#but like I'm still not over the one time that I was singing on the annapantsu discord server

[amkyor]

K. BAKUGO SHORT STORY ᡣ𐭩

Sparks of Regret:

The evening was perfect—a quiet night at home with Katsuki, your favorite takeout on the table, and your favorite movie playing on the TV.

Katsuki had already settled into his usual spot on the couch, one arm draped lazily over the backrest, his sharp crimson eyes flicking between the screen and you as you cleaned up in the kitchen.

“Are you gonna sit down or keep pacing around like a damn extra?” he grumbled, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward in amusement.

“Patience, Katsuki,” you teased, carrying the last of the dishes to the sink. “You’ll survive a few more seconds without me.”

When you finally joined him, you did so dramatically, flopping down beside him and throwing your legs over his lap. “There. Happy now?”

“Tch,” he muttered, but his hand instinctively found your knee, resting there as though it had always belonged. “You’re such a pain.”

“And yet you're still with me.” You shot back, leaning your head against his shoulder.

The warmth of his body always felt comforting, like a personal space heater that grounded you.

As the movie played, you felt his hand absentmindedly tracing small circles on your thigh.

You glanced up, catching the way his sharp features softened in the flickering light of the TV. He wasn’t paying attention to the movie at all—his focus was entirely on you.

You couldn’t resist. Shifting slightly, you leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his jawline. “You’re staring,” you whispered.

“Damn right I am,” he replied, his voice a little rougher, his eyes flicking up and down, examining your body to them meet yours. “What’re you gonna do about it?”

Without a word, you closed the small distance between you and kissed him fully.

His lips were warm, his kiss hungry but controlled, as though he was trying to savor every second.

His hand tightened on your thigh, and his free hand came up to cup the back of your neck.

But then it happened. A sudden, sharp crackle of heat and light.

You pulled back with a small yelp, looking down at your leg, where the fabric of your sweatpants had been singed, and a faint red mark was beginning to appear on your skin.

“Shit!” Katsuki’s voice was frantic, his hands hovering uselessly as he stared at the mark he’d accidentally caused. “Shit, shit, shit—I didn’t mean to. Are you okay? Does it hurt? Damn it, I’m such a fucking idiot.”

You winced, but shook your head quickly. “It’s not that bad, Katsuki. Just... surprised me.”

“Not that bad? I burned you!” His crimson eyes were wide, and for once, the usual confidence in his voice was replaced with pure panic.

"I'm supposed to protect you not—" He stopped himself, his jaw clenching as he looked away, clearly furious with himself.

“Katsuki,” you said softly, reaching out to touch his arm. He flinched slightly but didn’t pull away. “It was an accident. I know you didn’t mean to.”

“That doesn’t make it okay,” he muttered, his voice low. His hand clenched into a fist, the knuckles turning white. “I got too worked up and lost control. That’s on me.”

You gently tugged on his arm until he finally looked at you, his expression filled with guilt.

“Hey. Look at me. I’m fine. See?” You gave him a small smile, even as the sting on your leg lingered. “You didn’t mean to hurt me, and I know you’ll be more careful next time.”

He sighed, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. “I’ll do better,” he said firmly, almost like a vow. “We’re getting some ice for that right now.”

Before you could argue, he was already on his feet, heading to the kitchen and rummaging through the freezer.

He came back with a small towel-wrapped ice pack, kneeling in front of you.

His movements were gentle as he pressed it against your leg, his fiery nature subdued by his overwhelming concern.

“You’re too good to me,” he muttered, his eyes fixed on the mark he’d left.

“And you’re too hard on yourself,” you replied, brushing a hand through his hair. “It was an accident, Katsuki. I love you, sparks and all.”

He huffed, his cheeks tinged with pink. “Yeah, well... I love you too,” he mumbled, his voice gruff but genuine. “Even if I’m a dumbass sometimes.”

You leaned down, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “My dumbass,” you teased, earning a small smirk from him.

“Damn right,” he said, finally relaxing a little. “But don’t think I’m letting this slide. I owe you big time.”

As the night went on, Katsuki stayed unusually close, his protective instincts kicking into overdrive.

And though the burn would fade, the memory of how fiercely he cared for you would linger, a reminder of the fiery love you shared.

FANFIC RECOMMENDATION ᡣ𐭩

Adult Bakugo x Female Reader Fanfiction

[leolithe]

Lotus trauma and coping mechanism headcanons

Sentients can change their body temperature at will. Before Apostasy Prologue, Lotus defaulted to setting her temperature to the warmth of a regular Human. After New War, with the memories of being used as what's essentially a living, burning power cell for Praghasa, Lotus keeps her body temperature very, very low.

When Lotus experiences a flashback, her temperature drops to below freezing, depending on the severity of the memory. Natah enters a hypervigilant state and fronts for Lotus instantly, while Margulis hangs back to comfort her.

Natah calls her flashbacks "the long shivers" because they're exactly that to Lotus. Her body locks up and she shakes uncontrollably until the flashback is over

Dissociation is referred to by Natah as "drifting", Lotus as "dreaming", and Margulis simply by its namesake

Lotus has age regression tendencies where her Small self registers Natah as her older sister and Margulis as her mother. Her age regression comes from the need to feel safe around her family, as well as the need for guidance from people she looks up to. The system eventually splits to form a little

(i have more about age regressor Lotus/Little!Lotus but I'm testing the waters here first. Consider the times Lotus-turned-Natah called out for her mom, and asked "Mother, what should I do?" in one of the New War Teasers.)

Lotus dissociates very very frequently. Even if she was the one chosen to lead the other two voices, Natah and Margulis are almost always co-conscious with her. The Tenno may see her giving mission directives as per usual, but in the Lotus system's mind, Lotus is huddled up against Natah or Margulis while they are the ones leading the Tenno.

Lotus now has a habit of subconsciously holding her forearm. She grips her arm with her fingers as a way to ground herself, gently brushing over the waves and grooves of her outfit. She still gets distracted by her new Lotus Radiant look, and it's not rare to see her staring at her hands, flexing her fingers mechanically, watching the light glint from her nails.

Natah and Margulis are very perceptive of Lotus, and they've learnt to be familiar with how Lotus behaves when she's in need of comfort or grounding. They started with gentle prompts like tapping her shoulder or a quiet call of her name. Then, as they grow closer, Margulis can easily slide up to Lotus and wrap her in a sidehug where Lotus will just melt into her embrace. Natah can poke into Lotus' mind with the humming of Sentient song, where Lotus will try to imitate and sing with her

Natah and Margulis subvert their Body and Mind dichotomy in the ways they comfort Lotus. Margulis guides Lotus to ground herself with her senses, while Natah uses the Sentient telepathy to communicate with Lotus

[scariusaquarius]

rehab. 3.

Avenger! Bucky Barnes x Winter Soldier! Fem! Reader

Summary: While on a mission to find any more possible super soldiers that were a part of the Winter Soldier program, Steve and Bucky make a discovery in an abandoned HYDRA base that was cleared out a few years prior to their mission. They discover the Reader, a long-forgotten soldier that was still asleep within a functioning cryostasis pod; still awaiting orders. While Bucky isn't happy about it, he is put up to the challenge of helping to rehabilitate the soldier in Wakanda where she may be able to become a person again.

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A/n: I had someone on Ao3 ask me about how often this will get updated and my answer is that I don't know. My IRL can be pretty unpredictable and I do deal with depression on a daily basis. I'm going to do my best to update this while still working on my Leon Kennedy fic, Unlikely Salvation! Please do bear with me as I try to figure out where I want this story to go!

This is an au where Bucky joined the avengers but still rehabilitated in Wakanda (sometime before Infinity War [canon divergent cause NOPE]). I am NOT fluent in Russian, so I did use google translate cause I couldn't find a good translator that I trusted. If anything is wrong, PLEASE let me know!! Also, I tried to list as many warnings as possible so you know what the story will contain as chapters are posted. Stay safe!

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Genre: Slowburn, Enemies to Lovers/Friends to Lovers, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Humor, Drama, Dark Content Rated: Explicit Warning: Angst, Dark Content: Graphic Depictions of Sexual Assault, Blood and Gore, Mentions of Manipulation, Kidnapping, Canon-Typical Violence, Body Horror, Nonconsensual Body Modification/Scarring, Emotional and Physical Abuse, Mentions of Murder, Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts/Ideation, Graphic Depictions of Human Remains, Mentions of Sexual Coercion/Manipulation, Death, Misuse of Drugs/Forced Drugging, Self-Harm (Graphic Depictions and Mentions), Nightmares

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Author: ScariusAquarius

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rehab masterlist. chapter 1 / chapter 2

The lab was hustling with scientists, the Wakandan sunrise filtering through the enormous windows with an intensity that made Bucky eyes hurt as he stood by the cryostasis pod where the Winter Soldier would soon be housed.

The whole trek to the lab had been uneventful: not once did the soldier fight back. It seemed that the failure to complete her mysterious mission had caused her to shut down, and Bucky was tense as she was strapped down with multiple magnetic cuffs like the ones he and Steve used back in the quinjet.

Even with the super soldier serum coursing through her veins and whatever other enhancements she might naturally have or that HYDRA might have given her would prove useless. She was strapped down nice and tight.

There was a machine hovering over her knee, the tissue and bone beneath crunching and grinding as it was fusing back together, her expression unchanging despite her kneecap and patella being exposed. The air was beginning to smell of singed flesh and hair, and Bucky felt slightly nauseous.

Bucky hated knowing how much damage his arm could inflict; how unforgiving his grip was and how hard it was to regulate the strength at times so he would break yet another glass just by holding it and trying to take a drink.

And it had been so easy to crush her flesh like it was nothing.

