#but hey at least morty isn’t smoking

[subjectlambda]

So I’ve always had a headcanon that Rick smokes and started after Dianes death but he never does around Morty, just because despite him being the way he is, he deep down wants to be at least a somewhat good role model to morty

[nagito-kissmaeda]

Arcade - Komaeda x Reader

ミ☆  Just a silly thing I wrote about an arcade employee being baffled while Komaeda clears out all the machines lol ミ☆ I’ve been feeling kind of down about my writing so i just wanted to do something fun. It’s not very good haha. I’m tired and i can’t write good asjfkakd

Night shift at the arcade is usually pretty quiet. Most people start leaving around dinner time and while there are usually still some hardcore gamers lurking around until the AM, most of them only come in on Friday’s or weekends. So the job is usually easy breezy, most nights you lean up on the counter and browse the internet on your phone until your shift ends.

Tonight though, you have been acutely watching as this guy moves from machine to machine. Absolutely clearing them out. You’ve never seen anything like it. Presently, you are crouched behind a claw machine filled with Hello Kitty plushies as this guy slips two bucks into the Big Bass Wheel cabinet. Your eyes drift over to the last cabinet he used, the Wizard of Oz coin pusher. It is empty , you have never seen that happen in the whole time you’ve worked here. You weren’t even sure it could happen.

The guy spins the wheel, it spins and spins and spins. Jackpot. Your eyes narrow, a jackpot isn’t too uncommon, it honestly isn’t even worth that many tickets, but then he nonchalantly slides in another two dollars and hits jackpot again . This is starting to get suspicious.

The machine is spitting out tickets now, so many tickets. Even the guy looks surprised, you are definitely surprised. Two jackpots is not worth that many tickets, but they just keep coming and coming. Machine fault? Must be. The guy looks almost resigned at this point, sighing unhappily as the tickets keep spewing out, like they’re wasting his time and not like this was a superhuman feat of luck. Then, the machine starts smoking.

“Shit!” You hiss, jumping up from your hiding place behind the claw machine and dashing over to the guy before anything catches on fire. You’ve caught him by surprise, he probably didn’t realise you were following him around, “out of the way, please!”

He ducks out of the way, pulling his armfuls worth of tickets along with him as you switch the arcade cabinet off at the wall. The machinery inside stops whirring and the smoke calms down. You wipe your forehead with the back of your hand, you’ve never seen a machine fault this badly before, you were probably going to need to file an indecent report. What a pain.

“You okay?” You ask the guy. He is a lot taller up close, and the shock of messy white hair on his head only makes him seem taller. He sways like a palm tree in the breeze, clutching onto his massive wad of tickets for dear life.

“I’m sorry. I broke your machine.”

Oh...his voice is softer than you had expected it would be. The lights from a nearby Daytona cabinet are reflecting in his green eyes. You swallow, “You didn't break anything, machine fault, it happens sometimes.”

His eyes drift away from you and over to the cabinet, the smoke has stopped now, it doesn't look like there was too much damage, but he looks very upset about it anyway.

“Hey, seriously, dont worry about it.” You give him an awkward pat on his forearm, “The machines in here are really old, stuff like this happens all the time.”

“Oh...ah…” He bites his lip, “If you’re sure…”

You smile, “Yeah, don't even sweat it. You can keep the tickets by the way, once they're out of the machine it's a nightmare to get them back in again, so consider it an apology for almost setting you on fire.”

He laughs weakly, “Thank you.”

“Hey, uh…” You start, not so subtle eyeing his ticket collection. A decent chunk of it was from that Big Bass Wheel malfunction, an already exorbitant number was won legit. More than you had ever seen anyone win before, “are you a cabinet master?”

“A...what?”

“Like, you know all the sweet spots on the machines. Technically not cheating, but not entirely legal either.”

His eyes widen, “Did I do something wrong?”

“No!” You shake your head at him, “You just won a lot of tickets is all. I’ve never seen someone win that many tickets.”

“I’m just really lucky. It’s all i'm good at, honestly.” He’s fiddling with the tickets in his arms, “My friend’s birthday is coming up and i'm trying to win her that Sailor Moon statue.”

It is true that there is a coveted Sailor Moon statue amongst the arcade’s prize collection. It’s huge, beautifully painted and according to your boss, incredibly rare . It’s been sitting there on the shelf for god knows how long, still tight in it’s shrinkwrap. Generally the most any player is able to afford is three or four sticky hands and a glow in the dark spider ring, but this guy is getting tantalisingly close.

You cross your arms and smirk at him, “You’re really that lucky?”

“Most of the time.”

“Okay then. You’re going to play Monster Drop next, it's the hardest cabinet we have.” You start heading over to the machine in the back of the arcade, it’s huge, you always forget how huge it is. The guy is diligently following behind you, shoulders hunched like he’s trying to make himself seem smaller. The pile of tickets in his arms rustling as he walks, “I’ve never seen anyone get a monster jackpot on this thing. Also my boss filled it with a bunch of different sized balls, so it's basically impossible to get a standard jackpot too, even after practicing at other arcades.”

“Hm. Is that really fair?”

You shrug a shoulder, “Nope. It’s big and loud, so lots of people want to play it and Boss doesn't want too many people winning. there's a catch though, raise the difficulty and you also raise the ticket payout. So if you manage to beat it, you'll be able to afford Sailor Moon.”

The current ticket payout is displayed in flashing red lights, 72,483 . With every failed attempt at hitting the monster jackpot the payout just gets higher and higher, those tantalising numbers draw in more kids hoping to be the one who gets lucky. A number that big means the cabinet has never been won, a smart arcade goer knows that a number like that means stay away.

“How do I play?” He asks, dropping his ticket collection on the ground at his feet.

“Ah, it’s deceptively simple.” You grab his hand and tug him over to the machine, gesturing up at where the balls drop down from, “You just need to press the button to let out a ball, and that’s literally it. The base of the machine spins around to make it harder to get the balls in. Monster jackpot is in the middle, so you would think a straight drop down would jackpot you every time but-”

He smirks wryly, “it’s never that easy is it?”

“Of course not! We’d never make any money if it was.”

He laughs to himself, pulling another coin out of his pocket and clinking it into the machine, “Ah, only one turn?”

You hold up a finger, “Just the one.”

He laughs again, “Brutal.”

“Very.” You take a step back to give him room to familiarise himself with the machine. Most people like to observe it from a few angles, take some time, watch at least one cycle before using up their one shot, “Good luck.”

He turns to you and smiles, “Thanks, but like i said, this is the one thing i'm good at.” He pushes the button, he isn't even looking at the machine, the rotating base hasn't even finished half a cycle. This guy is ballsy.

Despite his gumption, the ball falls a little short of the monster jackpot, “Aw, bad luck-” you start saying, but then it starts bouncing. Once off the base, three times off the sides, up high into the air and then plonk . Straight into the monster jackpot. All you can do is stare. Not only did he get the jackpot, he got it in a rigged machine while he wasn't even looking .

He laughs politely, the sound barely audible of the cabinet’s furious ringing bells and sirens signalling an impossible feat just happened here, everyone look! The tickets have started dispensing, with over 70k to print, it's going to be a long wait, “Jeez, that was scary. I almost thought my luck had run out there!”

He looks completely relaxed as he starts folding the fresh tickets into the neatest pile he can manage, “Are you a god or something?”

“Huh?” He says, blinking down at you, “That’s such a strange thing to ask me.”

“You just beat Monster Drop without looking . I’ve seen professional cabinet masters come in here and still lose after examining the machine for a good two hours!”

“Oh, no need to be impressed. I didn't actually do anything.” He smiles sadly and continues collecting his tickets, “It’s not really much of a talent, but i suppose it comes in handy sometimes.”

You clap a palm to your forehead, unable to believe what you are hearing, “You’re going to have enough tickets for the Sailor Moon statue and enough leftover for like...unlimited sticky hands.”

He taps a finger to his lips, “Oh! I would like some sticky hands.”

“How many?”

His brow creases as he considers it, “Three or four, i guess.”

“Three or-” you start laughing, “Buddy, i could pour the whole box into your bag if you wanted.”

“I don't think i need that many sticky hands, but it's very kind of you to offer.”

“We also have glow in the dark spider rings, and a robust selection of slinkies. Oh! If you really want to splurge we have a pair of slippers that resemble a character from Rick and Morty.”

He grimaces, “I would prefer the slinkies.”

You hear the arcade cabinet’s ticket dispenser finally come to a stop, and despite his good natured effort to collect the tickets in a neat pile, they are still all bunched up around his ankles. You are about to ask him another question when you quickly realise that the Monster Drop machine is now also smoking.

He sighs, “I should have known.”

You don't have time to look into that comment, you are too busy scrambling around to the back of the machine so you can turn the power off at the wall. Much like last time, you catch it before anything actually catches on fire. This has been a very eventful day.

“Hey, uh-” you start awkwardly, pulling yourself up from the ground and moving to help the guy contend with his ticket pile, “I finish in like half an hour...if you need help carrying your miscellaneous arcade prizes back to your car or whatever…”

He blinks at you as you both reach the prize counter and deposit the monstrous ticket collection onto the bench, “I should be okay on my own...but if you want to come I wouldn't mind, though I can’t guarantee I won’t set anything else on fire…” he chuckles nervously and you give him a quizzical look.

You do want to go with him, you aren't sure if it’s just a morbid curiosity about his luck with the arcade machines, or a fascination with the soft halo of white hair falling into his eyes, but you want to get to know him better, “I’ll come with you. You don’t have anywhere near enough fingers for all the glow in the dark spider rings I’m about to give you.” You say as you round the counter and start organising his tickets into more manageable piles.

He smiles, “that does sound like a good idea. I don’t want to drop any of my brand new sticky hands, after all.” He leans forward on the counter, blinking up at you. He’s got really pretty eyelashes, “I’m Nagito Komaeda, in case you were wondering.”

You laugh, “Nice to meet you, Nagito. Now give me 20 minutes to count all your damn tickets.”

[danurso]

That's pretty D.U.M.B

Part 0 - Part 1 - Part 2

After the explosion occurred, the room was filled with a light blue mist.

Ruby: *cough* *cough* what was that!?

Yang: i can't see anything! Can someone open *cough* *cough* the window!? 

Pyrrha: found it! *open window allowing the smoke to leave the classroom.

Jaune: what the hell was that?

Oobleck: no idea mr.arc *looking around the room, which is still intact, just filled with smoke* but apparently the explosion didn't damaged anything.

Weiss: *gets up, massaging her head* oww, tell that to my head. I said this was stupid, and apparently it didn't give any results.

Jaune: what the hell are you already whining about princess?

RWBY/Pyrrha: *freezes*

Ruby: jaune?

Jaune: *leaving the smoke, with a different armor on and a scar on his left eye* what do you want now reddish? I'm not in the mood to- *freezes and looks at weiss, walking her way and holding her face*

Weiss: *blushes* w-what are you-

Jaune: *with a shocked expression* what happened to your eye? What is this scar?

Weiss: *breaks free* what? Shouldn't we be asking you this? besides, don't ever touch me without my permission again!

Jaune: *confused* . . .what bite your rich ass today princess? *looks back at oobleck with a scowl* was it you with your crazy inventions again?

Oobleck: *confused* mr.arc? Is this really you?

Jaune: and who else could i be? Did you broke your glasses or all that coffee finally fucked up your brain?

Ruby: jaune. . .what happened to you?

Jaune: the hell are you talking about reddi-

Jaune: *normal jaune, leaving the smoke massaging his head* oww, was that thing supposed to throw me away like that?

Weiss: *leaving the smoke too, this weiss however doesn't have a scar and her ponytail isn't to the side like usual* *whining* oww, my head hurts.

RWBY/Pyrrha: *speechless*

Oobleck: IT WORKED!!!

