#anyways. so I get back the designs and while none of them were exactly what I had in mind

[kittlyns]

My best friend's birthday is in 5 days and I just got her present in the mail and it sucks. So I'm killing myself.

[heliads]

Can you do Peter Pan x reader OUAT? Peter goes to the modern world with Emma, Snow, David and them as they are looking for someone. He meets this girl and takes an interest to her. He’s never seen someone with facial piercings, and dyed hair before, they come to realize she is the girl they’ve been looking for.

'magic finds magic' - peter pan

masterlist

Peter Pan is leaving Neverland. Worse, he’s leaving Neverland alongside Snow, Emma, David, and Hook. In terms of traveling partners, this has got to be the lowest of the low. However, the sand in Peter’s immortal hourglass is running out, and his first attempt at prolonging his life with the heart of Henry Mills didn’t exactly go according to plan. It’s this or nothing, even though Peter is starting to wonder if it would be better to just die than put up with these people any longer.

Never in his life did Peter Pan think he’d be working with the good guys. But never in his life did Peter think he’d be dying, either. A few compromises will have to be made in the name of preserving Peter’s everlasting life, and if that means he has to put up with some princesses and pirates for a few days, so be it. In no time at all, his immortal life will be restored, and he can go back to Neverland and put all of this behind him. Hopefully.

Peter was supposed to die back on Neverland. He was running out of time, anyway. He had set up the perfect scheme:  kidnap Henry, disorient the boy’s rescuers on his island long enough to win the Heart of the Truest Believer, and cut the organ out of the boy’s chest if necessary. He’d almost gotten away with it, too, except he was foiled at the last minute. Heartbreaking. So unlike him.

For some reason, though, he hadn’t been left to die in the caverns of Skull Rock. Emma and the others had needed him, for some odd reason, and although none of them trust him in the slightest, they do trust Peter’s single-minded selfishness to keep himself alive. So they claim, at least, and so they had gotten a spell to give Peter one more week of life in exchange for help. If this plan works out, Peter will have a way to continue his immortal life without needing to murder Henry. If it doesn’t, or if he betrays them, he’ll die anyway.

He can feel it now, the pang of his close call with death. There’s a pain in his chest that wasn’t there before, a certain weakness in his lungs. Peter gets tired more easily. He feels– well, he feels like Henry and Emma. He feels mortal. Like he could die at any moment.

Peter has, obviously, thought about double-crossing them, maybe even triple-crossing them, but it’s no use. He feels shakily mortal right now, and Peter does not much enjoy the possibility of his own demise. This is the closest he’s ever come to being beaten, and Peter hates the feeling. He’ll have to play along for now, but after that, he will have his revenge.

First, though, Peter has to do what the others want. They’ve been careful to reveal as few details to him as possible, but the idea is solid. There’s a magical person somewhere in the modern world, in a city far from Storybrooke. This person is like the embodiment of a true love’s kiss spell, designed to renew hope in storybook characters through small acts of power that ultimately drive two needed people together. They’re like a guardian angel of those on the brink of destruction, which is exactly what Peter needs right now.

Peter has plenty of time to mull this over. They’ve forced him into a terrible, small room with awful carpets– an apartment, Emma called it– while they talk out what to do with both him and their missing spell-person. Peter is trying to focus, but he’s getting stared at by Henry Mills again, which is absolutely ruining his mood.

“What do you want?” Peter asks, glaring at the boy.

Henry just goggles back at him. “Don’t you feel bad for trying to kill me?”

Peter snorts. “Why would I do that?”

Henry shrugs. “You pretended you were my friend. I know you like the other Lost Boys on your island, I thought you would have felt bad for killing one of them. I guess not.”

“I don’t feel bad about killing someone so I would live,” Peter says, then wonders why he’s arguing with a child. “Go preach your morals to someone who wants to listen.”

“The others are busy,” Henry pouts.

Peter eyes him unhappily. “And what, I’m your best option for polite conversation? You really are desperate, aren’t you?”

Henry rolls his eyes. “I’d say you’re desperate. You’re the one who’s still talking to me.”

Peter can’t really argue with that, so he deftly changes the topic of conversation before Henry starts looking proud of himself again. “Tell me about our target again. You said you saw them before?”

“Only in a dream,” Henry admits, “but it was a clear dream, I swear. I saw a girl who looked about your age. She seemed like any other teenager, but there was something about her that was different. The way she spoke, maybe, or the glint in her eyes. She was magical, I’m sure of it. She can save Storybrooke.”

“And save me,” Peter reminds him. “That’s the important part.”

Henry rolls his eyes again. If he keeps that up, they’re going to get stuck like that forever. “Yes, I know, you’re only interested in keeping yourself alive. So long as it helps us find this girl, though, I don’t care.”

Peter leans forward. “What’s your plan for finding this girl, then? A little scouting party? This city is big. You’ll never find her.”

Henry shakes his head. “Magic has a way of finding magic. Somehow, our paths will cross.”

“That’s a terrible strategy,” Peter grouses. Why is he entrusting his life to this boy again? He remembers something about having no other options, but it doesn’t seem as good an excuse right now.

“Ask the adults, then,” Henry tells him, and gestures towards the miniscule apartment kitchen, where Emma, Snow, Hook, and David are currently huddled around a table, talking in hushed voices about what to do.

Not wanting to mess with the kid anymore, Peter pulls himself to his feet and heads over. “Tell me you have a plan,” he says.

The adults look up at him. “Find the girl,” Hook says shortly. “That’s our plan.”

Peter scoffs. “You could search this city for months and not find her. What if she doesn’t want to be found? If this girl has any brains at all, she’ll know that people will want her magic and she’ll hide. It’s what I would do.”

Emma sighs. “We don’t even know if this girl knows that she has magic. She’s probably just living an ordinary life, and we’re about to drag her out of it with all of our trouble.”

“Don’t tell me you feel bad for her,” Peter scolds her. “You want this, don’t you? So go get it, or I will.”

Snow tries to tell him to calm down, but David, so quick to anger when it comes to Peter, surges out of his chair. “How about you do something helpful and think with us instead of just insulting us?”

“I will do something helpful,” Peter informs him. “I’ll find her first.”

With that, he lunges for the apartment door, and is out of the tiny room and down the hall before they can stop him. Peter hears the thunder of footsteps after him, but he hurries down the stairs and out of the building. He has the advantage of being quick on his feet; if Neverland taught him anything, it’s how to run when you don’t want to be found.

Peter emerges into the bright sunshine of the city and stops dead in his tracks. He’s not used to the modern world, how the knives of its buildings slash up into the sky, how loud it is with those cars and signs and people. Peter swears he can even see metal things in the sky, soaring along predestined paths. It’s all so much compared to the world he used to know. No wonder some of the others had a hard time adjusting. His mortal heart lets out a pang of sympathy.

The door of the apartment building flies open, revealing Emma and the others hot on his trail. Peter curses under his breath and takes off in one direction, hurtling around pedestrians and shooting down the sidewalk. He heads for smaller streets, hoping to lose them in a swarm of alleyways. The others, more used to the terrain of the modern city, are gaining on him, and Peter is just starting to think that he’ll never be able to shake them when someone grabs him and pulls him into a nearby building.

Peter’s first instinct is to defend himself, but when he isn’t attacked, he realizes that the stranger is only trying to help him. There’s a window just to his left, and Peter watches Emma and the others appear seconds after him. They didn’t see him enter the shop, and keep sprinting down the road in the direction they thought he’d gone. Peter waits a few more intense moments, then decides that he’s lost them for good and turns back around to see who’s gone to the trouble of rescuing him.

He’s greeted with the sight of a girl about his age. She’s eyeing him cautiously, although the corners of her lips begin to prick up with a wicked grin. “Sorry for the rough introduction, but you looked like you needed some help,” she tells him.

Peter lets out a short laugh. “I’m glad to be rid of them, that’s for sure.”

The girl arches a brow. “What, did they catch you shoplifting? I’ve never seen people run that fast unless they were getting chased by the cops.”

Peter narrows his eyes, trying to figure out how on earth he would lift a shop, then decides it’s probably some slang term he doesn’t know. “Something like that,” he says evasively.

He studies the girl’s face to see if he’d answered correctly, and, judging by her impressed grin, he had. “Nice,” she says. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

“Peter,” he replies. He gets the urge to introduce himself as he usually would– Peter, Peter Pan– then remembers at the last second that Emma had warned him about telling people who he was. Apparently, telling people he was a fictional character in their world wouldn’t go over too well.

“Peter,” the girl repeats. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Peter says, and realizes belatedly that he means it. He feels like how he had at the start of it all, when the Lost Boys had first started appearing on this island, but this feeling is far stronger. He wants to get to know this girl. He certainly doesn’t want her to leave.

“I’m new to the city,” he says abruptly. “Any chance you could show me around?”

Y/N laughs, surprised. “You’re new and you’re already in trouble? You’ll fit right in, Peter.”

He grins, in on the joke a half beat late. “I like to have fun, that’s all.”

“Well,” Y/N says, starting to lead him back towards the door of the shop, “I like fun, too. Maybe we should stick together.”

“I’d like that,” Peter says, then wonders why he’s being so honest all of a sudden. When he sees Y/N’s smile– real this time, not sarcastic or joking, but genuinely because of him– he thinks he knows why.

The two of them step back out into the light. “Where to first?” Peter asks.

“I was going to ask you that,” Y/N replies. “What do you want to do? Sightseeing, maybe? We can get some food, or just talk.”

“Anything,” he says. He’d follow her anywhere. The feeling in him right now is like nothing he’s ever felt before. The pain in his chest, Peter realizes with some surprise, is gone. He feels immortal. Like living in this one moment could last forever.

They end up spending the next few hours together. Y/N shows him around the city, taking Peter to her favorite spots. Peter stares at the vast cityscape and finally starts to understand why someone might choose the modern world over the natural one. He’ll always pick Neverland first, of course, but seeing the world through Y/N’s eyes, it makes sense.

The two of them get along like a house on fire. Y/N’s got this rebellious streak to her that fits in perfectly with Peter’s, well, Peter-ness. No joke is too dark, no sarcastic comment too caustic. They feel the same. Peter doesn’t think he’s ever met someone who thinks so much like him.

As the sun starts to set in the sky, Peter feels his spirits sinking. He doesn’t want to let go of this day, not when he knows it can never happen again. He’s supposed to be finding Henry’s spell-girl, but all Peter wants to do is spend more time with Y/N.

His mood is especially ruined when they turn a corner and find Henry Mills walking towards them. Peter’s eyes widen and he tries to steer Y/N back in the direction they’d come, but it’s too late. Henry lets out an audible gasp and starts hurrying towards them.

“Peter,” Henry calls out when he’s close enough to talk, “We’ve been looking for you all over! Where have you been?”

Y/N glances at Henry dubiously. “Who’s this?”

