#and used to get mad as a kid/teen that there wasn't more of it

[not-poignant]

Hi!

Do you write stories for your characters or characters for your stories?

Thank you!

Sending good vibes your way 💛

Hi anon,

I've always been a character driven writer. And even if I have the seed of a plot (like, one sentence), nothing happens until I have the characters to participate in that plot and drive it forward.

There are authors who are plot forward, I am absolutely character forward. A lot of my stories are more character studies than anything. And the genre most of my stuff falls into is 'psychological (insert conventional genre here)' (psychological romance, psychological fantasy etc.) because it focuses so heavily on deep psychological issues etc. within the characters and prioritises that above everything else.

I do like interesting plots, but for me personally, I prefer when most of that is created by the characters themselves. I feel like this is also pretty obvious in my stories! If you know what to look for, the characters themselves are constantly generating the plot/s we read, through their responses to events outside of their control, and to each other through their own actions. A lot of my stories could not exist without the characters creating them through determination, stupidity, fear, strength etc.

[thedreadvampy]

realising how much of my expansion beyond rock and metal into a wide range of genres is because:

Slipknot crossed over with the edgy/gothier end of 2000s hiphop

Disturbed are just like. The BIGGEST nerds for 80s British pop (they're not alone in that, it's a whole numetal Thing, but I think like a solid 10% of the 80s pop I listen to I first heard as a Disturbed cover)

Lady Gaga was the top 40 artist it was Okay For Edgy Alternative Teens To Like In 2007

Being an Alternative 2000s Teen was in many ways very musically stifling cause it was incumbent upon me to perform disdain for anything deemed too Pop.

I was somewhat rescued by my own gayness (when me and my gay goblin friends discovered CAMP!!!! and got semi-ironically big into Katy Perry and Rihanna and of course Gaga) but mostly I was so aggressively self-policing my music tastes and deciding what to listen to based more on my assessment of where it fitted socially than on whether I like. Liked it.

Catch 13 year old me studiously typing "punk" and "metal" into Limewire and listening to whatever came up. Catch 15 year old me assessing whether the fact that Rihanna is making music videos about murder in black lipstick means it's ok to like top 40 pop. Complicated by the fact that honestly half the biggest Alternative Teen bait acts of the 2000s were pop as hell, and that as above, numetal acts were nerdy musicians with a broad range of tastes outside metal, and it was very complicated for me. It probably took me until I was like 20 to really start to get a handle on what I personally liked musically, rather than what fit my persona (vividly remember being in a goth club when I was like 18 where they closed out the night with Leonard Cohen's Closing Time every time, and thinking like oh man am I allowed to like Leonard Cohen then? having been listening to Leonard Cohen since I was a literal infant.)

Once I let go of the sense of having to like the Right Music, I very rapidly developed very eclectic tastes and music became a really big part of my life. although my friend did recently still describe my music taste as "two genres - heavy and gay" so that 2000s alt teen is still in there big time.

I think it's a normal thing about being a kid. You're developing music taste basically from scratch and there's a world of music out there so it helps to start out with a narrow focus and build a solid few acts, albums or genres you really like and work out from there. But I do regret how much good music I missed out on first time around because even though I liked it I wrote it off for being rap or being too pop or too upbeat. But the good thing about music is that it doesn't go away! I'm still discovering a lot of music that I heard 50000 times when it was on the radio but never really listened to at the time. It's fun!

[hood-ex]

It's interesting when you unpack why Damian left the Teen Titans. Sure, Tim came back so Damian wasn't really needed anymore, and Damian had that realization, but it wasn't just that. Damian tried to be himself, and it was too much for the Teen Titans to handle. Damian tried to be a bit less like himself (or so he claimed), and it was still too much for the Teen Titans to handle. And when I say "too much to handle" I really mean they didn't have that much tolerance for Damian's behavior or attitude.

Damian wanted to go back to Gotham to work with Dick again because he considered Dick his friend, and because of this, he didn't see himself needing to make friends with the Teen Titans. And from the previous point, we can also take the implication that Damian wanted to be with Dick again because he felt like he could be himself around Dick without the contempt (that's not to say that Damian never annoyed Dick or made him mad, because he definitely did, and Dick and Damian both had trouble getting along with each other in the beginning, but they got used to each other and started having more fun together).

Damian also thought the Teen Titans were annoying "like children." At least, that's what he said to Dick. And since Damian isn't your typical kid, and he doesn't perceive himself to be like other kids his age, I think maybe he felt more comfortable working with someone older like Dick, and he'd obviously be more comfortable working with someone who had more trust and faith in him.

[lexosaurus]

One Giant Leap for a Ghost

Hello @charmingcritter so sorry I was late!! The days really got away from me. Anyway, happy truce! I chose to focus primarily on your space core prompt, though there are sprinkles of other prompts in here!

One Giant Leap for a Ghost Characters: Danny + his Mars crewmates (OCs for the plot) WC: 3275 Warnings: None

****

"I found you!" Danny yelled, springing out from the wall.

"God damnit, guys, Danny vented into the lab again," Mike Burlak, the crew's doctor, said from his place against the wall.

Tyron Cooper, the chemist, clicked his tongue. "Always knew that kid was the imposter."

"Yeah, you wish," Danny rolled his eyes and swooped around to see what sorts of mad scientist experiments Cooper was running today. "Between the two of us, you're definitely the imposter. I mean, who knows what kinds of poisons you're making with those."

"I'll have you know I'm completing my task, Fenton," Cooper said.

"That's what the imposter would want us to think. For all I know, you're sabotaging the mission."

"Pointing fingers now, aren't we? That's exactly what the imposter would do."

"I mean, Coop's right. You literally flew in from the air vent," Burlak said.

"Next to the air vent. Commander Stewart would have my head if I hung out in the air vent unnecessarily," Danny retorted.

"Fair point," Cooper said, returning his attention to the flasks on his lab bench. "What are you up to?"

"Gonna go do an EVA soon. It's a scheduled inspection." Despite trying to suppress it, Danny felt his aura intensify with the acknowledgment that he would get to go outside of the spaceship today, shimmering as a few hazy-looking planets threatened to form in the glow.

That moment was not lost on his crewmates, who both glanced at the faded green planets and twinkling stars around him. As much as he loved it, his core could be so predictable.

Cooper chuckled. "Well, it looks like you're ready to go."

Cool embarrassment prickled Danny's cheeks, but he couldn't fight off the smile that overtook his face as he said, "Yup!"

Burlak stepped off from the wall. "I'll be on standby, then."

Standby in case something happened that required Danny's immediate medical attention. Even though as a ghost, nothing in space could hurt him like it could to the rest of his human crew, NASA was taking no chances. Not that Danny could blame them. They didn't exactly have a plethora of ectoplasmic astronauts to pull data from.

"Let's head out! Commander Stewart's waiting."

Some days, it was difficult to believe he'd come so far. Danny remembered sitting in class in high school ready to give up on his dreams because he wasn't brilliant like Jazz and there was no way that a space agency like NASA would ever accept a half-dead teen in their program anyway. But then, his space obsession wouldn't let him throw that dream away.

Literally. 

It wouldn't let him.

After all, he had a space core. His eyes reflected the stars in the Universe and his aura shone with constellations and planets. When he looked at the sky, he didn't just see the stars, but also their characteristics, distances, temperatures, and so much more.

He was born to be an astronaut.

Which is why, despite half-dying when he was fourteen, he couldn't let that dream go. And instead of wallowing in despair, he decided to do something about it.

****

"And how old are you again?" Hugo Davis, director of the Mars missions, asked.

Phantom straightened his spine as if gaining an extra inch would magically age him ten years. "Old enough to be here."

Davis's eyes swept over him, narrowing as he scratched his fingers over his scraggly mustache. Beside him, NASA's senior executive Director Moore sat with his hands clasped before him, his face as expressive as a sheet of paper.

"I received a recommendation from Wilson," Phantom explained, though Davis would have already known this. It was in his file after all.

"And you're applying because..." Davis's voice drifted off, the silence echoing off the cavernous white walls of the conference room. 

The answer to that, too, was obvious. So obvious, that Phantom wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer the question. But it was an interview, so he responded as if he didn't notice the awkward air. "Yes, I'm applying for the Artemis program as an astronaut. Between my education and career experience, I believe I'm qualified to join the Mars mission."

Davis glanced at Moore, who decided now it was admissible to take over. "Yes, I think your qualifications are of no question. Of our applicants, you might be one of the most...uniquely qualified, I'll say, to join."

Anticipation jolted through Phantom's spine, but then Director Moore opened his mouth again, and any hope was squashed instantly. 

"However," Moore said, "I think I speak for the whole of the space program when I say there are some rather apparent concerns we need to discuss."

Those concerns were ones that Phantom was perfectly ready for, he tried to convince himself as he refrained from squirming in his seat like he was back in high school sitting in the Vice Principal's office yet again for cutting class. 

"Primarily, your...appearance." Moore swept a hand out before him.