Jaune: what work- *stops, staring at the other version of himself and to weiss before looking at the weiss on his side* w-wait, what? Why is there other me here!?

Alternative Weiss: *looking between the jaunes* *gasp* jaune! There's two of you!

(A)Jaune: *with crossed arms* don't tell me princess, i'm not fucking blind.

(A)Weiss: *taking a closer look at jaune, with a large smile and stars in her eyes* he's just like you! Just scraggly and without the scar!

(A)Jaune: i can see that.

(A)Weiss: *bolts to her normal version* look! This me has a scar just like yours! I look kinda cool with it.

(A)Jaune: two princesses, this probably the worst day of my life.

(A)Weiss: or the best one, imagine having two me's around.

(A)Jaune: *deadpans* it would be twice as annoying.

(A)Weiss: yeah, but you would get twice the affection. *gives him a sweet smile*

(A)Jaune: . . . *looks away with a pink on his cheeks* shut up, will you?

(A)Weiss: *grinning happily*

Yang: . . .okay, that's kinda disturbing. Why is that ice queen so nice and that vomit boy so mean?

Oobleck: it's simple miss xiao long, these versions of mister arc and miss schnee are from a world different from ours, and if you think about the infinite possibilities of the multiverse, there are probably many other versions of them besides those.

Jaune: w-wait, so he's me from another universe?

Oobleck: Precisely! The D.U.M.B worked perfectly! And thanks to it we can meet these alternative versions of you two.

(A)Jaune: what the hell are you talking about? And what is going on?

Oobleck: *ahem* i'm sorry for disturbing you two with this experiment, but this place is a dimension different from your original one.

(A)Jaune: . . .*raises eyebrow* did someone put vodka on your coffee or have you always been crazy like that?

Oobleck: i can assure you mister arc that i'm very sober and sane. *points at D.U.M.B* you see this device here? It's a dimensional and universal magical bridge, but you can call it D.U.M.B to shorten.

(A)Weiss: *snort* dumb.

(A)Jaune: *rolls his eyes* it had to be.

Oobleck: this is the device that allowed us to bring you two to our universe.

(A)Jaune: so let me get this straight, you used this weird machine to bring us here, a world different from ours.

(A)Weiss: that's so cool! it's just like that show rick and morty!

Weiss: what?

(A)Weiss: you don't have rick and morty here?

Ruby: we do! And it's such a cool show!

(A)Weiss: i know! It's one of my favorites!

(A)Weiss/Ruby: *start blabbering*

Weiss: this is. . .very disturbing.

Yang: i don't know, i kinda like nice weiss, she's just like you but probably doesn't have a log stuck up on her ass.

Weiss: who are you calling stuck up you idiot!?

(A)Jaune: i don't know which one is worse, the one who keeps shrieking all the time or the one who has way too much energy. *sighs, looking back to oobleck* when are we going back to our world?

Oobleck: you'll be back in a few moments mr. Arc, D.U.M.B has a time limit of half an hour. Meanwhile, i just wanted to know if you and ms.schnee could answer a few questions before going back to your world?

(A)Jaune: not interested.

(A)Weiss: sure thing!

Oobleck: Stupendous! So, i wanted to know if there's a glaring difference from your world compared to this one?

(A)Weiss: *looking around* hmm. . .no, everything looks the same.

Oobleck: *writing on a notebook* i see.

(A)Weiss: *looks to the group and raises an eyebrow* why is blake wearing a bow though?

Blake: *flinches and starts sweating*

Yang: she always wears that bow, even to sleep. Why? Your blake doesn't use a bow?

(A)Weiss: wait, so they don't know about. . .

Blake: *shakes head*

(A)Weiss: o-oh, *sheepishly* sorry.

Yang: wait, do you know something we don't?

(A)Weiss: err. . .no, nothing! Blake will tell everyone when she's ready.

Yang: what is she hiding? *looks at blake* now i'm curious.

Blake: n-nothing.

(A)Weiss: blake is really quiet here.

(A)Jaune: she's always been quiet.

(A)Weiss: i know, she just looks more quiet then our blake.

Ruby: so your blake is different too?

(A)Weiss: not really, she's just a bit more. . . 'Open' about herself. Everyone looks the same aside from her, well, except me and jaune of course.

Ruby: but why are you two so different? Why are you so nice compared to our weiss?

Weiss: hey! I am nice!

Yang: *cough, cough* like a punch in the gut *cough, cough*

(A)Weiss: well. . .i don't really know, i just try to be myself, that's what my dad always told me.

Weiss: wait, your dad told you to be yourself?

(A)Weiss: *smiling* yup!

Weiss: and not to be something you don't want to be?

(A)Weiss: what? No! daddy would never do that, he hates people who control their children for their own benefit.

Weiss: *shocked* . . .is your father really jacques schnee?

(A)Weiss: that's his name.

Weiss: . . .can you tell me more about your- our family?

(A)Weiss: sure! My mom is always helping my dad with his business at the emprise, my older sister winter is one of the biggest designers of atlas, my little brother whitley is studying most of the time to be a good business man like dad but he always takes some time to have fun with us, and even helps me by playing piano in my concerts, and dad is the head of the SDC, the biggest and most controversial emprise in remnant.

Weiss: controversial?

(A)Weiss: unfortunately, yes. People in atlas are selfish and try to maintain a certain 'status-quo', humans rule and faunus suffer, but my dad's emprise treats everyone the same and helps faunus that suffer to rise and have a good life, but unfortunately for us, the rest of atlas doesn't share his vision and treats him and my family terribly, this lack of respect with my family's name is one of the main reasons why i decided to be a huntress.

Blake: *eyes wide* w-wait, so in your world, jacques schnee isn't a racist?

(A)Weiss: what!? No! My father dreams with the peace between humans and faunus, he even made an alliance with the leader of the white fang, ghira bell- i mean, with their leader ghira to help them on their movement for equality, my father is their biggest supporter. Why are you asking that? Isn't dad like this here?

Weiss: no, our dad here unfortunately isn't so noble. He only cares for profits and hates faunus, probably just as much as he hates his family.

(A)Weiss: wait, what?

Weiss: he forced me to do everything he wanted ever since i was young, even used my voice to profit. My mom is a drunkard who never leaves her room, whitley is dad's puppet and is becoming just as rotten as he is and winter is a specialist at atlas military.

(A)Weiss: w-what!? dad can't be bad like that, i-it doesn't make sense.

Weiss: he is, i guess that's why you and me are so different, you had an way easier life.

(A)Weiss: wow, this sounds so sad. . .wait, does that means your version of jaune had an easier life too?

Everyone: *looks at jaune*

Jaune: err. . .yeah, i mean, my life was pretty easy if you don't count the annoying sisters and how my parents didn't wanted me to be a huntsman.

(A)Jaune: *raises eyebrow* your parents didn't wanted you to be a huntsman?

Jaune: not really, i tried to convince dad to train me when i was younger but he never let me, so i just had a normal life until my seventeen years.

(A)Jaune: lucky you, looks like you at least had a happy life.

Jaune: so. . .what happened in my life that made my like this?

(A)Jaune: i don't wanna talk about it.

Jaune: but-

(A)Jaune: *glaring at him* no buts, just zip it.

Jaune: *terrified* o-okay.

(A)Jaune: . . . *looks to the side* what do you want?

(A)Weiss: *holding his hand* come on, tell him.

(A)Jaune: i don't want to.

(A)Weiss: come on, pleeease.

(A)Jaune: i said no already.

(A)Weiss: *hugs his arm* pleeease. . .for me? *gives him a puppy look*

(A)Jaune:  . . . *sigh* i fucking hate you princess.

(A)Weiss: *with a victorious smile* no, you love me.

(A)Jaune: keep dreaming. well. . .where do i start, my mom died when i was five because of a disease and since then my asshole sperm-donor raised me, he trained me to be a champion and forced me into several tournaments to make me stronger, he locked me away from my sisters so i wouldn't have any distractions during my training, said training that pushed me to my absolute agonizing limits. When i was fourteen i had enough and fought him off, but he defeated me and gave me this scar as a reminder of how weak i am compared to him, then when i turned seventeen i joined beacon where i became partners with an annoying ball of unlimited joy.

(A)Weiss: that's me!

Yang: wow. . .that's really dark.

Jaune: is dad really that bad in your world? He was always so soft with everyone that is kind of hard imagining him like that.

(A)Jaune: take a wild guess dumbass. *points at the scar in his eye* what kind of good father would do this to his kid?

Jaune: yeah. . .guess you got a point.

Pyrrha: wait, did you say that weiss was your partner at beacon?

(A)Jaune: unfortunately, yes. This idiot who never even trained before and didn't even had aura had the great idea to buy some transcripts and join beacon, i didn't wanted her as my partner but since she was aimlessly flying into her death during initiation, i had to save her ass and become her partner.

Weiss: . . .by any chance, am i retarded on your dimension?

(A)Weiss: HEY!

(A)Jaune: probably. What kind of sane person would be stupid enough to do that?

Pyrrha: this story sounds. . .very familiar.

Jaune: *sheepishly* i-it does.

(A)Jaune: who did i got partnered with here?

Jaune: pyrrha.

(A)Jaune: lucky you, different from princess here, pyrrha knows her limits.

(A)Weiss: you talk like me being your partner is the worst thing in the world.

(A)Jaune: because it is. you're reckless, annoying, stupid, ignorant, selfish, suicidal and-

(A)Weiss: and you still love me regardless.

(A)Jaune: . . . *looks away* i don't know what you're talking about.

(A)Weiss: yes you do, im talking about this. *tiptoes and kisses his cheek*

(A)Jaune: *recoils and blushes* what the hell are you doing!?

(A)Weiss: i'm giving you a kiss. Why? you wanted it to be on the lips?

(A)Jaune: like hell i would want that, princess.

(A)Weiss: hmm. . .

(A)Jaune: what are you doing?

(A)Weiss: *tiptoeing, reaching out her lips for him* waiting for you to kiss me.

(A)Jaune: i don't want to kiss you.

(A)Weiss: hmm. . .

(A)Jaune: stop it already dumbass, you're just embarrassing yourself.

(A)Weiss: hmm. . .

(A)Jaune: *looks back to her*

(A)Weiss: *still waiting for him*

(A)Jaune: *pink* . . .i fucking hate you. *leans down and kisses her.*

(A)Weiss: *returning the kiss*

(A)Jaune: *wraps hands on her waist and pulls her closer*

(A)Weiss: *deepening the kiss*

Yang: well. . .that's a scene i never thought i would see.

Ruby/Blake: *nods*

Pyrrha: *nods as well but with an way more forced and scary smile*

Jaune: *blushing*

Weiss: *red and mortified* w-what are you two doing!?

(A)Weiss: *giggles* sorry, sometimes we get lost in the mood.

(A)Jaune: 'we'? You're the one always dragging me into this stuff.

(A)Weiss: i'm not the one who drags you away after a hard day just so we can make out on a empty classroom.

(A)Jaune: *red* can't you just stay shut for five seconds princess!?

(A)Weiss: *smiling brightly* nope.

Yang: wait, wait, wait, are you two like, dating?

(A)Jaune/(A)Weiss: no/yes.

Weiss: h-how is that possible!? What do you even see on this idiot!?

(A)Jaune: *glaring at her* i made my mind, you're the one i hate the most.

(A)Weiss: what's there not to see on him? I mean, yeah, he is always being mean to other peoples but thats cause he had a rough life, the real jaune buried under all that anger is really kind and sweet. He was the first person that believed that i could be a huntress, he teached me how to fight and picked me up whenever i thought about giving up. *hugs his arm* he was the first guy that loved me for who i am and that's why i love him so much. *looks at him* Right?

(A)Jaune: *looks away, face totally red* speak for yourself, i don't know what you're talking about.

