#but it'll still be a couple months at least and who knows if they're still looking for someone then...

[literallypyro]

Hi :)

I have a suggestion. The mercs accidentially friendly firing at their s/o and respawn malfunctions so they’re in a coma for a while. How will they react?

Maybe Sniper, Engineer and Soldier (and Spy if you feel like doing one more merc) :)

Ooo, this is an interesting spin! We love angst in this house

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

I just can't take it

Sniper:

-No one can get him out of his camper. At best, they can set food on the steps and it'll be gone by morning. The team just has to hope it's him eating it and not a random animal who was attracted by the smell

-Sleeps as much as possible. He gets about an equal amount of dreams and nightmares, but they're all about you

-The dreams give him a new feeling of loss when he wakes up, and the nightmares just amplify his guilt

-After a couple weeks and a few positive reports from Medic, he decides he needs to take care of himself simply because you would want him to

-It takes a few months before he's actually able to visit you. He just wouldn't be able to handle it before then

-Even after you're out of your coma, it'll take years for him to get past it. There will still be times when he wakes up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare about what happened

Engineer:

-It didn't fully set in at first. He's not even supposed to be able to shoot you, let alone put you in a coma

-It doesn't fully sink in until he sees you hooked up to all the machines monitoring you and keeping you alive. After that, the first thing he does is fix the respawn machine

-He barely eats or sleeps until the respawn machine is good as new

-With the machine fixed, he just doesn't know what to do with himself. He ends up drinking with Demoman and talking to him and Heavy about it

-Demo and Heavy are literally the only reason Engie keeps a firm grasp on reality. Without them, he would spiral into a bedrotting depression and no one would be able to pull him out of it

-When you wake up, he cannot stop himself from bawling his eyes out

-Bro like actually clings to you and bubbers endless apologies

Soldier:

-As shown in a previous post, he would at least be able to function and handle himself decently if you were in a coma, but if it was his fault? He would shut down completely

-Part of him refuses to accept that it even happened, but the other part is screaming at him that he needs to pay for what he's done

-He goes through his days like a ghost. He's not fully there, no matter what he's doing. "The lights are on, but nobody's home" in the worst way possible

-He does the bare minimum to take care of himself, but literally the only reason he can even do that much is because his body's on autopilot

-Whenever he sees you, he completely dissociates. He gets flashbacks of the shot that put you in the coma and the events immediately after

-Yeah, he's not allowed to see you anymore. Not until you wake up, at least. Once you do, he's still not quite back to normal, but you'll be able to help him heal a lot faster than he ever would if you died

Spy:

-He is screaming commands when he realizes what happened. You are not already in the med bay and that is a problem

-He visits you a few times, but he has to stop after a while because of how horrible it makes him feel to see you like that

-Oh, would you look at that, alcoholism. Genuinely starts being able to keep pace with Demo and that's not good

-Every single night he has a dream of domestic life with you that turns into a nightmare of you yelling at him and blaming him for what happened. He knows you would never, but it still makes his mental state worse

-Self care? Who's that? The team ends up forcing him to eat and take a shower. Bro is skin and bones now

-No body can even mention your name around him otherwise it'll trigger flashbacks and he will get exponentially worse

-When you wake up, he's shaking. He almost can't bring himself to face you, but he knows he should. He knew you wouldn't be mad at him, but he was still scared

[umilily]

actually found a job that not only sounds fun but like i could be qualified for. only that it's back in my hometown.

[mommysam]

steve's been knocking on doors trying to find eddie. he would be annoyed that all he's found are couples and groups in states of undress but this is some random house party, so it's what steve expects.

plus he's too relieved that he hasn't walked in on eddie being a part of any of it.

steve knows it's gross to feel this way. he trusts eddie 100%. it's not right to let past relationship problems cloud his judgement when it comes to what he has with eddie - who hasn't given him any reason to doubt.

but eddie is so new. been together for only 2 months now new.

and tommy was so old. childhood friend/fucked up situationship for 10 long years old. just ended for good a year and a half ago old.

so even though he knows, hopes, prays, that it's ridiculous to compare the two together, steve still checks the bathroom and makes sure the man on his knees in front of some blonde cheerleader isn't his boyfriend.

and then promptly ducks down to avoid a brush the blonde cheerleader throws at him.

'sorry!' steve apologizes. he hurries to slam the door closed and makes his way to the very last room at the end of the hallway.

maybe he left? eddie didn't want to serve here anyway, rich druggie clientele be damned. so even though they came together, maybe eddie had an emergency and-

steve cuts that thought off because well. he found eddie.

'baby!!' his boyfriend exclaims, alone, sitting on the floor in the middle of some random strangers room with a jar of peanut butter. he's got a spoon full of it half way up to his mouth and his eyes are red.

at least 4 brownies deep red.

the wave of relief he feels is actually pretty concerning, but steve will think about that some other time since he's too busy trying not to laugh at how ridiculous the long haird idiot looks.

'eddie, what are you doing?'

eddie looks guilty and for a split second steve thinks maybe he did walk in on eddie with someone else. (maybe he's waiting on them? maybe they already left?)

then eddie holds up the jar of peanut butter and says in the saddest voice, 'i needed it stevie, i don't remember how long it's been since i've had peanut butter. but i didn't think you'd find me! stay back! don't you come any closer!'

so this whole time while steve's been worried that eddie was off doing what tommy used to do to make him jealous, eddie just snuck off and hid away to eat peanut butter because steves' allergic.

starting to snicker, steve goes to sit across from him. 'i can be around it babe, im not gonna die.'

eddie rushes to close the jar, spoon shoved inside and all. he gives steve the stink eye. 'i know what peanut allergies can do to some people. i refuse to watch you blow up like a tomato.'

steve rolls his eyes and reaches out, acting like he's gonna touch the jar.

eddie yells. jumping to his feet, he scurries out of the closet like an over grown rat, 'steve harrington this is exactly why I was trying to eat this away from you!'

steves laughing now, giggling like a hyena. he can't believe he ever doubted this man.

later that night - after eddie has showered and brushed his teeth at least three times - when they're tucked away in eddies room under the covers, steve talks to him about his freak out. eddie apologizes for leaving him alone at a strangers party like that. he holds him close, gives steve a ton of kisses and promises to create a DND character that represents tommy.

'i'll turn him into a toad and kill him off in the most gruesome way imaginable. he'll be murdered to death, the kids will be traumatized. it'll be great. just you wait and see, my love.'

[astrophileous]

Happy birth month to you, Zara!! 🎉

I'd like to request a Derek Morgan x BAU!reader fic (angst, maybe leading to smut) where they are on a bombing case and as usual Derek, being our ever loving and stubborn explosives expert, stays with a target who activated the bomb trigger. Maybe reader is as stubborn as Derek and stays with him and it becomes a thing and all that pent up adrenaline and tension just 🤌🏼🫴🏼 😅

maybe some fluff after too 🥹

Thank you so much love!! Thanks for requesting as well ❤️ I hope you like how this turned out 💕

Warning(s): fem!reader, explosives, profanities, verbal altercation, 18+ nsfw content minors dni, handjob, angry sex (starts out that way at least), unprotected sex (p in v), creampie, lmk if I missed anything

This blurb was written as a part of the "Zara's Birthday Bash and Road to 1K" celebration.

Zara's Birthday Bash and Road to 1K Masterlist / Criminal Minds Masterlist

Derek was beginning to think that the universe was out to get him. It was the only logical explanation he could come up with for the situation he found himself stuck in: standing next to a minivan with an activated bomb underneath its driver's seat. The owner of the car, a woman by the name Pansy, was gripping his hand like a vice, cutting off circulation to it completely, but he couldn't care less about that. Getting blood into his hand was the least of Derek's worries right now.

"How's my baby?" Pansy suddenly asked amidst her tears.

Derek glanced at you, who had been trying to unbuckle the infant from his car seat for the past couple of minutes. One wrong move and the car would explode in the blink of an eye, obliterating everything in its immediate vicinity. This knowledge loomed at the back of your head as you languidly lifted the baby into your arms.

"Got him," you breathed out. You dashed away to take Pansy's son to safety, and despite her not being out of harm's way yet, Derek could feel the tightness of her grip around his hand loosening even if just for the tiniest bit.

Not three minutes later, you came back with a box of tools in your hand. Derek didn't like the grim expression on your face as your gaze flitted his way.

"The bomb squad isn't coming," you muttered.