"You mean the fact that I'm legally somewhat dead," Phantom filled in, glancing at the black, glowing jumpsuit he'd shown up to the interview wearing. Better to rip the bandaid off at the start, his father always had said.

Davis and Director Moore caught eyes once again.

"Well," Phantom continued, "technically, I'm not really dead. I'm also alive, you see, which is why I think I'm perfectly qualified for this job."

The two men remained silent at that.

"I mean, think about it. I don't need to breathe, so therefore I won't need a spacesuit. And I know how you all are about cutting costs. Well, that and less mass in the spaceship."

Director Moore scratched his chin. "Yes, cutting costs with the lack of an EVA suit is quite tempting."

"And since I can fly and wouldn't need a spacesuit, I can do repairs on the exterior of the ship far more easily than any of the human engineers could. Not to mention I can cover far more ground in a sol than any rover could. You’d have far more exploratory reach around your Martian base with me on the team."

The men nodded, lips pursed in deep contemplation. Phantom could tell that he was winning them over. He just needed one final push.

"And, if you needed any more convincing..." He flared his aura, pushing the power from the deepest part of his core into the men's visible spectrum. The white glow was replaced by the swirls of an aurora, and speckled stars shone out from the light, twinkling and grouping into constellations. "Well, I'm sure you've been filled in on my file, but it's all true. My powers really do let me locate any star or planet in the Universe. All I need is a name, and I can tell you its basic features, gravity, and coordinates."

"Do you mind if I test you?" Davis asked.

"Go ahead."

"Kepler-1b."

Phantom pointed his finger in the air, and an ecto-hologram of a black planet surrounded by the light of its sun formed above them. He closed his eyes, and the words appeared behind his lids like a textbook. "Kepler-1b, otherwise known as TrES 2b, is the darkest planet known to humankind and is located 750 light years away. It orbits around GSC 03549-02811, it's got a gravity of 1.4 g's, and its right ascension is 19:07:14.035 with a declination of +49:18:59.0." He opened his eyes and grinned at the two men who were currently looking at him like he'd grown a second head. "Will that suffice?"

"I'd heard the rumors, but I wasn't sure if they were true." Director Moore's shocked expression melted into an approving smile. "I think we got what we needed. That'll be all. We'll be in touch soon."

****

Space was silent.

Space was expansive.

Space was incredible. 

Magnificent. Amazing. Utterly breathtaking, and every single other word that Danny could pull from his mental dictionary.

Space was beautiful. And it was his. Not in the sense where a ghost lair belonged to a ghost, because even Danny's space core recognized that no one could dare lay claim to such a beast, but when Danny closed his eyes and smelled the metallic particles that dusted around him, he knew that he was truly home.

They called it an EVA for the sake of consistency, but Danny was not wearing a spacesuit. He didn't need one. He was a ghost. Not just any ghost, but Phantom, the ghost that haunted Amity Park's observatory. He was born to do spacewalks.

Convincing NASA's top worrywarts that an EVA suit was unnecessary was a challenge in itself, but somehow, he managed to do it. And thank goodness for that because, without the suit, he could truly experience everything that outer space had to offer: the bone-setting cold, the lack of atmosphere, the lack of air. 

His ghost core adored it. The feeling, the silence.

"Don't get lost out there," came the amused, tinny voice of Commander Stewart through his bone-conduction CCA earpiece.

"Sorry," Danny responded, squinting into the distance. "It's just that the sun looks so small from here." He twirled around and grinned at the approaching red planet before him. "And Mars looks so huge. It's hard to believe we're still so far away when it looks like I can reach out and touch it."

"Well, it's only half the size of Earth," said Burlak. 

"I don't know if you knew this, but the Earth is pretty large," retorted Cooper.

"Oh, shut up."

"Boys." Commander Stewart's voice was sharp. There was a moment of muttering apologies before she took an audible breath and tried again. "Phantom, how is the inspection going?"

"It's...going." 

"That's code for Space Ghost over here has spent the entire time ogling Mars again," the engineer, Merissa Chase, joked.

Well, could anyone blame him? Mars was just so pretty and red and...and...

"Finish the inspection and report back," Commander Stewart said.

Danny blinked, turning back to the huge spaceship in front of him. "Yes, Commander!"

****

Danny felt the edges of the folded paper pressing between his palms. Despite his best intentions, the paper was slightly wrinkled, a casualty of his tight grip. He loosened his fingers, took a deep breath, and began. "I need you all to sit down."

Jazz eyed him curiously, her red hair slipping off her shoulder. "You okay, Danny?"

"Yeah, dude, you look pale," Tucker agreed.

"I'm fine," Danny replied, perhaps more curtly than he'd intended. He took another breath, forcing his heart to slow. "I have something to tell you all."

"What is it, son?" Dad asked. "And why did you make us take off all our weapons earlier?"

Danny glanced away. "I just don't want you to be mad at me."

Maddie stopped before her seat, her instincts seemingly kicking into high gear before she had a chance to sit down. "What is it?"

Danny shrank back, then before he could list any of the nine-thousand reasons why this was a bad idea, he unfurled the letter and passed it to his mother.

"Dear Mr. Phantom," she began, her voice catching. "Mr. Phantom? As in the space-themed ghost?"

"Just keep reading."

"We at NASA are pleased to extend an offer of employment as an astronaut on the Mars Mission team. Despite the lack of ectoplasmic entities in our employment, we feel as though the unique skills you bring as an individual are unmatched by any human. Throughout the interview process, we have enjoyed getting to know you and appreciate you letting us test the advantages that your abilities offer. We were especially impressed by your navigational abilities as demonstrated in your interview, which is a power that we believe will put your team at a huge advantage when traversing through space. It is for these reasons and many more that we are extending this position to you."

Danny tasted the words on his lips, mouthing along subconsciously as he pictured the words in his mind that his eyes had hungrily soaked in hundreds of times since he'd received the letter in the mail.

"We are eager to begin discussing the details of your position with you soon.  Should you choose to accept the offer, you will be expected to relocate to Houston where you will begin training. Your expected starting date is June fifth, and you will be asked to sign a confidentiality contract at the start of your employment. Please contact me if you have any questions in the meantime. Welcome to the NASA team."

His mother finished reading the letter, letting her final words hang in the air like dew on fresh-cut grass. Danny kept his eyes downturned, unable to bear to see the looks of confusion or—worse—realization from his parents.

This was it. This was the moment when he finally told his parents that he was a half-ghost.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Jazz said, breaking the silence. She jumped from her chair and swept him into a hug.

"Holy shit, you got the job?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah." Danny finally broke out in a grin.

"Congrats, Danny!" Sam cheered. "That's awesome!"

"I don't understand. Why is this addressed to Phantom?" Maddie asked.

The cheers died in the room, and Danny's stomach plummeted once again. He finally looked up to see the distress of his parents, and he knew that it was time. Finally, after years of avoidance, he had to stop running.

"Mom, Dad, I have something I need to tell you..."

And he began. He told them about the portal, about how in his last moments, he thought about the future he'd never have. How he woke up in Phantom's body with ectoplasmic planets swirling above him. How he tried to forget about it, pretend it never happened, but he couldn't because every time he'd look up at the night sky, all he wanted to do was transform and fly to the edges of the Universe. How he'd worked so hard all these years, doing all the right things, to set his career down this road. How despite being significantly younger than most of the applicants, he still pursued this path because he knew with all his steadfast heart that this mission, this legacy was one he was made to have.

And now, he was willing to risk it all. Applying for the Mars mission meant that he would need to reveal his secret to the world. And that was something he was ready to do.

When he finished speaking, his throat was sore with thirst. He hadn't realized how much there had been to say. And even still, he knew that was only barely scratching the surface of his life since his accident. He hadn't the confidence to meet his parents' eyes throughout his long-winded speech, but now he finally forced his head to lift, he forced himself to see the teary-eyed stares of his ghost-hunter parents before him.

But where he expected fear was nothing but love.

"Son," Jack said, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm so proud of you."

"We're both proud of you, honey," Maddie said.

"I can't believe it. My brother, Danny, a future astronaut." Jazz beamed. "Congratulations."

****

The descent vehicle slowed.

"Adjusted thirty kilometers east," the pilot, Parth Chadha, said.

"Right above target," Commander Stewart responded.

"Lowering now."

There was a jolt as the boosters switched off, and then they were descending again at speeds that would have had Danny's parents covering their eyes in fear. But not Danny. He was a ghost, after all, and these speeds were just another Tuesday for him.

"Slowing our descent."

Danny slammed into his seat as the boosters re-engaged, stopping their free-fall and slowing them until they reached Martian soil.

"And we've landed on Mars."

But Danny already knew that. He could feel it. And the moment they hit the ground, the air sparked with an electric anticipation that his core couldn't help but soak in like a sponge.

It took everything in him to not phase out of his seatbelt, shoot through the side of the descent vehicle, and take in the sights of Mars. But these missions had an unspoken etiquette, and so he waited. He waited for Chadha to turn off the descent vehicle, he waited for the rest of the crew to get out of their chairs, he waited and waited until he thought his core was going to explode. 