"Howard? Howard, oh god...oh god, Anthony...!"

Bucky clenched his jaw, swallowing harshly as Maria Stark's voice whispered to him, and he was broken out of his trance by Shuri announcing.

"Once we are finished with her knee, I would like to begin deconstructing her mind. If efforts are fruitless, I would like for you to activate her again if possible. We might be able to figure out what her previous orders were and her intentions, history, anything that would prove useful to the eradication of HYDRA."

Steve frowned, asking as T'Challa simply stayed quiet, observing the Winter Soldier as she sat complacent and quiet; seemingly not hearing a word that they were saying.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if it doesn't work?"

Shuri replied confidently, flicking her eyes over to Steve before gesturing towards Bucky with a nod of her head.

"We will have to reset completely and start over. Sergeant Barnes' rehabilitation was easy due to the flaws within his programming that HYDRA was unable to remedy. However, we do not know what improvements have been made to HYDRA's algorithm since then. It will be challenging to separate the core person that this woman was before her programming, but not impossible."

T'Challa then asked, raising an eyebrow at Shuri as she shined a light into the Winter Soldier's eyes, taking down notes and recording her vitals.

"What if you are unable to separate the identity from the programming?"

Shuri sighed deeply, shrugging.

"She will have to be built from the ground up. This woman will be like a completely clean slate down to a new name if we are unable to figure out who she was before. I am already running the best biometric identification programs within our arsenal to figure out who she could have been. I would assume that Stark is also doing so?"

Steve nodded, replying as he watched the soldier closely as her eyes inconspicuously flicked to a scientist that readying a syringe.

"Yes, he's also got Nat looking through the database that we downloaded and coursing through any previous databanks we obtained from previous HYDRA raids."

Shuri then turned to Bucky, making him quirk an eyebrow up slightly as she regarded him with a raised brow.

"What is your take on this, Sergeant Barnes?"

All eyes were on him, and Bucky sighed slightly he stared down the soldier, watching the way her brow began to tense slightly the closer the scientist got. The second the syringe touched her skin, the soldier began to freak out.

Due to the cuffs restricting her movement, she resorted to smacking her back against the chair over and over, hissing and yelling loudly as the scientist jolted and stumbled back. T'Challa immediately shoved her down, Shuri exclaiming profanities as she snatched the syringe from the scientist and shoved it into the soldier's neck.

The soldier hissed and yanked her neck away, breaking the needle, and Shuri groaned, gesturing with her hands wildly.

"Really? Now I'm going to have to dig that out. You make things harder for yourself!"

Okoye quipped, her spear pointing towards the soldier as Steve and Bucky stood tensed and ready should the Soldier somehow get out of her binds.

"How primitive! She is like a wild animal!"

The sedative began to kick in, the woman's bucking gradually stopping, and she went limp within the chair, head rolling to the side as her eyes rolled into the back of her skull. Bucky's heart was racing slightly with adrenaline, and Steve observed.

"Seems like she knew what the syringe meant."

T'Challa frowned deeply, leaning back and brushing his hands off slightly as he glanced back at Steve.

"An important but grave detail: she must be remembering...or perhaps, it is a recent memory."

Shuri plucked the broken needle from the soldier's neck, humming.

"I will take it as a good sign that there is at least someone beneath the rubble. I promise you, Mr. Rogers, that I will do my best to find her."

Steve nodded before clapping Bucky on the shoulder.

"You going to be alright?"

Bucky glanced over at Steve, muttering truthfully.

"I don't want to do this, but I'm only doing it for you. I'm worried that she is going to somehow lead HYDRA to me and it's gonna be a shit-show all over again."

Steve was firm, declaring quietly.

"You know I wouldn't let that happen. I'd have to miss that big head of yours again."

"You're a goddamn punk, you know that?"

Bucky couldn't keep the smile from gracing the corners of his lips, and Steve smiled at him softly before hugging him firmly and backing away.

"Alright, I'm going to leave you to it. I'll check in periodically; let you all know what we find on our side of the world."

T'Challa hummed, walking towards Steve.

"I will accompany you. I would like to discuss some things before your departure."

Steve nodded, and the two men walked out of Shuri's lab. Bucky turned back around, making a slight face as Shuri cut away pieces of the woman's clothing, revealing a black and tight-fitting compression camisole.

There were numerous scars and marks all over her body, some jagged and unforgiving while others were clean and precise. Shuri hummed softly, muttering as her fingers grazed a jagged scar that ran beneath the woman's neck.

"The things this woman must have been through...HYDRA is truly despicable."

Bucky couldn't speak. Hell, he couldn't even think outside of the boiling hatred and rage that was beginning to consume him at the sight of the gruesome scars that covered her upper body. Bucky could only assume that it got worse beneath her uncut clothing, and he had to bite his tongue as hard as he could.

Whip scars, burn marks, mutilated flesh that never regenerated, her body was a canvas; a horrendous painting that HYDRA had taken delight in decorating. This was more than just punishment, it was a warning.

A warning that disobedience will not be tolerated.

How many times did they slash her throat for the scar to become so prominent? How many times did they burn her skin to the point that the serum couldn't work to regenerate? How often did they beat and prod and jab and shoot and stab at her until she was too weak to fight back?

In a morbid way, Bucky took it as a sign that despite her being activated and still dangerous, her history of resistance let HYDRA know that the person that used to be there still existed.

There was someone still underneath the rubble, as Shuri had put it, and Bucky hoped that Shuri could pull her out.

But even so, would it help? Would it be right to let this woman have to live with the memories and nightmares of what had happened to her? Was it right to subject her mind to the torture of HYDRA even after being rescued?

Was it right to try despite knowing how traumatized and desolated the woman was going to be once she was free? Hell, there were times were Bucky could still smell the scent of the cologne his Handler wore when punishing Bucky, and now Bucky couldn't stand to smell the scent without being pushed into a panic.

"Don't worry, White Wolf. I am going to do what I can to help this woman."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

His voice was choked, cracking slightly as he rushed to respond, and Shuri tilted her head at him, asking Bucky with a curious gaze.

"Then what is it that plagues you?"

"I just...is it right to do this when she's gonna have to live with the memories and the nightmares?"

Bucky felt ashamed by the frown that crossed Shuri's face, but was slightly relieved to know that the disappointment that flashed within her eyes was not directed at him.

"I understand the concern, and I understand that it will not be easy for her...but that is why you are here. You have survived HYDRA and are free of the programming they worked hard to instill within your mind. With living proof that persistence yields peace, I truly think that she may become a person again...it will just take time and a lot of work."

Bucky nodded, and Shuri was quiet for a moment before she murmured.

"While it may not seem fair to save her...it is truly a tragedy to deny her the chance that HYDRA never gave her."

The words left a profoundly bitter taste within Bucky's mouth, and he could distinctly taste copper from him biting into his cheek too hard. Shaking his head, Bucky looked away from the woman as Shuri began to assess her further.

"Reactivating her will come with a risk. I would only be able to activate her, but I don't have the knowledge to deactivate, if that's even possible. When I was activated...the longer I was out of cryostasis and hadn't been wiped, the easier it was to resist the programming. I don't know if it will be the same for her."

"As I said: reactivation will allow us the ability to communicate with her. She has not been wiped, it would seem, so it is possible that this woman knows something."

Shuri grabbed a butterfly needle and a vial, putting on gloves and tying a tourniquet around the woman's arm so that she could find a vein. Once she found it, Shuri inserted the butterfly needle, taping it to the soldier's skin.

"I am now going to collect bloodwork to run DNA diagnostics and input the data into the biometric identification program to see if we may be able to identify her this way. I'm also going to do some testing to see what serum she might have been injected with to trace it back to the creator."

Bucky nodded and sat back, watching and listening intently as Shuri described what she was doing and what the programs did on a deeper, intellectual manner. While Bucky was listening and trying to absorb the information, he couldn't stop glancing over at the scars that lined the woman's body.

Horrific couldn't even describe it. It made him sick to his stomach. If Shuri noticed that Bucky was slightly distracted, she gracefully didn't comment on it. Instead, Shuri tried to distract him the best that she could while the machine she was operating was taking a scan of the woman's brain.

After a moment, Shuri hummed, a perplexed look on her face as she sauntered around the hologram of the woman's brain, tendrils of red seeming to pulse all over the organ, and Shuri's brows furrowed as she thought to herself. Bucky asked with an intrigued look on his face.

"What is that?"

"This is a digital recreation of the woman's brain as well as the areas most affected by HYDRA's programming."

Shuri looked proud as she began to move the hologram around, zooming in and out of different areas and lobes before breaking it down into layers.

"Thanks to the work that I did for you, I was able to develop an AI that was capable of identifying HYDRA's programming, as well as detect the intensity and depth that it runs. It gives possible solutions and suggestions on what to work on first...and tells me when something activates the program."

Shuri's voice seemed to lower slightly, side-eyeing him for a moment before she looked back at the hologram, but Bucky didn't notice. Bucky was floored, in awe at the ingenuity of the AI that he couldn't help but to whistle lowly.

"That's incredible, Shuri."

"Please, compared to her, you were like a walk in the park."

Shuri waved him off before she hummed, pointing to a area that was largely red within the hologram.

"However, unlike your programming, her programming is much more complex. There are multiple layers where the programming intertwines with core pieces and memories, which will make unraveling the ties difficult. There might be parts of her that will not be salvageable."

Bucky pursed his lips slightly, shaking his head as he replied gently.

"Like you said: from the ground and up if needed."

Shuri smiled widely at Bucky, her eyes crinkling as she teased gently, pointing at him.

"See, now you are beginning to understand."

