#and the original Alien is good because no one annoys me

[bartxnhood]

ANY VARIATION OF READER X THUNDERBOLTS BUCKY AND THE TEAM BEING TF U HAVE A GF THANK YOU AND ILY

girlfriend? | bucky barnes

| thunderbolts!bucky barnes x fem!reader

warnings: john walker and minor thunderbolts spoilers!!!!!

a/n: YAY!!! IM SO EXCITED TO WRITE FOR BUCKY AND MARVEL AGAIN!!! i also decided that this would probably take place after the events of the movie, and i took inspiration from clint hiding his family but, with reader! so, i hope i did your vision justice!!

Copyright © 2025 bartxnhood. All rights reserved. This original work is not allowed to be reposted on any platform in any format.

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the smoke was dense and thick, making it almost impossible to see within five feet. the smell of sulfur and concrete filled the nostrils of the ‘new avengers’.

new york has seen yet another attack, this time by another outer space alien thingy that bucky couldn’t remember.

there’s a dreadful silence between the group, all stuck in their own minds, trying to figure out just what went wrong. how they got defeated so quickly.

he stood with his hands on his hips, trying to regain his breath after being slammed into a plethora of floors from one of the skyscrapers.

ava hunched over holding her midsection while also trying to catch her breath. yelena, leaning against a fallen slab of a building while clenching her arm. walker, somewhere else, blowing off steam as his shield was snapped in half, and alexei going on some sort of rant.

“it’s fine, this is fine” the broody older man speaks, his thick accent grating against buckys ears. “everybody get up!” the red guardian claps, trying to pump up the group. “we are the thunderbolts!!!”

yelena rolls her eyes, keeping a hand pressed on her arm, “dad, stop”. she looks at the man with sharp eyes. they say optimism is good to have on a team, but alexei had too much. it often got annoying.

turning a corner, walker, stuffing something in his suit pocket, looks to the others. “we’ve been compromised.”

ava stands, crossing her arms. “what?” she looks between bucky and yelena, who have the same look on their face. it isn’t dread, it isn’t worry, it’s something much worse.

alexei mutters some swear words in russian under his breath. and for a moment, no one knows what to do. they aren’t a team, they have no backup, and bucky knows that sam won’t help him.

yet again, he’s alone.

“well, what now?” ava asks, her attention trained on the white widow. “ah!” alexei holds up his fingers, then snaps, carrying a proud look on his face. “a safe house!”

everyone pauses, stealing glances at each other with a blank expression. clearly growing tired of the red guardians persona. “oh, you’ve got to be kidding me..” ava exasperates, before taking a few steps away from the group.

bucky contemplates for a moment, hes staring off at the gray rubble beneath his black boots. he only had a handful of options, one of those being sam. as he was not on the best terms with sam, he figured his last option would suffice. you.

“i know a place.”

the sun was just rising, its misty rays barely peeking through the thick fog. the air was cool and damp, the ground beneath covered with an early morning dew. a cabin tucked away amidst the trees stood silent and still, as if waiting to welcome the day.

the trees surrounding the cabin were barely visible through the dense fog, their leaves shimmering with dewdrops like tiny jewels on their green surfaces. the air was silent, save for the soft sound of the nearby river.

stepping off the quinjet, bucky stopped at the edge of the ramp, looking at his home he shared with you. he felt happy to be back home, but a part of him dreaded the following events.

bucky knew he was risking everything by bringing the others to his home, to you. someone who bucky made sure to keep hidden from everyone. he didn’t do it because he was ashamed or didn’t love you, but he did it because he loved you so much. it was better to keep you off file and off record, for your safety.

if anything happened to you, bucky would’ve surely lost his mind.

“why the hell are we at a cabin, bucky?” walker quips, following the other super soldier. “we can’t go on vacation now.”

“shut up, walker,” bucky snaps, shooting a glaring look over his shoulder as he waits for the rest of the others to fall in behind him. “what are we doing here? we clearly need a safe house,” yelena chimes in, ava and alexei adding something under their breaths.

bucky can already feel himself getting agitated with the anti-heroes. it’s hard enough working with people that collectively cannot get along, it was doomed from the veining. “it’s safe, just trust me.”

crossing the threshold of the dark oak cabin, the scent of fresh laundry mixed with mahogany, vanilla, and cashmere filled his nostrils, and in an instant, the tension in his shoulders dropped.

home. the living room was cleaned, and a few blankets on the leather sofa. you must've napped. a few records scattered around the record table, one still on the turntable, but the record had stopped playing long ago.

“baby? i’m home!” he calls out, not seeing any sign of your presence as he steps into the living room. it’s quiet, almost too quiet. bucky steps further in. “baby doll?”

the team steps in hesitantly, their hands hovering over whatever they have to defend themselves with. sharing puzzled glances with each other as bucky calls out to you.

you emerge from the stairway with a laundry basket on your hip. a quiet gasp gets caught in your throat as your eyes look past your boyfriend and see his co-workers. “what the..” you mutter, your eyes finally landing on bucky. “bucky?”

“we had nowhere else to go,” he explains, the wear and tear of fighting visible on his body. his eyes hold even more exhaustion than he let on.

you drop the laundry basket on the sofa and approach him, he hopes his arms and pulls you in, pressing a kiss on the top of your head.

yelena interrupts, “Im sorry..” the blonde holds out her hands, nose crunching with confusion. “what the hell is happening here?”

“yeah..what the hell is this?” walker stands behind yelena, his arms crossed now.

“guys, meet my girlfriend, y/n,” he introduced, holding you by his side. his thumb rubbing up and down your shoulders.

“hi..” you smile, holding up your hand to wave awkwardly. your freehand wrapping around buckys midsection.

the team is left speechless, all mouths are open, but no words are formed.

“girlfriend?!” yelena is flabbergasted, her eyes almost popping out of her head.

“oh! this is wonderful!! alexei is pushing past the other three, walking towards you with a big, dopey smile. “young love!” he cheered, clapping loudly.

you laugh awkwardly, again, because what do you do when the avengers are standing in your house?

“buck?” you look up at him, he had a less than amused look on his face.

“we just need some place to lay low, get patched up. i didn’t know what else to do.”

“ah, okay,” you pat his chest playfully, an amused laugh coming from you. “i can help with that.”

“girlfriend…” walker whispers as you begin leading the group downstairs to a makeshift med bay.

“shut it, walker!” buckys voice booms from a few feet ahead.

[flwrkid14]

Tim Drake Does Not Believe in Ghosts

Which is a problem because his boyfriend is a ghost. Or, at least, that’s what Danny keeps trying to explain to him.

Tim isn’t dismissive—he’s fascinated by Danny’s abilities and origin story. But ghosts as in “the dead-but-not-gone spirits of human beings”? That just doesn’t register for him. Tim has met aliens, time travelers, and gods alike, but actual ghosts feel like a line too far for his rational mind.

“It’s probably a dimensional thing,” Tim muses one night while calibrating a piece of ectoplasm-sensitive tech. “You’re a type of interdimensional entity made of ectoplasmic energy, and your world calls them ghosts because it’s a good linguistic match. Makes sense.”

Danny stares at him from his spot on the couch, one eyebrow twitching. “Tim, I’m literally dead.”

Tim pauses, turning his chair to face Danny. “Okay, but… not really, right? Because you’re still here. Like, functioning. Alive-ish. It's more likely that the portal exposure altered your molecular structure and tethered your consciousness to an ectoplasmic state. That doesn’t make you a ghost, Danny. It makes you… a transdimensional being, maybe?”

Danny sighs, sitting up and dragging his hands through his hair. “Tim, I died. My heart stopped. My body turned into ectoplasm. And now I’m stuck between being alive and… not.”

Tim’s expression softens as he sets the equipment down. “I’m not trying to invalidate what happened to you, Danny,” he says gently. “I just think you’re reshaping what it means to exist. ‘Ghost’ feels like the wrong word for someone as... tangible as you. You’re not some lingering spirit—you’re real. You’re you.”

Danny blinks at him, caught off guard. “Well... that’s kinda sweet, but it’s also wrong. I’m literally the definition of a ghost. I haunt places. I make ghost noises.”

“Sure, Danny,” Tim says, with a small, indulgent smile that sends Danny spiraling between affection and frustration. He reaches over to squeeze Danny’s knee. “You’re definitely a ghost.”

Danny groans, flopping back onto the couch. “You’re impossible.”

“I’m practical,” Tim corrects, leaning back in his chair.

“No, you’re dense.”

It’s not like Danny hasn’t tried to convince him. He’s gone intangible mid-conversation, flown through walls, and even pulled out his ghostly wail—though he only did that because Bruce was safely out of earshot. None of it works. Tim just treats it all like a fascinating science experiment instead of proof that Danny is, in fact, dead.

“Tim, what will it take for you to admit that ghosts are real?” Danny grumbles, covering his face with a pillow.

Tim hums, thoughtful. “I don’t know. Hard evidence? Like a case study? Maybe letting me run some tests?”

Danny lifts the pillow just enough to glare at him. “You are the case study!”

Tim gives him an easy smile. “Exactly. And the results are inconclusive.”

He’s still annoyed, but… well, maybe having a boyfriend who insists on understanding everything isn’t the worst thing in the world.

At least Tim cares enough to try. Even if he’s completely, utterly wrong.

[bunni-v1]

Aventurine NSFW Headcannons

🍓This took me so long to get done, and I'm not 100% satisfied, but I wanted to get these out. There's so much I left unsaid, and I feel like if I kept going it would never stop. So enjoy the very basics of what I feel Aventurine is like in bed. Smaller posts are coming in the future so I can take time to work on the genshin stuff I have coming, alongside requests I plan on doing a full fic for <3

Tagging: @the-original-skipps (mwah mwah, just for you pookie)

Tw: Mentions of past sexual assault; Aventurine has unhealthy views of sex; Aventurine's past; NSFW; Pretty vanilla ngl; grammar errors

Info: Aventurine x Reader; Angst; Fluff

Word Count: 2.5k

MDNI

-Aventurine and sex do not mix well – at least, not at the start. 

-Much like love, he has a very jaded view of sexual intimacy. He was (heavily implied to have been) sexually assaulted by many different unsavory types when he was younger. His body wasn’t his own then, and the sex was brutal and unkind – something he hated.

-As he grew, both in stature and into his title of Aventurine of Strategems, his hatred of sex turned into something different. It was still hatred, he hated the act more than anything in the world most times, but he realized his body was good for something.

-Aventurine was an attractive man, despite his eyes being a less than savory feature to most people. His body was lean and lithe, his clothes and hair perfectly styled and trendy, not to mention the air of mystery he had drew people in like moths to flame. 

-All of it was crafted by his own two hands, of course. He was attractive because he wanted – no, needed to be. So, he made sure he was, of course, no one would do business with him otherwise.

-Pretty as a peacock, you could hardly tell he was once a slave or a dirty Avgin boy.

-He’s pleasantly surprised to find that the body he so hated being born into was a good business tool when he needed it to be.

-People really will do anything to get off, and as much as it disgusted him to do such depraved things, he would do whatever he had to to get what he wanted.

-He’d scrub his skin raw in the shower afterward, trying desperately to get the smell of sex off him. Hoping that if he scratches hard enough the ugly purple bruises will wash away with soap and water. They never do, and they leave him feeling vile until they fade.

-Regardless men, women, monsters – he really didn’t care what he was fucking so long as it got him what he was looking for.

-That’s what sex is to Aventurine, a transaction. He scoffs at the idea of it being anything more than that. Sex was rough and sweaty and all kinds of disgusting, how could anyone derive pleasure from that? You fuck, you cum, you say goodbye. Simple. As. That.

-Ah, but, then again you come along and you just love challenging his worldview don’t you? With your pretty little eyes and your sweet, comforting words. You always make him question himself. It would be annoying if he didn’t love you so damn much.

-Your first time with him is… incredibly unpleasant. It’s not as though he doesn’t account for you or your wants, but there’s a disconnect. He’s too… pliant and yet all too controlling. First times are rarely good, but this felt alien. Like the person you were with was not your beloved Kakavasha, but some strange man taking his place for the night.

-He’s doing things he thinks you want, he’s saying sweet words he’d whispered to hundreds of other partners, it’s all that he thinks you need, what he’s decided in his head that you’d like, rather than something that comes from knowing you.

-He doesn’t ask, he just gives and takes and then it’s over. It’s unfulfilling and empty, leaving you with a dull ache in your chest.

-He doesn’t even offer you or himself aftercare, and you find him scrubbing his skin red in the shower afterward like he was trying to rid himself of any trace of you.

-It makes you feel terrible. Like you’re some whore he’s picked up off the streets and not his long-term partner with whom he’s shared some of the darkest parts of himself.

-You cry into those expensive satin sheets, ruining them with your sniffling. It’s quite the sight for Aventurine to walk back into.

-He expected you to be asleep, or at least resting in some capacity, but crying? His heart sinks as he rushes to your side, then somehow falls further when you tug yourself away from him.

-He’s perceptive enough to realize that he had been the one to put you in such a state, but he didn’t really understand why.

-When he’s able to calm you enough to get you to talk to him, you’re able to explain that you felt so disregarded. There was no connection or love or care from him, did he not feel you were worthy of sharing that in moments of intimacy?

-That makes him sick. Never in a million years would he want to make you feel as though he does not love you, despite previous behaviors. You were his whole world, part of the reason he continued to exist. How could he ever make you feel unworthy of him?

-He nearly spirals there, but your tears are enough to remind him that he is not the one who needs love and reassurance. So, always eager to learn and grow with you, he asks you what you believe sex should be like… and it’s quite different from what he understands.

-You describe it like an extension of yourself. A means of intimacy and trust a level deeper than words and affection can get you. You are vulnerable during sex, you are at your weakest and you are sharing that with the person you love. It’s the most intimate thing you could do with a person, and while it can be fun and it can simply be because it feels good, it can also be because you love the other person so deeply you have no other way to express it.

