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fluentmoviequoter · 9 days ago

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Lip Gloss

Pairing: Adam Karadec x fem!detective!reader

Summary: Major Crimes inherits a smuggling case that you're perfect for. When you go undercover with Karadec, you're accused of lying, but not about the stolen cars you claim to have.

Warnings: fluff, banter, a couple suggestive comments, brief angst, canon typical danger, confessions, Rookie crossover (feat. a Chenford appearance)

Word Count: 4.5k+ words

A/N: extra special thanks and lots of love to @elephants-bubbles-brachosauruses🤍 thank you for helping me with this idea!

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Entering the Major Crimes bullpen a few minutes early, you’re wearing your favorite jacket and a smile. Karadec, Daphne, and Oz are sitting at their desks with their chairs turned away from one another, working on different projects and reports. The bullpen is quiet for once, and you sigh as you drop your bag into the large drawer at the bottom of your desk.

“Daph,” you whisper, rolling your chair toward her. “How’d last night go?”

Across from you, Karadec groans without stopping what he’s doing.

“Sorry,” you call. “I know how you feel about discussing personal lives at work… or ever. Would you like me to ask about yours, too?”

Karadec looks over his shoulder, so you place your chin on your palm and bat your eyelashes at him. You’ve been working together for years, so pushing him is fun. You respect Karadec, so you would never do something you knew he was truly uncomfortable with. His physical boundaries, for example, are no longer something you think about, just your second nature. The hand sanitizer bottles you keep stashed nearby for him are proof of that. Though you can’t be sure, you think Karadec knows that you care about him, and the teasing comes from a place of friendship.

“Can you focus?” Karadec asks.

“I can. But I can also ask Daphne about her date,” you counter.

Karadec shakes his head before he looks away. Then, Oz wheels his chair around the other side of Daphne’s desk to get in on the conversation.

“I don’t know why I try,” Karadec muses behind him.

“Look at that,” you say a moment later. “We’re done and getting back to work. See, Karadec, it wouldn’t kill you or your meticulous time management routine to have a little fun.”

“Speaking of fun,” Lieutenant Soto interrupts, “robbery/homicide is passing us a case.”

On cue, an officer wheels in a case board that has clearly been worked on by Melon. His poor handwriting and indecipherable organization style stand out as you squint, trying to make sense of it all.

“Exotic cars,” Oz says.

“Right.” Soto continues, “All of these cars have been stolen from Los Angeles County in the last three weeks, all without triggering any sort of alarms.”

“Those cars have GPS trackers,” you point out.

“They’re being disabled. The first two cars have come online again, however.”

“Where are they?” Daphne asks.

“Kenya,” Soto answers. “It’s most likely related to a smuggling ring. We’ve talked to HSI, but they’ve got their hands full with the cars they’re finding at the Port of Los Angeles every day. They were more than happy to pass it off to local but offered to assist however they can.”

“Pass what exactly off to local?” Karadec inquires.

“Preferably, we catch the criminals, thwart the robberies before they occur.”

“Sounds easy enough,” you murmur. “Also, not it on fixing the case board.”

“You never are,” Karadec grumbles.

“Hey, take that up with Melon,” you argue, pointing at him.

Karadec stares at you for a moment, then nods and turns around.

“Let’s get started,” Oz announces. “And I’m not it either, that’s a disaster.”

As you navigate to your email to find the reports Melon sent over, Karadec stands and walks to your side. You hum, inviting him to speak, but he waits until you look up at him.

“Could you stay tonight, work through HSI’s intel with me?” he murmurs. “We need to wrap this one up quickly.”

“Of course,” you answer softly. “And I don’t mind fixing the case board, either. Sorry for pushing you.”

Karadec shakes his head, the smallest hint of a smile flashing across his face before he returns to his desk.

A few miles from your station, a tattooed man raises a flat metal bar, glancing over his shoulder as he leans against a Lamborghini Murciélago. Directly behind that car, a dark grey Dodge Charger is parked.

“He’s stupid,” Sergeant Bradford, sitting in the driver’s seat, grumbles.

“We already knew that,” Officer Chen replies from beside him.

Bradford shakes his head as he opens the door. “Hey, Jake,” he calls.

The man turns, tucking the Slim Jim behind his back.

“That won’t work,” Chen says. “Newer cars don’t lock the same way.”

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” Jake responds.

“Why a Lambo?” Bradford demands.

“I… You’ll make a deal again, right?” Jake asks, stepping toward the cops. “Because these guys will kill me if they find out I helped you.”

“We’ll do our best.”

“Okay.” Jake sighs, then asks, “Can she put the cuffs on me?”

“Not now,” Bradford answers, pushing Jake against the hood of the Charger a little rougher than necessary. “You’re under arrest for grand theft auto.”

“The quote-unquote cheapest car on this list is a Bentley Continental,” you say, sliding a picture down the number line you’ve drawn on the case board. “It’s a 2015, still worth $80,000.”

Oz whistles while you pull a pink sticky tab from your desk and place it on the map to mark the location the car was stolen from.

"The most expensive is a Koenigsegg Regera, just purchased from a dealership in North Carolina for three million. It was transported cross-country two weeks before it was stolen.”

“The GPS trackers are disabled, the alarms aren’t triggered, and these guys are just, what? Hotwiring them?” Karadec questions.

“Not those cars,” Morgan answers for you, perching on the edge of your desk after she arrives.

“There’s probably some sort of Bluetooth device they place under the car that triggers a remote start, then they rekey it when they get wherever they’re going,” you add.

“Why not just steal the key fob?” Morgan inquires. “There’s a lot of risk with cars that have so many security and electronic features.”

“Because they need time to get the cars packed and out of the states without raising additional concern,” Daphne says. “CBP just located another shipping container with three cars loaded into it. This one used mattresses and chains to make them all fit.”

“Makes and models?” you and Karadec inquire simultaneously.

“Mercedes C300, Maserati Ghibli, and a Chevrolet Corvette,” Daphne reads.

“A Corvette?” Morgan repeats. “Is that the first American model?”

“First American make,” you murmur, turning toward the board. “There’s a chance it’s not the same people.”

“This container was going to Kenya,” Daphne informs.

“I have an idea,” you say. “But it’s probably dumb.”

“How dumb?” Karadec questions.

“Worse than the ‘let’s tase Oz’ idea but smarter than diving into the canals,” you answer, smiling.

Karadec sighs, rubbing his forehead. Morgan looks between the two of you, then lifts one brow. You move one hand in a no motion, and she stays quiet.

“What are you thinking?” Oz asks.

“There’s a guy I worked with for a while, he fed me intel when I was supporting vice,” you explain. “South of downtown, there’s a street of businesses-”

“Fronts,” Karadec interrupts flatly. He crosses his arms over his chest in a silent dare to argue with him.

“Alleged fronts,” you agree. “Apparently, one of the, uh… business owners there has an affinity for cars, partying, and any other source of adrenaline. If someone in LA knows how these guys are getting these cars so effortlessly, they’ll be at the next party.”

“Which is?” Daphne inquires.

“Three years ago, they were every Thursday through Saturday, with an occasional mid-day meeting on Tuesday.”

“What are you suggesting, then?” Karadec presses.

You lift your hands to your hips and smile at him. “That we go to a party, Karadec.”

“Send Daph and Oz,” he says.

“Sure,” Daphne agrees.

“They don’t know what they’re looking for,” you argue. You glance at them and say, “No offense.”

“None taken,” Daphne promises, sinking back into her seat.

“Karadec, I’ve worked this part of town, I know enough about the cars to get by, and we need answers fast. The best way to do that is to fit in, not to scare them all away by walking in there with our guns and badges raised.”

Karadec’s jaw tightens before he says, “Fine.”

As you walk down a busy Los Angeles street beside Karadec, he wonders how you got here. The original plan had been to stay at the station, look through papers and photos to piece together this case. Instead, you’ve been thrust into a dangerous scene of illegal activity, people who can make you as a cop in a single glance, and a chance that Karadec won’t be able to protect you.

“Apparently the parties have changed,” you say, drawing Karadec’s attention back to you rather than everything that could go wrong. “Instead of doing them at a time where the noise won’t be as noticeable, they’ve moved them into a basement and throw them overnight and through the weekend, so there aren’t even people coming and going.”

“How’d you get new intel?” he grumbles. “Thought your guy was in prison.”

“He is. I have my ways, Karadec.”

He watches you from the corner of his eye. You’ve been working together for a while, but there’s still so much that Karadec doesn’t know about you. Reversely, you seem to be able to read him with no problem; there’s no hesitation in pointing out what you see.

“If our guys aren’t there, someone who knows what they’re up to will be,” you say. “These guys wouldn’t miss a party like this for anything.”

“What exactly is the plan here?” Karadec asks. Part of him hates that he’s not in charge, not aware of what will happen, but even that part trusts you and your instincts. He’ll do whatever you ask, even if it’s begrudgingly. His attitude isn’t because of you, though. It’s because he couldn’t do enough to keep you from having to place yourself in danger like this.

“Okay, stop,” you murmur.

Karadec obeys immediately, turning to face you on the sidewalk several blocks from your final destination. You tilt your head toward your shoulder as you look at him.

“Take off your jacket,” you demand.

Karadec doesn’t respond, simply holding his eyes on you as his complacent look shifts to the glare you’ve come to know and love.

“Seriously, Karadec, you asked me what to do. Do you want to solve this murder or not? Because we need to get into this party, and they’re not going to let you waltz in there dressed like a cop!”

“They will if I threaten to come back with a warrant,” he argues.

You smile and shake your head. He’s serious, you know, but he’s also incredibly wrong. If he flashes his badge at the door or makes a threat, everyone will run, stay clear for months, and you’d be no closer to finding the people working the car smuggling ring.

“Will you at least unbutton the jacket?” you try.

Karadec sighs, but he unbuttons his blazer and raises his hands in a you happy now? gesture. You raise one hand to him with your palm up. He doesn’t question your request, innately aware of what you want and need, so he silently pulls his always-present hand sanitizer from his pocket and squeezes a dollop onto your palm. After you rub it in and let the alcohol do its job for several seconds, you raise your arms.