Bucky rolled his eyes before he asked as Shuri began to work, a screen popping up and flashing slightly.

"So, what is that?"

"If we are going to salvage as much as we can of the core person she was before she became a Winter Soldier, we will have to analyze every piece of her psyche. Unfortunately, I cannot do much with HYDRA's program basically firewalling me. It is like they added some sort of encryption to her so that any attempt of undoing their work would be unsuccessful or too risky."

Bucky tilted his head, becoming slightly confused as he pointed to the red parts of the woman's brain.

"Is that why those areas are red like that?"

"Yes. If you look closely, it is almost as though these red areas are wrapping around the parts that are otherwise untouched by HYDRA's program. If we can get past the encryptions, we might be able to get through."

Bucky nodded along, crossing his arms before he glanced down at the woman, asking apprehensively.

"Are you going to make me activate her?"

"For now, no. I do not think that it will be necessary. All I need to do is bypass the encryptions, break them down, and then I will begin to root out the memories with the most significance to her."

Shuri spared Bucky a glance, relaying to him honestly.

"If possible, I would like to keep you from doing so because of the mental repercussions activating her will have. I will entrust the process to Okoye if activation is the only option we have left."

Bucky shook his head, murmuring to Shuri as he glanced down at the woman again as her face scrunched slightly.

"No, I'll do it...let's just hope that I don't have to."

Shuri became quiet, staring Bucky down for a moment before she turned away and suggested.

"Perhaps you should see the Captain off. Breaking through the encryption will take time, and I can tell that you are starting to become brain-dead listening to me."

Bucky chuckled before bowing his head slightly, shaking his head.

"I'd rather not upset your brother by leaving you with her by yourself."

Shuri made a face at him, the expression reminding him of Steve pre-serum.

"Do you think I am not capable of defending myself? This is my territory, white boy."

Bucky raised his hands in surrender, wincing slightly.

"I'm sorry, your highness, but I've been on the receiving end of your brother's foot."

Shuri barked out a laugh, and Okoye made her presence known by snorting while a couple of the Dora Milaje stood by the entrance to Shuri's lab.

"At least he knows what he would be up against. Do not worry, Sergeant Barnes, I will stand watch. The Captain is about to make his departure."

Bucky nodded before expressing his gratitude, nodding gently to Shuri.

"Thank you. I'll be back shortly."

Bucky turned and left quickly, his steps quick and urgent as he arrived outside. However, the quinjet was already flying away, making Bucky purse his lips. T'Challa's voice greeted him, making the man look over at the King as he spoke.

"You just missed him."

"He's always running off on me somehow, so I'm not entirely surprised."

T'Challa chuckled slightly, before he glanced over at Bucky.

"How are you feeling about all of this?"

Bucky glanced over at T'Challa, regarding him with an exhausted look before he turned back front, watching Steve leave again.

"I'm worried, honestly. There's so many things that could go wrong. What if HYDRA is trying to find me and was using her to do it? HYDRA must know that the Avengers have been raiding the old facilities that aren't in use anymore, so why not leave her to be found and taken in?"

T'Challa hummed, clasping his hands together as he replied.

"Let them try. They will not make it very far."

Bucky pursed his lips slightly before he murmured.

"It's...strange, honestly...seeing this from an outside perspective. I knew that this was serious, but I wasn't aware of how bad it actually was. Standing on the other side of the glass...it's almost poignant."

T'Challa nodded, replying with a hum.

"When my father was killed and I was under the assumption that it was you in Vienna, a deep hatred rooted within me for HYDRA. While I understand now that it was Zemo's schemes...that hatred for HYDRA has never wavered. Even now when knowing the dangers that lie beyond those doors, I still hope for peace."

Bucky was quiet, listening intently to T'Challa's words as the king spoke, his brown eyes downcast as he continued.

"Nobody deserves to be subjected to such horrific torture."

Bucky wasn't sure on how to respond. Instead, the man just nodded and took a moment to breathe before he settled, glancing over at T'Challa.

"You're right, and if we have to start from scratch, then I'm willing to help how I can...both with rehabilitating her and eradicating HYDRA once and for all."

T'Challa nodded quietly before turning to walk back towards the lab, suggesting over his shoulder.

"You should get some rest...and maybe put that on ice."

At the mention of the wound on his temple, it began to pulse, and Bucky just sighed.

"I'll sleep it off...and thank you for listening."

T'Challa didn't respond, but a smile graced the king's lips as he disappeared through the doors. Bucky's shoulders sagged slightly, and he rubbed his temple gently, wincing when he pressed down to hard.

He had to admit: that woman could give a mean right-hook.

-

STORY NOTES: Bucky, T'Challa, Steve, and Shuri are all within her lab with the Winter Soldier. So far, the Winter Soldier has made no move. Shuri is using a machine that heals and reconstructs the soldier's knee, and Bucky is perturbed by the damage he had inflicted. He reflects on the hardship it took to regulate the strength of his grip in his metal arm; reminiscing about the difficulty of clutching a glass of water.

Shuri then tells the group that she would like to begin deconstructing the Winter Soldier's mind to get an understanding of her intentions, and suggests activating the Winter Soldier again should Shuri's efforts fail. Steve is apprehensive, and Shuri voices that if neither efforts are successful, then she will have to completely reboot the Winter Soldier.

Shuri elaborates that she is currently attempting to figure out the identity of the Winter Soldier, and makes a remark that she hopes Tony Stark is also doing the same. Steve comments that Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, is also combing through the databank Bucky had downloaded, as well as previously recovered databanks.

When a scientist attempts to inject a sedative into her, the Winter Soldier begins to resist; causing a scene and consequently breaking the needle of the sedative within her neck. Steve observed that the woman understood what the syringe meant, and T'Challa points out that it might be a sign that she is remembering.

Before Steve's departure, Bucky voices his fear that HYDRA is using her to get to him, and Steve reassures Bucky that he won't let HYDRA get their hands on him again. Steve exits with T'Challa, and Bucky and Shuri are left alone within the lab. Shuri begins to remove a bit of the woman's clothing, and more scars are revealed.

Bucky becomes upset by the sight of the scars, understanding what they meant, and Bucky begins to become apprehensive about saving the woman. Shuri reassures Bucky that what they are doing is right. Later, Shuri shows Bucky a digital rendition of the Winter Soldier's brain and explains what she is going to do in order to save the woman's core identity.

Shuri comments that Bucky should see Steve off, and though Bucky tries to get to Steve before he leaves, he is unsuccessful. Instead, he meets with T'Challa. They begin to converse with each other, Bucky revealing his concerns, and T'Challa reassures him that HYDRA would not make it far into Wakanda if they attempted to retrieve him. Bucky makes a final thought on the woman and reflects on her strength. End scene.

TAGLIST: @vicmc624 @tilldeathripsusapart

[hanjivrse]

𝐇𝐎𝐓, 𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘, 𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐘

desc :

the skater boy who seems like he lives a nice life actually hides something truly dark

hot, flirty, nonchalant skater boy. han jisung was his name. he sometimes threw parties, but the weird thing was his parents never got mad or anything. they didn't seem to care. they just smoked cigars in the living room while their son and the people invited shout, sing and dance in the basement.

you and your friends were going to one of han's parties, which you guys were invited via instagram. you and the other girls didn't usually go, but he said it was gonna be his "biggest party yet," so you guys went to see how big it really was gonna be.

you arrive, and as usual, his mother and father are glued to the couch, several bottles of alcohol scattered around, taking long drags of their cigarettes. you and your friends scurry off downstairs to the party and as han said, it was big. you had so much fun, so much fun that the big host himself noticed.

after, you see that han looked a bit off, and when everyone left, you went to ask if he was okay. he nods, but then he stares up at you. he trusts you. he holds your hand and drags you outside. he takes his skateboard with him.

you ask him what's wrong once again, and he replies,

"my parents don't care about me, they just.. shout at me all the time. so, i just skate or throw parties to take my mind off things."

he ruffles his hair, still trying to act nonchalant about everything, but you can see some tears in his eyes.

"and.. i don't know why.. but i trust you a lot. god, i don't even know your name and i think you're trustworthy.."

"o-oh, my name is y/n. you're han, right?"

he nods and extends his hand out, saying,

"nice to meet you, y/n"

you both shake hands. his hand was warm, and fairly large, it looked ginormous next to yours, yet they still fitted perfectly.

he looks at you for a moment before continuing,

"i think it's stupid that I'm opening up to a stranger.."

he rubs his eye with his sleeve.

"..but you seem like a pretty cool person"

"thanks, you're pretty cool too."

he lets out a short chuckle, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"you think so? thanks for the compliment. but i think you're cooler than i am"

he pushes some of his hair back, when you pointed out,

"hey, won't your parents be worried for you right now? like where you are?"

he groans before rolling his eyes.

"they don't even care where i go. all they do is smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol all day."

he huffs out, shoving his hands in his pockets before looking at you.

"yeah it sucks. honestly i don’t even know why they had me-"

he stops himself and looks away, shaking his head and letting out a breath.

"whatever.. i can't even deal with it right now.. do you want to.. skate with me for a while, i guess?"

"well, i don't know how to skate.."

"that's fine, i can teach you"

he says with a small shrug. he gives a sweet smile before holding out his hand to you. you take his hand and he intertwines his fingers with yours as he starts to walk around the yard, towards a random spot. he grabs his skateboard from the floor, before dropping your hand and setting the board on the ground.

"now, just stand on the board, okay?"

he pushes the board back and forth, smiling at how you look a little intimidated.

"it's okay, it's stable. you won't just fall over. now, put your foot on the front and i'll push you.."

he waits for you to do as he says, then he pushes you with his foot. after a few kicks he looks over at you.