"Alright, crew, this is it. Outside those doors is the Elysium Planitia, our home for the next two months. Our priority is setting up the Outpost. Fenton and Chase, you're both on solar panel duty."

"Gotcha, Commander," Merissa said. "We better hurry it up, though, because I think if we wait another minute, Danny over here is gonna have an aneurysm."

"Jeez, I've never seen him glow like that before," Cooper said.

"Sorry!" Danny said, though he really wasn't. Because he was finally here. He was on Mars. 

"Alright, I guess we better get to it, then." Commander Stewart turned for the door. "Artemis crew? I'm ordering us off the descent vehicle."

Depressurizing took forever and a half. But finally, finally, the door swung open to reveal a sea of red dust and rocks below an orange sky. As is tradition, Commander Stewart stepped out to the soil first, and one by one, the crew followed.

And finally, it was Danny's turn.

Obeying the laws of gravity was typically a challenge in ghost form. But to obey the laws of a gravity only a third of Earth's while also battling the excitement of being on Mars was an entirely different level of challenge. But he forced his tail to form legs, and he forced his feet to descend the stairs of the descent vehicle because he wanted his first entrance on Mars to leave a real footprint. One that was his. 

Nothing could have prepared him for the elation that could come from the Martian soil crunching beneath his boot. Nothing. It was pure, unfiltered joy. One that he didn't think he could replicate for as long as he lived.

His core took over, and green tinted his orange vision, sparkling and glittering with ectoplasmic constellations and energy. He shot into the air, laughing into his CCA system and not caring who heard because he'd made it! After all these years, all the nights of studying and gazing into the night sky and thinking and hoping and wishing that he could be up there, up here, and he was finally here! 

He inhaled deeply. Mars's air was thin compared to Earth's and smelled sweet and dry like a desert. He took another breath, and hints of sulfur and chalk wafted through his nose. The smell was foreign compared to what he was used to in the sterile Artemis aircraft, but it spoke of an ancient planet, one untouched by the paws of humanity, and he couldn't help but breathe in again, and again, soaking up every inch of the air that his nose could handle.

The air was cold, too. Though, compared to the cold of outer space, it felt like Florida in July. But compared to Earth, it was frigid. Not that he cared. With his space core, he was able to handle any temperature thrown at him. So despite the fact that he'd previously reported surface temperatures to the team of -20C, to him, the air was perfect. 

"Oh no, Fenton's lost it," Cooper joked.

"You wish," he responded, feeling a grin spread across his cheeks. 

"Alright, come down here. We have to get to work setting up the outpost or else we'll all be sleeping in the MDV tonight," Commander Stewart said.

Danny scanned the distance once more, taking in the sights of red rock against the orange horizon. This was it. This was everything he'd worked for.

And it was so worth it.

"Now, Phantom."

"Coming!"

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I’ve always wondered why I’m so harsh on Zoe outside of just her character being used to it’s simplest degree (ie just being a replacement for Chloe) and I think I get it now.

Zoe is a perfect example of the “good/perfect victim”. The writers literally used her to downplay Chloe’s own abuse experiences by saying “See? Here’s a teen who was also abused at school and she turned out to be a sweetheart who’s so much better than Chloe in every way” blatantly ignoring She and Chloe possibly different home lives because Zoe had a different father.

As someone with experiences of toxic home lives I don’t appreciate it when abuse gets undermined especially parental and Zoe being used as a mouthpiece for what I guess can be summed up as abuse apologia made me think so lowly of her as a character.

Thoughts?

I actually just got another ask about my thoughts on Zoe, so I'll schedule this to post the same day since it's topical. In that post, I talked about why she bugs me and it's because she reads like the main character in an escapist self-insert power-fantasy fanfic. Once again, to be extra clear, those types of fanfic are FINE! Power fantasies and escapism are extremely valid things that are popular in professional works, too. For example, they basically dominate isekai and romance stories, but Zoe showcases exactly why characters like this only work as main characters in escapist fantasies. If you try to make them work as a normal side character, they just feel weird. Make them the main character or don't write them. Since she's not the lead, why is she even here?

I didn't consider the perfect victim angle in that other post, but now that you've brought it up, I'm wondering if that was indeed why she was introduced. Is she here to show that someone could have Chloe's mom and still come out to be a good person? The writers do seem really obsessed with that idea as we see from this moment in Derision:

Marinette: (as she goes down the stairs) I just got three more hours of detention on Saturday, and it's all because of Chloé. Rose: Don’t be mad at her. She's this way because her mother left her when she was young. Mylène: So did mine! And you don't see me having fun bullying Marinette. We've got to do something about your pants. I'm afraid they might be ruined for good.

This isn't even why people think that Chloe is the way she is? It's not just because her mother left. It's her father's terrible parenting, her absurd wealth, and the fact that her mother didn't actually leave. Audrey is still very much around, she just ignores Chloe most of the time and insults her on the rare occasions when they're in the same place. That's a recipe for disaster.

Sure, some people are lucky enough to come out being a good person in spite of their messed up home life and those who come out as jerks don't get a free pass to be jerks, but it's not like it's a total shock when bad home lives lead to people being jerks. The bully with a bad home life is a stereotype for a reason.

I'll once again point to The Good Place as an excellent show to watch if you want to see a realistic journey for a Chloe-like character. A journey that acknowledges the struggles that come from a messed up home life without giving the characters a free pass to use that home life as an excuse for their actions. Part of their journey is accepting that they have to stop blaming their parents and take charge of their lives.

Miraculous could have done something similar if it wasn't a formula show. The potential was there. But it is a formula show and the writers apparently don't think that Chloes are capable of change. I get that childhood bullies suck, I had one! I am very happy that she's no longer in my life, but I also don't think that she was incapable of change. She just needed to be put in the right situation where she accepted that change was needed and that never happened when we were kids. Has it happened since then? I don't know! Some people never change, but that doesn't mean that they can't change. Most of us are capable of changing. It just takes the right catalyst and a lot of hard work. People rarely start changing out of nowhere. It almost always has an inciting incident.

That's actually part of why Zoe's story feels so shallow. We're never really told why she was the way she supposedly was pre-canon or what caused her to change into her canon self. This is the backstory we get in Sole Crusher:

Zoé: I'm... really sorry about today. I thought that if I did everything Chloé wanted me to, she'd accept me. I just wanted to meet my family's expectations. Which is why I left New York in the first place. At the boarding school, I was playing a part; being someone else, hoping they'd accept me. But finally, I just couldn't anymore. That's when everyone turned against me, and one day, I found roaches in my locker. They all said I was a loser. Maybe they were right. I get that I'm different, and... I'd understand if you guys didn't want me as a friend.

So Zoe lied about everything and, when she revealed that she was a massive liar, everyone turned against her? Shocking. Why wouldn't they welcome a confirmed liar with open arms? That's so weird! (That was sarcasm.)

Seriously, why are we acting like Zoe was the wronged party here? This is literally Lila's story save for the motivation behind the actions (as far as we know). There are times when motivation matters, but this is not one of them. If you've spent weeks (months? years?) lying to people, then they're not going to trust you when the lies are revealed. Maybe you'll get lucky and someone will be willing to hear you out and give you a second chance, but that's an act of kindness. It's not an act of basic human decency.

This speed run story probably wants us to believe that everyone at Zoe's school was evil and that Zoe had to fake a personality to fit in, but I don't believe that. Writers, if you want me to believe it, then actually show us her story! You had a full New York special to do it! Why didn't you make Zoe the lead there since the specials love to introduce new characters to hog the screen? Have Zoe's school be the American school they go to and have her personality change be caused by Marinette and Co. so that Marinette and Co. trusting Zoe in Sole Crusher actually makes sense instead of feeling like something the plot forced on them! This is the scene I'm talking about, btw:

Marinette: (confused) I don't understand. When I met her this morning, she was so nice. Alya: That's crazy. Chloe's influence is so toxic that she's managed to corrupt her sister in a few hours. Alix: We gotta get her out of there.

Why are you all so sure that Marinette's two-minute-long interaction was the "real" Zoe and that her new personality is all Chloe's fault? Why are you acting like it's impossible to fake being nice but faking being evil is totally reasonable?

It really feels like this show is trying to say that people are either inherently good or inherently evil. Zoe was inherently good and just played at evil, so she's fine, but Chloe is just evil so she's doomed. That is really not how the world works, but now that I think about it, it does match the way the miraculous are often used. There are "evil" and "good" versions of some of the powers instead of just powers that can be used for good or evil. I've never liked that because it makes no sense. Why do akumas need a good form? Why is there an evil transformation phrase? Why do the miraculous even have an evil mode? Who programed that in???

While were on the topic of things that were possibly done just to show that Chloe is evil: is this why they made Jagged Stone an absentee parent to Luka and Juleka and then made the "twins" totally cool with it? Is the show trying to say, "Look! Luka and Juleka are nice! Therefore this is a Chloe problem. Stop blaming her parents!"

Who knows, but your idea certainly has merit. I wouldn't go so far as to claim that this must be what's going on, we don't know and I don't like to treat educated guesses as fact because they're not, but the text certainly has evidence to back this read.