When your hands land on Karadec’s chest, he jerks back instinctively. With a mumbled apology, you loosen his tie, then unbutton the top three buttons of his shirt. Once it’s pulled open, you step back and survey your work.

“There,” you declare happily. “Now you look less like a cop and have a chance of getting in. Tussle your hair a bit?”

“No,” he answers with a finality you know not to press.

“Worth a shot,” you murmur to yourself.

“What about you?”

“What about me?” you ask, looking down the street toward the lights of a small convenience store.

“You’re still dressed like a cop.”

“Well, if I start taking my clothes off, they’ll think I’m there for a different reason. I got this, Karadec, trust me. Oh, we need to stop in this corner store, and then we’ll be fashionably late.”

“I look ridiculous,” Officer Chen mumbles, shifting her hips as she pushes her skirt down.

“You look fine,” Sergeant Bradford replies, looking up and down her body before he shakes his head harshly and turns away.

“What exactly is the point of going to the party as Jake Butler?”

“We need to find the masterminds behind a car theft ring of this size. Butler knows of 20 cars that they were targeting, and that was over a three-day period.”

“So, you find his boss, arrest him, and the car thefts stop.”

Bradford scoffs. “If only it were that easy. Now stop thinking like Lucy Chen and get in character. Commit to it, that’s the biggest part of being a UC.”

You slide your nail under the plastic, then tear along the perforation. Karadec sighs as you uncap the brand new lip gloss, his arms crossed across his chest as he watches you expectantly from under a streetlight.

Anticipating a snarky comment from him, you don’t hesitate to wipe the wand across the bottom of his lower lip. He straightens immediately, pulling away from you as his hands raise.

“What are you doing?” he exclaims, reaching into his pocket.

“Don’t wipe it off,” you demand, twisting the tube closed. “Smear it down your chin, hold my hand, and walk into this party with some confidence.”

“What is the point of this?” he asks, grimacing as he drags his thumb through the tacky gloss and smears it onto his chin.

You notice his easy acceptance of your command but choose not to comment on it. Not right now, but you will eventually.

“You won’t like the answer.”

“I don’t like any of it.”

“You know how dogs pee on stuff to mark their territory?”

“Yeah,” Karadec replies, punctuated by his sanitizer popping open.

“Girls make out with their guys and leave makeup on them. It’s another way to mark territory. Promise not to wipe it off?”

Karadec nods, though he seems less than pleased with the whole ‘marking your territory’ thing. With his guarantee, you uncap the lip gloss again and apply it to your own lips. Karadec watches you as he walks forward, and he tries to find the right words to apologize for how this night is going.

“Arms up,” the man dressed in all black instructs.

You smile lazily at Karadec as you lift your arms. The man runs his hands down your sides, then squats to ensure you’re not concealing a weapon in your pants.

“Easy,” Karadec barks.

“Just doing my job, pal,” the man says. “Your turn.”

Your smile drops as you watch the man search Karadec. He finishes and extends an arm toward the door. As soon as you pull it open, the noise and thick air of the basement party meet you. Karadec extends his arm over your head to hold the heavy door for you, placing his other hand lightly against your back to lead you down the dark stairs.

“We need to find somewhere we can disappear but still see everything for a few minutes,” you whisper, turning your face toward Karadec’s ear so he can hear you.

He nods once, then wraps his arm around your waist and leads you to one end of the wooden bar at the back of the open area. You lean against him as he orders two drinks, looking around the room as people mill around, some dancing, others laughing obnoxiously into their drinks.

“We’ve got company,” Karadec says, dropping his chin to speak into your ear.

Looking like a couple sharing a private conversation, you turn so you’re face-to-face with mere inches separating you before you ask, “Who?”

“My three o’clock.”

You look over Karadec’s shoulder, your brows lifting when you see a man and woman at the opposite end of the bar. The man’s tattooed arms are on either side of the woman’s waist, keeping her between his chest and the bar as he speaks through a smile.

“You think they know something?” you question. “He looks… dim.”

“What? No,” Karadec replies, furrowing his brows. “They’re friendly.”

Your eyes widen comically at the mere idea, and you can’t stop the laugh that bubbles out. “Them? No chance.”

“Look at her hands.”

The woman’s hands move in some kind of pattern along the man’s ribs, but you’re still not sold.

“They’re too close to be UCs,” you argue.

Karadec looks pointedly at the space between you. His jacket is touching your arm, but it’s different.

“If they were,” you whisper through your teeth, “nothing we can do, right?”

“Wouldn’t be the place to be wrong,” Karadec agrees.

A man staggers before he falls against the bar, leading Karadec to tug you against his chest. The man slaps his hand on the bar, drawing attention to the area where you are.

“Bro!” the man Karadec clocked as a cop exclaims loudly. He steps to your side and slaps Karadec’s shoulder. “And you brought yo’ girl; get over here, man.”

Karedec knows there are eyes on you, and that’s exactly what you needed. Hiding in plain sight is a surefire way to ensure you don’t get made, especially in a room that could break out into a fight at any moment.

You lock eyes with the man who mouths Sava as he tips his head toward the woman behind you. Playing along, you lift your brows as you look over your shoulder.

“Sava!” you exclaim, stepping out of Karadec’s arms to rush toward her.

She squeals and hugs you tightly, so people look away again. No one here cares about the reunion of two friends, so you’re not worth the attention anymore.

“We should talk,” the man says behind you.

“We should,” Karadec agrees, pointing to a door in the corner.

“That’s going to draw a lot of attention,” you point out. “All four of us?”

“It’ll work for me,” the man points out, “but if you need something else…”

“Your call,” Karadec murmurs.

You shrug, then nod. Clutching Karadec’s hand, you follow the man and woman into the small bathroom. He tightens his grip on your hand, probably because of the state of the room. It will take more than hand sanitizer to get the grimy feeling off your skin when you leave.

“Sergeant Tim Bradford,” the man introduces himself. “Officer Lucy Chen, we’re from Mid-Wilshire, working a grand theft auto case.”

“Detective Adam Karadec,” Karadec replies before introducing you. “Major Crimes, working a car smuggling case HSI passed on.”

“Does that mean our case and your case are connected?” Lucy inquires, beginning to lean against the wall before thinking twice and remaining upright.

“Very likely,” you answer. “I doubt it’s the same crews, though. Are your stolen cars being recovered?”

“Yes, but they’re being stolen from import shipments,” Tim answers.

“It’s backwards,” Karadec realizes, looking at you.

“Our suspects are stealing cars and shipping them to Kenya,” you explain.

“Most of the import shipments targeted are from Kenya or the ABE,” Tim says.

“Usually we see things going to the ABE,” you muse.

“Our detectives think they’re being stolen, reoutfitted, and sent back for something,” Lucy supplies.

You remain silent as Tim and Karadec talk. The pieces fit together, but you’re not sure the picture they create makes any sense.

“Could the alterations they make be used to disable GPS trackers and start the others?” you interrupt.

Tim and Karadec both look at you, so you begin to rescind the idea.

“Absolutely,” Karadec says. “That’s probably what it is.”

“Care to work together?” Tim suggests. “If we can find our suspect, maybe we’d be moving closer to the American masterminds.”

Someone knocks on the door, and Lucy doesn’t hesitate to pull Tim into a kiss before she ruffles his hair and tugs his shirt sideways.

“We have an appearance to keep up,” she explains sheepishly when she realizes you and Karadec have looked away.

You smile at Karadec but don’t say anything before he snaps, “Don’t even think about it.”

“Butler!” the person outside yells. “You in there? Yasmin just sent details about a ‘Vette. A sexy one.”

Tim slips effortlessly into his Jake Butler persona, and you whisper another apology as you take Karadec’s hand again.

“I mean, the people in the U.K. will be pissed,” you say before laughing. “Me? I’m happy with the outcome.”

“What’ve you got?” the man sitting across the table asks, leaning back with a glass of bourbon hanging from between his fingers.

“Fifteen cars: five Lamborghinis, Huracans and Panameras, seven McLarens, two Ferraris, and a Bugatti. All have less than 300 miles on them and are in pristine condition,” you lie.

“Pictures?” someone - a henchman, you consider him - asks.

You nod and unlock your phone, then slide it to the man. He swipes through the pictures of the cars CBP recovered last week and nods before returning your phone. The simple act of trusting him to hold it gives you some credit amongst these men. Locking eyes with their leader, you wait.

“What about your boyfriend?” he asks, gesturing weakly toward Karadec, who’s talking to Lucy and pretending not to watch you.

“Boyfriend?” you repeat incredulously. “He’s fun, but that’s a bit much.”

The man purses his lips, then decides, “You’re lying. But I want the cars. When and where?”

“Good thing my, uh, extracurriculars don’t impact my business, right?” you play along. “My guy is delivering them to a warehouse in East LA this weekend.”

“We’ll be there,” he decides, setting his glass down.

“A pleasure,” you say before you turn and walk to Karadec’s side. You lean toward Lucy, laughing with her about nothing. Karadec nods when you wink, and then you wait for Tim to return.

“Got it,” he whispers as he steps between you and Lucy.

“We can leave?” Karadec sighs.

“Not that easy,” you and Tim say together.

“We’ll look ungrateful if we leave now,” you add. “We have to mingle a bit. Unless you want me to kiss you and make an excuse to leave.”

Karadec looks around the dingy basement, clearly tempted.

“What’d Yasmin accuse you of lying about?” Tim asks you.

Karadec’s eyes snap up to you as he moves closer.

You wave off the concern and admit, “I said Karadec wasn’t my boyfriend and he didn’t buy it. He bought everything else.”

“I made you right away,” Tim brags.

“So did I,” Karadec says.

They watch each other for a moment, then nod.

“Men,” you scoff.

“Tell me about it,” Lucy agrees.

You look down at where her hands are clutching Tim’s arm to her chest and raise one brow. She smiles and doesn’t deny it.