"you think you can handle it yourself now?"

you nod and he stands right beside you, watching you push the board around.

"yeah, do it again. try to put a bit more weight on it and put your other foot onto the back of the board"

after a while, han jokingly pretends to wipe sweat off of his forehead, and he lets out a low whistle, he was really impressed by how well you were handling the board. he steps in front of you, looking at you with a small smirk.

"i can't believe you've never skated before. you're doing way too well for a beginner! hey, maybe we can skate around the neighborhood, i have a spare board you can use and we can drop you off at your house."

you nod and get on the spare board that he had in his garage.

the warm summer night had finally cooled down, the two of you who were gliding through the neighborhood were both clad in black clothes. the cool air made their faces tingled a little as they took in the quiet of the neighborhood, the houses around them were all in darkness, the people who lived in them had already gone to bed.

the dimly lit streetlights cast shadows that danced on the pavement on the sidewalk as they slowly glided over it. the neighborhood was mostly quiet, save from the occasional sound of a cricket in the distance and the quiet breathing sound that comes from someone skating past you quietly, which was all the more prominent in the silence of the night.

han drops you off at your house and you go to give him the spare skateboard back, but he holds a hand up, shaking his head.

"no, keep it. you did really good considering you've never skated before, so you can have the spare board"

"really?"

he nods his head.

"yeah, you did great. there's no point in me having it gathering dust in my garage. you should be the one using it, since you know how to skate now."

he kisses your cheek before leaving. you practically melt on the spot. he smiles at you before walking away, a small blush on his cheeks and he turns around and winks at you. as he's walking away, he calls out to you,

"see ya, y/n!"

[scorpio1205]

Deaf, Mute, and Blind Baking Part 2

Summary: In which Bambi reader does a YouTube challenge with the triplets

Warnings: swearing, a little kissing, mentions of smoking, flirting, chaos while baking

****

Bambi sat on the counter messing with her septum ring as Nick slapped up into Matt's hands as Chris set up the camera. "am I participating or am I just here for moral support?"

"Up to you, BamBam." Chris laughed slightly looking at the girl.

"I think you should. You're an amazing baker."

She snickered slightly "But there are four of us so maybe I should just stay here for moral support" She watched as Nick tried to punch Matt's chest only for Matt to punch his.

****

Matt was gonna be blind, so he had a red bandana wrapped around his head covering his eyes as Chris taped his own mouth and Nick blasted his music through his headphones.

"Can you see how many fingers I'm holding up." She giggled looking up at her boyfriend.

"Obviously not, babe." Matt mumbled softly

She rolled her eyes playfully leaning up and kissing him sweetly but pulled back before he could return the kiss. "You're so lucky you're cute"

Matt let out a soft whine his head moving forward trying to chase her lips.

She only tapped his nose hopping back onto the counter, grabbing her phone.

Chris poked her cheek as he grabbed the brownies mix.

She playfully flipped him off, without looking , as the boys moved to actually start their video.

Chaos broke almost immediately when Matt grabbed the strainer instead of a regular bowl while Nick was washing a whisk.

"Baby that's the-" She was quickly cut off by Nick screaming

"Matt don't move a thing, you have the wrong fucking bowl! MATT don't move a thing!" Before immediately starting to sing whatever song he was listening to.

Chris grabbed Matt's hand making him rub his finger along the strainer, as Bambi hopped off the counter grabbing the bowl they actually needed.

"Ohhhh, it's the strainer" Matt laughed turning to put it back.

She stopped him "No need, Matty boy. I got you the right bowl" She put it down in front of him taking the strainer and putting it away.

"MATT I"M WASHING THE WHISK STAND STILL"

Everyone besides Nick burst into laughter at his constant yelling, Chris hunching over and covering his face.

"ONCE I'M DONE WASHING THE WHISK YOU CAN MOVE!" He started singing again.

"Oh my god" She laughed running her fingers through her hair "I feel like I should've smoked before filming this with you three"

"MATT STAWP"

"He's not even doing anything!"

Chris moved to get Nick leaving Matt and Bambi in frame alone.

Matt felt around for a second grabbing her hand pulling her closer before starting to dance, making her giggle and start to dance with him

****

Bambi already had a headache and they weren't even whisking the mix yet as Nick kept screaming in her and Matt's ears.

"Scream in our ears like that one more fucking time and I'm knocking you out" Matt snapped pushing Nick back and moving Bambi to his other side so Nick wouldn't bother her.

Bambi groaned moving to sit down, looking Matt over "Nice ass"

Both Matt and Chris' head snapped towards her. "Bambi!"

"Sorry it needed to be said" She groaned. "You know what I quit" She pecked Matt's lips quickly before hugging Chris and running off out of frame.

****

A/N: This is just a blurb as i'm just getting started. Hope you like it

[cursedtrans]

Stars in Lobotomy Corporation and Libary of Ruina

Spoilers for Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina

Stars in Project Moon are a incredibly eldritch and horrific concept, and they have massive implications for the story of Limbus and Project Moon as a whole.

Let's start with the origin point of the Project Moon universe, Lobotomy Corporation, and the references to Stars and the Galaxy as a whole there.

Note: While many Lobotomy Corporation abnormalities are based on mere trauma or city lore (such as W Corp inspiring Dimension Shredder or the Head inspiring the Bird Trio), I believe there is extremely important info thanks to several real characters and events having references to the Cosmic Trio's events in their logs.

There's three specific abnormalities that call out the concept of Outer Space and everything it contains. In my opinion this is very notable, as other groups like the Wizard of Oz, Magical Girls, and Bird Trio are all highly important abnormality groups that take up multiple abnormality slots.

First off is the TETH level abnormality Fragment of the Universe.

They're the lowest risk rating of their outer space related brethren, but subsequently have some of the least cosmic horror. While their cry is enough to damage both the mind and body, and is incomprehensible to mortals, it's not that relatively dangerous compared to other concepts.

Likewise, it's by far the most innocent of it's kindred. It's a mere part of outer space that is trying to 'sing' to mortals to convey it's love to them, and it's entire physical form is created by it's connection with a small child. (it wanted to make the child happy, and thus took on the form it uses now)

It doesn't seem to understand the damage it's doing, but it seems to have a permanent effect on certain individual's in it's lobotomy corp logs. All of them seem to be repeating the phrase "coming, coming, still coming" and other incomprehensible noises, and staring into the sky.

Second off, Child of the Galaxy, HE Level.

Child of the Galaxy is a very interesting abnormality that never breaches, but does get extremely violent when someone they care about seems to forget them by instantly killing them. While not uncommon in Lobotomy Corporation, it is a significant thing for them to have the instant kill at any range and no limit on their number of targets.

Additionally, it seems aware of what it's doing. It's extremely possessive in it's log and seems to know that it's very presence and pebble is haunting the person writing the log. Of note is his final two logs, which will show some themes that repeat over and over. I can't take it anymore. I can't escape him. I thought I was in charge, but the truth is I was just a pebble in his hands the whole time. Whatever I do, wherever I go, I hear his whispers. (I have to end it, but I’m not even sure if I can.) -- "...I came from afar. I'm so glad to meet you. Become a pebble, and let's walk the galaxy together..." I hear his whispers and breath. Pitch black darkness follows... just like the night I met him."

Finally, Blue Star, the Aleph level.

Blue Star is an extremely potent abnormality that seems to break out if the person working it is not competent enough, and is capable of massive areas of sanity damage. Even moreso, when they do finally wear down someone's sanity, they absorb them into themselves.

Their abnormality log details some very important details, including the rising of a cult that is infected with certain thoughts, that want to willingly throw themselves into the center of certain abnormalities (read:blue star). Additionally, one of these infected members writes a letter detailing some very important info.

"We are all sinners, and our Blue Star is the only sanctuary that accepts us. We will be cleansed of our sins there. We all go back to that place someday. This is an instinct. You thought Emily died when she threw herself into the Star, but she simply returned to her rightful place. She's a martyr. She has become an eternal star. The rise of a star is a brand new beginning. Don't you hear the everlasting sound of the trumpet? When you stand close to the Star, you can hear the welcoming cheers and singing. If every employee returns to that place, only Blue Star will remain here. Let us meet again as stars."

This begins some of the themes of Stars and Outer Space as a whole in Project Moon, and one of the key ones is rebirth. The employee writing a log ends up being requested to become another pebble by the Child, and each of the cultists of Blue Star firmly believe that they will be reborn as stars when they end up in Blue Star.

Ruina compounds on these cultists by showing us them and their idol in tandem. Notably, Blue Star is not fought, a trait shared solely by Apocalypse Bird (a symbol of the omnipresent and invincible head that rules over the City) and WhiteNight (a symbol of the omnipresent ghost over the City that distorts people into monsters) The only way Blue Star is beaten is by destroying it's Shrine, which ends the fight immediately. Additionally, Blue Star's only action in this is to emit a simple sound through it's Shrine. It does not slam the floor like Apocalypse Bird or emit circles of hell like WhiteNight. It's so far out of our reality that all it can do is show itself and sing through it's statue. Blue Star is also arguably even more important in Limbus, because of the host of connections it has to both the Blue Man Group and several different Star related abnormalities, but that's a post for a different day.

All that is to say for now is, don't be afraid of the stars in Project Moon. All they want is a new life for you...

(as usual thanks to @lu-is-not-ok for inspiring posts and getting me to think about the unregistered abnormalities in Limbus, and sending me down a Star rabbit hole)

[gayvecchio]

I was inspired by this great post by @pigtailedgirl to share moments that cemented my love for the Fraser/Vecchio pairing.

I really do enjoy watching basically every interaction these two have, no matter how small, so choosing key moments is difficult. But here are a few moments that are never far from my mind and make me want to climb the walls whenever i think about them.

