#anyways a reboot fixed it. as it usually does. but still

[mars-ipan]

i wake up. my switch has orangescreened for no damn reason

[bloo-the-dragon]

out ooffff curiosity

in quite a few fics with your mer au with eclipse its frequently referenced that he has "episodes"

what happens during those episodes? is there something specific that triggers them or is it something stress induced? does ruin have any ways to help or does he try to stay out of the way until its over?

*cracks knuckles* Prepare thineself for a text wall lmao

So first of all i'm gonna give some context here- Eclipse to put it shortly has the robot equivalent of brain damage. His code is pretty messed up which affects his behaviours and other side effects. This is a result of him having been decommissioned (basically killed) when he was still 'sun and moon' and then brought back again as a mish-mash of both codes.

He was not intended to have a long work life, his expiry being estimated for about 2-3 years and this is primarily due to the fact that his specific model/ai was always intended to function with two ai - so if we look at the eclipse (solar) and lunar from my runaways au, they are a paired ai and if one was to die the other would eventually follow.

Anyways so during his worklife Eclipse's already unstable code was messed up even more due to electrocution from tasers by his owners plus his natural slow deterioration from not having a counterpart (before meeting Ruin which while saved his life, did not fix all the issues). Only reason he survived as long as he did was because he is a mix of two previously paired ai which helped extent his initial lifespan (and the fact he's a stubborn ass)

Ok context concluded i'll now answer the details:

What happens during these episodes?

Moodswings, seizures and at worst crashes. Almost always these result in some form of memory loss. The moodswings tend to be the most common and they can make him act out/say things in an various ways, most often aggressive/angry ones and he doesn't always remember them when they occur due to the memory files being corrupted.

The seizures he has tend to be the absense type though sometimes he may experience a tonic/atonic one. Unlike the crashing in which he experiences a full shutdown and reboot (which he never remembers) the seizures at most can cause soft reboots and minor memory loss.

What are the Triggers?

Stress is the primary cause, but they can happen without warning even if he is feeling fine. The frequency of these episodes in this context is thankfully not too often but usually occur at least a couple times a month.

The immediate causes though? Electricity. The sight of it and the sound of it (this can include thunderstorms but they arn't as bad unless he directly sees the lighting flash in the sky) this is due to traumas of being electrocuted. Also unexpected physical contact like being roughly grabbed or otherwise touched without warning, especially if near his neck/head. This is also related to the traumas with electricity.

How does Ruin help, if he can? Or does he stay out of the way?

Ruin helps however he can when he can! If Eclipse is having an angry moodswing, he will keep out of his way and try not to make too much noise but keeps a close eye just in case it does turn into a seizure. If it's a more depressed/sad one then he'll stay by Eclipse side offering nuzzles, preens and lots of reassurances.

If Eclipse does have a seizure (absense) Ruin will try to guide Eclipse either to the sofa or bed (or floor if nothing else) - this may not always work but Ruin will stay with him regardless, talking with him until Eclipse comes out of it again.

If its a tonic/atonic one and Eclipse collapses, Ruin would attempt to catch him or cushion his fall and would remain with Eclipse until he woke up. Basically using the same methods of talking/cheeping til he does.

[maddy-k-reads-all-day]

SHOJO RECS

I feel like shojo manga's bad rep is caused by the fact that the shojo manga that was getting adapted back in the early 2000s used a lot of the same tropes... even though there was PLENTY of INCREDIBLE shojo manga that didn't have these tropes. These manga were the ones that introduced me to shojo:

Shugo Chara (which has a LOT of problems but I loved it as a middle schooler it was my first shojo manga and my second manga ever first was Chi's Sweet Home).

Komomo Confiserie (probably had some issues but I'm nostalgia-blind to it so idk). An anime for this would've been cool!

Tokyo Mew Mew (INSPIRED MY ART STYLE SO MUCH OMG)

A Devil And Her Love Song (um... don't read this one unless you're... 16+ It's good but really dark and has a lot of triggering topics). I don't think anyone has the guts to adapt this though.

Kimi Ni Todoke (got an anime adaptation but I still would like to mention how good it is)

Meteor Prince (MY PFP it's a little weird but it's such a cute series Hako is one of the best shojo protagonists EVER I love her so much!) Short but really good, if it did get an anime I honestly would love some filler!

So Cute It Hurts! (AMAZING MANGA ONE OF MY FAVS OF ALL THE TIME! DEAF REPRESENTATION AND JSL BEFORE A SILENT VOICE DID IT! I love how most of the main cast learned JSL just because one of their friends was deaf. (For the main girl it was her crushes sister, for the main male character he learned because he was accidentally rude to her and wanted to apologize. BUT ON BOTH SIDES THAT SO CUTE OF THEM. Also ptsd rep. Megumu is another one of the BEST shojo girlies of all time. She did not "fix" him she just patiently waited for him to work out his trauma on his own and supported him through it LIKE A GIRLBOSS I COULD TALK ABOUT THIS MANGA FOR DECADES AND IT WOULD NEVER BE ENOUGH) THIS NEEDED AN ANIME SO BADLY IT WOULD'VE BEEN SO POPULAR GUYS. IT WOULD'VE BEEN A SHOJO ANIME CLASSIC!!!

Voice Over: Seiyu Academy. Don't remember too much from this but I remember really enjoying it and thinking the fact the anime about VOICE ACTING SCHOOL never got an ANIME WE WERE SO ROBBED GUYS.

Young Miss Holmes. Amazing manga. The characters the feminism the absolute girlbossery that goes down in this manga. Annemarie's "GO TO HELL" will always live rent-free in my mind. (Um some trigger warnings with this one too though I don't recall a lot.) I think if this got an anime adaptation announcement I would scream.

Now these were all the ones I read in middle school (Some may be flawed I haven't read them in awhile)

And here are some other great shojo recs for you all:

Fruits Basket (duh)

Honey So Sweet (remember when I said I was fine with problematic themes as long as the story ACKNOWLEDGES that they are bad and explores them rather than justifies them. This is what I'm talking about! And as someone who has read the whole manga NO SHE DOES NOT HAVE FEELINGS FOR HER UNCLE she just couldn't imagine loving someone else as much as she loves about her family (in a normal way) and got confused. I reread vol 1 and forgot that it had that whole subplot where she rejected a guy because of that HONEY SO SWEET IS SUCH A GOOD MANGA THO-) THIS NEEDS AN ANIME.

Perfect World. The manga that made me start thinking about wheelchair accessibility everywhere I go because one of the main characters works in creating wheelchair accessible places. Anyway this was an AMAZING read I LOVED IT. I love disability rep in shojo it's *usually* really good. THE FACT THIS HAS NO ANIME IS A CRIME.

A sign of Affection. Really cute manga with JSL rep! Have really enjoyed thus far!

Kodocha: Sana's Stage. Another manga that covers problematic topics with a lot of grace. Somehow manages to balance comedy and serious stuff perfectly. I LOVE KODOCHA SO MUCH OMG. Trigger warnings in this one too though. NEEDS A REBOOT PLZ

Honey Lemon Soda. Started reading this one recently. It's pretty good thus far.

Why am I not describing the premises? BECAUSE I'M TIRED. But also you should check them out for yourselves! :) :) :)

[occasional-arb]

Scramble Recital ~Shibuya Halloween Night~ Translation

(In Ramuda’s studio.)

Ramuda: Alright! So that’s why we’ll be the ones keeping the peace in Shibuya on Halloween☆

Dice: What do you mean “so that’s why”!

Gentaro: We just got here, isn’t it a bit dictatorial to make such a decision without even discussing it with us first?

Ramuda: No way! I’m sure you guys know that Shibuya’s filled with parties on Halloween night, right?

Dice: That’s true. It’s hard to get to the pachinko parlor with so many people partying in the streets.

Ramuda: It’s good to have fun on a holiday, but some people get a teensy bit carried away.

Gentaro: Yes, it makes the news every year. It is a bit disconcerting.

Ramuda: Right?? So this year, let’s patrol the streets and fix all the problems ☆ Sounds good, right? Right? Okay, it’s decided!!

Dice: Well I’m free, so as long as you buy me something to eat, it’s cool with me.

Gentaro: Sigh… Always such a despicable person. Maybe even evil…

Gentaro: Unlike him, I live to serve the people of the world without compensation, so I will partake for nothing in return.

Dice: Now that’s a good lie.

Ramuda: So what’s the real reason???

Gentaro: I’m writing a Halloween themed story. I needed to do some research anyway, so this was perfect timing.

Dice: So you’re evil too…

Gentaro: Call it what you like.

Dice: So, will we just walk around the city like usual, then?

Ramuda: Isn’t that boring? We should all dress up in cosplay to go on patrol!

Dice: Oh, that sounds fun!

Ramuda: Right??

Gentaro: Cosplay, huh… I’m not very keen on the idea…

Ramuda: But you’ll stand out if you’re not dressed up! When in Rome, right?

Gentaro: …Alright. I suppose it might make for good story material…

Ramuda: Yay! I’ll make us all costumes!!

Dice: If I’m gonna do this, I wanna dress up as Bakuchi from “Misfortunate Gambling Legend: Bakuchi”!

(T/N: This is a parody of the Kaiji franchise.)

Ramuda: Okay, I’ll make it for you! What costume does Gentaro want??

Gentaro: …Nothing in particular. I’ll leave it up to you.

Ramuda: Since Gengen likes to wear traditional clothes, you should be Kenki from Edo Sword Demon Romantic Story!

(T/N: This is a parody of Rurouni Kenshin. Soma Saito also plays Kenshin in the reboot anime.)

Dice: What about you, Ramuda?

Ramuda: Hehehe! My costume is actually already done! I’ll show you! Wait here a sec!!

(Ramuda leaves and comes back with long blond hair and a frilly red dress. …If this is parodying something specific, I don’t know what it is lol. )

Ramuda: Ta-da! What do you think??

Dice: O-oh…

Gentaro: Quite the extravagant costume… What is this a cosplay of?

Ramuda: I’m a villainess ☆ So what do you think? Isn’t it cute??

Dice: I guess it suits you…

Gentaro: As long as you like it, anything is fine…

Ramuda: I can’t wait to see you guys in your costumes! Let’s all keep Shibuya safe together!!

(The day before Halloween, in Ramuda’s studio again.)

Ramuda: Sorry, guys! There’s some work I have to do tomorrow so I won’t be able to join you…

Gentaro: If it’s work, it can’t be helped. Don’t worry about it.

Dice: So are we canceling it?

Ramuda: Don’t cancel, I already made your costumes! And I called in some extra help to take my spot!

Dice: Extra help?

Gentaro: Who is it?

Ramuda: Tomorrow will be great! He’s a guy that I trust, so it’s fine!

Gentaro: …I suppose that’s fine.

Dice: You’ll still buy me food, right?

Ramuda: Yep! I’ll get you something real nice afterwards!

Dice: Hell yeah!

Gentaro: Goodness... Truly a despicable man.

Ramuda: Then tomorrow I’ll be leaving Shibuya in your hands!

Dice: Yep! Leave it to me!

Gentaro: As you command.

(Halloween, Shibuya Crossing. Dice is wearing his not Kaiji cosplay.)

Dice: Woah, lotta people here.

Dice: Everyone else is dressed so flashy, I don’t stand out at all.

Gentaro: Sorry to have kept you waiting.

Dice: Oh!

(Gentaro appears wearing his not Kenshin cosplay.)

Dice: Something’s different about you.

Gentaro: I’m used to wearing a kimono, but… I still feel uncomfortable carrying a sword at my waist, even if it’s just a toy. It feels like I’m doing something nefarious…

Dice: Well, everyone else is dressed up too. I don’t think it’ll bother anyone.

Gentaro: I suppose. By the way, has our help arrived yet?

Dice: Nope, not yet.

???: Sorry to keep you waiting!

(Ichiro appears wearing some… kind of costume that vaguely resembles Takeshi Goda, a character also played by Subaru Kimura in Doraemon. Apparently.)