Leaning against a lime green supercar in a seized warehouse, you wait. Ten minutes late, Yasmin and his men enter through the side door.

“Gentlemen,” you greet, stowing your phone in your pocket.

“Where are the other cars?” Yasmin demands.

“Oh, right,” you murmur.

You whistle, and dozens of police officers, a tactical unit, and a handful of Homeland Security agents move toward the men, circling around them and shouting commands.

“What is this?!” Yasmin yells as Karadec cuffs him. “You officers lie to each other and to me! I’ve done nothing wrong!”

Karadec looks at you, both aware of the lie he’s talking about.

“Grand theft auto and international smuggling is pretty wrong,” you argue. “So, you’re under arrest, and when you find out that you’re facing state and federal charges… I’ll just say you might want to reconsider how you treat the officers working with you.”

As the warehouse empties after a surprisingly uneventful arrest, you return to the car and sigh.

“Thank you,” Tim says. “We couldn’t have done this without you.”

“And now HSI gets to have all the fun with the boss in Washington,” you muse.

“Hey, would you guys want to get dinner tonight?” Tim suggests.

Lucy smiles and adds, “We need to thank you for all your help, but I think it could also be fun to talk without the UC limitations.”

You look at Karadec, who replies, “We can’t tonight. Another day?”

“Sure,” Tim agrees.

“You’ve got my number,” Lucy reminds you.

“Since when?” Tim asks tiredly.

“Three seconds after we met, Tim,” Lucy says.

“I’ll drive you home,” Karadec offers as Tim and Lucy leave. “It’s been a long week.”

“I wish I could drive this beauty home,” you sigh.

“I’ll ask Aaron!” Lucy yells over her shoulder before the door closes behind her.

“Let’s go,” Karadec murmurs, wrapping his fingers around your arm.

Karadec shifts his car into Park outside your home, but neither of you makes a move to get out. You sit in the quiet for a moment, then turn toward Karadec.

“Yasmin accused you of being in love with me,” he says softly.

“Yeah,” you draw out. “Probably just the lip gloss,” you reply, attempting to play it off for his sake. And your secret, you suppose.

Karadec nods, looking down at the dashboard. He knows that there’s something between you; he knows because he feels it too. Though he isn’t sure what exactly he feels, he knows it’s new, something he’s never experienced before. The thing that makes him hesitate to tell you is the fear, the overwhelming sense that everything would be ruined.

“Technically, I didn’t lie about you not being my boyfriend,” you point out. “I only lied when I implied I didn’t want it.”

“I…” Karadec trails off, unsure what to say.

“Would it ever be a possibility?” you whisper. “If you don’t feel anything, say the word and I’ll never-”

“Of course I feel something,” he interrupts.

You nod, moving your hands nervously over your thighs.

“And there’s more than a possibility,” Karadec adds. “Every time you make a sarcastic comment I grow more convinced that it’s an inevitability.”

You bark a laugh, leaning your head back against the seat. “An inevitability? Wow, Karadec, way to make a girl feel wanted.”

“It’s not the wanting that scares me,” he admits. “It’s losing you.”

Sobering, you nod and offer your hand over the console. Karadec doesn’t hesitate to lay his palm over yours.

“What if we took it one moment at a time?” you suggest, brushing your thumb over his hand. “Just you and me in the present, no worrying about what happens next?”

“I can’t believe you asked Karadec to dinner,” Lucy muses from Tim’s passenger seat. “Knowing what he wanted to do tonight.”

“What did he want to do?” Tim questions.

“Seriously?” Tim shrugs, and Lucy laughs, patting his arm as she sighs, “Oh, you’re hopeless.”

“You really think so?” he challenges.

“Not always.”

You smile, waving as Karadec drives away. Your lip gloss is on his cheek from your goodbye kiss, and though you haven’t slept in over thirty hours, you feel ready to take on the world. All of Karadec’s fears and dark impulses included. This is only the beginning, you think. And Karadec is really fun to mark. He’s more than property, of course, but he’s yours, and that’s a nice thought to have.

#adam karadec x reader #adam karadec fic #adam karadec fluff #adam karadec #high potential #high potential x reader #hanna writes✯#fem!reader

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battyaboutbooksreviews · 9 months ago

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🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in October 2024 🌈

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Happy reading!

❓What was the last queer book you read?

[ Release dates may have changed. List below! ]

❤️ Back in the Hunt - K. Sterling 🧡 The Connoisseur's Christmas Courtship - L.M. Bennett 💛 Shoestring Theory - Mariana Costa 💚 The Black Hunger - Nicholas Pullen 💙 Wild Fire - Radclyffe 💜 Because Fat Girl - Lauren Marie Fleming ❤️ The Ace and Aro Relationship Guide - Cody Daigle-Orians 🧡 Soul Survivors - River Kai 💛 Stolen Hearts - Michele Castleman 💙 Reverence - Milena McKay 💜 Love Immortal - Kit Vincent

❤️ Take a Sad Song - Ona Gritz 🧡 Showmance - Chad Beguelin 💛 Redundancies & Potentials - Dominique Dickey 💚 Alexander - Karla Nikole 💙 Rest in Peaches - Alex Brown 💜 Rise of the Wrecking Crew - Kalynn Bayron ❤️ Language Lessons - Sage Donnell 🧡 Legend of the White Snake - Sher Lee 💛 Sorcery and Small Magis - Maiga Doocy 💙 Cried Out - Kate Hawthorne 💜 Skysong - C.A. Wright 🌈 No Rules Tonight - Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada

❤️ My Mother's Ridiculous Rules for Dating - Philip William Stover 🧡 I Shall Never Fall in Love - Hari Conner 💛 Castle Swimmer - Wendy Martin 🧡 The Hollow and the Haunted - Camilla Raines 💙 How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? - Anna Montague 💜 The Arizona Triangle - Sydney Graves ❤️ Every Rule Undone - Nancy S.M. Waldman 🧡 Mister Nice - Jamie Jennings 💛 Under the Mistletoe with You - Lizzie Huxley-Jones 💙 How to Fall in Love in a Time of Unnameable Disaster - Muriel Leung 💜 The Snowball Effect - Haley Cass 🌈 This Will Be Fun - E.B. Asher

❤️ Our Evenings - Alan Hollinghurst 🧡 Don't Let the Forest In - C.G. Drews 💛 Finding Delaware - Bree Wiley 💚 The Reeds - Arjun Basu 💙 The Bloodless Princes - Charlotte Bond 💜 Women's Hotel - Daniel M. Lavery ❤️ Alex McKenna and the Academy of Souls - Vicki-Ann Bush 🧡 A Vile Season - David Ferraro 💛 Synchronicity - J.J. Hale 💙 Writ of Love - Cassidy Crane 💜 Di-Curious - Erin Branch 🌈 Swordcrossed - Freya Marske

❤️ Stand Up! - Tori Sharp 🧡 Haunt Me, Baby - Rose Santoriello 💚 Planet Drag: Uncover the Global Herstory - Various 💙 Until We Shatter - Kate Dylan 💜 Metal from Heaven - August Clarke ❤️ Vicious Fates and Vast Futures - Tilly Bramley 🧡 The Daughter of Danray - Natalia Hernandez 💛 If I Stopped Haunting You - Colby Wilkens 💙 The Darkness Behind The Door - Mira Gonzalez 💜 Hunt Monsters, Do Magic, and Fall in Love - A.M. Weald 🌈 Jasmine Is Haunted - Mark Oshiro

❤️ Model Home - Rivers Solomon 🧡 Haunting Melody - Chloe Spencer 💛 The Door in Lake Mallion - S.M. Beiko 💚 The City in Glass - Nghi Vo 💙 Fang Fiction - Kate Stayman-London 💜 The Merriest Misters - Timothy Janovsky ❤️ Make the Season Bright - Ashley Herring Blake 🧡 My Kind of Trouble - L.A. Schwartz 💛 To Become A Flower - CEON 💙 What Was Lost - Melissa Connelly 💜 The Forbidden Book - Sacha Lamb 🌈 This Dark Paradise - Erin Luken

❤️ The Sound of Storms - Anya Keeler 🧡 Country Queers - Rae Garringer 💛 A Spell for Heartsickness - Alistair Reeves 💚 The Stars Inside Us - Kristy Gardner 💙 October's Ocean - Delaine Coppock 💜 Haunt Your Heart Out - Amber Roberts ❤️ The Dark Becomes Her - Judy I. Lin 🧡 Power Pose - Emily Silver 💛 The Magic You Make - Jason June 💙 House of Elephants - Claribel A. Ortega 💜 Tegan and Sara: Crush - Tegan Quin, Sara Quin, Tillie Walden 🌈 The Brightness Between Us - Eliot Schrefer

❤️ The Spring before Obergefell - Benjamin S. Grossberg 🧡 Pray For Him - Tyler Battaglia 💛 Coup de Grâce - Sofia Ajram 💚 Coal Gets In Your Veins - Cat Rector 💙 He Who Bleeds - Dorian Valentine 💜 The Revenge of Captain Vessia - Leslie Allen ❤️ Camelot's Tower - Brooke Matthews 🧡 The Manor - Tiffany E. Taylor 💛 Arcanum - Ashlyn Drewek 💙 Strange Beasts - Susan J. Morris 💜 On Vicious Worlds - Bethany Jacobs 🌈 Death Song - B. Ripley

❤️ Best Hex Ever - Nadia El-Fassi 🧡 I'll Be Gone for Christmas - Georgia K. Boone 💛 Make My Wish Come True - Rachael Lippincott, Alyson Derrick 💚 Gentlest of Wild Things - Sarah Underwood 💙 Troth - E.H. Lupton 💜 Solis - Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher ❤️ Lucy, Uncensored - Mel Hammond, Teghan Hammond 🧡 Mama - Nikkya Hargrove 💛 Under All the Lights - Maya Ameyaw 💙 Reclaimed - Seth Haddon 💜 The Devil's Dilemma - Alex J. Adams 🌈 The Jovian Madrigals - Janneke de Beer

❤️ Blood Price - Nicole Evans 🧡 Worship Me - K.C. Blume 💛 All the Hearts You Eat - Hailey Piper 💚 The Nightmare Before Kissmas - Sara Raasch 💙 Rogue Community College - David R. Slayton 💜 Mistress of Hours - Emma Elizabeth ❤️ The Dog Trainer's Secret - Sav Uong 🧡 Most Wonderful - Georgia Clark 💛 Antenora - Dori Lumpkin 💙 House of Frank - Kay Synclaire 💜 Sir Callie and the Witch's War - Esme Symes-Smith 🌈 Prince of Fortune - Lisa Tirreno

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emberwritesinsight · 1 year ago

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(Ramble below, not very structured)

I'm watching episode 9 again and losing my mind over the scene where Saionji fucking kidnaps Anthy because. I forgot how actually upset Anthy is?