"What?" Pansy exlclaimed. Even quiet as you were, there was no way you could say anything to Derek without Pansy hearing about it. The woman panicked as her eyes scampered repeatedly between you and Derek. "What are you talking about?"

"Pansy." Derek's voice came with a reassuring squeeze, a silent request for her to calm down. He turned to you again immediately, "What do you mean, they're not coming?"

"Land access is out since the bridge collapsed during the last bombing. They're sending in aerial support, but with everything that's been going on, it'll take at least 30 minutes, which is a time we don't have," you lamented, extending your hand to present the toolbox to Derek's face. "Hotch gave you the go-ahead."

With a curse under his breath, Derek accepted the box with his free hand. You slid in next to him so you could peek into the car.

"Pansy?" Frightened blue eyes scuttered towards your face. Despite the current predicament, you managed to offer her a somewhat genuine smile. "Hey, how are we holding up there? My name's Agent (Y/L/N), I work with Agent Morgan in the FBI. I wanted to let you know that your son is safe. He's with the rest of our team right now."

Pansy hiccuped around a sob. "He's safe?"

"One hundred percent." You nodded. "Listen, Agent Morgan here used to work with the bomb squad. He's gonna defuse the bomb so all of us can get out of here safely. But in order to do that, you need to let go of his hand, okay? Here, you can hold mine instead."

Your last statement caused Derek to turn his head around so fast, you were sure he would have gotten a whiplash. The incredulity was thick in his voice as he asked, "Sweet girl, what are you doing?"

You didn't look at him once. In fact, your eyes were still glued to Pansy's face when you said, "I'm not leaving you."

But Derek knew better.

You weren't saying that sentence to Pansy.

You were saying it to him.

In any other situation, Derek would have admonished you for your stupid decision. But right in that moment, in front of Pansy who was this close to spiraling, and with time completely against his side, Derek couldn't do anything else but relent. Reluctantly, he let go of Pansy's hand and allowed you to take his place. With another deep breath, Derek kneeled next to the car and began to work.

11 minutes and 16 seconds; that was how long it took for Derek to carefully disarm the explosive. Pansy sank into your embrace as soon as Derek removed the device from her seat, bringing it as far away from the crowd as possible as you took the young mother to see her infant son.

After neutralizing the threat, you received word from the rest of your team about the identity of the UnSub. Following a strenuous chase, you eventually closed the day with an arrest, ending the nightmare of the case once and for all. You marked it as a win in your book.

Back at the hotel, everyone scurried to their respective rooms in no time, eager to wash away the residual horror of the case with a cold shower and slept the exhaustion off before the team had to catch an early flight back to Virginia the next morning. You, too, had been dreaming about the plush mattress waiting for your arrival back at your room. But before you could reach the familiar door to your hotel room, your steps halted when warm fingers suddenly encircled your wrist.

"We need to talk," Derek said sharply. He didn't give you a chance to say anything before leading you towards his hotel room.

"What's this about, Derek?" you questioned once the door shut behind Derek's back.

"I can't believe you'd do something reckless like that, (Y/N)."

You frowned at him in confusion. "What? What do you mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about. You stayed back knowing there was a bomb! You knew what could've happened. You didn't have to be there, but you stayed anyway. What the fuck, (Y/N)?!"

"That's what this is about?" You scoffed incredulously. "You're mad at me because I did my job?"

"That wasn't part of the job and you know it, sweetheart. You could've been killed."

"I know that! God, you don't think I know that?!"

"You knew? Oh, good! So you knew about the chances of you getting killed in that situation, but you still went ahead and did it anyway. What the fuck were you thinking?!"

"I don't need to fucking explain myself to you, Derek." You stepped further into the room, trying to draw as much distance from the man whom you considered your best friend for the past two years of you working with the BAU. His hostility was foreign. You mourned the absence of his usual warmth as you wrapped your arms defensively around your torso. "What about you, anyway?"

"Me?"

"You act as if I was the only one putting themselves in danger, but you were there, too. You could've been killed as well. A little bit hypocritical, isn't it?!"

"That's different."

You rolled your eyes. "Of course it is. Why? Because your hero complex wouldn't allow you to share the stage with anyone else?"

"(Y/N)—"

"Or is it your trust issues that force you to do anything on your own?"

"Stop it—"

"Oh, I get it! Maybe you're no different than those other alpha males out there! Is that it? You want me to leave all the dangerous and scary jobs to the big, strong men—"

"I said, stop it."

A gasp stumbled past your lips when you suddenly found your back connecting with the wall, trapped between the concrete surface and Derek's muscular chest. There was no way to run. Derek's stare was sweltering as it pierced right through your soul.

"Have you always been this insufferable?" Derek growled.

"I don't know. Have you always been this chauvinistic?"

"You never know when to shut the hell up, do you?"

"Well—" you puffed your chest out, leveling your own stare with his unyielding one, "—why don't you make me?"

The atmosphere thickened inside the room.

Before you could process what was happening, Derek had suddenly lunged forward, claiming your lips in a kiss so heated unlike any other you had ever known.

Derek domineered every single one of your senses. Your body only knew his touch as his palms roamed your curves and edges. The kiss was a battle of desperation, a mess of tongue and heaving breaths that span your world off its axis.

When Derek's mouth strayed to your neck, nipping around the spot right below your ear, you swore your bones melted into liquid inside of your body.

"So goddamn aggravating," Derek griped against your ear. "You drive me fucking crazy, you know that?"

"You're just gonna keep talking? Or are you finally gonna put that mouth to a good use?"

The smirk on your lips was wiped away instantly when Derek kissed you again. He maneuvered the two of you towards the bed, where Derek laid you down with a gentleness that contradicted the spite he had shown so far. Clothes were being shed at an inhumane speed, and before long, you found yourself sprawled naked underneath Derek's impressive frame.

Your hand wandered southward as Derek peppered kisses across your chest. The moment your fingers wrapped around his length, Derek's whole body shivered in response.

"Fuck. What are you doing to me?" he muttered.

You continued to pump his shaft, enjoying the melodic sounds Derek was making as your pace grew faster with each second. Mere moments later, however, your movement was halted when Derek's fingers tugged at your wrist.

"Slow down, pretty girl. I wanna be inside of you when I cum."

His declaration was sealed with a kiss.

Using an unbelievable display of strength, Derek then manhandled you to your front, forcing you to rest on all fours as he settled on his knees right behind the sensual curves of your ass.

"Shit. Look at this pussy," Derek remarked crudely. You moaned into the bedsheets when his fingers rubbed up and down your slit, collecting the wetness without ever grazing the number one spot where you needed him the most. "Beautiful, sweetheart. You're so fucking gorgeous."

"You can tell me about how gorgeous you think I am later, Derek. Just shut up and fuck me already."

"Impatient girl." Derek chuckled.

You yelped when his palm landed a harsh slap to each one of your ass cheeks. The sting was chased away instantly by the feeling of Derek's cock prodding around your entrance. The two of you moaned in unison once his length went in, filling every inch of your channel until he was sheathed to the hilt.

As Derek started to move, the lump of arousal in the pit of your stomach increased in size. The drag of his cock felt delicious against your throbbing walls. Derek moved inside of you at a sedulous pace. The grip he had on either side of your hips felt like a promise of fresh bruises that you couldn't wait to wake up to once morning arrived.

With a particularly harsh thrust into your soaking pussy, Derek sent your brain gyrating into the stars.

"Derek, please—ohhh. Feels so good."

"I know, pretty girl. Fuck. Gripping my cock so well, sweetheart. You hear that? Hear how wet you sound?"

You nodded wordlessly, your ears assaulted by the squelching sound of your combined arousal as you pressed your face against the mattress. Derek drove into you even faster, hitting the same spot every single time that had you blabbering incoherently into the sheets.

"D-Derek? I'm—mmpphhh, I'm so close. S-So close... oh fuck."

"Yeah? You're close, sweet girl?"

Derek's arm went around your torso, then, holding you up beneath your breast without ever relenting his movement. His breath tickled your ear in this new position, and you held onto the muscular arm holding you up in fear of collapsing from the continuous strike of pleasure.

"Do you wanna cum, sweetheart? Wanna cum for me?"

"Y-Yes! Please, please, please, Derek. Please, wanna cum so bad."

"Okay." Derek's other hand slid down your abdomen, all the way past your navel, until the rough pad of his fingers found your swolen clit. He began to rub it aggressively, earning a loud cry as you writhed in rapture. "Go on, then, pretty girl. Cum for me. Just let it go, sweetheart."