Gentaro: Yamada Ichiro-san?

Dice: Are you our help?

Ichiro: Yeah, Ramuda asked me to lend you guys a hand. Let’s do this!

Dice: By the way, that outfit suits you strangely well.

Ichiro: Right? I was surprised when I tried it on too.

Gentaro: You’re Toshihiko, the bully from a popular children’s anime, correct?

Ichiro: Yep. I guess cause it was last-minute, Ramuda could only make a simple costume.

Dice: Alright! Well, let’s go grab some food before going on patrol.

Ichiro: Can’t work on an empty stomach!

Gentaro: Dice… Please pay for yourself this time.

Dice: Nahahahaha!

(Dice walks off)

Gentaro: That wasn’t a joke.

(Shibuya Center Gai)

Ichiro: I heard this would be crazy, but it’s even wilder than I expected.

Gentaro: There’s not even a particular event going on, people just use Halloween as an excuse to party.

Dice: It’s hard to get through the crowds…

Child: Sniff… Hiccup…

Ichiro: Hm? Was that a child crying?

Gentaro: Hm… I didn’t hear anything.

Dice: I didn’t either.

Ichiro: This way!

(Different spot on Shibuya Center Gai.)

Child: Huuuu… Mama!

Gentaro: Oh, there is a child.

Dice: Must’ve gotten separated from his mom.

Ichiro: Whatever happened, we need to get him to stop crying so he can talk to us.

Dice: Alright! Leave it to me!

Dice: Hey kid, let’s go look for your mom together!

Child: Uweeeeehhh!

Dice: Ah! P-please stop crying! I’m trying to help you!

Gentaro: It’s only natural to be scared when a strange man speaks to you so brashly.

Dice: I-I wasn’t brash…

Ichiro: Hey kid, where did your mom go?

Child. Uuuuh… Toshihiko?

Ichiro: Yep!

Dice: He’s imitating Toshihiko’s voice…

Gentaro: Children are simple, after all. Of course they’ll open up to a familiar character.

Ichiro: Glad you know about me!

Child: Yeah! I watch you every week!

Ichiro: Thanks for your support!

Ichiro: So, where’s your mom at?

Child: I dunno…

Ichiro: I see…

Ichiro: Well, don’t worry! Toshihiko-sama will find her!

Child: Really?!

Ichiro: Yeah! So no more crying, okay?

Child: Okay!

Gentaro: How do we find someone in this crowd?

Ichiro: His parents are probably looking for him too, so if the three of us rap together and get some attention, they should notice us.

Gentaro: True… They’re probably not far, so it might work.

Ichiro: Right? Then let’s get started—

(They rap.)

Mother: Takashi!

Child: Mama!

Dice: Oh! Looks like the mom is here!

Ichiro: Great.

Mother: Excuse me… Sorry for all the trouble. Thank you!

Ichiro: No problem. Just be careful not to get separated again.

Mother: Will do. Sorry again!

Child: See ya later, Toshihiko!

Ichiro: See ya! And make sure to listen to your mom!

Dice: Well, that’s that!

Gentaro: Now then, let us continue our patrol.

???: Kyaaaa!

Ichiro: What is it now?!

Dice: Over there! Let’s go!

(They go… somewhere else.)

Ichiro: No way…!

Gentaro: That woman is about to jump from the roof…

Dice: Guys! Let’s go stop her!

Gentaro: Of course.

Ichiro: Yeah.

(They go up to the roof of the building.)

Dice: Hey! Don’t do anything stupid!

Woman: D-don’t come near me! I’ll jump!

Gentaro: …Please calm down. As you wish, we’ll stay right here.

Ichiro: Hey… What happened?

Woman: My boyfriend was cheating on me with my best friend… When I confronted him about it, he broke up with me and started dating her…

Ichiro: Wow… That’s terrible…

Gentaro: Hm. A common plot development in pulp novels, but it really does drive people mad. I learned something.

Ichiro: Don’t you have a heart…?

Dice: H-hey, y’know you’ll die if you jump. If you stay alive, something good is bound to happen to you, so…

Woman: Nothing good will ever happen to me! I’d rather end it here then go on living like this…!

Dice: W-wait! Hold on a minute!

Dice: Th-That’s right! I’ll tell you my special information!

Woman: What… is it…

Dice: I know a bakery that’ll give you the heels of bread for free!

Woman: What?

Dice: It’s perfect for when you don’t have money for food! I can also tell you the good places to sleep to stay outta the wind, even in the winter!

Woman: …

Dice: Is that still no good? Then, I’ll treat you to a public bath once a week! That’ll take care of one problem…

Woman: That’s enough!

Dice: Oh! Right? It’s a pretty great deal!

(The woman gives him 1000 yen.)

Dice: Hm, 1000 yen? Why’d you give me this?

Woman: …Use it to eat something nice.

Dice: O-oh…

Woman: If you guys are his friends, you should help him…

Gentaro & Ichiro: Y-yes…

Woman: Listening to his story made me feel stupid for wanting to die.

(She leaves.)

Dice: Huh? But she left before I could tell her the info…

Gentaro: Could you please stop talking for a moment? That was embarrassing.

Ichiro: W-well, Arisugawa solved the problem, so I guess it’s fine…

Dice: What’s up with you two?

(They go back to the street and hear some kind of ruckus.)

Ichiro: What now?

Gentaro: There’s someone speaking rather harshly…

Dice: Let’s go.

(They walk towards the ruckus.)

Drunk Guy A: Bastard! I’ll kill you!

Drunk Guy B: Just try it, dumbass!

Dice: Drunk guys fighting, huh…

Ichiro: Should we stop them, Arisugawa?

Dice: Yeah.

Gentaro: Please wait a moment.

Dice: Why?

Ichiro: We don’t have time to mess around.

Gentaro: Please allow me to peacefully resolve this.

Dice: Well, I guess that’s fine too.

Gentaro: Leave it to me.

Gentaro: Ahem! You two over there?

Drunk Guy A: Huh?!

Drunk Guy B: Who the hell are you?! Shut up and stay out of this!

Gentaro: I am but a humble writer… No, I am a humble samurai now.

Drunk Guy A: The hell is this guy saying?

Gentaro: Well, it doesn’t really matter who I am.

Gentaro: Fighting in a place like this will trouble the people around you. Please lay down your spears.

Drunk Guy B: Shut it! Who talks like that? Is there something wrong with your head?!

Drunk Guy A: Yeah, worry about yourself first!

Drunk Guy B: Y’know, you’re not wrong! Ahahaha!

Gentaro: …

(Gentaro smiles and draws his sword.)

Drunk Guy A: Hey… Why did you take out your sword?

(Gentaro walks closer.)

Drunk Guy B: I-idiot! Cut it out!!!

(Gentaro smacks them with his toy sword.)

Drunk Guy A: Agh!

Drunk Guy B: Ouch!

Gentaro: Sigh… Peace has returned to Shibuya once more.

Dice: What the hell was that?! That wasn’t peaceful at all.

Gentaro: Unfortunately, they were of a species of ape that cannot understand human language. It is sometimes necessary to use force in such cases.

Dice: You were just being petty…

Ichiro: Is it alright to hit someone with that, even if it’s a toy?

Gentaro: Don’t worry, I used the flat edge.

Ichiro: That’s not the issue…

Gentaro: Now then! The next incident is calling us! Let us be off!

(Gentaro walks off.)

Ichiro: Both you and Ramuda are strange, but Yumeno might be the worst.

Dice: I’m glad you understand.

(They go back to Shibuya Crossing.)

Ichiro: I guess when there’s so many people around, you get all sorts of problems.

Gentaro: Shibuya is always crowded, but this holiday is the most perilous.

Dice: It’s fine to have fun, but people shouldn’t come if they can’t follow the rules.

Gentaro: If you must make a fuss, please don’t forget common sense.

(T/N: I can’t prove that this is a covert advertisement paid for by the city of Shibuya, but…)

Ichiro: Ugh, I can’t get through this crowd.

Dice: Yeah. Everyone’s packed in the Scramble Crossing.

Gentaro: It seems the police are trying to direct people, but nobody is listening.

Gentaro: At this rate, people will get pushed out into traffic…

Ichiro: That’s it! We can rap to help the police guide people!

Dice: Oh, good idea! If the three of us rap, there’s no way people won’t hear us!

Gentaro: Yes, then they’ll be more willing to follow directions.

Ichiro: Alright! In that case, let’s do it!

Ichiro: People of Shibuya! Please listen for a moment!

Gentaro: I know you’re having fun, but…

Dice: We’re gonna rap about traffic rules!

Ichiro: Yumeno, Arisugawa! Let’s go!

Gentaro & Dice: Yeah!

(They rap, again.)

Dice: Whew, I’m glad the flow of traffic became smoother!

Ichiro: It’s rare to hear gratitude from the police.

Gentaro: And it feels good to help people.

(They hear another ruckus.)

???: Come on! Bring me some booze!

Passerby: Apparently that doctor over there is drunk and acting up.

Dice: Another drunk guy…

Gentaro: The time has come for my sword to fly once more.

Ichiro: …No, let’s do this peacefully this time.

Dice: Alright, let’s get going then.

Ichiro & Gentaro: Okay!

[ladytauria]

i read this fic (you want more and you want it fast - runespoor) some time ago and, uh

it would not leave my head <3

eventually i had to write down all the thoughts it gave me & then i cleaned those up into something resembling a not-fic. & then it was just a matter of, ah. convincing myself to share~

anyway!

warnings: unrequited bru/jay

edits: fixed some formatting issues, removed some brackets, and a sentence i had meant to fix before posting, lol

a hunger that grows, and grows

Jason’s feelings for Bruce are… complicated, to say the least. Mentor. Oldest/longest crush. Betrayal. Anger. Grief. Nothing easy or simple to deal with, and so Jason just… doesn’t. He does his own thing up until Bruce gets involved, has knockdown drag-out fights with him that leave him more frustrated than anything, and then usually heads to a bar, working his frustrations out with tall, dark haired, light eyed men before getting up the next day to start the cycle all over again.

It works. Or he does a good enough job pretending it does, anyway.

And then Bruce dies. (“Dies.”)

His usual methods of coping don’t work. He needs something more to scratch the itch; fill up the strange hollowness inside of him. And somehow… he ends up settling on Tim.

Half the reason the pretender is so fucking annoying is all the ways he reminds Jason of Bruce—both the parts he finds attractive and those he finds aggravating. (There’s a lot of overlap between the two, but Jason doesn’t like to think about that.)

So he tracks down Tim.

Jason’s feelings for Bruce are… complicated, to say the least. Mentor. Oldest/longest crush. Betrayal. Anger. Grief. Nothing easy or simple to deal with, and so Jason just… doesn’t. He does his own thing up until Bruce gets involved, has knockdown drag-out fights with him that leave him more frustrated than anything, and then usually heads to a bar, working his frustrations out with tall, dark haired, light eyed men before getting up the next day to start the cycle all over again.

It works. Or he does a good enough job pretending it does, anyway.

And then Bruce dies. (“Dies.”)

His usual methods of coping don’t work. He needs something more to scratch the itch; fill up the strange hollowness inside of him. And somehow… he ends up settling on Tim.

Half the reason the pretender is so fucking annoying is all the ways he reminds Jason of Bruce—both the parts he finds attractive and those he finds aggravating. (There’s a lot of overlap between the two, but Jason doesn’t like to think about that.)

So he tracks down Tim.

It actually takes a hot second—Tim is right on the edge of dropping off radar, which should probably concern Jason a little. But—honestly, whatever Tim is up to is someone else’s problem. He’s booked a ticket overseas, set to leave sometime around when patrol would usually end. Which means Jason has to move quick.

He’s not about to go asking for something for nothing, and since he’s looking to use Tim as a stand-in for Bruce, it only seems fair to offer him a similar opportunity. So. When he comes knocking at Tim’s door, he does it dressed as Nightwing. [Personally picturing the discowing suit bc of the deep vee, but, go with your heart.]

