan for it, whether or not it's classified as cringe is up to anyone else but I truly believe in spiritual connection towards the people I envy (Dylan, upon a couple others) and not that I expect to meet him in some sort of afterlife or anything but the way I plan to go about it might leave me with a better understanding of something. I don't exactly know what I would understand with how I ideally want my suicide to play out but I guess we'll get there when we get there.

I want a different understanding of myself that I'm not convinced I can grasp by simply living and waiting to see the day I have a "moment of clarity" because I frankly don't find the idea of that to be realistic at all. I think there's a reason I feel like this and I'm not necessarily mad about it, but having no closure towards it other than guessing it's for a "reason" is a bit depressing. It just feels like everything is nonstop or never ending, like if I don't die on my own terms, I just never will. That's always somehow been a fear of mine? I know nobody lives forever but sometimes I think I'm special, that unless I'm dead at the exact date that came to me, I might be the one that lives forever.

I mentioned this in my last rant about shooting but I notice that more often than not in the recent years, I almost always have some sort of god complex or belief that I'm some sort of "chosen one" and of course, it's beyond being in the presence of firearms. To clarify, what I meant in my last post was that i feel that way without fail every time I pick one up, which I think is quite reasonable.

Having a gun in your hands is definitely a possibility and opportunity to play god so it's not like that's just some weird columfag kinnie thing.

Above all else, suicide is definitely a release process. I entirely believe that suicide is meant for some people, like that's how they were meant to die. I don't understand the concept of suicide being an evil act or selfish or anything above since it's undoubtedly an escape, more people should fkn realize that of all things.

I also believe that it's one way to fix "unfixable" people. Like people who don't or for whatever reason, don't have the capacity to change their genuinely horrific mindset or can't live with themselves? I think it's okay. I think a lot of people just want to live comfortably and happily which most people don't seem to experience.

Whatever. I don't really have anything else to say without basically encouraging it, which I don't see as a bad thing under the right circumstances, but I'll also just end up repeating myself. Which I'm already pretty worried I do.

[click4rainy]

Hiiii I’d like to request a Johnny/Fem!reader like they’re in a relationship, and she’s been getting hate online bc she’s chubby and it’s starting affect her self confidence and Johnny does NOT let that slide!! Like so much fluff and angst (and perhaps even smut too)

Ugh I love the vision of Johnny Cage with a chubby girl!!!

In love with every curve

👽: I love this idea lots. Like yeah you’re right…he WOULDN’T let that slide... (He’s so golden retriever coded— UGHHHH//Not proof read, i’m messy 💀😩)

🖇️: Johnny Cage x F!ChubbyReader fic

⚠️:NSFW, attempted angst, self deprecation, fluff, body worship, some titty play, thigh riding, a bit of finger fucking, face riding, super sappy—cutesy, lovey-dovey happy ending :)

★ It started as little comments. You brushed them off because, hey, not everyone can like you. You knew that. But over time, the snide remarks, the cruel messages—they stuck.

★ “Why is Johnny with her?,” “She’s a bit chubby for him, isn’t she?,” “Imagine being her and knowing your boyfriend could do better.”

★ You used to laugh at them, rolling your eyes and scrolling past. But lately, it felt like those words were weaving themselves into your thoughts. Every mirror you passed felt like a reminder. You started wearing baggier clothes, pulling at the fabric around your stomach when you thought no one was looking.

★ Johnny noticed. Of course he noticed.

★ It was subtle at first. But he began to see how you hesitated before posting photos together, or how you covered up even when it was just the two of you. He’d catch you frowning at your reflection, smoothing your hand over your sides with a sigh you thought was silent.

★ And Johnny didn’t like that. Not one bit.

★ One evening, you were sitting on the couch, scrolling through your phone when Johnny plopped down next to you, dramatically throwing his arm around your shoulders.

★ “Hey, babe, look at this,” he said, holding up his phone with a grin. It was a selfie the two of you had taken at the beach last weekend. You thought you looked awful. But Johnny? He was beaming at it like it was a masterpiece.

★ “Ugh, Johnny. I don’t even know why you posted that,” you muttered, tugging your sleeve over your hand. “I look so…”

★ His head snapped toward you. “So?”

★ You chewed on your bottom lip, eyes fixed on the floor. “I just… I don’t get it. Everyone’s right. You could have anyone, Johnny. And instead, you’re stuck with me.”

★ Silence.

★ Johnny gently pried the phone from your hand and set it aside. His warm hands cupped your cheeks, tilting your head up so you couldn’t look anywhere but at him. His eyes, usually so playful and teasing, were soft but serious.

★ “First of all, stuck with you?” he repeated, like he couldn’t believe the words even came out of your mouth. “Sweetheart, I chose you. Every day. I choose you. And if you think for one second that a couple of faceless people online know better than I do about the woman I love, we’re gonna have a problem.”

★ Your eyes burned, but you tried to blink it away.

★ Johnny’s hands slipped from your cheeks to your waist, his fingers pressing gently into your sides. “You know what I see when I look at you? I see the person who makes me laugh until my sides hurt. The person who steals all the blankets but makes up for it by cuddling into me. The woman who looks so damn good in every outfit that I literally lose focus sometimes.” He smirked at that, squeezing your waist just a little.

★ You let out a soft, shaky laugh. “You’re just saying that.”

★ “Hey, hey... look at me, baby.” His deep voice was low and earnest, filled with a conviction that couldn’t be denied. “I'm not just saying this shit, okay? I fucking mean it. Every word.”

•••

★ “You know what your curves do to me. I love every inch of you.” He presses a kiss to your temple. “People cant stand a perfect match that was made in heaven. They’re jealous baby, they wish so baddd that they were us, that they had a happy, loving relationship…”

★ A soft, uneven breath leaves your lips as you feel your shoulders relax, unable to stop yourself from melting into his embrace. “You think so…?”