Weiss: i can't believe you. . .how did that even happened!?

(A)Weiss: you mean how we got together? Well it was during the ball at beacon, neptune invited me to go but i refused.

Weiss: YOU WHAT!?

(A)Weiss: i refused. *pink* i was hoping that a certain someone would invite me.

(A)Jaune: hmph.

(A)Weiss: but well, things didn't went like i wanted and i went to the ball alone. I stayed there for some time but gave up and went to the rooftop to take a breather, that's where i found jaune.

(A)Jaune: yeah, i was enjoying the peace and the silence until you showed up.

(A)Weiss: *chuckles* He was being grumpy because he heard neptune inviting me and thought i had accepted.

(A)Jaune: i wasn't being grumpy because he invited you, i just hate that guy's guts.

(A)Weiss: we cleared some things up and i invited him to dance a bit, we danced on our own for some time and talked a bit, he complimented me for the first time ever since i met him and even admitted that i was someone important in his life *with a wide smile and rosy cheeks* i was so happy that i gave him my first kiss without even thinking about it.

Yang: aww, that's so cute.

(A)Jaune/Weiss: *red* SHUT IT!

Weiss: that's enough, we don't wanna hear anything else about this!

Yang: speak for yourself ice queen, keep going nice queen!

(A)Weiss: well. . .i was a bit scared at first but when he kissed me back i got a lot calmer,  we kept kissing for some time and things got. . .a bit out of control.

Blake: *very interested* what do you mean with 'out of control?'

(A)Weiss: *red* err. . .well, w-we got a bit carried away and kept kissing until we were back to our room, and when we got there we did. . .*ten times redder* couple stuff.

Weiss: wait, so you just went and slept with him like that!?

(A)Weiss: yeah. *sheepishly* i know someone's first time should be something we think about carefully, but on that day all i could think of was how happy i was that jaune was my first. *hugs his arm* and until this day, i never once regretted that decision. *smiles at him*

(A)Jaune: *red* t-that's enough! *turns to oobleck* how the hell do we go back to our world!?

Oobleck: all you need to do is place your hands on the D.U.M.B or wait for the thirty minute mark. But before you leave, i still have some que-

(A)Jaune: fuck your questions, we're leaving princess.

(A)Weiss: sure. Just give me a moment. *goes to weiss* can i talk to you for a second?

Weiss: what do you want to talk about!?

(A)Weiss: wait. *holds her and drags her to the farthest corner, away from the group*

Weiss: what do you want?

(A)Weiss: i just needed to know, are you and jaune dating?

Weiss: W-what!? No! And we never will!

(A)Weiss: i see, i think i understand now.

Weiss: good thing that you understand, now please leave.

(A)Weiss: you like him.

Weiss: *blushes* i don't like him! I hate him!

(A)Weiss: *chuckles* you're just like jaune when i first met him. He was closed, distant and very cold with everyone, and he said he hated me all the time, but that was just him trying to keep his guard up, trying to protect his damaged heart from even more damage.

Weiss: what are you talking about?

(A)Weiss: what i'm talking is that just like my jaune, you're putting up barriers and keeping people away to avoid getting hurt, but maybe you don't need these barriers to be up all the time, maybe all you need is to let in someone who can help you heal.

Weiss: let me guess, someone like arc.

(A)Weiss: maybe. I'm dating jaune for awhile now and despite he still being much like his older self, i can't see myself being more happy with anyone else that isn't him. I know i might be biased but seeing that the only difference between us is that our roles were inverted, i think you wouldn't regret being with someone like jaune. Just think about it, didn't you ever noticed anything that jaune may have done just to see you happy?

Weiss: well. . . *gets a small flashback about the ball and neptune telling her everything jaune said*

(A)Weiss: sooo?

Weiss: i-i don't know, nothing comes to my mind. And look, i don't care what your reasoning is, i am not going to date arc.

(A)Weiss: well, i can't force you to do anything really, but if you can, just give him a chance *with a sincere smile* i know you won't regret.

Weiss: *sighs, rubbing her temples* if i tell you i'll think about it, will you go away?

(A)Weiss: sure thing!

Weiss: then i'll think about it, just please leave me alone.

(A)Weiss: okay, see'ya then me! *goes back to the group, joining jaune and hugging his chest* missed me?

(A)Jaune: no.

(A)Weiss: i missed you too my archangel.

(A)Jaune: *pink* didn't i told you to stop using this stupid nickname?

(A)Weiss: *chuckles* oops, sorry.

(A)Jaune: *sigh* let's just leave for god's sake. *places hand on the D.U.M.B*

(A)Weiss: *also places her hand on the D.U.M.B*

They both slowly start to get surrounded by a light blue aura, just like when jaune and weiss first used it.

(A)Weiss: bye everyone, It was really nice to meet you.

Yang: same, it was really good to see how weiss would be if she wasn't always on her period.

Weiss: YANG!!!

(A)Weiss: and weiss!

Weiss: *looks back at her* what?

(A)Weiss: just one chance, i promise you won't regret.

Weiss: i already said i'll think about it, i'm not going to make any promises.

(A)Weiss: that's already good enough, bye me!

Weiss: goodbye.

(A)Jaune/(A)Weiss: *vanishes*

Blake: well. . .that was something.

Jaune: i-it really was.

Ruby: weiss?

Weiss: yes?

Ruby: what did you and the other you talked about?

Weiss: well. . . *glances at jaune for a moment before looking away slightly* i-it was nothing okay? just something stupid.

Ruby: oh, okay.

Pyrrha: so, what do we do now professor?

Oobleck: we continue with the experiment of course! Meeting these alternative versions of mr.arc and ms.schnee was interesting but there are a lot of questions that need answers!

Weiss: i-i'm not going to use that machine again!

Oobleck: you wouldn't be able to use it even if you wanted ms.schnee. The D.U.M.B can't be used by the same person twice in a row, that rule goes for everyone except mr.arc of course!

Jaune: okay, but why does this machine needs me so much to work? You said i'm some kind of axis but why-

Oobleck: I DON'T KNOW AND AT THE MOMENT I DON'T CARE MR.ARC!!! RIGHT NOW THERE'S ONLY ONE QUESTION YOU SHOULD BE ASKING!!!

Jaune: a-and it is?

Oobleck: *grins and looks at the girls* which one of you is going next!?

[jcmadgirl]

Hmmm, idea: the pogues noticing JJ hates physical touch (we all know why) but allows JB to touch him and comfort him.

Hi!! Sorry it took me so long to reply, exam session has been real crazy and I haven’t had much time to write rip.

But anyway, I hope you like this, and thanks for sending in a request ❤

Words:  2604

Relationships: JJ&The Pogues, JJ&John B, JJ/John B if you squint

Warnings: Swearing, smoking, mentions of child abuse. 

Touch is a complicated thing. 

It's not that it's necessarily bad. 

(Not always, at least.)

(It's that JJ has trust issues the size of the Empire State Building.)

He hasn't been always like this. 

(He remembers flowy blonde hair and blue eyes like his.)

(JJ doesn't remember her perfume, or what her face really looked like, but he remembers her hands.)

(Soft hands, gentle hands, brushing through his hair.)

(Sweet fingers tracing his skin.)

But that was way too long ago. 

(Buried deep in his head.)

(It hurts to think about her, so JJ just doesn't.)

(He's great at not thinking, ask anyone.)

Now, touching has become a bit messy. 

(Angry hands, bloody and bruised, the sound of bones giving out under his fists, ugly words filling JJ’s head.)

(Pulling, grabbing, holding him down-

So yeah, he doesn't like when people brush against him, doesn't like when they come up from behind him, doesn't like unexpected touches, even the nice, harmless ones.

(It makes JJ’s skin prickle, tingling unpleasantly until he wants to rip it off from his bones.)

And it's really fucking messed up, because JJ was always better at doing than talking.

(It’s easier to show what he means than trying to talk about it.) 

Anyway. 

He can't really do anything about it, and his friends have made peace with it a long time ago, so JJ just kind of lives with it and tries to ignore how hurt Kie looks when he pulls away from her, or that looks Pope gets when he flinches away from him when they're being a bit too rowdy. 

It's just how it is, you know?

KIE

“I can't believe you just did that!” Kie half yells. “God, JJ that was disgusting.” She continues, and JJ winks at her.

(He's drunk.)

(They all are.)

“It was a bet, what did you want me to do?” He slurs, hands flapping in the air. 

“You just drank a shot of vinegar and ketchup, Jesus.” 

“It really don't understand how you're still alive.” Pope comments beside her, and John B snorts, clapping one hand on JJ’s back. JJ smiles brightly at him, and he's got some ketchup on the side of his cheek.

She reaches out without thinking about it, wanting to wipe it away.

(It's a stupid move, and sober Kie would never do it.)

(JJ doesn't like being touched, she knows that.)

JJ flinches hard, pulling back.

(It's suddenly dead silent.)

“Shit.” She whispers to no one in particular, dropping her hand back to her side.

(JJ isn't looking at her.)

(He isn't looking at anyone.)

Then he materializes a cigarette out of nowhere, and he's grinning to John B.

“Dare you to close your eyes and eat whatever I make.” John B hesitates. 

(He's staring at JJ.)

(It really feels like Kie shouldn't be watching this.)

(Pope looks awkward as fuck as well.)

Then the moment is gone, and John B is smiling again and Kie watches JJ relax.

(It's subtle, the way JJ moves.)

(But it's how JJ and John B work.)

“That's not fair, you knew what you were gonna drink!” John B whines and JJ is still grinning.

“Sounds like you're afraid.” 

“Never.”

“I wouldn't do it.” Pope says, and JJ glances at him.

“How cowardly of you.”

“I'm just sayin’, I've seen the cabinets. There's only mold in there.” JJ wiggles his brows and John B groans.

“We'll have to take you to the hospital for food poisoning.” Kie says and JJ laughs again and it feels good.

(Kie can ignore the way JJ isn't looking at her.)

(It was her mistake.)

JJ ends up making a sandwich with mold on the bread, garlic and jalapeños. 

“Open up, JB.” JJ says. John B is sitting on the counter of the kitchen at the Chateau, his bandana tied over his eyes.

“Gross, it's so gross.” Kie makes a puking sound, which makes Pope snort.

“No, guys, is it that bad?” John B asks. 

“Nah, bro, it's haute cuisine, I'm telling you.” JJ laughs and John B flips him off. “Open up now, be a good boy.” 

“That's worse than the food.” Pope says dryly and Kie watches as John B takes takes a bite of the sandwich and starts chewing.

“Oh God.” He says around and a mouthful of food and Kie is so sure he's going to throw up, but he doesn't, instead he swallows and then rips off the bandana and glares at JJ.

“Fuck you.”

“You made me drink ketchup!” 

“That was so fucking disgusting.” John B says and JJ hands him and send glass of water. He drinks it rapidly and then takes the cigarette JJ is offering. 

(Kie used to be jealous, of the way they just seem to get each other.)

(Of how they just move around each other without even having to think about it.)

“Excellent performance, John B.” 

“I really fuckin’ hate you sometimes.” JJ winks, blows him a kiss, and then they make their way back in the living room.

“Want to watch a movie?” Kie asks, and receives a series of affirmative groans and sounds, and they all settle on the couch. 

She ends up between Pope and John B, JJ being on John B’s either side as usual. 

She opens Netflix and starts scrolling, as they try to decide on something to watch. 

(It's always a struggle, they all like different things.)

They settle for Friends, which is pretty neutral, even if Kie has seen it hundreds of times.

(It's still a good show.)

They watch four episodes, and then Kie shuts John B’s computer close.

“I should get going.” She says and looks over at Pope, who also nods. 

“Yeah-

“Shhh.” John B says, bringing a finger over to his lips. Kie eyes him weirdly, then she spots JJ beside John B.