Tim lets him in; the annoyance on his face and in his voice bleeding very quickly into confusion as he processes what Jason is wearing.

Jason’s brand of flirting is a little taunting, a little aggressive, and utterly unsubtle. Tim—short circuits. It’s not necessarily that he isn’t used to being flirted with, or that he doesn’t know how to flirt back. It’s just… This is Jason. He’s had a crush on him since he was still Robin, and… Maybe all the violence and bitterness between them should have changed that, but it didn’t. If anything, it only made him burn hotter. So having all of that directed at him, especially right now? It’s a lot.

But Tim’s made a career out of thinking on his feet, and it’s not long before he reboots. It takes even less time for him to break the situation down.

He knows about Jason’s thing for Bruce. Knows Bruce didn’t reciprocate, or even really notice. Knows about Jason’s habits of seeking out Bruce lookalikes to fuck, especially after a big fight. And—well. Jason’s made enough derogatory remarks about Tim’s similarities to Bruce over the years. It’s not hard to figure out that this time, Tim is the one being used as proxy.

It hurts.

A lot.

But Tim also recognizes an opportunity when he sees one. If this is the only way he can have him… so be it. “I’ve got a plane to catch in the morning,” he warns, even as he slips into his best imitation of Bruce.

“Still got all night,” Jason says, flippant tone belied by the hunger in his eyes.

It’s a night they make very good use of.

Jason doesn’t even stir when Tim slips out before dawn—figuring, this is it. He got his on night, and now it’ll never happen again. He doesn’t end up having to try hard not to think on it; too busy just trying to keep his head above water.

Jason wakes alone and satisfied. And maybe… a little bereft, somewhere deep, deep down and unacknowledged. He lets himself bask for a bit, and then it’s back to business as usual.

The itch builds back up again. Normally, if his path hadn’t crossed with Bruce’s naturally, this is when he’d go looking for reasons to pick a fight. He thinks, idly, about reaching out to Tim again. Maybe even looks him up, just to see what he’s doing, only to learn he’s nowhere to be found. Jason tells himself that’s not concerning at all, and anyway, he wouldn’t want to make a habit of fucking the pretender. Tim’s too crafty for that.

Things go back to something resembling normal.

Of course, then Tim does finally show back up again, and brings with him a shitload of chaos…

…and, eventually, Bruce.

It’s— Jason doesn’t know how to feel about it. Things are—different. Bruce has a new Robin. Tim’s struck out on his own, claiming his own territory in Gotham. Jason doesn’t need to show up for family dinners to see the tension there. Even Jason’s relationship with him is different. They circle each other, almost awkwardly. There’s this… almost-want of a reconciliation; a tentative truce building between them.

Until it blows up in their faces, of course.

Jason leaves the fight angry and frustrated and seething��but also hot under the collar. Before, he would just find a bar and look for someone who could almost, in the right lighting (or lack of), pass for Bruce—or who looked like they could fuck Jason hard enough he wouldn’t care.

But…

Well. It hadn’t been enough when Bruce had first “died,” and ever since his night with Tim… He’s not sure it ever will be again. So he finds himself on Tim’s doorstep again—possibly in the same outfit? Or maybe a different era costume? Or something totally different. He figures, well. Last time Tim had him out of the suit pretty quick, so he must’ve been into it.

Tim’s surprised—but again, doesn’t turn Jason down. He does tell him to ditch the costume next time. Nightwing doesn’t do it for him.

Again, Jason leaves satisfied.

After that, it keeps happening. Jason abandons the costume idea entirely; just shows up at Tim’s door in or climbs through his window. Sometimes he brings food, usually he doesn’t. They fuck. Sometimes they even stay together until its time to get up, becoming—almost friendly, in those small windows of time.

The time between visits starts to decrease, until Jason isn’t really seeking him out because Bruce pissed him off anymore. Tim is still putting on a Bruce-esque persona, though. He’s also never the one to initiate, which Jason notes idly but isn’t concerned about… yet.

And then one day, when Jason seeks him out, Tim is… tired. He’s fighting with Bruce. He’s still got the primary role in the company. He’s pretending to be injured. He’s not on good terms with Dick (though they’re mending). Damian hasn’t tried to kill him in a few weeks but there’s still animosity. Things with Steph are… weird. Strained. Awkward. He’s glad she’s back. He’s angry at her for lying. She’s pissed he’s not talking about his disappearance, and the thing with Pru, and. You know. Everything. The Titans are back but he’s not leaning on them like he used to. He’s still managing everything that happened with the League, the missing spleen, and now Boomerang… 

He’s tired.

He wants.

His persona cracks, and a little more Tim shines through. Jason… likes it. He doesn’t know what’s different; he’s really only encountered fake-Bruce Tim and Red Robin Tim. Everything else has been glancing. Brief.

But by the next time they meet, Tim’s rebuilt his defenses, and… it’s the same as before. Except now, the formerly mind-blowing sex is— Still good, but. There’s something lacking, a missing mysterious thing that Jason has no idea how to ask for. It’s… frustrating. The itch comes back, more fierce than before.

He ends up talking to someone—probably Dick, but maybe Steph, or Babs. He doesn’t mean to turn the subject to Tim, isn’t even intending to ask about him, but. The others have noticed Tim & Jason’s new… closeness, if not the reason for it. Whoever it is he talks to happens to mention that Tim used to really look up to him—idolize him, even. Probably in the context of a warning, but not necessarily.

A few things click into place. He keeps his distance from Tim for a bit; turning thing over in his head. Certain misinterpretations are cleared up, but… Jason also has new questions. Questions he doesn’t intend to just ask outright—he knows Tim wouldn’t answer him. Or, if he did, it wouldn’t be true.

So he decides to do something a little—reckless. Or, maybe not reckless, so much as embarrassing. Painstakingly, he assembles an accurate (well, mostly) Robin costume. The same one he wore, during his tenure. He barely manages to swallow his embarrassment enough to assemble it, let alone put it on, and covers quickly with a long coat.

The trip to the Nest is agony. He finds himself flushing every time he’s reminded of it. And when he gets there— He hasn’t knocked on the door in ages, but this time… He can’t do anything but, and waits anxiously for Tim to show up.

Tim lets him in, eyeing the coat with strong suspicion.

When the door is shut, Tim takes in his appearance with an impressively neutral expression, considering Jason is sure he looks ridiculous, wearing a long overcoat despite the mild weather and his face, ears, and neck blotchy with embarrassment. “I thought we agreed no more costumes,” Tim says, finally. Jason swallows hard. His face grows hotter. He resists the urge to tug at his collar; instead undoing the buttons of his coat with trembling fingers. “I— We did. But…” He takes a breath. He’s too off-kilter to make his words sound seductive, but he continues anyway—“I think you’ll make an exception for this one.” And then, before he can lose his nerve, he shrugs out of the overcoat. The Robin costume—sans cape, and pixie boots. And gloves. But he was wearing the red tunic, and the scaly green panties. And they are panties, unlike the original. But he’d thought a two piece might be more… practical. It’s the closest thing he’s worn to the original suit in… years. Since the Tower, and that had been far less faithful. He feels… ridiculous. Overgrown. Out of place. But… There’s still a little bit of magic, too. He keeps his eyes on Tim despite his nerves. Watches the almost imperceptible way his eyes widen. The way his hands still. The way all of him stills so completely Jason worries, for a moment, that he isn’t even breathing. It stretches long enough Jason feels himself starting still; ice creeping through his veins. This was a bad idea. He fucked up. At best—Tim laughs at him. At worst… At worst he’s dismissed, derided, humiliated, and never to make things right, or see if they can’t, maybe, be something more. Then there’s a short, sharp intake of breath—and Tim moves, so suddenly Jason might wonder about latent speedster genes, if he wasn’t otherwise occupied. Tim kisses him feverishly, licking into Jason’s mouth like he’s starved. One hand tangles in his curls; the other wanders. Over his chest, teasing his nipples through the tunic before tracing the Robin emblem. (Jason isn’t going to examine the way that makes him shiver.) Then down over his rib cage, his stomach. Teasing the hem of the panties before palming him through them. Squeezing, as Jason gasps into his mouth; rocking his hips forward. Tim smiles, smug and satisfied. “Feel good, does it, Robin?” The name— the tone— His moan is torn from his chest, so hard it’s almost painful. He whimpers, after, the heat spreading down his chest. His whole body prickles, skin tight and sensitive. Fuck.

They don’t even make it to the bedroom. Tim, well. He tries, but god, he cannot keep the Bruce-persona going, and Jason watches the mask fall in real time. It’s one of the hottest things he’s ever seen.

Later, when they’ve both finished at least once, they lay next to each other, and Tim asks quietly, “What gave me away?” The question is so mild, so innocuous. He could be talking about his thing for the Robin costume, or any number of things. But Jason knows. So he tells him, “Nothing I would have noticed for a long time.” Because it’s true. He prides himself on being observant, but.. he wasn’t looking for it. Didn’t know to, and never would have expected it, from Tim of all people. He feels… guilty. “Dick brought up some stuff, though, and… Well. All the things I’d missed were… obvious.”

Then Jason admits that he’s enjoyed the times they’ve gotten to hang out, and the longer this has been going on, the more he’s been disappointed when they don’t get to. And… the times that Tim has been more himself, less Bruce… they’ve always been his favorite.

He doesn’t want to jump into something before he’s ready, rush it, and end up hurting Tim when it doesn’t work out but— He thinks, if they go slow, that they could have something. If Tim is willing to give him that chance, to know him.

And, well. What does Tim have to lose? His heart is already on the line. So he says yes.

(It happens, bit by bit, so slowly he doesn’t even notice, until, one day, Jason looks at Tim and— He can’t. He can’t picture anyone else at his side, can’t imagine wanting anyone else. He’s happy, here, with Tim, and so, utterly in love.)

-> AO3 <-

[smimon]

vent post with vent art with giant k

Been having a weird time recently, mostly sleeping or trying to sleep, getting bad dreams every night, not doing any of the things I want to do.

Not sure if that's an art block, feels more like I've put too much strain on the part of brain that does the draw so it now needs to rest. But without the draw i go insane. Also I remembered that one comic that said when you can't draw, you need to start drawing until you can't stop anymore.

Best thing to do in such cases is to draw the most self-indulgent thing possible, as shitty as possible. So I tried to draw some of the thoughts that I wanted to share anyway.

Giant k series, right? On the plot level it's Käärijä that turned into a giant; on meta level it's a giant that turned into Käärijä.

It's... not the same character as before, but they are the same... the same motif, is that the word? So I take Kä as a fictional character and give him the giant treatment like I did in the past so many times, to so many OCs. I know the outcome, it's always the same, but somehow this time it worked well enough to make me draw this and post this and keep doing this for half a year and longer

And I might have turned him into a kind of imaginary friend too, not as a constant companion tho, but as a lifesaver in the worst times, sending my mind into fantasy world, hoping that when I return to reality my brain will get some system reboot and start working again as it should. And it usually works

And then there is also that loneliness. Loneliness, loneliness. That nasty kind that can't be fixed by spending time with people, and having company only makes it worse. (kinda like. like Sara Siipola song Paskana, that part where she's like "all my friends and therapist put so much effort into helping me but I'm still not okay, I have to lie to them it's better now so they aren't upset" ugh)

That kind when you need to find someone who knows, and the only way to know is when you've been there. (I'll keep repeating this: like Corporal from Pumpkin Scissors when Hans appeared).

And I have met such people, by pure chance. And we have recognized each other, and cried. But I keep forgetting about it. Some devil makes me forget it all, so I stay ungrateful and lonely.

So in some way giant k may also serve as a reminder that they exist. he has traces of them so i can't forget. i am not allowed to forget.