★ “I know so. With every fiber of my being, Princess,” Johnny murmured, voice low and sincere. “I'm fucking crazy about you. Don't let anyone ever make you doubt that.”

★ To prove his point, Johnny stood up and swept you up and into his arms, carrying you towards the bedroom. Swiftly kicking the door shut behind you two before sitting at the edge of the bed with you in his lap.

★ He pulled you flush against him, crushing those soft curves to his harder planes while wrapping his arms around you possessively.

★ Johnny’s eyes roam over your face, taking in every delicate feature he had grown to worship. Those hypnotic eyes of yours. Your full, pouty lips that tasted like heaven.

★ His thumb brushed over your plump bottom lip, feeling the softness and warmth. Fuck, he wanted to devour your mouth, to kiss away every ounce of doubt and insecurity.

•••

★ “Mmmh,” he rumbled, stroking your hair soothingly. “You can’t let those fuckers get to you. They’re just bitter, pathetic assholes who can’t handle a real woman like you. A woman with a heart and a body made for loving and fucking.”

★ He began to kiss down your neck, sucking and nipping at your pulse point. “You hear me, baby? You’re perfect. You’re mine. And I’ll spend every goddamn day reminding you if I have to.”

★ “Johnny...” you breathed out, as if you were about to downplay your feelings, flustered but arching into his touch, you were softly cut off.

★ “No.” Johnny murmured, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. “I love every goddamn curve and roll on this sexy body,”he growls, sliding his hands down to grope your plush ass. “You’re stacked in all the right places, and I fucking love it.”

★ He started up his kisses again, trailing them along the column of your neck, down your collarbone, taking his time to taste you, to savor you.

★ “Tell me that you know how gorgeous you are, baby. Tell me that you knowww how crazy you make me,” Johnny softly commands—or maybe it was a plea… “Come on princess...” he adds, his tone dripping with affection

★ you stiffened, feeling almost uncomfortable at his gentle demand. “I-I…” you couldn’t convince yourself still, despite the onslaught of affection and reassurance, your eyes dart away from his in slight embarrassment.

★ Johnny could see the uncertainty still lingering in your eyes, the self doubt… He refused to let it stand, refused to allow you to feel anything less than the goddess you were.

•••

★ “So, you're being shy now, huh?” He softly teases, his hands starting to roam more eagerly, exploring every dip and curve of your luscious figure. He squeezed your thighs, relishing the way they gave under his touch. Letting his fingers dance up your waist, skimming the sides of your breasts before cupping the mounds in his palms.

★ He groaned, kneading the supple flesh and feeling your nipples stiffen against his touch. “You know, these tits? perfect for me. I mean, the way they fill my hands just right…and the way they bounce when I fuck you hard and deep, mmh, baby im getting hard just thinking about it. He leans down to capture one peak into his mouth, gently biting through the thin fabric of your night shirt. “Mmmh, so soft too…”

★ He tugged your top off and over your head, tossing it aside before unclasping your bra effortlessly. Johnny paused to admire your full breasts, a smirk playing at his lips. “Fuck, sweetheart...”

★ Leaning down again, he latched back onto your tit, taking it between his lips, sucking greedily and swirling his tongue around the sensitive peak, feeling it pebble and harden even further. The sensation making you shudder in his lap.

★ “Tell me that you’re a pretty girl.” Johnny tried to coax again, pressing a soft kiss to your flushed nipple. “Tell me, baby…tell me you’re my pretty girl.” He corrected as he brought his hand up to your other breast, pinching your nipple hard enough to elicit a reaction.

★ You let out a small yelp, “I-I’m a pretty girl—” You softly whine, grinding against him, yoir face absolutely flushed.

★ “Hmm?” He murmured in feint concern, lightly smacking your tit before going back to pinching the sensitive button. “Ahaa~ I’m your pretty girl—!” You cry out, your hips bucking down onto his lap, seeking any kind of friction for relief.

★ “That’s fucking right you are…” he hums in satisfaction, your desperate bucking not going unnoticed, he shifts you, placing you on his left leg, both your thighs engulfing it. His hands made way to either side of your waist, slowly pressing you down to give you a taste that friction you oh so desired….

•••

★ Gripping your hips tighter, he started to grind you harder onto his muscular thigh, feeling the heat radiating from your core, even through the layers of both your clothing, made him groan with want.

★ Your head tilts back slightly, eyes unfocused, lips parted in pleasure as you hump his leg, a small moan leaving your lungs. It was the most beautiful thing he had the privilege of witnessing—of partaking in.

★ “You’re fucking gorgeous, baby…so goddamn sexy and perfect,” he purred, his voice dripping with lust. “God—i love you, and these hips. I could just eat you up.”

★Johnny slid a hand back up your side, his fingertips tracing your ribs before cupping the weight of your breast in an all too familiar manner. He squeezed the plump mound, kneading roughly as he pinched and rolled your stiff nipple between his fingers all over again.

★ You gasped, your back arching into his touch, shamelessly grinding yourself further onto his leg. Your pussy was practically begging and buzzing for more.

★ “That’s it, baby…get yourself off using daddy’s thigh.” Johnny encouraged with a low chuckle. “Ride it just like that, you naughty girl.”

★ You barely nod as you obeyed, your thighs clenching around his leg as you rutted against him desperately. Johnny couldn’t help but watch, completely entranced. The sight of you chasing your own release like an animal in heat, it made his dick twitch.

•••

★ With a low groan, Johnny slid his hand down from your heaving tits, over your quivering tummy to cup your mound possessively, the damp patch in your panties growing with each passing second.

★ unable to stop himself—he hooks a finger under the drenched lace, tugging it to the side, he runs a finger along your dripping slit. He circled slowly, gathering your juices before plunging a thick finger knuckle deep inside you.

★ “Fucking hell...” Johnny grunted, pumping his finger languidly, savoring the filthy squelch of your pussy while doing so. He curled up just right, stroking that special spot that made you see stars.