[melonmass]

Here are some sad Trolls headcanons/scenarios that won't leave my head (I try to put them in a timeline order)

Floyd left expecting to come back eventually. What it took to leave BergenTown made him scared of coming back for a long while.

Since Indie sub-genres are basically all also sub-genres of other genres (Indie Pop, Indie Folk, etc) maybe there's a tribe of Indie trolls out there that are just a bunch of trolls descended from the other main six tribes. (I sometimes imagine Floyd spent a lot of time there in the 20+ years he was gone)

Clay used to scratch his arms/wrists when he was mad as a kid. They had him wear wristbands to help, and he actually loved the feeling of wearing them.

Floyd could stop any fight between his brothers by crying. This how he ended up known as "the sensitive one"

One of the bros tried to convince Branch John Dory was actually his dad. He cried, because he didn't want his bros to not be his bros anymore. John Dory was mad about this prank because of how upset it made Branch, and because he never wanted to replace their parents.

This "date" made Spruce feel so uncomfortable, he threw up when he got home. He pretended he was just sick, and John Dory never stopped apologizing for convincing him to go out while he was "sick." (image from Branch's clueboard, cleaned up by @kittyball23)

In general, I think the ages of BroZone at the time of the break-up were Young Adult, Teen, Preteen, Child, and Baby.

Grandma Rosiepuff geniunely expected the other bros to come back after a bit of time. They'd fought before, and they always made up.

Branch went gray not just because Grandma sacrificed herself for him, not just because he lost the only family of his that stayed. But also because he failed her. He failed to keep her safe. And he failed his brothers who trusted him to look after their grandma.

Creek was always manipulative and toxic af. During the big escape, his shoved Branch out of the way. (no one ever believed Branch when he said it was on purpose.

Someone helped Branch get back up and keep going so he wasn't left behind. He never got a good look at who it was. He used to imagine finding them and becoming a sort of found family with them.

It was Clay. He saw Creek shove another kid out of the way (obviously on purpose). But he didn't recognize who the gray troll kid was. He just quickly got the kid up and moving so he could go back and look for Branch and Grandma (this is how he ended up left behind with Viva and the Putt-Putt trolls).

People tried to look out for Branch while he was still a kid. But he liked to keep his distance, so they all did, too. They weren't ever able to help him get his color back, anyway. (Poppy was the only one who never gave up trying to help him)

Everyone kind of agreed to stop bringing up the trolls left behind around King Peppy (and in extension Poppy) because it's cause him to completely shut down. It looked like he might go gray, too.

Clay developed some self-destructive habits after arriving at the golf course. He thought he failed to save his baby brother. He was very good at keeping it hidden. Eventually he improved through sheer stubbornness. He keeps the old wristbands as a comfort, and to cover scars. (Literally no one but him knows)

John Dory interacted with a few other survivalists on the Neverglade Trail. Maybe he had an opportunity to "settle down" with one of them. But the guilt of leaving his brothers behind started eating him up, so he ran. (who knows, maybe he has a kid he doesn't know about)

When John Dory tried coming home, it was a few years after the escape from the Troll Tree. He saw it empty and thought it meant the Bergens had finally eaten every last troll. Maybe some of his brothers escaped. But the way he saw it, the younger the brother, the more likely they didn't make it. John Dory was convinced his baby brother was dead.

John Dory didn't have very much memorabilia when he first left. When he returned to the Troll Tree empty, he took as much stuff as he could carry without being scared of getting caught.

Bruce really wanted to invite his younger brothers to his wedding, but he didn't have a way to contact them. John Dory was the only one he had any way of reaching.

That postcard to John Dory was sent because he was desperate to reach out to ONE of his brothers, but he didn't want to have that reconciliation or fight at his wedding. So it's a mostly blank postcard. (John Dory cried, because it was confirmation one of his brothers was alive.)

Bruce named his daughter Rosie, after Grandma Rosiepuff. (he thought of naming some of his sons after his presumed dead younger brothers, but that felt wrong when he changed his own name to distance himself from them and the band)

Poppy might have briefly had a bit of a crush on Creek. This makes the betrayal all the more devastating.

At some point between the events of the first movie and Floyd getting captured, he crossed paths with Creek. They briefly had a fling, but eventually, Creek's toxicity became too much, and Floyd went left for someplace new. (And Creek might have been arrested in the Indie Mountains.)

None of the other troll tribes knew the Pop Trolls were annually being eaten alive for so many years. Some find their ability to keep so cheery and positive after all that to be actually impressive.

Peppy is doing therapy with Mr. Dinkles because the events of World Tour made him realize he doesn't have a good way of coping with things. (Running, hiding, and keeping secrets aren't actually good in the long run.)

Crimp experienced some major abuse from Velvet and Veneer. Yet she never tried leaving the job as their assistant because it was the only job she could get.

John Dory, Bruce, and Clay never expected to see Branch grown up. They didn't know how to react to/treat him like a grown up when they first saw him again.

Floyd genuinely thought he'd die in that bottle, even if the bros managed to hit the perfect family harmony. At that point, he was so drained, his hair was almost entirely white, and he couldn't even stand himself up. But the idea that the last thing he'd ever see would be his brothers singing and dancing together like old times made him happy.

The perfect family harmony undid most of the physical damage Floyd experienced. But he still feels a sort of phantom pains sometimes. His legs will feel numb and tingly. Stretching helps.

Velvet tried to completely throw her brother under the bus after they got arrested. She tried to blame him for everything, tried to claim she was forced to go along with it. Veneer's confession, Crimp's testimony, and just the way she slowly took more and more of the spotlight away from her brother kept her from getting her way. Veneer even got a lighter sentence than she did.

[phightingheadcanons]

SHARK 🦈 IS BACK BABY!!!!! Sorry for being gone! But uh there is so much that I have in headcanons I'm just going to name the character and a list of headcanons!

Sword:

He is part bird...but he had to grow his wings feathers and so much more. It was a very painful experience for him, and was shocked when his dad told him he has to go through this again in his teen years... but it will be less painful. [Like he was going through puberty and bird puberty at the same time heheh]

He is Autistic and was taught to ALLWAYS look someone in the eye when talking, because it is disrespectful...if you don't[His dad Taught him this.]

As a kid he would only eat like 4 foods because he didn't like how most of the food felt in his mouth. His dad didn't mind making the same 4 foods over and over again. He really didn't think much about it. It wa sa little annoying, when he didn't want to eat the food that wasn't the 4 foods he liked, but it's not much of a problem now.

Allways and I mean Allways looking out for his friends! To making sure they are getting enough sleep to making sure they are eating healthy, even drinking water... but Somtimes he really needs to take his own advice... on sleeping...

Sword is cubby, but very much strong. He doesn't mind the weight.

Gets up like at sunrise, and from there starts training. He will start his day getting something to eat [Most likely he will eat like a protein bar/ shake or a Smoothie/w some eggs] taking a shower and brushing his teeth. And then Getting dressed. And does some stretches then starts training.

Because his he part bird he Somtimes gets the urges to make like a nest or to pluck some of his feathers. To make sure he is in shape. He hummus alot... to himself finds it very claming.

He somtimes gets very embarrassed when he starts making any kind of bird noise. He thinks it's dumb that he can make it.

His Wings can give away some emotions. That he has. Like if he is embarrassed his wings near his face will try to cover his face. And his wings in the back will flap.

He has fourth wings two near his face [that doesn't really help him fly[ and two BIG ones on his back.

He doesn't have like a social media, and thinks if he did get one he would most likely get very addicted, and that would take time of his day and he could be using that time to train.

He was shocked that you can listen to music and train at the same time!? [Rocket was the one to show him this]

Rocket:

He is part Shark, and did NOT have to grow his fins.

He can't swim but if he could he would be so MUCH faster then anyone. [Because what ever Medkit put in those prostitutes it will like freeze up his body!?]

He grew up kind of poor, ans still is kind of poor. He is use to this, and makes do what he has with his dad.

Rocket will at times just cut out or not use any part of Moldy/Rotten food. Just to save money for him and his dad. Sword thinks it's CARZY he does this and feel like he will end up sick one day.

Rocket will train with Sword and at times put on music. He even gave Sword his first peace of technology. A Walkman that he used use.

Rocket likes biting people and did this alot as a kid. It helped him get out his anger. Only today he bites one person. That is Sword, because Sword doesn't mind that he needs to get his anger out of that way. He was given like a stress ball when he does get mad, but he been just biting it and not squeezing it.

Rocket likes his Shark teeth. He thinks he looks badass!

He can smell blood [because Most Sharks can] he doesn't mind the smell he just fi ds it odd that he smell it. But it has helped him in pass finding out his Sword or his dad got hurt.

Rocket knows how to cook, but that doesn't mean he has to like it. In fact he will just make himself like a cup of noodle, and call it day. Even if he just had one the day before.

He has more then one prosthetic, leg and arm. He made them and did not buy them. But the one he mostly uses was bought for him.