In no particular order...

The diner scene in the pilot where they both talk about their respective fathers. Also, how did Ray know Fraser was there? Was the diner near the consulate? Did Ray just wander around looking for him???

OMGGGG!!! Ray's smile after Fraser tells him he doesn't want him to go. He's so happy that Fraser wants him stay, especially since Fraser has been so depressed (understandably so) and distant in the hospital. The cracks are mending. Their relationship is healing. (So many MOMENTS in this ep -- Ray taking a bullet for Fraser anyone??? Even Stevens?)

This scene. THIS SCENE in Pizza and Promises. Fraser's quiet desperation throughout when the car is sinking and Ray is in the trunk. I think it's the first time we see Fraser really ruffled, scared for someone else, for Ray. He is usually so composed no matter the danger of the situation, but I think that's when he feels in control of it to some degree, which he doesn't here. This time Ray is in danger and it wasn't a part of Fraser's plan. For the first time Fraser is confronted with the idea of losing Ray and realizing that Ray is someone he is terrified to lose.

The way he grips his arm arm here, the intense expression asking if Ray's okay. And then Ray's dazed, smitten little smile when he says "yes." He's used to Fraser being the hero, but this time he is Ray's hero. Maybe he sees a bit of what I do in Fraser's expression, sees just how important he really is to Fraser.

This was the moment that made me whisper "oh, no!" to myself because I knew I'd never be the same. I knew I was becoming lost to the Fraser/Vecchio void and there was no way back.

This one is not strictly a F/V scene, but yes it is. Because I still not and will never be convinced that this whole conversation in Heaven & Earth isn't about Ray being in love with Fraser. And the fact that Fraser is there eavesdropping!!! (never getting that merit badge back now, Benny).

I've ranted about this before and I'm sure I will again, but Ray's behavior in this whole episode just make no sense to me unless he is jealous. The whole speech about Ray being afraid to dream and reach out for what he wants and FRASER'S RIGHT THERE, so close but impossible to touch.

Fraser running after Ray in the style of many classic romantic heroes before him. COME ON!

North is like god-tier F/V goodness from start to finish, but this moment with Ray carrying Fraser over his shoulder while SINGING AND DANCING is an absolute highlight. Insane behavior, 10/10. Perhaps, Ray is just thrilled to be so close to Fraser's butt despite the circumstances.

Fraser and Ray doing their grocery shopping together is so special to me.

I'll end this with the scene from bdth. I have nothing to say. I'm sobbing too hard. Anyway, I think it speaks for itself. Even my mother could see that they were in love.

I have to cut myself off here otherwise this post will be a mile long. Even now I am thinking of so many other moments that I adore. I guess that's how I know how much I love them, every moment seems special. I didn't pick any of the smaller, sillier moments, like Fraser being offended by Ray running stop signs or running over saplings, or 'She shot you in the hat?' but I love those infinitely as well. That's the thing about Fraser and Vecchio, they work on every level, from the absurd to the devastating. Paul Gross and David Marciano's acting and chemistry carry every interaction and facet of the Fraser/Vecchio relationship so well that I can't help but enjoy every moment they're on screen together.

[ladylooch]

serious Nico is my favorite ngl 😂 can you pls elaborate or write a small blurb about a time he had to discipline one of the girls?

"You realize you are the one that needs to talk to her, right?" Lexi murmurs to her husband from the passenger seat. Nico's right hand is curled around his wife's thigh. Her hand is placed over his there and she rubs at the back of his hand delicately with her thumb.

"Yes."

"Do you know why?"

"Yes." Nico sighs heavily. He gets to a red light, looking over at her with an exasperated expression. "Not my brightest parenting moment."

Lexi's pursed lips and laughing eyes tell Nico she agrees.

The light turns green and Nico lets his foot off the brake.

It all started innocently. He never imagined Sophie would take it literally. He had been in his office and Sophie was looking at his various medals, rings, and accolades over his hockey career. She pointed out how many duplicates he had of things and then somehow, they got on the topic of sharing and... suddenly a few of his olympic and world championship medals were missing. Nico worried they had been robbed again. Then a phone call came from Sophie's teacher wanting to double check if Nico was actually cool with giving those medals away.

Nico was in fact not cool. Especially with the gold medal him and Timo won together at the Olympics- the first and only ever for Switzerland.

Nico pulls the car into the school lot and slides it into park.

"I'll be right back."

"Oh. I'm coming in." Lexi assures him, smug grin on her face.

"Okay." Nico sighs.

After signing in, an administrative staff gushes at Nico as she leads them down the hall to Sophie's class. They are having free time so kids are scattering along the entire room, singing, coloring, and reading. Sophie sits at her desk, coloring while swinging her legs. Her hair is clipped into a half up, half down style with a bow at the back of her head. When she sees Nico and Lexi, she freezes. Her little head whips to her teacher, then back to her parents.

Never in her life has Sophie Hischier been in trouble and although she is young, she understands that her parents showing up after she slipped a few of her dad's hockey medals into her backpack is not a coincidence. Slowly, she turns back to her coloring page, focusing hard.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Hischier." The teacher greets them. From her wrist, the medals hang gingerly. There are five of them total, making Nico feel extra sweaty as Lexi collects them back. Damn. Soohie really cleaned him out.

"Thank you for calling." Lexi says graciously.

"Yes, we really appreciate it." Nico tacks on, glancing nervously at Sophie who is still avoiding eye contact. "I'll talk to her. Won't happen again."

"Well, maybe we could do a show and tell some day! The kids would love it, but on your terms of course. Not Sophie's..." She winks. The parents laugh.

"I would be happy to come back and do that."

"We have a history of sport segment in the winter. Maybe in January?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." They discuss a few more details then Nico looks over at their daughter again. "Do you mind if I talk to Soph?"

"Go for it."

Nico walks over to his daughter's desk, running a hand down her long, straight hair. He kisses the top of her head then looks at the picture she is coloring. Pink, yellow and green bleed everywhere outside the lines and she has hand drawn in her own illustrations to the printed pattern. Sophie avoids him harder, not acknowledging him at all.

"Sweets." Nico says softly. When Sophie turns, big tears are in her eyes.

"You said I should share."

"I know." He nods, holding his hand out to her. "Come walk with me?"

Sophie ignores the hand and throws her arms around his neck. Nico stands, carrying her from the room while she sniffs into his shoulder.

"Am I in trouble like Lucie!?" Nico holds back a snort. Lucie's attitude got her into some trouble last weekend and she's been homebound since then with no friend time.

"No, but we need to chat." He walks over to a quieter area, setting her down on her feet. She pets at his arm, distracting herself from the discomfort she clearly feels at being talked to. "I did say share. You're right. But what I was talking about is that our family is very fortunate so we should do what we can to give back to the world... in general. Like with food donations, volunteering our time to help others, or giving money to those in need. Not... give out my medals."

"Well, my friends don't have any! Their daddys didn't play hockey. They'll never have medals! We have lots!"

"I understand that, sweets. I do. But those are daddy's memories and awards. They're personal and for daddy to keep. Not to share with other people, okay?"

"But you don't even play with them?" Nico has to bite his tongue to stop his bubbling laugh.

"They're not toys, Soph. That's why they're in those clear boxes. To keep them protected. So that one day, I can pass them on to you and your sisters to keep as tokens of our family's history."

"I don't want 'em." She gives him a look like 'what am I gonna do with something that's not a toy at 6 years old?'.

"Okay, well to Lucie and Mackie then." He smooths her hair down one side of her head. "You understand?"

"Yes." She confirms. "Can I go home with you and mama?"

"You can, but we are doing boring adult stuff. Like going to grocery shop and then mow the lawn, maybe do some dishes." Sophie's eyebrows crinkle together in a bit of disgust.

"Nevermind, I stay here." Perfect, that's what Nico wanted. Him and Lexi have adult only lunch plans.

"Okay, baby. Let's go back. I love you." He puckers his lips and Sophie sighs, launching herself into him. He smooches all over her head, until she's dissolved into giggles, then they walk hand in hand back to her classroom. "Say bye to mama." He encourages her. Sophie hugs Lexi's legs, then goes skipping back to her desk to finish her coloring before lunch time.

"Nico Hischier saves the world again." Lexi purrs as they walk out. "Here.. have five medals." She jokes, handing them over to him. Nico takes them, carefully folding them into his palm.

Now he feels like he can breathe again.

[deezee112]

The worst ending 11 : The Last Shrimp

The worst ending 10 | The worst ending 12

Yandere!Floyd Leech x GN!Reader

A/N : Thank you for following this series to the eleventh episode! I would like to thank everyone who has been following along. Even though I've finished writing Dakar quite a few times, there are still people who like me...Thank you very much everyone!!

I would like to say that this is the first time I have come this far. Thank you to everyone who has followed me. Even though my writing is bad, you still like it. Thank you very much! ( I confess that I'm starting to run out of ideas for a title and ending. Some of the content may be similar to previous episodes. )

Warning : This story contains themes of obsessive love , manipulation , and violence. It explores the darker side of relationships , including emotional manipulation and physical harm.

Tags:

@iris-arcadia

If you want me to tag you please tell me.

English is not my first language.

The day you brought him home, he was silent. Completely and utterly quiet. Not a word, not a sound, just an intense, unreadable stare. You wasn’t sure what to make of it.

His pale hair shimmered in the dim light of your apartment, and his long, lanky limbs folded awkwardly as he sat on your couch. There was a wildness about him, even in his stillness, like an unpredictable wave waiting to crash.

" Well. " you muttered, breaking the silence, " I can’t just keep calling you ‘hey, you.’ You need a name. "

He tilted his head slightly at that, his mismatched eyes narrowing, but still, he said nothing.