He's sleeping, mouth hanging open and head resting on John B’s shoulder. 

“Oh.”

(And it's really an oh moment.)

(Well that's new.)

(Expect, that it clearly isn't, because John B doesn't look surprised one bit.)

“See you tomorrow?” John B whispers and Kie nods dumbly, eyes still on JJ.

(He looks peaceful.)

“Yeah.” Pope replies and then he gets up and so does Kie, grabbing her things quickly and silently.

(She pretends to not see when John B brushes JJ’s hair away from his forehead.)

She waves John B goodbye and then Pope closes the door after them.

(She definitely didn't hear JJ whispering a soft hi when he woke up.)

(And she absolutely didn't hear John B reply.)

(‘Let's go to bed, I'm exhausted.’)

POPE

Pope can tell it’s a bad day the second he enters in the Chateau. 

(He could hear JJ yelling from outside the door.)

“Can you fuckin’ believe those Kooks? They really think they can-

He stops midrant when he spots Pope.

Pope waves at them.

(Why is he so awkward?)

“Hey, Pope.” John B greets him, and JJ nods in his direction, busy lighting a cigarette.

“What happened?” Pope asks, and JJ scoffs. 

John B is sprawled on the couch, and JJ walks up to him, quite literally ripping his hawaiian shirt open to reveal a couple of bruises blooming on his side. 

“They jumped him.” JJ says.

(Pope can almost see the anger rolling off him in waves.) 

(JJ always goes full psycho when John B gets hurt.) 

“JJ-

“You shut up, John B, you didn’t even tell me!” 

“Yeah, because I knew you’d go fuckin’ crazy like this- 

“They jumped-

“I know, Jesus, I was there.” JJ scoffs again, and now they’re glaring at each other, and Pope really think he shouldn’t be here. 

(It feels private, for some reason.)

(Maybe it’s the way JJ and John B just keep staring at each other.)

(Like, Pope’s right there, hello?)

“You okay, JB?” Pope asks, and John B looks at him, and JJ is pacing now, fingers twitching. 

“Yeah, it’s not even that bad.” John B replies, and Pope nods. 

“Who did it?” 

“Rafe and Kelce.” 

“I’m gonna get them back, though, just wait.” JJ comments, eyes dark.

“JJ- Jesus fuckin’ Christ, will you stop? You’re giving me anxiety.” JJ stops dead in his track then, glancing at John B. 

“Fine.” He drops on the couch beside John B’s, on his good side and Pope follows him out of instinct. 

He sits on JJ’s other side.

(Pope’s careful to leave some space between them.)

(JJ shifts towards John B anyway.)

“Fuckin’ Kooks.” JJ grumbles, whipping out the necessities to roll a blunt. 

(Pope watches him work, practiced fingers moving quickly.) 

(It’s kind of interesting to watch.) 

(He also watches John B put an arm around JJ’s shoulder.)

(And watches JJ lean into him.)

(It’s subtle, but Pope doesn’t miss it.) 

“Where’s Kie?” JJ asks once he’s done, and Pope shakes his head.

“She has a shift at the Wreck.” Pope replies, and JJ nods, shrugging. He lights up and the smell of weed feel the air.

(Pope might be getting high just by standing close to JJ.)

JJ takes the first drag, then hands it to John B and they keep passing it back and forth for a while.

“Want some?” JJ asks at some point, and Pope shakes his head like always.

(JJ’s eyes are rimmed.)

“Suit yourself.” He replies, taking a long drag. “Want to watch Rick and Morty?” He asks, and John B nods, but neither of them move, so Pope figure it’s on him to go get the computer. 

He stands up.

“Bedroom?” He asks, and John B nods, eyes closed and head thrown back. 

He walks in the room, and then hesitates on the door for a second.

(JJ’s fingers are brushing through John B’s hair, now.) 

(Smoking always softens him a bit.) 

Pope clears his voice, but JJ doesn’t stop, though he does look up.

“Choking to death?” He asks, and Pope rolls his eyes.  

“Not yet.” He replies, going back to the couch.

(Maybe he should just go home.) 

(It feels like he’s third wheeling, which is really fucking weird, because this is regular John B and JJ.) 

“Well, are you gonna turn it on or are you just gonna stare at it?” JJ asks, and John B laughs beside him, so Pope blinks himself back in the moment and opens the computer. 

(It’s fine.) 

“Preferences?” Pope asks and his elbow brushes against JJ.

(Pope feels him shiver.)

“Gotta watch the last three episodes of the last season.” JJ says, voice loud.

(And he pulls back, shifting away.) 

(Closer to John B.) 

(JJ doesn’t look at him.)

(It’s okay, Pope understands.)

“You got it.” He says instead, and feels JJ relax again, leaning back.

JOHN B

John B is not surprised when he finds JJ standing on the door of the Chateau, blood trickling down from the side of his face, and a grin plastered on his lips.

(John B doesn’t buy it for one second.)

(JJ looks like he might pass out at any second.)

“Christ-

“Hey, man, what’s up? Thought I’d stop-

“JJ, what happened?” He asks and he lets JJ in. 

(It’s a stupid question, John B already knows.) 

JJ stumbles to the couch and falls on it like a dead weight.

“Oh nothing, you know how it, just got a bit roughed up-

“Jesus, JJ.” He says, running one hand through his hair, and JJ’s smile falters. 

“I-

“Let me see?” He asks before JJ can spew some more bullshit. JJ smirks.

(John B just wishes he would stop pretending for a second and just-

“At least buy me dinner first.” 

(It drives John B crazy.)

(JJ does.) 

(John B hates him.) 

(No, you don’t.)

“On God, JJ, just-

“Okay, fine. Chill, it’s nothing.” 

(It’s not nothing.) 

(It’s so far from nothing.)

“We need to clean these up.” JJ nods, then, smiles gone from his face, and he’s not really looking at John B. 

John B grabs a wet towel from the bathroom and some disinfectant and sits down beside JJ. 

(Leaves a space between them.)

(It’s a delicate situation.) 

“Can I?” He asks and JJ nods, a cigarette already burning between his lips.

“Yeah.” 

He flinches anyway when John B’s fingers brush against him.

(John B can read in his eyes.)

(Instinct kicking in, telling JJ to run, the need to get away, to protect himself.) 

(John B can read it in his body, in the way JJ moves.)

(Tensed muscle, ready to sprint, the nervous tapping of his fingers, eyes shifting, alert, on guard.)

(John B wants to tell him that he can relax now, that he’s home, that he’s safe.) 

(He doesn’t.)

Instead he tries to not touch JJ, tries to be fast. 

When he’s done he pulls back, and some of the tension seems to leave JJ’s body.

(Jesus.) 

“Water?” John B asks and he’s already moving to hand a bottle of water to JJ. He takes it with a nod, downing it all it one go. 

“Thanks.” 

“Of course.” John B sits back down beside him.

(Tries to not stare too hard at him.)

(Tan skin under purples stains.) 

(His eyes are so blue.) 

(It’s really unfair that JJ still looks so good, even bruised as he is.) 

(Not the time, John B, Jesus.) 

“Want to talk about it?” He asks, because JJ has been quiet for a while, and it’s unsettling. 

“No.” JJ says, closing his eyes and blowing out the smoke. 

(John B watches his throat bob, watches his lips part.) 

“Okay.” He says.

(There’s no point in pushing, JJ will tell him eventually.) 

“Bed?” He asks instead, and JJ nods, getting up with a winch. He’s breathing heavily now, lips pressed together. “JJ-

“Don’t.” JJ’s voice is low, dangerous.

(Bad night.) 

“Yeah, okay, yeah.” 

They make their way in the bathroom, and it takes all of John B’s willpower to not scoop JJ up and carry him to bed as if they just got married.

(Somehow, he doesn’t think JJ would appreciate that.) 

They get under the blankets and John B turns off the light and really wants to reach out.

(Doesn’t dare to.) 

(Not right now.) 

So instead, he stares at the ceiling, and waits.

He hears JJ shift around for a few minute, then he curses quietly and John B looks at him, and JJ is curled on himself on the edge of the bed.

“JJ?” He whispers.

(He looks smaller than he should.)

JJ doesn’t reply, but he does turn around with another groan and a curse and suddenly he’s much closer.

(Even in the darkness, John B can make out the profile of his face, the gentle curve of his top lip, the strong like of his jaw, hair falling over his eyes.) 

JJ doesn’t say anything, but John B knows.

(They’ve been doing this for years.) 

So he turns on his side, and so does JJ and John B puts one arm around his waist, pulling him close, closer-

(JJ smells of smoke and blood.)

“You’re home.” He says, because that’s as much as JJ will accept.

(He wants to tell him that he’s safe now, that John B will protect him, that he’ll be okay-

(He knows it’s hard for JJ to believe it.)

(One day.) 

He feels JJ relax against him, a little sigh escaping past his lips.

(Good.)

(JJ is warm and tangible and safe.)

“Yeah.” JJ whispers back, and John B feels him fall asleep after that, so he closes his eyes too and lets the darkness pull him in. 

[eoleolhan-a]

I am STILL on my MonProm bullshit bc I’m grinding through Monster Camp so let’s do some more headcanons! This time it’s gonna be Jin’s opinions on the some of the more prominent characters from the two games, and what I think their relationships (platonic or otherwise) could be like. Obviously these are just my opinions, anyone who has any of these muses is free to disagree, ofc. I won’t include player characters (yet, maybe once Reverse comes out I will update) since the PC personality is kind of fluid to interpretation and change based on the player. There are spoilers for both Monster Prom and Monster Camp regarding main and side characters.

This is in alphabetical order just to make it easy to navigate.

Aaravi

He doesn’t trust her, straight up. She’s a monster slayer with a history of targeting demons and even with her therapy and growth in Monster Camp he’s wary. He’s worried she would turn on him and try to slay him too. He steers clear when possible but could learn to trust her if he could see her progress with monsterkind more directly.

Batniss

He really doesn’t know what she’s talking about most of the time. The main character thing is weird to him, but at least she’s interesting. He respects her combat skills and her archery prowess.

Calculester

He thinks Cal is cute, in the way someone thinks a puppy is cute. He’s just so clueless sometimes it’s endearing, like watching a baby giraffe take its first steps. On the other hand, though, something about this sentient computer robot is a bit uncanny. Since Cal is generally so nice, though, he tries not to let the whole ��potential robot uprising/singularity” thing bother him.

Dahlia

He has absolutely no interest in being anywhere near Dahlia because of her reputation as a warmonger. He thinks she’s dangerous and doesn’t want to risk being the one who gives her the idea to try and invade the 2nd Circle. He absolutely doesn’t trust her, and is honestly a bit afraid of her. If he were able to give her a chance (ie probably forced to do school or camp things with her, or if they had mutual friends for some reason) he could grow to appreciate her determination and at times enjoy her exuberant personality. She has the capability to grow on him if given the chance.

Damien

Similar to Dahlia, he distrusts Damien. He knows of the LaVeys, and as mentioned in my big ol 2nd Circle/Cubi lore post sees their whole “we made love popular” reputation as a bit unearned (because I’m sorta canon divergent, but see that post for the details of that). He also doesn’t want anyone from the 8th Circle’s royal family to get anywhere near the 2nd Circle lest they try to take that over, too. He would also probably resent having to go to school or camp with a prince from Hell juuuust a bit, especially since Damien is considered one of the coolest/most well known students/campers. He would be envious of Damien’s wealth and status since that’s something he lacks, which colours Jin’s perception of him. He doesn’t know about Damien’s softer side, so he sees him as abrasive, dangerous, and annoying. Like Dahlia, if he were to give him a chance though he’d grow to like him, especially his fondness for hairstyling and makeup since Jin enjoys the latter (and being fashionable in general). He does, however, reluctantly admit that Damien is indeed hot even if he is an annoying LaVey baby.