★ You shuddered, warmth spreading from your chest to your core. Jesus, it felt soo good, his finger pistoning with abandon, your toes curling as he continued his sensual assault. Your hips bucking with the thrust of his wrist.

★ But, just as soon as it had begun, Johnny pulled his finger out with an obscene pop, your body immediately missing the sensation. You watch him with a pout as he brings his honied finger to his lips. He made a show of sucking your essence from the digit, his eyes never leaving yours.

★ “Delicious…” he purred darkly once he’d cleaned your juices from his finger.

•••

★ His hands gripped the soft globes of your ass firmly, and without a second thought, he was leaning back into the bed, lifting you up and over his face with ease.

★ “Johnny—!?”

★ you were now straddling his shoulders, your cunt perfectly poised over his watering mouth. He gazed up at you, his eyes dark with lust and hunger.

★ “Princess~?” He playfully mocked your tone, settling you more comfortably atop his face. Your thighs making the perfect earmuffs in this position.

★His nose notched the hood of your clit—and you let out a small yip from the contact. But, intrusively, you worried about his comfort. Were you too heavy? Could he breathe? You didn’t wanna bury him alive….

★ He felt you try and hold yourself up, and immediately pinned your thighs back down with a low growl. “Mh-mhh” he murmured a soft scolding into your skin. You weren’t goong anywhere, not on his watch. He was looking to drown between your legs. And he’d die a happy man while doing so.

★ Your fingers tangled in his short brown hair, nails scratching against his scalp as you rut your cunt against his face, practically see-sawing his chin and nose.

★ His cock throbbed almost painfully in his slacks as he licked and sucked at your clit, your flavor exploding on his tongue. Fuck, he really was willing to drown, and the thought only spurred him on, making him press harder, fucking you deeper with his tongue.

★ “Oh god—Johnny!” You mewled, your voice echoing off the walls of the lavish bedroom, unable to control your breathing as it came in short, sharp gasps. Chest heaving while the coil of tension in your belly wound tighter and tighter, you were so close…

★ Johnny’s hips bucked involuntarily as your moans reached a crescendo, your body going rigid against him.

★ With a muffled groan, he came hard in his pants, his vision went white behind closed eyelids. His hips jerked as thick ropes of cum painted the inside of his boxers, the wet heat seeping through the material. He continued to lap at your pussy through his orgasm, practically whimpering as he did so.

★ And then, shortly after, your orgasm came crashing over you. Your pussy clenching around Johnny’s tongue, rippling and spasming as you flooded and gushed into your lovers mouth.

★ You went limp above him. Your thighs falling open as you collapse back onto the bed, chest heaving and skin flushed a deep scarlet. Johnny emerged from between your legs, gasping for air and grinning like the cat that got the cream. He crawled up your body and crashed his mouth against yours, forcing you to taste yourself on his tongue.

★ Johnny moaned in satisfaction, as if you were the finest wine he’d ever tasted.

•••

★ After cleaning up, you nestled into the blankets, still reeling from your orgasm—you had completely forgotten about…what was it that had you upset again…? A small, subconscious smile curled at your lips as you watch Johnny emerge from the bathroom, fresh and clean from the shower you took together. He shook his hair before running his fingers through it.

★ You can’t help but let out a small laugh as he winks at you, clearly pleased with himself. But he doesn’t stop there. “We’re going out.” He simply says, crawling back onto the bed to plant a kiss to your forehead.

★ “What? Johnny, I don’t really feel like—”

★ “Ah-ah!” He holds up a finger, cutting you off dramatically. “Put on something nice—something cute.” His tone was light but left no room argument.

•••

★ Half an hour later, you’re dressed in one of your favorite outfits, and Johnny is decked out in a tailored jacket, he looked you up and down, whistling while opening the door for you. Insisting on driving, of course.

★ During the entire drive he was giving you a running commentary about how fabulous you look. How lucky he was to have you in his life and a list of other genuinely sweet things he swore up and down to be true. And they were.

★ When the car came to a stop, you looked up at the familiar building with questioning look. It was a luxury boutique, the one he took you to on special occasions, specifically.

★ “Here…? But…there’s no—” he was quick to wave off your concern and confusion, already walking to your side to open your door. “No what? Need?” He asks while hooking elbows with you. “Who cares? After feeding me a meal like that—i’ve gotta return the favor, right?”

★ Johnny marches you inside like he owns the place, picking out outfits and accessories that make the staff scramble to keep up. “This? Perfect. This? Even better. Try them all. My treat.” He’s already swiping his card before you can argue, snapping a photo of you in a stunning dress and posting it to his socials with the caption: “It’s too easy loving this woman, I swear. I mean, how can you not? Just look at her.” Followed by three heart eye emojis.

•••

★ Next, he surprises you (again) by taking you to an exclusive rooftop restaurant, the kind with a view so breathtaking it’s almost as good as the food. The table is already set with your favorite drink, courtesy of Johnny’s connections. And the thought he put into this impromptu date really made your heart flutter.

★ He spends the night cracking jokes, telling ridiculous stories about his time on movie sets, and making sure you don’t think about anything except how much fun you’re having.

★ By the time dessert arrives—a towering confection of chocolate and gold leaf—he’s already uploaded another photo of you to his stories, tagging it with: “us after going to pound town ;)”

★ As the night winds down, Johnny leans back in his chair, smirking as he checks his phone. “Look at this—comments are blowing up. Half of them are jealous, the other half are madly in love with you. As expected. We win.”

★ Feeling much better now, you roll your eyes…but can’t help smiling. You truly appreciate his efforts, even if they were a bit…flashy and petty. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?” You say with no real bite.

★ “Ridiculously in love with you,” he quips without missing a beat. Johnny reaches across the table to take your hand, his expression softening just enough to remind you why you fell for him in the first place.