" Let’s see… You’re unpredictable. Definitely a handful, I can tell that already. " you said, pacing the room. " But there’s something kind of playful about you, too. Mischievous, even. "

You paused, staring at him for a long moment before snapping you fingers. " I’ve got it! Floyd. That’s what I’ll call you. "

For the first time, his lips twitched into the faintest of smiles. It wasn’t warm or comforting—it was sharp, almost predatory.

" Yeah " you said, nodding. " Floyd. "

He didn't do much, but the way his smile lingered sent a chill down you spine.

Raising Floyd was…an experience. He was unpredictable, just as your suspected, but there was also an odd charm to him. He had a habit of calling you strange nicknames, most of which you tried ( and failed ) to correct.

One afternoon, as you was sorting through groceries in the kitchen, Floyd came up behind you, draping his lanky frame over your shoulders. ( It doesn't matter if you are taller or shorter than him. )

" Shrimp~ " he drawled, his voice low and sing-songy.

You groaned, shrugging him off. " I’ve told you a thousand times stop calling me that! I’m not a shrimp! "

" Okay. " he said, stepping back with a smirk. " I won’t call you shrimp anymore. "

" Good. " you said, returning to you task.

" I’ll call you big shrimp instead! "

You froze, turning slowly to face him.

" Big shrimp? " you repeated, deadpan.

" Yup! " he said cheerfully, his grin stretching wide.

You stared at him for a long moment before sighing. " You’re impossible. "

He just laughed, clearly pleased with himself

Despite his teasing nature, Floyd had his moments of sweetness—moments that almost made you forget how unnerving he could be.

One night, after you had an exhausting day at work, you came home to find Floyd sprawled on the couch, flipping lazily through a book. He looked up as you entered, his expression lighting up.

" Big shrimp’s back! " he declared, throwing the book aside and bounding over to you.

" Floyd, I swear— "

Before you could finish, he grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you to the couch, forcing you to sit down.

" You look tired. " he said, his tone uncharacteristically soft. " You shouldn’t work so hard. It’s bad for you. "

You blinked, caught off guard by his sudden concern. " I’m fine, really. Just a long day. "

" Hmph. " he muttered, crossing his arms. " If anyone at work is giving you trouble, tell me. I’ll take care of it. "

You laughed nervously. " Uh, thanks, but I think I’ll manage. "

Floyd didn’t respond, but the glint in his eyes sent a shiver down you spine.

As Floyd grew older, his playful nature took on a darker edge. His teasing became more intense, his moods more erratic. He would oscillate between clinging to you like a lost puppy and withdrawing into himself, his gaze turning cold and unreadable.

One evening, as you were eating dinner, Floyd stared at you intently, his fork hovering mid-air.

“ Why do you always look at me like that? ” you asked, trying to sound casual.

“ Like what? ” he replied, his tone light but his eyes sharp.

“ Like you’re…studying me. ”

Floyd’s lips curled into a smile. “ Maybe I am. ”

You laughed nervously, brushing off his comment as one of his usual jokes. But the way he continued to watch you sent a shiver down your spine.

The day started like any other. you had planned a quiet evening at home, but Floyd had other ideas.

“ Let’s go for a walk. ” he suggested, practically dragging you out the door before you could protest.

They wandered through the streets aimlessly, Floyd’s energy as erratic as ever. He would dart ahead, then circle back to walk beside you, his hands tucked casually into his pockets.

“ Floyd, slow down. ” you said, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

“ But I’m excited! ” he replied, grinning.

Eventually, you found themselves near a park. Floyd led you to a secluded spot by the water, his usual cheerfulness replaced by a quiet intensity.

“ Shrimp. ” he said suddenly, his voice unusually soft. “ Do you ever think about what it would be like to…stay like this forever? ”

You frowned, confused by the shift in his tone. “ What do you mean? ”

“ Just us. ” he said, stepping closer. “ No one else. No interruptions. ”

“ Floyd, you’re being weird. ” you said with a nervous laugh, taking a step back.

His grin returned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “ Am I? Or maybe I’m just finally being honest. ”

As the conversation continued, Floyd’s demeanor grew more erratic. His playful teasing gave way to something darker, more desperate.

“ Why do you always try to run away from me? ” he asked, his voice rising.

“ I’m not running away. ” you replied, your heart pounding. “ You’re just…you’re scaring me. ”

“ Scaring you? ” Floyd echoed, his grin twisting into something almost feral. “ I would never hurt you, Shrimp. You know that, right? ”

Before you could respond, Floyd lunged, grabbing you arm with a strength that took you breath away.

“ Floyd, let go! ” you screamed, struggling against his grip.

But he didn’t let go. Instead, he pulled your closer, his mismatched eyes locking onto hers.

“ You don’t get it, do you? ” he whispered. “ You’re mine, Shrimp. You’ve always been mine. ”

In a burst of panic, you shoved him away and tried to run, but Floyd was faster. He grabbed you again, his grip like iron. They were near the edge of the water now, the dark surface reflecting the chaos in his eyes.

“ Floyd, please.... ” you begged, tears streaming down your face. “ You don’t have to do this. ”

But Floyd didn’t seem to hear you. In his desperation to keep you close, his movements grew more erratic. Before either of them realized what was happening, theystumbled, and you foot slipped on the muddy bank.

You fell into the water, you body vanishing beneath the surface with a splash.

For a moment, Floyd stood frozen, staring at the ripples where you had disappeared. Then, with a strangled cry, he dove in after you.

When he pulled you lifeless body from the water, he cradled you in his arms, his usually vibrant energy replaced by a hollow silence.

“ I didn’t mean to... ” he whispered, over and over, his voice breaking. “ I just wanted you to stay... ”

Floyd stayed there for hours, holding your cold body as the sun set and the world grew dark around him.

In the days that followed, Floyd’s usual exuberance was gone. He spent his time in the spot where you had fallen, talking to the water as if you could hear him.

“ Shrimp. ” he murmured one evening, a sad smile playing on his lips. “ You always said you hated that name. But now, it’s all I have left of you. ”

Despite his sorrow, Floyd’s obsession with you never waned. In his mind, you was still with him, you presence woven into every aspect of his life.

And though the world moved on, Floyd remained trapped in his own twisted version of love a love that had consumed you both

[asgardian--angels]

Thanks for your insight! I had come to the same conclusion on a lot of these points.

I agree that if Jayce didn't blast him, he wasn't weakened, wouldn't have become the Herald, and was using the hexite cores to power up. However, I didn't think that Vander overloaded because Singed injected him - we see Singed use the serum (do we even know what that mysterious serum was?) on Warwick's corpse during the Evolution scene - this actually appears to be the thing that transforms Viktor, not just the apex shimmer. The apex shimmer was maybe sustaining Viktor in his cocoon but it didn't appear to be enough to heal him ("I sense my twilight approaching"). It's only when Singed injects the orange serum into Warwick, mixing with the shimmer, that we see Warwick's memories disintegrate and that serum passes into the cocoon, triggering Viktor's evolution. Now, Richter (spelling??) puts his axe through the steam-powered thingie on Warwick's back, and I thought that would have perhaps caused the overload - but he appeared alright after that. I really do think that Viktor's connection was what was stabilizing him and when it was shattered Warwick couldn't hold back that flood. If that hadn't happened, Jinx, Vi, and Cait could have gotten him out of there, changing everything, and I think Viktor would have likely refused Ambessa's pitch as he wouldn't need an army to get him to the hexgates if he believed he had Jayce on his side.

I'm still in the process of working out my thoughts on the ruined timeline, because Ambessa's a bit of a wild card as to what she'd do if the circumstances are even a bit different. She went down there with the intent of capturing Warwick, only turning her attention to Viktor once he's already in the cocoon and she learns he can create these immortal soldiers. Otherwise, she fears and resents mages. I think her intent was, in our timeline, ultimately to try and (foolishly!) harness Viktor's power for herself to fight the Black Rose, which wouldn't have worked, but regardless. I won't get off on an Ambessa tangent, tho I think her actions in the crucial few hours after Warwick decide the timeline tbh, but working it all out made me realize how quickly things in the commune happen. If Jayce had willingly joined Viktor, he would have had almost no time (like...minutes) before the rest of the events unfolded (sorry fic writers who want him chilling in the commune for weeks). I still think Jayce would have to turn against Viktor once he sees the Evolved - but he couldn't bring himself to hurt Viktor. I would guess he scrambles off to Piltover to warn the council. Things would have to play out similarly if Ambessa continues with her attack on Piltover, with Jayce knowing that Viktor was going to be in the hexheart and going down there to confront him instead - but maybe giving his best emotional 'you're still in there!' pitch. I'm still inclined to think when he kneeled atop the tower it was out of defeat, but I'm open on it.

(This brings me to another tangent, being that this surely has to be the first Jayce brought to this timeline - because husk Jayce gives over his hammer, and he can only do that once. There's, to me, something uniquely special about that hexcorized hammer that is able to really hurt Viktor/the hexcore vs just a blast from his regular hammer? Seeing as the hexite cores don't hurt Viktor, and the power of the hex crystals are one with those of the hexcore, just powering him up. But even so, if any other Jayce came and fell down that cave etc, they'd be left with no weapon after. I can't stop thinking about the rune embedded in Jayce's arm with hexcorized damage, and how it seems to be the thing that activates the hexcorized hammer, as it glows on his arm whenever he uses the hammer. I could get off into another huge thing about how I've been struggling to figure out what mage Viktor's actual plan was for our Jayce to do, and how that rune fits into it, but I digress)

I think Viktor's plan would have been, as we saw in the prime timeline, to activate the hexgate, concentrating its full power into a vertical beam which would shoot upwards through the hole in the roof, through him/through the hexcore, channeling that power into the Anomaly to enact the Glorious Evolution (thus producing the mage visual we see in the tome/Black Rose illusion). Our Viktor didn't get there, but Mage Viktor did. I also noticed like you said that there were no drones on top of the tower, but they were scattered around the city, on the bridge, in the undercity. I don't truly know if that is significant or if they just, dispersed after a while. To me they're discolored from decades of corrosion and exposure, not because they're any different from our version of the Evolved, showing how once the Evolution took place, there was nothing to do after. Everything just went silent, stood still. Viktor had no orders for them, so they just wandered off without purpose and sat to rust. Or maybe once Viktor realized what he'd done, he didn't want to even look at them so he sent them away from his eye of the storm area.