“My little brother,” Peter blurts out.

At the same time, Henry chimes in, “My friend from school.”

Peter shoots the younger boy a quick glare, then turns back to Y/N. “Both, actually. He’s my step-brother. Recent marriage. We’re still getting acclimated. Our family is a little chaotic.”

“You can say that again,” Henry mumbles. Peter fights the urge to butcher him.

While Peter silently advises himself on why murder would be bad at a time like this, Henry stares openly at Y/N. All of a sudden, the boy’s mouth hangs open. “Oh my gosh, it’s you.”

Y/N’s brow furrows. “Excuse me?”

All of a sudden, Peter feels a sick sensation in his stomach. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t.

“You’re the girl from my dream,” Henry announces. “We’ve been looking for you.”

Y/N looks back at Peter. “What’s he talking about?”

The open, carefree expression, which had been on her face all day, is starting to be replaced with deep, unsettled fear. Peter hates to see it directed at him. “There’s something I need to tell you,” he begins. “Something about yourself.”

“You’re sounding a little creepy right now,” Y/N warns him. “Get to the point.”

“Alright,” Peter says. “You’re magical. So am I. We need your help to break a curse and save my life. How about that?”

Y/N shakes her head quickly. “This is crazy. Magic isn’t real.”

Peter can’t lose her, not like this, so he leans forward and holds out his hand. A ball of light appears inside his cupped fingers, glowing and bright. It’s a simple charm, one of the first he learned, but it has the desired effect. 

Y/N stares at it, transfixed, and when she speaks again, her voice is hushed. “That’s impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible,” Peter says. “Not magic. Not even the fact that you would find me in this city by accident. Magic is drawn to magic.”

Y/N’s eyes slowly raise to meet his. “This is real, then. I have magic.”

“You have magic,” Peter confirms. “Come with us, we can show you. They’re good people, Y/N. You can trust them.”

It’s the closest he’s ever come to honesty. For once, Peter isn’t playing a game. He isn’t trying to trick Y/N over to his side. He just wants her to be safe, and he knows that isn’t through lies.

Y/N smiles at him. “I trust you, Peter. That’s enough for me.”

She reaches over and takes his hand. Now that he’s focusing on it, Peter can feel the slow loop of her magic when they touch. It feels like power, but more than that, it feels like life. A life with her, maybe. A life for both of them.

ouat tag list: @loveanimals0000, @eclliipsed, @w1shes43, @lost-ender

all tags list: @wordsarelife

[antianakin]

I watched Dune: Part Two over the weekend, and I came to realize something: Anakin Skywalker has a lot in common with Paul Atreides, and none of them are good.

Funnily enough, I was also making comparisons between Dune and Star Wars when I saw it this weekend, but more positively. Not necessarily specifically between Paul and Anakin, but in the ways the two stories subverted the Chosen One storyline.

In Star Wars, Anakin is the Chosen One and it IS a good thing, but it's not INEVITABLE unless Anakin chooses it. He HAS to make the choice to be a good, balanced, selfless person in order to achieve the perfect prophecized ending. It is impossible to achieve it through brute force of will or selfish agendas.

In Dune (based purely on the story in the films, I have not read the books so I cannot speak to what the story was in there if it's different), Paul is the Chosen One by design of other mortal people around him, he is the Chosen One because they CREATED a Chosen One through specific breeding and manipulation of cultures and religions. They literally achieve their prophecized ending through brute force, Paul becomes a messiah by forcing himself to ride a sand worm, by killing and defeating the opposing forces on the planet, by using Fremen as weapons in a holy war, by drinking poison and coming out of it alive. The subversion here isn't in how the prophecized ending is achieved, but in how it was CREATED and the fact that achieving it is a BAD THING.

Anakin chooses to DEFY his destiny out of selfishness while Paul chooses to GIVE IN to his destiny out of selflessness, and then they both end up villains as a result. Both of them made their own choices, but were also manipulated onto this path by forces they couldn't control and people they should've been able to trust. They're both left feeling like they're out of choices and so the only one left is the one they KNOW is bad.

But I find myself somewhat more able to sympathize with Paul because he tries SO HARD throughout the entire film to keep this from happening, he knows exactly what's going to happen if it does, and in the end, he's just outplayed basically. He'll never be a match for the greater forces at play until he becomes one of them, and at that point he's lost in every way that matters. It's a completely lose-lose situation for Paul the way I saw it. Even with the visions, Paul has had multiple visions come true before he has the one about the holy war, and has a lot more reason to believe that it's true due to Jessica's training. And it felt like when he drank that poison that some part of Paul almost literally did die, that someone else came back to life in some ways and that's part of the whole tragedy. He's almost possessed by the powers around him by the time he declares himself Emperor.

The same is DEMONSTRABLY not true for Anakin. Anakin walks into the darkness with his eyes open and his head held high because he believes HE ALONE will benefit from it. There's no selflessness in this choice in any way shape or form. He has had ONE VISION come true that we know of before he gets the dream about Padme and the Jedi notoriously do not believe visions to be all that trustworthy to begin with, so all of his training tells him that just because ONE vision came true still doesn't mean that THIS one is true and even if it were, he can't trust that any action he takes to keep it from happening will actually have that result. But he's selfish and greedy enough to try anyway, to discard everything he's ever been taught, for power. He convinces himself that doing this makes him a hero, that murdering the Jedi, down to the last child, makes him a hero. There's no evidence that doing what he's doing will save Padme, or that Padme would even WANT him to do this to save her. He's not truly outplayed, he had all the tools at his disposal to make the better choice in that moment in Palpatine's office, he's just not a good enough person to make it. He IS a match for the greater forces at play in terms of power, he and Mace could've EASILY killed Palpatine together if only Anakin had chosen the better path. He just... chooses not to because it doesn't benefit him to do so. Anakin could've won, in every way that mattered. He only loses because he makes the stupidest choice imaginable.

Dune is a political sci fi epic about how people in power will literally create messiahs for the people they intend to subject as a way to consolidate their own power.

Star Wars is a children's cautionary tale wrapped in an space opera adventure about how letting your fears control you will bring about your own destruction, and only kindness and selflessness will save the world.

It's not exactly a secret that Lucas was inspired by Dune when coming up with Star Wars, so I find it really interesting to look at the similarities and differences in how they each approached their Chosen One storylines.

[its-time-to-write]

Omg I would love a Jamie Tartt x reader where the readers ex boyfriend was a footballer maybe a goalie and Jamie has to play against him in a match. I know it’s very vague but I’d love to see what you’d do! No pressure!! :))

I loved this request! Hope I did it justice

would hit him in a heartbeat now

You do not have a thing for footballers you swear. It just happens. You’ve been in exactly three and a half relationships, and only one of them was not a footballer.

He was a coach.

Anyway.

You would describe your type as lovable asshole, but your friends would leave out the lovable. Because of that, none of your splits have been exactly… amicable. Well, that’s not true. Your situationship had been sweet but wrong timing, and though it hurt, there were no hard feelings. 

Really, you were both in your late teens and he was scouted early on, so it was never going to work out. You always keep up with his career though, a part of you secretly cheering him on even if he plays against your boyfriend’s team. From time to time, you think about texting him to see if he has the same number, but the next day you see him splashed in a tabloid, making out with Keeley Jones, so you leave it. 

Six months later, you’re in a relationship with a West Ham goalie named Aleksander.

Seven months after that, he’s broken your heart by telling you you weren’t the right material for a footballer’s girlfriend.

Over text.

While you are at an away game.

Against AFC Richmond.

Eight minutes later you turn off the part of your brain that cares, dig out Jamie Tartt’s old number, and write, hey! not sure if this is still your number, but I’ll be at your game today and wanted to wish you luck. - the original number 9.

Your house number had been 9 when you first met Jamie. He’d write you notes addressed to 9. For example:

9 -

Meet me at our spot at 8?

10 <3

(He called himself a 10/10).

Ten hours later, you are sitting across from Jamie in a pub, laughing about growing up and whatever, all thoughts of Aleksander firmly gone from your head. 

He asks you out after flirting for eleven days.

—

You and Jamie have a certain level of comfortability that comes with knowing someone for so long. Neither of you feel like you have to pretend. You just live with each other, and it is the best. 

You’re on your fifth date, and second one at his house when, as you get up to go, he catches your hand and says, “Stay,” in a voice made gravelly by kisses.

You let him pull you back on the couch, and you do.

You end up staying a lot.

You’re together for a year, when, sitting on that same couch, Jamie says, “Playin’ West Ham next week.”

The marker in your hand slips from where you were coloring his tattoo. “What?”

“We go against West Ham next week. Wanna come?” Jamie asks, oblivious.

You trace the design on his right forearm. “I do, it’s just- Aleksander’s gonna be there. As their goalie. And I’d rather not be there to hear what he has to say to me.” You look up at Jamie. “It’s not because I don’t want to be there for you. It’s that- well, he, he always has things to say about his exes. And it’s not kind. I don’t really think I can handle it right now, you know?”

Jamie looks at you thoughtfully and nods, slipping his hand into yours. 

“D’you want to stay here while I’m gone? ’Stead of hanging around your flatmate. Might be nice to have a break.”

You smile, squeeze his hand and reply, “Sure!” grateful that he’s not pushing it.

Jamie grins back. “Good, I hate coming home to an empty house. Always hearing sounds like there’s ghosts or some shit.”

You laugh and shove his arm playfully. “And here I thought you were being completely selfless.”

—

It’s the day of the West Ham game. You’ve stolen one of Jamie’s jerseys from his closet and are on the couch with the largest bowl of popcorn known to mankind. You’re a little nervous to see Aleksander on the screen, but it’s overshadowed by your excitement to see Jamie play.

A quarter into the game, Jamie starts making his move. The team gets the ball near the goal, he shoots and-

He’s blocked by Aleksander.

Aleksander goes up to Jamie, and from your screen you see him ask a question and then make a lewd gesture.

Jamie’s face goes bright red and in an instant, Colin is holding him back from hitting Aleksander.

You see Jamie be pulled away, then watch him jog over to the coaches. Here’s what you don’t see:

“Permission to be a prick, coach,” Jamie says, still seeing red. How dare that dickhead say something so disgusting about you.

“Fuck no,” Roy says in a tone that says no arguing. 

“Coach,” Jamie says, because he’s never been one for self-preservation, “if you don’t tell me to be a prick, I’m going to be one all by meself, so I really think it’s better if you just give me permission.”

Ted, Beard, and Roy look at each other. Ted nods. “Alright Jamie, if you think that’s best then I guess, uh,” he holds up his middle finger behind his jacket. Roy and Beard follow suit, and Jamie smiles.

The game’s back on and you watch Jamie get going again. He kicks the ball and it hits Aleksander in the worst possible spot.