★“And if anyone’s got a problem with that, they can take it up with my PR team.”

👽:🎤I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOUUUUUU🎶

[nethhiri]

Chapter 63: Fate's Wraith

Warnings: Sex, violence, gore

Happy birthday, Eustass Kid! (sorry ya didn't get laid in this chapter)

Seated comfortably in Killer's lap, you were enjoying the party. You were several drinks deep and currently indulging in a rich chocolate cake, your favorite. Killer had made it special for you. Every bite was more sinful than the last. You really wanted to kiss him, but couldn't due to the mask, so you settled for his neck, which was now decorated with a few chocolate smears. He fed you the last piece by hand and you licked the frosting off his fingers, the same way you had done so long ago when you first joined the crew, or were a semi-hostage on the ship, same thing. 

"Why don't ya lick my fingers clean, doll?" Kid held his hand out to you.

You curled your lip. "No thanks. I'm not confident that you wash your hands."

Kid held out his flesh hand. "I wash this one," he said in earnest. 

Something on his finger glinted in the torchlight. You squinted at it. Is that...?  It was the little snake you had made, wrapped around his finger as a ring. Why would he keep that? And why would he turn it into a ring and wear it?! He better not think it's some symbol of being together. Heat rose to your face. That fucking asshole. 

"WHAT IS THAT?" You pointed to it accusingly. "Take that off right now!"

"Hah?! No way! I like it." Kid covered it protectively with his metal hand. "It looks badass."

"You said it looked like a turd!"

"I changed my mind!" Kid retorted. "Is that a crime?" 

"Yes! Take it off!"

"Yer gonna have to pry it from my cold, dead body." Kid sneered.

"I'm gonna kill you worse than I've ever killed anyone before!" 

You got up from Killer's lap and slammed your hands on the table before Killer tugged you back into his lap and pinned you with his arms over your stomach. 

"Do not ruin another dinner for everyone." Killer chided. "You can kill him after everyone's had dessert."

You turned and buried your face in Killer's chest. "But, Killer, he's being sentimental at me." 

"I know, sweetheart. Why don't you have another beer?" Killer waved one of the rookies over to get you one.

Killer would probably regret that suggestion. You did have another beer. And another. And another. And now, you were full on attacking his neck with your mouth. He had gently pushed you off a few times, but had given up. Next, he would have to swat your hands away from wandering. Killer grabbed your wrists and held them. You looked around. Everyone was busy in conversation or passed out already. Kid was in the middle of attempting to wrestle Heat and Wire at the same time. 

"Hey, Kil? I just realized I lost something in the forest earlier. Will you help me find it?"

"You want me to help you search the entire forest right now? At night?"

You put more emphasis on your words. "Yeah. I need you to go in the forest with me to look. It'll only take a few minutes."

"Can't we do it in the morning? We've both had a lot to drink and it's dark. I don't think we'll find it."

You rolled your eyes. "Killer, I'm trying to suck your dick."

"Oh. OH!" Killer quickly got up with you. 

You grabbed his hand and dragged him several feet into the forest. Close enough to the edge where you wouldn't get lost but no one would be able to see or hear. Shoving Killer against the nearest tree, you went straight for his pants, unbuckling them. You bit and kissed his neck while you slipped your hand into his jeans. You sighed smugly against his skin when you found that he was already hard. You stroked him a few times, feeling him grow in your hand. 

"Good boy," you purred. 

Killer whined as you sank down, kissing down his chest and his hip bones. You tugged his jeans down slightly lower so his cock was fully exposed. Wasting no time, you took him in your mouth, bobbing as far down as you could go without gagging. Using your hand, you spread spit down the rest of his shaft so you could jerk him off in time with your mouth. Hearing him moan and his breathing get heavy urged you on. You wanted him to cum so badly, to feel him flood your throat. Your lips tightened around him and pressed your tongue to the underside of his shaft. Every time he moaned it made you suck him off with more fervor. It was so hot hearing him receive pleasure, and that you were making it happen. 

"Fuck, Y/N." Killer gripped your head in his hands, unable to resist fucking your mouth as he got close. "I'm gonna cum. Fuck, I'm gonna cum!"

Killer's hands wove into your hair and pulled on it as he came. You felt his seed, warm and salty hit the back on your throat. It was more than you were expecting and you were a little sloppier than normal. Some of his cum dripped from the corner of your mouth. You wiped it from your face, rising to your feet. Killer was still panting with his head tilted up, putting his dick away. 

Returning to the party, Killer right behind you, no one noticed you had slipped away. Kid, Wire, and Heat were finished wrestling. Kid and Heat were passing something between them, taking a drag of whatever it was each time. You grabbed someone's half-eaten cake and finished it. Wire turned in for bed early. Kid, Killer, Heat, and yourself sat around a bonfire for a while, accompanied by more drinking and joking. Kid and Heat were getting progressively more squirmy. You were deep in conversation with Killer when you were hauled off by Kid, who muttered something about needing to go to bed. Whatever they had smoked had made Kid even more horny than he already was and tasting Killer on your lips only made the situation worse. It took you and Killer both to take care of him. 

It was the middle of the night and your eyes blinked open, full of sleep. There was a soft clearing of the throat and a hand tapping your leg. You stretched and blinked a few more times. The form at the end of the bed was Heat, who, even in the dark, looked uncomfortable. You sat up and crawled closer to him, trying not to wake Killer. Kid wouldn't wake up if you dropped a rock on his head, which you had considered doing once or twice. 

"Heat? What's wrong?" You whispered. 

"Um, did you notice anything weird with Kid?"

"You woke me up to ask about Kid?"

"N-no. I just... I found this herb earlier today that we both smoked. I thought it was Dryad Breath, which gives you a very calming high. I think... it was actually Breedweed, self-explanatory." 