Your whole body convulsed as you slammed head first into your climax. Derek held you close through it all, stroking your damp skin and whispering sweet nothings as you came down from your high. Not long afterward, his own release caught up to him, pushing Derek to empty everything he had into the warmth of your tender hole.

Once minutes had passed, Derek carefully pulled out from you before gently laying you down on the bed. You were lost too deeply in the post-orgasmic bliss to notice that Derek had disappeared into the bathroom. The fog in your brain only started lifting when Derek returned and spread your thighs apart, using a damp wash cloth to clean up the mess that the two of you made on your upper thighs.

"How are you feeling?" Derek asked after he tossed away the cloth, squeezing your thigh affectionately.

"Tired. But good," you answered with a smile. "So... we should probably talk about what just happened, huh?"

Your question caused Derek's shoulders to tense, but he relaxed them again when your fingers reached out for his hand.

"Sorry I yelled at you," he offered sincerely. "You don't know this, pretty girl, but I made a vow to myself a long time ago to protect you. You're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, I know that. But as long as there's air in my lungs, I will spend every day of my life trying to keep you safe. Do you understand?"

You nodded meekly as your heart constricted in its cage. Derek left a kiss to your knuckles before settling down to lie beside you.

"You're not the only one who made such a vow, Derek," you revealed quietly. "I also made one to myself that I would never drop your hand in the face of danger. I would never abandon you like that. I'd rather give my life than live in a world where you no longer exist."

"Don't say that. You don't mean it."

"But I do. I mean it with all my heart." You stroked Derek's cheek with the tip of your fingers, admiring his handsome face as his eyes stared at you intensely. "Wherever you go, I go, Derek."

"Wherever you go, I go as well," Derek promised, tightening the sanctity of the words with a kiss. "What you did was still stupid, though, so you better never do that again in the future."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Can we please pause this conversation 'till morning? I'm literally about to pass out right now."

Derek grinned upon hearing your statement. "I fucked you real good, didn't I?"

You punched him on the shoulder. "Asshole."

Derek laughed wholeheartedly before pecking your pouting lips. "Only for you, pretty girl."

[theallianceofcelestials]

Could we have an ETD drabble?

Where Eclipse finds some child on the oil rig (Presumably one of the dead workers', or simply snuck onto a boat or helicopter to there), an the child immediately cling onto Eclipse because he 'seemed familiar ' in a sense?

Well EtD is based on a game called Still Wakes the Deep, which takes place in the 1970s. There's no bring your kid to work day then to the best of my knowledge, and even if there was, it's not really possible for anyone to bring their kid onto board. Especially seeinga as they spent months out on the sea, without visiting family, aside for the holidays, which only lasts for a couple weeks. There's no way a child was brought onto an oil rig, especially when to the best of my knowledge, they at least somehow monitored who was brought on.

So Eclipse can't meet a freshly orphaned kid on an oil rig, cuz there's no way one's there. He CAN however meet a kid on the mainland

Also, kinda struggled with this one. Which is why it took so long. Might stop doin drabbles for a bit again, haha. But only after the next one, which will be the last, seein as it's been sittin in the askbox for a bit too

Eclipse will have to admit, seeing his lover in action on the mainland was something. And not neccessarily something good.

Ruin and him both know he's currently hiding, even if neither of them really wants to say it out loud. Instead they call it Eclipse taking a break.It's much better like this for both of their health and mood. This way they can avoid... unneccessary talks.

Like how he's kind of terrified of his eldritch horror lover, and how said eldritch horror lover is hurt by this.

It's not like he's doing it on purpose. He wants to be calm around his lover, he really does! It's just that...

Seeing him effortlessly murder people who never did anything to Eclipse, mainly children, just doesn't sit right with him.

So right now he's taking a walk, hoping it'll clear his head from all the screaming that's already quietened. If only because he's out of the immediate 'danger' zone.

He just didn't count with running into people

There, hiding under the overhang of a house, is a child tellingly covered in blood. He recognises him, if only because of the fiery red hair and the vibrant green eyes. The child also seems to recognise him too.

But instead of doing the logical thing, running away and screaming, the child cries out, and throws himself at Eclipse's feet, latching on with surprising strength.

He tries to gently shake the child off, if only because he doesn't want the kid to die and touching him is a surefire way to, but no matter how he tries he just wouldn't budge. He insists on curling around him more.

"Kid, you should really let go-"

"NO!"

Somehow he becomes more sticky, and Eclipse stops trying to pry him off with a deep sigh.

He can't really blame the kid. Especially when he's more than likely orphaned.

"So you gonna cling to me?"

"Yes" and he really has to strain to hear the next part "You're familiar..."

He frowns at that, more than sure he never really met this random kid before. Especially because he's spent most of his life out on the sea, which is actually kind of sad now that he thinks about it. There's no way they've ever met.

But then he frowns, thinking back to how he was surrounded with detectives and whatnot after the first rig, and amongst those people were newspaper people. They're called journalists he thinks?

"Did you see me in the paper?"

The kid doesn't nod, but he also doesn't shake his head, so it's a maybe. Not that surprising honestly.

Probably one of his parents used to read the paper before... well...

Best not to think about it

"Love"

Fuck

The small arms tighten around him, and he turns his head to look at Ruin, who's busy eyeing the child wrapped around his leg

"What is that?"

Well shit. He really doesn't want to see this little turd get murdered

"Just some scared kid. Ran from the dock area all the way here"

"Ah"

Mismatched eyes continue to stare, and he shifts just the tiniest bit until he's shielding the child from view. The subtle frown of his lover lets him know it was noticed.

"Do you want me to take care of it?"

It's said so casually it scares him. But what else was he expecting from his lover? He's an eldritch horror for crying out loud!

"Not neccessary." then because apparently they're doing this anyway: "I don't like you killing kids."

Ruin frowns, closing off with an air of something Eclipse can't quite parse. He just knows it's not positive

"Very well"

And then the avatar disappears, leaving him with the child clinging to him and a bitter taste in his mouth.

They'll need to talk later

[anonymous-dentist]

Part Seven of the Catboy in the Village AU

Part One | Part Six

-

Once upon a time, Cellbit was an orphan. He was born on the battlefield with a sword in his hand and a corpse at his feet and absolutely nobody to save him and bring him home. He didn't get a family until he was an adult, and that's fine.

Roier, though? He has two slightly-overbearing parents and a younger sister. He even has a grandfather! (Gods, does he have a grandfather...)

Together, they have their own little family. They have Richarlyson and Pepito, of course, and they have each other. They have Jaiden, and they have Roier's parents and sister. They have Pac and Mike and Felps, and they have Baghera and the rest of her family.

They have Bobby, buried in a lavish tomb in the Águila Royal Family's private cemetery.

Cellbit misses his kids. He misses them so bad. It's been almost two weeks, and he can hardly sleep from worry.

But Roier? He's officially freaked.

Roier has lost a child before. It took him years to recover from Bobby's death, and even now he still has trouble keeping calm when the kids are away from him for too long.

"They're dead," Roier murmurs one night, face-down in his pillow and visibly shaking.

It's been too long.

Once, Richarlyson went on a month-long trip to the ocean with Pac and Mike. By the end of that month, Roier was planning his funeral when he thought Cellbit wasn't looking. The night Richarlyson came home, Roier threw that notebook in the trash and pretended it never existed.

Roier laughs dryly; it's just a bit too high-pitched to be natural, and it cracks and squeaks like a broken door hinge.

"At least Bobby has company now," he says, and Cellbit's heart breaks for the millionth time that night alone.

Once, Pepito and Richarlyson went on a trip with Quackity to his hometown so he could introduce them to his own child (deceased, of course.) That trip lasted only two weeks, but Roier spent the second of those two weeks trying to figure out how to explain to his parents that their grandchildren fucking died on vacation because of fucking Quackity. And then the kids came home, and Roier made enough food for dinner to feed an army.

Cellbit is not laying down. He's in bed, but he's sat up and leaned against the headboard reading one of the (dead, deceased, departed) prince's favorite books. The queen had given it to him at dinner, probably hoping that it'll "jog his memory", and it's... fine? It's fine. More interesting than Cellbit had expected, especially for a children's book; he's going to have to steal it and bring it home to read to the kids.

(The kids...)