Rocket is very much a math gut and loves finding the solution to the problem. But the Subject he hated the most was ELA. Especially the essays....

When Rocket was out of playground he was afraid and scared. So he acted very mean to people, that tried coming close. But looking back he feels kinda bad for acting that way. He hasn't said anything about this, but he has a feeling. That he people that are now close with him, knows he meant no harm.

He likes the Stars and wants to see them all someday. He kinda has a better view of them now then in playgrounds, but there are some that can't be seen due to the light pollution.

Rocket at times sleeping over at Swords house will grab him just to keep warm. It happens every time he goes there. Sword doesn't mind, but he does have a tight grip.

Venomshank:

Venomshank didn't think Sword was Autistic he was just an odd kid. That wouldn't listen at times. But he also was very much happy to find out he wasn't a bad parent, and most of the things Sword did as a kid was because he had autism.

His and the other SFOTH make bets all the time. Venomshank though his kid aka Sword was gay. And most of them agreed only a few didn't see it. Sword has not idea they do this. But if he ever finds out... Let's just say his dad has lost before... exactly 20$...

Venomshank has gone ferrell before and it was with Sword. He felt so so bad after the fact this happened and was so proud of his son... he does have a scar from this. They both don't like talking about this... They will never be the same if they do talk about it.

Venomshank had to bring a list of things about Sword favorite food [the only food he will eat] and favorite toys. And was so scared to leave him with the other SFOTH. Because he felt like Sword would break down with out him.

Venomshank knew that Sword was part bird and tried to warn him about the painful process...Sword didn't understand at the time what he was talking about but now he does.

Venomshank taught Swodd how to fight and how to fly. At the time he was making him Practice everyday. But now he feels so bad because he felt if he went very hard on the kid...

Venomshank was very happy to hear that Sword has expanded the meals that he eats. But doesn't mind making him a good old PBJ at times.

Venomshank is still learning how to be the best dad for his son even though Sword is in his 20's [24 if you where Wondering]

Venomshank also likes the sunrise... and gets up at the same time as Sword.

Venomshank is very close to his bird, and loves hima dn his son to death. He at times will make his bird do puzzles. It's fun watching him.

Annnd that's all for today BYE BYE!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thebucketpail]

Of course the one time I actually fill a prompt I forget to save it and end up losing it to the tumblr void.

Alas, if I find it I'll link it but until then, have this.

Tw: light gore, mentions of vivisection

____________

This wasn't the team's first lab break in and it definitely wouldn't be their last. That is to say, they've seen alot of shit. Alot of mad scientists and what resulted from their insanity, their cruelty. But they had never expected to find something like this on what was supposed to be a low stakes mission.

Robin had been the first to find the dingy little cell, not far from the main lab, and stood stunned in abject horror as the others came in behind him.

"Oh god," he heard Arrowette whisper, followed by a litany of strangled gasps and the sound of Superboy's knuckles cracking.

It was terrible, but Robin couldn't manage to tear his eyes away from the curled up teen tied to the wall.

The boy was unconscious, his stark white hair, matted with grime and some green substance, covered the top of his face, a muzzle covered the bottom. What was left visible was littered with cuts and angry purple bruises. Whatever clothes he had been wearing were tattered and torn, displaying yet more injuries.

What was probably the worst, as far as Robin could tell, was the dirty gauze haphazardly taped to his neck. The dressings were soaked through with more of that green liquid, which Robin relised with a hobble sink to his gut was probably the kid's blood.

Robin swallowed the bile threatening to rise to his throat and turned back toward his team. He took a deep breath.

"Okay, new plan," he said, doing his best to keep his leader voice, "Superboy, you get those chains off him. Team, this is no longer an Intel mission, this is search and rescue. Impulse, Secret, Arrowette, fan out. Check the rest of the building for any other prisoners. If you find anyone then report immediately. WG, you call back to Red. I'll see what I can pull out of their database. Remember to keep your heads."

A round of nods was all he got in return before everyone set out on their tasks.

Robin had just wormed his way to into the system when Superboy walked in, the unconscious kid in his arms, and a seriously pissed expression on his face.

"I never thought Cadmus could go this far," he growled, brows furrowing.

Robin grunted on acknowledgement, then made a light sound of surprise as the archaic system finally loaded.

"Well then it's a good thing we aren't at Cadmus then," he mumbled disbelieving as he dove further and further into the newly available files. Quickly, he pulled an empty USB from his utility belt and set to work downloading what looked important, facility locations, blueprints, documents, research, etc.

"Where are we then?" Superboy asked, setting the kid down to peer over Robin's shoulder.

"Some place called the GIW, ghost investigation ward," Robin murmered, "according to these files, they're some kind of government org, designed to hunt and study ghosts. Our guy over there," he jutted his chin toward the kid, "is apparently really powerful. They have alot of files on him and something called the ghost zone."

Suddenly they were interrupted by a serious of loud crashes followed by shouting and Impulse zipping into the room.

"Heyguyswegottago," he sped out before taking in a huge lung full of air and continuing at a slightly slower pace. Slightly. "Reinforcements just arrived and they don't look like they're happy to see us. We couldn't find anyone else other then some asshole scientists. Cissie kicked their butts."

Robin nodded and pulled the USB from the port. "Tell the other to meet back at the super cycle, it's time to go." Impulse nodded and sped back off.

--------

It wasn't their best escape, but it certainly wasn't their worst. Those GIW agents were persistant bastards but it wasn't anything the supercycle couldn't handle.

They were en route back the cave when Superboy called out, "Hey Rob, you might wanna see this." He and WG had been tasked with administering first aid (to the best of their abilities) to their rescue, so that wasn't exactly something Ribin was thrilled to hear.

He let Supercycle switch to auto pilot before climbing to the back seat to see what had his team so freaked out. And yeah. That would do it.

If he thought the neck wound was bad, that was nothing. What was left of the kids torn shirt was removed to reveal a massive Y-shaped incision across his chest. The scars were red and inflamed, mottled with angry bruises and so, so many tiny holes, giving the impression that the wound had been stitched uo and reopened on numerous occasions. The implications of the wound was clear.

Robin set his jaw as he met Superboy's eyes. The confusion was prominent. he didnt know what to do.

"Just do you're best to clean it for now," he said, "we'll have Red look at him when we get back to base."

As Robin settled back into the driver's seat, he mentally added the GIW to his list of enemies. Anyone who had the power to do that, government or not, was going down

[lovelykil]

「 Fight 」

cw; none but fluff

kyle x reader

"You're really acting fucking stupid Y/n, how do you not see him making a move?!"

"Kyle you need to calm down he was just trying to get a piece of paper and go by, that's all."

"He grabbed your waist."

"So he COULD GET BY- you know what I'm not doing this with you, I'm going downstairs." You left in a huff, leaving the angry, jealous teen in his room to roll his eyes at your logic.

He walked to his bed to lay down and use his phone to calm him down.

While you made your way downstairs you couldn't help but feel so annoyed with his argument. You made your way to the couch to sit next to Ike, when he noticed your presence he waved his little hands up to you as you sat down next him by the arm of the couch.

You waved back with a small smile, you weren't exactly in a cheerful mood but you didn't want Ike to know. He went back to watching Cocomelon, his eyes glued to nothing more but the TV.

It kinda surprised you how kids will just stare at the television completely brain dead, watching some baby sing. You took your eyes off Ike to also join in on the show, there was nothing else you could do anyways, Kyle hated you for now.

──────

"Good night Y/nn." Ike yawned tiredly as Shelia took him away from the night, you smiled at his tired small body being carried away by his mom. Shelia waved back at you, she was used to you staying over as long as there weren't any funny business going on.. she was okay.

And there wasn't! Not that she knew of..

Though tonight nothing would be happening you haven't heard from Kyle who was doing god knows up on his bedroom. You switched off the TV being relieved the singing baby torture was over.

You seriously had no clue why Ike loved this show so much.

After the TV shut off you left the remote on the couch and got up. You sighed after some time of being alone you realized you didn't take the argument seriously, you knew how Kyle got when it came to stuff like this.

He never admitted it but he had huge jealousy issues, and you were just being an asshole.

Quietly you tip toed upstairs, not wanting to wake anyone up. As you slowly approached Kyle's door you opened it carefully.

You looked into his room to him doing homework at his desk, he even had his glasses on you were surprised he usually never wore them cause he was so insecure about it.

"You're wearing your glasses?" You spoke softly, closing the door behind you. Kyle turned his head around to see who was in his room.

Once he saw it was you he turned right back around, grabbing his pencil. "Yeah, what about it?" He answered back, his voice still sounding annoyed. You felt like a knife stabbed you in the heart by his tone.

"Okay look I'm sorry! Okay? I should've took the situation seriously and gotten away from him just please don't be mad anymore it's honestly horrible when you're mad at me." You trailed over to his bed to sit down as you pleaded for his forgiveness.

He slowly set his pencil down taking a minute to respond, he then twirled around in his roller chair. "Thank you, that's all I wanted." He locked eyes with yours, being sincere. You sighed of relief being glad this horrible fight was over.