Dmitri

Jin doesn’t really know Dmitri but he knows of him. He doesn’t really care about whatever the Coven is doing, but hey at least Dmitri is a hot vampire who never seems to wear a shirt. He doesn’t mind seeing him hanging around because he’s easy on the eyes. Jin would probably find his dramatic villain monologuing and cape swishing a bit funny.

Faith

Out of the Coven members he would probably like Faith the most. She seems pretty relaxed and chill, and he would respect her intelligence and skill as a witch. In general he appreciates the Coven’s colour scheme and fashion sense, though.

Hex

He thinks Hex is straight up irritating but if he was high then he’d probably like their company more.

Hope

His feelings towards Hope are similar to Faith. He isn’t all that bothered with their Coven shenanigans but does respect them. He would be confused by all of the Hope reincarnations but he doesn’t have much of a problem with her. She seems nice enough.

Interdimensional Prince

Although he can be kind of weird at times (maybe even a bit creepy) Jin has to admit the idea of being whisked off to another dimension by some handsome anime-alien-looking prince is kind of appealing. He would like the attention and ego-boost it would cause if the Prince ever flirted with him.

Joy

Jin would enjoy her company. They’d probably get along, but he does find her “main character saving the world” thing to be a bit Intense at times. Despite that he think’s she’s smart and cool and likes being around her, especially given how wild some of their classmates/campmates can be.

Kale

They smoke weed together and vibe. That’s all. 10/10.

Leonard

Jin wants to kick him in the face so hard that he flies into the sun. -10/10.

Liam

Usually he likes Liam and likes being around him. He appreciates his creativity and sense of taste, but sometimes Liam can be a bit pretentious and annoying. That’s fairly manageable though, and sometimes he’s quite the breath of fresh air compared to some of the more exuberant characters he encounters. Jin would especially enjoy indulging in fancy, rare artsy gourmet food so Liam could take pictures of it and he could eat it.

Milo

Out of everyone, Jin is fondest of Milo. Their sense of style, taste (wine and cheese platters? yes please), flirtatious streak (and not to mention good looks) would have Jin swooning. He would also find their personality a lot more calm in comparison to some of the other monsters at camp. The only annoyance would be Milo’s constant attachment to their phone and their somewhat self-centred nature. It takes attention away from Jin, after all. Competing egos.

Miranda

Jin likes Miranda most of the time. Sometimes he thinks her royal merfolk ways are a bit confusing, and he is a bit distrustful of foreign royalty in general but less so of Miranda; he doesn’t see any reason why the Merkingdom would attack the Cubi or really have much to do with them at all, but he knows that royal life can be vicious. He does find it interesting to hear about the culture and society of the Merkingdom, though. He also appreciates her manners and poise. Plus, they’re both pink so he’s a bit biased in that regard. Sometimes he does find the more murderous aspects of the Merkingdom a bit unsightly, and it can be a little frustrating at times trying to explain commoner things to her. He doesn’t like that he would sometimes feel a bit condescended or spoken down to by her, but sometimes this has more to do with his perception than anything she would be saying or doing.

Morty

He likes looking at Morty but his personality is a bit too self absorbed and intense even for Jin. Still, he appreciates the confidence and the sex positive energy. Sexual tension always makes rivalries better so Morty is a perfect candidate for Camp Rival Camp in Jin’s opinion and his presence is at least entertaining and engaging. Also he quite likes the heart-hole shorts, a bold fashion statement.

Polly

Polly is fun to be around. She can be boisterous, but at least she knows how to have a good time. Jin also likes that she isn’t bloodthirsty or a war criminal or something, so in theory they could just hang out like normal monsters/people. It doesn’t hurt that she can get good drugs, too. 

Scott

Scott is a himbo, Jin likes himbos. Case closed. In all seriousness, he would find Scott endearing because of his good nature and cheerful personality. Sometimes his airheaded antics can be a bit annoying, but he knows Scott means well. Jin thinks Scott would be a good friend because he seems honest, loyal, and kind. Those are also qualities that would make him a good date, plus he’s a big cute wolfman who Jin wants to pet in more ways than one.

Valerie

He respects the hustle and the on campus hook-up for all sorts of oddities. Plus she’s Vera’s sister, and he has mostly positive feelings about her so by relation he thinks Valerie is pretty alright. Also soft because cat.

Vera

Vera is intimidating but he respects her, in a sense. As someone who isn’t affluent he’s more wary of her scams and often disapproves if he thinks it’s taking advantage of vulnerable people, but so long as she’s scamming rich people he’s down for it. He definitely thinks she’s smart and an interest conversationalist.

Wolfpack

Bad, stinky, 0/10. Only tolerable because of their connection to Scott but otherwise obnoxious.

Zoe

Last but not least, Jin would like Zoe. He’d appreciate her creativity and particularly her ship fics. They would have a good time talking about crushes, who should date who, and the latest books in their respective favourite series (or perhaps shared shows or books). She also tells Leonard to shove it and since he wants to punt the kappa into the sun he likes that a lot.

[friendlyfrat-boy]

The Straw-Hat Among Us

A One Piece/Among Us crossover starring:

Usopp, Shanks, Buggy, Kizaru, Teach, Zoro, Marco, Caesar, Doflamingo and Smoker

Chapter One:

Cyan, Marco the Phoenix

Two, to be precise. Marco didn’t know who they were, but he knew they were among them. And, as Chief of this expedition, it was his duty to inform his comrades that they weren’t alone any longer. Hence, he headed to the meeting room, situated just above the Admin room, flicked off the clear plastic protection and pressed the large red button.

Five minutes later, and all members of the Polus Expedition had gathered. Marco had never seen their faces, didn’t know their names, and that was all according to protocol.

Having their lives threatened by a pair of imposters was not.

Marco pressed a few buttons on the side of his cyan helmet and popped the whole thing off, revealing his yellow hair and tired face. The collected members all swayed, casting anxious glances at each other. After all, their Chief had just broken protocol and revealed his face. “-I am aware that I am committing a grave sin, likewise, I have a grave reason for doing so.” Marco let his eyes bore into the assorted members. “We have two imposters among us. Two inhuman threats masquerading as our very own crewmates.”

The rather short person in the orange suit, known only as “Orange” shivered and swayed at the accusation. Marco chose to ignore it.

“-My name is Marco, and I am the Chief of this Exploration.” He turned to the man beside him, a large fellow in a black suit. “Go on, Black.”

The man shook his head, but quickly relented, popping the circular helmet off. He had a broad, stubbled face, tanned and shabby with curly hair that matted to his forehead. “-’Name’s Teach. Marshall D. Teach. I work with stabalizin’ the seismic activity ‘round here.” Teach crossed his arms, the rubbery fabric squishing together. “Now, mind tellin’ me what the Hell you’re on about?”

Marco did not, in fact, tell Teach what the Hell he was on about. He met the eyes of Yellow, and nodded for him to reveal himself as well. He did so without the slightest fuzz.

“Ohh, uhhhh, hi! Nice to meet youuuuu, I’m Borsalino but all my friends call me Kizaruuu~” he said in the most drawling voice that Marco had ever heard. With a lazy grin on his face and a pair of squinted eyes, Kizaru gave off the impression that he was not quite a man to be trusted, neither was he entirely suspicious. More of the high sort. “Oh, and, uhh, I work in the Securityyyy.”

White had already removed his helmet before Marco even looked at him. “The name’s Smoker. I’m the one making sure we can go without our helmets inside the facility.” In other words, he worked in ventilation. Before Marco called for this meeting, he actually went ahead and told White about this, telling him to make sure the air inside was absolutely breathable. Though, that didn’t quite explain why he was smoking two cigars. Inside his helmet.

Purple squirmed a bit under Marco’s stern gaze before reluctantly revealing his face. “I don’t trust any of this! You haven’t even told us what’s going on!”

Sure, Marco could easily argue that he had, in fact, explained the situation, but it was still far from clear. Not that he truly understood the situation himself. So, Marco surveyed Purple. His hair was long and black, standing in complete contrast to his ghastly skin. If it wasn’t for his oddly-coloured purple lipstick, one might assume he was already in rigor mortis.

“Alright. As odd as it may seem, we do actually have protocol for this situation, as it has happened once before. The survivors reported that the imposters, which could be any one of us, are looking to end us from within, whether it be through deception or murder. Our only option for getting rid of these and surviving is to find the two imposters and kill them before they kill us. Therefore, we require great honesty, courage and rationality. We will not be suspecting each other without basis, and assuming someone is an imposter on account of lackluster evidence will only divide us further.”

“What’s the protocol, exactly?” Smoker asked.

Marco scratched his head. “There isn’t much. Stick together, but continue with your tasks. Make sure to keep an eye on your fellow crewmates, whether it be for their protection or your own. If you find a body, which you very well might, report it and we will all meet here to discuss the leads or see if anybody witnessed anything.” He turned back to Purple. “Now, name and occupation?”

Purple huffed. “Caesar Clown. Scientist.” Marco nodded, happy with the answer. Next one…

Pink removed his helmet, revealing a wide grin and a pair of sunglasses. How he’d been able to see in this darkness with those glasses only the Czar may know. “Imposters, eh? Interesting! Finally something happens!” After giving a cackle, Pink continued. “Donquixote Doflamingo. I’m the doctor aboard, of the medical sort!”

With that said, Doflamingo slapped Caesar’s back endearingly, and Marco could only assume it was a scientist thing. People like that were weird.

Next up… “Hold on, there can’t be TWO clowns!” As it turns out, Blue was also quite… clown-like, if that nose was anything to go by.

Caesar sputtered. “I-, I’m not a REAL clown! Unlike you, you big-nosed freak!”

“WHAT’S THAT YOU SHEEP-HORNED BASTARD!?”

“Hey, cool it! Don’t get in a twist already!” Marco said, stepping between the feuding pair. He looked the red-nosed clown up and down. “...And you are?”

“Buggy!” he said proudly. “Buggy D. Clown! I work in O2!”

Caesar’s eyes went wide. “B-, brother?...”

“No way, jerk!” Buggy said, bearing his fist threateningly. “I’d never be associated with a sheep-horned know-it-all like you!”

While those two went at each other, Red removed his helmet in turn. “I’m Shanks.” He smiled idly. “I’m the one who flew you all out here, and if I can get the Shuttle up and working again, I’ll gladly get you out of here as well.” Somehow, Marco could already trust he was a good fellow. There were only two more, namely Green and Orange.

Green had barely reacted to any of this, simply standing there with his arms crossed, so when he removed his helmet and revealed a tired, uncaring expression, Marco couldn’t honestly say he was any surprised. “Roronoa Zoro. Electrician.” His eyes were already suspicious, even though not a single person had done anything at this point. “And I don’t trust a single one of you.” Ah, there it is.

“N-, not even me?! Zoro, aren’t we buddies?” Orange mewled. Zoro took one look at him, taking in his round, innocent eyes, curly black hair, long nose…

“Oh! Usopp!” Zoro exclaimed, a smile overtaking his features before vanishing as soon as it appeared. “...No, I don’t trust you, either.” He frowned before glancing away. “If I can’t trust one of you, I can’t trust any of you. Sorry, Usopp.”

Orange, or Usopp, as his name apparently was, stuttered for a few moments, betrayed. “I-, um, uh…” Everybody was looking at him. “-Oh! I’m, well, I’m Usopp! I’m the botanist, even though there’s only one tree to tend to…” His anxious eyes glanced over the people collected, finally landing on Marco himself. “Uh-, um, Cyan-, no, Chief, can I have someone to go with? Just-, just for protection!”