Cellbit has been married to Roier long enough to know not to touch him when he's like this; it isn't for Roier's comfort, it's because Roier's first instinct upon being suddenly touched is to bite, and Cellbit does not want to deal with that tonight.

So he doesn't lean in to pull Roier to his chest, and he doesn't strok Roier's hair comfortingly.

What Cellbit does do is say, "I wonder why Foolish and Vegetta haven't sent an army after us yet."

Roier's eye roll is audible. "They probably haven't noticed we've been kidnapped yet."

"I'm sure that Bad has told them by now."

"Yeah, but would they believe him?"

"Fair."

Quiet.

Cellbit turns the page. In the corner of the next page in the book is a small symbol drawn in red ink. It's shaky and not exactly correct, but Cellbit recognizes it as one of the symbols involved with summoning rituals.

Cellbit is no stranger to summoning rituals. He has to get his more spectral potion ingredients from somewhere, and he may have spent a couple of months while in prison trying to summon a demon to (be his friend) break him out.

The question is why the prince- someone who objectively has no reason to summon anything, let alone creatures from Beyond the Veil- was writing summoning symbols down in a children's book about worms.

But that's a question for later.

For now, Cellbit just makes a mental note of the page number and keeps reading.

Next to him, Roier shakes. He isn't crying, not yet, but he will be soon. And when he's crying, he's angry. And when he's angry, he's murderous.

And Cellbit really doesn't want his husband to get actually arrested.

So he says, "They'd believe him if he said the kids were dead."

(He's been telling himself this for days now, and it's the only thing that's let him sleep: the knowledge that, if the kids were actually dead, the Gato Kingdom would have been destroyed, and its weirdo queen with it.)

Roier hums in acknowledgement. But:

"Maybe they killed him, too."

"I don't think Bad can, like. Die. I'm pretty sure he's immortal."

"Is he? I hope not. I want to kill him after this."

"When don't you want to kill him?" Cellbit smiles fondly at the thought of his husband covered in wizard blood: shirtless, sweaty, bloody. Ouagh. "I want to see it."

Roier snorts. "Of course you do."

"I'm serious!"

"I know you are! You're weird!"

Roier rolls onto his side and narrows his eyes up at Cellbit. His nose and cheeks are red, and his eyes are redder, but he doesn't look like he's about to cry...

Cellbit closes his book, using his thumb as a bookmark, and he leans down so that his nose is brushing Roier's.

"I don't think it's weird for me to want to look at my husband," Cellbit softly says. He raises his free hand to gently cup Roier's cheek, his thumb just under Roier's eye ready to catch any tears should they fall. "You're gorgeous."

The corners of Roier's lips twitch. "And sexy."

Cellbit nods. "And sexy. When we break out of here, you're going to look so hot doing it."

"Duh," Roier scoffs. He leans into Cellbit's touch, eyelids fluttering shut. "And then we'll go home and kill Bad Boy Halo. And you can drink his blood or whatever."

"His blood tastes like shit, but I'll drink it, anyway, if you ask me to."

Roier sighs an approximation of a purr, wiggling forward until he's pressed to Cellbit's side. His head rests on Cellbit's lap, and Cellbit's back only protests a little as he bends down further to press a kiss to Roier's forehead.

"Why are you so romantic?" Roier complains. "We're kidnapped!"

"I'm kidnapped with you," Cellbit responds. "Why shouldn't I be romantic when I'm trapped in a room with the person I love the most?"

Roier moans, and, in one swift motion, he's plucking the book from Cellbit's hand and pulling him down onto the bed with him. Their bodies smash together, and Cellbit yelps as his elbow hits Roier's skull, and Roier shouts a little as Cellbit's knee hits his clavicle, but they're intertwined with each other soon enough.

Cellbit grins through the pain. "Wow, you're needy."

"Cállate," Roier grumbles. "Stop being pointy, what the fuck? I hate you."

He kisses Cellbit, anyway.

Tomorrow night, they're going to go through this again. Roier won't be better, and Cellbit won't be better, and neither of them will be better until they're home and with their children again. It might be easier tomorrow. It might be harder.

For now, though, Cellbit kisses his husband back.

Tonight, he thinks, they're going to sleep.

[thezombieprostitute]

Tech Tuesday: Walter Marshall

Summary: Your work friend oversteps in his attempts to help you.

Warnings: Size discrimination. Please let me know if I missed any!

A/N: Reader is short, female. No other physical descriptors used. This is my first time writing a short reader so please let me know what I got right/wrong!

Previous

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

It's almost time for the company's Halloween party and you were one of the two security guards who drew the short straw to work late for it. At least you were still allowed to dress up, you just had to wear your regular uniform during the usual work hours. Your friends had talked you into doing a trio costume with them earlier in the month, the three of you going as the Powerpuff Girls, and you were looking forward to joining them.

When you told them you had to work during the party they understood but they refused to hear any talk of not wearing the team costume.

"We're friends," Bubbles is quick to retort. "And that's not something that goes away just because you have to work."

Newbie nods in agreement, "plus it'll be nice to join you at the desk."

You turn to Newbie and raise an eyebrow, "you're only allowed to visit me during the party if you finally get hot IT guy's number." She ducks her head and you feel a little bad. She's been pining over Rogers since she got hired and you and Bubbles have done your best to encourage her. "Tonight is a great opportunity," you tell her, softening your tone. "But I suppose I can let you visit me at the desk if you've at least tried talking to tall, blonde and handsome." She smiles and hugs you as you playfully roll your eyes.

Walter hates parties but he's desperately hoping to find you. The G's hadn't harassed him again since the teddy bear so he figured he was at least somewhat in your good graces. If not, he knew his costume would at least get you to laugh, if nothing else. That said, he wasn't going to show the costume in front of anyone if you weren't there. It was a humiliating costume, but that was the point.

Looking around the party he's not finding you so he approaches the G's, "have you seen Spitfire?"

Geralt raises an eyebrow, "no."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"Why would we know where she is?" G adds.

"Aren't...aren't you friends with her?"

"No," Geralt says again.

"She's just our favorite of the security guards." G explains.

Geralt points to a couple of ladies, "those are her friends."

"Oh, thank you," Walter walks away as G looks at him like he's an idiot. Walking over to the two ladies, dressed as Powerpuff Girls he wonders if you're dressed up as the green one. "Excuse me," he gets their attention. "Have you seen Spitfire?"

The woman in the pink outfit looks him up and down, "are you the one who almost got her hurt?"

The woman in the blue turns to her, "the IT asshole?"

Walter grumbles as he lowers his head, "yeah, I'm that idiot. I'm trying to apologize to her."

They cross their arms and look at each other for a moment before the blue one says, "she's working the security desk. But you're not allowed to see her without us being there."

Walter sighs in resignation and nods his acquiescence.

The pink one says, "I'll get a plate of snacks to take to her."

Your friends text that they're coming to visit and they're bringing "the IT asshole". That definitely gets your attention. You look back at the teddy bear he'd gotten you. It had been followed up by a couple of apology emails. You hadn't responded to any of them. So now he was looking to apologize in person? You were glad your friends were going to be there to support you.

The three of them come out from the main area of the building, Bubbles and Newbie smiling, hugging you and giving you a plate of food they thought you would like.

Bubbles whispers, "if you want him to leave, we're here to help and support."

You smile at her before giving Walter a soft glare, "I'll hear him out."

Taking that as his cue, Walter approaches, while still keeping a respectful distance. He'd really, truly hoped he wouldn't have to do this in front of others, but he wasn't about to back out. He missed you and wanted to make things right.

He takes a breath, "I want to show you my costume."

You raise an eyebrow at him. He takes out a rather large piece of paper and rolls it up before putting it on his head. It's a dunce cap, complete with the word written on it. You have to bite back a laugh. He looks so dumb, but so sincere. You can't hide the fact that your body is shaking with the laughter you're not letting out and his look turns hopeful.

"Okay," you choke out. "Okay, I'll accept your apology. But if you ever pull that shit again, I'm hurting you and you have to wear that cap all day."

"That's more than fair," he smiles, relief written all over his face.