-Aventurine finds the definition to be rather naive, but you had always been a bleeding heart. (Which he, regardless of if Kakavasha or Aventurine was leading charge, would give anything to protect). Yet… Kakavasha likes it. Kakavasha wants to do that with you, he wants to show you how much he loves you, he wants to hold you even closer and share such sweet nothings with you.

-He tries to toss it out initially because if he thought about it like that he would have to confront himself. Look that trauma in the eyes and acknowledge that, once again, you’d proven him wrong in a way he was annoyingly not expecting.

-But as the days go by and you slowly begin to become physical with him again, he wonders fondly how it would feel. Taking his time with you, he means.

-He couldn’t help but wonder how nice it would be to really feel your skin under his fingers. To kiss every inch of you, to hear you sigh his name like he crafted the heavens with his own two hands. Ah, Kakavasha won again, it seems.

-So he goes to you, like an apologetic puppy, and he apologizes for how terrible he was. How he reflected and regrets it, and he wants to try again and let you take the lead this time. 

-Despite everything, you say yes, and you allow him this second chance to redefine his worldview yet again.

-Aeons it’s life-changing sex. 

-Slow, careful, and all kinds of intimate. He’s still on top because he could not trust even you to be on top. He needed that control. But he listens to what you need, and he finds he’s very good at servicing you. Just as good as he is at spoiling you with his riches.

-You guide him to kiss you deeply, tongues tangling in a tango to a tempo only the two of you could enjoy. You show him how to leave love bites that make his spine tingle. How different parts of your body make you feel different kinds of pleasure. He gets to feel your skin beneath his fingertips, taste your very being on his tongue, and swallow the angelic cries of his name.

-It’s a kind of intimacy and affection he’d never been afforded in his life. A vulnerability he hadn’t expected himself to enjoy, and yet as he sobs into your shoulder at his release, he finds himself wanting more.

-It becomes a problem, really. One taste of it and you have both your sweet Kakavasha and the hardened businessman Aventurine absolutely addicted. In the privacy of his condo, he can lust after you all he wants. You would never deny him the pleasure of freedom, though you would tell him no after the third night in a row for your aching hips. (He will draw you a bath and book you an appointment at the finest spa he can get you into for the next day.)

-In his office, or during a meeting, or talking to the Doctor, however… that’s a problem. He wasn’t supposed to like it that much, but that intimacy had him aching through his expensive slacks. 

-He thinks about it all the time, and he’s taken to locking his office doors and keeping the blinds shut airtight for more than half the day. He hopes no one notices how many bathroom breaks he takes during meetings. He tries his best to forget the boner he popped in front of the esteemed doctor talking about finances.

-You literally have him addicted to being in love with you, it’s quite the conundrum you’ve found yourselves in… but, would you really ever want to change that? He’s very good in bed after all, so it can’t be that bad.

-Aventurine is a switch-leaning top (so sorry Aventio shippers), and I say this only because he does not like relinquishing control. Especially when he’s in such a vulnerable state, especially with his past traumas, he would rather be in charge than trust you and have you hurt him.

-He softens up significantly as time goes on, and he is more willing to allow you to service him how you please, but he never really gives up his control. There’s always a reminder that he has the say-so in what does or does not go.

-That being said he is very giving, without having to be asked he will happily do whatever you need of him. It’s just in his nature to service, those pretty little moans are all the payment he needs.

-I won’t lie and say he isn’t a tease, though. He’s incorrigible, actually. He loves to tease you, be it with his words or his actions, he loves getting you squirming beneath him.

-He’ll mumble against your throat how needy you are for him, how you’re already so worked up and he hasn’t even gotten past your clothes, how cute you are when you’re so needy for him. His fingers will graze you with such feather-light touch you’ll whine at him, and he always coos at you like a needy little thing – as if he isn’t the one tormenting you.

-He’s a fan of edging, which just comes with the territory too. He spends hours of his time building you up to your orgasm, crooking his fingers and swirling his tongue so you’re right there, and then he’ll pull away leaving you crying for more.

-It’s all worth it when he does let you cum, though. The orgasm shaking the very foundation of you, sticky fluids staining yet another pair of satin sheets. 

-That’s not even mentioning his dick, which he is just as talented with. It’s slim, the same shade as the rest of him, with an upward curve that rubs against your g-spot so very well without him having to try.

-It fits so snugly inside, and if you watch closely you can see the effect you have on him as his perfect poker face cracks just a little. He loves to feel you from the inside, it may be one of his favorite things in the world.

-You are warm and squishy and so very accepting of him, conforming to the size and shape of his member like you were made to do so. Like you were made for him and him alone, it’s a deeply romantic thought that he would scoff at if he were in a less hazy mindset.

-He’s rarely rough with you, preferring to show you how much he loves you more softly, though he can be rough upon request.

-Sometimes if you get him jealous enough he’ll be rough on his own accord, but never uncaring or unloving. Even when he has you face down, ass up he makes you feel like the most precious gemstone in the entire world.

-He likes sex slow and long, preferring if it is dragged out across multiple sessions with sweet nothings and gentle care between the breaks. 

-However, he rarely has the free time for such things, and as such he gets very good at making the most of the time that he does have.

-Because of his high sex drive, quickies are common, but they are no less fulfilling than the long sessions he enjoys having. 

-He’s adept at getting you to cum in under five minutes with his fingers, he can do it in two with his tongue thrown in, and that’s usually fast enough for him to quickly get off and get back to what he needs to do.

-Unfortunately, he isn’t the kinkiest guy. He doesn’t like tying up or being tied up, he’s not a fan of power play, roleplaying seems to turn him off (again, not a fan of power play, which a lot of scenarios include this), no hitting or degrading, and pretty much anything that could remotely involve hurting either of you is a no from him.

-He thinks for a while he’s fine with it, and he is willing to try anything once, but it only takes him one time to realize he does not like physical or mental pain. It’s not sexy, it’s traumatizing and he won’t be convinced to try it.

-He does, however, really enjoy you wearing lingerie. Lacy ones dotted with expensive stones are his favorites. Frequently you’ll find a set sent to you in pretty packaging with a little note telling you to ‘enjoy your present.’ Meaning, he wants a picture of you in it ASAP.

-Also a fan of seeing you in his clothes. If he spots you lounging about in his shirt after a long day of work, he’ll be all over you like a helpless puppy.

-Cockwarming you when he works from home is a favorite of his, liking the way you wiggle and squirm as he combs over documents. His poker face really is something impressive, you have no clue how he’s re-read the same sentence ten times as you clench around him again.

-Office sex is unlikely, purely because he doesn’t like you being anywhere near IPC headquarters if he can help it. But if you do stop by for some reason, the likelihood of him bending you over the desk and fucking you raw is about 99%. He does miss you a lot during the day, after all, you can’t shame him for indulging in his favorite treat after so long without it.

-He just truly, deeply loves you. Once he begins to have a healthy relationship with sex and associate it with you rather than the horrors of his past, it’s nothing but loving and delightful. He takes the whole idea that it is an extension of his admiration for you very literally, and showers you in his affections through sex.

[yanderes-galore]

Platonic Zim Hcs (Invater Zim) 🪲 [Shiny Bug Anon]

Sure! Let me try my best. He isn't going to understand anything in this... Like usual, assume you're all adults for this AU. It takes place in the future.

Yandere! Platonic! Zim Concept

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Stalking, Isolation, Secret cameras/recordings, Jealousy, Murder implied, Kidnapping, Drugging, Dubious turned forced companionship.

Let's be honest, Zim doesn't know anything about human companionship.

Nothing.

He doesn't have a very positive outlook on humans and tends to think of them as lesser beings.

But... let's be honest...

In this universe he sort of has a point.

We've seen episodes where he not only doesn't understand human 'courtship'... but also friendship.

It makes sense for him, however.

Irkens aren't really ones for personal relationships.

So... friendships...

Zim would only try to have that if it benefits him.

Like... messing with Dib.

Zim would probably try to befriend you if you're friends with Dib.

He's good at manipulation... and likes to just mess with Dib at times.

Zim is an arrogant person.

He originally pushes friendship for his own goals and seems rather forceful.

He practically tries to bribe you with gifts or favors.

All in the name of 'human friendship' apparently.

You probably only go along with it because Zim ends up getting persistent and annoying.

It's then that Zim accidentally learns human customs.

He originally was just going along with what you did to spy on Dib or even you to see if you suspected Zim of anything.

He ends up playing what you humans play 'video games' with you.

He practically knows around your house... with help from secret cameras.

He knows whatever Earth slop you eat since he watches you eat it all the time.

Which usually ends up in him remembering it and finding it for you.

While he starts by being fake friends with you... G.I.R is completely fascinated with you.

It's so difficult for Zim to get the unit to act like an actual dog around you.

At some point he just accepts the fact you're going to know G.I.R is a robot and just... tells you he's a really good inventor?

Not an alien?

Zim often asks you about Dib since you're his friend and take classes with him.

You answer innocently, even if Dib tells you not to trust Zim.

Zim isn't sure how to feel when he actually starts getting attached to you.

Okay... Why are some of these Earth games actually... entertaining?

He's never going to like eating what you eat... but the sweet things you like are good, actually.

Then there's... why does he hate you around other human bugs?

Zim is surprised that he's envious of you speaking to other humans.

Especially Dib even though he originally befriended you to know more of him?

Since you're all in college in this AU, Zim's probably going to swap majors to relate to you more.

Is it his thing...? Well...

Debatable... Yet you seem very interested in it.

Zim is baffled at what he feels when you're around others.

Zim... jealous? Nonsense!

Jealousy is such a... hm...

Okay maybe he is feeling a bit of envy.

Why isn't ZIM your best friend!?

He's obviously smarter than all the other human flesh things.

Aren't you impressed by what he does?

Eventually you're no doubt going to figure out he's an alien

Or maybe you knew all along.

Either way you tolerate it since Zim seems relatively harmless around you.

... until he isn't.

You tend to notice Zim freaking out when you're with others.

You have a project to do? Why not with Zim?

Just hanging out? Zim would like to join.

Better option, actually... Don't go.

Would Zim actually murder anyone?

I mean... We've seen what he's capable of....

If he really wanted someone gone he could get that done.

Look, it should be an honor to be Zim's best friend.

Anyone else shall be removed.

He'd probably have this elaborate plan and machine to get rid of humans he didn't like around you.

Where did they go? Zim shrugs.

Oh welll~ Better go back to 'hanging out', right?

This could be considered murder... or maybe Zim just sending them somewhere else (not Earth).

Either way they're gone.

Would he kidnap his obsession?

Not surprised if he did.

After all, what better way to keep a human pet to yourself than a cage?

You'll be hanging out with Zim, doing what you two usually do together...

Only for you to wake up in a cell somewhere you don't recognize.

Zim gleefully tells you he had your house gassed.

He had hidden gas traps probably just like how he hid the cameras.

Oh? You didn't know about the cameras?

Poor you had no idea Zim was watching your every move in your home?

Great! Then he won't have to tell you about the amount of footage he has of his human pal.

Can't you see how dedicated he is to learning about humans?

Don't worry... Zim has done his research on how to care for humans...

Somewhat.

At the very least he knows what you eat, do, and wear.

That's good enough, right?

He feels because he's done a ton of research on you, he'll know how to make you like him.

Look, friends aren't something Zim knows much.

Stop screaming at him.

Stop... Just... Hello?

STOP. SCREAMING.

Zim is possessive of you, his newfound human friend.

You're the only good human to him. He just tolerates Dib.

You see... If he keeps you in his secret base... Then you won't have to touch the other filth.

If Dib ever confronts him, he'll play dumb.

Maybe you moved, hm?

To Zim, your isolation is an excellent plan.

Now he doesn't have to record you all the time.

You'll be so fun to watch in the enclosure he made...

His only true human friend... or pet, what's the difference?

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff: The Day the Earth Blew Up

Fuck David Zaslav, the chickenhead monopoly-slobbing, joy hating [REDACTED] that he is, now back to the review.

"The first fully-animated Looney Tunes movie to get a theatrical release." Feels good to say that, especially given the maddening state of animation that might as well be a circadian whirlpool of the good and mostly bad. Coming after the whole debacle surrounding Coyote vs. Acme, you could consider this a miracle. Then again, was it a miracle worth finally getting to see? To answer this, this video will provide the genuine (silented) reaction I had when I left the theater.

For me, this was a perfectly crafted premise for a Looney Tunes movie that for once centered around the cartoon characters. It would've been one thing to have Bugs as the main attraction, but Porky and Daffy were perfect to not only carry the plot as a duo but have a genuine dynamic and arc that didn't make this film purely a gag fest. This does mean I wasn't laughing as hard or often as I would've the OG shorts, but I say it was a reasonable sacrifice while still possessing great jokes.

Porky played the lovable, naturally exhausted straight man while Daffy was at the top of his game. My prayers answered that his wily antics never made him annoying or an unapologetically insufferable thorn in Porky's side. Petunia rounding out the trio by getting to basically not be Lola from the Space Jam films; allowed to be the amicable love interest and self-sufficient venturesome tritagonist in her own right. Everything added up to have a nicely incisive, thus well-paced alien invasion thriller that just kicks ass?

Like more than anything, this was KICKASS

It's a real delight that Uncle Grandpa creator Pete Browngardt nailed the modernization of this franchise in the same way Paul Rudish did for Mickey Mouse. It would've been one thing to have a contemporary lens on everything to make it seem currently hip, again just make a gag fest with no other substance, poorly attempting to recapturing the ol' days, but the shorts collection and this film shows that he was allowed to stick to his guns and offer both great portrayals of the crew you could ask for and direct what is basically Disney's Chicken Little but better.