[icekingofhope]

(WARNING I GET VERY ANGRY IN THIS AND DARK TOPICS)

ok so there is something that is frustrating me that I gotta bring up or else it’s gonna fester in me

So many people are forgiving and liking meowbahh and I wanna say my piece so my opinion on meowbahh? I don’t like her in fact I really hate her! Like in fact I loathe her entirely! Cause why? Well lemme explain

so I knew of meowbahh for quite some time it just felt like she was just rage baiting which made me rolled my eyes going like “ok I don’t care” as many people talked about her and then forgot about her talked to her again although recently when I was looking threw TikTok….

And I found out she fucking made a smut image of her and technoblade when he died and what’s worse people defend this sick fucker

and don’t you say “but she apologized- “ NO A APOLOGY DOESNT FIX WHAT SHE DID what she did wasn’t ragebait it was fucking disgusting and pure evil and she should have major consequences for it not only did she fucking humiliate herself she humiliate and disrespected technoblade LITARALLY GAVE HIM A MIDDLE FINGER TO HIS GRAVE

like can you imagine how his family must feel?! Imagine your own child had died from fucking cancer and you find out some sick fuck MADE SMUT OF THEM DOING IT WITH YOUR CHILD JUST FOR RAGEBAIT AND VIEWS?! IM SORRY NO MATTER IF SHE DID APOLOGIZE OR TURNED A NEW LEAF I will never show support for meowbahh

Like at first I just found her as some person who just wanted attention and willing to do anything to get it and now she is probably to me one of the most evil beings I ever seen on this fucking planet

cause who in their right mind DOES THAT?!

I don’t care if i lose fellowers or get people whining in my comments or reboots I WILL DESPISE AND WISH NOTHING BAD THINGS FOR HER for what she did

Now I am aware this isn’t my usual posting but like I had just found out about this and I got pissed finding out people still defend her she is even surprised And for all the people defending her and supporting her you are no better then she is Anyways that’s all for now

all I ask is please don’t support meowbahh for what she did and please support technoblades family and donate to cure for cancer research facilities

[demonsfate]

me: wikia you don't write kuai anymore and this isn't his blog don't -

me: ANYWAY HERE'S SOME SPOILERS-

LIKE. It's not that I'm particularly disappointed in his depiction in this. He was still fine in the story (haven't seen his character ending, though) and I'm all for changing up the story to not be repetitive - especially if it's in a reboot. But... there are just some things in the story which didn't make sense for me. Why does Kuai even have fire powers? Is this explained in his towers? Since the reason Bi-Han has ice powers is because he's a certain race of Edenia, "cryomancer." Therefore, he has the power of ice simply because he's inhuman. Kuai being Bi-Han's brother, is also an Edenian cryomancer. So, why would they possess two different abilities? It's true Liu gave Raiden a medallion to use lightning abilities... it could be possible he did the same for Kuai with a fire one. Buuut... that wasn't explained nor showed.

Also Kuai being the one to create the Shirai Ryu just feels off. 1) Kuai, even in this game, highly respects what the Lin Kuei was, or could be. He always wanted to honor their code, and (if has to) fix their corrupted image. Even in this game... it feels weird for him to create a completely new clan rather than challenging his brother for the Grandmaster title. 2)... Kuai's also Chinese. The person who created the Shirai Ryu may have been a part of the Lin Kuei originally, but he was still Japanese. (He may have been the previous Scorpion, Hanzo Hasashi's relative but it's been a while so I don't remember that detail) Hence, why the Shirai Ryu was based in Japan, and well... has a Japanese name. Kuai just coming up with this out of the blue also feels very random, and doesn't make much sense for him imo.

Also finally... him using fire powers just doesn't match Kuai much imo. You see, Bi-Han having ice powers despite being a more aggressive person still made sense, because you could say it represents his cold heart and how merciless he is. Kuai having ice powers matches his "cool exterior" and how he's usually a levelheaded man. Hanzo was more of a hothead (LOL) with a bad temper, hence why his fire powers fit his character (and also makes him contrast Kuai well) It's just really weird hearing Kuai go "GET OVER HERE" in that loud voice. Like in cutscenes, he feels like Kuai... but when fighting, he still feels more like Hanzo.

Also. Where is Hanzo, anyway? It's weird that Liu made a place for all the Worst Baddies, but Hanzo is absent. Maybe he's living a mundane life with his wife and kid? But maybe that will be figured out once I complete more towers, or in the next game.

Anyway, again. I don't mind differences for the sake of being new. But making Kuai Scorpion just... felt like something they did for the sake of being "surprising" and "different" without putting much actual thought into it. Just to have Scorpion and Sub-Zero be brothers.

edit: okay they did explain it in the kharacter ending but it's because he met with harumi. and then they fell in love and got married. and it's just. ugh. that's just hanzo's story. don't give him harumi as a wiiiife. stop that. stop thaaaaaaat. they are both very different characters. stop it netherrealm. bad netherrealm.

[tiikerikani]

Had a medium case of anxiety when my computer was being funny today and googling suggested that it may be an HDD issue (it's my data drive, though I have backups). I've bought an SSD to upgrade, though it seems a reboot seems to fix it temporarily. I probably need to reboot more often anyway…

PCs are one of the few things in my daily life that I feel I have some control over, and the place where I keep my memories and creations close, so it's painful to imagine losing access to it.

Anyway, I was in a funk all evening so I took my bicycle to run some errands but the exercise didn't really help. Then I spent a few hours tidying stuff up around the apartment (I have been on a bit of a tidying streak lately). But it still couldn't shake the numbness…

As I read (and think) more about psychological trauma, I understand this is (in part) a subconscious response to it. I don't get flashbacks, but I get this—a paralyzing fear of suddenly losing things that are extremely important to me, in this case access to the tools with which I express myself and the record of those things I have made with them. (Despite having backups, this sort of fear is irrational and that's why it causes the response that it does.)

(There is also a whole other post about something completely different that I've been trying to write for at least a week. That's how low-key numb I am all the time right now. And I am seeing Senpai on Friday but my excitement also feels a bit... not the usual at the moment. Not dampened, but just... different and weird.)

[pumpkinpie59]

thanks for the tag rain ^^ i’m gonna cheat a bit since i’m not even sure i’m *in* 10 fandoms, so here’s 10 characters who mean a lot to me, some from the same fandom :p

1, optimus prime from transformers animated. not only is he my dream man,, he’s just such a charming character. i love how he’s introduced at the absolute rock bottom in his life. kicked out of the autobot academy for seemingly leaving his friend for dead (which traumatized both him and his friend who was with him), but given the opportunity to still be a prime, only his team works in space bridge repair which is the lowest of the low. he still wants so badly to be a hero and do something meaningful, and he keeps proving his worth as the show goes on. he’s super cool and good in combat but he’s placed outside his comfort zone a lot which can mess him up, and he’s also a huge dork. i love his voice actor, david kaye. he’s the reason i wanna pursue voice acting. and. yeah idk he’s just a super good character.

2, blackarachnia/elita-1 from transformers animated. bro as a kid she was the epitome of femininity to me. i wanted to be her. but like yeah anyway i love how she’s a mad scientist. and like,, i love the nuance in her character. she’s traumatized and hurt and feels betrayed and u rlly feel for her,, but she’s also incredibly stubborn and refuses to fix her life in a way that will actually do her good or listen to someone who truly cares for her. it’s so interesting i love it. also i love spider girlboss aesthetics bc of her. and she and optimus were my first otp anyway-

special mention to sentinel prime also in tfa but i don’t want a whole section dedicated to him lmao cause i have to fight to defend his writing lmao. but ye he’s voiced by townsend coleman, who i met so 💃

3, leonardo,, specifically from the 1987 series. he’s my special boy- i just love how passionate he is about everything he does, but especially doing the right thing, and i like how he sometimes thinks it’s totally cool to break the law if he thinks it means fighting for the greater good. he takes risks and even when i think it’s a horrible idea, i still love that part of his character. sure his moral code is confusing at times, but he still has a genuine and caring heart, especially for his brothers and splinter. lmao i may disagree with rain that he’s “usually right” but i still think his dedication to his family and his willingness to do the right thing is super admirable. also yeah he’s the biggest dork i’ve ever seen tjdjdjdjd either he’s a goody two shoes or he’s a pretentious bossy rebellious teen and i just- ahdjfjdkdjs also his lil (read: enormous) crush on lotus blossom my beloved <333 and speaking of which:

4, lotus blossom from tmnt 1987. *slams hands on desk* gIRL THIS CHARACTER- okay so like her first episode introduces this teenage kicka** girlboss who cannot be defeated, and she gets humbled at the end by shredder putting her romantic feelings for leonardo on display,, but she still kicks his butt no problem. which is a fun idea for a character. but then her second episode takes that character and adds backstory and insecurities and inner struggles and ahejdjfjdkdkdksj like man they didn’t have to add so many layers to her like like an onion but they did and i’m sosososososo glad. she’s just so interesting to me and i wish a newer tmnt iteration would include her. also she’s leonardo’s only good love interest and i stand by that. anyways.

5, midorikawa retasu/mew lettuce from tokyo mew mew. she was like role model all through high school and for good reason. she’s kind and patient and throughout the series she learns to be comfortable in her own skin and be more confident and i love it. and the reboot expands on it a bit. she’s also super dorky and her intro has her nearly kill ppl which is so funny for a shy sweet character ahdjfjdk

6, pie from tokyo mew mew. bro i love that the most villainous of the alien trio is also like,,, the most loyal to saving his people. idek how to fully share why i love him rn. like,,,,, i like how he’s the older brother figure to quiche and tart, while being also kinda stupid?? like look at the rock paper scissors scene he’s an idiot i love him

7, donald duck. yes u read right. i just find this bird so charming. he has a temper yes, but he also cares for his loved ones sm. i actually collect donald duck merch so like,, he’s so important to me. i first fell for this character bc of the mickey donald and goofy three musketeers movie. i watched the entirety of the ducktales reboot bc of him (he was the best part and he didn’t show up enough smh). i love him in the recent mickey mouse shorts. and i love his dynamic with daisy in most of the cartoons they share. also i love his cousin, gladstone now but i don’t have time to talk about him lmao.

8, kurt wagner/nightcrawler from marvel’s x-men (specifically x-men evolution). he’s so charming and i like how he’s usually written as very kind despite all the hardships he’s been through. he literally looks like a demon but that doesn’t stop him from loving others and believing in a loving God. just. ugh i love him.

9, thorax from my little pony friendship is magic. is he the best written character? prolly not but idc. he has that “outcast to society but still treats ppl with love and respect” character type i love. his friendship with spike is adorable and i’ve been shipping him and ember for years. i just wish he wasn’t so underrated. and i hate the ppl who say that the new changelings look like crayon puke, like dude shush

10, razer from green lantern the animated series. um. so. HHHHHHHHHHHHHH. yeah his character arc fills me with pain but it’s impossible to stop thinking about it. it’s like. sO hard to talk about without spoilers but i love it so much. one of my fav villain redemption arcs. he did crappy stuff and he KNOWS and FEELS SO BAD about it and KNOWS HE SHOULD FACE JUSTICE. it’s kinda sad bc he feels like he should suffer but his friends give him a second chance and encourage him to make up for it. it’s just sO good but we nEVER GET A FOLLOW UP- and no young justice doesn’t count bc young justice’s canon timeline doesn’t match up with gltas’s timeline it just doesn’t make sense-

anyways.

@fabuloustrash05 @ohnoshespostingthis @misteria247 @crystallizabethine @artbybai @sophfandoms53 @tmntforeverinmyheart

is that ten??? uh. idk who is okay with being tagged in these so. yeah

10 characters | 10 fandoms | 10 tags

This is cool, thanks for the tag @transuncletaylor! I think I just talk about my faves right? I know I’m forgetting some but here goes

Sokka (ATLA) : he’s so funny and interesting and his character is So Deep actually! I love a guy with Secret Issues. Must be relatable I guess.