Sorry for the ramble - I wrote this out of order lmao. I have been thinking a LOT about the ruined timeline, trying to piece it together, and there's an incredible amount going on that's subtle and easy to overlook in lieu of the big stuff.

Hi! I wanted to hear your thoughts about something that keeps on nagging me about the Glorious Evolution... what's the difference between the Evolved and the Pompeii-esque husks we see in the ruined timeline? Viktor states his intent is to Evolve everyone willing and connect them into one mind but we only ever actually see him evolve his commune followers. Towards the end we see that either Viktor himself, the drone bots, or the anomaly via the mind-strings, can begin to 'assimilate' people, but that never progresses to getting Evolved. Jayce almost losing himself in golden light seems to be what happens if it's allowed to finish. So does everyone else who isn't 'touched' just get decimated by the anomaly blast? What was Viktor's intent for Jayce ultimately - I feel like he wasn't going to Evolve him, he wanted him by his side and we see in the ruined timeline that he's a husk, not a drone. I'm still struggling to make sense of these different end-states for those who get plugged into the hivemind, and how it's decided who ends up getting connected or just destroyed.

Sorry it took me a while to get to this one, it was a combination of real life and not really having an answer ready because I agree, it is vexing.

I don't quite know how to break down what happened and who is what, but I can try to make sense of it with the things we know:

In this reality, Jayce never shot Viktor through the chest. Presumably, this means Viktor continued with his plans without interruption.

Ambessa arrived at the commune before Jayce did, so his going back did not alter that event. So that would be the same in both universes. To me, this means that Viktor was heading towards his moment of disillusionment either way, either by Jayce's hands or by Ambessa.

Keep in mind, Jayce shooting Viktor is NOT why Vander went crazy. So many people miss this, but it's actually because of Singed injecting him. Admittedly, he did so while everyone's backs were turned because of the interruption of Jayce's attack but I think the full-scale conflict that broke out was quite likely in either universe, with or without Jayce.

I think what also gets lost in this discussion is what Salo was doing at the base of the Hexgates: retrieving Hex crystal cores.

So, while Viktor was running low on energy, he may have found an alternative by using Hex crystals which Jayce scuttled by killing Salo. No one else from the commune (except arguably Viktor himself) would have the authority to get into the Hexgate base without getting stopped.

As far as we know, without getting shot, Viktor never turned to Singed for Apex Shimmer via Vander/Warwick. I believe this because Wizard Viktor doesn't have the Machine Herald appearance. Arguably he's able to shed it or it's an illusion, etc etc, but truly I believe the Machine Herald appearance is a direct result of Jayce shooting Viktor and him being forced to turn to Apex Shimmer to heal.

We also know in Wizard Viktor's original timeline, Jayce probably joined him instead of shooting him. I've argued before in another meta that Jayce in Wizard Viktor's timeline likely gave into Viktor willingly at the top of the tower.

So, where does that leave us? I'm going to propose this alternate timeline:

Viktor is disillusioned by Ambessa's attack but he's not weakened because Jayce never shot him.

Using the Hex crystals Salo stole from the Hexgates, Viktor has enough power to continue assimilating people.

I'd argue: Viktor forcibly assimilates Ambessa's forces or he otherwise begins an assault on the city, perhaps with her as an ally. I only note this because it does look like there are more converted/ascended people in the Anomaly Future that there were cultists and him assimilating Ambessa's forces (including Cait, for example, but not including Jinx because her balloon is visible crashed into the Hexgate tower in the Anomaly future) is one possible explanation.

Viktor achieved this using Hex crystals, not Apex Shimmer. He was also able to do a version of the robot/ascended cultists because of the Hex crystal powers but not enough to give them that porcelain and gold "sheathe". Perhaps he didn't even feel the need to design his ascended cultists that way in this world, because he wasn't competing with Mel, because Jayce had already joined him.

Viktor then goes to the Anomaly at the base of the Hex tower. He believes that this will give him the power to convert the rest of the world and end all conflict.

And this is where things get really damn speculative but I'll try my best:

Viktor claims the Anomaly. He and Jayce go together willingly to the top of the Hexgate tower to make this vision of peace a reality using its power.

In celebration of their plan finally reaching its successful conclusion, Viktor brings Jayce into the hivemind. Jayce is kneeling in front of Viktor willingly, with his hammer held before him in fealty.

Unlike in the canon timeline, we also know Viktor didn't bring any other robots up there with him, possibly because he didn't need the show of force or to restrain a willing Jayce. (or they could have descended later I guess but eh, I'm taking my visual difference as clues where I can)

Viktor converts Jayce to be his equal, somehow, in that he's different from both the cultists and the corpses.

However, this does not bring Jayce to his level, it just adds Jayce's consciousness to the growing soup of consciousness inside Viktor's head/the Hexcore, whatever it is. Jayce is effectively dead.

Then, this moment happens, which was the goal of the Hexcore the whole time: to lay waste to civilizations who overuse magic:

The mage rising over the city.

Wizard Viktor does this either out of grief at having lost Jayce or he does so before he loses Jayce (the order isn't super important, he loses him either way) and the Hexcore takes over to finish its own goals.

Everyone who isn't already assimilated gets taken out by the subsequent violent shockwave.

I might be missing some things. Honestly, we know some things went different because Viktor was never shot, because he got Hex crystals, because Jayce might have joined him at the commune, but how the battle broke down after that is very unclear. We do know that Jinx took part in the battle because she also flew her balloon into the Hexgate tower. How exactly that battle kicked off and who the combatants were is much less clear. We do know that Viktor didn't convert all of the city before those remaining got annihilated, so something must have gone wrong with his attempt to hive mind everyone that they all died instead.

The only curious note I can't quite reconcile is Wizard Viktor's speech about, "Once every equation is solved." Because it sounds like the Hexcore, or Viktor, determined that the only way to actually stop all conflict, the way to solve the equation, is to just murder everyone.

Which... um, yeah. I guess that works! But it definitely casts Wizard Viktor as either a pawn of the Hexcore or as an absolutely terrifying psychopath if that's his definition, which by the way I'm totally cool with because I love Wizard Viktor but I can easily see him being actually insane at this point and an only mildly remorseful supervillain who's really only sad Jayce died too so there was no one to save Viktor before he ended up in this dreamless solitude. Make of that what you will too.

I still don't feel like I have a clear answer for you, but hopefully this helps!

[gingermintpepper]

Day 5: Orpheus

Interpretation notes and trivia under the cut!

Orfeu meu amor <333 Honestly this could be my longest ever set of notes or the shortest because unlike literally any of the other Apollonian figures in this, I have never once had to waver from what I wanted with Orpheus and that's an Orpheus without Eurydice. I know that sounds kind of strange, Orpheus and Eurydice have always been completely synonymous with each other but like, Orpheus is kind of completely batshit as a concept and I'm tired of pretending the most interesting thing about him is his love life?? His love life is cool, don't get me wrong, but we, collectively, as a group of people don't pay nearly enough attention to the fact that Orpheus was singer and musician so gifted that he made trees and rocks bow to him and he could stir even the gods to grieve from his songs. This is the guy who's song was so beautiful that not only did he outsing the Sirens, they also killed themselves upon hearing his song?? This is the man that was pulled apart but his head just?? Kept on singing??? So the Muses just???? Added his perpetually singing decapitated head to their choir??? There are depictions of Apollo using said decapitated head to help him teach people???? And we're gonna focus on him trying to get his dead wife back?????? Really?? Miss me with that nonsense, Orpheus is the witchest witch to ever witch and if no one else is gonna make him the disgustingly powerful bard he was in myth then I guess I'll have to do it myself. His femme appearance is mostly inspired by the highly ornamental raiment of kithara players and he consistently has some of the fanciest clothes of the cast apocalyptic hellscape be damned.

Some assorted trivia:

Son of Apollo and Calliope - was accidentally conceived during the period when Artemis had forbid Apollo from fraternising with mortal creatures in penance for him orchestrating Orion's death and so Calliope and the other Muses hid him away in the court of King Oeagrus. Didn't know Apollo was actually his father until quite a bit later.

Not a demigod as that would imply he's half human. Orpheus isn't exactly mortal either but he certainly cannot be harmed by most normal methods. There's no formal name for something half god, half muse and not deathless so Orpheus prefers to identify as the Son of a Muse rather identifying strongly as something strictly divine.

Older than Heracles! One of Apollo's oldest children still kicking about, actually, but he's treated like the youngest due to how fragile he'd been after Eurydice's death. Is generally better now than he used to be, but still tends to have depressive episodes every now and again.

Horrifyingly powerful. Orpheus' words are so potent that he does his best to not speak at all for fear of influencing the people around him accidentally. Has the uncanny ability to transmit his own feelings through his songs which can be both fantastic and awful. The Twelve had Apollo put a seal on his tongue when he was grieving so his song would stop completely disrupting the world. The seal's since been removed as Orpheus has had a lot of help working through his feelings. Now he paints whenever he thinks about Eurydice which is much more productive for everyone involved.