Heat was noticeably covering the front of his pants. As if you hadn't already seen what was underneath. Kid was horny, but Kid was always horny, so maybe you didn't notice a difference. Maybe his dick felt slightly harder and maybe he came more than usual? You weren't entirely paying attention when you were face-first in a pillow. 

"I see."

"Do you... know of an antidote? Do you have it?"

"No, but I know how Kid's problem was solved. Wire can't help you out?"

"No. He said I need to learn a lesson about smoking random stuff from the forest... again." Heat mumbled, "And you're the doctor... and sort of the only other person I like... to sleep with, I mean."

"Let me see." You prompted again when Heat was reluctant. "Do you want me to help or not? I want to go back to sleep."

Heat dropped his hands. There was the problem, alright, and it was sizable. You turned to make sure you hadn't woken Killer. You put a finger to your lips in a gesture for him to be quiet. Killer wouldn't care, however, you didn't want to interrupt his beauty sleep. That would be rude. You tugged Heat's pants down and watched his erection bounce from its confines. The tip looked engorged with blood. It had been several hours since you had gone to bed. Heat must have been trying to wait it out this entire time. 

The sight of you staring at his dick had him leaking precum. Heat couldn't decide if he liked the idea of you being impressed by it or being disgusted by it better. He had tried several times on his own to take care of his own problem, but no matter how many times he came close, he couldn't cum. He needed to be buried in someone, desperately. He had to bite his lip to keep from whining when he felt your breath ghost across the top of his cock. He couldn't stop himself from putting his hands in your hair to guide you forward. 

You snatched his hands away from you and pinned them to his sides. Standing up so you could be closer to his height, you ran a finger up his chest and cupped his throat in your hand. 

"No touching. This is purely professional." Your grip tightened on his throat and directed him onto the bed. "Lay down."

"But Killer and-" Heat protested. 

"Lay down or leave." 

He reluctantly slid where you had been sleeping between them. "What if they wake up?"

"You should have thought of that before you brought your hard cock in the room." You added, "Kid won't wake up."

Straddling him, you brought your knees to the bed. You spit into your hand and spread it over the tip of his cock, mixing it with the precum that was still dripping from him. You pulled the panties you were wearing to the side, lowering yourself onto him. Heat groaned when he was sheathed fully inside you. You tossed the shirt you were wearing to the floor. Smirking, you watched him struggle with not being allowed to touch you. His brown eyes were fixated on you perched atop him. 

"Please. Please move." Heat's voice cracked. "I need to cum so badly. Please."

You rolled your hips very slightly. "You want the doctor to make you all better?"

"Yes! Please, yes!" Heat groaned, "It's starting to hurt. I'm begging you."

You lifted yourself up and down at a painfully slow pace, teasing Heat some more. He was flushed. He was sweating. He was panting. Every time you lifted up, it was excruciatingly difficult for him to resist fucking up into you or pulling your hips roughly down on him. He knew if he did that, you would stop right there and then. When he appeared to be getting uncomfortable, you would move and offer him some relief. 

"Y/N, please," Heat pleaded, nearly in tears.

"I think Wire might have been right. I think you need to learn a lesson."

"No! I learned my lesson! I need you." Heat whined. "I need to cum in you."

"Do you think you deserve to cum in me?"

Heat looked away, his face flushed and a mix of pain and pleasure. "No." 

"Right answer." 

Heat covered his face with his hands to keep from groaning too loudly as you started to move. You lifted yourself up and let your hips drop onto his, impaling your cervix on the tip of his cock every time you came down. You watched Heat's face contort with pleasure so intense it hurt. He was biting his lip and covering his mouth and doing everything in his power to keep from crying out. You watched his eyes get teary and roll back. You watched his hands grip the sheet so hard his knuckles turned white.

Your eyes slid over to Killer's sleeping form, the one that wasn't sleeping any more. His bright, blue eyes were slits, still sleepy. There was the ghost of a grin on his face as he palmed himself at a leisurely pace. His soft cock slowly woke up, same as him, as he watched you ride Heat. Killer loved his your tits bounced and how wet your pussy sounded, but he especially loved that you were focused on him and ignoring Heat even though Heat was the one with his cock buried in you. Heat was losing the battle to keep his sounds contained. He was definitely close to cumming.

"I know you're not thinking of cumming before my darlin here." Killer said, voice gravelly from sleep.

"Kil-Killer!" Heat's eyes went wide, flitting between you and him. 

"Let me help you with that." 

Killer sat up, catching your mouth with his. You threaded your fingers through his hair and pulled him to you, devouring his kisses while you rode Heat. Killer's mouth travelled to your neck, just where he knew you liked it. His big, rough hands groped your tits before being replaced with his mouth. His hand continued down until his finger was on your clit. Your back arched at the sensation. Killer knew you well by this point. He knew everything that turned you on. He had you close to finishing in a matter of minutes, which was a godsend to Heat, who was barely holding on. 

"Go on, baby. I know you want to cum."

Killer's words had an instant effect on you. Your hips bucked against his fingers, rubbing your clit harder against him as you felt the wave of tingling heat hit you. The pleasure flowed out from your center. Killer's mouth covered yours again as you cried out. You mewled against him, sliding your tongue against his and riding your high. You wish you were cumming on his cock instead of Heat's. Killer pulled away from you for just a second, enough to tell Heat that it was okay to release, fill you up with cum.

Heat was sure that he started spurting ropes of cum into you the second you came, but Killer's words had him experiencing the most volatile orgasm of his life. He felt like he couldn't stop the cum from shooting into your cunt. There was so much. It was starting to leak from where you were both connected. Even then, he was still going. Your cunt was so warm and wet, and it was milking him of everything he had. He understood why Kid and Killer were holed up with you for the past several days. 

You were still panting from your release, breathlessly growling at Heat, "Get out." 

"Wh-?"

"Are you waiting for a lollipop? You're cured. Get out." You were already climbing off him and stroking Killer's cock, kissing him between words. 