Speaking of a company showing their ass

To wrap this up, I loved this movie and was more than glad to have FINALLY been able to see this in a theater as god intended. The same probably won't be said for everyone else who forgot or will ignore this because apparently there wasn't enough marketing to instantly get more butts in seats. And that irks me, y'know? How much convincing does everyone need to go and watch this? Aside from whether you can find a screening near you, it's like if one trailer, the concept alone, wasn't enough for most people, then fuck it. Warner Bros threw this to the curb but for me, it was a better fate than forever shelving this because this wide release theatrical run is for those who truly care. My kudos to Ketchup Entertainment for giving enough a damn to help distribute, otherwise I've grown tired of treating films like this as if it's the stock market. Let's be real, the state of 2D animation will be not critically dependent on this succeeding, but you gain nothing by just... not going to experience something great like this.

I'll stop before I channel my inner Kendrick. The Day the Earth Blew Up isn't just a miracle, it's just an incredible movie in its own right. An original blessed with the character, action, animation, and humor most would crave and get for this in spades.

9 out of 10; A masterpiece deserved to Looney Tunes

[knightsickness]

Hi! I hope that I don't bother you with my question. I'm asking out of genuine interest for an analysis and also because it has been 5 years since I last read any asoiaf book.

Coming from you comparison of Cersei's and Tyrion's time as Hand, what obvious mistakes did Tyrion make? I was probably not paying too proper attention because Tyrion did a lot of sympathetic things like ending Jeoffrey's terror on Sansa, or came up with a great strategy to limit casualties during Stannis invasion. His downfall struck me as Cersei conspiring against him, and Tywin taking all the credit for the work his son did. But I feel like I missed something here, and don't have all the details. (Again genuine question, not a "how dare you imply that perfect innocent angel uwu did anything wrong" way!)

i originally wrote a much longer list for this but i think the myrcella episode sums up most of the problems w tyrions politicking in microcosm

the entire point of the scheme is to embarrass cersei and undermine her with the removal of one of her spies. a lot of tyrions moves in acok are ridiculously cersei-focused because it makes him feel good to get petty wins over her he enjoys doing kings landing spy vs spy antics. constantly asking ‘what is cersei doing? does cersei know what im doing?’ when the answer to both is invariably ‘spying on each other’. when theyre still actively fighting three major enemies all this effort to plot and spy feels like it could be focused elsewhere. the scene where they laugh at stannis and renly pettily stupidly fighting each other rather than them obviously an acknowledgment of this neither of them notice

the idea to tell all the small council members different plans and then identify whichever one he told the story cersei gets mad at him for as her spy is good on paper a lot of tyrions moves are motivated by what makes him feel clever. in practice its kind of a mess

the idea of littlefinger having harrenhal is initially proposed to him by tyrion (who notes littlefinger looks extremely excited) as a reward for him arranging a hypothetical myrcella arryn match and then snatched away annoying and alienating him. its then next raised when littlefinger has obviously requested it to kevan/the tyrells/etc as his prize after the battle of the blackwater and he gets it. this isn’t necessarily direct cause and effect littlefinger always wanted to be a big lord he could have wanted harrenhal on his own but it seems like he was told he would have it, formulated his affc taking-over-the-vale plan, and then found out tyrion was fucking with him. again getting one over littlefinger makes tyrion feel good its gratifying to have the biggest schemer at court going grr you used me as a pawn and lied to me do NOT do that shit again

one of the main strengths of the situation tyrion inherits is a hypercompetent small council he immediately sets to turning on him (petyr) and giving them dangerous personal secrets (varys) while fantasising about having all their heads on spikes over the city walls

the idea of an elaborate plan to prove pycelle of all people is an incompetent lannister toady is absurd. you can tell that by talking to pycelle once. worse this makes pycelle hatee tyrion when if tyrion hadnt noticed he is ALSO a lannister he could have benefited from this !!

the sending myrcella to dorne plot that tyrion commits to lest cersei thinks he wasn’t serious and this was a finding-the-mole ploy (in which he gave them plans so obviously shocking and upsetting to cersei that if theyre her allies theyd immediately tell her) is terrible on the face of it and in affc proves to also be terrible in practice. the two outcomes are she gets crowned or killed both explicitly to start a war with the lannisters + burning one of your two spare heirs on the outing pycelle as a fraud and annoying cersei and littlefinger plan is. misguided. its insane to me he goes through w it he could still say ohh i changed my mind + let cersei think she’s persuaded him out of it (giving her a false win) or even just say yeah i was fucking with you haha you fell into my trap and exposed your own spy but he doesnt do either

tyrion’s conclusion on the plan is ‘this doesnt actually prove i can trust varys and littlefinger. theyre just untrustworthy in a subtler way. nobody in the world is as smart as me nobody has ever been this good at politics’

[aleppothemushroom]

I really, really, REALLY tried to give the live-action Lilo & Stitch remake a chance. I really did. At best, I thought it would be just okay. Wouldn't hold a candle to the original, but decent. I'm sorry to say this shit pissed me the fuck off. SPOILERS below.

Okay, let me get the things I like out of the way first. There's two new additions that I like. Firstly, Jumba and Pleakley having holographic human disguises as opposed to the paper-thin human disguises they wear in the original is a very smart choice that works better for a live-action setting. Second, there's a scene near the end where it looks like Stitch is gonna die and it's done very well. If this were a better movie, it would've been really effective.

Speaking of Stitch, he's as entertaining and cute as ever. I will say I had more fun when it was just him on screen. There's also a brand new scene with him before he crash-lands on Earth that's the comedic highlight of the movie. Plus, they got his original voice actor back, which is always welcomed. His live-action design is also perfect. Like, that's just Stitch in real life. The Grand Councilwoman along with the other alien designs (barring two exceptions which we'll get to later) are also appealing while still working in a live-action setting.

All of the actors deliver a good performance. No one feels like their half-assing it here. Everybody is also well cast (expect for... again, we'll get to that in a moment) with the child actress for Lilo being a big standout. She embodies the role so much and is honestly very talented for her age.

Alright, that's enough positivity. Now for the bad stuff.

First things first, the pacing is way off. It's all to fast and nothing feels like it gets to really stick with you. For example, the opening scene on the spaceship in the original is 10 minutes. Here, it's five and you can feel them speeding through it as fast as possible. The rest of movie is like that too. Scenes are way too fast compared to the original. Combined that with unnecessary tweaks, new dialogue, and constant cuts make the movie feel incredibly clunky.

This also affects jokes from the original film that are repeated here. They are now LESS FUNNY and more annoying. You know that scene in the original where Lilo shows Nani that Stitch can play records? Remember how funny that was? Here, Nani doesn't even see it making the joke fall flat because we don't get her reaction to it.

The remake also loves to undermine dramatic moments from the original and even new dramatic moments in favor of making easy jokes. Certain lines from the original that were taken completely seriously are turned into a joke here! It's like they're so afraid of having the characters have a real conversation because the kids might get bored. So now the conversations feel so forced and awkward.

Character and story arcs are also less effective compared to the original movie. Nani seems to hate Lilo at times to the point where another character has to tell her to apologize to Lilo instead doing it of her own free will. And the conversation they have is so short, so ingenuine, it feels like Nani is apologizing out of pure obligation. I no longer believe these sisters care about each other. I'm sorry, but I don't. And I know I was praising Stitch earlier, but his character also feels weaker here. He doesn't really seem to be that evil or have any real bad intentions. He's just a creature that just goofs around and acts wild. They say he's made to destroy, but he DOESN'T WANT TO DESTROY ANYTHING! Like, what's so dangerous about this guy?! He also seems to like Lilo far too early which completely ruins his character arc. They also changed Stitch having to save Lilo to Lilo having to save Stitch. That big action climax in the original isn't there just to have a big action climax. It also represents the end of Stitch's character arc. This creature that wanted nothing more than to wreak havoc is now doing everything in his power to save this little girl, and he's not even sure if he can save her. But they still have him give that speech at the end and it feels so unwarranted. I don't buy it. I don't!

By the way, Gantu isn't in the remake. He's just not. They cut him out entirely. Jumba is now the main villain. And like, I can understand why they made this decision. I can see this working. But it's so lame. The cleverness in the original is that you think Jumba is the main villain and then he's not. And then you're like "Can this other guy really be that effective of a villain?" and he is! It's subtlety being replaced with obviousness.

Speaking of Jumba, Zach Galifianakis was absolutely the wrong choice for this character. And Zach Galifianakis is a fine actor, he's doing an okay job. But he's not Jumba. He doesn't even feel like a new take on the character. He just feels like... well, Zach Galifianakis! And I have to complain about the actress for Nani. Again, she's doing a fine job, but she's NOT A NATIVE HAWAIIAN??? They just put her in makeup to make her look Hawaiian! Kindly go fuck yourselves for doing that, Disney.

Jumba and Pleakley's new designs are frankly disgusting. They don't look cute anymore. Jumba looks gross and Pleakley looks sickly. I don't understand what happened here. All the other aliens look fine, so why are these two prominent characters so ugly? Did they run out of time? Was it a budget thing? I honestly wouldn't be surprised.

Also, David's here too but he serves no purpose that I almost forgot he was in the movie at all. They cut the romance between him and Nani completely. You could cut him out and nothing would change.

And finally, the thing that pissed me off the most: the ending. Holy shit talk about missing the whole fucking point of the story. In the original film, Nani and Lilo are a broken family. But by expanding their Ohana, they're able to fix it. Because them getting separated would be the last straw to their Ohana being completely broken. Wasn't that such a sweet ending? Well, GUESS WHAT?! In the remake, Nani now gives Lilo up to foster care so the former can go to college to study Marine Biology. FUCK YOU! "oH bUt NaNi CaN sTiLl ViSiT lIlO!" Shut up! You're missing the point too. They broke the Ohana. You don't break the Ohana! It's also incredibly fucked up to think that two native Hawaiian girls have to be split up. Like, there's no other option. Bye! It's not only a disservice to the original story, but it can be downright offensive. Splitting families up is a-okay! Disney said so! FUCK!

Look, I can't stop you from seeing the remake. I can't stop you from liking it. But just know there's a far better version you can watch at home for half the cost, and in some cases FOR FREE. I went in with naive hope because I thought maybe they'll get it right this time. And if you have that same hope, don't. It is a sanitized, corporate copy of the original classic. Just like any other live-action remake. And if your one of those dumb fuckers that use the "It's a kid's movie, you dumb nerd!" excuse, let me get this through your thick skull. One: the original movie is for kids too, but it's done with way more love and care than this. Two: Disney is very clearly feeding off people's nostalgia for the original. I'm nostalgic for the original. So, whether you like it or not, I AM in the target demographic for this movie. And this is not at all what I wanted. I don't blame the director, or the writer, or the editors, or the actors, or any of the actual creative people behind it. I blame the Hollywood execs that most definitely watched over the production of this movie like a hawk. Please stop letting people who don't care about movies be in charge of making movies.

And please, please, PLEASE don't see the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake. I'm begging you.

[nightwngz]

Can I request a hal x reader x kyle smut os? If so, I would like the plot to be about them all hating each other and having angry sex.

HATE FUCK !

hal jordan x fem!reader x kyle rayner

𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. . . porn with plot. smut. daddy kink with Hal, dirty talk, degradation. fingering, p in v, anal sex, choking, manhandling?

𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. . . no copying of my work is allowed. Free translation is allowed as long as I am credited.

𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲. . . as I said in my other posts, English is not my first language. I have tried to make corrections with the translator, but as you all know, it is prone to making mistakes, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or if anything sounds weird.

𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲. . . Recently corrected because the original was poorly written. 💔

One of life's misfortunes is being put in situations that can be incredibly uncomfortable, but sharing a team with two people you hate? That's definitely something you wouldn't wish on anyone.

Since you joined the Green Lanterns, there have always been two people who have tried to make your rise within the Corps a little more difficult. Two people who, unfortunately for you, were assigned by the Guardians to be your superiors because you were too new to take on a mission on your own.

Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner: Annoying, cocky, and more experienced than you. Enough to make you take a back seat on every mission.

The three of you were on an unknown planet, possibly light years away from Oa. Sitting in a seedy bar surrounded by alien life, you wondered if it was right to be a part of it. Was it even worth putting up with them?

— Is this our sector? — you asked as you followed them in flight.

You had the misfortune to be distracted by an alien with disproportionate physical qualities and advanced until you collided with Hal's back.

— Be careful. As long as you're in our custody, what happens to you and your sweet ass is up to us. So keep your mouth shut and fly carefully. — He growled at you.

— It was just a question.

— And if you can't follow a simple order, maybe you should reconsider being part of the team. — Kyle said, turning to you.

Of the two, Hal was usually the more hostile. Kyle just nodded, but sometimes he had the luxury of reprimanding you for nonsense, like now. It was strange, actually, that neither of them would be critical of another rookie, but with you, they would even criticize the way you had to fly or the structures you formed with your ring. You swore that not even Kilowog had been so strict before.

Still, it seemed that the hatred Kyle and Hal had for you also held for each other. For a moment, you thought they were great allies, but it was difficult for them to agree on anything regarding the mission. Unfortunately for you, even if they decided on an ideal plan, you couldn't and shouldn't have a say in it, so if they didn't agree, you didn't care. It seems that it's only when they're on to you that things really pay off.

Frankly, hating them and being hated by them didn't change how easy it was for you to fall into their hands. You always felt inferior to them, both in the Corps and in bed. Where you are now: in Kyle's apartment, soiling the sheets.

You were pinned against the mattress. At the same time you were biting the pillow while he was busy pleasuring you with his fingers. He wasn't gentle at all, not even touching you, but that didn't change the fact that it felt good.

The texture of his fingers slid contemptuously over your wet pussy. You were aware of your own pleasure as your accelerated breathing and small moans were the only things echoing in the room.