Mako (LOK) : You’re going to start seeing I have a type. Hot, bad boy vibes, seems reckless but has a huge sense of justice actually. Also I LOVE a mysterious and tragic backstory.

Jim Kirk (Star Trek) : I mean the exact same reasons as above pretty much.

Jack Kelly (Newsies) : same hehe. I just love these guys of questionable sexuality who are like a leader of a found family and would do ANYTHING to protect them.

Marius Pontmercy (Les Miserables) : he’s annoying af and doesn’t get the point of anything going on around him but he knows exactly what he stands for. So relatable. His hyperfixation with Napoleon for entirely stupid reasons? Iconic. What a king. Living through a tragedy too? I’m attracted to that angst like flies on shit.

Tommy Shelby (Peaky Blinders) : He’s just badass. The best antihero. He says fuck capitalism and then falls victim to it lol. Also he is a GENIUS and loves to fuck people up to protect his family. Also his trauma is delicious to me ofc.

Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher) : Mysterious hero with pain and a family. So yeah.

Roronoa Zoro (One Piece) : I mean pretty much the same as the majority of this list. Tough guy who would die for his captain omfg

Han Solo (Star Wars) : the og baddie, need I say more

Anya Forger (Spy x Family) : listen it creeps ME out too that a little girl is on the list of me, a grown ass man, but she’s SO funny and her cuteness reminds me of like every student I ever had, I can’t help it

ok idk if y’all figured out but I just tag people by typing letters and clicking the first people who show up lol. Anyway if I dont tag you and you wanna do this, go for it. If I tag you and you don’t want to do this, fine.

@ultfreakme @ozais-lobotomist @firenaition @fanfic-gremlin-ft-trauma @jovialcloudqueenisnotonfire @kiki-strike @lizardlicks @localgaysian @zukkacore @narrativelysignificantturtleduck

[the-fiction-witch]

Relax

Media The Queens Gambit 

Character Benny Watts

Couple Benny X Reader

Rating Smut

Concept Helping to Relax

Smut BJ

I sat on the ottoman with my head in my copy of the Toronto primary tournament games last year, I glanced across the apartment seeing the familiar sight. Benny sat in his brown leather chair deep in his reading. He was aggravated. Barefoot, in his dark blue jeans and black shirt. His usual chains and rings across him as always. His hair was a little messy where he had been fixing it in his stress. I felt awful for him, my poor benny. He doesn't much like change, he likes to plan things out, probably part of his chess brain. But yesterday morning we received news from the chess federation that the championship tournament that was supposed to be being held Austin was now last minute being moved to Vegas. Meaning, travel, hotels, food, even laundry for packing needed to be changed in one week. On top of rent being due while Benny is in an all out battle with our landlord because he refused to fix the hot water for the last month. And just to add additional spice to the soup of this week the car got towed. I assume due to the parking tickets benny was refusing to pay don't the grounds that our landlord claims that's a parking space outside the apartment . So I can imagine he wasn't particularly happy and rather stressed but it's understandable. He sat his paperwork down and rubbed his eyes trying his best to get his head straight.

"You okay?"

"Umm? Oh. Fine" he grumbled "sorry hun I'm just a bit.."

"It's alright benny" I smiled putting my book down going over and crawling into his lap giving him a cuddle "is there anyway I can help?"

"No. I'll be fine. Sorry for being a dick"

"It's alright I know what your like when your stressed it's okay" I smiled giving his cheek a kiss "you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"

"I'm sure"

"Coffee?"

"No that'll just keep me up and I'm already tried hun"

"Soup?"

"Ummm not that hungry." He shurgs

"Would you like me to run you a hot bath?'

"Hot water still isn't working remember"

"Oh yeah. Would you like me to run you a cold bath?"

"No thank you y/n."

"Okay, does cuddle help or would you like me to go away?"

"The cuddle helps. You always help" he smiled wrapping his arms around me giving me a tight squeeze

"Ummm I love you" I smiled nuzzling into his chest

"Love you too" he says cracking a smile and giving my forehead a kiss

"I'm sorry your so stressed"

"Not your fault, is it?"

"I know but -"

"Trust me. You my sweet are far more help them you know" he says

"You sure there isn't anything I can do to help make you feel better?"

"No it's okay"

"You sure?"

"I'm sure"

"...what if I?" I smiled trying not to blush he pushed me back a little so he could see my face giving me a questionable look

"If you what?"

"If I?" I smirked glancing down at the belt on his jeans for a moment he had no reaction as he often didn't on the few times I did stuff like this he just sort of sat there vacantly I always called it Benny's reboot as it was as if his brain was buffering, before then giving me a confused but inquisitive look

"Really?"

I nodded

"Really?"

"If it would make you feel better?"

"Well… it might" he smirked

"Okay" I smiled moving off the chair grabbing one of my hair ties from the table and tying my hair up in a bun so it was all out of my face

And when I looked back he had already egarly tugged his jeans away enough to reveal his half hard erection in his boxers slowly getting harder. I giggled a little and moved a cushion from the makeshift sofa to the floor, kneeling on it between his legs. I seductively moved my hands up his legs to the waistband of his boxers tugging them down quickly exposing him making him hiss from the sudden temperature change I ran my hand slowly across his sharft feeling it harden against my hand

"Just relax. I'll take care of you" I smiled gently taking him into my mouth slowly starting to run my tongue across him, slowly moving my head, and slowly sucking all of which made him melot into the chair rolling his head back as he completely let himself go and relaxed utterly into what I was doing to him, the only sound to leave his lips quiet mutterings and groans he was unable to stop I made sure not to overwhelm him but slowly increasing my speed so the change was almost un noticeable

"fuck... your so good to me y/n" he groans

I continued slowly getting faster and more intense until he suddenly grabbed my shoulder and pulled me closer finishing quickly I smirked and swallowed licking him clean and moving to my feet wiping my mouth and fixing his boxers and jeans

"That help?" I asked

"Umm very much y/n"

"relaxed?"

"yes, thank you very much" he smirked tugging me down to cuddle with him "I love you so much"

"I love you too"

"Don't I get a kiss?" he pouts

"I just sucked your dick?"

"Good point"

[sugamamacustard]

Let me help you

Pairing:  Alpha! Toru Oikawa x Omega! Reader, Alpha! Hajime Iwaizumi x Omega! Reader

Genre: Angst, fluff, Hurt/comfort.

Request: Because I like a bit of hurt/comfort, and I love the idea of an omega depression, I'm curious on how alpha third years on Aoba Johsai (so like Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Mattsun) would do in response to their omega being in an omega depression.

Summary: Because of unseen circumstances, you drop, and you drop hard. How does your alpha help you/redeem himself?

Author’s Note:  Oikawa’s got really long, so I didn’t include Mattsun or Makki. If you wanna request a part 2 I’ll get on it right away!

Requests: Open!

Toru Oikawa

➵ Truth be told, it was kind of his fault. 

➵Right after you both bonded, he immediately seemed to drop any redeeming qualities he had while courting you.

➵He skipped out on dates, stayed later and later at practice, gave the mile to his fangirls.

➵And while you could get over that, the worse thing you realized was when you went to cheer him on at one of his games. 

➵His bond mark was covered with a scent gland bandage and when Iwaizumi noticed it (He knew of your bonding), he sent a worried glance your way.

➵He could practically see the heartbreak from his place on the court. 

➵What was worse was that you didn’t make a scene. 

➵You stood, turned and left. That was it. 

➵ Oikawa was busy doing his pre-game whatever to notice, making the situation even worse.  

➵Iwaizumi wanted to follow you but the whistle of the ref called him back. 

➵ You didn’t want Iwaizumi to follow you anyway. 

➵You felt numb. So, so numb. 

➵Like anything you previously felt-- any longing, or wishing for your alpha-- reduced to a numb buzz that kept your body moving. 

➵You felt like you were on Autopilot. 

➵Toru made it fairly obvious that he wanted your bond mark on display, so why weren’t the same standards held to him? It wasn’t against the rules of volleyball-- several alphas had theirs out on proud display with their omega cheering in the stands. 

➵Was it you?

➵God, you felt so empty. Like your will to live was dripping away. 

➵You felt your omega lay down, whining as they tried to figure out what was wrong. Where did you go wrong? 

➵You barely felt the soft fleece of your blankets as you settled into your nest for who knows how long. 

___

 Toru was lost. You were in the stands during warm-up last game, but was gone by half-time. Okay, fine. Maybe you had to pee. But then you didn’t show up at all after that. ��While at the time it took a back burner-- because we all know how Oikawa plays-- it was now front and center. His alpha was on edge and snapped on him twice already, sending sharp throbs of pain to his temples. It had been three days since Toru had seen you, his mate, so Toru could tell that was a big reason for his frustration. But Toru didn’t know why you had been gone for three days. 

If you were sick, why didn’t you text him? Were you injured? Toru didn’t know.  His neck burnt with anticipation at the thought of you in any peril. 

Where were you?

 Shoving his way past a few fangirls, Toru made his way into the gym, racking his brain for any sort of hint. Vacation maybe and you just forgot to tell him?

 “Iwa-chan! I need your-” Toru paused, huffing when Iwaizumi roughly shoved past him. His alpha was on guard immediately, making Toru growl loudly.   “What’s you issue, Iwa? Blue-balled or something?” 

The laugh that left Iwaizumi made even him, the head alpha, shiver. “My issue? What’s yours?! You absolutely destroyed your relationship last game and ask me for help?! What the hell is wrong with you, Oikawa?!”  

Oikawa swallowed. There was no nickname. No sense of friendship in his words. They were straight malice, laced with acidic venom meant to hurt him. 

When Oikawa didn’t immediately answer, Iwaizumi continued. “You make them wear their bond mark for all the world to see, but cover yours up? What in the actual fuck is wrong with you?! How in the hell you got someone like them to glance your way for more than a second is beyond me, let alone bond you; but when you do, you fucking destroy them. You’re a failure of an alpha, Toru Oikawa.” 

Truth be told, Oikawa thought that him covering up his bond mark would save you from trouble. The less people who knew about him being mated the less people to harass you. But he was your alpha. He was supposed to make sure that didn’t happen anyway.  Fuck, Iwa was right. He was a failure. This became evident as more and more things came hurdling back at him.  He didn’t even grab his duffel before he was, quite literally, sprinting out of the gym. He didn’t care who he pushed over. He didn’t care who he snapped at. He didn’t care. He only care about one person and one person alone. 

___

You whined as hunger continued gnawing at your gut. You wanted to eat, really, but you just didn’t have the energy. You didn’t have the will. 

You still felt so numb and didn’t know where to go from here. At this point, it was clear you were in the midst of an Omega Depression, and to be fair-- that scared you. You wanted to spend the evening in your nest, restart and reboot, before talking to your alpha about it the next day. You truly didn’t mean to drop. 

But here you were. The aspect of ...starvation scared you. The aspect of no closure for yourself scared you. Death scared you. But you couldn’t fight yourself to fix it. Couldn’t bring yourself to even lift your head or stay awake for more than an hour. 

The door to your room slammed open, but you didn’t look up. It was probably your guardian coming in to try and get you to eat again. But you wouldn’t. 

Your heart dropped when the smell of burnt plastic invaded your sense. 

“No- no, no, no, no no- Please god no-” Oikawa felt his heart shatter at the sight of you. You looked like you had both feet dangling in the grave, hanging on by a loose root you grabbed onto in a last ditch effort. 

He continued repeating no while running his hands through his hair, already crying before he even set foot in your room.  When he did dare step closer, that was all it took before he was running to you, pulling you in close despite your whines of protest.  His grip on you was bruising, but he couldn’t risk letting you slip. Not again. 

“Please- please don’t leave me.” He sobbed into your shoulder, your own eyes stinging (Dehydration keeping tears from falling).  “I- I can fix this- I can fix us. Fuck- Please Y/N. Please omega, let me help you. Let me make this right!”