Heat hastily got off the bed, mind still scrambled from his orgasm. He knew better than to incur your wrath, no matter how sexy it was when you yelled at him. "Yes. Ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." 

Killer was already finger fucking you, pinning you beneath him and trying to bring you to another orgasm. He was panting heavily, cock twitching after watching you bounce on Heat. He craved that tight, hot cunt for himself. Killer threw you over Kid so your ass was up in the air, hips resting on Kid's side. 

"Are we-?" There was a hopeful tone in your voice.

"Using Kid as sex furniture? Yeah."

It was impressive how much Kid could sleep through: canon fire, severe storms, monstrous waves, several rounds of sex followed by earth-shattering, bone-breaking orgasms.

It was beginning to get boring, being on the island. It had been a week. There was nothing to do but spar, eat, and fuck while you waited for this alliance meeting. At this moment, you were doing the first thing. Even though you used a gun as your primary weapon, you were skilled at hand to hand combat. It was funny how all the men, especially the bigger ones, all thought they could take you. Had they forgotten about when you had sparred with the other officers? The trick was to use their momentum against them. You flipped them onto their backs with ease. The girls fought closer to your own style, so they required a little more skill. 

"Let me go!" Quincy pouted. "I know what's been between these thighs and I don't want to get any on me!" 

You had her in a hold with your legs and rolled your eyes. "Chill out." 

Releasing her, you waited for another volunteer. Heat stepped forward. 

"Heat step back. You've already gone 4 times." 

"But I like when you catch me between your thighs."

"Everyone does." You heard Quincy protest from somewhere on deck. "Killer is thrilled at the marked increase in everyone's participation and fighting skills since I started leading sparring."

The other reason Killer wanted you to take a turn leading sparring sessions was that no one had to hold back since you could heal whatever injuries occurred. You had broken and healed numerous arms. A few jaws had been broken. But real stakes led to better reaction times and avoidance skills. 

"I'll go." Wire planted his trident in the ground. "Let's get a little more serious."

You nodded, a grin spread across your face. "Are you sure?"

"Come on, little marine girl." Wire took a fighting stance with his weapon. 

A yellow glow enveloped your bracer as it moved from your arm and molded into a spear. Wire knew better than to call you that, outside of role-play that is. You gave it a few experimental twirls before taking up a similar stance. Everybody immediately took a step back when you started fighting. There was no warm up. This was full force from the beginning. Loud metal clangs filled the air as you attacked and parried each other. The force reverberating down your arms was jarring as his trident made contact with your spear. Wire had an advantage with his height and arm span. He had more range than you did. You found yourself blocking more than attacking. 

It only took one millisecond of lag in reaction time to change for someone to land a hit. Unfortunately the someone was you. The pain didn't come right away. You were suddenly on your knees, on the ground, with the points of Wire's trident sticking through the front of your body on the right side. The pain came right after you saw the blood trickling out of your mouth and down your front. It was excruciating and it wasn't even the pain of being impaled that hurt the most. It was the choking, gasping pain of your right lung collapsing and not being able to breathe. Everything was silent except for the sound of your rasping. 

Any good warrior wouldn't go down that easily, nor would they go down alone. Your torso and Wire's trident simultaneously glowed with pale yellow light. Wire was still in shock over accidentally stabbing you. His own trident slithered up his arm and wrapped around him like a constrictor. The holes left in its wake disappeared as you healed your wounds. Your vision went black for a moment while your breath still escaped you. As your lung was repairing, it came back and the first things you saw were the blue and white stripes of Killer's mask. 

"Y/N! Are you okay?!" Killer's hand rested on your back, ready to catch you if you passed out. 

You coughed up blood. "Of course I'm okay. Who do you think I am?"

While Killer was checking on you, Kid was yelling at Wire.

"BE MORE CAREFUL! YA COULD HAVE KILLED 'ER." Kid barked in his face. "I LEAVE YA ALONE FOR AN HOUR AND I COME BACK TO MAKING A KEBAB OF MY WOMAN. YA DID THIS ON PURPOSE! YA NEVER LIKED HER!" 

Killer turned to Kid. "HEY! STOP ALL THAT, KID." 

You pushed yourself up. It was like nothing ever happened. You put yourself in front of Wire and pushed Kid back, Wire still bound by his manipulated trident. 

"Stop. We were sparring. I'm fine."

"IT'S NOT FINE WHEN I SEE YA ON THE GROUND, COVERED IN RED, MAKING A HORRIBLE GURGLING SOUND LIKE YER DROWNIN IN YER OWN BLOOD!"

The soft side of Kid came out when you least expected. In spite of the fact he was screaming, the way he cared so deeply for you was coming through. There was a tenderness in his eyes. Killer pulled Kid away for a stern word. You reverted Wire's trident to its original shape, freeing him. He seemed both irritated and apologetic. 

"Sorry about that." He said. 

"No need to apologize. It's all part of the spar as far as I'm concerned." 

"Kid loves you," Wire stated, matter-of-factly. 

"I know." You sighed. "But if you ever say that out loud to me or anyone else again I will shove that trident so far inside you, it'll tickle your brain."

"Fair enough."

When Killer dragged Kid back, he apologized to Wire for his accusations. Wire and the rest of the crowd dispersed to go do other things, sparring clearly and firmly over. 

"What did you guys come over here for anyway? Thought you were doing something."

Killer shared a glance with Kid. "Nothing."

"Aye. Nothin." 

They were both suspect, though you didn't pry further. They walked with you along the beach, towards the ship. You meant to go back to the castle, but you were semi-herded in this direction by the two broad men. The hair on your neck raised as you noticed a second ship next to the Victoria. An enemy? No, it looked familiar. It was a marine vessel, yet not quite. It was painted like one; the shape was wrong though, slimmer, more agile in appearance. Your breath caught in your throat. No. No, they couldn't have. It couldn't be. 

You stopped dead in your tracks. "What is that?"