“Ooh!” You cover your mouth with your hands. That looks like an accident, but you know it’s not. There was a closeup of Jamie, and you can see that glint in his eye. He’s being a little prick.

He goes up to Aleksander to “check on him,” and whispers something in his ear. Aleksander, still doubled over in pain, nods. Jamie slaps him on the back a little too forcefully, then swaggers away, tongue out. 

You’re going to ask him about it when he gets home.

—

Richmond loses, and when Jamie walks into his house you’re on him in a moment. His hands are tangled in your hair and you’re tugging on his shirt and it’s not till three hours later, as you’re laying in bed playing with his hair, that he says, “I don’t regret it.”

It takes you a moment. “What?”

Jamie’s laying on top of you so he pushes himself up a bit to meet your eyes. “I don’t regret kicking that ball into that dickhead’s dick. I just wish I could have kicked him harder.”

“What happened out there, Jaim? You were mad-mad.”

He shakes his head slightly. “What do you think? That fuckin prick asked me a dirty question about you, and I lost it. Didn’t care about the game anymore. Didn’t want him to think he could fuckin get away with it.”

He looks so distraught and sincere that you can’t help it, you have to kiss that look off his face.

“I love you, Jamie Tartt,” you whisper. His face turns devilish.

“Mind showing me just how much?” he asks and you dissolve in a fit of giggles as he begins to pepper kisses along your neck.

[mc-lukanette]

"I sent you a twenty-page document on Jagged's requests. You can't tell me you didn't get it," Penny told the person on the phone. Putting her free hand over the lower half of it to keep them from hearing her, she glanced over her shoulder at Marinette on the couch and said, "I'm sorry. We'll talk about designs as soon as I'm done."

Marinette waved away the concern, understanding the struggle of changed plans. She'd already gathered enough information based on the call they'd had inviting her to their hotel room that she could stay occupied by doing some experimental sketches anyway.

However, realizing how much she may have underestimated the time she was going to spend there, she set her sketchpad aside and pulled out her phone. Navigating to her text conversation with Luka, she typed out a couple messages to update him on what was going on.

Got stuck here a little longer. Penny seems swamped. We could do this any other time, so I'm surprised she didn't send me home yet.

She got a reply less than a minute later.

I'm not. Everyone loves you and wants your talent, Marinette. They're probably making sure no one else can steal you away.

She shook her head in disbelief at such a bold statement, but smiled. Luka was never afraid to say exactly what was on his mind and, while she didn't agree with him, it did make her happy.

She was about to message him back when she caught movement out of the corner of her vision. She looked past her phone to check, nearly screaming when she saw Jagged's face mere inches away from her.

"W-what?!" she asked, stiff. "What's wrong? Did I zone out?!"

"You were smiling," he stated.

"I'm sorry! I'll stop smiling!"

He snorted, then plopped down next to her on the couch, resting both arms along the backrest. "I didn't say there was anything wrong with smiling! A rock star's smile is one of their best assets!" He smirked for emphasis. "But you looked like you were texting your boyfriend."

"H-huh?"

He tilted his head. "Girlfriend?"

"No! I was texting Luka!"

"So his name's Luka!" Jagged brightened, leaning in with interest. "What's he into besides you?"

"Besides—" Marinette choked. "No, h-he's a musician? He plays guitar!"

"Guitar!" he exclaimed, and which was clearly the only word he'd heard. He jumped to his feet, strolling over to Penny and wrapping an arm around her. "Hear that? Our frockstar's got herself a rock star boyfriend!"

Penny ignored him briefly to talk into the phone, "If you can't take the requests, you can always find a different number one music star to book your venue," then covered the lower half again to address Marinette. "Congratulations."

"But—!"

"I told you," Jagged boasted, though to no one in particular, "our designer deserves the best and has the best taste!"

—————

Luka was on his way home when he heard a familiar sound of pounding footsteps behind him. Stopping in place, he turned to look at the source, bracing himself as Marinette practically plowed into him.

It would've been delightful had she not looked so distressed.

"Luka, I'm so sorry!" she burst, gripping his sleeves. "I swear I'll make it up to you!"

"Easy, Marinette," he soothed, taking her wrists and gently pulling her hands away. "What happened?"

"Nggh." She pouted, then hung her head in shame and replied, "Jagged Stone thinks we're dating."

That—

...huh.

He kept on a poker face, not wanting to freak her out further with his potential reaction. Something must've happened to make Jagged think that they were dating, and while he recalled sending Marinette an affectionate text earlier, that alone shouldn't have been enough to make any assumptions.

Did that mean that it was something Marinette did? And it had been convincing evidence for someone to think they were dating? Granted, Jagged Stone wasn't known for being a perceptive guy and Luka was content with the friendship he had with her. He hadn't confessed for that very reason, but—

Oh, she was still talking.

"Sorry," he interrupted, having caught none of it, "what were you saying?"

She rubbed an arm, embarrassed, her hand slipping under her sleeve to rub at her shoulder. "I...I was asking if we could pretend to date? He seemed so happy for me and I didn't want to disappoint him and neither of us are dating anyone—but if you're uncomfortable or you already like someone then I'll think of something else!"

Huh.

On one hand, it was charming in a way how much she wanted to please everyone, if a bit concerning, but he didn't miss the amusement of her talking about him "already liking someone" when she was the one he liked. Perhaps ironically, he might've even agreed to the proposa—suggestion if it hadn't been for that fact. He simply didn't have it in him to date her if it wasn't real.

"...I can't," he admitted reluctantly, as tempting as it might've been to say otherwise. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he frowned and explained, "It's not your fault, Marinette, and I'm not uncomfortable. I just couldn't fake date you."

She pursed her lips, disappointed but not upset with him. He looked away, feeling bad anyway but not so much to where it'd change his stance; it wouldn't be right. He would, however, be willing to help break the news to Jagged to make it a little easier for her, especially if his text was at all responsible for what happened.

The silence started to drag on. Luka debated on breaking it by asking her if she wanted to go somewhere or do something, but hesitated when he considered that it might seem insensitive after having just rejected her.

"Ah, then—!" Marinette, surprisingly, spoke up first, stepping forward and clutching Luka's forearms to get his attention back. "Then we'll real date! That's okay, right?"

His mouth fell open without a sound.

"I'm okay with it, and I'll take really good care of you! I've already been all over Paris, so I know all the best date spots, and I could always ask my parents where they like to go if we run out of ideas! So..."

She trailed off, the situation slowly dawning on the both of them. Luka's mind was still stuck somewhere at "I'm okay with it" and was making unsteady progress to get past it. The thought that the whole fake dating may have been a substitute for what she felt was the most she could get out of their relationship was something that'd have to come later.

Marinette's fingers twitched against his skin, then pulled away as her face flushed red. She couldn't look at him anymore, but her eyes were unable to decide on anything interesting enough to focus on. One foot shifted against the ground, and he realized what it meant before anything actually happened.

"Wait."

He reached out to grab her wrist, but it was too late. Marinette turned and bolted, leading into a full-on chase as he ran after her. If he'd had his bike then he could've caught up to her easily, but as things were, he was just barely keeping pace with her.

The problem was that he wasn't really a runner, and he knew without having seen it himself that Marinette had all sorts of experiences getting away from awkward situations or going somewhere in a hurry. Out of all the people he'd ever met that he could've fallen in love with...

She sped down the sidewalk, nearly bumping into someone on the way, then turned a corner. Luka followed, smoothly slipping past the same someone, but his eyes never left his destination. As he took the same bend that Marinette did, he caught sight of her just as she ducked between two buildings.

He hurried to go after her, only to find when he reached the alley that she'd seemingly disappeared. He looked left, right, then around the sidewalk he'd stood on in case his eyes had played a trick on him, but he couldn't see her anywhere.

A noise from somewhere up on the rooftops caught his attention. He stepped back as far as he could without tripping onto the road, eyes scanning the sky just in time to catch Ladybug throwing her yoyo out and swinging off into the distance.

Face slightly flushed, not entirely from the exertion, Luka snorted and put a hand to his mouth, his other hand feeling the phone in his pocket. He resolved to talk to her later when they both had cooled off, but it didn't stop the song that desperately wanted to be sung playing up a storm in his chest.

That's cheating, Marinette, he thought affectionately.

[myunghology]

— ✦ suits 'ya better than it does on me!

featuring mika kagehira x gn! reader (ft. shu :3)

warnings none!!

genre + context fluff, mika surprises reader with a matching outfit ^^

a/n for bffie. @xinnabon Spedrun this so u could feel bettur

"Mika.. Your outfits are adorable. Do you think I could borrow them sometime?" You say, catching the young male off guard from his stitching— specifically stitching the small plush keychain of a cat he bought you while you two were out shopping.

He pauses for a little bit, thinking of an answer. "Uh.. 'm not sure. Would they even fit you? Maybe they'll be too big." The older male responds, Tilting his head. Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult—?

Before you could open your mouth, he announces; "'M done. Looks as good as new. Should really stop buying 'ya things with cheap material.. Breaks too easily." He whines, fixing his stance to hand it back to you.

You smile as you clip it back to the zipper of your bag, making him smile as well, looking at your bag and then back up at you. "'Yer seriously already smiling just because of that? It was nothing."

"Everything and anything you'll do for me, I'll appreciate it." You say, looking at him with warm eyes, making him stutter. "So pretty.. 'Yer so pretty when you smile. I- I mean, 'yer always pretty, but especially when you smile. Like a gorgeous antique doll. "

He feels butterflies starting to stir in his stomach, he knows that you two are already dating— but he cant help but feel giddy whenever he talks to you. "Seriously? You're prettier than me."

Mika feels a warm blush creeping up on his cheeks as he starts to panic, "E-eh?! Don't be goin' around sayin' stuff like that to other people!" He responds while you pout.

"But it's true..?"

The next following day, you've decided to visit Valkyrie testing out— or basically fitting on their new clothes ready for debut with their newest song, well, not really? That was still for next week. But you weren't going to pass up the offer to see your boyfriend and his Oshi-san's new clothes before anyone else does.. Right?

Didn't think so.

"'M glad Oshi-san let you see us in these outfits beforehand," Mika says with a wide grin, Shu looking away in embarrassment; You weren't really upset about that.. It was clear he was still getting used to you. In a good way!

So here you were, sitting down while taking in the sight of your boyfriend and his unit mate in the new clothes they designed for themselves before looking back at their faces. "But they're really pretty. You did a great job on these outfits, Shu. You never upset."

The older male clears his throat from embarrassment, A faint blush coating his face. "Anyway.. Kagehira, don't you have something to give to [Name]?" Shu mentions, making your eyes sparkle.

Mika perks up, realizing— he almost forgot! "Right! Made somethin' for 'ya with Oshi-san's help." He says, his stupid yet cute smiles creep up to his pretty little face before running over to get something.