"Can we hug now? I kinda missed you downstairs.." you blushed lightly, Kyle snickered nodding his head.

He reached out to you so you could lean into him for him to be able to swallow you up into his embrace. You smiled, wrapping your arms around his slight firm torso in the roller chair.

He hugged you back then let you go so he could plant a kiss on your cheek.

"I only got mad because you're so pretty and I know other people think the same and I don't want anyone else to steal you over, but I am also sorry for overreacting the way I did I really do love you." Kyle's pale face began to heat up from his confession.

He held your face, looking deeply into your eyes still flustered but he meant every word, that you could tell. You kissed the brim of his hooked nose, your smile never leaving your face.

"I lovee you too Ky."

[frillydolle]

Hii!! I was wondering if you'll even do such a thing, but I decided to shoot my shot and ask 🤍🤍CAUSE I LOVE YOUR WORK skshsksj

My request isn't really an "x reader" but Arthur and a younger or even a teen character that he kinda takes care of, like a father figure yk. Like maybe she was took in and is still pretty new, I'll give you total freedom with this little "back story" and situation in general. I just like the vision of him teaching her things or something like that. If you delete this ask I won't be even mad I just thought it's a cute scenario 🤍thank you either way!!

꒰ 𝝑𓏲 ꒱ arthur is in his early thirties , john is in his early twenties , u can depict how old u are!

“arthuuur!!! need your help again!”

“ms. grinshaw is so annoying, god, i just- sorry, arthur...”

“arthur! tell john i don't want him to come huntin' with me! noo, you dont have to come either!”

he'd never admit it to u, but u were like a daughter to him. hell, u were even like him in sometimes, and god knows why u want to do that. he was stubborn, honest, caring, and u were just the same, but he was happy that u still somehow remained such a bubbly girl despite what u gone threw prior to falling in with the gang.

if it wasn't john who kept u in check, then it was arthur. then again, john acting like ur uncle, he'd make u into the same mischievously kid that he was towards dutch and hosea. u were a little like john, and a little like arthur. the three of u were even seen as triplets. the siblings who were keen to arguing in ur own ways, of course.

u would confine urself in arthur, or hosea if arthur wasn't in camp. u would go to john for a way to pay someone back, or dutch. u always saw john like dutch and arthur like hosea, those men shared similar traits and anyone who wasn't silly can see that straight off. maybe more alike than they ro admit. and yet, u absolutely adored arthur. hell, he was probably ur favourite in camp.

he knew just what to say to u, even if he wasn't goof at giving advice or expressing his feelings, he just understood u like no other, he saw u for who u are rather than some just a dumb kid.

“i just- i don't get it, arthur! i don't understand it why she treats me like that-”

“thats just how ms. grinshaw is, i promise ya, kid.”

recently, arthur has been teaching u how to use a gun proper. u knew the basics of course, remembering what ur daddy taught u just before he left ur mamma for... whatever reason. u knew how to hold it, use it and there was a small problem that u had. such a small problem and yet it's cut many lessons short due to how u reacted. it always upset u and arthur hated that.

u couldn't aim. like at all. it was horrible.

arthur repeatedly tried his best to make u comfortable and let u know that it's okay, that's it's okay if ur aim is a little off, that it's normal, that everyone's has to learn one way or another. being the age that u are, it frustrated u to no end! u wanted fo be perfect, u wanted to be just like arthur!!

“i can't do it, i don't get it! i just wanna learn how to shoot like you-”

“kid- yer gonna get there, it takes time- when dutch ain't needin' me, we can do this as many times as ya need to, ya hear?”

“... i hear ya.”

he knew how badly u wanted to learn. how u wanted to be out with him as the two of u would be fighting, shooting, thieving, robbing and yet, to him, u were just... not ready, yet. he wasnt sure how ro tell u since he knew how u would react but he'd hate to see u get hurt or- even worse. he wasn't sure if he could handle the idea of u being gone. and that's something he'd never want to come true. he cared about u, a lot. but that's something he'd never tell u since he's not good at that.

“there ya go, young lady.” he says as he gives u a plate of the stew pearson made not too long ago. “thank you, arthur.”

he was a good man even if he didn't know it. u may haven't been alive for long but u knew that u weren't gonna meet another man like him.

“I'll take ya out huntin' again once i come back from whatevee dutch needs me for. ill bring marston, too.” “thank you, arthur. means a lot.”

“can i make fun of john if he misses the deer again?”

god, u were just like him.

[almacambiondaughterofsaleos]

Stella And Stolas Should Been Divorced Or Were In The Middle Of One When Stolas Slept With Blitzo

To make Stolas seem less of an asshole who has no guilt for cheating, have him be a recent divorcee or someone in the middle of divorcing. Have it so he's been stressed with getting divorced from a wife he was never attracted or got along with when Blitzo comes back into his life. He would be delight that his childhood friend is back and has come to see him. And they actually were childhood friends who had a deeper connection, but separated as teens when it was deemed he had outgrown Blitzo and need to move on with marrying Stella. He was beginning to catch feelings for Blitzo as a teen but it remain dormant after he left but came back when Blitzo showed up again. And Blitzo comes back to offer a deal with him to help fund a business with his grimoire which Stolas is reluctant at first to support until Blitzo seduces him into agreeing and everything goes from there.

During one meeting when they were having their tryst, Stella catches them having their business partners with benefits relationship as she's dropping Octavia off. This would incur so many questions and saying thank goodness she's divorcing/divorced him because she couldn't be seen with a husband who is sleeping with an imp. Meanwhile, Octavia is still confused about everything and is shocked to see her dad having already moved on from her mom quick. This time she's having mixed feelings about her dad's new relationship after going through a turbulent divorce with her parents. I do think in this au Octavia would still be going through emotional problems but it won't be solely Stolas' fault. And Stolas will learn how to balance his daughter getting through his and getting used to Blitzo since this time they didn't have an affair that broke up the family.

The problem of him sleeping with an imp would still get Stella mad and get second hand embarrassment. But she keeps it a secret because she doesn't want to be known as the woman who had a ex-husband whose new partner was an imp. I do think we should have some focus where she's realizes her fighting is hurting her daughter and will do her best to keep her daughter from seeing anymore. She might also be searching for another partner but she thinks waiting until some calm down in the divorce when she can date again so her daughter can get through this especially since Stolas already was quick to find a new partner. Also she blackmails Stolas with the info about him sleeping with an imp to have some favors done for her in the human world. IMP does those favors or she rats him out which he agrees.

The issue of Imp and high society relationships would still be an issue. However, Stolas would be more nicer and doesn't coerce Blitzo into a forced arrangement. Blitzo willing sleeps with Stolas to gain favor but also both development slow genuine feelings as they revitalize their relationship. Blitzo would know more about the divorce and has the bystander that's rough thing. He wouldn't think much of Stella if he had ever really encountered her as a kid. Stella wouldn't be one dimensional but it's obvious that both she and Stolas never got along and even if he wasn't gay they weren't comptable. And in contrast show how from the beginning Blitzo and Stolas were more compatible.

Also the person who puts a hit on Stolas won't be Stella but she's a red herring but it would be another member of the Goetia who is embarrassed by Stolas sleeping with an imp who he lent the grimoire to. Andrealphus would be the culprit and as it turns out as much as Stella doesn't like Stolas she still knows her daughter loves her father and doesn't want to break her heart if he's dead. Also I think she would have told Andrealphus and told him to keep it a secret because she wants to keep face and blackmail Stolas into giving into her demands. However, Andrealphus being a opportunistic bastard wants to see him dead to his own advantage and maybe steal his spot.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Yandere Sabertooth and pre teen reader with a cat tail and cat ears and cat senses

Ooooo, yes! My favorite X-Men villain! And cats! One of my favorite creatures! This will be good. (Should I call you Sabretooth Anon? Or Tiger Anon? What would you like to be called?) Let's see what I can do for you:

He'd lived a long life. A rough life. Survived bloody war after war, committed atrocity after atrocity, torn and gutted and destroyed anything in his way-

He wasn't sure how he ended up with some cat child.

Specifically, one who wouldn't leave.

They were like a... a Neko, or gajinka, or some animal-hybrid thing. Cat ears on their head, cat tail swaying behind them, and purring when happy and hissing when mad. It's like the higher powers of the universe decided to condense everything that was cat and bundled it into the form of this child.

They trailed after him, asking questions and trying to rub their head against him, chatting about anything they can think of. It's annoying at first, but he gets used to it.

Then they start leaving gifts for him.

A leaf they found. Some coins. A fish they caught.

He begrudgingly accepts them, if only so they'll stop leaving more surprises.

He finds out he's attached when Magneto thinks of getting rid of them.

"No. They're not going anywhere," he growls, glaring evenly at the magentic mutant. He's not even sure why he'd think of sending them away.

"Sabretooth, they are of no use to us here. It would be best to send them elsewhere, where they won't be underfoot," presses the old mutant. From the way the metal table is creaking, he's started to get annoyed. That's too bad for him.