Like. The way Anthy is fucking shouting as Saionji drags her up to the arena. The way she tries to physically stop him from getting in! What the fuck!

The way he just bats her out of the way and we get a shot of her from behind, kneeling on the ground with a hand to her face, but we don't see her face. That's... not normal! Most of the time when Anthy gets slapped in the early series, we get a shot of her afterwards with a bruise.

Here, we don't see her face. But we can see that she's shaking, and the first-watch assumption would be that she's crying, but... I'm not inclined to view it that way given everything that happens after.

The way I read it, Anthy is pissed.

The next time we see Saionji, he's face down in the water. How did he get there? We don't see. On a first viewing, one might just assume that's a negative reaction the arena has to being opened at an inappropriate time- along with all the crazy shit going on inside the arena once Utena gets there. But given Anthy is later shown to have more control over what the arena does than she lets on, and noticeably does her flashiest magic (the sword pull, the transformations) in or on her way to the arena, I think Anthy is behind almost all of that. And I'd say she's also behind the Saionji-almost-drowning bit. You guys might remember the half-joking drawing I made of Anthy, uh, dragging Saionji into the water by his hair, and while she might not have gotten as hands-on about it as that drawing suggests, I still think she's responsible.

So, like... why?

Why does this piss her off so much? I mean, sure, Saionji absolutely has it coming, but Anthy's been through worse. She clearly doesn't like Saionji and messes with him whenever possible, but to attempt murder and then set up an elaborate illusion designed to upset him as much as possible is... a little extreme. I don't think she even goes that far with Nanami, unless you consider the elephants to be legit murder attempts (which I do not- I think that was Anthy scaring Nanami, not trying to kill her, because I can't believe Nanami would survive that many encounters with elephants that actually wanted her dead).

I think the answer is that, for all the shit she takes from the duelists, Saionji is one of the only ones who breaks this many rules. Not only does he mistreat her when they're engaged- something she's used to, but that seems to be at least frowned upon, if not outlawed (given Touga felt the need to call a "stop hitting your girlfriend" meeting in episode 1)- he mistreats her afterwards. He refuses to let her go, he acts as if she still owes him something. And then he goes and pulls this. He kidnaps her, takes her to the arena without a duel scheduled, and tries to enter the arena- all things that are against the rules of this stupid game that Anthy, however much she knows it is a stupid game, lives her whole life around. And he tells her End of the World is responsible, which Anthy knows isn't true, because if Akio were planning something this batshit, she'd know about it! Of course she's angry, this goes well beyond the threshold of nonsense her job usually entails!

I don't know if she was aware of Touga's plan to play the hero for Utena and get Saionji expelled- if so, she obviously wasn't aware of all of it. The freakout on the way up to the arena is too intense for me to read it as anything but genuine. She's shaking with effort trying to stop Saionji from opening the gate. Things do fall perfectly into place for Touga to get between Saionji's sword and a defenseless Utena, but I honestly think Touga's plan may have been to just...

1) Impersonate End of the World and tell Saionji the castle is coming down, this will incentivize him to go up there and break the rules.

2) Tip Utena off that Saionji has kidnapped Anthy.

3) The castle doesn't come down, upsetting Saionji and heating up his inevitable confrontation with Utena enough that he tries to kill her and Touga can step in at the perfect moment.

4) Profit.

I don't think he knew Anthy was going to Do That. For one, the plan was to get Saionji expelled, not kill him- Anthy's stunt there could have ruined the entire plan if Utena hadn't dragged Saionji out of the water. And Touga is drinking the "Rose Bride doesn't have feelings" juice. Evidently, he doesn't put two and two together after this, because he's still beating that drum in episode eleven!

I don't think Akio knew much about this either. Touga is telling him about it over the phone, so Touga didn't tell him, and Anthy didn't know, so she couldn't have either. I think he probably got woken up in the middle of the night by all the chaos and had to dial Touga up after the fact to ask him what the fuck was going on.

#revolutionary girl utena #shoujo kakumei utena #rgu #sku #anthy himemiya #himemiya anthy #kyouichi saionji #saionji kyouichi #touga kiryuu #kiryuu touga #akio ohtori #ohtori akio #utena spoilers

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iconic-albums-tournament · 2 months ago

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WELCOME TO THE ICONIC ALBUMS TOURNAMENT!

This event is a single elimination, bracket-style tournament with 256 competitors! All polls for Round 1 have been released, and Round 2 will begin soon. The polls will be uploaded in batches of 8 per day, every hour from 2 to 10 pm EST, beginning on July 9th. Each poll will be reblogged once the day after it was uploaded, between the hours of 6 am to 2 pm EST, and on the final day of its run, between the hours of 9 am to 9:30 am EST.

What makes an album iconic? It's up to interpretation! Factors like critical acclaim, awards won, sales, effect on the artists career, and influence on other artists/the music industry as a whole - hell, even the commercial impact of the album art are all valid considerations. If it comes down to it, which one you just plain like better is also a 100% valid factor.

Feel free to send propaganda, either on a reblog, comment, or ask. Propaganda sent in during round 1 will be added below a cut on round 2 polls! Please be sure to specify if you'd like your comment to be used as propaganda or not.

Currently, the only trigger tags are #tw artist death and #tw overdose mention, since those are sadly relevant for many album descriptions. If you'd like something added to the taglist, feel free to request it.

A list of important disclaimers/basic rules can be found here.

Now that that's out of the way, you can find the list of currently running and upcoming polls under the cut (or wait until release, if that's your thing):

Round 1:

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road vs. Norah Jones - Come Away with Me

Prince - Purple Rain vs. Lil Nas X - Montero

Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols vs. Death Grips - Exmilitary

Daft Punk - Discovery vs. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

Grace Jones - Nightclubbing vs. Beyoncé - Lemonade

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day vs. Adele - 21

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back vs. The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die

De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising vs. Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother

Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds vs. Bee Gees et. al. - Saturday Night Fever

The Clash - London Calling vs. The White Stripes - Elephant

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy vs. Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book

Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger vs. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman

2Pac - All Eyez on Me vs Travis Scott - Astroworld

A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory vs. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited vs. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Radiohead - OK Computer vs. Marina and the Diamonds - Electra Heart

Depeche Mode - Violater vs. SOPHIE - OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES

Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full vs. Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy

Yusuf / Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman vs. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Déjà Vu

Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle vs. Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal

Michael Jackson - Thriller vs. Rihanna - Anti

Nelly - Country Grammar vs Steely Dan - Aja

Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water vs. Neil Young - Harvest

Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor vs. The Spice Girls - Spice

100 gecs - 1000 gecs vs. Beck - Mellow Gold

Lemon Demon - Spirit Phone vs. Taylor Swift - 1989

T. Rex - Electric Warrior vs. Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell

Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape vs. Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High

Eagles - Hotel California vs. Midnight Oil - Diesel and Dust

Deftones - White Pony vs. The Strokes - Is This It

The Killers - Hot Fuss vs. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

R.E.M. - Murmur vs. Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral vs. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

Slipknot - Slipknot vs. Evanescence - Fallen

Paul Simon - Graceland vs. Billy Joel - The Stranger

Hole - Live Through This vs. Green Day - American Idiot

Metallica - Master of Puppets vs. Led Zeppelin - Untitled

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain vs. Childish Gambino - "Awaken, My Love!"

The Doors - The Doors vs. Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History

The Who - Tommy vs. Gorillaz - Demon Days

Round 2:

Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction vs. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill

Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city vs. Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell

Queen Latifah - Black Reign vs. MF DOOM - Mm..Food

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday vs. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Queen - A Night at the Opera vs. Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy

N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton vs. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico vs. Dr. Dre - The Chronic

Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below vs. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced

Donna Summer - Bad Girls vs. ABBA - Arrival

Babatunde Olatunji - Drums of Passion vs. Three Days Grace - One-X

Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express vs. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine

Bad Bunny - Un Verano Sin Ti vs. Bob Marley and the Wailers - Exodus

Enya - Watermark vs. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head vs. Britney Spears - In the Zone

My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade vs. Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster

Madonna - Like a Virgin vs. Nirvana - Nevermind

System of a Down - Toxicity vs. Sade - Diamond Life

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours vs. Björk - Vespertine

Tina Turner - Private Dancer vs. Florence and the Machine - Lungs

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds vs. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

Fiona Apple - "When the Pawn..." vs. Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE

Mitski - Be the Cowboy vs. Lorde - Pure Heroine

Harry Belafonte - Calypso vs. Celtic Woman - Celtic Woman

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue vs. Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

The Mothers of Invention - We're Only in It For the Money vs. The Beatles - Abbey Road

Jeff Buckley - Grace vs. Pearl Jam - Ten

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory vs. The Smiths - The Smiths

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication vs. Alice in Chains - Dirt

AC/DC - Back in Black vs. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Carole King - Tapestry vs. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon

Panic! at the Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out vs. Patti Smith - Horses

Santana - Supernatural vs. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas vs. The Mountain Goats - Tallahassee

Nick Drake - Pink Moon vs. Israel Kamakawiwoʻole - Facing Future

Van Morrison - Moondance vs. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On vs. Joni Mitchell - Blue

The Band - The Band vs. Shania Twain - Come On Over

Earth, Wine & Fire - All 'n All vs. The Chicks - Wide Open Spaces

Jim Croce - You Don't Mess Around With Jim vs. Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters

Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison vs. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Roger Payne - Songs of the Humpback Whale vs. Carly Rae Jepson - E•MO•TION

The Police - Synchronicity vs. 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot - Supa Dupa Fly vs. Talking Heads - Remain in Light

Madvillain - Madvillainy vs. Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer

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geekgirles · 1 year ago

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The Interracial Wedding: Amalia's Convictions VS. Aurora's Hypocrisy

The more I think about it, the more convinced I am ToT never really intended for Aurora and her father to come across as having the moral high ground beyond Amalia's distrust of them causing her to jump the gun and suspect them of poisoning Yugo.