Kid had a proud, smug smirk on his face. Killer seemed very pleased with himself as well. 

"You tell us, darlin."

"How the fuck did you get that?"

"I got my ways, doll."

You ran ahead, wanting to confirm your suspicions with a closer inspection. It was the most beautiful ship you'd ever laid eyes on. It was your ship, Fate's Wraith. Some things had been altered of course. The bones were the same. Forgetting in the moment where and when you were in time, you ran straight into the waves. You wanted to put your hands on her and feel the wood. You wanted to be on her deck and look over the wheel again. The ocean sapped your strength and you flopped face first into the water. Killer was right behind you, swift to pick you up, out of the waves. 

You stood at the very edge of the sand when Killer put you down. It was a good thing your face was wet because there was a good chance you had tears running down your cheeks. You never thought you would see her again. You didn't think you wanted to or needed to. Your reaction was stronger than you would have thought. Nostalgia washed over you. So much of your life was dedicated to that ship. So much of your infamy was born on that ship. Only the final moments on that ship were tainted with bad memories. The rest were glorious. 

Barely noticeable to you, as you had no feeling that you were doing it, a soft, dandelion luminance moved gradually over the exterior of the vessel. The ship was evolving as you remembered her. Kid and Killer watched in awe as the ship before them was restored to its former glory. The wooden planks became pristine. The paint was bright white. The sails were unworn. Whatever marine name was inscribed on it disintegrated away and was replaced by the vibrant blue script that displayed the ship's namesake: Fate's Wraith. It was beautiful. 

You stumbled as the ship took the form of its best condition, the condition it was in during your best years. You only realized you had used your devil fruit when you got incredibly tired all of the sudden. Killer supported you with his arm when your knees sagged. 

"I was hopin to wait for this moment to ask ya to be one of my commanders, but ya forced my hand early." Kid ruffled your hair. He sounded more serious than he usually was. "I know ya said this was yer crew and Victoria was yer ship. And that makes me happy. It does. But I know deep down ya miss being a captain. Be a captain for me. I want ya to be a captain in my fleet." 

Tag list: @bbnbhm @wgwingguns @nocturnalrorobin @lycanthropemaul

[annunen]

NHLWAM S12 E6: Anton Lundell & Sasha Barkov

Translated the highlights from this one too! Other FLA episode's translations here.

Again, Putkonen and Manninen are the NHLWAM hosts.

TLDR: Sasha is a proud dad, he praises his teammates and chirps Lundy a lot. Sunscreen discourse.

Under the cut!

-----

Manninen: Lunkka, it's been a couple years since we last sat there on the beach. How are you feeling, are you settled in Florida now?

Lundell: Yeah, it feels like home now. Even on that first season. No complaints, this is a cool place to play in and there aren't many places like this where you can go to the beach even in the winter.

Host: About being outside - it's really hot here, even today, so during the season do you have to wear sunscreen?

Lundell: You should. I've made the mistake of thinking "i don't need it, my skin should be used to the sun by now" a couple times and then my shoulders were completely red the next day.

-----

Manninen: So about Matthew Tkachuk, he's a really colorful person, at least on the ice. What kind of guy is he?

Lundell: Yeah, he came in with a rumble and showed everyone why he's such a good player. 40 goals, over 100 points. In the playoffs he showed us the direction, and that just tells about his persona, how much he just wants to win. He hates losing.

Manninen: What about your other new guy, Niko Mikkola?

Lundell: It's nice to have him on the same team. He's quite an annoying player, at least to play against, if i'm being honest. He plays hard, he's mean, he's a big boy. It's hard to play against guys like that. He's been a great addition to the team, bringing us some physicality and experience to the d-core.

Manninen: And what kind of guy is he off the ice?

Lundell: Really nice guy, Finnish too so it's nice to talk Finnish with him. He's a really funny guy too when he tries to joke a little.

-----

Putkonen: Who has the weirdest pre-game ritual? Does anyone have any weird ones?

Lundell: Patric Hörnqvist had a really weird one. Before the game he always took a stick to the bathroom and then he would say "we're going to score some dirty goals tonight".

(Putkonen jaw drop)

-----

Putkonen: Ville Nieminen asked "what things do you think you're better in than Sasha?"

Lundell: Soccer. Definitely.

Putkonen: What about padel?

Lundell: That's good. I don't think i'm better than him but at least i'm not much worse.

-----

Manninen: Welcome to the "Know your coworker" section. Here we have the Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov and the future alternate Anton Lundell.

(Sasha smiles sooo big at that)

(They had to know each other's draft club and draft number, hometown, birth year, junior club, shoe size, first car and eye color. After the fourth question Sasha asks "do you have any harder questions?" Both scored 8 points. I'll subtitle this clip later.)

-----

Putkonen: We came outside and it's like a heatwave day today, so i have a question: do you use sunscreen during the season?

(Sasha shakes his head.)

Putkonen: You don't?

Barkov: No I don't. I was at the beach yesterday and i didn't use sunscreen. I'm a tough guy.

Putkonen: Pretty tough cause Lunkka said he uses sunscreen at least for the beginning of the season.

Barkov: Lunkka is from Espoo.

Putkonen: Yeah, he is from Espoo. Tampere guys don't wear sunscreen.

(all three laugh)

-----

Manninen: So Sasha, you became a daddy a couple years ago! How would you describe this life event?

Barkov: It's quite a big change, but for the better. It feels amazing to have a person you have to take care of and watch him grow. Probably the best thing in my life.

Manninen: Could use the classic cliche of "you don't really understand until you become a parent yourself"?

Barkov: It's exactly that.

-----

Manninen: We were watching your game against Tampa. – – What caught my eye was after all the little scrums and brawls, when there was communication between the refs and the captains, Captain wasn't there. Had you delegated that task to Matthew Tkachuk? Is this a permanent thing or why was it Tkachuk and not you?