Though you didn’t say anything, the grip on his jacket told him all he needed to know. And though it would be a long road to recovery, you and him would conquer it. 

➵ Completely contrary to Oikawa, your drop wasn’t anyone’s fault.

➵Maybe the school systems, if there was blame to be put. 

➵So much had gone on in such a short period. 

➵You and your alpha, along with his team, had been bombarded with practice and paperwork in preparation for the upcoming tournament. 

➵But just because volleyball picked, doesn’t mean school drops off.

➵ You had essay after essay due, Unit exams which would soon fall into Final exams.

➵You and Hajime had barely even seen each other all week.

➵You both still sent each other good morning and good night texts, and if you see each other in the hallway you’ll give each other a quick peck. 

➵Honestly, it was obvious everyone was on edge. 

➵Teachers didn’t care though, they just kept piling on more, and more, and more work.

➵ And volleyball just kept getting closer and closer.

➵You stumbled into the gym with a chirp, trying to sort through the multitude of papers in your arms. 

➵Your back was aching and your arms were strained, but you couldn’t drop them. That would be a disaster. 

➵ The coach sent you a raised brow, offering a hand to help. You waved him off, sitting on the bench with a grunt.

➵Everyone was already sweaty and panting, practice in full swing. 

➵God, everyone looked so tired already. 

➵You could feel the waves of exhaustion.

➵ As they were just in deep in your bones as they were in theirs. 

___

“Did you finish filling out the registry forms?”

You looked up to the coach, nodding slowly before riffling through your papers and pulling out the ones you were looking for. You handed them to the beta, quickly going back to your notes once more. 

You noted the stumbled steps and slowed reflexes, but simply made it a point to emphasize rest with the boys. Maybe a day with no practice would do them more good then practice. 

Hajime was doing well, as usual, somehow keeping his head and energy high. You know he hasn’t gotten much rest either, and you felt for your alpha. Honestly, you just wanted one day with just you and your alpha, where you both could sleep the day away and come back good as new. 

That just sounded glorious. 

“You wouldn’t mind filling out the ref sheets either, would you?” The beta smirked, already handing you the sheets. He knew you had a tough time saying no to people older and/or bigger than you; and had you doing several things that most mangers would never touch.

It was tiring.

You reluctantly took the sheets, already starting on them. The notes you were working on were yanking from under you, the coach reading over them. 

He scoffed at your note of possibly skipping a practice. “Are you serious?” 

“I’m sorry?”

“Take a break?! These boys are on the brink of a skillful breakthrough, and you want to stop them?!” 

You closed in on yourself at the yells, trying to focus on the ref sheets. He continued yelling and berating you for the notes you made. You could feel the teams stares on you, but you also knew they wanted you to learn to stand up for yourself. They had been giving you a few minutes to try and collect yourself and if nothing happened they would step in. 

It only took seconds for you to finally break down, sobbing into your hands as the coach’s yelling reached a breaking point. The team took very time to act then and there. 

Oikawa and Kyoutani were snapping and growling, pushing him back and away from you while Hajime slid onto his knees in front of you, pulling you to his chest and kissing your bond mark. He rocked you side to side, purring and letting you cry. 

You sobbed and sobbed while the coach tried backtracking, but it was too late. The pack was on defense. One of them was in danger and they were going to make sure they all were safe. 

___

You don’t remember falling asleep, but when you wake up, your in Hajime’s arms, which are wrapped tight around your waist. 

Oikawa was on the other side of you, head on Hajime’s thigh, Makki and Mattsun were cuddling together a little to the left of you. Kyoutani was closest to you (He had a soft spot for you, almost like you were another older sister to him). You ran a hand through his hair for a moment before taking a deep breath in and out. The rest of the team was scattered in the puppy pile around you, and the gym was dark. 

In fact, everything was dark. There were chairs propped up by the door, just in case you supposed, and there were jackets littered everywhere. Your heart fluttered at the thought. 

Hajime’s arms subconsciously tightened around you, luring you back into sleep.

You, your alpha, and your pack.

[3wisellamas]

More Boxbot / Voxman Family Headcanons, Jumbo Bonus Edition!

Because I'm still here, dangit!

-Shannon's holographic "phone" is an actual thing that people in the OK KO universe have, but usually it comes built into a watch rather than their wrist. It's a super-expensive model, that she likes to show off to her siblings who are still stuck with regular smartphones.

-Since Ernesto is hollow, he likes to hide things from his siblings inside himself, and forgets about them. It's not an uncommon occurrence for him to split apart during a plaza fight only for confiscated magazines to spill out, or for the Bodegamen to explode him and have snacks fall out like a robot piñata.

-It's also the best hiding place for his diary. Which the Bodegamen always return to him at Boxmore, after reading it cover to cover (and even writing feedback in the margins) of course.

-ALL of the robots have issues sometimes with thinking out loud, and even blurting out embarrassing things or straight-up Boxmore corporate secrets -- the bigger the hivemind, the more likely this is to happen, with Darrell and Ernesto being the worst offenders. With hundreds of mouths to keep shut, sometimes they just miss one.

-Things the Boxbots are forbidden from eating/drinking, since they can melt, get stuck in their inner workings, or otherwise cause serious malfunctions: Marshmallows, chocolate, peanut butter, all varieties of cheese, WD-40, lit matches, dish soap, gummy worms, live worms (Raymond found this one out the hard way on a dare), live birds (ditto for Mikayla), glue, wet cement, broken glass, water.

-Things the Boxbots will eat/drink anyway, and just reboot themselves right after: All of the above.

-The main exception to this is the peanut butter -- Professor Venomous is allergic to peanuts, just like his son, and Boxman threw out everything in the factory containing them the day he moved in. The bots all miss their peanut butter and (petroleum) jelly sandwiches, but not enough to potentially hurt their stepdaddy!

-(They do still keep one last jar of the stuff hidden in their playroom, however, just in case. And so does Boxman, in his office.)

-Also, Mikayla doesn't care what it does to her, she LOVES chocolate -- it's her catnip.

-Mr Logic likes hip hop, and will actually get up on stage and freestyle sometimes when he and Gar go to open mic nights together. He's surprisingly good at it!

-Since he's just as embarrassed about his human feet as Shannon, if not more so, Darrell's got an extensive collection of cute patterned socks to cover them up, and wears a different pair underneath his boots every day that NO ONE is allowed to see but him. His favorite pair have tiny horses on them.

-The robots all wake up at 6AM, on the dot. They have to, in fact, since it's programmed into them -- they're physically incapable of sleeping in, though they can take short naps in the afternoon. They're also programmed to start feeling sleepy at 10PM, though their bedtime is a couple of hours earlier, and they are able to stay up if needed (for instance, if Boxman decides to do a late-night plaza attack...)

-And that line about having to "recharge every night" was accurate -- glorbs naturally replenish their spent energy when not in use, so the robots need to get a full nights' sleep every night or their glorbs could eventually burn out on them!

-Boxman also gets up at 6, or around there, because he MUST crow at the sunrise, every morning. Raymond sometimes joins him.

-Darrell gets migraines, a side effect of having to convert and process all of his electronic thoughts on an organic brain. There's an entire protocol to swap him out for Shannons and Raymonds on the factory floor so he can shut down his hivemind and rest -- however, it can be tough to get him to admit he's in pain and to stop trying to work through it. (He hates the idea of his family having to go through so much trouble for him...)

-When PV found out, as a fellow migraine sufferer, he and Darrell actually bonded over it, and he got a little less resistant to taking "sick days" with his stepdaddy's encouragement.

-After he was upgraded to a robo-adult, Ernesto started refusing to celebrate his birthday, so that the other three quadruplets could have it all to themselves. However, they'll always throw him a small surprise party of his own a week later.

-For their dad's birthday one year, the bots got him a pet goldfish, since he used to be so into aquatic creatures. Boxman ADORED that fish, even if he claimed otherwise, and gave it the prettiest tank decor and fanciest fishy flakes he could. However, sadly, it didn't last long, with the robots doing the cleaning and water changes for him -- fish and rust don't mix. ;-;

-Though it's INCREDIBLY humiliating for them, you can in fact plug all six of the bots into a wall outlet if there aren't any glorbs available for them to run off of. Except for Mikayla, their AC adaptors are sold separately.

-Fink keeps trying to flush cherry bombs down the Boxmore toilets, Bart Simpson-style. It helps that she can just escape down them into the pipes if she gets caught (though, she's also blown herself up this way once or twice...)

-Leggy Jethro did eventually trust all his siblings enough to let them know he was still around, and they helped hide him from Boxman, reattached his limbs, invited him to their dance parties (the one in The KO Trap was him), and even got him out of there when things started getting bad with Shadowy -- though, since all they did was shove him into a waste pipe during one of their stepdaddy's and stepbrother's rampages, they never were sure if he made it or not until he showed up with Boxman at the Plaza Tournament.

-Post-reset, he's allowed to openly be himself as a member of the family! No labor uprisings or union talk at the dinner table, though.

-This was originally posted by someone else, but I love it so I'm stealing it: "Deathro" from Thank You For Watching the Show is actually just Jethro's edgy robo-teen phase. It lasted only a week before everyone else got sick of it, just like Ernesto's.

-The Boxman family is Corn-tholic (Corn Catholic), though Boxman himself doesn't really practice it too seriously. In fact, he didn't practice at all until the kids came along, and he started going to Corn Church again for them.

-He dragged PV along with the rest of the family one week, but the whole "corn-fessing your sins" aspect didn't go too well for our favorite professor, who already has problems facing and dealing with his checkered past...

-The robots are EXTREMELY multilingual, since they can just switch their language settings. However, Shannon and Raymond did try to legitimately learn French together once, though they eventually gave up. The only thing they can really say is "omelette du fromage."

-Sadly, this does not include sign language for the four original bots, though Raymond and Mikayla were updated to include it, and they'll sign to each other to in order to speak privately or hide things from / trash-talk their older siblings.

-Lord Boxman has no idea where Darrell got the Daddy belt, and it haunts him, as does whether his innocent baby boy knows the full meaning behind it. Darrell actually pulled it out of Boxman's old college stuff -- there may or may not have been a LOT of alcohol consumed the night he procured that belt, and he'd long since forgotten it.

-And Darrell does know exactly what it means. The fact that everyone, especially his dad, expects Darrell to act an innocent baby boy forever due to his personality, and expresses shock whenever he displays knowledge or behavior more appropriate to the teenager/young adult he is, really annoys him sometimes. Not that he'll voice his complaints, especially not to his father, but he does rebel in small ways, like his graffiti habit, and brute-forcing his way past the parental block on the TV to watch the PG-13 movie channels. (He absolutely can say fuck, and in fact has done so in private, he just chooses not to.)

-After he and Boxman reconnected, Mr Logic did eventually start visiting his family at Boxmore again, though only on rare/special occasions. And after a LOT of time and consideration, he agreed to let Boxman perform a few upgrades, and bring his construction more in line with the newer robots.

-Logic refuses to have a hivemind set up, though, or any copies of himself made, not even just as a safety precaution in case he's ever damaged or destroyed.

-Boxman made a copy of Logic anyway, and a backup of his memory during one upgrade, and just never told him about it. It's set to activate if something ever does happen to the original Mr Logic, even long after Boxman retires.

-Shannon LOVES roller blading, but is banned from every skating rink in the Neutral Zone, since she keeps trying to use her saws instead of actual skates.

-There's a villain-oriented equivalent to Sidekick Scouts, for minions-in-training, that PV took Fink to a few times, before she decided her own style of minion-ing was superior.

-She first learned how to blackmail people from their annual cookie drives, and even got a badge for it!

-In addition to robots, Boxman is a HUGE car guy, and can give you engine specs on any make/model from memory, as well as ways to tweak them for maximum horsepower. He originally went to Evil Engineering College for automotive stuff, but switched to robotics instead.