There are simply no instances where they are shown to be in the right aside from Amalia prematurely accusing them of trying to assassinate her husband and going after them.

In this particular case, what I want to discuss is Aurora's reaction to the Sadida/Eliatrope wedding from chapter 6 and how it reflects how little she actually knows about Sadida traditions, using every opportunity to try and smear Amalia's name without knowing what's really going on.

First things first, we have already discussed her sheer hypocrisy upon finding out about the interracial marriage and her outraged, almost disgusted reaction to it.

Said hypocrisy hinging on the fact that she is an Osamodas who had an arranged marriage with a Sadida, meaning she is the last person with any right to complain about Amalia allowing two different races to marry. Although it is true her problem seems to be less about it being an interracial marriage and more about the fact that the bride is an Eliatrope.

As per usual, we were never given an actual reason as to why she would hate the Eliatropes. Only being implied that she hates them solely because Armand hated them too and she has no agency or ability to make her own judgements, unrelated to the opinions of the men in her life. Thus, she greatly resents Amalia for seemingly allowing outsiders in despite how Armand, supposedly, would have never done such a thing.

(It's true he was adamant on not welcoming the Eliatropes after meeting their goddess, but given he, despite everything, still had a sense of honour and actually valued his sister's opinion, who knows? Hadn't he died, he might have actually rewarded the Eliatropes for their help, after all. Though this is just speculation on my part...)

Having said that, even if Aurora were trying to protect Armand's legacy, it still doesn't change the fact that this is coming from the same person who not only intended to rule the Sadida even without her husband despite being an Osamodas and, therefore, an outsider; but who actually brought her father, an even bigger outsider, with her to rule the Sadida by her side and raise the kid.

The very same person who values a random bat much more than the people she's supposed to serve and look after, as opposed to her husband, who actually gave his life in order to protect his kingdom.

But I digress.

The point is, hypocrisy.

However, what really seals the deal is her reaction to seeing the Sadida/Eliatrope wedding, more importantly, what she thinks of Amalia for it.

Regardless of whether Armand would have approved or not, Aurora's real issue seems to be that Amalia is allowing such a thing to happen despite her not approving of her ascension to power. More importantly, she resents the way she's managed to foster positive relationships between the Sadidas and the Eliatropes in such a short amount of time, and what it implies.

But as the above frames show, what really gets under her skin is Amalia's perceived hypocrisy. What she says about Amalia boasting about Sadida traditions despite going against Armand's supposed wishes (that last part is me reading between the lines) seems to imply these two have clashed over whether Aurora adhered to Sadida customs or not.

The thing is, while Amalia did indeed tell Yugo that Aurora was an outsider unfit to rule the kingdom due to not knowing anything about their customs, that was never brought up when the two women were in the same room. Instead, Amalia focused on the actual elephant in the room: the fact that they left them at the mercy of the Nécromes yet still have the gall to demand she hand over the throne.

Meaning they probably argued about Aurora not being fit to rule offscreen during the time between the OVAs and season 3. Otherwise, this comment just simply wouldn't make sense, as Amalia had never really boasted about her people's traditions before and, both until and during season 4, actually tried to be cordial towards her sister-in-law.

But most importantly, the way Aurora says this line implies she views Amalia as the hypocrite. If my theory is right and they indeed came to blows over Aurora not following the Sadida way of life, then it seems as she is taking Amalia welcoming the Eliatropes personally.

Something along the lines of "So I have to respect your culture but you can put your husband's people first?"

However, as we already hinted at early on, that's not really what's going on, is it?

If you look closely at this frame, then it becomes glaringly obvious that at no point in time is Amalia placing the Eliatropes before her own people and culture. Neither is Yugo, as a matter of fact.

First of all, Amalia is the one officiating the ceremony, not Yugo. He seems to be there simply to give his blessing as King of the Eliatropes and to support his wife like chapter 1 said he'd been doing since they got married and she ascended to the throne.

Then, there's the fact that Amalia is reading from what appears to be the Sadida equivalent of the Bible or, at least, an important ceremonial document. It's not as easy to see in this frame, but that book looks more like a flower with words written on its petals than an actual leather-bound tome.

And, last but not least, it's the actual ceremony:

To complete the wedding, instead of exchanging rings like Eva and Pinpin did (or, well, brass knuckles, in their case...), Amalia conjures up a flower that the groom must put on his bride's hair before they can share their first kiss as husband and wife. And then they're married.

Let's recap, okay?

Amalia is the one officiating the wedding, not Yugo.

The ceremony seems to follow Sadida guidelines.

The groom must present his bride with a flower before they're officially declared husband and wife...

Guys, it literally cannot get any more Sadida than that!

Seriously, Amalia and Yugo's own wedding was much more unconventional, compared to this. In theirs, there were at least portals!

So, what does this tell us?

Simple. It tells us that regardless of what that old Sadida from chapter 2 and Aurora say, Amalia is not going against Sadida tradition or giving the Eliatropes special treatment just because she welcomed them into her kingdom. In fact, she is still putting her people first, as the wedding shows their culture remains the predominant one (which can be either because the Eliatropes don't remember much of their own or because the bride and groom actually agreed on having a Sadida wedding; as always, that's only speculation).

Moreover, it shows Yugo is perfectly content with this. His main concerns being his people's safety and well-being and supporting Amalia without any ulterior motive, unlike the Osamodas and Aurora's political marriage to Armand.

Finally, I'd like to mention a point made by my good friend @alittlebookdust: the fact that Aurora fails to recognise Amalia isn't actually turning her back on her people's customs or Armand's legacy already implies she herself was never familiar with said customs to begin with. Either that, or she is just desperate to find fault in Amalia's way of doing things and feels compelled to criticise everything she does solely because she hates her.

Nevertheless, what this chapter proves is that despite the similar position she and Armand were in due to marrying outsiders, Amalia's actions are actually anything but hypocritical. As, unlike Aurora and her father, she has always remained true to her convictions and put her kingdom first without purposely harming her husband's.

(Thanks once again to @cocogum for the screenshots used in this analysis).

#wakfu #wakfu analysis #wakfu season 4 #wakfu webtoon #wakfu la grande vague #wakfu the great wave #amalia sheran sharm #yugo the eliatrope #yumalia #aurora #osamodas king #sadida #eliatrope #osamodas #armand sheran sharm #ankama #krosmoz #dofus

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monkejustwantsart · 6 months ago

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Posting this animal AU thing I was brainstorming like an idiot. It's super long wah

{Rules I had before this began}

no animal can repeat unless they are canonically familial relatives.

top tiers get to be mythical creatures.

All things may be subject to change with chapter updates

I am to try my best to capture each character as accurately as possible in either appearance, fighting style, behaviour, personality or all.

this is unfinished, it's also lowkey my kinda spectrum. idk if anyone else likes zoology but ye. please feel free to debate me or lend me suggestions!

(please, this took a ridiculous amount of time)

{TOP TIERS}

Jonggun Park (Japanese Oni)

Junggoo Kim (Gumiho)

DG/James Lee (Red Phoenix)

Jake’s Brother (Chupacabra)

UI Big Daniel (unknown)

{KINGS}

Taesoo Ma (Tibetan mastiff)

Jichang Kwak(Leucistic Black mamba)

Gongseop Ji (Alligator snapping turtle)

Jaegyeon Na (Axis deer)

Seongji Yuk (Wolf spider)

Seodku Wang (Rhino)

Doksu Heo (Bull)

Jinyong Goh (Black heron)

Jinrang (Timber wolf)

Baek Sang (Great white shark)

Do Jaegwang #5 (

Song Hashik #6 (

{ALLIED}

• ⁠Zack (peregrine falcon)

• ⁠Vasco (Kodiak bear)

• ⁠Jay (Cheetah)

• ⁠Vin Jin (Tiger centipede)

• ⁠Hudson (African Lion)

{BIG DEAL}

Jake Kim (Tibetan Wolf)

Jason Yoon (chestnut horses)

Jerry Kwon (Hippopotamus)

Brad Lee (Sheep)

Lua Im (Cliff Swallow)

Lineman (African honey badger)

{EX-MEMBERS}

Samuel Seo (Spectral bat)

Johan Seong (Kangal dog)

XiaoLung (Dragon fish)

Sinu Han (Secretarybird)

Changyong Ji (Muskoxen)

{HOSTEL}

Eli Jang (Golden jackal)

Warren Chae (Giant water bug)

Sally Park (elephant hawk-moths)

Max Kang (Coyote)

Derrick Jo (American badger)

{WORKERS}

Eugene/Yuseong (Least weasel)

Mandeok Bang (Gorilla)

Shigeaki Kojima (Shoebill stork)

Hiroaki Kojima (Shoebill stork)

[first affiliate]

Gyeol Baek(Indian Peafowl)

Taejin Cheon (Spotted hyena)

Isu Jo (Striped hyena)

Logan Lee (Wild boar)

Hangyeol Baek (leustistic Indian Peafowl). ~ [{THAT} (mutated and transfigured beyond repair, seems to have some sort of extinct DNA spliced in)]

[second affiliate]

Mitsuki Soma (House cat)

Ryuhei Kuroda (Dingo dog)

Kenta Magami (Tasmanian devil)

Sato Kazuma (Japanese rhinoceros beetle)

[third affiliate]

ViVi. (Albino bottlenose dolphin)