"And I say they should stay. They're not a problem. Are they? The kid doesn't mess with anything, and they keep quiet. That's more than you can say 'bout yer brats," Sabretooth purrs, huffing lightly when he sees his boss' eye twitch. Good. It's been too long since he properly got the old iron ore properly riled.

"Why are you so stuck on them staying? Is the mighty Sabretooth attached to them?" Magneto grinds out. And suddenly he's not feeling so pleased.

"And...? They need someone to watch them, and I doubt you want a stray kitten turning to, oh... Xavier," he says, feigning thinking it over. When he sees the other man's shoulders stiffen, he knows he's made his point.

"... Keep them out of trouble, Creed."

"Of course, Boss." He knows he has a smug grin on his face, but-

Who cares one whisker about it?

He gets to keep his kitten.

And he sure as h*ll wasn't going to give them up just because the old magnet couldn't understand their value.

Look, the kitten made him...

Happy.

Calm.

Full of purring and rumbling chirps, instead of angry growls and hissing fury.

So if that means they're not ever leaving him...

So be it.

"Hey, kitten, want to go hunt some dinner?"

"Yes!"

He's happy and the kit's happy, and if someone even tries to ruin that happiness, he'll gut them, and see how smug they are when they wind up dinner for the buzzards.

"Let's go, kitten!"

When he's greeted with a thrilled chirp and a fluffy tail curling, he can't help but give a softer grin.

Yep, that's HIS kitten...

[totallynotlx]

Benefactor

A/N: In honor of my precious, beloved boys. You both deserved the world but they did you so wrong. Also yes, I hurt myself writing this thankssssss

Tags: Dad!Gojo Agenda, a bit of fluff I guess?, Hurt / No Comfort coz I am hurting rn

Word Count: 745

Benefactor 

It's the word that Megumi would always associate Gojo with. He wasn't particularly fond of the man, but he doesn't despise him either... not always anyway. He owes him that much, at least. The man had no business adopting two kids when he was just sixteen. But he did it. Sure, he wasn't the perfect role model, but he remembers how much he cared for them. 

He made the effort to celebrate his and Tsumiki's birthdays the first year he took them in. Christmas was extravagant, too. That's where Megumi discovered his disgusting addiction to sweets. The table was full of it. Some of which he and Tsumiki haven't tried before. Tsumiki was ecstatic, with bits of icing on her cheek as she ate, while Megumi was more content with the peppermint candy canes. He also made sure they had presents. 

When school came around, Gojo took care of everything. He was still too young to enter Jujutsu High, so he ensured they had a proper education. He made sure they had everything, from their needs to their wants. 

"He's weird. But he's not a bad adult." He remembers Tsumiki's words all those years ago after Gojo took them in. Megumi would argue that she shouldn't be too trusting since it may still be a political ploy, but it never happened. 

Gojo genuinely did care for them. He made Tsumiki laugh. When he found out they comforted him, he gave Megumi stuffed animals that resembled his curse techniques. He vaguely remembers him tucking them both to bed when they fell asleep on the couch. He made sure they had a roof over their heads. He ensured Megumi pursued his other interests that didn't revolve around jujutsu sorcery. And even though Megumi was mature for his age, he tried his best to give him a sense of a normal childhood. Even when he became such a rebellious teen, Gojo was there, always patient with the same stupid grin. He didn't reprimand him as Tsumiki did, but he tried to guide him in his own way. The training sessions would be longer, harder even, but he never shouted at him, was never mad at him, or was never frustrated with him. 

"You have the potential to be on par with me, Megumi." Gojo's words echoed in his mind, crystal clear. "So you gotta keep a level head."

Thoughts began to swirl endlessly in his clouded mind as the memory faded. It was like almost seeing a ghost, always flitting through, never materializing. Images came and went like his own shallow breathing. It was getting harder to breathe. His chest felt like it was getting constricted by some unknown force, and he felt hot all over.

He recognizes the sensation. Pain. 

Subconsciously, Megumi grits his teeth, his nails digging into the inside of his palm. The dull sensation becomes more and more apparent with each second. His head was throbbing, and his vision blurred for a moment.

Take a good look, brat.

The voice that invaded his mind was unwelcome and brash. Slowly, the darkness morphs into a blurry scenery, like his eyes are camera lenses trying to focus on a subject. And that subject is at his feet.

He can make out the gray concrete now, rough and cracked as someone laid down on it. 

Why is someone lying on the concrete?

Megumi hears a sharp intake of breath, eyes trying their best to focus on the source of the sound. Red liquid pooled on the ground. Blood. That's when he notices a familiar white tousled hair. Albeit he doesn't see it often, he grew up seeing him casually wearing his hair down around both of them siblings. His senses were sharper now. His vision finally focuses on the figure on the ground.

Benefactor. 

It's that one word that Megumi would always use to describe Gojo to everyone if asked about their relationship. But right now, he can barely remember the word.

"Gojo-sensei..?" His words were a mere whisper. Gojo only blinks away the tears in his eyes in response, eyes slowly losing their luminescent blue luster. Warm streaks drip down from Megumi's eyes. Tears. 

"Dad?" 

A faint smile appears on Gojo's lips, and with one final blink, he loses the life behind those signature blue eyes of his, and silence descends upon them both. It was a grief so great that Megumi could only stand there in silence, mourning the only father he ever knew.

Inspired by this tweet that shared this very hurtful tiktok :')

[oralmisery]

Horny for Horsepower

written for @steddiesmuttyseptember

[ complete fic on ao3 ]

Rating: E | WC: 2511 | tags: Fluff and Smut, Fluff and Humor, Crack, Steve is a car, Sex with a Car, Masturbation

Week two prompt: Backseat

Steve is a transformer and Eddie is the mechanic in love with him. Dustin accidentally spills soda all over Steve’s backseat and Eddie has to clean it up. In spite of Eddie's best efforts the sticky situation only gets stickier.

(in which Steve IS the backseat)

From his crouched position on the ground, Eddie shifted to the right, barely avoiding the car door that swung open. He wobbled in place and stuck a hand out to regain his balance. His hand smacked into the car's exterior, where he was scrubbing with a soapy sponge.   

“Hey! I wasn't even close to scratching your paint, this stuff is sticky, Dude. It's gonna take some elbow grease to get it out”, Eddie said. He swiped a forearm over his face, not sure if he's getting sweat or suds, but wanting to stop the trickle of moisture from getting in his eyes either way.

The door slammed shut in a huff but didn't move again when Eddie continued his scrubbing, notably with more care this time.

The 1983 733i maroon BMW was by far the most unique car Eddie had on the lot. The competition wasn’t steep, considering Munson Mechanic was a repair shop and junkyard in one. Most of the rusted cars around them were missing doors, side mirrors, engines, and decidedly not fit for the road. But, even if every hunk of junk on the property was in mint condition there would still be no competition. No, the maroon beamer was exceptional because it was actually a he . An alien–part of a race of autonomous robotic organisms that were hiding on earth disguised as human vehicles. And his name was Steve. 

Eddie sighed, “Ya know, this would be easier if we went to a car wash”.

The car’s radio turned on, 𝅘𝅥𝅮 shot through the heart and you're to blame 𝅘𝅥𝅮

“Okay! okay! drama queen”, Eddie said with a laugh. “I'll spend my afternoon handwashing you”.

𝅘𝅥𝅮 You're the best around, Nothing's gonna ever keep you down 𝅘𝅥𝅮

“That's more patronizing than encouraging”, Eddie muttered. He swiped the last of the dark residue from Steve’s sparkling maroon. “They don't do interiors anyways, and, ah, Dustin really got it everywhere in there”. Eddie looked into the backseat where soda was lazily dripping from the ceiling and drying on the leather seats.

Steve opened and shut all his doors in a synchronized angry click. Eddie was reminded of a kid stomping their foot.

“ I know , but he swore he didn't know Lucas shook it up before he handed it to him so it's not really his fault”.

Steve honked but Eddie knew the car wasn't actually mad, just like Eddie wasn't that annoyed cleaning up the mess. 

Steve loved the kids, he just had a grumpy way of showing it. Like, locking the doors on them when they tried to get in but driving them around the entirety of Hawkins anyways. Steve almost drove them into a ditch running down Billy Hargrove when he threatened the kids, but wouldn't move an inch until everyone's seat belts were fastened. Even this afternoon when Dustin doused the entire backseat and whatever got out the open window with an exploding can of grape soda, Steve still drove him home and did not start back up until the kid was safely in his house. He did pretend to run over the young teen’s foot but Eddie knew Steve wasn't even close, no matter what Dustin said.

Eddie grabbed a clean towel from the stack of cleaning supplies next to him and opened the back door wide. Steve started playing the only station that played metal. Truly a softie.

“Alright Stevie, let's get you shiny and new again”. 

Steve rocked side to side, in anticipation or impatience Eddie can't tell. Maybe both.

Eddie started wiping down the wet areas. He mopped up the ceiling and the puddle on the floor first. He then used both hands to drag the towel along the grooves of the leather seats, digging in with his fingers to get every seam. 