Your eyes carefully follow his movements, to which he ends up having neatly folded clothes in his arms. "This is for 'ya. Mentioned yesterday that you liked my clothes, so I decided to make a matching one for 'ya. 'M not taking all the credit though!" You smile at his words as he carefully puts it on your lap, they did this in just a day?

"Can 'ya try it on?" He asks, obviously in a flustered state. ".. Of course." It was fairly obvious that you were absolutely appreciative, walking over to their dressing room.

Some time later, you come out. Mika's face immediately lights up, while a small smile shows up on Shu's lips. The design is exactly like what Mika would wear— but added a little bit of personal touches too.

"This style suits 'ya better than it does on me! Looks adorable on 'ya. but 'ya look adorable wearing anything else anyway." He claps, making you blush.

"If you don't mind me asking.. How'd you get my measurements?" You ask genuinely confused, but then Shu tries to open his mouth— Mika ends up signaling him to stay quiet, making him scoff playfully. Guess that question isn't getting answered.

"It does look good on you though." Your boyfriend smiles at the compliment, even though it isn't for him. "See? Even Oshi-san agrees! Thanks to his help, this is my gift to you."

©myunghology. — xin feel better pukebear.. labyu brah ❤️

[deramin2]

(Spoilers for Critical Role Campaign 1)

I don't have any expectations for wherever FCG will stay dead or come back somehow because I've spent 9 years watching Sam Riegel totally subvert my expectations in a narratively compelling way.

But I will say that "FCG shouldn't come back because it would lessen the impact of a narratively perfect death" is EXACTLY what people were saying about Percy's first death after C1 E68. (The first televised character death.) If he had to have an end, it was a fitting end that, while tragic, neatly tied up the thesis of the story. Would Taliesin even want him to come back? With Whitestone saved and Ripply killed, was there even much left to explore?

They found Percy's death letter telling them he loved them all but please bury him in a ditch with all his designs so he could be forgotten by history. He was so sorry for all he'd done and he could never make it up.

But they tried anyway, having to wrest Percy's soul away from Orthax. The players knew what they said in the resurrection ritual was meaningful along with their rolls. But they did not know they were also having to convince Taliesin. If they'd tried to appeal to Percy's soul in the wrong way, dice be damned, Percy was going to refuse. What we got was really meaningful and powerful roleplay (especially from Marisha and Laura) that did convince Percy along with successful rolls.

Being brought back did not at all weaken Percy's own sacrifice or the impact of his death. It forced him to confront everything he'd been running from. It forced him to see that there were people who loved him and would not let him throw himself away for them. They didn't want a martyr, they wanted their friend. It utterly changed the trajectory of his character.

There's only four ways I can think of on the table to bring FCG back:

True Resurrection — Incredibly expensive high level spell. They would have to find the materials as well as someone who both can and is willing to cast the spell in the middle of a war to stop a second Calamity. None of this would be easy. The ritual could still fail. FCG could decline to come back and the other players would not know that until they went to all the effort. The Raven Queen views True Resurrection as heresy which is why they didn't try it on Vax. How would a second chance change them?

Reincarnate — Lower level and cheaper spell. FCG would come back as a fleshy being instead of an Aeormaton. Would the experience live up to FCG's fantasies about it? How would it change them to realize they are truely alive, and always were, but are now also mortal? Reverse Veth story? Wild ass Pinocchio retelling? What does it mean to get a second chance but everything about you is different?

Wish — I think this would count as duplicating True Resurrection. High component cost and requires a high level magic user. (If it's duplicating a spiral there's no risk of no longer being able to cast Wish.)

Hag Deal — They do know a fatestitcher Hag who likes them and limes making deals even more. Orym may be able to just extend his existing deal. What are the consequences for the deal marker as well as FCG? Would the robit feel responsible for that person's fate? How would that affect how they feel about coming back and the meaning they need to make from it.

I don't think there's a right or best option because whatever we speculate on, the actual result will be full of meaning and very poignant. I can't imagine that Bell's Hells won't try to bring him back. They've lost so much already. They couldn't bring back Eshteross or Bertrand or Will & Derrig. They couldn't live with not even trying. Maybe their method works, maybe it doesn't. But at least they tried.

And if FCG does come back, they have to live with knowing that even though they saved their friends and put an end to Otohan, they also hurt their friends by treating themselves as disposable. They forced their friends to confront that each of them might have done the same and that's deeply unhealthy. It will change the character development tremendously.

My favorite film and play genre is where the protagonist dies (or nearly dies) (usually self-inflicted) at the beginning and has to journey through purgatory to find themselves again before they can return to the living. Films like Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006) or Castaway on the Moon (김씨 표류기 2009). Death matters because it reminds you to live. The journey is finding meaning in both life and death and coming back utterly changed.

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

Raiden Ei or The Shogun, or maybe both :3 with prompt 10 for the srping event

“I like the way your hand fits in mine”

characters: Ei x gn!reader

warnings: none

a/n: I decided to finally write something for my spring event. Sorry it took me so long, but school and Star rail made me forget genshin for a while.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Ei

There were many things about Inazuma’s archon you failed to understand no matter how much you thought about it. How readily she gave up any quarrel the two of you had once you brought sweets into the conversation, how she decided when to relinquish control over her body and let the shogun take over and why she liked holding your hand as much as she did.

Admittedly, there were more important questions one might have about the Archon of Inazuma, but you were never one to care about the details of gouvernance or other… important stuff.

You had long forgotten how long you were sitting next to the Raiden Shogun, trying to make time pass as quickly as you could while she was filling out papers with one hand, while holding your hand in the other, not letting you go no matter what. The more realistic part of your brain told you you were here for only about 10 to 15 minutes, although you couldn’t help but feel like you had been sitting still for centuries.

While the Raiden Shogun was nice to you, at least as nice as a puppet designed to strictly follow orders, her conversational skills were… rather lacking, something that made you miss Ei even more while she was gone.

“Hey Raiden, do you-”, you began talking, only to be immediately cut off by the Shogun.

“Raiden Shogun.”

“Exactly, Raiden Shogun”, you corrected yourself with a nod, trying your hardest to contain the sigh threatening to come out of your mouth. “Anyway, do you know when Ei comes back?”, you asked with a smile, causing the puppet to shake her head without looking away from the papers. “Such a shame, I wanted to go visit the new sweets shop with her today, I hope it doesn’t close soon”, you muttered to yourself, just loud enough for them to understand your words.

Just as the words left your mouth, the other person's head turned towards you, an excited smile signaling that Raiden Shogun was no longer there, although her grip on your hand didn’t weaken in the slightest.

“Work can wait for a bit, why didn’t you say anything sooner?”, she asked before quickly putting away her pencil and standing up from her seat, ready to leave as soon as possible.

As you tried to signal the direction the stall was in however, you got a quick reminder that your prominent hand was still occupied, causing you to stare at it for a small moment as an “important” question crossed your mind.

“Why do you like holding my hand this much?”, you asked while looking back up at her, only for Ei to answer without any hesitation.

“I like the way your hand fits in mine”, while you could have asked for more clarification it was clear to you that this was all the answers you’d get from her, especially when her mind was preoccupied with something else.

Almost instantly, she started moving again, dragging you along with her as quickly as she could without looking undignified, making it seem as if you had never asked a question in the first place.

[toons-and-doom]

(This the response for @asilikesshit I accidentally deleted the ask- I think it was along the lines of like, a hypothetical real dandy world episode but it’s corrupted due to being in a tape for awhile, dandy’s world being lost media, and like- dandy transforming for the first time? )

Imagine if the episode starts out normal but as time progresses the episode gets weirder and weirder until it’s nearly unrecognizable (hehehe parallels to twisted go brrrrr)

Tbh I wanna eventually get around to exploring dandy’s world through a lost media thing. After gardenview closes, all the episodes are pulled off the air and all merch is discontinued. Since this is the early 2000s it’s not recorded well and now in the modern day very few peices of media exist including the toons-

Now Onto dandy

Cw for body horror, emetophobia, gore of the skin variety, and potentially bad writing I felt a lil snazzy and did this all in one day. Its also kinda rambley and there is NO planning plus im tired af

TLDR; It wasn’t fun to say the least. It was a little gross to

No 2nd reading or beta read either we die like the toon handlers probably did

Sorry if this is ooc, and dandy is fucked up when twisted in cannon when I finally design him I’m gonna try and make him make sense so he doesn’t right here

Anyways thank you to my pals on discord for giving me ideas

Now I can finally sleep

Enjoy :3

The first time it happened it hurt. It hurt like hell.

Dandy should have paid attention to how that off feeling had been building up the last few days. Maybe he should haven’t gotten so worked up about this whole ichor operation- Astro was gonna be quiet and none of the others knew. Not that he could help it. If he were to be caught the consequences would have been heavy- perhaps he would have gotten rewritten and redrawn entirely.

Maybe he should have been more cautious and not gotten some ichor onto himself.

Maybe he shouldn’t have then proceeded to continue on with his experiments with said ichor.

One second, dandy had been going back to his resting quarters, taking the long as to avoid any employees which still remain. The next, he’s suddenly doubled over on the floor, his hands having barely caught himself. He shivered. It was like he had been dunked in cold water, a feeling which only intensified as he inhaled shakily.

Dandy tried to will himself to get up, yet his limbs felt painfully stiff, uncoordinated. He gave up getting up when his hands nearly gave out and he’s almost sent face first into the floor. He initially wonders if he had come down with something, but something this intense doesn’t come on this suddenly.. unless-?

Something is pushing its way out up Dandy’s throat. It somehow both burns and freezes his insides. Now dandy’s wondering if it’s something he ate- food poisoning maybe? no, it can’t be that, the only thing he ate today was a cupcake sprout made. Sprout usually made edible food.

Dandy gagged as whatever his body was rejecting oh so violently finally began to choke him. His hands gave out, leaving himself only propped up by his elbows as he heaved. When that something finally did come out, thankfully it seemed to come out all at once. Something about it felt fundamentally wrong but dandy couldn’t exactly tell what- his body gasping for breath. Once dandy could begin to focus again would he begin to dare at whatever caused such a reaction and-

Oh.

Oh.

That wasn’t bile. Or food.

That was ichor.

He knew his little hobby was eventually going to catch up to him- but not this soon.

Dandy mustered the strength to pull himself away from the ichor, now he lied on his back. He knew far too well what pure ichor did to somebody. Just a little bit of it killed humans. It needed to be diluted to be safe for them. While toons like himself could get closer than a human ever could, it wasn’t a good idea.

Strange enough, the cold sensation is beginning to fade, but it’s rapidly being replaced by burning instead. Perhaps ichor brought fever along with it-?

Dandy is brought back to reality as his tongue brushed up against something sharp. A shakey hand comes up to his mouth, and he feels his teeth. In a second he withdrew his hand, a small cut leaking ichor onto the mitten like appendage.

Oh god.

What is he supposed to do-? He’s heard of toons who explode when exposed to pure ichor- is this a symptom you experience before exploding-?!