Taegon Wi (Chinese mantis)

Hwang Ho (Asiatic golden cat)

Huseong Ha (Western lowland gorilla)

Sowol Jin (Pekingese dog)

[fourth affiliate]

Alexander Hwang (Standard rat)

Ms. Raccoon (Ringtail cat)

{WHITE TIGER JOB CENTRE}

Tom Lee (African elephant)

Manager Kim (Manogea porracea. Its a spider)

Sanghui Han (Bald-headed bulbul)

Beolgu Lee (Spider tailed horned-viper)

Robert Choi (American black bear)

Sera Shin (Emerald jewel wasp)

{J-HIGH}

Zoe Park (Black footed cat)

Mira Kim (Turtledove)

Mary Kim (Golden orbweaver)

Leonn Lee (Spotted hyena)

Crystal Choi (Beom)

Yui Kim (Bowerbird)

Duke Pyeon (Donkey)

Joy Hong (Cheetah)

Kouji (Black-billed magpie)

Jace Park (Dumbo rat)

Cho Ma (Shortfin mako)

{OTHER NOTABLE PTJ-VERSE CHARACTERS}

Taehoon Seong (Red kangaroo)

Hansu Seong (Red kangaroo)

Samdak (Emu)

Jincheol Park (Giant river otter)

Seongjun Baek (Oceanic white tip reef shark)

Jinho Lee (Palm cockatoo)

Yunseong Lee (Red-bellied piranha)

Haru Seong (Eastern cottontail)

Suhyeon Kim (Japanese weasel)

Ancheol Jang (Grizzly bear)

Jinwoo Jang “Ancheol” (Honey badger)

Valentina Alexander (Orchid mantis)

Manager Nam (Fisher cat)

{Dead characters}

Gapyrong Kim

Charles Choi?

Jiho Park (German cockroach)

Olly wang (Sea wasp)

Au!Goo Kim?

#lookism #lookism manhwa #webtoon lookism #lookism thoughts #lookism webtoon #gun park #goo kim #au #au idea #alternate universe #hybrid au #samuel seo #hudson ahn #daniel park

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ask-bubbabubbaphant · 5 months ago

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"I'm Bubba Bubbaphant! Hey! I remember you!"

"An elephant always remembers!"

[Mod here. This used to be a Mortality roleplay blog (Walten Files), but I decided to change into an ask blog for this silly elephant :33]

[Mod recommends that you don't read their old posts unless you wanna die from cringe-/hj]

Anyways...

💡Headcanons💡

- Bubba is obviously a nerd when it comes to math and other subjects.

- He loves teaching his friends new things! :D

- He sees Crafty as his sister :3 (my personal headcanon)

- Lemon tea enjoyer ✨

- He's Omnisexual.

- Hes dating Kickin'. ( @kickinchicken-thecoolkid )

- He's very kind and playful, but he's also very serious at the same time.

- Enjoys ear scratches :3

- Can be a bit protective over his friends :P

- Tolerates Hoppy and Kickin'.

- Hangs Crafty's drawings on his wall.

- His favorite snack is obviously peanuts ✨

💡Rules💡

- No nsfw or suggestive content.

- Please be respectful to me and other roleplayers.

- If you don't like my headcanons or don't like this blog at all, then you can just block and move on with your day. No need to send hate asks.

- Magic anons are allowed, just don't be a creep or weirdo.

⚠️Trigger warnings⚠️

This blog may include topics such as: Loss of sanity, mental breakdowns, self doubt, mental health issues, a small bit of violence, and blood and gore. Please look away if any of this triggers you.

💡Other Critters!💡

@dogday-shines-bright @that-sunny-pup @kickinchicken-thecoolkid @the-cool-chicken @catnaplovesnaptime @lil-miss-bearhug @hoppyhopscotch1 @the-crafty-unicorn

💡Nightmare Critters 💡

@baba-chops-emo-sheep @rabie-baby-bat @allister-the-procrastigator @simon-the-dragon @poe-the-crow @the-real-maggie-mako @ickylickywins

💡Others💡

@yarnaby-askblog @bouncingyarn @doeythedoughmanwhen @doctor-harleysawyer @ask-kissymissy

#poppy playtime #poppy playtime 3 #ppt 3 #poppy playtime chapter three #bubba bubbaphant #smiling critters #poppy playtime smiling critters #ppt roleplay #poppy playtime roleplay #bubba bubbaphant x kickinchicken #starstudent #rp blog

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 2 years ago

Note

Actually, while we're on the topic of pets, what pets do you see the others with?

[Referencing this post!]

I'll (slightly) cheat and condense everyone into their groups, then say "whatever animals fit the motif of their respective character/film". There's some notes for each boy as well, but not always in the most intense of details. (Please keep in mind that this is only covering the main 22 students from NRC!!) Heartslabyul already tends to hedgehogs and flamingos, so those could be common creatures to have as pets/familiars (especially among the card soldiers like Cater, Trey, Deuce, and Ace) Alternatively, there could be other animals from Alice in Wonderland such as cats (for the Cheshire Cat), oysters, living flowers, walruses, dormouses, rabbits/hares, etc. If we want to stray outside of the dorm motifs, a chameleon for Ace (since he has a talent for mimicking people)?? Cater with a fox because of how crafty he can be?? (I don't feel super strong on this choice.) Trey is Normal so a cat or a dog for him!! The dog could be useful for sniffing out special ingredients while a cat is fitting because Trey's VA also voices Lucius... And of course, Deuce deserves a chicken so it can lay many eggs! Riddle I see getting one of the standard pets because "it's the rule/tradition at Heartslabyul!" Uhhh, mostly savanna animals for Savanaclaw I guess?? But again, the same moral debate I mentioned in the original post still applies here. (Like, would it be weird for a lion/wolf/hyena beastman such as Leona/Jack/Ruggie to have a lion/wolf/hyena as a pet/familiar???) Octavinelle would have a lot of aquatic creatures as pets/familiars. I think the "perfect" pet/familiar to match Azul's image would be eels (to mimic Ursula). Not sure what Jade or Floyd would have (the JP fandom uses a dolphin and a shark emoji, respectively, to refer to them so maybe those)?? But since Jade is the informant for the group, I'm thinking something small and agile so he can send it to spy for him. (Plus, it could chill out in his terrariums for funsies later.) Floyd would have something more aggressive... Scarabia would have unconventional animals from all over Twisted Wonderland! Kalim is someone I see as having many animal friends, so I can't think of just one animal. Maybe a tiger (like Princess Jasmine)? But it's also fun to imagine Kalim riding in on a massive elephant! He was originally supposed to have a monkey familiar (like Aladdin), so I can easily see that happening as well. Jamil has a clearer desire for a specific animal companion, and that would be a parrot. I can also see a snake for... obvious reasons. Maybe a bug to really torment them. Peacock for Vil because he sits in a peacock throne and it has a majestic vibe. A crow or raven also works due to its association with the Evil Queen. Rook, like Kalim, is someone I see with a variety of animals and not a specific one. Whatever his pet/familiar is, it would probably be a skilled hunter. I'm thinking like some kind of predator bird like a hawk or falcon. Epel... nothing immediately comes to mind, but maybe something small and cute but tough like he is. Idia would want a kawaii widdle neko-chan (his words, not mine) to keep as a lap warmer while he aggressive games. Ortho is more of a dog person (yes, this is purely because of his Cerberus Gear card), though I picture him engaging with virtual pets and/or those cybernetic dogs more than like... actual animals. I think Lilia's bats already count as his pets, although they are rarely ever mentioned in dialogue. Silver, as a member of the light trio, is another person that I see with many animals (squirrels, deer, birds, rabbits, etc.). Sebek I feel would shout that every animal is inferior to Malleus and that no pet he has could ever match Malleus's, etc. etc. etc. He's usually associated with crocs, so I think many would gravitate to one as Sebek's pet??? I think it would be funny if his familiar was something small, cute, and kinda pathetic (like a chipmunk or something) so he acts all bashful about it... but hey, I think a horse (so he can ride proudly into combat) also works. Malleus I already covered in the original post linked above.

#twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #notes from the writing raven #question #Lucius #Heartslabyul #Savanaclaw #Octavinelle #Scarabia #Pomefiore #Ignihyde #Diasomnia

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jedineedlove · 2 years ago

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LMK VS Legend

Peng:

The Golden Winged Peng

Korean- King of Bungma (Bungma= Dapeng)

LMK:

Powerful but a coward, we all know their story along with Azure and Tusk. All of them were former Celestials. The three ruled over Camel Ridge and became sworn brothers to Monkey King, Macaque, and Demon Bull King forming the brotherhood. After the "betrayal" of Monkey King they separated the brotherhood the trio stayed together and reunited with Wukong but only to battle and lose. Trapped in the scroll for hundreds of years. Were realized causing havoc to the cosmos. The rest is history For Now.

JTTW:

A demon born from the Primordial Phoenix, Given a high position in heaven which gave him his ego. He gave himself a humanoid form ate all the residence of the Lion Camel Kingdom ruled it for 500 years and then befriended the Azure Lion and Yellow-Toothed Elephant Demons.

Note: LMK and JTTW had Peng and Azure Switched In JTTW Peng was the leader and Azure the follower. Which of course is switched in the show.

His weapons are a ji and a Flask of Yin and Yang Essence which can suck in unsuspecting victims.

Flask of Yin and Yang Essence: After a while, the victim trapped inside the flask will be reduced to a bloody mash. (The flask was broken during the fight between him and Wukong)

In the book, it was the Buddha who subdued the Peng and returned him to Vulture Peak. He confessed to enjoying his demonic life and eating humans., but was left no choice but to abandon his evil ways and he was redeemed. He then became a protector of Buddhist law. He was later sent to destroy fake scripture without text by the Buddha. He is depicted perched above the Buddha's thrown as a guardian deity.

The Ming dynasty suggests Peng was a guardian of faith who watched over the world from an exalted position at the top of the Buddhas' throne.

Legend:

Dapeng Jinchi Mingwang/ Golden-Winged Great Peng His origins are derived from the Indian bird god Garuda.