He watched you as he always did. There was no hint of affection or love in his eyes, just carnal lust. He didn't like you at all; he just liked the idea of fucking you and leaving you like he always did.

Hal Jordan was the same, if not worse.

— You should have told me that this invitation included a private show.

You quickly snapped out of your state of utter pleasure when you were startled by the presence of Hal watching from the doorway.

He was wearing that aviator jacket you would never admit how much you liked. His brown hair was disheveled, and maybe the effect of lust made you think the wrong things about his choice of jeans.

What was he doing here?

— Did you miss me that much, honey? — he asked. — I had to come urgently just to show Kyle how to treat you.

In an instant, he was standing in front of you. You looked into his deep brown eyes as one of his large and masculine hands wrapped around your neck without choking you.

You always found him handsome. It never mattered to you that he was quite a bit older than you. He was probably a decade ahead of you, unlike Kyle, who was barely a year or two ahead of you. As much as it bothered you, being in bed with him made you feel like you had to nod and give in to everything he asked you to do, just because he wanted you to.

With Kyle, on the other hand, you were a brat: a capricious brat who only wanted to please herself and had to be disciplined to make you behave.

Maybe that's why Hal's hands kept squeezing your neck and Kyle's kept rubbing your pussy.

— Look at me. Only me. Don't think about him. — He told you and began to apply a light pressure that began to suffocate you.

Immediately, Kyle abruptly pulled Hal's hands away from you, trying to get your attention back on him.

— Who is fucking your wet pussy with his hand right now, need I remind you?

You paused to catch your breath, just as you used it as an excuse not to answer the man's question. Since it didn't matter how much they noted that it was only a sexual thing, they would still compete in everything that had to do with you.

Immediately you felt knuckles pressing against your clit. If Kyle had been guarding your hole before, Hal was now caressing your sensitive spot that desperately needed attention.

Your senses begin to sharpen. You begin to fall deeper into the surface of the bed. You feel your vision and thoughts blur with pleasure. The heat hits you hard, sucking the oxygen out of you.

— Eyes on Daddy. — Hal asked. — I want you to look into my eyes when you cum on my fingers.

— If she cums on your fingers, it's thanks to me. — growled the other.

— We'll see. — He grinned at you without stopping his movements.

You were still. You only moaned because the sensations were so overwhelming that you couldn't even remember the names of the men who were stimulating you. You tried not to look at them and just lay there with your eyes on the ceiling. Soon you came on both fingers, leaving a complete mess on the mattress.

— Enough for you? — Kyle asked, approaching you with the intention of wiping away your tears. — I hope not, we're not done yet. Or what, you think Hal would come all this way just to touch this used pussy?

— Relax, she knows what I want, don't you? — he asked. In return, he put his knee between your legs with the intention of being able to open them again.

— Yes, Daddy.

— “Yes, Daddy?” Is it with him that you decide to be good and obedient? — the younger man asked as he reached into the drawer and pulled out lubricant and several condoms.

He positioned himself behind you, in a position from which he could perfectly observe your ass. Without consulting you, he extended a lubricated finger over your anal hole. You knew what was going to happen and you couldn't help but feel scared; you had never gone so far as to dare to do it from behind.

— I shouldn't, but I'll try to be gentle with you just this once. You're acting like a total brat.

Then you looked for a second at Hal, who was pulling you by your hips until you were on his naked lap. You quickly felt his huge erection thrusting into your pussy, which was not yet fully penetrated.

— You know how I like it. — He told you while one of his hands slid over the skin of your breasts. — Tell me how much you love me. With sincerity.

You looked at him and answered as honestly as your conscience would allow:

— I can't stand you. I've hated you since the day I joined the Corporation. You have done everything in your power to make every day of my life more difficult. I despise you both.

They both smiled self-sufficiently as they accomplished the task of inserting themselves into you from one side at a time.

— Good girl. — He complimented you.

— Always saying what we want to hear.

[poisoned-pearls]

your au is so good!! im actually wondering how each alien guardian treats their respective twst character !! i can only assume kalim is the most spoiled

pls tell me riddle’s guardian is less punchable than his canon one, or else i’ll have to add them to my hit list right under azula’s dad

hydrate :D

mhm mhm!! Okay okay lemme give everyone a breakdown

Karima (Kalim) - you got it right! Karina’s guardian is super doting, and actually has sponsored/taken care of her since she was a baby. Shes got a strong fascination with humans, but nowhere near to the degree of Azula’s guardian/father. She got Karima when one of her friends humans had a kid, but “just couldn’t take care of another human,” since they only had one as a gift to their kid. So, she gladly took Karima in because she found her adorable. Karima is the most akin to a rich girls show dog, where she’s been spoiled most of her life while being pampered. She’s always been super obsessed with Karima’s hair, and always liked dressing her up and walking with her, showing off how pretty her pet human was. Kalim was at the garden, but that’s because having human that can sing well is seen as a great bragging point. Karima’s guardian is also from one of the original alien families that lead the overtake of earth, but they themselves aren’t very violent. They primarily are after money and status, and therefore, karima’s guardian is kinda aloof and unaware of a lot of things (which is why she’s lucky she got Karima, because otherwise her pampering and grooming (not the bad kind) habits would’ve annoyed most other humans). She let Karima into alien stage because Karima was genuinely very interested in it, unaware of the real nature of it. She eventually sees a high reward sum for Karimas return, and specifically bothers the alien stage committee to let her keep Karima alive if she is returned.

(everyone else under the cut bc it’s… long)

Silver - Silver’s Guardian bought silver as gift to their wife, since she’s pretty, and rather quiet. They also saw it as a fun thing to try out, akin to Ivan’s guardian from the original. They’re both upper middle class (for aliens at least), and silvers official guardian on paper has sponsored many humans before. But that’s to market them to their clients, and upcharging them more on the dream of having a winner from alien stage. They’ve actually sponsored a few past winners, and sold them to aliens who were very happy with their purchase. That’s why they specifically chose silver, since she was a gift for their wife, they strayed away from the type they’d usually pick. Less expensive, and served their purpose for their wife, which was to be quiet and pretty. However, their wife was rather insistent in entering her into alien stage, because they “always pick the good ones,” and they didn’t have the heart to break it to their wife that silver was not the best pick.

Floyd - Floyd’s guardian is a clothing seller, and runs a large company selling to both aliens and human pets. He originally got Floyd because he was A. Tall, B. Pretty, and C. Not insanely expensive. Floyd’s worked half time in marketing as a model for his brand for a while, and his fame and popularity sky rockets once he’s put into alien stage. Floyd actually sung a lot of the little jingles that play throughout their stores, and he’s been through a LOT of media training (that’s why he does aegyo for the aliens/lh). He doesn’t have much attachment to Floyd at all, but he also doesn’t particularly dislike him. Floyd does exactly what he expected when he bought him. He put him into alien stage for both extra publicity and fame, but also because either outcome would be good for him. Either he dies, and he gets a sky rocket of sales of his clothing and merch because he’s passed, or he wins and he can sell his advertising to even more people. Plus, if he dies, he’ll just get another human to take his place as a model.

Riddle - Riddles the youngest in their group, and was also bought the last. Riddle’s guardian is known for processing the “problem” ones. They buy the humans labeled with behavioral and temperament issues, and basically try to whip it (metaphorically, and rarely literally) out of them. Riddle has been their biggest problem by far, because he simply gets so angry. He’s rebellious to a fault and every time they resorted to physical punishments it’d just make him angrier. Eventually they got to a pseudo stalemate, but his guardian was determined to get that rebellious side out of him, no matter what it took. (Riddles got such an insanely strict moral code though that he’s never once wavered on it even with all of their attempts, even if his definitions of good and bad are rather… different to us, because of how humans are brought up.) The ONLY thing he’d do right is play music, which eventually lead to his alien setting up a reward system for his behavior. Everytime he performed for guests, he’d get smth like a point. Through these points, he’d get things like blank pages of sheet music, a little keyboard, and eventually a guitar. So while they never came to an equal understanding, they did have this… pseudo deal of “I won’t crash out if you just leave me alone and let me do my music.” However, one time he was performing for one of their clients as proof of how they can “tame” humans, and one decided to test it out. They chucked a bottle at his head, and it broke and spilt some kind of alcohol all over him, and onto the keyboard he was playing. He watched as they electricity fizzled and died in his keyboard, and then promptly snatched it off of its stand and DIVED at the client, full on SWINGING it at them. He even managed to land a hit, too. His guardian snatched their emergency tranquilizer off of the wall and shot it directly into his back. And boy they were FURIOUS. Riddle just fucked up one of their best potential client deals, AND potentially their whole future business. They basically chucked him back into his little room, put on his restraints and his muzzle, and signed him up for alien stage. He stayed in that room for the month until it started, and the next time he saw them after that incident was when they tossed his guitar at him, moments before he got on stage, and stormed off.

Azula (Azul) - most of this is covered in her lore post here, but I can add more detail here! Her guardian is EXTREMELY tall, towering at abt, 11ish ft or 335ish cm. He’s basically just a head with a ton of tentacles that he twists into a vague shape of arms and a body. He’s extremely wealthy, and his family was one of the main ones who aided in the takeover of earth. He’s got a freakish obsession with humans, and has around 50 ish as attendants in his house, or general pets. He goes through a lot more however- he’ll buy some because he finds them interesting (pretty, musically gifted, artistic), and after a while he’ll get rid of them because he grew bored of them. He’s an EXTREME supremacist of aliens, and firmly believed that all aliens are genetically and intellectually superior to humans in every way. He loathes any and all of the protestors against alien stage, because that has always been a delight for him, and he’s personally made broadcasts against the “human terrorists” plaguing their society, and how they are weak, feeble and pathetic, and how nobody should take them seriously. Azula, however, as his daughter, as a weird sort of favoritism for her. She gets a better room, but it still locks from the outside. He’s also very, generally creepy and predatory towards her. the best way to describe it is like, the AIR of grooming. He uses a lot of tactics but he’s not really got much of an end goal with it. He’s very reactionary with her, one minutes she’s in his good graces, being pampered and doted on, and the next he’s not even looking her way. Azula can sort of speak the alien language he does (primarily through inhuman clicking and rumbles) and therefore has always kinda struggled with the fact that while she CAN communicate with him, it’s not well, or proper, and infuriates him when he hears her speak poorly. She also is banned from speaking it whenever other aliens are around. For so much of the life he left her constantly feeling like she was vying for his attention at every moment.

Jami (Jamil) - Jami’s most recent guardian is a very underhanded one, running a lucrative underground business and a more official gambling den. They’re one of the two people you’d go to to officially gamble on alien stage and it’s outcome. She most often was kept in a small “human terrarium,” that wasn’t much more than a small somewhat glass room, with the basic necessities to keep her alive. The roof was also extremely low, and at just 6ft she could barely had enough room. However- they were not the one to purchase her. Her original owner, the one who purchased her when she turned 18, was a smaller, less high ranking individual. He was an average alien, who snagged her up because she was extremely cheap (at the time of purchase she was 75% off on top of her cheap cost because of her “volatile temperament and aggressive record.” She was with him for abt 3 ish years, and she primarily cleaned his house. Sometimes he’d take her out to pretend he had status (her rbf and general tired demeanor made her seem more “expensive” then she was) but other then that she’s basically have the house to herself most days, since he'd spend all of his time gambling and drinking (this is also where he drinking problem started to emerge, bc he did NOT watch his alcohol.) she didn’t have her own room, but she had a cot in the living room and he slept upstairs, so she didn’t really care. This is actually when she had the most space in her whole time being a pet. The reason she ended up with the other alien is because her original guardian gambled with money he didn’t have, and they’d come to collect debt. When he didn’t have the money, they took her as a sort of “she’s got some value, better than nothing.” That’s why she was tossed into alien stage. She had good stats when she was younger (Jami purposely failed after she turned 16), so might as well toss her in. Either she loses and now he doesn’t have to pay to keep her alive anymore, or she wins and he gets some money from her.

[green-enby]

Heyo! Have you watched Koisenu Futari (恋せぬふたり, Two people who can't fall in love) yet? It's a great series, just 8 episodes long! I binged it in one day :) [smiley]

It focuses on two aromantic asexual people living together. This is a little appreciation post, containing some thoughts that it evoked in me as an aroace.

If you don't want spoilers, please don't read!

It's so relatable how Sakuko keeps blaming herself all throughout the show… Insecurity stemming from societal expectations that dictate romance is for everyone, and that people who don't date are somehow "failing" in life; I think this affects allos as well.

When I broke off my romantic relationship, I too felt like it had been my fault, for not having been a good enough partner, for not being able to love them in the same way they loved me.

To finally learn that you are not "defective", that there's other people like you…! I love how the two MCs don't grieve their lack of attraction; Sakuko is perfectly happy discovering she's aroace. She and Takahashi are living their "best life" together.

Sure, many aroaces do wish they were allo, and that needs to be represented too, but this series to me really shined a light over why they want that: it's because amatonormativity is rampant in the world, not because lacking attraction is inherently sad. The main conflicts in the series stem from the clash between allo society and the aroace experience, after all. I think that's neat! It gave me a good dose of aroace joy—while still showing the hurts that come with it, realistically—and I really needed it.

I didn't expect her to come out to her family so soon, but whoa, that was intense. Her mother's negative reaction is what all people who exclude a-spec people from the LGBTQIA+ community should see, to understand that we face the same issues they do.

I haven't come out to my parents as aroace yet, and watching this made me realize how awful it actually feels to be in the closet. I somehow hadn't realized I am. I've always felt safe coming out to them as other things, as bisexual back in the day, and as trans non-binary.

It might be because my confidence disappeared when they reacted badly both times, but this coming out feels almost impossible.