Think dandy- you can’t die right now- think!

Water. He needs to get water. Dilute the ichor inside him. Yeah. There’s gotta be a sink nearby- maybe if he’s sneaky he can pretend none of this happened!

With newfound determination, dandy pushed himself up onto his feet. Doing such a thing was near impossible considering how uncoordinated he is- and he had to hold onto the wall to stabilize himself. He looks to his right. The door wasn’t that far- he just needed to find water-

So he took a step.

And another

And another

Each step felt like he was walking on hot coals, and dandy couldn’t help but notice how difficult it was getting to remain upright. With each step the wall became more and more of a godsend. He couldn’t help but whine, he’s not used to this kind of pain at all. He tries to power through it as best he can, even as he notices how he seemed almost taller.

He could not ponder this, one misplaced step has sent him back to the ground. He was only barely able to shield his face from impact. He tried to get up once more, less out of determination and more out of a desperate attempt to survive. His legs simply did not cooperate with him, limp but not numb.

Dandy would have opted to crawl, but a morbid curiosity overtakes him. He turns his head, and he nearly wants to throw up.

He doesn’t think his feet are supposed to bend like that. He doesn’t think they are supposed to be that long either. His ankle isn’t supposed to be that high, nor his arch that long. While toons are naturally stretchy, dandy could feel his skin beginning to give way to the sudden growth, unable to adapt at such a rapid pace. He could begin to see a black coating underneath. He doesn’t think muscles look like that either.

The shape vaguely reminds him of a animal’s leg,

Dandy quickly turns his head around. Change in plans- he needs to find an employee. To hell with his plan of secrecy- he’d rather have at least a chance at living! He screams out for help, for anyone really, his handler, one of the employees, he’d even take up his chances with a janitor at this point.

His voice echos across the halls, and he doubts anyone hears him.

So now he crawls towards the door, though it is less crawling and more so just dragging his body against the cold tile floor. He could downright feel the skin throw thinner and thinner.

Snap!

Something slid off his foot.

Dandy already knew what it was. He was already shrieking- hands grasping onto his petals for any semblance of comfort. His hands could only remain on the petals for so long before even that became painful.

Focus. He needed to get help-

Thus, he dragged himself forward like a wounded animal escaping an inevitable fate. The door was so close now- he just needs muster the willpower to get up and reach-

It was only now dandy is beginning to realize the sorry state of his hands. His thumbs were slowly being shriveled up to the point of being absolutely useless. He could feel something lurking just under the flesh of his hands- not like the ichor which coats his body under his skin. It does not stretch his skin until it snaps, rather, it slices through the skin rather effortlessly- a much more merciful agony but still agony nonetheless.

…

Dandy now has three sharp digits on each hand, slowly twitching as he holds one hand up to his face. Each digit represents a color of the rainbow, like his petals…

Maybe dandy would have found it cute if he didn’t feel like he was dying.

… at least now that’s the worst of his problems. The pain from his feel was beginning to subside, and he could tolerate the horrors his hands are undergoing, he might be fine if he can just-

…

it’s like he’s getting too large for his skin. All at once, it’s like he’s tripled in size. The strain is far too much to bear- and dandy is completely lost in the agony and haze beginning to engulf him.

Bones shatter. Skin tears like ribbons

Dandy’s very likeness, torn to shreds, a monster left in its place.

He wants to wake up. He wants to hug pebbles tightly right now. He wants to see the others- he wants to see Astro-

But no. This is his punishment by some sick god.

By the time it is over, dandy does not have the strength to continue, and collapses.

…

The monster comes to, and it quickly gets on its feet. The fluorescents above it hurt its red eyes, and it squints. It appears to be in a hallway of some sort. How it got there does not matter to it.

Not much matters to it. Besides a simple instruction; kill those not like it.