Next

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Tagging: @alicedopey; @changenameno; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen;

@jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory; @kingliam2019; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82; @ronearoundblindly

[variousqueerthings]

as someone doing my (deliberately very slow) second watch of s2 of due south with the expectation that s3-4 will be something to save for the new year somewhen, there's something very interesting about knowing a very little bit about those seasons: ray goes undercover in las vegas i believe, and leaves the show as a main, but returns at times. how many times? i don't know, don't tell me -- meg gets a cute butchy haircut that makes her and fraser's gender vibes even more intense -- there's a new guy and he is also ray, but the other one, and i get the feeling that there's a bit of role-reversal in who is getting whomst to take better care of themself... maybe

i think the way i've ended up watching the show (in no small part because im semi-communally watching with @gjdraws and eventually @hunkydorkling (no rush)) as being nice and drawn out, means ive really gotten to bask in the vibes of s1-2. they're beautiful establishing seasons that also stand on their own -- if the show's myriad of cancellations had stuck, one or two seasons would have worked (altho it would have been sad, because you do get the feeling that there is more story to tell)

it also means im definitely in a very different show to the majority of fandom, hence why ive avoided the tags and read very little fic (altho, some fic!) and only follow a couple of people, because the show, to me, is about fraser and ray vecchio because it's the only show i know (so far) and ive been marinating in that show for a few months now, to the point that im interested about how it'll feel when ray kowalski comes along

i expect i'll enjoy watching his dynamic with fraser, i expect it'll be different, and i very much expect it to feel like something that only exists because of everything that happened with fraser and ray in s1-2, because everything that fraser has gained that i feel may be relevant to that new dynamic -- self-confidence in interpersonal relationships, the ability to open up to people, the ability to stand up to people, a more grounded self, a greater self-awareness about himself as a person in the world and not just an instrument, a little battered but having begun undergoing some longer healing processes in relation to his father and victoria (and those prior relationships dealing with feelings of abandonment and manipulation/violence) -- started with ray. sometimes it literally started with ray Very Pointedly Banging A Drum about some of those things

there's a lot that's not ray ofc: his sense of right and wrong, his sense of purpose, his politeness, his gentleness, his confidence in his abilities, his single-mindedness/stubborness, his general lack of propriety (especially while solving a case) because social behaviours don't seem to be that intuitive (or important) to him (although he has that old fashioned properness to him when he's not licking things he picked up off the ground) -- but some core shifts have happened that im curious about how they'll interact with the sort of person ive gotten a sense new-ray will be (more standoffish and closed-off, initially at least, is what i think)

it's very fun to imagine how ray's influence will indelibly be on fraser, even when he's not literally there. i get the feeling that, to me, he's always gonna be the third in the room to an extent, because that's what he probably will be to me as i watch -- he's the first person outside of fraser's immediate family that truly affected him for the better and he did it by just. deciding that fraser was his responsibility, from day two (on day one i think he was still gauging him a little + he needed to make up for accidentally insulting his dead father, but hey, second impressions is what matters the most!) and then he stuck to that remit

and my first presumption/prediction is that fraser will sort of... pay that forward in a way

[pantheramore]

Carmen headcanons bc I'm obsessed with her or something

(It's a long post y'all I have a lot of thoughts about her)

Flying from destination to destination is one of the few places that Carmen can rest easy. No capers, few obligations besides the occasional mission brief, and several hours of nothing to do. It's no wonder then that the second the plane leaves the ground, Carmen's fast asleep without fail. She tries to stay awake to catch a movie with Zack and Ivy, or even just to prove that she doesn't always fall asleep, but she inevitably does. Zack, Ivy, and Player occasionally tease her about it

Carmen associates her experiences with things around her very strongly. On one hand, this makes her extremely sentimental, but on the other hand, a single unpleasant experience can ruin something for her for months. She couldn't stand chocolate for some time after Big Bad Ivy caper

Despite her strong associations, she still enjoys the nickname Lambkins and looks back on it rather nostalgically, though her feelings about Coach Brunt do complicate it a bit. It's being called Black Sheep that she truly can't stand. It makes her a bit angry that she still instinctively responds to the name

Despite her more materialistic tendencies, she very rarely collects souvenirs. They're difficult to constantly travel with, but she starts slowly collecting more things once HQ is established

She wishes she didn't get so antsy staying in one place for more than a couple of weeks. She'd love to be able to stay somewhere for a month or more to fully experience it, but she knows it'll just make her stir crazy

The first few months after Carmen escaped Vile Island were... rough. There was a lot about the outside world she still didn't know, and she grappled with her beliefs of right and wrong trying to unlearn what VILE had taught her. Until Player was able to decrypt the VILE hard drive, she was just kind of coasting off the little money Player could send, and the kindness of strangers in a world she'd never really experienced before, and as much as she enjoyed her freedom, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared. She'd never admit it, but she attributes at least some of her high end tastes to trying to distance herself from that time

She also did a lot of experimenting on her appearance when she left. No longer bound to VILE's rules and expectations about how she should look, she had a wild frenzy of phases in the span of just a few months before settling on her signature red look. There are lots of other aesthetic style choices she loves, but red clothing+long hair was just too sentimental for her to pass up.

It was... a very awkward phase for her, she doesn't really like to talk about it.

People often have a difficult time trying to pinpoint where she's from. She has a weird mish-mash of linguistic knowledge where she'll know a slang term specific to a specific area of a specific country, but then speak the rest of the language so stiffly that it's obvious that her proficiency in that language is otherwise rudimentary. This is a result of being taught lots of little things from lots of VILE trainees over the years, and applies to more than just her language skills

If someone asks where she's from she says she's from the Canary Islands. There's been a few occasions where she's met people also from there who are a bit confused about how little she shares with the culture, which she waves away as a result of traveling a lot and going to an international school. Not technically wrong...

Team Red runs an incredibly tight ship when it comes to preparing for capers. VILE has them planned out for months in advance, with hundreds of operatives and supporting crew around the world to pull them off, meaning that Team Red has to be in top form when it comes to beating VILE at their own game. They're usually planning out multiple capers at any given time. Frankly, most of Carmen's belongings at this point are hundreds of maps, diagrams, spreadsheets, and plans for each caper, and their debrief sessions can go very late into the night and even into early morning, even on their "days off". When he first joins the team, Shadowsan genuinely has no idea how they keep track of it all

She visits security conferences as frequently as she can and reads up on it often. The better she is about staying ahead of the curve about new developments in the field means she usually already knows what she's getting herself into before she arrives at the location to stake it out.

Zero cold tolerance. None at all. She doesn't stay in most places long enough to get acclimated to the weather, so she remains accustomed to the warm climate of Vile Island. Walking on snow is where you're bound to see her at her clumsiest, despite Zack and Ivy's best efforts to teach her

She however, refuses to teach Zack and Ivy any tricks of her trade. It's one thing for her to use her thieving skills for good, but she honestly feels like she shouldn't have them as a result of VILE's training if their intended use was for evil, and feels similarly about teaching it to others. Shd also feels like she'd be unnecessarily putting them in harm's way if they went out of their way to pull the same stunts as her. It's a point of contention between the team that Zack, Ivy, and Carmen have simply had to agree to disagree on

Even when Carmen's not working, she's working. Planning a caper, researching, practicing a language, learning a new skill (where do you think she found the time to learn how to ride a motorcycle, after all?)

Once VILE is defeated, she finds herself becoming quite antsy without something to do 24/7, and for a while she wonders if she's even cut out for a civillian life despite how much she thought she wanted it

Undiagnosed autism and ADHD. She doesn't realize it until she sees the same traits in Carlotta and some of the orphanage kids

Carmen has a difficult time getting immersed in fantasy genres. Her suspension of disbelief won't allow it, and she mostly just finds herself confused trying to understand the worldbuilding or anything that doesn't make logical sense to her

[rizzless-trans-guy]

Thinking about Transmasc Azula and how he would basically plan out every possible scenario when coming out.

Bug out bag at the ready, burner phone, tazer, etc.

Question. Assuming a modern AU fire family that is wholesome. How would Urzai react?

How would Zuko react?

oh man, personally I don't think I'll ever be able to view ozai as a good person, so like fire family as wholesome to me is still kind of not great. but obviously not as bad as canon.

first I think he would tell zuko, totally not because he trusts him more ofc, but because he has blackmail on dear ol zuzu to make sure he doesnt snitch if he doesn't take it well.

zuko wouldn't even learn about the blackmail cuz he would be pretty accepting right off the bat. like to him this would be one of the few times his sibling is actually opening up to him instead of just messing with him like usual. so he would think of it like a secret mission to help his brother get guy stuff, que a blue spirit type montage. he'd probably even see if he could get black market testosterone or something crazy like that before zoryn put a stop to it lol.