Comparing it to coming out as bi, it's really not that different: if you're bi, you're promiscuous and date too many people; if you're aroace, you're a prude and cold-hearted. If you break away from the status quo, you're wrong either way.

But at least, most people do eventually understand the bi experience, if they understand same-gender attraction, and fuse it with straightness, even though it's a flawed method.

With aros and aces, instead, it's such an alien concept for an allo, which makes it way harder to come out and have to explain to them how to deconstruct allo-amatonormativity. It's exhausting. Thankfully, there's people like Kazu who are actually willing to learn about us. That gives me hope.

I feel like it's super eye-opening to find out the concept of romance didn't even exist in the past. Pretty sure that in Europe, it originated during the Middle Ages from the ideal of chivalry. So it's really just a social construct, and opting out of it shouldn't be so controversial!

It's just a set of pointless, annoying rules like having to kiss eachother, having to say "I love you", and doing it all a set amount of times, otherwise it's not good enough. What if we don't want to? What if it doesn't come natural to us? If it's just a social construct, fuck it, I'm not adhering to that! We do whatever makes us happy!

Even in the series itself, Sakuko too goes through a heartbreak, even if it's not the romantic kind: she valued her friendship and future cohabitation with Chizuru above all else, but Chizuru abandoned her, because of romantic love. It's not true that aroaces have it easy.

Like our MC, we have to deal with fear that we'll come off flirty when we're just being friendly, confusion over concepts that we feel we should understand, shame over the fact that we're different, fear of loneliness, frustration and pain that we'll always come second to our friends' romantic partners, or even trauma from a relationship or sexual encounter that we didn't really want. I could go on and on.

These last scenes really got to me. Especially the second one… I admit that I cried, when she had to turn her down, and it seemed like her aromanticism had ruined their relationship. It hurts that the way I am could seriously harm someone I care about. It hurts that most people work differently and that they can't help it, and that we can't help it either. I don't like being put in that position, to cause someone a heartbreak. I have with my ex, and had to watch them spiral down… It was horrible.

Still, I wouldn't change my orientation for the world. I'm confident in my identity, I love being aroace.

In the end, we can all reach our full potential, reach a point where we feel fulfilled and that we're living our best life, find ourselves a family if it's what we want, have our dream job and house. Being aroace doesn't condemn us to a life of unhappiness. That's what this series left me with by the end; it gave me so much hope for my future.

(I'm aware I'm coming off as a bit toxically positive here haha, sorry if I'm striking a bad chord; I'm just in a really good period right now, and riding this wave for as long as I can! Hopefully I can rub it off someone else as well.)

That said, I really loved this j-drama, it was funny and relatable and emotional, I wished it had lasted longer! It seems like the author isn't even aroace herself, so I'm amazed at how good the representation was! So much thought and research has gone into it, and it shows; the result is amazing.

Thanks for reading my scattered thoughts about this! 🧡💛🤍🩵💙

[juchily]

Random bot idea so please bear with me,

Hear me out..

If the supernatural is possible within YellowJackets, then thoughts upon a Shapeshifter reader?

They can keep a form yet it mentally hurts them to do so. Such stress piled upon the events that have occurred. Originally, they only joined the YJs to fit in within the town as their form was that of a teen.

So after the crash, they can no longer take a break to shift between forms. They end up going deep into the woods to just, break down, yet little did they know that one of the team members followed them, involuntarily buddy system if you will.

So as they break down, the forms shift and shift, form to form, and it’s shocking. Gradually that one member tells the others and as the trips deeper into the forest continue, so does the advocations for their powers until the whole of the team knows.

Then a confrontation is planned.

And it occurs.

I don’t know why I wrote this, cute little concept and all that!

Toodles!!!

frothing at the mouth I love shape shifters, you can do so much cool stuff with them. DO NOT start that talk with me unless you want a ramble on my sharp shifting OC

If you've watched Young Justice I feel like reader would be like M'gann, like they hold a stark resemblance to a young Helena Bonham Carter, or Winona Ryder, or Angela Basset, or Naomi Campbell, etc, just copying the looks of whoever they first saw on TV when they crash landed on earth (we're going alien to be particular) but they could even be an ancient species that's been asleep in ice in the pits of the ocean for the last few centuries.

Thinking about their autonomy not being the same as a human's, they have heightened senses so they have to play off their good hunting skills as just being taught by their made up human father when they were younger... Or them not sleeping much, at all, or at different times than humans so they have to fake being asleep, doing some stupid "wee-ne-ne-ne huaaagh" ass snores.

Sometimes they'll switch between other forms, they'll sprout little pinfeathers, and they're *so* annoying but they just have to hide it under their clothes and bare it all day until the other girls are asleep, watching birds during the day to learn how to properly prevent the pinfeathers that sprout from their body from all the stress, baby just needs a good bath and some back rubs (two things they're probably barely aware exist) ❤️

They'd probably thrive up to a certain point out in the wilderness (if we ignore any thoughts on the dark parts that come to be and stick to the actual survival stuff), they wouldn't give a shit about washing in the lake half of the time, theyd be like a muddy, providing dog to the group, only washing up to please the other girls or whatever

Away from the headcanons— little trips into the forest to just let themselves exist in their natural form outside of their fleshsona. I want to be self indulgent and make them a full on harpy with snake attributes and the tail of a raccoon but idk. They begin taking them more often as the stress piles up and it becomes noticable. Because after that first time they went into the forest to deflesh themselves their buddy (they were not aware there was a buddy system being put in place in their defense...) caught them, also something they were not aware of despite their heightened senses for plot related reasons.

I'm thinking maybe it was Lottie who was their buddy, and like she went to Laura Lee for her hallucinations, she goes to her being like "Did you know (blank) has wings?" And then the two delusional queers they are thinks they're an angel from heaven literally sent to be their guardian angel, and in a way they are

They get WAY too loud about them gossiping and oogling reader all day and somehow it becomes public knowledge to everyone (minus reader) that Lottie and Laura Lee are stupid mf who think reader is some angel or something. And it's becomes a running joke.

Thinking about while hunting with Nat, reader's true form flashes for a second or so while they're standing over a buck that they shot, but not a lethal shot, so they had to put the thing out of its pain. And so now Nat thinks she's insane like *Lottie and Laura* are.

Until, one fateful day, while dinner is cooking a strau Coyote comes yipping at the cabin and reader, like the guardian-angel-but-not they are, throws the cabin door open and hisses at the thing, and the girls swear to god they have talons as nails. Not to mention the suspiciously bushy limb of fur coming out of their lower back, what is that— raccoon stripes???

And then the funny delusion that reader is a angel isnt *so* far off. Reader is oblivious to the bewildered stares while they eat, suddenly quite sharp teeth tearing into the meat of their earlier hunt.

And then at night when reader has snuck off for another one of their deep forest trips, Nat's like "guys this mf is some biblical bitch or some shit idk more like eldritch god, bro had wings and shit" (ignore that dialogue it's a horrible paraphrase of what I imagine she would say not what she literally would say). And it's like, Nat's is the most realistic person on this team and they've all seen reader look weird as hell.

So, late at night, when reader comes back from their deep forest trip, when they expect everyone to be asleep still (they never were, they pulled a reader and pretended to sleep and the oblivious fuck reader isn't didn't notice one bit)— are jumped with a bunch of questions about "are you an angel", "am I on the naughty list" that one from Van, because honestly the way Nat described your form and your teeth when you ate, you looked like Krampus— and then the obligatory "are you the new jersey devil?!?"

I'm just now realizing writing this that maybe reader is just... the New Jersey Devil but if it could shapeshift?? Which one could say all cryptids can with the varying descriptions of their looks.

Uhm, anyways do with this info what you will based on the bot. I'm going to link another post with the bot and info for the bot here

[brucewaynehater101]

One idea I've been tinkering around for a few years. I'd love your thoughts. It's very similar to your Tim Rules the Universe idea....

It's a 'royalty au' where Tim was born the prince but had to leave the planet due to an evil uncle (who wants to be king) at three.

Evil uncle killed Tim's original parents, and the Drakes had the unfortunate task of raising a child. They were special operatives for royalty. They had never considered having children, but now it was their job.

(They weren't very good at it. After all, they had no concept of how much attention/care children needed).

Flash forword a few years, and Tim is exhausted and working his butt off for Bruce. He's proven the man is alive, saved him from time... all the good stuff.

Someone knocks at the Wayne Manor door.

It's the previous kings butler (servant, whatever). The people are asking for Tim back. The uncle sucks and Tim is eighteen. He can rule.

Tim is annoyed that his family now knows. He didn't want them to treat him differently.

(But he says yes and comes to the planet. He hadn't been there since he was three after all.)

The planet has had civil wars after civil war over the rightful king. It's in ruins (except the royal castles and a few spots)

Tim has his work cut out for him to get these people to like each other and him. The batfamily is WORRIED about him.

Jason insists on being Tim’s bodyguard. Tim shrugs. Why not? He wears his red helmet and loves it when the lesser royals (dukes, duchesses) make a fuss about not seeing his face. The previous leader of the royal guard doesn't understand why his king replaced him before even meeting him, but tries to accept Jason as his boss. Eventually, the other royal guards assume red is their kings favorite color and add red bits to their uniforms where they can. (Jason loves it!)

Anyway, the concept is Tim in this new world with alien politics (but I'm not sure what all they should be... Maybe he doesn't want to marry his betrothed. Stuff like that.) But I want it to be funny.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

This is a fantastic AU idea ^^

One thing to note that would be absolutely hilarious to go into: Tim's "fake" uncle.

Tim, because he thinks it's funny, put the evil uncle's name as his "fake" uncle. He then hired an actor to play a waaaay better version of him. That way, he would be lying about who his uncle is, not that he has one. The funny conundrum about this is, when Bruce discovers that the uncle is an actor, there are no records of Tim's actual uncle. This leads Bruce to the conclusion that Tim made up the entire uncle.

Fast forward several years later when the Bats find out. I bet Bruce is bashing his head in at the fact that the uncle WAS real. Tim didn't lie about that.

That's the tricky part about Tim. You don't know when he's telling the truth or not because he hides it under several layers and within itself.

The way you talked about the Drakes and Tim leads me to believe that all of them are an alien species. If you'd like to get more into that (what makes them different from humans, what is their culture like, do they speak a different language, etc.), I would be thrilled to learn more.

If the Drakes are human, them having an alien baby thrown at them as they are kicked off planet excuses why they maybe didn't know how to raise Tim.

If they are aliens, did they know English before they got to earth? The culture shock (and maybe different requirements/guidelines for human parenting) could have just confused the hell out of them.

I hope Tim, even from the distant Drakes, was raised in his native culture (or at least got some connections to it throughout his childhood). There's definitely some angst that can be explored there (including references to the stars).

If Jason went with Tim, I bet some of the Outlaws did as well. Kori would probably give Tim great advice on being alien royalty (and all that mess).

Hmm... perhaps the Drakes became rich and integrated into Gotham high society to do a weird form of prince training? They obviously didn't have the resources available that they should have had, so they made do.

Perhaps part of the reason the Drakes were archeologists was to grab the things previous alien ancestors left behind when they visited Earth. It's a way they can bring Tim a piece of his home world.

Questions: If Tim left at three, he might not remember that he's a prince. Do the Drakes keep reminding him (maybe some angst about the emotional separation due to them technically serving him [which can be a Bruce and Tim parallel])? Does Tim remember his bio parents? Does he consider Jack/Janet to be his parents, or does he consider himself an orphan until Bruce adopts him?

Now, for court humor: Customs, traditions, rituals, and customer service.

Tim is trying to put a planet back together and his advisors/council spring random ass rules on him.

A/C: "Overlord, sir!"

Tim: *sighs and puts his head in his hands* "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

A/C: "My apologies, overlord, sir."

Tim: *deeper sigh* "Just continue."

A/C: "You can't send those supplies out."

Tim: "... The supplies that will save people from starving to death?"

A/C: "Yes, overlord, sir."

Tim: "And why not?"

A/C: "Grain and seeds must be sent separately and three weeks apart! You must also dance before their departure!"

Tim: "... what the fuck?"

Stuff like that where Tim or Jason (or other Bats if they are there) get informed about strange restrictions. Tim can't change too many rules (no matter how weird they are) cause he wasn't even raised on planet. This is a reason some folks don't want him to rule them (and thus his position is unstable).

More humor could come from Tim listening to his subjects and their problems. The more ridiculous it is, the better.

Little hc you may or may not want to add: I think Damian would spend the most time going over different customs/rules/histories of the planet out of the other Bats.

[synergysilhouette]

Ranking Disney revival films

Pretty self-explanatory! Just my personal feelings (condensed) about Disney's Revival Era films up to now--even though many say the Revival Era is over now. Hoping we don't have to wait another decade for a good era to return. I'm sure my placement of some films are a surprise.

15. Wish--It hurts my soul to put a musical at the bottom of this list, especially seeing how it had all the ingredients for a critically-acclaimed, box office success. But the end result wasn't satisfactory; the message was muddled, the songs were generic, and the use of hybrid animation, aside from not being something I like, was ill-fitted for this film. If all the scrapped concepts I liked were used in this film and the creative team wasn't stifled/confused by executives (I NEED a behind-the-scenes documentary for this film), I think this would've been top 5, maybe even top 3 for me on this list.

14. Strange World--The film has a really interesting theme of environmentalism and using it via aliens, but it never comes off as unique or interesting; even the alien animation is generic. This almost feels like something that would've been handled better in the post-renaissance era (and subsequently been underrated, but isn't that better than how it is now?) It's a shame, because Searcher is one of the few Disney films where the main character is a parent/grown adult instead of a young adult. Disney could've opened up to a new audience here if this film was better. I only put this above "Wish" because "Wish" had too much expectation from me.