Penig is one of the eight demi gods of Buddhism, he guards Mount Sumeru and Trāyastriṃśa. Pengi is depicted in the JTTW and General Yue Fei, mentioned in Chinese Buddhist literature.

The famous patriot General Yue Fei was believed to be the incarnation of Dapeng Jinchi Mingwang.

A demonic Peng born from The Primordial Phoenix the leader of flying beings. He also has a sister The Peacock Mahamayuri who once tried and failed to consume the Buddha. When he tried to kill her he was stopped and convinced to promote her to his godmother. Which makes the Golden Winged Peng the spiritual uncle of the Buddha. There is a tale of when Nü Tofu the bat spirit listened to the Buddha sermon on the Lotus Sutra at Leiyin temple. The bat spirit accidentally "broke wind" which stained the pure land. Peng snatched the spirit and killed her. For this Buddha exiled Peng to earth. He reincarnated as Yue Fei and the bat spirit reincarnated as Lady Wang. She married Qin Hui and Lady Wang killed Yue Fei in revenge.

For Backstory On These Two: Qui Hui and Lady Wang were the most hated couple in China for a thousand years. Qui Hui was a politician who gained his status by getting rid of political opponents, framing war heroes and was a sycophant to a foreign emperor. He and his wife both conspired to kill the Great War Hero of the Dynasty Yue Fei. He even becomes a puppet ruler. Qui Hui did not like Yue Fei because he was a great guy loved by all and became very popular even being more popular than the emperor. So Qui Hui had him returned and imprisoned. They torture Yue, but Yue Fei refuses to confess to something he did not do. They had him sentenced to death but in another story, Qui Hui's Wife Lady Wang poisoned Yue Fei. However, Yue Feis' story does not end at his death after a few decades Emperor Zhao Chen absolved Yue Fei and dedicated temples to him. Qui Hui and Lady Wang's betrayal and part in the war heroes' death were made public. In front of Yue Fei's temple, two iron statues of the couple were built for public shaming. People spit, abuse, and flop the statues and they get replaced when damaged they have been replaced 11 times since 1475.

Other Ledgends:

According to the martial arts master Laing Shouyu's book he was a great bird that was the guardian that could get rid of all evil in any area. Not even the MONKEY KING was a match. He was sent to China to defend China from invaders and was reborn as Yue Fei.

Yue Fei

The Shurangama Mantra: A mantra of Buddhist practice in China, Japan, and Korea, pertains to the Great golden-winged Peng bird, the Garuda it includes all species of birds. The Peng is the king among birds. He feasts on dragons, his being span measures an astounding 4,950 km, and when he flaps his wings the sea waters part to the deepest seabed.

Thoughts:

Peng's history and legends paint him as a far more powerful being than we have seen so far in the show if the writers do take anything from legends MK and the gang are in some serious trouble besides the ten kings. Also, it really is crazy that maybe even in the LMK universe Peng might have some serious power he was the last standing of the Sworn brothers in the final fight but that was mainly due to him running away. Peng does get redemption in the book with the LMK writers it's a 50/50 on the show. Also, love it when a character has a historical reincarnation to do some digging into.

#jttw #lmk #lego monkie kid #fan thoughts #journey to the west #lmk peng #research #ledgends #history #chinese mythology

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bigmack2go · 28 days ago

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Jacks animagud form would be a german shepherd idk

Daveys would be a koala (Les a penguin) Katherine would be a fox or a squirrel. or an owl…… or a giraffe

Spot would be a shark, whcih is really fucking annoying, like he soends all this time and effort ti become an animagus and then he can’t even use it? Seriously? (Or a frnch bulldog/ chihuahua)

Races animagus would either be a penguin or a gepard

Alberts animagus would be a red panda. Which, again, what the fuck, are you serious, there is nothing less threatening than a red panda

But worst off is Finch, who, against expectations of being a finch, is a turtle. Dgmw i love tirtles. Turtles are my shayla but I wouldn’t wanna be one for battle. Their sheilds barely endure much and what am i gonna do? Bite someone in slowmotion or-?

Hotshot would be a bat.

Sarah would be a squirrel

Bumlets would be a panda

Scobe would be a cow

Romeo would be a rat

Specs would be a snake(?) like a python but not an anaconda

Smalls would be a mouse

Ike would be a crow

Mine would be a raven (or a rabbit)

Mush would be a mouse

Skittery would like,, a very lazy tired eagle

Blink could also be a cow

Crutchies animagus would be an elephant (dont make me explain. Just accept it)

Mack would be an orange cat. Orange specifically. She’s i unhinged like that.

Stray would be a rat

Jojo would be a dachshund

Dutchy would be like a blackbird or a wolf

Darcy would be a very well kept poodle

Morris could be a fox

Itey would be

Snitch would be an owl!!!

Tumbler would be a chipmunk

Lucky would be a fox

Snoddy would be like some bug idk.

Graves would be an affenpinscher

Bill would be an aussie

Tommyboy would be falcon maybe??

Swifty would be a rabit or a deer. Or maybe a frog

Pie eater would be a hippo.

Jake would be a beagle

Bart would be a husky or maybe a rotweiler

Alvin would be a border collie

Boots would be a fly i dont make the rules

Buttons is a woodpecker

Splint would be a dodobird

Elmer would be a frog. But like a really dry one. That’s also brown

Joey would be a hyperactive rabbit-deer?

Rafaela would be monkey

Sniper would be a meercat

Stitches would be a ladybug

Otto an eal, which just as for spot is really fucking annoying like fuck off

Snipeshooter would be baby bulldog that doesnt grow up because it just doesnt ojay fucj off

Hildy would be a lion

Rizz is a hyperactive Pomeranian

Oscar would be a voulture

Kenny would be a girraffe

Barneys animagus would be chameleon or a firefly

York would be a shiba inu (or bullmastif)

Muriel would be a pig

Willie would be a horse

Knobs would be a pug

Myron would be a firefly or another chameleon or a stick insect

Snaps would be a guinni pig

Pips would obviously a mouse

Vince would be an ostrich

Splasher would be a chihuahua

#my posts #newsies #kosa newsies strike #headcanons #newsies headcanons #hogwarts au #newsies hogwarts au #hogwarts #harry potter #marauders #au #newsies au

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enigma-the-mysterious · 11 months ago

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WIP Wednesday: All progress so far!

Original post

Rules

Join the Community

@aparticularbandit @whimsicalmeerkat @stonemaskedtaliesin @owlbearwrites @adhdavinci @mystarduststories

[Blue indicates previously written lines]

"Bhai, what would you do if you ever woke up as a jalebi? Would you try to eat yourself?"

"...."

"I know I would."

"Akhtar, what the fuck?!"

The point was, the man lived for food. He had the appetite of a baby elephant. At home, his doting mother had no qualms about spoiling her beloved son with his favorite delicacies. Even when he was at Ram's apartment, Akhtar was often helping himself to the snacks pilfered from his kitchen.

So, when Ram found himself wandering into an English confectionery shop on a whim after another long and futile day spent roaming the streets of Delhi in search of his target, there was one thought that dominated his mind.

Akhtar would have loved it here.

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

"What is this, bhai?" Akhtar asked as he curiously peered into the packet in Ram's kitchen.

Ram smiled as he put the stove on heat. "The English call it chocolate."

"Choco…late?" Akhtar repeated, rolling the new word off his tongue.

"You can put it in cakes, or sweets," Ram explained, walking past his friend to grab the bowl of water by his side. "Or use it to make a drink."

Akhtar followed him to the stove, watching as he placed the vessel on the stove. Always so observant, his Akhtar.

"Drink? Like a chai or sharbat?"

@eriquin @zyrafowe-sny @violet-prism-creatively

"Stop it!"

Bheem froze, not because of the command, but because of the voice. That damned voice.

The sea of khaki parted to make way for blood red and gold. Bheem's lips twisted in disgust.

He held his head high and kept his eyes trained on the bars of his cell, beyond the rigid shoulders that marched towards him. Bheem did not squander his attention on his enemies.

(And not because he could not bear to see the face that looked nothing like the man he once smiled at, laughed with, ate with, called broth-)

"Keep struggling and it is Malli who will pay for your stubbornness," he said, curt, low, cold.

@1attheedge @auburnlaughter

[Blue indicates previously written lines]

Ram hissed as he began to pull the shirt off himself. The fabric caught on the congealing blood over the claw wounds and pulled on the fragile scabs.

Fuck, that hurt.

He took a deep breath, clenched his jaw and ripped the shirt off his torso.

Ram's vision blacked out and his knees almost buckled from the searing agony that shot through his chest. He choked on a sob as hot tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.

It was from the pain throbbing through his wounds, he told himself.

(He had gone through worse without batting an eye, without shedding a single tear)

@somefishycat @kalira @scifikimmi

[Blue indicates previously written lines]

The whip was slick with his blood.

"Kneel."

He wouldn't.

His back was flayed to the bone.

"Kneel."

He wouldn't.

The nails stuck to his skin, hugging, crushing, suffocating, ripping off his flesh and muscles and veins.

"Kneel."

He would'nt.

"Kneel, or die."

He chose death. It did not come easily.

@sourb0i @wizisbored @violet-prism-creatively

"And I am sorry for giving you so many scars."

"Because you never struck me at the same place twice."

Ram's breath hitched in his throat. His head snapped up and he stared at Bheem, wide eyed and dumbfounded.

Did he....

Bheem simply smiled.

"I am a healer too, anna. Do you think I do not know how the human body works? How much punishment it can take?"

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moosemink · 6 months ago

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Working alone looks different

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ CH4 - The Smile ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Pairing: No actual Romance just some mentioned, JayRoy | TimKon | BirdFlash Characters: Batfam | Justice League Word count: 2.174 A/N: I am late af with this chapter. I'm on break and have lost all feeling for time T-T AO3 Masterlist for W.A.L.D.