Marco nodded. “Of course. Is there anyone else headed to the West Wing?” Two people, Kizaru and Buggy both raised their hands. “Great. You three will keep together. I assume the rest of you will return to your posts. I will wander about, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.” There was a moment of tense silence. “Don’t worry,” Marco smiled slightly, “we’ll get through this, as long as we work together.”

And with that, the meeting ended.

Marco, along with Kizaru, Buggy, Usopp and Zoro went to the West Wing. Apparently, Zoro had some brief business there, what with the wires. Once they got inside, Kizaru quickly went to the security cameras, and Marco followed Buggy and Usopp to O2.

Marco watched them get settled down, Usopp tending to the tree while Buggy worked on other things in O2. “Y’know, this is a real special tree. It’s actually not a tree at all, but an oversized Special Bonsai. What? You haven’t heard of the Special Bonsais? Well, they’re these tiny trees that have been modified to absorb as much carbon dioxide as a regular sized tree. And this one has been specially grown to be big enough to both produce enough oxygen for the whole crew and-”

-And that’s where Marco stopped listening to Usopp rambling about trees. While leaving, in the company of Zoro (who had finished his work in West Wing by now), Marco found Teach squatting in the snow just outside.

“-Everything alright there, Teach?” Marco asked, fearlessly stepping closer to him.

The large man jerked at the sudden addressal, hopping up to stand on his both feet. “Oh! Um, nothing much, Chief. Just, um…”

And then Marco noticed the little snowman Teach had made in the snow. “...Got nothing to do?”

Teach scratched his neck. “Well, not really, but… it isn’t important! Bye!”

With that, Teach ran off into the dark. Marco put to mind that Teach ran towards the Central Building, but that shouldn’t matter much. It was a pretty cute snowman, but if he had work to do, he really should be working on it.

Zoro crossed his arms. “-I don’t trust him.”

Marco perked an eyebrow. “You don’t trust anybody.”

“Yeah, but…” Zoro gave Marco a look. “You really don’t think that wasn’t suspicious?”

Marco shrugged. “Not really, but I think I can see where you’re coming from.”

With that said and done, they headed for the Central Building, making sure to check inside the Storage just in case there was somebody there. It had been Zoro’s idea and Marco didn’t object to it. Before they got to the Central Building, however, Marco remembered a certain somebody who should be in a certain place.

“Let’s head to the Shuttle.”

Zoro nodded, not questioning it in the least. He seemed like a clever enough fellow, although a bit too cautious for his own good.

Inside the Shuttle, they did actually find Shanks! Marco had almost expected him to be gone, but he was happy to see him, knowing he was clever enough. “Oh, hello there, Marco!” Shanks said with a grin, not afraid in the least. If Zoro was too cautious, Shanks might almost seem too lax. However, Marco could tell that he was anything but. Underneath that idle grin, a shark prowled.

“Everything going alright?” Marco asked, to which Shanks nodded.

“Certainly so! Why, Teach went by just the other minute, asked me the very same thing. A most agreeable fellow, wouldn’t you say?”

Before Zoro could say something rash, Marco answered in his place. “Oh, agreed. You should see the little snowman he made, absolutely adorable.”

Shanks nodded, and promised to check it out if he had the time. With that done, Zoro and Marco left once more and entered the East Wing through the Laboratory. The second they stepped inside, they heard something… interesting.

“I’m TELLING YOU, the smoke is bad for the ventilation! How can you possibly be a smoker WHILE WORKING WITH VENTILATION??” Caesar screeched at someone Marco could only assume was Smoker. Not that Caesar wasn’t correct about smoke being bad for the ventilation, but Smoker was in charge of it, not him.

“Hey, the worse the lungs, the better the insurance!” Doflamingo added unhelpfully.

Smoker gruffed. “It’s fine. I don’t got nobody to take out my insurance.”

Caesar huffed, something he seemed prone to doing. “FINE! Sure! Just fix it, okay? I need to boil these samples properly, and your disgusting smoke isn’t helping!”

This was the moment when Marco and Zoro entered the main part of the Laboratory, the one connected to the little Medbay and furthermore to the Disinfection area. “Everything alright?” Marco asked, taking in the scene. The people present were indeed Caesar, Smoker and Doflamingo, all standing around.

Doflamingo smiled. “Sure, sure, everything is perfectly alright! Nothing to see here. That is, unless Smokey here fixes things like he should.”

Smoker shrugged, heaving a toolbox on top of the counter covered in samples and liquids and things. “Let’s take a look here.” Caesar seemed just about ready to shout something at him for putting something dirty on top of the sanitized countertop, but he chose to keep silent. At least, that’s how Marco understood it.

A few minutes later and the ventilation worked properly, allowing Caesar to do whatever it is he was supposed to do. Marco nodded, and prepared to leave for the outside. He kind of wanted to find Teach again, since being out and about like that couldn’t possibly be safe, not for him, not for anything. “I’ll be leaving to find Teach, is everything going to be alright here?”

“I’ve got some wires to fix in the stalls,” Zoro reported, the unsaid message being that he wouldn’t be able to follow him.

Marco smiled softly. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. And the rest of you?”

Doflamingo and Caesar shared a glance. ““We’ll be in here.””

“I’m heading to the Sample room, I noticed the southern Disinfection seemed ineffective,” Smoker said.

Marco nodded, and left, striding into the dark outside with little fear. Snow littered the ground, falling in large tufts like frozen cotton. Although it was sub-zero, Marco’s suit easily protected him, keeping him warm and breathing and alive.

Darkness. Cold, silent darkness. Buildings loomed just out of sight, hidden by the falling snow.

The already fallen snow crunched under his feet, leaving little footprints in his wake. It felt hard to keep an eye open, even though his helmet defended him from the outside. Maybe walking out alone had been a bad idea? No, he’d be fine. The only one out and about other than himself should be Teach, and as long as Teach wasn’t it, he should be okay.

The shadows lurched. Marco crept around buildings, keeping himself out in the colds. After a while, almost too long, he finally found something.

A little snowman.

Along with a pair of almost-covered footprints. It seemed the falling snow had been covering them up, but… here they were.

Marco followed the footsteps, letting them lead him towards wherever their owner was, through and around and beside buildings, growing weaker the closer he came, fainter with every step he took, his pace quickened, growing faster and faster until he broke out into a sprint, desperate to know where Teach was, desperate to know he was alright, seeing an empty shadow of his black suit around every corner until, finally…

He stood by the pool of lava. His chest heaved. It was warm. So, so, very warm. It penetrated his suit. It was made for keeping heat in. Not out. If he fell in…

He swallowed.

It was okay, Teach was surely around here somewhere.

Marco glanced about, but he couldn’t even turn around before an arm clasped around his neck and a knife plunged into his chest.

The darkness took him.

[zumester]

Hollow

here’s the working prologue to a Rick and Morty AU that I’m making, featuring Hollow!Rick and Shellshock!Morty (my OC’s). I’m better at writing than I am at drawing, but I’ll be attempting to draw them both soon.

this story will be told largely in second person (from Morty’s POV, to Rick). the prologue is pretty tame, but fyi, future installments will be heavy in terms of psychological trauma, violence, and substance abuse.

enjoy

Your name is Rick Sanchez O-2V13, and you’re my grandpa. That’s what I’m telling you, anyway. And you’re listening. Or at least, you’re putting on a good show. Nodding, a faint smile grazing your lips. And I’m trying to look anywhere, anywhere, but your eyes. They shine like beacons through broken goggles. Jagged bits of glass point ever inwards at pupils that are supposed to be there, but aren’t. Your eyes – what’s the word? What’s the word? They’re hollow. And you’re hollow, aren’t you?

Because your name is Rick Sanchez O-2V13, and you’re my grandpa. That’s what I’m telling you. And you’re believing me, with every inch of that vacant smile. And hey, this… this–this–this isn’t my first rodeo. We’ve both had our fair share of retrograde amnesia. But, see, amnesia, it doesn’t change who you are; it only changes what you know.

This? This isn’t amnesia. Your memories haven’t just left you. A part of yourself has left you too. And memories? Sure, they can be corrupted, and forgotten. But the thing is, your brain’s like a harddrive, and on the surface, you can edit a memory, or you can rearrange it with others, or you can toss it into the trash. In a vague, and superficial kinda way. But you can’t actually get rid of a memory. All you can do is make that memory harder to find. And sooner or later, memories are found, whether we like it or not.

But this? I’ve never seen this before. I’ve never seen a rick’s pupils explode into the whites of their eyes. I’ve never seen the blank slate that’s left behind. And as bright as they are – your hollow, hollow eyes– I find it a challenge not to stare. And I find it a challenge not to feel as though I’m staring straight through your skull and into your hollow, hollow self.

Rick Sanchez, my Rick Sanchez, has misplaced his memories before. And when he does, he’s generally pretty pissed about it. And he’s generally pretty quick about getting to the bottom of what, why, when, and where. He wastes no time picking up the scattered pieces of who he is and gluing them, haphazardly, back together again. He’s surly and unapologetic and more than a little bit skeptical.

You? You are ghost town. The infrastructure itself might remain, but there sure isn’t anything living there.

I don’t know how to tell you what happened. The reason we’re here, in this awful place, doing this awful thing, is overgrown with worries and regrets. There simply isn’t any point trying to compress a lifetime’s worth of reasoning into approachable, bite sized pieces. I know that if I told you, you would listen. And you would believe me, with those unblinking eyes, smoke still curling away in streams from your frazzled hair.

I could tell you the story, but in the end, you’d have no choice but to believe me. Because you’re not Rick Sanchez, not anymore. You’re missing bits and pieces of who he was, and his memories aren’t compatible with yours.

I could tell you the story, but it wouldn’t bring you back, and I can’t afford to spend the rest of my life teaching you how to be who you were.

I don’t know how I feel about souls. I don’t know if I believe that they exist. And I definitely don’t know how to get them back once they’ve been lost.

And if there isn’t any such thing as getting them back, then I’ve lost you. Your heart’s still beating, and I’ve lost you.

What’s the point? What’s the point? And why shouldn’t I just walk away? Why shouldn’t I just leave a corpse to rot?

I was wrong. Your name is Rick Sanchez O-2V13, but you’re not my grandpa.

Now? Now?

Well, you’re hollow now.

[friendlycybird]

1X11 - Little Dipper - Rewatch

Yes, I’m still doing these. I’m sorry it’s been so long.

I don’t have much preamble to this one. Let’s just get started, shall we?

Hang on, I need to listen to the things Gideon lists from Journal 2 again real quick... Zombie attack, Blood rain, and Demon Caterpillars. Ford devotes a decent amount of Journal 3 to The Undead, were those pages a redundancy from Journal 2? I’d think it was just additional information but it all seemed pretty fundamental... regardless, I’m a lot more curious then I should be about Blood Rain and Demon Caterpillars.

Stan’s first reaction to someone who *might* be from the IRS showing up on his doorstep is to vanish in a puff of smoke and try to escape with his money stash. ...I’m probably overthinking this, but it seems there’s some stuff to unpack there. I won’t waste any more time on it for now. Moving on.

So not only did Stan instantly figure out it was a con, he figured out Gideon was behind the con. I’d love to know how. Is it just that he doesn’t currently have any other enemies? Or does he think so little of the scheme he assumes it could only have been thought up by a ten-year-old? I mean, it’s obvious why he didn’t fall for it, he never entered any sweepstakes and he’s not an idiot. But how did he know who was behind it? And he had to have known who was behind it otherwise he’d have left it at “suck a lemon”.

Ah, right back into form. I’m only to the themesong and I already have three paragraphs. Nice.

Okay but. How did Soos notice a literal millimeter? That’s totally impossible. One millimeter apart they look the exact same height, how did he just...know...that Mabel was taller?