I think that zuko, seeing his brother seemingly trust him with something serious would start to open up more as well about his own issues. which initially zoryn would be like why are u talking to me 😐 but eventually they would become closer.

which is ofc all a part of zoryns plan, after all their parents would be more likely to agree to his transition if zuko was backing him up! well okay only ursa, but still. and if things went totally wrong, he could probably now manipulate zuko into running away with him/get him kicked out as well. if he's gonna be worried about potential homelessness then it'll be better to be accompanied.

but that's like last case scenario cuz hes been squirreling money away for a while now, plus it's always possible to play on zukos friends sympathy and stay with them. not his friends because they're too dignified to take in some street urchin.

now as for urzai. in my mind a more wholesome modern au ozai would be a horrific combo of toxic sports dad and pta mom. like yknow he has 2 kids and wants them both to be super good at sports, enrolls them both in a bunch of different sports when they're super little etc. but hes seriously pissed that his firstborn son shows more talent on a theater stage than for any type of sport that isn't badminton. ozai fucking hates badminton, he thinks it's just lame tennis. (badminton would be modern au dao swords for zuko.)

but his daughter is crazy good at all these sports so hes very happy about that at least and puts all his pressure on her while ursa dotes on zuko and shares his passion for theater.

he would also be on the pta solely to petition for more funding for the schools sports teams lol

so less toxic than canon but still that obvious favoritism from each parent leading to a divide between the siblings.

as for how they take it. ozai is very much a "LGBTQ is a bunch of hooey" type guy, but also he is not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. hes finally getting his perfect sport loving son! so his reaction is to immediately try and get him on hormones and pull him out of school for like a couple months till he "looks more manly" in ozais words. that way they can pretend that zoryn is just a cousin or something (theyd say azula went to a different private school in like Sweden or something) that way no one knows about the trans thing since ozai wouldn't like that associated with him. and ofc get him onto all of the mens sports teams because that is the most important thing to ozai.

ursa is overall more progressive but she takes it less well in zoryns eyes. like shes trying to talk both ozai and zoryn down from "going too fast" cuz shes one of those people who isnt properly transphobic but the idea of their little girl becoming a hairy guy is like. really jarring yknow. this ofc makes zoryns mommy issues worse and makes him even more attached to ozai. which is bad.

so overall theyd take it fine, but it would be pretty bad for zoryn in a way to become even more attached to such a toxic parent.

[elvishdemigod]

Screw it, I'm never gonna actually write this. So here, fanfic idea for anyone interested in writing it. I've been holding onto it since I was like 16 or 17 and I'm in my 20s now. Someone else can write it.

Adopting it, you can do what you want with it. But this is all I’ve personally thought up for it:

So it'll start with Percy and Nico being adults, they're married, they're happy.

Then Nico gets a prophecy and he leaves to do the quest.

But when he finally comes back via shadows, he's halfway dead and beyond saving, having used the last of his strength because he didn't want to part from someone he cared for without telling them goodbye.

A month or two goes by, it's the day after Nico's funeral, and Percy is sitting in their room, still in shock that his husband is dead.

There's a knock at the door, he ignores it. Once, twice, gone.

Then Aphrodite appears in front of him, startling him, saying something along the lines of "Well, I WAS trying to be polite but that apparently wasn't an option."

Before Percy can shoo her off, she tells him there's a pocket of Kronos's powers only she knew about and she's willing to give it to Percy so he can go back and save Nico. Not out of kindness, but because it's basically like a movie having a shitty ending to her and she wants to fix it.

He ends up accepting, but gets thrown too far back, to when he was 12 in the Lotus Hotel & Casino.

He realizes what's happening, tries to find Grover and Annabeth like last time. But on his search, he bumps into a young boy asking if Percy's seen his sister, and saying everyone’s being weird and saying it’s different years. And Percy feels just a wave of emotion remembering how Nico looked back when they had first met. But then he’s confused because this hadn’t happened last time he was here.

He helps Nico find Bianca, Bianca doesn’t trust Percy but her and Nico agree to follow him because he’s the only one with some sense of normalcy compared to everyone else. They help him find Annabeth and Grover, who once finally out of the Casino are confused at the two new kids, but Grover senses that they’re demigods.

This time, Percy knows his mother is alive and Hades has her, but on top of remembering he has his helmet, he now has 2 of Hades’ kids. So he doesn’t know what to do there (In other words: I don’t know)

Then when he gets to Olympus, all the gods acknowledge the time change. They want to just strike Percy then and there, but know he’s the prophecy child, and aren’t risking putting Nico or Bianca in that place because at least Percy is mostly guaranteed for them.

So another thing is that this time around there’s no Hunters of Artemis around to pull in Bianca. So she sticks with the trio and Nico at CHB. Whether her destiny is to die or not is up to whoever adopts this.

And with Bianca alive, or at least having a more settled life for him to properly mourn, Nico might end up living life differently.

Nico cautiously opens up to Percy about liking guys (Specifically in the scene where Nico popped into Percy's apartment window and was invited in for cake), and by TLO they’re a couple.

In HoO, when Percy loses his memory, all he recalls is a skull ring and that it belonged to someone he cared about. When he gets to Camp Jupiter, he just senses he knows Nico, and it’s amplified by the fact Nico has that same ring. But Nico, knowing he can’t reveal too much, pretends Percy has the wrong guy. When Percy finally remembers, he embraces Nico, but stops when he remembers Nico’s closeted still.

Story goes on mostly as normal, but with more of the two together and Percy thinking about their future and how to protect him.

Due to Nico’s fears, they keep their relationship secret aside from Grover and Sally. But then the Cupid scene happens, and Nico tells Jason about his and Percy’s relationship. Jason is supportive. When they all meet again, Jason lets Percy know that he knows and that he’ll keep them secret.

By the end, instead of the “You’re not my type” talk, it’s instead “I think I’m ready for the world to know.”

And it’s Annebeth being the surprised one (Unless you want to include her in the few people who knew)

Stuff goes on as normally, ToA happens, they’re somewhat long-distance except when Nico sneaks out via shadow travel to see Percy. Adult life comes around, they move in together, get married, and this time around have a surrogate kid. But the day is closing in, the day Percy has been dreading since he went back to the Lotus. And when it finally comes, he begs and pleads for Nico not to follow the prophecy, who’s about to put his foot down. But then he exposes the truth, how this wasn’t the first life they’d lived, how this wasn’t the first time they were there. And how Nico was going to die.

And at this point, Nico knows what’s going to happen, the quest isn’t going to stop just because he said no. And he would’ve walked out the door anyways despite Percy’s protest because at least his death will keep them safe, if their kid hadn’t overheard everything and now knew their dad/step-dad was going to die.

This was the point where my brain also pooped. Does Nico die anyways? Do the dangers come to their home instead? If so, could that lead to a sequel/just continue where they go to save their kid? Or does it conclude around here? Because there WILL be consequences to them majorly defying fate. And probably some consequences from Percy using a speck of Kronos’ power.

So feel free to do with this as you want. I have so much thought out but I’ll never actually write it.

I also have other ideas I’ll never actually write myself, but I’ll talk about those some other time.

Also, it was inspired by this fanart by @minuiko

[itsclydebitches]

IT'S BEEN A DOOZY OF A DAY, FOLKS

Yeah I've got a couple asks about it lol. (Always a terrifying experience when you log onto tumblr and immediately wonder why your inbox blew up...)

Man, I don't even know how I'm feeling right now. We've spent so many months working on the semi-confident assumption that RWBY would be cancelled that on the one hand I can't feel very shocked about this. On the other hand there's definitely a wide-eyed part of my brain going, "Holy shit the 'RT is failing' theories finally came true O_O" I'm kinda devastated that a company that's been a part of my life for almost a decade (and for other fans far longer) is just up and gone, but simultaneously I don't care because what I loved about RT hasn't existed for some time now. We've already been dealing with that nostlgia for years, we just got a hell of a concentrated dose of it today. There's admittedly some level of vindication regarding those who've been pulling shit in the company for so long and empathy for those who were just getting by and are now suddenly out of a job. There's regret that (despite my tendency to fall VERY behind on projects. RIP I owe everyone in this fandom a massive apology) I'll probably never have an official end to my RWBY Recaps. And there's worry about how this will impact the fandom...