The radio cut out with static then stuttered back on.

“You okay?” Eddie asked, surprised, looking toward the dash.

Steve’s fuel gauge needle shot to FULL, meaning yes. A system Eddie had proposed when he and Steve first met.

“Okay…” Eddie said. Maybe Steve was more upset about being dirty than Eddie thought.

Eddie continued his movements, trying to be thorough. Steve was high maintenance at times. He’d let Eddie know, promptly and loudly , if he needed an oil change or his tire pressure was low and he refused anything but premium grade gasoline. Eddie honestly didn't mind that Steve was kind of a brat. He liked spoiling the automobile.

Finished getting all the wet soda, Eddie threw aside the ruined towel and grabbed a fresh one to dunk in the bucket of soapy water. Eddie got down on his knees on the ground beside Steve’s open door, bent over and with hard, fast motions started scrubbing the shit out of the carpeted floors.

Steve honked. A quick, seemingly accidental beep.

“Dude, are you sure you're okay?”, Eddie asked again. He paused and sat back on his heels, starting to worry. 

Steve’s fuel needle jumped back and forth a few times before shakily landing on FULL. 

[ continue reading ]

[peepism]

Stitches // Levi x Reader

A top a snowy mountain lay a few small cabins, each designed for separate uses just like the ones back at training camp. Although the storm was raging on, morales were high as the cadets rambled on, each telling stories to pass time. Though their superiors were watching on, they didn't bother quieting the troupe down as they figured they needed to let them be kids in this cruel world. 

"SASHA, quit eating all our rations! We don't have a whole lot! We're here for a few more days" screamed a decently tall boy. Even though he wasn't the tallest of the group, he still had some fire in him. Which is why he was currently in a wrestling match with the brunette. This wasn't the first time they had gotten in quarrels over her ravenous hunger. 

"Forget it Connie. Just let her finish it." Another quipped up, a boy named Jean. His palm dragging across his face with a roll of his eyes. 

This is how it typically went with the 104th trainee's. They'd get along for a few minutes before hell seemed to break loose. It was a wonder Shadis, or even Erwin wouldn't decide to just forget about all of them and find better listening teens. Was it the military or a damn daycare? Levi often wondered. 

He stood among the logged walls of the cabin, watching each scene unfold with sharp steel eyes, no form of amusment to be seen. Why the hell did the commander decide it was a good idea for him to be watching over them? Something about 'building trust'? What a load of bullshit in his mind. He couldn't trust them to clean properly, nonetheless to free humanity. Not just that, they were too idiotic at times to see just how horrible their existence was- not in the way most would think. Maybe the tiniest part of him hated to see how hopeful they were, sure, some of them were there when the first wall fell, and they each had seen their fair share of things, but they weren't fully tainted just yet. They were teens, just babies. It killed him to know that within any moment their joyous sparks would be smothered out, the same way a fire extinguishes without oxygen. 

Now Hange on the other hand seemed to be letting loose as well, encouraging some of the arguments between Jean and Eren. To which earned hard glares from the Ackermans. 

"What if we... told stories..?" Squeaked out a an angelic voice, belonging to the name of Krista Lenz, which earned a loud obnoxious laugh from Ymir. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? STORIES? My dear Krista, you really think we'd all sit around like children? Who's going to be the one reading it to us, nonetheless making up one on the spot seeing as we have no books in the vicinity?" 

This earned the girl to have her face flush with red out of embarrassment. For someone who couldn't leave her alone, Ymir definitely wasn't the nicest at times. 

"OH, I know! Levi! Why don't you get involved? Tell us a memory of yours, huh? At least make it this once, you mysterious hunk of meat!" Chortled Hange, her hand colliding into Levi's shoulder which made a loud smack that reviberated across the room causing everyone to stop dead in their tracks, faces filled with horror.  

The wind blowing outside that caused the windows to occasionally shake was all that could be heard, as utter silence fell upon them, various gazes directing to the short Captain as they awaited to hear his booming voice or possibly to watch him beat the living shit out of the section commander for even laying a finger on him, but nothing. No one dared to make a move, until a soft sigh left his parted lips. "Very well." Shock soon became present, even from the mad scientist, although she was mainly joking around she didn't quite expect him to actually agree. Yet she definitely wasn't going to pass this opportunity down as she had never heard anything from the man before her. He was mysterious, closed off- 

"If I share my background as a story, then I expect you all to tune up on your disgusting cleaning habits. Even you, shitty glasses." 

Without any thoughts, feet scrambled causing the floors to creek, earning an even bigger sigh of annoyance from Levi.

"My tale starts with Y/n Gibbs."

"Squad Leader Gibbs?!" 

Inquired Armin.

"Yes, now can all of you shut the fuck up and let me get this over with?" Levi grumbled with arms crossed, as he peered down at all the sitting cadets (and Hange) who all seemed to be way too excited.

God, he really was becoming some form of a father figure it would seem, not that he knew what that was really like. But that didn't matter, he knew you would be glad he'd be sharing this part of him, and he'd be sure to tell you when they all got back from the freezing mountain point. 

------------

For those interested in reading more, feel free to find the other chapters on AO3!

[the-matpat-ever]

My Madpat & Ness Twin Au

I've always wondered what it'd be like for them to interact and be actual siblings, identical twins in this case. I created my au a while ago but I've also made some changes to it as well!!

For instance, I originally had imagined Ness being the person to cover up Mad's crimes but I had ultimately scrapped the idea. Interesting idea but not something I wanted in my au since it conflicted with the story way too much like certain relationships and dynamics.

I did though wanted to keep the familial unhinged-ness to them. It would make sense since they spent so much time together as children and growing up, sharing similar traits but being their own person as well. Ness wanted to be an actor and still actively wants to be one, though he may have given up on that dream after so many failiures...Which then introduces Mad, the brother who wasn't a "failiure"(though it depends on how you see it). You'd be right in thinking there'd be some repressed envy from Ness.

Mad never liked theater unlike Ness, never enjoyed loud obnoxious people that were the theater kids(dw I love you guys❤️Im a band kid myself) but oh did he love the spotlight, the attention. He was passionate about engineering. Ness was passionate about theater. Two separate things. Two separate people. They had a strained, almost onesided relationship. At least Ness tries to make an effort....

Ness was loud, hyper and colorful, Mad was quick to anger, blunt and apathetic(think of like an angsty teen) when they were younger. Ness sees his brother as someone almost better than him, who actually got his life together(spoiler alert: he didn't). Mad, in return sees Ness as this person who can form actual stable relationships with others(at least, more than Mad can). He envies Ness in that kinda way sorta.

Now some things about Ness. He looks significantly older than Mad even though Ness is an hour younger than him because continuous substance abuse(smoking and weed in particular), specially since it's been *20 years*. He started when he was just 17 to cope with the neglect of their father and their poor mother abandoning them. Ness has greying hair and a more sunken in and tired look. His lungs are also pretty bad, unable to run for long without using his inhalers. Its why he always keeps a spare one on him from his asthma that he developed in his 20s. From a distance they look the same but as you analyze their faces side by side Ness looks so tired and stressed with pieces of grey hair while Mad looks more healthy, though paranoid as ever.

When Ness is high he mostly gets all giggly and jittery and giddy. But other times he gets SUPER paranoid and locks himself up in his room. This is when he starts actually talking to the literal wall.

Now onto some bad habits they've picked up

Ness : Nail biting and smoking, self medicating, letting people take advantage of them, being a MANWHORE[Its a genuine problem, he flirts to cope], locking himself in his room and screaming until his throat is raw, and repressing his emotions

Mad : Drinking, screaming at others without thinking, EATING AND KILLING PEOPLE(Im going to be so honest with you, I was super excited when I found out about Caliban. HES SUPER DUPER SILLY AND COOL WHO EATS PEOPLEE<33)..Sinking his nails into his own flesh, short temper, having fits when things don't go his way, stalker, obsessive & possessive

Funfacts: Ness is banned from Freddy's because he stole the little Foxy puppet animatronic and Mad absolutely went OFF on him. They both share an apartment for convenience, cheaper that way. One Halloween Ness got so shit faced at a party that he started hitting on and making out with a pole...Mad ended up having to literally drag him away. Mad was absolutely so pissed, grumbling all the way home before drinking away his memory of ever seeing his brother doing that. Ness doesn't know the full story of what Mad does but he gives him the benefit of the doubt, blinded by his hopefulness of a nice brotherly relationship with him. He just wanted a brother who loves him and actually shows it... He unknowingly becomes an enabler to Mad's doings. He isn't a black and white good or bad person. He does kind and good things but he's not perfect. It just makes him all more human. Ness is not in the right mental state to date anyone at the moment. As I've said before, he flirts and I mean full on flirting with guys all the time. It's his way of coping with trauma. I can see him getting himself into a relationship but it wouldn't be healthy. Get this poor traumatized man a therapist😭🙏🏻

Can you tell Ness is my favorite? It's quite Ness centric now than it was before but I'm not complaining. I adore my boy Ness❤️

@wouldntyou-liketoknow