Stan waking up super excited to make fun of someone is funny. Also, paused to type this and I’m loving their expressions. Mabel is just grinning, Dipper’s fuming, Stan is excited and Soos...well...Soos just looks...slightly concerned. I love Soos. And of course he goes on to recommend against giving Dipper TOO hard of a time. I kinda doubt Stan actually misinterpreted it as Soos joining in picking on Dipper since like...he’s known Soos for years... but more like he just saw an opening Soos left and took it.

Also I COMPLETELY forgot that Mabel high-fives hard enough to hurt Stan. People high-fiving hard enough to hurt others always makes me think of Miles Luna from Rooster Teeth? But also I desperately need a fic now where Ford and Mabel high-six, and then Mabel leaves the room and Ford kinda shakes his hand out a bit and Stan just like...smirks ‘cause he saw that coming.

Literally a foot to the left and Dipper would have been in so much trouble with that Mountain Lion...

Fic Fuel moment of the day: The giant butterfly. ...how many other animals do you think wander through those enlarging beams? How many of them do you think suddenly get a lot more dangerous when they do? ...Just in case anyone needs a random threat in the woods to send people running from for plot reasons. I’m sure I’m not the first to think of it but I still thought of it!

There Soos is, noticing millimeters again. I think it might be a thing. Your average Gravity Falls character has one borderline paranormal ability. Mabel can knit sweaters superhumanly fast, and Soos can see individual millimeters.

Paused again for a bit, and look at Soos’ face! He’s so happy for Dipper!

How does Mabel jump from “Magic thing” to “Wizard in the closet” and then remain CONVINCED there is a Wizard in the closet?

Y’know...that distracting Gideon bit was kinda a risk? Like it paid off and the termites totally backfired on Gideon but like. The jar coming open could STILL have set those things lose on the shack. The only way I could imagine Stan knew how that would play out is if Journal 1 had a more detailed entry on those things then Journal 2 so Stan knew they’d turn on Gideon? Otherwise...pure luck.

...does the whole bit where they’re fighting and randomly re-sizing parts of each other’s bodies remind anyone else of the episode of Rick and Morty where Summer uses that re-sizing machine and ends up...y’know. Like that.

I kinda love Dipper’s flat “really?” when Mabel accadently tells Gideon what the flashlight does.

Say, where’d Fiddleford get the money he shoved at Bud?

Gideon is creepy, full stop.

Mabel getting distracted by gummy koalas that are literally almost her size while Gideon interrogates Dipper is...one thing.

The thing that strikes me though...is that...Dipper has known this whole time that there were other journals. He has Journal 3, after all. But there’s never been any indication he’s so much as tried to go looking for the others? Gideon, on the other hand, gets one whiff of Journal 1, having no clue that Journal 3 even exists, and starts interrogating Dipper about it.

It occurs to me to be SO grateful that Gideon never realized he could just kill Dipper, thereby proving his violent intent to Stan, and STILL ransom Mabel for the shack.

Also, I really should’ve known what kind of visual to expect from the near end of this episode the minute I saw Soos in the room of mirrors.

It’s come to my attention that I overanalyize every goddamn word that comes out of Stan’s mouth. Emphasis on Over. Because like, a glance in the mirror and wondering about a random physical feature isn’t that...like it doesn’t actually merit much if any consideration. But I’ve been stuck for much longer then I’m going to admit to trying to form the question... was the complete thought behind “Were my ears always this big?” more in the direction of “have I changed that much in the last thirty years” or more “were my ears always noticeably different then Fords?” ...or was it, as I genuinely think is most likely, just a passing thought without a connection to anything and my brain just really needs to get its breaks checked?

And can’t let Soos trying on the Fez go without mention. Not much to say about it, except that it makes me kinda warm and fuzzy to know that when he says “One Day” he’s right.

Gideon also really should have opened with something a bit more convincing then a phone call? Like...he’s a fucking creep but he’s also kinda bad at being a fucking creep? Which. Is technically a huge relief but it sorta fucks with my villain brain.

...I want to be mad at Dipper and Mabel for getting distracted by the height thing, but they’re twelve. I can forgive them. I love Mabel trying to ride the hamster to freedom though. 

Gideons family has a doggie door but there’s no sign they have a dog. 

Hey, why was Susan at the bus stop if she wasn’t gonna get on the bus? 

Yet again my villain brain scolds Gideon some. Not for not having a better plan this time, but just for his obvious flaw of vanity. Getting a gummy koala in your hair shouldn’t delay your plot, it should speed it up because you know someone is trying to stop you. 

Gideons observation that they would have defeated him if not for their bickering seems a little...I think the phrase is On the Nose? But. Kids show, it’s allowed lines like that. That said, Dipper. If she brings you back to unequal heights you can take the flashlight back and FIX IT. It’s not that big of a deal. 

Hi. Soos uses his own name as a verb for messing up. I’m okay. It’s funny. ...it also hurts. 

Soos is ADORABLE. I can’t get distracted by that though. This is about important stuff about the episode. Stuff that at least pretends to be worth over-thinking. Which means I really need to focus on Mabel and Dipper making up. Mabel doing something that makes Dipper upset, but she does it explicitly as a reaction to Dipper’s behavior is...well it has some rather more lighthearted parallels to some of the elder Pines twins drama, doesn’t it? 

Stan in the mirror maze just makes me happy though. I can’t help but feel like some part of him was going “I’ve always wanted to do this” the whole time. 

So, I pause the episode to ponder if I want to make a big deal out of Soos’ reaction to falling off of Gideon being to shout “Tell my story!” because, y’know, there’s something to talk about there...and my partner decides to fill the silence making a joke about it. She starts singing “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story” from Hamilton, and I crack up laughing. Had to pass that along. I really do think there’s something to be said about Soos as a person from that reaction though. Hell if I can identify exactly what, but there’s something. 

...villain brain is scolding Gideon again. If he hadn’t stopped to monologue, he would have succeeded. It took a minute for Dipper and Mabel to get into position for tickling, and in that minute he could’ve taken the time to shrink Stan...but for some reason he wanted to make threats and back him literally against a wall first. 

I love Stan’s awkwardness when Gideon devolves into hysterics. I love even more that he actually tried to comfort Gideon a little before physically rolling him out of the shop. 

I felt really bad for Soos here, being forgotten like that. I still do, honestly. I love him so much. Of course...that was also their first confirmation that Soos was okay after that fall. ...Which also feels bad ‘cause for all they knew at that point Soos was dead. Yikes. Also, I wonder if they ended up just somehow gluing that crystal back together, or if they went out into the woods for another one. 

The scene at the end with the grand-prize check showing up at the door...did Stan actually not play a sweepstakes like I thought above and this new thing is somehow a mistake, or does he just...not for one second consider he’s lucky enough to have actually won? Fidds being the runner-up is also interesting, he’s just...not ready for that kind of money yet. 

I always feel like I need a better way to wrap these up then just my reaction to the ending, but I pretty much never have one. Sorry. 

[elliot-orion]

A Real Bite Indeed: a Morty Heart Drabble

Hi yes, here I am, introducing two characters you know nothing about. Again. These two are characters from the same superhero universe as Sparks Fly, and actually Morty is a character that shows up in Sparks Fly, although the events of that book take place maybe seven years before the story of Morty and Ghost happens. And by story, I mean, there’ll be a story in there... somewhere... I just have to think of one, but I really want to write this story and I’m super excited and I just got to think of a plot! I’ll probably just start writing and say fuck it I’ll think of something later. Anyways, WARNINGS: Morty has a foul mouth and there will be lots of mentions of death in this piece and every other piece with these characters (Morty is the Death Elemental and Ghost is a, well, just about a ghost, so...) Enjoy... if that’s possible with my writing...

Tagging @knightedwriter @bunnythedreamchaser @ageekyreader @merigreenleaf sorry if you guys don’t want to see this Yikes please ignore if you don’t!

“Hey Morty, how’s it hanging? Morty? Morty come on, at least look at me...” 

“If I don’t look at you, then you aren’t there. Isn’t that how being a ghost works?” I grunted. To keep from glancing up at Ghost, the annoying bastard, I pulled out a cigarette pack. Maybe the nicotine would keep me from screaming at this guy if he refused to leave me alone, like he had been for the past three. Fucking. Days. Hearts below, you’d think this guy would take a damn hint that I don’t want to be dealing with his pasty, semi-corporeal ass? 

“No, I think it has more to do with being able to pass through things and the whole shebang, but that was an awful close encounter, dude.” Ghost grinned. How did I know he grinned? Because I finally gave in to looking at him. No pun that bad should be unpunished by one of Morty Heart’s famous glares. 

At least two women crossed the street before they reached me smoking against a building and glaring, and this damned villain wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone! He just grinned wider! What kind of bull fuckery was I dealing with here? 

“Go to hell,” I growled, taking off as fast as I could down the road. Sadly Ghost could float, and he could do it as fast as he wanted, so he was keeping easy pace with me while having the luxury of being on his back. Number eight hundred and five on the list of reasons I hate him. 

“Nah.” 

“That’s your response? Nah? Couldn’t come up with some dumb ghost pun for that?” I sneered. Ghost didn’t say anything though. In fact, he wasn’t following me at all. He was standing a few feet behind me, his hands in fists and his shoulders trembling as he stared at something I couldn’t see. I probably should have taken the opportunity to get out of there, but suddenly, I could smell that too often present reek of death that lingered anywhere someone died. 

“Someone died here.” I sighed, walking up next to Ghost. “Just let it go.” I could never understand how Ghost was able to smell the death in places, but he’d always stare at the areas it was strongest, like he knew it was there. But the guy had powers to become semi-corporeal, he wasn’t even a death related Super, and he sure as hell wasn’t the Death Elemental like me. Maybe he just got a feeling. 

“Huh?” Ghost jumped. “Yea let’s-let’s go...” 

“If you want to keep staring, be my guest, you know. I won’t complain if you just leave.” I smirked. Ghost flinched though, which... wasn’t really the intent. I mean, I didn’t care, because I hated the guy, but also I wasn’t even being particularly mean. If that was what got that little frown on his face, then clearly I hadn’t been trying hard enough with my other digs. 

No matter how much I insulted or glared at him, Ghost wouldn’t leave. I couldn’t wait to see what would get him to give up on me. 

“No, let’s... let’s leave. Why don’t we see a movie, or something? You’ve got those effects now, those are always real tight.” Ghost said effects like eee-fects, which was one, wrong, and two, weird. I had a southern accent and even I didn’t say it like eee-fects. Weird ass. He even looked constipated while saying it. What a freak. 

“I have shit to do. You go float into a theater, or whatever it is you do when you aren’t annoying me.” I glared. 

“No, no I think I’ll stick with you,” Ghost hurried to say. I groaned. 

“You are like a fucking leech. You don’t let go.” I thrust my hands into my pockets and took off again, my shoulders hunched as I was forced to listen to Ghost ramble on about how annoying it was not to be able to pet puppies, I can’t touch puppies, Morty, ain’t that a damn bite? All because I left my headphones on my dresser back at the Supers Association headquarters. 

A real damn bite indeed. 

[skywalkersapprentice]

Day 25- Heartbeat

Anakin struggles with letting Ahsoka come on dangerous missions after what happened to her on Mortis.

rating: g

pairing: none

word count: 2446

(read on ao3)

Six out of my last seven prompts have been over 2000 words and this is why I’m still behind haha.

He used to dream about the future. Of his mother in pain. Of her dying a terrible and agonizing death.

Now, Anakin dreamed of the past.

He dreamed of Ahsoka, glaring at him with fierce yellow eyes, twisted and dark.

Of, the Son, the simple way he'd killed her. “Thank you, your usefulness has come to an end.”

He dreamed of the sickening sound of Ahsoka crumpling to the ground. Of forcing himself to move forward, falling to his knees beside her lifeless body.

He dreamed of checking for a heartbeat, a pulse, anything, and finding nothing.