Yeah, not to jump on the pessimism train, but I feel like this is going to catapult some fans' misreadings into new territory. RWBY is now forever the show that was canonically unfinished and thus its perfection is assured. Think there are major issues in Volume 9 and earlier? Nah, that's setup for Volumes we just never got. Catch a contradition or other mistake? They would have explained that if they could. Any possible issues with the show if it gets picked up by someone else? Well, of course there are issues, RT isn't writing it! This was already a fandom where having accurate, nuanced discussions about the text was hard as hell... but it just got so much worse.

Honestly, I say let it go. If they're going to do anything I'd prefer a complete reboot/reworking so that this story might stand a chance. Airing new RWBY Volumes was already beating a dead horse. Resurrecting the horse to start beating it anew just feels ridiculous. Yes, I'm sad for those fans who wanted an official ending, but we've spent so much time waiting on RWBY, being worried about RWBY's future, and I personally have encounted so many shows lately whose finales soured my enjoyment that there's something reassuring in the combination of definitive ambuguity here: you know you're not getting an ending by RT, so just have fun imagining your own.

Overall, I feel like I've got to sit with this for a while, you know? I totally get why so many fans (partiuclarly RWDE fans) are celebrating and/or releasing a sigh of relief right now. I'm honestly surprised I haven't seen any crabs yet lol. But maybe it's just because I'm "old" my tumblr's standards, but there's something undeniably sad about losing that part of your fandom life. Or at least, losing what led to/represents that life. Getting introduced to RWBY by a friend, binging it for the first time, pulling new people in, finding like-minded friends here on tumblr, analyzing it for thousands of words, tracing its history and watching how radically it has changed... that's gone now. Not actually because RWBY still exists, as do my friends, and there's nothing stopping me from writing as much fic/meta as I want, but it still feels like someone closed a door on that part of my life. That's not wholly a bad thing given what RT has been lately, but I do think it'll take more than one post for me to unpack it all.

[cryptid-pet]

Okay so—I saw that in one of your Caruki headcons you mentioned that Kou and Yuma once caught Ruki and Carla making out in school sooooo

A short story maybee??

hi just wanna say SO SORRY this is VERY late, work has been up my ass along w//school, i don't get much free time on my hands other than the weekend, so I wanna apologize if this is choppy

Slipped Lip

Caruki Short Story

Yuma bites down on a sugar cube while listening to Kou gossip on what he just witnessed at school. Truth be told, there's always a story this idol has to share to Yuma, even when it doesn't include him. Nosy, nosy nosy, what else is new? It's funny, this time. Yuma was there to live the story in action before getting an earfull of his brother's input. That's the kicker.

"Do ya think will get scold for walkin' in on 'em? Yuma muttered, accidentally snickering.

A phone in one hand shakes with the jingle of braclets as Kou purses his lips.

"Maybeeee? I dunno!" He states, snorting, "They we're in the zone to dare notice us peeking."

"Fuckin' Christ..."

Only as that school day went by, so did the absences of Ruki being around Carla, and vise-versa. They're relationship is closed off, private, nobody knows about them being a couple and it'll remain that way. The Demon World left alone is strict enough. How long have they been together? According to Azusa, being the only to know? Probably six months.

As the school of vampires is far worse than a human school, hallways reeking like sex, fresh and stale, sweat, and blood does speak volume and personality. Lust has its own way of controlling a host the way a parasite does; Carla became impacted.

And so, off near the back of the school, the groans and soft noises of a impure and founder making out was picked up by Kou and Yuma clearly needed context. It's a first, but there was always that hunch without using a jewel eye that things with Ruki was...Different.

Oh how this was told to Shin, who was in disbelif, yet also was highly are of his brother's relationship- Which he doesn't really support (He ran has even ran away when firstly hearing about it)

God knows how long the recording on Kou's phone is of those two kissing is, probably a good forty seconds.

Yuma, walking, casually tries taking Kou's phone as the two proceeded to walk home their own way.

"Dude, Ruki is goin' find that shit on yer phone n then we'll both be fucked, delete it!"

"No he wonnnn't!" Kou pouts, it's not a good poker face. "I at least want to show Shin as PROOF!!"

"What are you two...Talking about...?" Azusa perks as he was falling behind his older siblings, spacing out.

Of course, he isn't aware of what Yuma and Kou saw and giggled like girls in elementary about, yet curiousity still strikes.

Kou waves a hand to dismiss his little brother, reassuringly, it does work without a word being added.

The laughter grew louder when the manor door opens with the three, however dies down as fear creeps onto the faces (Not Azusa's however, he's very confused still)

There stood Ruki, waiting. Arms were folded, his head cocked like his browns to one side to give a look that both Kou and Yuma knew they were fucked.

Silence. Ruki inhales before speaking.

"Did you two enjoy watching those forty seconds?"

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Total Eclipse Of The Heart

I had the idea to do a Voiceplay Visuals for this one practically since I first saw this on Patreon, and I was originally hoping to make and post it not long after it dropped on YouTube, but I just haven't really had the opportunity to actually sit down and do it - these posts take time y'know! However, I'm predicting a new VoicePlay video release next weekend, as it'll be mid-month, and also 4 weeks since TEotH premiered, and therefore the expected time for the next one to drop, and I figured I should probably get this done before that, just in case I wanna make a Voiceplay Visuals for that one too. Maybe. Hypothetically. Who knows? :)

Anyway, Voiceplay's full-length cover of Total Eclipse Of The Heart was uploaded on the 17th of August (or the 16th depending on your timezone), and features the amazing Ashley Diane as collaborator! She filmed a few Minis with the group a couple months or so ago, but she hasn't been in a proper full-length cover video with them since Running Up That Hill two years ago!

Also, notice how I specified "Voiceplay's full-length cover"? Well if you keep up with VoicePlay's Mini releases (as you should), then you might remember that VoicePlay used this song for a Mini about 4 months ago, also featuring Ashley Diane. Apparently it was Eli's idea to turn that into a full-length cover, but he got Rob Dietz to arrange it, giving him notes about his ideas and overall 'vision' for the cover. Eli was also in charge of the video for this one, and now it's finally time for me to start talking about it! Let's get into this!

(post continues below the cut!)

Not actually the most random start to a VoicePlay video, ngl (You're A Mean One Mr Grinch and Jingle Bell Rock would both be strong contenders for that title imo)

(Also not pictured because I couldn't get a decent screen pic of it: Cesar hurting his hand a little bit and going "AH!" and Ashley cracking up 😂)

Ngl my first reaction to this shot was "oh my god Geoff's wearing a shirt that's not black or grey!!!" 😆 (you know I love him, and obviously he always looks great in whatever black clothing he wears, but it is always a pleasant surprise whenever he wears something a bit more colourful)

We have Cesar to thank for Geoff's getup, and everyone else's, as he was in charge of costuming for this one! (Honestly it's kinda funny how the one in charge of outfits for a clearly 80s-stylised video is the only one (of the guys at least) who wasn't actually alive in the 80s, but hey, he still did a great job!)

The "B-roll footage" was all filmed by Eli, and honestly it's a great addition to the video, both for the storytelling element and for the general shenanigans/fun times between Cesar and Ashley in it (and also the way the video quality looks kinda "retro" as well!) 😁

(Also love Ashley's nails here 👌)

The way my face went from 😃 to 😦 in an instant when I first saw this. VOICEPLAY! RUDE! /j

Did we not have enough Sad Cesar moments already with I Can't Make You Love Me and Creep? ^^;

This was filmed at "District Eat & Play", which is a bowling alley/arcade just across from Pattycake Studios, inside the Oviedo Mall!

The "B-roll footage" with just Ashley and Cesar was filmed when the arcade was empty (before it properly opened for the day, I guess), but the group shots like here were filmed when the arcade was open to the public. This small side area (which appears to be roughly enclosed on three sides) was roped off for VoicePlay to film in, but they could still hear a bit of noise from people and arcade machines and stuff. Fun!

Cesar and Ashley were meant to be portraying a romantic couple in this one, but in reality they're just really close friends (and it shows!) (and also Cesar's gay anyway so-). Honestly the actual "romance" component is a little bit of a "very low-key implied" thing here, in my opinion at least, but that's fine! The dynamic between Cesar and Ashley is still great, and friendship breakups can hurt like hell too! Sometimes even more than romantic ones!

I wanna know how many takes it took to get that shot, and if it was actually Ashley who did it or not! (The BTS doesn't say)

I like how there are shots of Ashley "fading away" and shots of Cesar "fading away", as if both 'characters' are individually reflecting on the breakup and remembering what they lost!