And thank god it can hear someone coming.

~~~

He’s okay guys he’ll learn how to change himself back and learn how to be conscious during the whole thing.

Now I can finally rest

[mirrored-movements]

Go with the Flow

(Miguel O'Hara x Reader)

Synopsis: What happens when you're stuck in another dimension with someone calling you their mom and someone else calling you their wife? You certainly recognized him- but he wasn't your Miguel.

Warnings: None, honestly had no clue where this was going Tbh

Getting spit out of the portal in some random alleyway wasn’t exactly ideal-but worse things have happened, such as the damage done to your dimensional travel watch.

For them being designed by scientists they weren’t as durable as you’d hoped, the item currently glitching out hindering your ability to open a portal and or contact anyone.

Great.

With a disgruntled sigh your mask deactivated, the nanotech retreating away. The rest of your suit quickly shifted into civilian clothes, your fingers still trying feebaly to activate something.

At least you weren’t glitching out. That was the only plus side you could see at the moment besides having been thrown into a vacant alleyway- you didn’t even know what dimension you’d landed in.

Grumbling some more under your breath you turned on your heel, regardless of whether or not you were stranded there had to be something you could do- to either get back or get into contact with someone who could then possibly bring you back.

Stepping out of the alleyway your eyes took in the city; it was reminiscent of classic New York, no flying cars, futuristic outfits, people looked relatively normal- you’d say you ended up somewhere similar to Peters or Gwens dimension.

Continuing to wonder around you’d occasionally peer down at your watch, hope flickering like a flame whenever a phantom vibration happened only for that feeling to become snuffed out as nothing new flashed across the screen.

It was times like this where you’d regretted not asking to partner up- especially when there were a few who’d often offer their assistance.

You could handle it, was always the answer you gave then.

So much for that.

Not only was there an anomaly running around in some other dimension but you were stuck here, for an undefined amount of time.

Lovely.

Finding yourself coming across a store that sold TV’s your eyes scanned across the lit screen, the news currently covering what was described as ‘a vigilante hero’- or what you were more familiar with, ‘a spider variant.’ 

Who it was? You dodn’t know, nor did you recognize leading you to assume they weren’t appart of the spider-society- little bit of a bummer there seeing as you couldn’t just find them for help. Not like you knew where they were anyways.

The hairs on the back of your neck raised.

“Mom!” Your head twisted to the side at the sound of a childs voice, heart skipping a beat for a second as a small form quickly bounded your way. The little girls arms quickly moving to wind around you all the while her face pressed into the stomach of your sweater. “We thought you were working today?”

Her head tilted up, (E/C) hues staring wonderously up at you while unruly brown locks surrounded her tanned face. There was something about her that had your brain buzzing, something familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

Hovering your hands over the girls back you felt unsure of what to do; clearly there was a variant of yourself in this dimension that had a kid and now that kid is currently mistaking you for them.

“Uh I was, but they let me off early.” Finally deciding to speak you let out an awkward laugh, one hand moving to pat the girls shoulder gently.

Her expression seemed to lighten up at your words, the little girl beginning to bounce in place nearly shaking you back and forth from the motion. “Really? Then that means you can come to the part with us!”

Us?

“Ella, give your mom some space.” 

Your head tilted up at the new yet familiar voice, eyes following the tall frame of a familiar brunette. His frame dawned a simple pair of jeans and hoodie, eyes appearing more brown than the wine tinted ones you were usually familiar with; extended canines missing from the mans smile.

Your heart fluttered lightly, mind almost mistaking this man as the one you were close with- however that was anything but the truth.

He was Miguel but he wasn’t the Miguel you knew.

The girl, or Ella as you’ve come to learn her name pulled away. Lips still pulled into a gleeful smile as she instead moved to grasp your hand in her own. The action just as quick as the man nearing enough to throw an arm over your shoulder, lips pressing a quick peck to your cheek despite the clear way your shoulder’s tensed up.

Noting this he passed you a worries glance, hand squeezing your shoulder softly in an almost reassuring manner, gradually pulling you and Ella along the sidewalk. “Everything alright at work mi vida?”

Swallowing down the butterflies that quickly flittered about within your stomach you reminded yourself that this was your variants life, this was a different dimension and everyone here was a different variant.

Willing yourself to smile you glanced towards him, “Just the usual, coworkers and the system and stuff.” Beginning with that you added on quickly trying to figure out what the other ‘you’ would answer with- or rather what was something generic enough that it could fly beneath anyones radar. “The coffee machine was down so I’m a bit tired.”

His head tilted at this, mouth opening. “But you don’t like coffee?”

Shit.

“Oh well I mean my coworkers were upset about it so I had to deal with a lot of cranky people,” You forced a laugh, “You know how some people can be without their caffeine.”

“Dad’s cranky without coffee.” Piping in from where she stood beside you Ella let out a laugh, her mind presumably associating that thought with another. “Remember when you hid all the coffee when he forgot your birthday? That was so funny.”

“I didn’t forget it,” His arm dropped from your shoulder and instead tenderly held your other hand. “I was just planning a surprise party.”

Ella didn’t seem to believe it and just stuck out her tongue, the man doing the same.

It was strange really; this wasn’t your dimension and despite how close you felt with your Miguel- this one wasn’t yours, and Ella wasn’t your child. However at the moment, you felt a little obligated to act along- for the sake of your own variant of course.

“And how did that surprise party go?”

Lighting up at the tone you’d used Ella giggled. “Bad! Super bad!”

“It wasn’t!” He tried to defend himself quickly but at the insistence of his daughter and the tender smile that crept across your face he yielded quickly. Just simply shaking his head with a gentle laugh.

After a little more banter- some you tried to join in on- you all eventually arrived at the park, quickly finding yourself pushing Ella on one of the swings. The other Miguel watching from the side as he leaned against the structures support beams.

Sparing him a quick glance your eyes snapped away at the payful wink he’d given you- your Miguel would rather roll his eyes than wink if you so much as breathed in his direction. Albeit he was still kind but in a tough love kind of sense.

Ending up spending awhile at the park playing various little games, you began to dread the next one. Especially considering it was apparently something that the other ‘you’ had made up and it’d be a major red flag if the current you didn’t remember it.

However your saving grace came in the form of the other Miguel’s phone ringing, his lips downturning softly before curling back up. “Looks like work needs me.” His tone was apologetic, arms coming right away to give Ella a quick hug as she ran over. His attention moving onto you as you neared, the mans arms enveloping you much like he had with his daughter.

There was an unfamiliarity to the action, but you just patted the back of his sweater lightly hoping that that’d suffice. “I should be back home in the morning. Okay mi vita?”

“Yeah that’s fine, do what you need to do.” A boxy smile had come to rest across your lips, cheeks heating up as he once again gave them a quick peck following it up with an adoring smile.

He must really love the ‘you’ of this world.

“Be good for mom,” Patting Ella’s head he ruffled her hair quickly, adding on once more before walking off. “Stinker.”

Right away calling out playful insults in response the little girl shook her head, attention moving back to you while she began insisting that you push her on the swings a few more times before leaving.

Now, you would have been fine watching over Ella for an hour or so by yourself, but having to find ‘your’ house? That was a much much different story- it was like a needle in a haystack and the only way you did end up finding the place was because you turned it into a game, having the small girl guide you the entire way there- as well as unlock the front door via a keypad.

“You’re so funny mom.” Watching you open and close all the cabinets Ella let out a laugh, the bowl of mac’n cheese sitting before her was left untouched as you searched through the kitchen for where the cutlery was stored. 

Finally finding where it was kept you gave yourself a mental high-five, handing over the girls desired utensil before leaning back against the counter.

Being a fake mom was hard.

Trying to take a moment to compose yourself your ears picked up the sound of the front door opening, heart rate picking up a little at the prospect of it being your other variant however when another figure stepped in did you pause.

“Dad’s back!” Sliding off of the stood she sat on Ella right away bolted towards the man, her small arms wrapping around him quickly.

However much like you had earlier in the day, he didn’t return it right away. Instead his gaze flickered up to you, (E/C) hues meeting with wine tinted hues.

Your heart fluttered.

“Yeah I’m back kiddo,” His eyes drifted back down to the girl then back up to you as if trying to signify an unspoken question.

Pushing away from the counter seeing that Ella had released the man you couldn’t help but give him a hug of your own- but in relief and to keep up the act for her. “How was work? Didn’t seem like they needed you for that long?”

Picking up on the implication Miguel allowed his own arms to wrap around you, “It was just for a bit, but I might have to head back soon.”

Nodding to signify your understanding you both parted from the intimate gesture; Ella right away making it apparent on what time it was with a loud yawn.

“Looks like somebody’s tired.”

“No I’m-” Her defense was interrupted by another yawn, you right away taking this as your chance to bring her towards where you discovered her room was earlier. “Wait, I want dad to tuck me in today.”

At the mention of that your head turned back towards where Miguel stood stiffly, his mouth opening to decline before seeing the way you stared.

Sucking in a breath he moved to take the small girls shoulder from you, the facade of a caring parent taking over as he’d disappeared into the hallway. “Right of course, lets get you to bed then.”

Now knowing that this was the Miguel you knew, you waited anxiously for his return to the livingroom. You almost instinctually coming to hug the man once again as he emerged from the hallway minutes later.

“It’s so good to see an actual familiar face- you wouldn’t believe the day I had.” Muffling that out into the shirt of his civilian clothes you basked in his presence for a second, mind somehow blocking out the embarrassment until you’d pulled away. An apologetic yet flustered smile made it’s way onto your lips. “Uh sorry about that.”

“Don’t be,” Shaking his head while saying that he took in a breath. “I’m glad youre alright,” Holding out a hand he motioned towards the wrist containing your watch, the device being raised enough for him to view the damage. “I wasn’t able to find you sooner because of the damage done, so I had to get Lyla to run your signature through the system.”

“Well, better late than never. I felt like I was playing house here.” Although you meant it as a joke, the domestic theme of the day made you a little melancholic- knowing that normality was something you’d never have the luxury of having. “Well, was playing house.”

“You seemed into it though.” 

At the comment you gave him a look, the man unable to let out a mix between a chuckle and laugh. “Anyways. We should get going. Any longer here and we might cause a disturbance.”

“Wait- we can’t just leave her alone in the house? What kind of fake parents would we be?”

Upon mentioning the girl, Miguel let out a short huff. “Well, what do you have in mind then?”

“We wait for the other me to come home, and then you’ll get a ‘call from work.”

Pondering over the suggestion he wanted to decline right away, the thought of impersonating someone again left a bad taste in his mouth-however the paternal instincts deep within told him to just listen.

Which is what you both did.

Your variant came home about an hour later, her expression bidding Miguel a tired greeting followed by a peck on the cheek before merely heading to bed.

A little easier than you thought it was going to be. But hey, now you two could leave that place.

You never knew how much you missed HQ until the smooth walls and floors welcomed you, the glowing yellow screens of Miguel’s workplace and the holographic form of Lyla were comforting- especially once the Ai began chatting aimlessly.

The conversation halting as Miguel spoke up from where he leaned over a desk, “I didn’t know a dimension like that existed.” It was as though his brain took a step back from processing things then they were happening, the man thinking back to his late daughter and then the daughter he’d just met.

She had the perfect mix of the both of you- (E/C) hues and brown hair, your nose and his smile.

“I didn’t know either until I landed there,” Musing that out you let out a sigh. “She was cute right?”

Casting his gaze back at where you sat his lips tilted up softly, “She was.”

“She definitely got it from her mom.”

You were stunned at this, mouth falling open before closing. Eyes rolling faintly in response however without verbally saying anything he took that as a win.

Moving away from his desk he trailed towards where you sat, hand coming to brush some of your hair aside nuzzling his nose into the crown of your head- a gesture you were familiar with.

This was your Miguel after all.

Humming lowly he pecked for head, lips murmuring against it afterwards.

“We should think about it.”

“We should.”

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

<Unedited>

Can you tell I like dad Miguel?

[duhragonball]

Chainsaw Man ch. 86-90

The shocking answers to all your existential dancing questions INSIDE!

Okay, so last time Makima basically laid out her true agenda, which is to either take control of Chainsaw Man's reality altering powers, or to die to Chainsaw Man in the attempt.

According to her, the Chainsaw Devil was the one even other devils feared, because when Chainsaw killed one of them, they stayed dead, instead of reincarnating. But devils in this world are manifestations of humanity's collective fear of a particular thing, so the only way to destroy a devil forever is to also destroy the very concept they embody. So in this universe there used to be a historical event called "World War II", which gave rise to a "World War II Devil", I guess. Then Chainsaw Devil killed that guy, and now World War II never happened.

Makima, aka the Control Devil, seems to be the only one who remembers these changes, and she knows Chainsaw Man is responsible for them, so she wants to take that power for herself and control it, natch.

I am not sure if she actually knows how to accomplish this. The Chainsaw Devil became Pochita and merged with Denji back in Chapter 1, and Makima seems to view this as an obstacle. Everything she's done since chapter 1 has been designed to undermine the contract between Pochita and Denji, but they're still combined, you know?