-He's actually trying to pass on his mechanic skills to Darrell, who he trusts to do all his own car's upkeep as well as that of the Boxmore trucks, and Raymond, who...can barely change a tire. (He tries, he really does, but it's just not going well in his case)

-Raymond actually does have his motorcycle from that one mobile game, and enjoys riding around the Danger Zone! However, since he stinks at maintaining it, it's almost always breaking down, and he keeps having to go to either his dad or Darrell to fix it.

-He passes it down to Robbie later on, who thankfully DID get the Mechanic Skills. ;v;

-Ernesto once tried to teach PV how to make a spreadsheet in Excel. He somehow managed to crash the entire factory computer system, including poor Ernesto's hivemind server, while trying to add two cells together.

[adobe-outdesign]

Showdown Bandit but it’s my series now

I’m still kind of annoyed that SB had such a great premise only to be rushed and then cancelled, so this is kind of my take on the story and my interpretation of things. Keep in mind that I’m approaching this from a “someone handed me this game and now I have to reboot it” standpoint, so while I’m trying to stick to the original plot as much as possible I am changing things where I see fit.

Also, I’m just focusing on things from a story perspective. Gameplay is another thing entirely.

Backstory

Buddy Bublik was from Czechoslovakia and had a passion for puppetry. He met Carl, who was more of a businessman. He came up with the idea of capitalizing on cowboys, which were popular at the time.

The show originally premiered as “Showdown Bandit and the Dusty Hills Band”, with the band playing in each episode to draw in more people. After they “disappeared”, the title just became “The Showdown Bandit Show”.

I would loosely tie things in with BATIM by implying that the two figured out how to bring their characters to life by studying Joey’s memoirs and notes or perhaps having been friends with him (as this game takes place in the 50-60s, after DJS closed).

Recognizing that Joey’s method had some... issues, they made a few changes. Namely, they didn’t sacrifice people in order to bring the puppets to life, instead using blood pacts (smearing blood on the unfinished puppets) from willing people to make their puppets more lifelike without actually giving them souls.

Buddy made a pact with Bandit first as a test run of sorts. It went smoothly for about a year, with Bandit being more lifelike in movement and personality but not sentient.

However, after about a year Bandit started acting a bit too lifelike in a way that concerned them (as they didn’t want to forcibly control sentient puppets, nor did they want the puppets to be fully independent of them). Buddy ended up locking Bandit away out of fear for his life, instead using a different Bandit puppet as a replacement.

Initially they did a few pacts with other crew members, such as the Dusty Hills Band, in exchange for pay raises and other benefits.

However, freak accidents started cropping up and people who had made pacts started dying, at which point the puppet they were bonded to would be possessed (but unaware of what had happened). Buddy and Carl were absolutely horrified at this, both due to the people dying and the fact that they were controlling what used to be other human beings.

As the year went on, other people outside of the show had started to get word and Showdown Bandit was getting a literal “cult” following from people who were interested in immortality, despite the two’s attempts to put a stop to the pact (the idyllic world of Showdown Valley was an appealing afterlife option for many, especially fans of the show). They attempt to cancel the show, with the intent to shut down the studio and burn the puppets.

The cult didn’t respond well to this, wanting to keep their pacts and their immortality. They ended up breaking into the studio one night and killing both of them. Buddy ended up possessing Bandit, but because he was in storage he remained “asleep” for years. Carl possessed the Sheriff, but like all puppets he didn’t retain his memories.

Ironically, the death of the two sealed the cancellation of the show (it was declining anyway as space stuff was now getting popular), but the cult continued the show behind the scenes for years afterward.

Puppets & Possession

Each time a character “dies”, their soul moves on to possess another puppet of that character. If there isn’t another copy of that character, or the other copy is already possessed, they become a stringless (IE unfinished) puppet. A dead stringless usually stays immobilized, but they can be fixed by Carver (much to Miss Undertaker’s chargin).

The puppets become more and more lifelike over time, especially after being possessed. It gets the point where they have to fake eating in order to stay alive, even though they can’t eat and don’t need food.

The puppets can move on their own. The strings serve as a way to control them, usually without them being consciously aware of it.

Because the puppets have no memories, they have no idea that they’re possessed or that they’re being controlled, which is how the puppeteer wants it. They understand that they’re puppets and that they put on performances, but that’s about all they understand. This is why the rules are in place.

Play your part - a puppet not playing their part is indicative that they’re starting to get their memories back, which is a no-no.

Guard your strings - the strings allow the puppets to be controlled, so it’s important that they stay attached.

Don’t look up - the puppets don’t know they’re being controlled. Looking up not only breaks this illusion, but tends to cause them to go insane.

The sheriff helps not only protect the citizens from rogue threats, but helps to enforce the rules before they get broken.

Puppets who break the rules are taken and mutilated as an example to others. Their hostile behavior is really just them trying to cut other character’s strings and free them.

Characters

Bandit: As mentioned above, he’s possessed by Buddy, though he doesn’t remember anything. After being woken up after a few years, he’s trying to help out the others while figuring out what’s truly going on (while not knowing he’s being manipulated himself). Because Bandit is, by definition, an outlaw, he’s not likely to actually follow the rules set in place. As the game progresses, he realizes he’s being manipulated by the Puppeteer and cuts his own strings, allowing him to act independently and help free the others from being controlled.

Miss Undertaker: Miss Undertaker, as her name suggests, takes care of Showdown Valley’s dead - unbeknownst to everyone else, that includes the entire town. In addition to maintaining the graveyards and trying to make sure the dead stay dead, she’s the one who finds newly possessed puppets and introduces them to the town. Later on in the plot, it’s revealed that she’s not possessed like the others, but rather a literal puppet controlled by the Puppeteer, hence why she knows about her when all the others don’t.

The Sheriff: Possessed by Carl, the sheriff enforces the rules, though he doesn’t know about the puppeteer. He particularly has it out for Bandit due to his outlaw nature, ironically pitting Carl and Buddy unwittingly against each other. Eventually, Bandit is able to convince him that the rules are in place to control them, and he ends up helping him take down the Puppeteer.

Penny Hemsworth: Possessed by one of the former stagehands who helped with props, Penny’s general store literally has anything the puppets need in stock (and if it doesn’t, the Puppeteer will fix that shortly). This includes mundane things like food and less mundane things like The Sparkblaster(TM). Penny herself has been afraid of accidentally breaking the rules and generally gets more and more insane throughout the game before eventually removing her eyes (which happens near the end of the game here rather than the beginning).

Doc Carver: Possessed by a former stagehand who helped repair broken puppets, Carver’s purpose is to fix the puppets (without requiring human intervention, which once again, is a no-no). Despite the fact that he’s just supposed to help with damage, he’s become curious about how they’re all alive and has begun experimenting with reviving the dead and creating new creatures (the Araknits were his fault, albeit accidentally), which puts him in thin water with the Puppeteer.

The Banker: Unlike the other puppets, the Banker (possessed by one of the band members) got possessed before his puppet was actually finished. Buddy and Carl couldn’t finish the puppet without breaking the rules and his sanity, so they just scrapped their original design and presented him as-is. Because he’s unfinished, his memory wasn’t as thoroughly wiped as the others, resulting in him being terrified of accidentally breaking character. He eventually does, and is “fixed” by the end.

Faceless Bandit: The Bandit made after Buddy’s Bandit, who was used after the original puppet was damaged. Possessed by another one of the band members. Being a bandit, he eventually went rogue and cut his own strings, successfully escaping the Puppeteer; however, his face was clawed off shortly thereafter by Frenzy. Attempts have been made to capture him again, but it’s hard due to the massive scythe he’s carrying.

Frenzy: One of the “rule-breaking” puppets. Used to be a rival to Bandit who claimed to be an even better draw than him. He, ironically, accidentally let his strings get cut during a showdown and had his torso removed as punishment. While he’s technically only supposed to pursue rule-breakers, as his name implies he’s gone a bit mad and will basically attack anything that moves.

Grieves: Another “rule-breaking” puppet. Bubu the Clown was one of the first characters on the show, and was a regular live-action human. When the puppets started being possessed, Bubu had to go due to breaking  immersion, and Grieves was created as his puppet replacement. Bubu eventually committed suicide in the studio, resulting in him accidentally possessing Grives. Because Grieves didn’t remember anything, he eventually became depressed and broke character - because he was mourning Bubu. They recognize Bandit as a rule-breaker and will attack him as such.

Lookout: Lookout was created as a way to monitor the puppets without gathering suspicion. Given that their entire job was to look at things, it was almost inevitable that they eventually looked up, which drove them into madness before they disappeared a few days later. They’re also stringless, allowing them to warn Bandit of danger. They used to be close friends with Miss Undertaker, who’s trying to find them and put strings on them.

The Puppeteer/Lorelei: The leader of the cult, the Puppeteer is the main one handling the show and directing the others. She personally controls Miss Undertaker (Lorelei is her first name), and occasionally controls Bandit as well. She and the rest of the cult attempt to forcibly control Showdown Valley, keeping the puppets in ignorant bliss. Like the other cult members, she wears a mask and a cloak at all times.

Basic Plot

Because the plot would be semi-dictated by the gameplay, these are just some rough outlines and ideas of how the plot and characters would play out.

Starts out more or less the same as the canon plot, with Bandit waking up and Miss Undertaker sending him on his first quest.

The first part of the game is mostly following instructions from Miss Undertaker and going on quests that seem like they’re meant to help improve the town and keep people safe (things like clearing out the Araknits, killing the Faceless Bandit, getting Miss Undertaker’s key back, etc).

As Bandit does more and more tasks, he starts to realize that these tasks might be doing more harm than good (the Araknits were Carver’s attempt at figuring out the possession and destroying them prevents him from doing so; the Faceless Bandit was attempting to free the others by cutting their strings, etc). 

The Sheriff is dispatched to deal with Bandit before he breaks any rules, leaving Bandit trying to escape from him for a chapter.

Carver, already suspicious of what’s going on, is the first to believe Bandit. Banker refuses to help but admits to remembering some things, leading the two to explore the stage and end up finding several bodies from the cast (that hand that drops down is Bubu’s).

The sheriff finds the two and the bodies, and is convinced to help Bandit out on his quest.

They return to the set and Bandit overhears Penny talking to Miss Undertaker about her insecurities regarding breaking the rules, with Miss Undertaker being the one who pushes her towards the eye-gouging.

The Puppeteer attempts to separate the three, resulting in Bandit cutting his own strings in order to escape.

Most of the final chapter is him trying to avoid both the Puppeteer and the other enemy puppets, who have become considerably more aggressive.

Penny takes out her eyes. The Sheriff ties her to a post to keep her from hurting herself anymore (he did the same thing with Lookout when he lost his mind), and stays behind to make sure she isn’t taken.

The Banker finally remembers everything and goes through a bit of a mental breakdown wherein he almost blows up the set with dynamite. The Puppeteer intervenes and he’s picked up and removed from the set. He shows back up later on, now a finished puppet with no memory of what just transpired.

Bandit learns who he’s made from by finding some old journal entries. He tries to tell the Sheriff, but both he and Penny are gone. He then goes to confront Miss Undertaker, who’s revealed to be a lifeless puppet in the most literal sense. The Puppeteer attempts to grab him while he’s distracted.

Lookout warns Bandit with their bell, then points out some weak spots in the studio’s wiring. Targeting these spots cause wires to fall down around the Puppeteer, slowing her down and getting her tangled. Hitting the controls for the stage rotation pulls on the wires, snapping her neck and killing her.

Because she had a blood pact with Miss Undertaker she wakes up, now fully possessed and not remembering anything about the Puppeteer or her previous actions.

The epilogue/end credits reveal that with the Puppeteer gone, most of the cult disbanded (though presumably they’re still out there somewhere). Everyone’s strings are cut, the broken puppets are repaired as best as possible, and Showdown Valley ends up the peaceful afterlife it was always meant to be, with Bandit and Sheriff heading the town.