Hal’s hands were sweaty, his eyes darting from side to side, carefully scanning every shadow. He wanted to be in Gotham as much as Batman wanted him to be here, which was not at all. He cursed his boss under his breath every time he was startled by something moving in the shadows, even though it was just stray cats and the usual chubby, city raccoon or pigeon. Hal did note that despite Gotham being Gotham all the strays and other animals he spotted were healthy and well fed considering their homelessness. Even in Metropolis the strays didn’t look this healthy, somebody definitely took care of them.

He had been chosen to give a lecture on flight safety at Gotham Airport to a group of rookie pilots. He tried to get around it but he couldn’t and so he went there as early in the morning as he could, hoping that Batman and his children had gone to bed for the time being as they were Nocturnal vigilantes. They had to sleep at some point, right ?

They had to have some kind of sleep schedule, right ? Was Red Robin, and his habit of crashing in the weirdest spots, the exception or the rule ? Hal still wasn’t sure if the Bats were human or not. His bet was on not.

Hal wasn’t planning on staying within city limits long enough to find out though. He was planning to just grab a cup of coffee to replenish his energy for the flight back. His gaze was still nervously scanning his surroundings but he let himself relax just a little bit as he finally reached the coffee shop his phone’s navigation had let him to. The heavenly smell of coffee entered his nose and he let his eyes close for longer than a millisecond.

The shop looked friendly and warm, especially as it was in one of Gotham’s worse neighborhoods. Hal remembered it being called the Narrows. He distinctly recalls reading about staying as far away from this part and another in a tour guide for Gotham he had flipped through at the airport. The 'flyer' that almost rivaled a bible in thickness was more a survival guide than anything else. Instead of showing of the City's must-visit-spots it detailed the direct opposite. A long list of places to avoid and an even longer list of things and people to do the same. There had been ten whole pages on Joker and they basically summed up to: Pray and Run when you see him.

Not even an if you see him just a when. Hal still remembered the cold chill he had felt run down his back despite being a Superhero. He really didn't know how Batman does it. Or how the man can let his children fight people like this. Then again they were Gothamites. Everybody agrees that Gothamites were simply a different species of human.

Hal shook of his thoughts as he stepped through the doors into the cafe. There were a handful of people in the shop. Two people chatting calmly at a booth close to the counter, an older woman tucked into one of the booths in the far corner, reading a very thick book. Most notably though, in the booth closest to the door, two teens were seated. A blond girl, dressed in a fuzzy, purple pullover and a black haired boy, dressed in a black Wayne Enterprises hoodie. The boy was wrestling with the girl over the table for a coffee cup. A feeling of familiarity overcame Hal but he pointedly ignored it. Not wanting to be weird Hal moved to the counter to order, he still caught snippets of their conversation as the shop was quiet beside the low hum of music from a small speaker.

''You, sir, had enough caffeine to kill three elephants. No more, I'm cutting you off !''

''Come on !'', the boy pleaded, Hal could imagine the puppy dog eyes, ''I am tired ! I need that coffee or I'll die !'', the boy almost wailed.

Hal ordered a black coffee, the Barista looked him up and down pointedly and he caved and ordered a Caramel Macchiato instead.

''If you're tired you should sleep ! When was the last time you slept more than an hour ?'', the girl asked the boy pointedly, her eyes probably narrowed in judgement.

There was a beat of silence until the teen answered, almost too quiet for even Hal to hear, ''Tuesday,'', as an after thought the boy added an, ''I think.''

Hal couldn't help himself, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

''IT'S SATURDAY TIMOTHY!'' The blond exclaimed. No one in the small shop blamed her for her outburst. How was that kid still sitting upright, never mind talking and fighting for a coffee cup. ''I'm gonna call B, no even better I'll call Dick.'', She stated in a firm tone that left no room for protest.

''Do not call Dick! I'll go to sleep before I have to endure his mother-henning.''

Coffee in hand now, Hal gave the girl a sympathetic look as he left.

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

Leave it to Gotham to live up to it's reputation even in daylight, Hal had walked not even 300 feet before he had been dragged into an alley to be robbed. What did he expect ? This godless place didn't earn the title as city with the highest crime rate by holding tea parties and polite conversations.

Hal was slammed into the alleys brick wall, his coffee falling to the floor and spilling everywhere. Hal gave the golden liquid a sad look before his attention was drawn to the broad man in front of him. The man barked some slurred, heavily accented threats into his face that Hal could not understand in the slightest. The smell of alcohol thick in Hal's nose.

He was just about to figure out a way to get out of the situation without his ring when the meat mountain of a man in front of him suddenly fell to the ground unconscious, his threats cut off with a pained grunt.

As the wall of flesh made contact with the concrete floor, Hal was able to see bright yellow before him. A person clad in a bright yellow suit. And as expected, the lantern immediately clocks the big, white Bat insignia on the guys chest. The kid's chest.

Hal put his face in his hands, another Batbrat, was all he could think of.

''Another Bat... '' was the first thing he muttered, luckily he was able to swallow back the 'brat' part.

''You know, normally one would say thank you, but I guess 'You're welcome' Lantern.''

''Sorry, it's just that you mini Bats keep popping up. Seems like there is a new one of you every few weeks and it won't stop happening.''

The yellow Bat barked out a laugh at that. ''Honestly, yeah. Sometimes even I'm not sure how many siblings I have now.'', the, now that Hal looks closer, very well armored, yellow Bat is a breath of fresh air compared to the other Gotham vigilantes the green hero has met so far. Hal is pretty sure it's the first time he's heard one of them laugh so whole heartedly. This yellow Batling was already his favorite.

''So, may I know your name or do I have to wait for Spooky to introduce you to me ?'', Hal joked while extending his hand for a greeting.

''Spooky, ha that's a good one. But nah, I know my own name,'' the teen, because of course it's another teen vigilante, shook Hal's hand with a wide grin, ''They call me The Signal, Gotham's one and only day-shifter.'' Signal gave Hal a friendly two-finger salute.

Hal let out a low, impressed whistle, ''Thought crime went to sleep with the moon in Gotham but guess not.'' He sent a glance down to the guy that had tried to rob him just a few minutes ago. To his surprise, the man had woken up but he was just lying there, defeated. He didn't even struggle as Signal pulled out a pair of hand cuffs and cuffed him up, doing so with practiced ease. He then propped the man up against the alley wall and motioned for Hal to follow him as he grappled away.

Hal checked that the man wasn't looking in his direction as he slid on his ring and followed the newest Batling. He decidedly ignored the small sob he could hear from the man that had tried to rob him. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, Hal speaks from experience on that one. The last time he came across one of spooky's children was still burned in his mind. He was glad he didn't run into the red helmeted man but instead ran into his yellow helmeted brother.

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

After following The Signal for a few minutes, they stopped on a rooftop at the edge of Gotham.

''So, what brought you into Gotham today ?'', Signal asked, his tone nonchalant, a smile on his face but a threat still as clear as day in his body language. It promptly reminded Hal that Signal too is a Bat. A Gotham vigilante and not someone that wants him strolling through his territory. For a brief second the Lantern wondered if paranoia and territoriality were genetic.

Hal was startled from his thoughts by the Sunlight-Bat pulling his stick weapons out behind his back. ''I'll repeat myself, what are you doing in Gotham ? I would really like to avoid a fight with someone on the same side as me but you know about B's rule. No outsider metas in Gotham, unless he approved it.''

The last statement confused Hal, he tilted his head to emphasize this, he put his hands up in a surrendering motion as he spoke, ''I was just here because of my Day job, was actually on the way back before I got pulled into an alley and almost robbed, thanks for the safe by the way.

''But what do you mean with no outsider metas in Gotham, first I've heard that word in that sentence.''

All he got was a mischievous grin from the teen. ''OK, great.'' Hal sighed. ''So you're not going to tell me, this does support my theory that y'all aren't human.''

That earned the Lantern another loud bark of laughter out of the teen. ''Most of us actually are human.'' And wow Hal had never heard a more vague and concerning statement before.

''Anyway if you're gonna leave right now I don't think I'll have tell Batman about you being here, though he'll know anyway. There are eyes everywhere in Gotham,'' Signal motioned to a close by CCTV camera that then moved from side to side as if to wave to Hal. ''Oracle sees everything.'' Another insanely vague statement.

Signal put away his weapons and gave Hal a friendly smile, ''Next time you need to enter the city for some reason, just send a message to the Batcave first. Then one of us can help you out. That goes for the whole original JL, You're B's friends after all.''

''If I'm that grumpy grumps friend he doesn't show it.'', Hal's gaze flicked to the side, he smiled a little pained as he said it.

''He's just emotionally constipated as fuck. If you weren't his friend you would never know any of us Bat-children existed.'' Hal looked at Signal and the teen gave him a warm smile as their eyes met.

''Now I do have to ask you to leave before B arrives because I know he will in about two minutes.''

''How do you- ?''; Hal started but he was cut off by Signal throwing a smoke bomb at the floor and promptly disappearing with it. Hal decided to take the warning he was given and he quickly left Gotham City.

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

The next time he saw his favorite Bat, was a week later as Batman introduced him to the JL officially, even though Hal's story had already spread like wild fire between the members. A friendly, seemingly emotionally available Bat was something brand new to everyone.

But everyone was quickly reminded that a Bat was still a Bat even with a seemingly genuine smile on their face. Hal had asked for a simple light spar after working out a little in the Watchtower's Gym, he had been interested in fighting one of the Batlings and this was the perfect opportunity.

But Hal forgot to account that the definition of a 'light spar' was very different for a Bat. And so Signal's friendly smile turned into a proper Batglare™ that like always translated perfectly despite the yellow domino mask the teen was wearing with his workout clothes. The switch in demeanor threw the Lantern off enough that Signal wiped the floor with him within seconds. At least he tells himself that it was because he was distracted.

''Like father, like son.'', He reminded himself quietly.

<- Prev. | Next -> CH1 | CH2 | CH3 | CH4 | CH5 | CH6

#batfam #fanfic #justice league #5+1 #attempt at humor #hal jordan #duke thomas #the signal #green lantern #crack treated seriously #identity reveal #kinda

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