Barkov: We have actually agreed with him that when there's scrums like that, he knows about them more than me. He goes to negotiate with the refs. If there's something else to ask, then I'll do my job. But if there's a fight, he knows what to say.

Manninen: For all who have followed Matthew Tkachuk's career at all, he absolutely has seen those scrums. Last season he came in with a crash and really brought your team some of that rough edge.

Barkov: Yeah, he's an unbelievable guy on and off the ice. On the ice, everyone can see how he scores goals and points, how he plays. But how he is off the ice, how much he affects the team atmosphere and connects teammates, that's the biggest thing i've seen about him. He really is - he's like the glue of the team.

-----

Manninen: One Finnish new teammate! Niko Mikkola arrived in Florida this season.  How do you describe Niko as a player and a friend?

Barkov: He's an amazing guy. Just what we needed, a big guy who plays physically and moves really well for a guy that size. Just a great guy, he's really chill and you can crack some jokes at him and he won't get offended like Lunkka does.

(laughing)

Barkov: That might be because he played in Tappara for a couple seasons.

[diezmil10000]

i don't feel like there's much to say about my art improvement this year. however, in 2023, i wrote a long retrospective about my art in which i mentioned my goals for 2024, so let's see if i achieved all of them ^w^

"so for 2024 i want to study some stuff i feel i'm still lacking in. i think i've always had a good eye for composition, but i've never actually pushed it in my finished illustrations - they depend a lot on the poses because i've always been prioritising drawing over everything else. that needs to change this year."

this was actually one of the first things i did in 2024. just around this time of last year, i was in the process of making 7 fullbody illustrations for class, depicting my ocs from a visual novel i still haven't finished. i never shared them outside of artfight (😂) because i get shy talking about my ocs in public, but they are still fire and almost no one reads these posts anyway so...

i had to use so many references for these pictures, from magazine covers to fashion to layout design. i think this was the first time i was actually putting into practise all the knowledge i had learned in my degree, as up to that point i was getting through it kinda passively.

overall, my 2024 was filled with great compositions. who could have known that paying attention to it would lead to better illustrations, right? here are some other highlights i'm still very proud of:

that leblise piece is probably my favorite piece of art i ever did period. so simple yet so delicious and full of symbolism. the aqours fanart is based on an S shape, from "sunshine", and i felt so smart for coming up with it even though it's really simple. and then there's kanadiamari as always - what i really like about that fanart is that i was able to put my design knowledge into good use again.

"i also want to get better at drawing characters from extreme angles. i've always felt like my poses are a bit flat and i think i can study photos taken with wide angle lenses to improve at that."

before we get into this let me remind everyone that i trace all the time. sometimes i wake up and forget how to draw, so i open an app called Magic Poser and play with the 3D dolls until i have a decent base for what i'm picturing in my mind. but it wasn't until last year that i started pushing the angles of those scenes so that i could get the best of them.

of course, you need to have good skills in order for your traced pieces not to look like shit. i can work with anime models with innacurate anatomy precisely because i already know where the muscles sit on the body. the suselle artwork is more referenced than traced, in the sense that i first sketched the pose, then re-created it in 3D, then traced it and then re-sketched it. the things i do for yuri orz.

okay this was kind of a tangent. i did improve on this particular point but the reason isn't that i got better at perspective, i just made better use of the tools i have - the result is the same and it's positive, so i'll take it as an achievement!

"and of course i still want to draw faster, which is something i've always struggled with. […] i'm still too slow for the kind of artstyle i want to achieve, which includes having a looser lineart and less details in irrelevant areas of the drawings. i think that overdoing the lineart actually hurts my illustrations, because everything ends up pulling the viewer's attention with the same energy. i also think messy artstyles are neat."

this is a tricky subject. in my 2023 post i showed some examples of what i wanted to keep doing in terms of lineart, and while i certainly got better at not overdoing it, i'm still far from that goal. definitely something i need to keep an eye out for, as i really like it when i manage to get loose with my art.

not much to say here except that i'm sorry i never posted these farcille sketches. they are 12 in total and the rest of them are porn and i'm too shy to share them with the world. also those furry guys i draw a lot (twice) are me and my and my best friend's fursonas, in case anyone is curious.

"as for the stuff i like about my current artstyle, i definitely want to keep the way i color!! and by that i mean the method i have for applying filters that make my colors pop. i could maybe play more with textures too."

i actually think i went backwards here. what i do now is more visually coherent, but my 2024 doesn't shine for the way i use colors in comparison to the previous year. it probably happened because i got too comfortable with the way i post-process my illustrations nowadays, in contrast with how experimental i was when i started playing with filters. a shame, truly, but not a huge downgrade.

"i also like the way i depict intimacy, and people have praised it too. i don't think i'll ever change the content of my art, i eat breathe and speak in yuri. if anything, there are still some ways of conveying feelings that i haven't been able to draw because i lack the skill to do so, but i'll keep trying ;)"

not sure about this one either, but i know it's just because i didn't draw a lot in 2024. among finishing my degree and final thesis, organizing stuff for aqours when they came to spain and preparing for my current job, i didn't have much time for yuri brainrot. my best drawings were dunmeshi and lgts fanarts, and i'm glad i got into both of these pieces of media because they still warm my heart today :)

i'm very proud of all 3 of these artworks, especially the frebkuchen one, i cooked so much there. maybe this skill of mine (the ability to depict intimacy) is the one that's closest to mastery among the ones i have, and that's why i don't see much improvement.

overall, 2024 was a good year, but not my peak. i can't rate it just in terms of improvement, but i can't deny that i like my 2023 artworks more than my current ones either. i think i'm on the right path, and while i don't have any art resolutions for 2025 i hope i can bring better art to the world from now on.

thank you for reading until the end if you did, and i hope you have a nice year!! <3

2024 art summary!! lots of oc art this year :) i also started painting digitally and it's sooooo fun~~~

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