Although the arcade setting helps add to the 80s vibe/aesthetic, the fact is that it's still a modern-day arcade, and so quite a few of the arcade games are definitely quite recent! 😄

The pinball games in this shot are for The Hobbit, Toy Story 4, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Avatar, Tron (maybe??), Game Of Thrones, Stranger Things, Jurassic Park, and Godzilla

(Also it's kinda funny how 4 of those games/franchises relate to songs on either Geoff or VoicePlay's channels - 5 if you count the Jurassic Park theme in Aca Top 10 movie themes!)

In case you wanted to know whose hand this is - it's Layne's! 😁

(Obligatory "he's so pretty" comment 😄)

Also it's more noticeable in the wide group shots than the close-ups, but I love how the lighting on Geoff's hair is like the inverse of the colours on his shirt (pink on the left side, blue on the right, and then vice versa for the shirt), and, per the BTS video, it makes his hair look like cotton candy/fairy floss! <3

Time for another "I'm not meant to be talking about the music/song itself here BUT" moment, because of course I have to acknowledge that this isn't just a full-length cover, it's a Spanglish version! Cesar had the idea for this bit I believe - apparently there's a Spanish duet version of this song that's really popular in Puerto Rico/Latin America, and that's where the Spanish lyrics here come from!

Layne is kinda giving me Pokemon trainer vibes with his outfit in this one ngl, but honestly I want his jacket

I love air hockey - I hardly ever get to play it because I hardly ever go to arcades, but when I have played before with friends, I basically always win, lol

Pfft, gotta love how Cesar got fully into it 😂

Oh and Necklace Spotted, and yes Geoff has got two top buttons undone as per usual! ✔️✔️😄

And a pixelated "fade-out" to cap off the retro vibe! Very nice!

Okay so this actually ended up being not as short of a post as I thought it might be, but I'm definitely cool with that!

I might have a new VV post for you all in just over a week from now, maybe, depending both on when VoicePlay's next video drops, whatever it may be, and whether I decide to make a Voiceplay Visuals post for it or not, idk, I really can't say. But anyway, hope you enjoyed! Until next time! ✌️

[thessalian]

Thess vs the Borough Council

Well, indirectly "Thess vs a greedy-ass property management company", but I have to go through the borough council about it.

So for those of you who don't know, when I moved into this property lo these many years ago, one of the amenities described to me was a lovely little ... well, we call it a garden but it's actually more of a yard or a lawn ... at the back of the property, behind the parking lot. It's a nice place, and everyone in the building uses it to some degree. The kids in the neighbourhood play there. A few people exercise there. People have barbecues and parties out there. One family set off fireworks there a couple of times for New Year's and Guy Fawkes Day. It's also a space where some of the local wildlife roams around - foxes, squirrels, birds, that sort of thing. It's a nice space. I don't make much use of it because of my aversion to the Evil Daystar, but I enjoy watching it.

So I was not best pleased the other day when I saw a notice about someone requesting planning permission to build a couple of houses on our nice garden-lawn.

A little more backstory: while the individual flats are owned by either the person living in them or the landlord who rents them, the building itself, and the land on which the building is built, belongs to the owner of the freehold - the above mentioned greedy-ass property management company. Now, we don't like the property management company very much. They charge us monthly dues for maintenance, but getting them to actually maintain things - at least to a reasonable standard - is like pulling teeth. And their rules are somewhat draconian, specifically in the issue of things like not being allowed pets. I mean, given that I know at least two residents with dogs and at least two residents with cats, we're apparently entirely ignoring that one, but we'd like to have it official that we can have pets, and the management company will never allow it. So for all of that, we decided to try to buy the freehold.

Obviously the property management company doesn't like that idea. They tried an end-run around us at one point, but we did get around it, so we're still pushing for the option to buy the freehold. We're mostly thinking that the property management company said, "Okay, if I increase the value of this patch of land, they won't be able to buy it off us. I know! Let's build, like, a couple of little houses - each with like four flats in them, so two per floor - and kill two birds with one stone! We'll have more management fees from the new residents and the original residents won't be able to afford the new value of the land!"

But of course, they can't just decide, "Hey, I'm going to build houses" - they need planning permisson from the borough council. And the borough council, doing its due diligence, sent the plans to people most affected, so the people who live nearby, so that we can support the plans or object to them.

Thirty-five "FUCK OFF; NO" comments on the borough council website later, I think they're getting the message. As well as the above comments about how people enjoy the yard and chose to live there with the promise of that amenity, there's the effect on the local wildlife, the fact that it'll block the light away from the north-facing flats (which get little enough light as is, because ... well, north-facing), the proposed driveway's a fucking traffic hazard, and the months or potentially years it would take to build two smallish buildings on a pretty steep downgrade would be disruptive to the neighbours, particularly those of us who work from home.

I hope that's enough. I really do. it's an idiotic place to build anyway, and it would adversely affect the property. But ... you know ... money talks and all. So ... keep your fingers crossed, please. Consultation about it is happening on the 17th. I don't want two light-blocking buildings! Apart from all the other really good reasons to go "NO!", my plants get little enough light as it is!

[alpineshift]

(idk if anon asks with links get eaten by the void so I sent it twice, this time without a link to example)

Not so much a prompt but could you add a version of Jack with his hair tied back? Like cute little half up Dutch braids?

Thanks for all the bullet stories!!!

the ask with the link survived! Adding the braid tutorial here.

I'm sorry I'm not sure what you mean by version 🥲 so I'm gonna yap about a bunch of the prompt fills with a Jack that's finally got access to a hair tie - I hope this works!

First off - already in love with the image of Jack with his hair done up (and since he's already keeping his hair longer IRL - this is perfect). I think it comes down to which Jacks in which universe would find a use for tying his hair back.

The fixer verse - this is a practical look. this is a jack who throws his hair up in a messy man bun while he gets down on the garage floor to service his motorcycle. It's the second love of his life after Nico, so he's often tinkering about. It's just logical at this point to tie his hair up, though he does save a couple of 'messy bun' tutorials on tiktok to follow bc he thinks it'll keep his hair up longer.

Ghost hunters verse - this is the late night editing look. this is the 'I'm a pile of hot garbage and I'm tired of scrubbing footage' look that still somehow works for Nico. This is the Jack that's holed up in one of the editing rooms at the office, finally switching out his contacts for glasses, hair held back with a shitty dollar tree claw clip that's somehow outlasted several pieces of expensive ghost-hunting equipment. Nico has a theory that clip is the one that's haunted...

Secret forest witch!Nico verse - Jack manages to tie up the front of forest cat!Nico's hair into a silly sprout shape and just about kills himself laughing. Then he has to go and do the same hairstyle on himself so a grumpy Nico would talk to him again (they're so in love with each other.)

Post apocalyptic/TLOU verse - there are, unfortunately, not a lot of barbers hanging around after the end of the world. hairstyling is the last thing on anybody's minds, least of all Jack and Nico's. their hair grows long, tangled, and eventually both of them just start tying everything back to keep it out of the way. when the length gets unmanageable (tangles, matted, at risk for getting caught in things or grabbed), they'll cut each other's hair with what's available. there's something quietly intimate about it all, to trust someone at your back and with your hair, that neither take for granted.

Meeting the family verse - Nico walks into the living room one day to see Jack chatting with his older siblings; he and Luca going back and forth about hockey regulation while Nina sits behind Jack, working his hair into a short but intricate braid. His sister catches his eye and grins; he's far more patient than you, Nicky, and his brother chimes in he looks better too. Jack blushes and laughs and asks Nico well? does it look nice? and Nico swears his heart has swelled three times its size.

Exes/rockstar AU Jack - this Jack does the full half-up dutch braids. He's in the showbiz, he knows he looks good, and it does actually keep his hair out of the way when he's running around or headbanging on stage. this hairstyle appears more often in older photos or videos before the band skyrocketed to fame; diehard fans often bemoan the fact that he doesn't style his hair that way anymore and jokingly begs bring back the braids! (Truth is, Jack can only ever get one side of the braids right; he's always had Nico to fix the other side before a show, up until he didn't.) A lot of their fans were pretty disappointed Jack couldn't make it to the All Star Festival with his concussion, especially since their next appearance wouldn't be for another few months. But there's an air of excitement when Captains finally rock up as the evening's entertainment at the annual NHL awards, followed by everyone in the pit losing their absolute shit when the stage lights come on and Jack launches into the opening riff for Silver Chalices with his hair tied back in perfect, matching Dutch braids.