13. Wreck-It-Ralph--I like the message the film offers, but I think part of the reason I couldn't engage with it was because of the retro inspiration; I was never a big arcade game player. I think it was cute, but it just wasn't engaging. It's not that this was a bad film, but there were other Disney films of this era that I think I gravitated to a bit more. I do hope Disney makes a video game-inspired film one day, though--but I don't know if their current management would handle it right.

12. Wreck-It-Ralph 2--Again, I found it a cute film, but it just didn't engage me. The ONLY reason I placed this above the first was for obvious reasons: the Disney princesses (and most of their original voice actors) returned, so that was an honor to see.

11. Moana 2--The film had a really good concept, but the execution of it wasn't as good. It was very apparent that Disney only gave them 10 months to make a tv show into a movie with little wiggle room to change anything (as confirmed by the screenwriters), which was only 4 months in terms of writing since animation takes about 6 months for 3D, if I recall. I'm pretty sure they did this when it became clear that "Wish" was going to flop, so this was their backup plan. This only goes higher than the other films before it due to familiarity of the property.

10. Winnie the Pooh--This was a sweet film, but I don't have much to say about it. I'm not a big fan of WTP, so it's not a film I'd rewatch a lot, but it was good when I watched it.

9. Raya and the Last Dragon--As I've said, if this film had been different, I think it could've been my favorite Disney film EVER. Unfortunately, last-minute story/cast/crew changes led to it changing significantly, and it just wasn't as good as I think it could've been. I love the idea of a SEA fantasy epic, but the worldbuilding and message of it all needed revising; Raya is offered no validation for her trauma and trust issues, and she's the one who has to move past it because her divine friend is innocent and trusting.

8. Tangled--I'm NOT a fan of this movie, but I love Gothel's songs, so that's a plus. I'm very annoyed with the selfish guy tropes that Flynn Rider exhibits, as well as the fact that why he's like this isn't shown to us; it's just a minute-long discussion. Plus he feels a lot older than Rapunzel because of his jaded attitude, and their adventure to the kingdom is kinda boring to me. A part of me feels like they were going for "Shrek," but it wasn't NEARLY as good to me. (But to fair, it sounds like Disney was micromanaging even back then, too.)

7. The Princess and the Frog--I like a lot of aspects of this film, but the reason it's low is because I'm not a big jazz fan (I do like some of the songs, though), and I'm not crazy on animal-centric movies due to the different POV they have. If Naveen and Tiana had stayed humans for most of the movie, I would've enjoyed this film a lot more. Best believe I would've watched "Tiana," Disney.

6. Frozen 2--This film is the opposite of "Moana 2"; the concept alone isn't really interesting (searching to find a mysterious voice), but the execution is better, even if it has a lot of moving parts that should be cleaned up. Again, this was a production nightmare, but I'm just glad the returning cast and crew were able to make something emotional and powerful, even if the story itself was a bit messy and Kristoff got the short end of the stick.

5. Encanto--This film was good, from it's music to it's setting; I love it when Disney explores different cultures. I think the reason I took points off is because I felt like due to having 12 family members, the story arcs for some of the family members didn't feel as fleshed out as Mirabel's own arc. Plus this story was much more domestic than typical Disney fantasy films, going for magical realism versus high fantasy.

4. Moana--This was a gorgeous film to look at, and I think the music really carried it, but the story itself was still solid enough to push it into the top 4 for me. My only qualm was that I wish we had more main characters and that Moana's "Know Who You Are" had more parallels, since she and Te Fiti went through very different feelings, as Moana never fell into a rage or almost lost herself while on the journey.

3. Big Hero 6--I adore this film so much! The message and the ability to take a very unique comic series into an emotional film made me adore it, especially when processing the ugly sides of grief and accepting that you can't always get back the things and people you've lost. My only critiques are that the villain reveal happened too late to properly have parallels between him and the protagonist, as well as Fred having an unequal amount of screentime compared to the others in the friend group, and the costumes. I'm a sucker for more unique costumes than that.

2. Frozen--When I saw this film, I swore that it was the best film ever. It's really amazing with it's music and storyline; it felt like a (properly-written) modern fairy tale, albeit a bit heavy on the commentary, and we didn't need a twist villain here. I'm also not crazy about how they characterized Elsa and Anna's parents, particularly their dad.

Zootopia--This may come as a big surprise since I'm a big fan of musical films and I'm not a fan of animal-centric films. However, since this movie has the animals in a human setting, it was a film I was open to. The racism metaphor and narrative of prejudice touched me in a way I wasn't expecting it to; I was fully planning to skip this movie. Nick Wilde is essentially what I wanted from Flynn Rider, and Judy Hopps is one of the routes I wish Disney went for Asha.

What's your ranking for Disney's last decade of films up to now?

[lia404]

I'll give you Yusaku for "Send me a Yugioh character" owo

AH. Ahaha. Oh my god, okay. So for context, your ask landed in my inbox exactly when I was struggling with formatting my "Yusaku birthday post." Which means it caught me at a point when I had even MORE feelings than I usually do for this boy. I apologise in advance: the answer about Kaiba may have been a wall of text, but I'm afraid this one will become a full skyscraper of text. So go grab some tea, coffee, biscuits, whatever makes you feel good for a break, then sit back and relax while I scream at you about how much I CARE for Yusaku Fujiki.

(Whatever happens remember that you asked for it.) (Thank you so much for this, too, even if I've spent a good part of my afternoon and all my evening and part of my night on it.) (By the way at this point I really won't feel insulted if no one reads it to the end, I think I mostly need to get it all out of my system.)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD, in the form of headcanons and personal analyses of Yusaku's character and his relationships, along with multiple screenshots, gif, videos, all hidden behind the excuse of an ask meme (so it's still superficial in many parts, but I feel like it's a good overview.) I'm putting it all behind a cut since I know how to use them now. (Or do I? It's the 4th time I edit to put the cut back to the place it's meant to be at.)

----------- Also, keeping track so I stop getting lost in my own blog: The original Ask meme Seto Kaiba Spectre Aoi Zaizen I still answer for other characters so long as they're from DM or Vrains!

Why I like him/why I don’t

I think it's Yusaku's resilience that I like the most. He can be no-nonsense and harsh, but he's always honest, and he always stands up. It's striking, actually, how he always manages to keep standing.

He's thrown to the ground by life, by his enemies (interestingly, many declare they are his enemies when he's not even TRYING to alienate them, and just doesn't really care.) Even his allies are the reason why he ends up beaten up sometimes. And yet, he always get back up. It's very rare to see him fully crash, which makes it even more impactful when he does.

I'm just fascinated at how even at his lowest, at the biggest blows he receives, he stands up. His strive for life is remarkable, so much so that it sometimes almost feels like a curse. Just the same way he keeps winning and winning, because he's good, of course, but also because losing is not an option. He has to stand up and he keeps doing it for himself, for others, and still manages to feel guilty for not doing enough.

(I'm afraid you'll have to do with my French subtitles, I am NOT trying to find other streams just to make screencaps, these ones were hard enough to find.)

"Sorry, Kusanagi, your brother Jin has been taken and Lightning is menacing humanity and all of this is because I'm not strong enough."

Yusaku, FFS.

This is all heavily linked to the other aspect of his character I love most: Yusaku is so human. He's filled with hope. In one of the episodes of season 3, Revolver tells him to "stop thinking with his naive optimism".

And Playmaker clearly doesn't like it, look at this face.

But he still holds onto it until the end. He's not giving up until he's forced to (and even when it's done, he takes off and tries to find solutions.)

And Yusaku cares, he cares so much. He may seem heinous and gratuitously savage with the way he shuns Shima or Ai, but you have to go beyond the words. When Shima is captured, he literally runs to his rescue, barely waiting for the van to stop before he jumps out of it to check on his classmate. Shima and other people around, no matter how annoying, will also give occasional encouragements (often hidden behind a layer of backhanded compliments, because that's how Yusaku rolls.)

Yusaku makes sure that people around him are feeling alright. He comforts them. He may not use the nicest words, he has the sensitivity of an elephant let loose in a fine china shop, but his words usually strike right where they should. He helps. He gives a lot of himself for this, apparently not caring what other people think of it.

Goddamnit, Yusaku. Why are you trying to make me cry.

And this, actually, paradoxically, might be the only thing I dislike for him. It's not even about HIM per se (he may not be perfect but I am able to admit I'm too biased to not have a hard time finding him any flaws.) It's the way he gives so much of himself for everyone leads not only to people relying on him a lot, they also tend to take him for granted. And it pisses me off. Yusaku doesn't really fight against it, which, understandable considering his character, his backstory, everything. But sometimes I wish he could stop being the hero of Link VRAINS, because he's spreading himself too thin, and he had to break at some point. Or multiple times.

What I like about his appearance

I am trying SO hard to stop myself from waxing all kinds of poetics on him, so for this once I'll go with the most obvious: his EYES.

(Yes this was all a shameless excuse to flood you with close-ups of Yusaku and Playmaker's beautiful, vibrant eyes.)

The colour is striking, of course, especially in contrast with his or Playmaker's hair. But also, for someone meant to be aloof and stoic, Yusaku's eyes are hella expressive. His eyebrows only emphasise it, and actually, this is another trait I really like: Playmaker's eyebrows are orange. Playmaker is a real red-head! It makes me irrationally happy. It's the little details, folks, and Yusaku definitely pays more attention to them than most would expect.

And the second aspect of his appearance I just can't omiss...

...Well, that's his smile, of course! If only he had reasons to smile more often. Look at him; no matter how terrible the situation, he manages to smile.

This one is from when he says goodbye to Kusanagi before the final duel agains Ai. It's honestly quite tragic, but here he is. Smiling. Why is no one in this series protecting this smile. What are they all DOING.

Anyway, I've been writing for way too long already and I still have TOO MUCH to say so that's it for the appearance. He's adorable, he's beautiful, he's gorgeous.

Do I prefer his dub names or original names?

You'd think the question is not relevant since his name is the same in both, BUT. There's actually a massive difference. I can't take the dub version's stressed Yu'SAku seriously when in Japanese it's very clearly 'YUUsaku. Also, watching parts of the dub has been very amusing once I accepted that it was a parody, but there's not much to keep. Not even the pronunciation of a name. So I'm going with original, no hesitation.

OTP

Okay, another obvious one. If you've been following me you have noticed the ridiculous amount of Datastormshipping I put in your feed.

Evil smile besties ftw.

And YET.

It's so hard to ship them seriously. There's so much to repair. I can't see them all lovey-dovey, they have to work for it, and work HARD. Because Playmaker is just... so completely defanged when he's in front of Revolver. And Revolver, while actually acting in the shadow to support Playmaker so many times in the course of 120 episodes, never spares him a kind word, a nice face, except when he thinks he's dying.

I suspect he's not doing it consciously, but the way Revolver behaves makes me feel like he takes Playmaker for granted. It makes sense, considering their backstory: Revolver has obsessed over Playmaker and endangered people he cared about because of it. He has also proved multiple times that he is very intent to shoulder the full blame for an incident he had not much to do about, so he'd rather keep Playmaker and his "stupid faith in him" at a distance. But Revolver is also Playmaker's saviour, which makes it so Playmaker trusts him and can follow him blindly no matter what.

Eloquent: everyone is wary to follow, but Playmaker is first in line, not a hint of hesitation in spite of having no idea of what lies behind the portal.

For this reason, I'm actually happy with the Revolver event in Duel Links, in spite of all its writing flaws.

In the event, Playmaker feels Revolver with his Link Sense even before he arrives, which shows that he's still VERY attuned to Revolver. And in spite of this clear bond, Playmaker really stands against Revolver and asserts his beliefs with no room for negociation, something he hasn't done since the Tower of Hanoi (...and even then, arguably, he was trying to negociate.) He is not yielding no matter how important Revolver might be for him. And, at the end of the event, Revolver seems to be relieved to have met such resistance. He even sounds sort of supportive? It's open to interpretation, but my feeling was that he actually approved of Playmaker's doing and encouraged him. The Ghost Gal and Spectre events that followed emphasised it for me. They're clearly not fighting anymore, but they also don't have this weird blind spot for each other anymore.

With this approach, I feel like they'd have better roots for a relationship that would not lean towards codependence or other unhealthy bases.

Don't get me wrong, I adore the fluff, and Datastormshipping really is the obvious end goal for me, but for this ship what I love most is them having to work for it. Because even if they clearly trust each other, Yusaku will have to learn to NOT give all of himself blindly, and Ryoken will need to learn to actively LISTEN to Yusaku, and even make him speak.

(As a quick parenthesis, because I'll get back to this topic later and I'd rather not leave any ambiguity: as much as I resent him for his treatment of Yusaku, I absolutely adore Revolver, in this terrible love/hate dynamic that makes me hate to love him and love to hate him. In spite of everything, or maybe DUE to all of this, I really like his character. I'm not sure I'll ever write deep meta about him, though, because he's already had a lot written about him and I doubt I have much more to bring to discussions that happened years ago. But who know what time will bring? Anyway, Datastormshipping FTW.)

NOTP

BEWARE: unpopular opinion ahead. I actually can't see Aiballshipping.

Again, don't get me wrong: I see where the shippers come from, and I really don't hate the ship! I've read multiple doujin and fanfictions, I enjoy the content, I enjoy the art, I love the analyses of the ship... But I can't see it, because for me, it goes beyond a romantic relationship. Ai is literally a part of Yusaku. Him and Yusaku are a package, in a way: if someone wants to be with Yusaku, they'll also have to be with Ai. If someone says Yusaku "It's Ai or me", they'd better not expect to be chosen. I understand Aiballshipping. I like reading takes on it, I like reading stories about it. But to me, what Ai and Yusaku have is not romantic. It's something obvious, a given, almost fusional. They don't kiss; they can communicate without saying a word. (Even if they spend their time throwing jabs at each other out loud.) Any other romantic relationship will come in addition to it, without being replaced by it. So I don't "ship" it. It's very much not an OTP. I have no idea which verb I could use for it, though, because I'm not really sure it can be considered queerplatonic either.