Mortis was destroyed and Ahsoka was alive. But the memory of what happened would not leave him alone.

Anakin slumped onto a bench in the Temple dining hall. He stared blankly at the cup of caf in his hands, only halfway paying attention to the world around him. He hadn't slept well the previous night, waking often with eyes of the dead swimming behind his vision.

Anakin downed half the cup of caf and shook his head, attempting to clear his mind.  He knew he couldn't afford to be this unfocused. The Council was sending him out again that afternoon on a new assignment.

“Hey, Master,” Ahsoka said, sitting down across from him with a plate of food. She frowned as she took in his face. “Wow. You look terrible.”

Anakin shot her a halfhearted glare over the rim of his cup. “You know, I was going to let you out of meditation this morning, but now...”

“I just mean that you look like you haven't been sleeping well again,” Ahsoka corrected hastily. Her eyes softened. “Really. Is... everything okay?”

“Everything's fine,” Anakin told her. It was true. Nothing was wrong. It was just that he couldn't stop thinking about how close he'd been to losing her like his mother.

Ahsoka nodded. “Here,” she said, sliding her own cup of caf across the table. “I think you need this more than I do.”

Ahsoka always put way too much milk in hers, but Anakin accepted it anyway. “Thanks, Snips.”

“Don't call me that. I hate it when you call me that!”

He blinked away the memory, glancing down.

“We're heading out later, right?” Ahsoka said after she'd taken a bite of her breakfast, and Anakin paused in the middle of a sip of caf.

The mission was to a harsh Separatist planet with a toxic atmosphere. There, they would have to  wear special biosuits and helmets while they completed their mission of destroying the shipyards. If their suits were compromised in any way, they would die almost immediately.

That was an unacceptable risk to share with his Padawan.

“Actually,” Anakin said, “you'll be staying behind on this one.”

Ahsoka put her fork down. “What? Why?”

It's too dangerous, he thought. What he said was, “you're falling behind on your studies, Ahsoka. Besides, this will be a short assignment. I'll be back in a few days.”

Ahsoka frowned, crossing her arms on the table in front of her. “That's not fair. Why do you get to have all the fun?”

Anakin snorted. “We'll see who's had more fun once I get back.”

Ahsoka was disappointed. But she would be safe, and that was more important.

A few weeks later saw Anakin on the bridge of the Resolute. He was monitoring it's progress through hyperspace when the doors opened and Obi-Wan walked in.

“Ah, Master,” Anakin said as Obi-Wan joined him at the console. “We'll be coming out of hyperspace in a minute.”

“Good,” Obi-Wan said. “Anakin, I've been meaning to ask- where is your Padawan?”

“Ahsoka?” Anakin straightened up. “She's... back at the Temple.”

“Oh? What's wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong,” Anakin said evasively. “I just don't think this is a good mission for her, that's all.”

He hoped Obi-Wan would leave it at that. But he could feel Obi-Wan's eyes on him, even as he stayed focused on the navicomputer in front of him. “I imagine Ahsoka didn't take that well.”

“Not exactly,” Anakin said. “You know, sometimes I regret not listening to you when I was a Padawan, now that I know what it's like from the other side.”

Obi-Wan sighed. “If only that were true,” he said ruefully. “Maybe you would listen to me now.”

“I do listen to you.” Anakin considered that. “Most of the time.”

“You do know how to lead by example.” Obi-Wan's tone was dry. “But Anakin- this is the third time this month that you've left Ahsoka at the Temple.”

Anakin's mouth tightened. It wasn't as if he hadn't been letting her join assignments at all. But he'd realized that perhaps he was being too careless as Master. He wouldn't make that fatal mistake again.

“You didn't take me on every mission when I was your Padawan,” he reminded Obi-Wan.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said. “But that wasn't a decision I made out of fear.”

His metal hand clenched reflexively. “What are you saying?”

“Anakin. Have you told Ahsoka what happened to her on Mortis?”

Anakin glanced sharply at Obi-Wan. “No. It's better this way.”

“Is it really? You're leaving your Padawan behind at the first hint of danger and you won't even tell her why.”

“The first hint of-” Anakin shook his head. “Obi-Wan, some of these missions are far too dangerous for Padawans, even of Ahsoka's level. I'm just... trying to be more careful.”

“Maybe you should tell her that.”

“She won't understand.” 'Too dangerous' was not a term that existed in Ahsoka's vocabulary.

“I think you're underestimating her,” Obi-Wan said. “You've trained her well. She can take care of herself.”

“We're coming out of hyperspace,” Anakin said, turning back to his console. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Obi-Wan shake his head.

“Alright. But Anakin, if you won't tell her what happened, at least start letting her join the bigger missions again. She isn't going to tolerate this forever.”

Anakin frowned to himself. He hated to admit it, but Obi-Wan wasn't wrong.

Two months after Mortis, Anakin, Obi-Wan and a small squad of clones were assigned to break into the Citadel, a prison in which Jedi Master Evan Piell, holder of the Nexus Route coordinates, was being held by the Separatists.

No one had successfully infiltrated the Citadel before. It was a place designed to hold Jedi. It was critical that they got Master Piell out safely. And it was definitely not an assignment he would have ever let Ahsoka join, regardless of the circumstances.

“Hey, Snips,” Anakin said, rubbing the effects of carbon freezing out of his stiff joints.

“Hey, Master,” Ahsoka replied, wincing as she stretched, and Anakin realized with a sinking feeling, that Obi-Wan had been right after all.

He reprimanded her in front of the rest of the team, which he wouldn't normally do, but his composure for the mission had been shaken. He couldn't send her back. It was far too late for that. Now he would have to break into the Citadel, rescue Master Piell and get out, all the while watching out for his apprentice.

He was angry, yes, but at the heart of that anger was fear.

“I gave you a specific order not to come.”

Ahsoka wasn't backing down. “If there's one thing I've learned from you, Master, it's that following direct orders isn't always the best way to solve a problem.”

Before Anakin could say anything else, Obi-Wan joined them. “I see Anakin's new teaching method is to 'do as I say, not as I do',” he said. He smiled warmly at Ahsoka. “Welcome aboard.”

Thanks a lot, Obi-Wan.

Anakin sighed. “Go help the men prepare the supplies,” he told Ahsoka, and watched as she ran off.

“I did warn you,” Obi-Wan said mildly beside him. Anakin turned his glare to his Master.

“Did you know about this?”

“No,” Obi-Wan said, “but maybe it's a good thing she's here. It might be good for you to see that she's capable of more than you think.”

“Or, she's going to get herself killed,” Anakin muttered. “Thanks for your help back there, by the way.”

“My pleasure,” Obi-Wan said with a quirk of his lips, then stepped away to assist the clones.

Great. Now both his Master and Padawan were working against him.

The mission didn't go as planned, Of course it didn't.

Upon closer observation of the enormous prison, they found that the wind was too great for jetpacks and there was nowhere to put a grappling hook without triggering one of the electromines that covered the face of the building. They were forced to free-climb the wall up to the entry point into the Citadel.

There, they discovered that the door was locked. Their mission was nearly over before it began- hundreds of feet above a lake of molten sulfer with nowhere else to go, their capture seemed almost inevitable.

And then, by squeezing through the ventilation ducts too small for the rest of them and opening the door from the inside, Ahsoka proved herself to be an invaluable member of the team.

When Anakin joined her, she was wearing a satisfied expression. “See? I can handle myself after all.”

Anakin just shook his head. He had never doubted her. It was the circumstances around her he didn't trust.

But... he was impressed.

They came to Lola Sayu with eleven people- three Jedi, eight highly trained clones. As they moved through the Citadel, facing traps and large squadrons, their number dwindled. Once rescued, Even Piell and his five officers became a huge assist, but even those added troops could not be everywhere.

Separated from his Padawan and in the middle of fighting a herd of Anoobas, Anakin felt a terrible shift in the Force. He faltered. The last time he'd felt a shift that drastic was on-

No. Not again. Heart pounding, Anakin reached out blindly with his senses, bracing himself to be met with a void where his Padawan should be.

He had felt that once. He never wanted to feel that again.

To his relief, he was met with a familiar Force presence, tinged with devastation, but alive. He relaxed, but only slightly. What had caused that shift?

It wasn't until the battle was over that Ahsoka appeared out of the smoke. She was carrying a body, and Anakin's heart sank.

The disturbance in the Force had indeed been the death of a Jedi. Just not the one he'd feared.

Ahsoka didn't take her eyes off of Master Piell. “He died... honourably.”

Anakin hated to ask, but he had to. “What about the information?”

“I have it.” Ahsoka's shoulders were slumped. “He told me just before he died.”

Ahsoka should not have been on this mission in the first place. And now, as one of the two people carrying the Nexus Route coordinates, she was the most important part of it.

Anakin looked away. If Ahsoka hadn't been with them, they would have failed a long time ago.

And he didn't know how to feel about that.

By the time the extraction team got the survivors out, only six of the original rescue team remained- Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex, Fives, Cody and Ahsoka. They had lost ARC Trooper Echo, Master Evan Piell, and eight other clone troopers to the Citadel.

The Citadel was not a place for Padawans, as he had said to Ahsoka at the beginning of the mission. But wasn't a place for Jedi Masters, either.

Obi-Wan waited until they were back at the Temple to bring it up. “Your Padawan did well, Anakin.”

Anakin sighed. “I'm still not convinced that Master Plo gave her permission to come along.”

“Neither am I,” said Obi-Wan. “But you cannot deny the fact that we would have likely failed the mission without her.”

“I know.” Anakin folded his arms. “But don't tell her that. I don't want her to think sneaking along is always the right thing to do.”

“The next time you face a difficult mission,” Obi-Wan said, “I hope she doesn't have to.”

Anakin didn't reply to that. The mission to the Citadel had opened his eyes to a simple truth that he had forgotten in the wake of Mortis- the war could take any of them, at any time. It did not choose between the young and the old, the experienced and the inexperienced, the Masters and the Padawans. It took who was closest, who was in the way, whoever was convenient.

He was not ready for the war to take Ahsoka. But he couldn't shield her from it either. He could only prepare her.

He dreamed of cold, dead eyes and a lifeless body, though this time it was floating down the sulfer rivers on Lola Sayu. When he woke up, he took a few moments to seek out his Padawan's Force-presence, just to reassure himself.

Ahsoka was alive. There was no immediate danger surrounding her. For the moment, everything was okay.

He joined his Padawan in the dining hall halfway through breakfast. Ahsoka looked up from her datapad as he sat down beside her. “The Republic has finally taken Akaton,” she said in greeting.

“Good,” Anakin replied. “We needed a victory in that sector with the way things have been going out there.”

There was silence after that as they turned back to their breakfast, though Anakin studied Ahsoka out of the corner of his eye as he ate. She had recovered well from the Citadel the week before. The dark circles were gone from her eyes, she had gained back the weight she couldn't afford to lose. Watching her like this, with one hand propped under her chin as she scrolled through the holonet on her datapad, Anakin could almost believe that Mortis was a bad dream.

“Here,” he said, sliding his own datapad down the table. Ahsoka looked up from her breakfast.

“What's this?”

“The briefing for our next mission,” Anakin told her. “Since we had so much fun on Felucia last time, the Council has decided to send us back.”

Crash-landing on the planet and defending a town of farmers from pirates certainly hadn't been boring.

“Fun isn't exactly the word that comes to mind when I think of Felucia,” Ahsoka said dryly.

Anakin put down his cup of caf. “Well, here's our chance to change that.”

“When do we leave?” There was a spark of excitement in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a while.

“At 1200.”

It was 0700 now. She gave him a look “Thanks for the heads up.”

Anakin found himself grinning as he returned to his breakfast.

She had conquered everything thrown at her so far. He had to trust she would continue to do so.