[feeling-weirdy]

A quote prompt if possible- “holy f*cking guacamole?!?” (bc the idea of Vision saying that is really funny imho? 🤣)

"Just stay still for a bit, okay? This'll only take a second,” Tony stated plainly, his face inches away from one of the many projected screens that surrounded him.  Vision nodded, his eyes trailing down to the cord that connected him to Tony's computer.  The update was unnecessary, but clearly curiosity had finally gotten the better of Mr. Stark and it was only a matter of time before Vision eventually gave in.  Vision did exactly as he was told, sitting quietly in the chair next to the large table to held Tony’s primary screen.  He watched helplessly as Tony tapped randomly in the air, picking out pieces and wires that seemingly connected his internal workings.  

"It's quite alright. I have no place to be."  Vision smiled over at him awkwardly, uncertain whether this had been a good idea. Tony had assured him that it would be a quick and easy process, so he had hoped he would keep his word.  On the other hand, he wasn’t exactly known for his honesty.  Regardless, Vision kept an eye on every move Tony made.  He would be the first to know if something was amiss.

Wanda peeked around Tony’s shoulder, curiously scanning the screen.  She had followed the two of them down and was adamant that she be allowed to stay despite his insistence that this room was a “boys only” space.  Vision knew that was a lie as he had seen Miss Potts down here many a time, but perhaps that had been different.  Tony was right about one thing: There were many dangerous objects in this room and it was best for Wanda to not go poking around unsupervised.

"So...what exactly are you doing to him?"  Wanda asked, watching intently.  Her face gave away just how much she understood what she saw, a concept that caused Vision to chuckle softly.

Tony crossed the room, grabbing a small gadget from the other table before he answered her question.

"Oh you know...just some minor nicks and tweaks, recipes, satellite coordinates, Thank You note generator, upgrades, that sort of thing."  His tone made it difficult to pinpoint how much of his list had been serious.  Vision had yet to fully understand his sense of humor fully and while he had spent a great amount of time with Mr. Stark, actually processing humor and understanding it was a completely different set of skills.  One J.A.R.V.I.S. wasn’t able to fully comprehend.

Wanda squinted, eyeing Vision thoughtfully.  "He doesn't really need any of those things, does he?"  Vision smiled at her nervously.  “I thought he was...pretty perfect.”  She smiled back at him, her eyes lingering a bit longer than usual before she caught herself.  “Capable of those types of things on his own, I mean...”

Tony shrugged, oblivious to the staggering air that materialized between the two.  "Can't hurt. We wanna keep our boy in shape, don't we?"  Tony slapped Vision's shoulder, giving a breathy chuckle.  Moving to the other side of the counter, Tony created another screen, sliding his finger back and forth in random zig-zag patterns in a way only he could comprehend.

"It's just a regular procedure.”  Vision finally spoke up, reached out to grab hold of Wanda’s wrist in an attempt to calm her worries.  “There’s no reason to be concerned.  Trust me."

Wanda smiled again, looking a bit more relieved.  "It's not you I don't trust."

Tony scoffed, releasing a high chuckle. "Oh come on, Red.  I'm not gonna hurt him.  It's just routine, anything extra is just icing on the cake."  He continued poking around through Vision’s programming, scanning numerous lines of command prompts and coding lingo that was being transferred into his system.  “Plus, I practically built him.  Mentally anyway,” he added, mumbling under his breath as he continued.

"If you say so."  Wanda shrugged, curiously scanning the room as she looked at the other tech that filled the tables around her.  She wandered about the room, careful not to touch anything that may get her in trouble with the man who was watching her warily from his working position.  

Tony kept himself unusually quiet, a fact that began to bother Vision as he went deeper and deeper into his core programming.  Something wasn’t right.  A fact that became glaringly obvious as he felt one of his internal personality systems shut down.  His eyes blurred, gripping onto the table as he felt himself begin to lose balance.  A loud whirring sounded in his head, his visual slowly shutting down.

"Except...we may have a bit of a problem," he could hear Tony say.  

"What's that? You're routine maintenance not going so routinely."  Wanda asked, the two making their way back over to him.

"You play nice or you get a time out. I just uh...I might have...uploaded something with a bit of a bug.”  Tony snapped in Vision’s face, causing a strange jolt that woke up part of his system.  “Vision, you alright, bud?"

"I-I'm not sure. I-"  Vision stuttered, trying to hold himself together.  The bug had found its way into his internal processes, ripping apart anything it got its meaty little pixels on.  Even with a short scan, it t was impossible to locate just where it was hiding.  A sharp pain shot through him, confusion keeping him from locating just where the bug was hiding within his system.  Vision grabbed at his face, unable to hold himself together any longer.  "Holy fucking guacamole!  Can someone please, j-just-"  His visuals flickered, keeping him off kilter and only adding to the intensity of whatever emotions were flooding through him.  

"Yeaaah that was definitely a bug..."  Tony mumbled, running back over to where he was initially working.  Frantically tapping on the projection, throwing things back and forth from his virtual monitor.

"Tony. Fix him."  Wanda demanded, gripping onto Vision’s shoulder to offer some sort of comfort.  “Vis, are you okay?”

Vision couldn’t stop the outburst.  Wherever the little bugger was, it was messing with his language processes.  "Can you please turn this God damn thing off?  Just put it back, exactly how you fucking found it!  It's too much. I can't-I can't-"  He tried to calm himself, fighting through his inability to finish his sentences.  The pain became nearly unbearable, but he had to search for a way to correct the error.   Vision activated the anti-virus scan to locate where the little bug had lodged himself.  “My systems are overloa-”

"Young man, if you don’t watch your mouth..."  Tony joked, clearly not as focused as he should have been and having a ball during the entire interaction.  Vision didn’t find the exchange very funny.  “Sorry.  Not the time.”

"Tony!"  Wanda yelled, kneeling down in front of Vision as she kept one hand on him at all times. 

Tony pointed directly at her.  "Alright alright hey!  I don’t do well with a chaperone.  Can you back off?  Please?  Thank you."  The scan finally located the little bastard, and with the help of Mr. Stark, it was annihilated.  Tony let out a deep breath, leaning against the counter.  "Better?"

The pain stopped as his systems began to reboot, restoring his visuals and other senses.  Vision nodded, taking a moment for himself before fully answering.  Wanda sat quietly beside him, holding tightly onto his hand as he came to.  His settings seemed to have been reverted back to their original state before any alterations had been made.  Vision ran a quick scan to ensure that the bug was gone for good, only responding once the scan completed.

"Mr. Stark, I no longer wish to be subjected to your particular brand of upgrades."  Vision stated, patting the top of Wanda’s hand as a smile reappeared on his face.

"Harsh..."  Tony mumbled, turning off his monitor as he gave up on whatever else he had been working on knowing full well that Vision would not allow it after what had transpired.

Wanda looked at him with a worried expression.  “Are you alright?”  

“Yes, I’m quite alright now.  It seemed the bug stowed away into my personality chips and altered some settings.”  His eyes had fully stabilized and everything seemed to be back to normal.  He would make sure to do more in-depth scans once he was alone and able to fully concentrate, his trust to allow Tony to perform them himself entirely shattered.  “I must apologize for the foul language.”

“It’s okay, Vis,” Wanda chuckled.  “You weren’t yourself.”

"Maybe that should be yourself.  It was pretty funny,” Tony chuckled.  “And hey, at least we know now where the party button is.” 

Check out my other drabbles here or feel free to request some!

[thoughtfulpaperback]

Charmed 03x04 review SPOILERS!!!!!!

I really liked this episode so much that I actually had to be nitpicky to fill the dislike section. This episode brought back some of the very missed parts in season 1 that season 2 didn't fill. Mainly a feeling of domesticity combined with the looming danger. Season two was very much constant drama and angst. At the same time, Mel was given a relevant and very true to her character storyline that wasn't rushed unlike season 2.

The vibe felt like a good balance of season 1 and 2. I was entertained and intrigued by the promise of new lore-what is older than the oldest recorded magic?- and satisfied with the jokey/serious bits (like Macy's underfed and overhyped libido). Its a solid 8/10 (only because i save my 9 for the later episodes) because it is kinda rebooting itself again, in that we are getting a "new" magical text (the rock) there isn't anything to complain about lore/canon-wise and I am intrigued so I'll give it a solid 8/10 lore wise as well because the previous seasons set lore hasnt been contradicted so far.

I am super happy with what we've got so far. Moving on.

Dislikes

1. The new monster/threat seems more science fiction than fantasy/magic.

This is a nitpick. I am not unhappy about it but even when the OG Charmed and even Supernatural played with concepts traditionally reserved for sci-fi (parallel dimensions, alternate universes, and alien abductions for example) it still felt true to the genre of fantasy/supernatural/play on religon/etc. As soon as I saw the monster I screamed "It's an Alien!". And the end scene had me asking when Charmed became a sci-fi show. I am interested in where its going but it really was a noticeable shift in vibe so I have it in my dislikes.

2. Suffering as protest

I am not mad at it. I get it. And overall the message is that there is always cost to disrupting the status quo and we have to be willing to deal with that...... BUT, risking your emotional and mental health in abusive situations that you can get out of seems like too much. I believe that you can and should force yourself into spaces that people try to exclude you from and dealing with the reactions (usually negative) that come from that. But living with someone who is emotionally and mentally abusive is not okay. I would never tell a woman or man to continue living with someone who resents and retaliates against them for just being themselves in the hopes they will change somewhere down the line.

I do get it, I just think it is a fine line to walk. I dont think the show handled it poorly. I've seen worse, but it is important to be conscious of the possible ways it can be viewed or possibly trigger people.

3. So.....they not dead and its okay

They may explain it later which is why I didn't count it against the episode lore/cannon wise, but if they are using real names now does that mean they aren't legally dead now. Was that a magic reversal? Or they just magicked thier way passed the credentials and legal documents like last season? I give a pass since I felt the whole witchness protection program thing was underdeveloped anyways and they cam quickly resolve it was a throw away line later on. It's not a devastating contradiction to lore in the grand scheme of things.

Likes

1. The domesticity

Unlike last season the small ways they have shown the sisters routines helps to feel as if they are close and that they are a family and not just people forced together by duty, circumstance, and blood. They all felt closer to each other even with the lack of being physically close. And that's was done just by quick scenes showing how they know each others routines, how thier lives overlap, and how they interact with each other. Making breakfast, grabbing coffee for each other, walking together to the university. Little things like that made such a huge difference in my opinion.

2. Mel doing her thing!

I think what made season 1 Mel so great was that drive to help people. Not out of some idea of duty or responsibility, but out of truly being passionate about fighting with those who are oppressed and/or mistreated.

Mel was an activist both in the magical and non magical world. Season 2 Mel wasn't the same, it felt more like Mel was a prop and she was just going through the motions and just doing things out of a sense of duty which later on she seemed to resent.

I want to see Mel be passionate about saving and working with non magical people AND magical creatures. But if they reserve that for the non magical world, I won't be terribly disappointed as long as the writers continue to give Mel well written storylines and character archs.

3. Hacy

This was a good example or real couple issues and not just drama for the sake of drama. I think my biggest complaint of season 2 was that rather than focusing on realistic issues (not that miscommunication isn't a real issue) the writers threw in angsty and unnecessary tropes (love triangles and other love shapes) that they dragged put too long. You can have flawed couples facing issues without going to those extremes. I think this episode and even the last few episodes did really well with this.

Plus I love a soft hacy scene any day.

4. Maggie/panic attacks/and jordan

I love that not only are they not just dropping Maggie's panick attacks but they show her growth. Her calming herself by remembering what Jordan told her was amazing. She isn't dependent on others to "fix" her. She is using coping strategies effectively. I stan.

Also I do love that Jordan is still around.

Epsiode Highlights

Harry's entrance into the house

Macy's libido

"Kiddo"

Mel teaching again

Alien monster

Maggie suggesting "Men Talk Over Me"

"I love you as fully as I know how...."

Figure jumping out of a rift in the time space continuum