OT3

Di-sas-ter-ship-ping! It's actually my main ship, even if there's not a lot of content. Sure, if we want to make it work in a nice healthy way, it's going to be quite the challenge. BUT not everything has to be serious and reasonable or even believable (I have datastormshipping for this) and seriously, the dynamic between these three has so much potential for wholesomeness, stupid arguments and general chaos. It's called disastershipping for a reason. (Not only this, I know, but still.)

Look at them, their smug poses and their stupidly form-fitting costumes. What could go wrong, right? <3

Favourite card he uses

Contrary to my answer re: Kaiba's deck, this time I am familiar with Playmaker's deck, because I play it AND I actually watched his duels multiple times to understand how he uses it. The fact is that even if there's the usual "I magically draw the exact card I need and use if without even looking at it" effect that is characteristic to Yu-Gi-Oh animes, his deck is solid and it really allows different kind of combos to always find workaround. (Doesn't mean I don't brick often, but not everyone can be Playmaker.)

So I actually have TWO favourite cards. The first one is my little love, usually one of the first to join the field: Backup Secretary.

She's beauty, she's grace, she's always here to help me link summon my ace. She's easy to use. She may not be the best one, but I'm so happy to have her in my deck—three times. I have multiple other cards that allow me to bring her in my hand. She never stays long on the field, since her specialty is to help summoning various types of Code Talkers, but she's a life saver. And seriously her design is awesome.

And the second one is, in my amateur point of view (I need to write the disclaimer that while I'm not BAD at duelling, I'm not exactly GOOD either and I miss a lot, lot, lot of subtleties) one of the best cards in Playmaker's deck: Recoded Alive.

This card is a lifesaver. It has multiple effects for different situations. It helps me avoid having an empty field when my opponent's field is filled with monsters. It's a trap, and allows me to switch monsters when attacked if I use it during the opponent's turn. It allows me to bring another monster to the field and have another attacking monster if I play it during my own battle phase.

And even if we want to remain focused on Playmaker's storyline, it's one of the most important ones Yusaku plays in the anime. It's always here for him since the beginning, and it has allowed him to bring back so many monsters. I mean, it basically wins him a duel against Revolver. It saves him against Ai. It's just... I love this card. It took me forever to understand how it works, but now it's hard to imagine a Playmaker deck without it.

Favourite moment(s) he was in

And here I thought I had already written enough. Well, we're here for a few more hours. I hope your tea has not gone cold.

I dare hope that you KNEW you shouldn't expect me to choose only ONE moment. There are so many. I can't satisfy myself with only one, I must bring up a few more, but not too many because this post is overwhelming enough as it is.

1. Season 1, when Playmaker goes against Akira to recover files in SOL's massive datbase. I can't begin to express how angry I was with the way Akira treats Yusaku. I know it was done in good faith, but having Akira tell Yusaku "go have a normal life, go out with your friends, enjoy your life as a teenager and prepare for your future, it's important" is just horribly condescending. It's SO satisfying to see Playmaker put the Zaizen, who always seem to think they know what he feels, or what is best for him, in their place. There's something incredibly satisfying in having Yusaku say "It is MY story and it is MINE to tell".

"I don't want the story of my past to be told by someone else."

Having Playmaker defend his story like this, and not let others take it or misinterpret it (especially when they feel like they "understand"), is, to me, a very powerful moment. And as if this wasn't enough, Yusaku adds a power move to it, adding a step in his final turn that he didn't have to do to win the duel: returning the two Tindangle cards representing Akira and Aoi to the hand rather than winning by leaving them both in the graveyard. When confronted about it, he answers that he doesn't want the siblings to be in the darkness of the graveyard, that his revenge should not implicate them and that they should walk towards the light. It is incredibly heartful, AND an amazing way to show Zaizen that he will never manage to "understand" Yusaku considering the mindset he keeps displaying. That was so badass, seriously. I wish the Zaizen had learnt more from it.

2. Season 2, after the duel against Kusanagi. Playmaker won and collapsed, not waking up. The second moment I like most is there, in Yusaku's head. It's intimidating... and slightly tragic.

"I have done enough. I'm tired."

Oh. It's been building up for so many episodes, they've been straining him so much, and finally, it happens. The quietest mental breakdown, the hint of depression. It makes him so human, so relatable suddenly, and yet it's so painful. I love this moment because it really brought me back to who he is: a 16 year old kid with a trauma bigger than himself and the expectations of a whole city (world?) on his shoulders. I'm glad he gets up again, but I'm also really glad that we get to see this part of him, so tragically realistic. Now let's wrap him in a blanket and hug him, okay?

3. Season 3: The "last nice moments in the real world". I wish we had had more of those in the whole course of the series, there was SO MUCH potential for it! Look at them being teenagers. Yusaku, so happy, confident and carefree as he is working for Kusanagi (and this apron makes him look so cute.) Yusaku, being pestered by Shima who wants to know where Playmaker is (WHY would Yusaku know? Shima has weird leaps of logic.) And Aoi and Yusaku having the most AWKWARD handshake, that instantly relieved me from the fear that Aoi might be a love interest.

"This is what high schoolers do I guess. Okay, we tried, we're done, completely uninteresting, let's move on now. When's our next trauma-session already?"

That's three moments I love, but I can't resist adding a last Painful Bonus: another moment of "let's make Playmaker suffer". I'm so sorry, Yusaku.

4. Season 3: Roboppi's death; the flashback to a younger Yusaku who has just built his cleaning robot and is SO proud, so happy and welcoming, and then Playmaker, broken, begging Soulburner to strike one last time and finish Roboppi.

I feel like his eyes, at that moment, are another reminder of his age. It's one of the most terrible scenes of the whole anime (I'd say ex-aequo with Ai's final words), it's masterfully executed, the pacing is amazing, the work on the expressions is amazing, the voice acting is incredible. But really, these eyes.

Least favourite moment

Two moments come to mind, and both are in the third season. You'll see there's a recurring theme, and more importantly, the fact that I really don't like these moments barely comes from Yusaku's role in them. Even if his personality encourages it.

1. The scene at the pier. It's REALLY, REALLY not Yusaku's fault, but he's still one of the two major protagonists so it counts as a "least favourite moment." Yusaku is going for the final fight, and Ryoken catches him, sends him and almost kills him with the card that will help him win the duel against Ai. I know this scene is considered one of the cornerstones of Datastormshipping, but all I can see is... Yusaku getting rejected, again, after saying goodbye to Kusanagi with a brave and grateful smile on his face, and just before having to destroy someone that is essentially a part of him. He calls Ryoken's name, and Ryoken keeps the most distance possible. I think it may have been one of the worst things Ryoken could have done, and even the fact that the Borrel dragon is actually a symbol of how much Ryoken believes in Yusaku,.. well, it would still be not enough to recover from the blatant, cold rejection Yusaku received at that moment. Ryoken, I know you couldn't find it in you to encourage him, but you only had to say his first name. Acknowledge him more than by coldly stating his complete name. And maybe NOT use the word "farewell" this time, because twice in the few first minutes of an episode is way too much. GOD FORBID Yusaku has any sort of support from Ryoken, that would encourage him to feel like they have a bond, the horreur. (Ugh.) With Playmaker knowing that Takeru would leave, Aoi would have Miyu, Kusanagi would have his brother, having Ryoken just... coldly ignoring all tentative of closeness, and leaving without looking back, WELL. It's no wonder Yusaku disappeared solo at the end. From his perspective, he had no one left.

2. Mission begin: everyone is ready to try and stop Ai, the plan is set and Playmaker is not part of any team since he's not even here. Except...

"We can't begin without Playmaker."

It annoys me so much, because the thing is, yes, yes you really can begin without Playmaker. And you should, Heaven's sake!

Many characters at this point have told him that they would understand if he didn't want to take part in this fight, that they would shoulder some of his burden and that he could rest and stay away for his health and sanity.

The thing is, Yusaku is not this kind of person. He will take responsbility and let no one else do the job in his stead. And he comes back, in a rather flashy way, EXACTLY when they're all expecting him. And barely anyone is surprised, they all look so relieved. They were waiting for this.

This moment leaves such a bitter taste in my mouth, because here is the problem with Playmaker: he's so good and reliable that people just... lean on him and wait for him to do the hard work. No matter how traumatising. I took screenshots of the many, many times people said "I leave it into your hands, Playmaker". "I know you"ll complete the job well, Playmaker." "I'm counting on you, Playmaker." I am not putting all of them here, but I have an album of these.

In doing so, they only enable his rather destructive hero-complex.

Destructive because, consider: he had a huge trauma when he was a kid and never fully recovered. When he finally learns and fights the truth behind this trauma, he feels like his revenge is over, but the person he'd spent years and years looking for is gone after treating him quite awfully. Additionally, he releases his new "hostage/friend" and goes back to being alone. He's been a hero, and all he got was: being alone again. Come Takeru, and somehow he acquires a sort of social circle. He's not really good at it, but it exists, and he even looks quite comfortable with it, if a bit awkward. Then he's forced to watch, powerless, as all his newfound friends/trusted persons get erased one after another, all of them with parting words expressing how much they trusted him to fix this. Way to make him feel like it's great to have friends and allies, uh. Then the humans come back, but the Ignis are dead, and he feels like he has failed his self-imposed mission to find a way to coexist. Ai is gone, Ryoken sort of gloats (I understand it's probably not what he intended, but it still feels awfully like it.) He's been a hero, and all he got was: more trauma about losing people, more responsibilities he shouldn't have to shoulder, and likely no one who understands the pain he's in because the world is safe now.

And then Ai comes back and everything goes upside down, and Yusaku lives in denial all beginning of season 3.

That's what makes it a self-destructive complex, for me. Every time he plays hero, Yusaku exposes himself to the things that hurt him most. He's never rewarded. And yet, he keeps doing it, and giving people what they want from him/taking responsibility for things that should NEVER be considered his responsibility. It drives me crazy.

Note: I have a similar beef with the "epilogue", in which they all have something nice to say about Playmaker, and they're all so certain that he's amazing, that he'll be back... And yet. No one is looking. Not even Revolver, who should have it easy since he's working from the inside. Arguably, Kusanagi keeps the foodtruck parked in the same place so he has a home to go back to if he wishes

"He would be sad if he didn't have a place to come back to sometimes": I am convinced that Kusanagi is aware of how fragile the notion of "home" is for Yusaku.

So there's this at least. Arguably #2, I guess we could say they all know he doesn't want to communicate and they respect it. But the way they talk about him, it doesn't feel like its the case.

And this is why I keep saying that they don't deserve him; are they friends, or are they fans? Is any of them even really trying to do something for him, beyond "understanding his feelings" (Aoi, sigh), or rooting for him in the typical "Good old Playmaker, always knows what to do!" way (Takeru, sigh.)

Oh, Yusaku. The way they treat you upsets me so much. It's absolutely not what they're aiming for, but it's like they're encouraging you to develop new traumas instead of really helping you, and it makes me so angry.

So, yeah. I hate these moments, and these dynamics.

Would I fuck, marry or kill him

WHY IS THERE NO "ADOPT" OPTION. Well, the choice is quite easy by elimination. I would NOT kill him (in case you had not gathered already) I would very much NOT fuck him (I really doubt he'd be interested in it either, so that works well for both of us.) Soooo... marry, I guess? That would be hella awkward, but eh, if I can't adopt him, might as well use the option that would vaguely allow to, you know, protect and cherish. Even so, it's hard imagining Yusaku settling like this.

Aaaaand I'm done and off to bed, three hours later than planned. Honestly, kudos if you've read until here. Before I sign off, please receive the cutest gif of Yusaku to thank you for bearing with me for the past 2k+ words of crying over this incredible boy who deserves better.

You know, maybe my OTP is actually Yusaku/hotdog. They do deserve each other.

[prismatoxic]

The night that everything changed.

It’s not often that Felix goes to Matt’s penthouse. He doesn’t like to; it feels too much like meeting a fox in its den, expecting to walk out unscathed. Not that he fears what Matt will do to him, at this point—they’re well past that. It’s more that he doesn’t like handing control over so readily. Let Matt come to him, grovel for sex and attention from his “devotee”. It’s all part of the game. Matt needles him to come over sometimes (“come over” here meaning “move in”), but Felix has his standards.

Tonight’s different. Maybe it shouldn’t be. He tells himself it’s not his business, but it’s been too long now to not know how Matt works, his idiosyncrasies and patterns of behavior. Seeing him actively agitated is… unusual. Not even angry agitated, but twitchy and restless, pacing his office floor and storming through the halls between every task of the day. Asking him about it didn’t answer anything, so here they are; Felix came home with him. He tells himself it’s for observational purposes. Matt doesn’t ask.

(Matt also clung to him the whole ride here, seeming unwilling to drive on his own; he’s ridden with Felix before, but this was different. His grip was tight, whole body pressed into Felix’s back like he wanted to crawl inside of him.)

The penthouse is luxurious to the point of obscenity, everything within it expensive and ornate, one wall made entirely of windows to overlook the city below. It’s easy to view Matt as what he is, like this—a god, looking down on humanity like so many ants. Yet tonight is still different, and as Felix shrugs off his coat he glances over to find Matt standing stock still in front of the glass, staring outside, body tense. He doesn’t look like a godking surveying his kingdom, this time; he looks like a man sentenced to the gallows.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong with you?” Felix asks, exasperated, as he flops down on a lavish sectional couch that feels too stiff to suggest anyone ever actually sits on it.

Matt doesn’t answer immediately, hands moving restlessly at his sides as the sunset outside frames the edges of his form in pink and gold. Felix considers letting it go for the moment, but it’s as he starts to look away that he sees something… odd.