Also, Makima admits that she might lose and get destroyed by Chainsaw Man, so there's a sense of fatalism to her campaign. She's just sort of doing stuff and it's not clear if she cares if it works. She ordered Chainsaw Man to save her from the Hell Devil, and then he got cast down to Hell, and then he made it back, but then he attacked Makima instead of saving her. So I'm not sure what to make of it.

None of this really explains why Chainsaw Man is terrorizing a fast food place in Chapter 85. I think the idea here is that Denji is taking a back seat in this merger, and now we're seeing a more "pure" version of the Chainsaw Devil, without Denji's humanity to temper its actions. It still has Pochita's desire to experience Denji's dreams, though, and Denji once expressed a desire to eat a burger, so I think this is Pochita trying to do that on his own. The problem is that the Chainsaw Devil can't talk or do much of anything without carving up everything around him.

Coincidentally, Kobeni works at this burger joint, since she resigned from Public Safety. I'm not sure she recognizes this new (old?) version of Chainsaw Man, but either way, she's too afraid of it to serve it hamburgers without tripping and dropping the order. Her boss wonders if this is all an elaborate Candid Camera bit, because... well, it probably would make more sense than what is actually happening. Chainsw decapitates him. I'm not sure if this is accidental or not.

Kobeni finally manages to get the food to Chainsaw, who eats it, then recalls Denji's longing to go on a date. Chainsaw would like to do that too, but where would he find a girl to go out with him? Oh, there's one on his left. Perfect!

The bigger question is: Why is Chainsaw bothering with this at all? I think the idea here is that he lacks the sapience that Denji had. Not that Denji was a genius or anything, but he would probably understand that he didn't actually finish off Makima earlier, and he wouldn't just wander off to fool around with Kobeni. Then again, maybe seeking out Kobeni is exactly what he'd do in this situation. Just about everyone else he knows is dead. Denji and Kobeni were never close, but who else has he got left?

Anyway, he makes her dance on some arcade machine and when a Devil Hunter shows up to intervene, he kills that guy. I'm not sure he was in Public Safety or just a civilian hunter, but he had no idea what he was getting into.

Then he just sits around on a rooftop and Makima confronts him again. I think she's been following him for a little while now, and he's finally realized it. Or maybe all that stuff with Kobeni was just him killing time while he waited for Makima to make a move.

This time, Makima has a new squad to back her up. Some of these faces are familiar. Qwanxi, Reze, and the sword guy who was the grandson of the Yakuza guy Denji used to work for. But there's four others making their debut here.

This kind of irritates me, because the returning characters all seemed to be dead, and the implication here is that the other four were also guys we've seen before. I thought the girl was Angel Devil because of the hair and the jacket sleeves flopping around, but she's got her arms crossed and she's just wearing the jacket like a cape. And I thought the blonde guy might be the one who used the Stone Devil Power from a while back. But no, they're all new characters, yet they're presented like callbacks we're supposed to recognize.

Also, it's unclear whether Reze, Quanxi, and the sword guy are back from the dead or simply got brainwashed like everyone else. I enjoyed Reze and Quanxi from before, but this comeback is kind of weak because they're just stooges for Makima now, with no interest in their original motives.

Makima explains this, although I'm not sure Chainsaw is really capable of understanding what she's saying. It sure seemed like Reze and the others had a similar deal to Denji, where they weren't devils or humans or fiends, but a secret fourth thing. Makima confirms that they are indeed a secret fourth thing, and the reason it's a secret is because Chainsaw Man erased that secret fourth thing the same way he erased World War II.

Except... he kind of didn't, because Reze and the others are still here. The name was erased, but they're still around, somehow. The Chainsaw Man wiki calls them "hybrids", so that's as good a name as any. Maybe that's how they survived the erasure. Devils can merge with living humans, clearly, but maybe there's more than one way to do it, and Chainsaw erased one method but not the other. These seven hybrids and Chainsaw Man still exist because they were created with that other process, and Makima isn't aware of the distinction.

Or this erasure thing is bullshit. I mean, Chainsaw Man killed the Gun Devil, right? But there's still guns. Kishibe's group shot Makima earlier today. Chainsaw Man killed the Zombie Devil, but everyone still remembers zombies. Hell, some of Zombie Devil's own zombies were still around weeks after that battle.

So is there some loophole to this? Did Chainsaw Devil's erasure power only work before Pochita merged with Denji? Is that why Makima is trying to separate them? It's the only thing that makes sense to me. She already had Denji under her thumb before, so all of this would have been unnecessary if Denji could fit into her plans.

And maybe this is why Pochita merged with Denji. Perhaps, instinctively, he realized that the hybrids are indestructible enough that they can survive erasure, so combining with Denji would thwart Makima's plans.

I say this because Makima speaks of a battle between Chainsaw Devil, the "Weapon Devils", and the Four Horsemen. I'm pretty sure "Weapon Devils" refers to the seven hybrids under her control right now. As for the Four Horsemen, I went ahead and looked that up on the Chainsaw Man Wiki, and found out Makima is one of them. I wasn't entirely surprised to find that out.

Okay, some Bible triva for you: The Four Horsemen are not "War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death", as depicted in popular culture. The ones depicted in the Book of Revelation are actually named "War, Famine, Conquest, and Death." Conquest has been interpreted as Pestilence over the centuries, and I'm probably not qualified to weigh in on that discussion, but it's pretty clear that Makima is more akin to a conqueror than an infectious disease.

The reason it doesn't surprise me too much to learn all of this is because when Makima explained her plan to Kishibe, she spoke of using Chainsaw's power to erase other problems faced by humanity: war, hunger, and death. It seemed kind of odd to me that she name-dropped three horsemen without the fourth. I'm kind of a mark for this sort of thing so it sticks out when I see it. And it dawned on me that Makima wouldn't want to eliminate conquest because it's kind of her whole thing. So maybe that makes her the fourth horseman. Turns out I was onto something.

And I suppose Makima does sort of tie in to pestilence since she uses vermin to spy on her enemies, and she has that contract with the Prime Minister of Japan to undo her own deaths in exchange for the lives of random Japanese citizens. That's kind of like a plague.

Where was I? Oh, right. So Chainsaw Devil was fighting those eleven guys, then diapered. Makima says they couldn't find him, and that was because he had changed into an unrecognizable, near-death form. This was almost certainly Pochita, and that probably explains why the li'l guy was wounded when Denji first saw him.

So now, Makima can pick up this battle where they left off. Well, without the other three horsemen, apparently. You'd think they'd take an interest in this business, especially since Makima is actively plotting to eliminate them.

I have to say, this battle is kind of... blah for me. Reze and Quanxi were awesome, but Makima's brainwashing just makes them ordinary, especially with five other goons using the same kind of powers. These designs are pretty decent on their own, but part of what made Quanxi work was the way she was totally nude and her arrow stuff conveniently covered up her naughty bits. Reze fought in her barista clothes and then her undies, which was also kind of unique in this series. But now everyone's in a suit and tie, and it kind of falls flat.

The concept here is stretched kind of thin, because all eight of these characters are basically the same idea: a human figure with weapons for their head and arms. Gun Fiend was basically the same deal too, so that makes nine. It reminds me of that joke about how death metal bands all have white logos written in an illegible font. There was a list of bands at some show, and the only one you could read or really notice was "Party Cannon", which had this cutesy colorful logo because it was a My Little Pony reference.

And right now, Makima is Party Cannon, because she's literally the only one in this battle who doesn't look like a scribbly figure covered in screentone. Chainsaw defeats some of the hybrids, but the rest of them combine their attacks and Makima uses her own fingergun thing to try to drive him higher and higher into the air.

So she's going for a Battle Tendency strategy, which I certainly appreciate, but does she seriously expect Chainsaw Man to asphyxiate up there? I mean, if it was this simple, why not lure him into an enclosed space full of nitrogen? He'd suffocate before he realized anything was wrong.

But it's not that simple. Chainsaw just rips his own heart out and tosses it back down to the battlefield. On the way down, it grows back a new everything and I guess the old body dies or whatever.

Once he gets back down, he snares the remaining enemies in chains and...

Hooray, he won! Well, no. He didn't. None of this battle really mattered.

Chainsaw goes right back to where he left Kobeni and makes her dance some more, and then Makima shows up and asks why he doesn't eat her? Wait, is that how it's supposed to work? Chainsaw Devil has to eat a devil to erase what it stands for? No, wait, it can't work that way, but we'll get into that later.

So it's a stalemate, or so it would seem, except Makima has another card to play. Kobeni's fear of Chainsaw Man has diminished somewhat, and this is important because...

... the rest of the world really loves Chainsaw Man. By now, news has spread that the Gun Devil is finally dead, and everyone is grateful to Chainsaw Man for finishing him off. He's a hero! But if devils get their power from humanity's fear, then that means...

Yeah, Chainsaw Man is losing strength. All Makima has to do now is... the exact same thing she did before... and she'll win, because Chainsaw is too weak to resist.

Well, not the exact same thing. This time she just uses Angel Devil's power to make super weapons and throws a big spear down at Kobeni. She knows Chainsaw will step in to protect her, and that takes him down. So it's over, right? Wrong.

Remember Power? She's dead, though. Well, not quite, and Pochita asks her to help.

A while back, Power had Denji drink some of her blood, and this blood is still inside Denji's body, so even though Power's body was destroyed by Makima, a small portion of her lives on inside Denji. That won't last for long, but Pochita proposes that she drink some of his blood, which will... gee this is confusing.

Oh, okay, this is like how devils would eat the Gun Devil flesh to get a power boost. Power is weak, but if she eats some Chainsaw Man flesh she'll get strong enough to help. And she readily agrees because...

... Denji is her buddy. See, this is a really beautiful moment, because the two of them were assigned to work together by Makima, as part of her master plan to build up and tear down Denji's happiness and self-esteem. But what she failed to consider was that their friendship would also change Power into a better person, someone who would upset Makima's plans when she least expected it.

So Makima advances toward the fallen Chainsaw Man, who coughs up blood that turns out to be... whatever this is. Well, it's Power jacked up on Chainsaw Man flesh, but wow.

Makima gets the HOT TAG and she's a HOUSE OF FIRE, but it doesn't take long for Makima to take back the initiative.

She summons zombies to attack and I guess Makima was in control of the Zombie Devil too? All I know is that I don't like what that one zombie is doing near Makima's crotch.

Soon, the tide turns against Power, and Makima commands her to surrender Chainsaw Man to her. Power... agrees immediately. Aw, you let Pochita down! Or did she?

[fairykazu]

never be the one to lose - same side of the same coin༉‧₊˚.

EONS ADRIFT: scaramouche x gn! reader

masterlist

you have been thinking for a while. that even though you know he returned your feelings, and you’ve noticed when he looks at you differently. not a murderous glint he usually has and certainly not, the annoyed look he always gave you when you pester him. but you can’t bring yourself to point it out because then everything would change. your content for the relationship you has with scaramouche anyway. even so, you would be shunned in your family for dating someone in the fatui. not just someone, the sixth fatui harbinger.

you experienced a bunch of love before. platonic, attraction and familial. but romantic? you have never experienced it right. not sure why but maybe your parents’ treatment of you is to blame. but when you befriended scaramouche, it is as if your brain chemistry was changed. not exactly changed. just different than you've ever known.

but scaramouche was able to slither the cracks of your heart. even though you had plenty of lovers before, none of them were able to go beyond the surface. beyond the bubbly performance you played and they always leave when your facade’s curtains close. they only enjoyed the show, never the actor.

you’re sure that scaramouche has experienced more than you with decades of experience behind him. you only have roughly twenty years. he must have known someone better than you. in every way. you prayed that he would stop loving you and move on. he deserves someone so much better than someone so insecure. insecure of the way they love.

he has big dreams of being a god, but he hasn’t told you the reason why he wanted to be a god. he’s immortal, isn’t he? wouldn’t that be enough? if you were immortal, you would try to make the best of it but then again, you think you wouldn’t make it if you’re immortal. seeing everyone die around you– you winced. yeah, no. if his feelings or your feelings developed into something more, something established. you’ll never know how it would even happen or work. therefore, you will never be the one to confess nor will he.

but he’s in your lap, sleeping blissfully. you might’ve broken down his walls, but he hasn’t to you. you tucked a strand of hair behind his ear as he shifted in his sleep. you smiled as he tucked himself closer to you. maybe trying to get more warmth from you. reaching from the other side of the couch, you pulled a teal blanket over him. it's a blanket you bought for home, but it became the designated scaramouche blanket whenever he came over. wait, isn’t this the opposite of what i intended to do? you paused.

you tried to convince yourself, but it was hardly working anymore. no, it’s not me indulging. this is platonic. as you stated before, you're incapable of loving and scaramouche is lightyears beyond you. as a god or whatever being, he wanted to be. you're unable to assist him or anything he want in that nearby future. but as you looked at his lips, thumb hovering above it. before your train of thoughts could reach you, you swiped on his lips. yep... so platonic. scaramouche shifted in your lap as his eyes fluttered open, “what happened?” his hand lingered on his lip as you looked the other direction.

he tugged the blanket over him more so you could only see his purple irises looking at you. “there was a fly on your lip. i tried to get it off.” you tried to persuade him with your weak excuse. even though, the twitch on his brow showed that he knew you were lying. he didn’t say anything about it,