There’s a sort of shimmer drifting around Matt, like a glittering fog, dark in color but also nigh invisible. That doesn’t feel like it makes sense.

“...You’ve been doing your research,” Matt finally speaks, voice distant. “Haven’t you? On me. What all do you know?”

This has come up before. Only, Matt doesn’t usually reference it so directly—Felix asks him evasive questions, alludes to things he knows, and Matt gives him one of those smug I know more than you smiles he’s so good at.

Felix lifts his legs, crossing his ankles on a wooden coffee table that probably cost more than he earns in a month. “What, about your old cults? Because—”

“No,” Matt cuts him off. “No, before that.”

“...Nothing.” That stings to admit, but it’s the truth; every religion Matt’s been a part of has different theories on his origins. “Why? Are you going to tell me?”

Matt goes quiet again. Felix lets out a resigned sigh, but before he can be properly annoyed about it, Matt tears away from the spot he’s been rooted to and starts to pace by the glass.

“I was banished from where I was born,” he says in a rush, and Felix watches as the shimmery vapor trails after him, sparkles catching in the fading light outside. “It’s—It’s far away, an unfathomable distance away. In the cosmos. A place in between places.”

So he’s from space, Felix muses, finding himself both surprised and not (honestly, the banishment is more noteworthy). He’s never been much for religion, but he’s seen enough of the theories about Matt to have several options to consider; space seems almost too simple, yet also fits his image of Matt like a glove. He considers making a joke about aliens but ultimately decides he’d rather just listen, for now.

Matt turns on his heel, marching back the other way. “When I was banished I lost my true form. I came here as an essence—the stardust that makes up the core of my being. It’s why I always take on vessels. Without them, I’m… intangible.”

Felix draws his lips into a thin line, a worrying concept being drawn to light by Matt’s rambling. “Hold on. Are you about to go back to that?”

Matt finally looks over at him. The moon that’s becoming progressively more visible in the sky behind him is full, the glow of it bright enough that it won’t matter soon that Matt didn’t turn on the lights when they got here. Cast in shadow, his eyes are hard to make out; the gold ones glow, sometimes, but the green ones don’t. His godhood isn’t on display right now. He’s just a scared-looking man.

“No. Yes? Not quite.” Matt approaches, dropping himself to sit near Felix, bent over with his elbows on his knees. “Don’t worry. The cosmos isn’t about to take your kill from you.”

“I was worried,” Felix scoffs. He wasn’t. Not about that, anyway.

“Celestial bodies are ever-changing, always moving,” Matt mutters, clasping his hands and resting his chin on his knuckles. “The… alignment of stars and planets can affect things far beyond them, especially if those things are starborn. I’ve felt it for some days now. There’s a celestial alignment happening tonight that will disrupt me.”

Felix raises both eyebrows, leaning back and resting his elbows on the back of the couch. “Disrupt? How so? Are you going to be removed from Matthew’s body?”

Matt laughs, low and with no humor. “It’s my body now. I’m not going to be expelled from it. Just…” He unclasps his hands, holding them out flat and laying one over the other. “Like oil on top of water. I’ll be separated. When the event ends, I’ll be whole again.”

“And you let me be with you for this?” Felix asks with a snort.

Matt sits up straighter. The sun is all but gone outside, now, the penthouse bathed in moonlight. The starstuff swirling around Matt seems more distinct than it was before.

“If you kill me like this, you will kill the body,” Matt explains, his voice laced with an edge of something Felix can’t quite define. “You will not kill me. I’ll be free to find another vessel. So if getting this body out of the way to take over the company is still your goal, I suppose I was a fool to allow you to be here.”

He turns his head, and Felix feels a chill run through his veins as Matt’s eyes meet his. They’re not green anymore—the irises are pitch black, glimmers of tiny stars within.

“I don’t think that’s what you’re after,” Matt murmurs.

He’s not wrong. Felix hasn’t cared much about the company since he discovered Matt’s true nature; his goal now is to kill a god, not be a CEO. Killing Matt is meaningless if all he actually does is destroy the body he’s in. That’s what he tells himself, anyway—that he has to kill Matt still. Like a hunter who can appreciate his quarry’s beauty but knows it has to die.

The room feels colder, now. Felix lowers his arms and leans forward again. “Maybe not. I guess I’ll just watch, then. Sounds like I’m about to see something interesting.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Matt asks, turning more towards Felix, the motion trailed by afterimages of stardust. “To observe? What will you learn, I wonder?” It’s almost like he’s trying to command some of his usual intimidating persona, but there’s something broken about it, almost frantic. Felix has to wonder if it’s because the event is uncomfortable, or because Matt was lying to him about going back to normal after this. Is he actually afraid?

“I observe you all the time,” he says. “How’s this different? Just because I’m—” As he speaks, Felix reaches out to touch Matt’s shoulder, and the words die in his throat as he makes contact with a surface that’s unnaturally cold.

Matt jolts away from him like he’s been burned.

“Woah,” Felix mutters, staring at the stardust clinging to his fingers. It drifts off after a moment, returning to Matt, who’s still leaning away as his chest heaves like he’s just been running for his life. “That was… weird.”

Matt doesn’t respond. Felix watches him for a moment, then shifts closer, reaching up to touch again; Matt’s head snaps to the side, his pupils bleeding out into the whites of his eyes as he bares his sharp teeth in a warning. “Keep your hands to yourself,” he hisses, but it’s even more broken than before, the sound both faraway and like a whisper in Felix’s skull.

“Stop freaking out,” Felix mutters, moving his hand to Matt’s opposite shoulder to pull him closer. For all his power and his obvious alarm, Matt doesn’t really resist, only leaning away even as he’s pulled flush against Felix’s side. He’s not even fully sure why he does it; maybe because the way it feels is fascinating. Maybe because Matt is shivering, like the cold is actually affecting him.

“St-op,” Matt croaks, baring his teeth again, much closer to Felix’s face now. Felix isn’t looking back at him, though—he’s looking down at Matt’s chest, where it almost seems like his starstuff is leaking out of him. He raises his free hand.

He’s not sure what he expects. That it will be even colder, maybe, or something else he’s familiar with, a sensation he has a name for. His fingertips touch Matt’s chest, but where he should be feeling the fabric of a shirt, what Felix actually feels is something like the surface of water. That, and something… more.

Matt grips his wrist. It’s a fragile hold, like reluctance rather than a command; Felix looks up to meet eyes that are fully black, stars blinking in and out of existence within.

“Don’t,” Matt whispers, his voice overlayed by unfamiliar echoes.

Felix stares into his eyes a moment longer, trying to discern the emotion Matt is displaying. Terror? Trepidation? Something else? He looks down again, where his fingers have just barely breached the surface. When he pushes, Matt doesn’t stop him, his wrist sliding through trembling fingers. It is cold, he finds. It’s also not; it’s like feeling nothing, but it’s also like feeling everything, something vast and unknowable swirling around his hand.

For a blinding moment, Felix is rocketed back to being a young teenager: he feels dew and dirt against his skin as he lays in the grass of the field behind his neighborhood. Above, as far as the eye can see, is the night sky; the light pollution is just low enough that he can see major constellations, maybe even something more, hints and whispers of the galaxy above. Shunned by his family and peers, disinterested in their approval anyway, he takes solace in the unfathomable reaches of space above.

Matt—or who he really is, the godking with a name Felix hasn’t figured out how to say—feels like what looking up at the night sky feels like.

He moves his fingers, running his thumb along something that is also nothing like one might caress the face of a lover, and Matt shudders in his hold. “Easy,” Felix murmurs, and he finds that applying just a little pressure with his arm makes Matt lean into him, head thudding onto his shoulder. “...Am I hurting you?”

Matt shakes his head.

He’s pliant, now, and when Felix lowers his arm to wrap it around Matt’s waist, he finds it easy to nudge the god into his lap, his shoulder against Felix’s chest and legs drawn up as if to make himself as small as possible. As Matt breathes heavy against his neck, Felix coaxes the essence of him more into his palm, stroking it as it phases through his flesh like neither of them are touching at all.

Yet they are touching. They’re touching more than they ever have before, in a way Felix knows humans can’t touch one another. For a person, maybe this would be like taking their soul in hand, the very core of their being; for Matt, this is his being. This is the very thing that he is under the body he stole, what remains of whatever he was before he lost the form he was born into. He is both massive and weightless, cold as death and warm as a kiss, as empty and as full as the universe hanging in the sky outside.

Felix tilts his head, brushing his lips against Matt’s hair. This moment is indescribable—the sort of experience once could only have with a god, a being of the cosmos so far beyond his own comprehension as to be entirely alien. If there’s a word for it, though, among all the ones he knows, Felix supposes he might refer to it as tender. He can’t really answer for the things he’s doing; he certainly doesn’t have the words for how it makes him feel. How often do hunters do this with their prey?

It feels like it goes on for hours. Whether that’s true or not is almost impossible to discern, like time itself warps around them throughout the event. Gradually, as the light of the moon changes angles across the penthouse floor, Felix starts to feel repelled from Matt’s chest, as though a magnet his hand is polarized to is nearing his palm. He stays as long as he can, caressing the stardust swirling around his fingertips, but finally the resistance is too great and his hand slides back out. When the sensation ends, Felix presses his fingers to Matt’s chest—solid, covered by the fabric of a plain shirt.

The room feels warmer. Matt, panting in Felix’s lap, also feels warmer. Chasing the tail end of the moment, Felix raises his hand to Matt’s face, cupping his jaw and thumbing over his cheek. It feels damp.

As Matt’s breathing evens out into a normal rhythm, the remaining tension in his limbs seeming to abate, Felix rests his jaw against Matt’s head. “All things considered,” he sighs, “you’re really pretty on the inside.”

Matt lets out a sharp exhale. “...the most vile things can be beautiful, Felix.”

Vile. What a word. It’s almost baffling; Matt never refers to himself as anything less than a gift to all those lucky enough to be graced by his presence. Felix knows he’s a monster, and certainly Matt agrees, but it’s not something he ever mentions disparagingly.

He hums, moving his hand down along Matt’s neck. “Does it really matter?”

“Does what really matter?” Matt asks, sounding almost impatient.

“If they’re vile,” Felix clarifies, running his thumb along the artery of Matt’s neck that he’s cut dozens of times with no lasting results but soiled clothes and a bloody mouth. “Does it really matter when they’re so… perfect?”

Finally pulling away, Matt sits up, fixing Felix with a look that’s both tired and unimpressed. His eyes are green again, for as visible as they even are in the gloom; the tear tracks on his cheeks aren’t visible at all, but Felix can feel them on his own skin now that it’s exposed to the air.

“There’s something seriously wrong with you, you know,” Matt informs him dryly.

Felix can’t help but smirk in response. It’s cute, he thinks, to see a god try to save face after an intimate moment. He reaches up, curling his fingers under Matt’s chin to thumb over his lower lip, a gesture that earns him narrowed eyes but no attempt to pull away.

“Like I don’t know that already.”

[charlies-cluttered-trainstop]

An indepth explanation on why these PJSK characters are similar to me:

Rui Kamishiro : he loves experimentation of all sorts and is an active seeker for new methods of learning and knowledge to enhance his own and relies on intution and logical explanations for things. He also can get caught up in his own ideals sometimes though, can try rationalize to an illogical point, and does struggle finding companionship sometimes because of his experiments or ideas that make most people nervous of injury or whatnot. He felt alienated by most of his peers for aspects of himself he couldn't control, which forced him to develop a pessimistic/cynical viewpoint of the general majority of people. His vocabulary is also very broad, using 'fancier' terms and more elaborate speech patterns to express his thoughts. Rui is genuinely afraid of the idea of losing the people he trusts because of his fear of overstepping a boundary or becoming too invested in a specific idea or method. He's also a very confident leader, and he liked working independently for the longest time since he felt he needed no one else, since they would leave him eventually anyways, or so he thought.

Airi Momoi : determined, spontaneous and fiery, Airi Momoi wants to spread hope and assist her friends no matter what. From the get go, she wanted to cheer up her compeititor Shizuku, and encouraged her to continue her journey as an idol, and even inspired Shizuku so much she worked as one living by her ideals. Airi however felt like she was being held back and forced into a different direction that she didn't want to pursue. Airi more than anything else wanted to be recognized for what she wanted, not what she had been set up to be seen as. She began to develop intense jealousy towards Shizuku specifically, in her mind, she felt that she barely had to put in any effort to accomplish the goals Airi was struggling so hard to achieve. That wasn't true, however as she'd discover that Shizuku was nothing like she had originally thought. Shizuku struggled too, and Airi's jealousy diminished. However, Airi is an active team player, consistently helping out her fellow idols, even with doubts that anything will come to fruition at first, and pushes them to their fullest potential. She's also a nurturing sibling, protecting her sister by getting into fights and arguments when she was younger. Airi is blunt and is often sarcastic, and sometimes acts like she isn't affected by what people say to her, which isn't entirely true.

Ena Shinonome : ena struggles with her worth as an artist, being put down by her father and herself, comparison weakened her resolve as an artist and caused her to run away from a learning experience that would've likely helped her if she had stayed put. She is also incredibly blunt and insists on having people be open and honest and straight to the point, which is why she often butts heads with Mafuyu in particular in the beginning of them meeting. She can also be easily set off, often ending up annoyed or frustrated by the end of a conversation, be it from Mafuyu's indecisiveness or Mizuki's teasing. Although she has a standoffish and rough exterior, Ena is an incredibly loyal friend and would stay by her friends' sides no matter what happened or whats affecting them. She rarely admits it but she cares deeply for N25, especially Mizuki after the train ride home when Mizuki wasn't acting alright, and she promised she'd wait for them until they were okay enough to tell her what was wrong. Ena is usually bickering with Mizuki, although its all in good fun.