his voice muffled due to the blanket over him. “okay, just shoo it off next time." the sixth harbinger laid asleep on your lap like as if he was a housecat. not a murderer who has slaughtered millions. not that you mind though. he needs mora, right? the alarming thoughts of you crossing the promise you made to yourself came back. you tried to soothe yourself as scaramouche's hand was placed over yours. as if he knew this would happen. like how you tried to persuade scaramouche with a weak excuse, you tried to excuse yourself with your own.

i’m not indulging in this. you told yourself.

but as always, you were lying every time.

[nmoroder]

Good day to you. Can I ask about some characters? There wasn't much information about Glenn, Maleeh and Alto, but I was really wondering if there was anything you'd like to tell about them? Anything, really. For example, What was Glenn able to do with Neverhood's limitations? Do his ideas usually end up as blueprints for the least feasible inventions? And I don't know what exactly to ask about Alto and Maleeh - there isn't much lore about them as far as I remember... but it would be interesting to know more!

Hiii welcome back to another episode of recalling what ive created several years ago! ::D anyway, you're right and there's a severe lack of info in my writings abt OCs other than Shuffle because of his crucial role in Crowns and Revelations story. I'll try to recover something i thought over though, so here goes.

Glenn is the more well-thought character out of all others i guess, mostly because of his also important role in CaR (yeah most of my OCs get development because they end up in a story and it progresses around them and forces them to do something). I mentioned that he's some sort of local Da Vinci and this also meant that a fair lot of his ingenious stuff ends up on paper as either blueprints or written ideas, all that. However he doesn't give up and whenever it's possible, he works on a way to simplify the constructions so that they may be implemented with Neverhood's resources - that being the spaceship he built that Klogg and Klaymen used for space travel. It's a very simple version built with scrap essentially, and still it persisted throughout theit whole journey there and back.

One funny thing about Glenn is that he likes to invent stuff but doesn't want to be a creator in a sense of Hoborg's status. It was mentioned in CaR summary that Hoborg talked to Glenn about passing the crown to him in case of need, and Glenn declined saying that he doesn't want to be a creator, rather a builder. The thing is, it mostly takes Hoborg to think of something he wants to create and to have the materials needed, but for Glenn the joy of building is essential. That's also what Alto thinks about the process - this is what they were both born with, a passion for constructing. However Alto is more of a handyman kind of guy, he's among the strongest Hoodians and it helps him greatly while assisting Glenn. In return, Glenn tries to teach Alto some of the basics he uses for designing and building his creations, and they've developed their own sort of language that others don't really understand. Like, a nerd and his loyal assistant, in their own world of inventing.

Maleeh is probably closest of all Hoodians to my own personality and i think he's my window into that klay world. As mentioned, he's a stark contrast to Shuffle but he also is his best and probably only true friend - Shuffle doesn't talk much to others on personal matters. Maleeh is a pretty friendly one but not overly so; he's polite and lighthearted towards everyone at first sight and may change his behavior as he sees more of the newly met person. However one of his greatest flaws is inability to be idle, to do nothing or to think about nothing. Whereas Shuffle puts all this into something he find useful, Maleeh thinks less of the work and more of the leisure but when there's none, he's practically dying of boredom. His mind suffers from idleness and that's why he's happy to go wreck any sort of (peaceful) havok just so that his mind will be occupied. It's something he shared with Shuffle and tried to overcome to a degree, those efforts aren't futile but the process requires patience. Maleeh isn't a fool but also not a genius, and also is kinda naive about certain things people around him do; he was the first one to be attacked by Klogg on the Pin Island as he brought the man food, believing him to be somewhat docile and have no bad intentions. He was also very reluctant to believe that Shuffle indeed did the prohibited and put on the crown, even though it was the last-ditch effort to help Hoborg anyhow; it came into a violent conflict with his perception of Shuffle and he spent quite some time coming to terms with this.

Also worth mentioning that in the worst case, if none of the four space travelers hadn't returned from the trip to Klay Mountain, Maleeh would've been the first to vouch to help Glenn build another spaceship and venture into space even blindly - just to try and do something about this situation. He hates just idly waiting and often wants to take action, but most of the time there's someone who can handle the situation better, so he just stays on the sidelines so to speak. In a worst case scenario, he'd be the first in line for the task. Glenn on the other hand wouldn't venture out into space even for testing out his own inventions - he's terribly afraid of getting lost out there on his own, and at the same time he doesn't want to put anyone else's life at risk by coming together to assist him (Alto, for example). So Glenn is more than happy to let others test his machines, if only that's out of free will. Good thing Klogg didn't know that Glenn doesn't test his inventions himself.

[jumpthatjump]

wip, spoilers for infinite wealth

Gonna start posting work in progress fics here. I'm hoping it motivates me to finish them.

Title: Hawaii...2! Pairing: Eiji/Ichiban Word Count: 600 Rating: E, for now Part one of ? Summary: The two of them are re-doing a Hawaiian vacation--properly this time. (First thing: getting shave ice)

Notes: This is nice boy Eiji, and maybe a little sad boy Eiji since it's post game. Eiji stared at the shave ice menu, confused. “This is what you wanted to show me?”

Ichiban had been excited on their trip back to Hawaii--a do over, he had said, just the two of them, he had promised. Going around on a real Hawaiian vacation with none of the bad stuff– hopefully, he had added with a sheepish smile. 

And one of the first places they went was Matsumoto's shave ice, to which Ichiban pointed to the ‘Ichiban Special’ being offered. 

“Isn't this cool?” He took out his phone and held it out to him. “Take a picture of me and the menu.” Then his eyes widened like he just got a great idea. “No, wait!” He took Eiji by the shoulder, guiding him to stand next to him. “The both of us!”

Pressed up against the other man's side, Eiji barely managed a passing smile. It still felt awkward how easily Ichiban forgave him for everything, how he would endlessly offer kind, supportive words anytime Eiji felt guilty and protested.

That's why this is a do over, Ichiban had said earlier with a smile, while Eiji had insisted,

That's not how things work!

And Ichiban gave him an easy reply of, Well, it's good enough for me.

Remembering that exchange, Eiji sighed. If Ichiban was going to do all this for him, for them, then he could try as well. 

He shoved his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. “I guess if I saw my name on a restaurant menu, I'd want to try it, too.”

“Exactly.” Ichiban grinned, pleased at being understood. He put his phone away. “What flavor do you want?” The full list was over 30 choices long. “There's so many!”

Eiji glanced at him. Ichiban was squinting, eyes roving over words like Li hing mui, Lilikoi, and Pickled mango. He looked serious. They could only choose one flavor, after all, and he had to make it count, apparently. Eiji looked lower, unable to not get distracted by the other’s attire. Ichiban’s shirt was not the same one from before, this design a simple white sea shell pattern this time, but the rest of it was still a bright vibrant red. 

…What flavor was red?

Ichiban nudged him, an elbow touching his. “Let's get something blue. You like blue, right?”

He did. The shirt under his gray hoodie was plain blue. But he gave him an amused look anyway. 

“I don't think you're supposed to choose based on your favorite color.”

Ichiban’s eyes widened like he had been insulted. “That is exactly how you choose! At least, you know,” he rubbed at his neck, “for the first time you try something new.”

“I hope you’re not thinking about coming back to try every flavor.” Ichiban grinned at him, and Eiji sighed. “You would, wouldn’t you?”

“We gotta get Blue Pineapple.”

There were other blue choices, like Blue Raspberry, even Ramune. “We don’t have to make every choice Hawai’i-related, you know.”

Ichiban shot him such a sad look, that Eiji immediately back peddled, but he tried to sound casual about it. 

“But I can see the appeal. It’s not every day we can do this.”

“I know it’s touristy,” Ichiban said in a way that made it clear that he was enjoying every moment of this. “But there’s a certain charm to it, especially when you share it with those you care about.”

Eiji went quiet at that, because he was not going to get emotional over shave ice, and he nodded in agreement when Ichiban went up to the counter to order. 

[verdemoth]

i got invited into @skies-seas space headworld a while back and offered my beloved immortal space captain from spore 2008. and then it took me several months to finalize a design for them/their species

Captain Sondetten was once just a guy, but is now a spaceship puppeting around a clone of their old body. This is because they made the mistake of captaining the first expedition beyond their home star, and the first to encounter sapient alien life. Now they are not a person to the empire, they’re a living symbol progress and expansion and conquest and they can’t be allowed to die. So when they did, solutions were found. [more under readmore]

Several centuries later, Sondetten is still kicking. The same mind, more or less. They’ve accumulated so many memories that after a certain point, it was easier to transfer their mind into servers aboard their ship. Easier for the empire to maintain digital backups for when the ship is destroyed and needs to be rebuilt. Easier to filter out extraneous data that would only take up valuable space.

Son’s none too thrilled with their lot in life. Everything they do has political consequences that can make or break an alliance. Despite their influence they can’t do anything to change their situation. They don’t recognize the world they were born on. They can’t remember the names or faces of their countless dead friends. They’ve mostly stopped making friends, as no one else can understand fully what they’ve experienced. They’re a ghost haunting their own ship, which is more their true self now than the flesh they wear for the sake of being presentable.

In this shared setting, Son finally snapped and went rogue. They broke into a memory bank to hastily download a big file of that old ‘extraneous data’ (not a clean install, it’s not totally coherent or chronological but they’re glad to have the chance to invite old ghosts back in), then they made their exit and wrecked some shit on the way out, vanishing off to the other side of the galaxy. Son may have been a pacifist once but they’ve long since grown desensitized to violence.

There’s nothing stopping the empire from making another Sondetten, and becoming even more selective with what memories are returned to them to prevent this from happening again. But that’s a problem for that Sondetten, not this one. This Sondetten finally got away, and is for the first time in a long time somewhat mortal. They can make another body clone given enough time if the current one is killed, but if their ship is destroyed there will be no one to rebuild it and restore these memories. This Son will end if the ship dies, which is a novel experience.

In the meantime they’re trying to figure out how life works now in a place where they’re not being strangled by their own legacy. They arrive into the plot as just the ship with severe hull damage and some very atypical technology. They find themself put up as a grand prize to be won in some competition, which is not exactly what they were hoping for. They decide to play along for a time in hopes of getting free repairs, and only reveal themself as a sapient being when some folks try snooping into their memory servers or cloning process.

~ Anyway i made this species in spore in like 2012 or something? they were one of my main playthroughs and Sondetten is my go to when i’m playing the space stage :]

the original Maaydes + Sondie in game

i’ve been trying to draw/design the species but it took me sooooooo long to settle on what i wanted! the initial concept was marsupial + bird but it evolved past that. there’s plenty of thylacine in the jaw range of motion & general posture/body anatomy, but also some rodent proportions and upright posture. head cones from great crested grebe and austroraptor. wing anatomy and proportions are pterosaur, a single long digit supporting a membrane. with a wing covering of moth like scales. also a bit of pangolin but it’s more obvious on some subspecies than on Sond here

the idea is that the predecessors of this species had some kind of fur like covering, which over time changed into fused structures somewhere between a scale and a feather? they’re primarily equipped for insulation and ornamentation (colourful) but the wing scales help to provide lift, and there are larger variations that provide effective armour. stomach ‘plumage’ is more similar to the original ‘fur’

[guessimabasicnerdgirlnow]

Next is Venomous…

Disappointed that no Flash. I know he showed up in the last Venom War, but he didn’t do much yet, so I thought he would be here

Anyway

Misery has TOES. With CLAWS. And HIGH HEELS. What an awful design choice. Her heels are also the thin kind, which must be lovely to climb walls on

For reference, here is Sliver in a similarly awkward pose, who has a better choice in shoes

This really caught my eye, because they are both clearly meant to be sexy and so no one cares for what is practical. But Misery’s “shoes” are so much worse. I think it’s probably due to Sliver being just Natasha with a mask or something anyway.

Again, Sliver getting her own picture while the other symbiotes don’t is funny

They are so good to each other!!! Sliver is so caring and protective, what other symbiote gets to be so these days other than Symby!!! Everyone has selfish intentions or is secretly being controlled by a super villain or just inherently feeds the worst parts of the host!

And Natasha trying to bring her back from the zombie infection - it’s probably worth noting that the zombies infect other symbiotes too - was so!!

Yes, she survived because symbiotes don’t die, not for good. But she’s gone and it’s the end of this cycle for her. Natasha mourned her like she would other comrades! Because she sees her as she does other comrades!

In the story, there’s something to be said about the environment a symbiote grows in/their first host, and how they turn out. Carnage had Cletus, and became that. The Life Foundation had regular people as their first hosts, not specially noble or evil, but they were forced into those people and didn’t exactly develop a relationship. Except Scream, but Donna wasn’t in the best place mentally. None of them turned out evil, I will fight anyone who says otherwise, but they grew to be very susceptible to external influences (like Carnage or Knull). Sleeper had Eddie and became a lovely independent morally dubious cat. Sliver had Natasha who is not only a good person but who respected her as a person from the start, so she became a heroic symbiote who cared about her host and died doing the right thing

Yeah, I’m emotional