Argonaut, storied traveller, speaker of many languages, healer, teacher and storyteller. Teaches occasionally at the Parnassus Institute for Gifted Children and tends to be a favoured teacher whenever he drops by. Is responsible for a lot of very important people knowing some form signed or gestured language.

Has no set 'home' and wanders from temple to temple, sanctuary to sanctuary. His worldly belongings like his clothes and old paintings are currently with Asclepius and his family. Apollo has some of his stuff as well, but they're mostly special instruments like the holy lyre he used on his journey on the Argo.

Never keeps any money on him and is usually fed and clothed by the townspeople wherever he goes. Hasn't had to actually pay for something in decades. Has absolutely no concept of money because he'd forgotten it's a thing people need day to day.

Had a brief fling with Heracles while he was still mortal and the two remain on good terms even now. Heracles tends to visit him every now and again for a stint in some springs and good music.

Favourite colour is maple orange, favourite food is roasted pheasant with rosemary and thyme. Allergic to specifically pale yellow mead but is fine with raw honey and honeycomb. Aristaeus has been trying to figure out what causes his reactions for years now.

[icewindandboringhorror]

I've referenced before how I have a big google document to keep track of every media I've ever seen in my entire life (just for reference because I like to track everything possible lol… I am the Data Collector), but recently as I was updating it, I thought of actually evaluating them to find out random percentages (like for example, out of Total Shows Watched, what percentage did I finish vs. stop watching, what percentage did I like or dislike, etc.)...

Evaluating these things is made easier by the fact that I already place everything on each subsection of the list into 6 broad ranking categories, so I don't have to go back and guess to figure out how I feel about them or anything. The categories are: Ranking 5 - overall best* (despite some criticisms of course because I'm too much of an Analyzer to ever find anything Perfect lol) Ranking 4 - more positive than neutral, but not good enough to be 5 Ranking 3 - either the good + bad negate each other, OR it's just not memorable/interesting in any way enough to be ranked higher or lower (this is the Default category ALL things are placed in if no other rank applies) Ranking 2 - maybe a few redeemable elements but largely more negatives than positives Ranking 1 - So bad that it circles around to being fascinating to observe in some way (not necessarily Funny, or Good, but just interesting somehow) Ranking 0 - Bad in a genuinely frustrating or obnoxious manner

*("best" primarily defined here as most interesting, rather than most good in a technical sense, or some other measure. I tend to value more highly whether there's something novel or thoughtful about the worldbuilding, tone, writing, base premise, etc - than about whether it's actually executed perfectly.)

And here's the amount of shows that have so far been placed into each category -

TV shows ~ Rank 5 (highest) - 20 shows ~ Rank 4 (mid-high) - 28 shows ~ Rank 3 (neutral/default/meh) - 114 shows ~ Rank 2 (mid low) -33 shows ~ Rank 1 (low low but intriguingly so) - 14 shows ~ Rank 0 (iredeemably low) - 2 shows

This would make for a total of 211 TV shows overall. However, there are 57 shows within these list marked as "didn't finish" (typically meaning I quit on the very first or second episode - but log them still to keep a record that I at least had a brief view of them).

So my total of genuinely fully watched shows would be more 154. 211 Total, but a More Accurate Total of 154.

Counting them all and using the Total Number Of The List (211) -- that means roughly 9.5% of all total shows I have ever watched (or at least attempted to watch) have been Mostly Good, 13% have been Moderately Okay, 54% have been either entirely Forgettable or some mix of good + bad that lands them right in the Neutral Middle, 15.6% have been Mostly Bad, 6.6% have been Bad (but in an interesting way), and 0.9% have been Terribly Bad.

Additionally, I didn't even get past the first two episodes of about 27% of the total.

Sooo, discounting ones I didn't finish, my total TV shows ever watched in my life would be about 154 (maybe give or take a few, assuming I might have forgotten some from very long ago).

But instead of entire life, let's just say this is the total for 'About 20 Years' (so, not counting very early childhood when I likely wouldn't remember things I saw/have no detailed recollection of them (like for example, I'm sure at some point when I was like 4yrs old I must have seen an episode of Spongebob or something, but I have zero distinct memories of it, can't quote anything of it, and barely recall the premise - so I don't count it on the list, etc.)).

In that case, 154 divided by 20 would be roughly 7.7 shows a year.

Which is actually surprisingly low considering that I often have stuff on in the background for hours whilst I make sculptures and do costumes and stuff (maybe I should have also marked some distinction between 'things I fully paid attention to' and 'things I kind of half listened to whilst sculpting', but that would further split the categories too much probably lol), but I guess a lot of that is youtube videos or random documentaries, so .. eh.. maybe I get it being lower.

Now, doing the same thing for movies-

Movies ~ Rank 5 (highest) - 4 movies (3.4% of total) ~ Rank 4 (mid-high) - 12 movies (10.3% of total) ~ Rank 3 (neutral/default/meh) - 91 movies (78.4% of total) ~ Rank 2 (mid low) - 8 movies (6.8% of total) ~ Rank 1 (low but interesting) - 1 movie (0.8% of total) ~ Rank 0 (irredeemably low) - none in this category (0%)

That makes 116 for a Total (Actually Remembered) Movies Watched In Lifetime (Or At Least In 20 Years).

116 divided by 20 is roughly 5 or 6 movies a year (I feel this has probably been skewed though by adding everything since like elementary school onwards, as I remember a lot more movies from child/teen years.. Whereas, the past 3 years I feel like I've barely seen maybe even 5 movies?? lol). I also have "Didn't Finish" marked on 18 of them. Which means I quit halfway through about 15% of the total movies.

So, a for broader summary stuff..

I seem to be less forgiving to movies than tv shows, by far. Which makes sense to me, I guess, because I love elaboration and details, so "short form" things that only last an hour or two are often lost on me a bit. My biggest complaint with movies is indeed usually walking away just wishing there had been more exposition, more scenes where characters are doing nothing, more "mindless bantering" conversations, more Quiet Downtime and Lore Elaboration and so on lol, so... of course most 1-2hr films end up feeling a bit Not Enough To Draw My Interest/Nothingy to me.

If you count 5 and 4 as "like" and rankings 2 to 0 as "dislike", then for TV shows I at least somewhat liked 48 of them, and at least somewhat disliked 47 of them.. So it's almost exactly the same lol. I'm just about equally as likely to find something bad as I am to find something redeeming about it. But overall, the largest chance is that I just won't really care much for it at all and it will be tossed into the 'neutral' pile, forgotten forever. Movies have a bit better of a balance, "liking" 16 of them, and "disliking" only 9 of them. So I'm slightly more likely to enjoy a movie than to find it annoying - though still VASTLY more likely to just not find it anything in particular, possibly not even finishing it.

ANYWAY.. this is vague and literally pointless, but like I said, I just really find information fun. Like my document where I've rated every apple flavor I've ever tried (like 40 of them now?), or reviewed every oreo flavor (32?), or ranking data from my entire 10 years of Trying To Make Friends process (out of 100 people, roughly 8% chance of a moderate compatibility, 3% chance of high), or etc. etc.. I love to have random pointless things to analyze I suppose lol.

I doubt anyone tracks things in their life in this same exact way, but I'd be interested in hearing any at least somewhat similar data !!! (like, how many TV shows you watch a year on average, and what percentage of those you like vs. dislike (if you keep track of that sort of thing), etc.)). I guess it might be easier with movies, since I think some people use those websites where you curate a list of movies you've seen and you can rate them or something, so maybe the numbers are already available on those places. :0

[vaggieslefteye]

YOU DIDN'T KNOW ↳ from Hazbin Hotel Season One (2024): 1x06 - "Welcome to Heaven"

[overnightheartbeats]

A wider smile wasn't possible, even if she tried. Laurel could only return his small nose kiss with one of her own, her hand reaching to softly caress the back of his neck. "I'm just really glad you're safe." That was always her biggest worry when he went away, even more when he was out for extended periods of time. The twinkle in his eyes was mesmerizing, oh she could stare at him all evening. "Conserve water, you are so thoughtful," she whispered as she snuggled close to him. His promise to behave made her smirk inevitable. If she could, she'd wonder out loud if that promise was negotiable. "I have a feeling our girl will put him through the wringer, he'll be even more ready to be a dad."

His hum vibrated against her skin, and his breathy laugh caused a shiver to fall over her. "Wouldn't dream of it," she said with a content sigh. After all, Laurel loved his sneaky side. Loved every part of him, the thought of him being any other way was unfathomable. "Oh tiny angels, I love the sound of that. Eager for our next one, huh? I'm in, a little bit down the road."

For a bit, Laurel thought he was teasing and Diego was just chiming in, playing along. But, Eli said it again and it didn't sound like just teasing anymore. He made good points there, not that it took a lot to convince her. She was on leave, no work to worry about, and Laurel had to admit she liked the idea of being close. "You know, I never thought you'd be asking me to move in with you, twice in one lifetime," she finally teased, effectively telling him she was on board with the idea. "Putting a pause on FaceTime dinners was also tempting too though. We can figure out moving later though."

Seeing his happiness meant the world to her. Years had passed, and yet she still saw those green eyes light up the way the same way they had their first year celebrating his birthday together. "You deserve the entire world," she mumbled against his lips, laughing as the frosting rested on her nose. "I love you," she'd never tire of telling him, pulling him in for a brief hug. It didn't take long for his colleagues to agree on a starting point to sing happy birthday for him, before chanting asking him to make a wish. Diego quickly nudging Ortiz to take pictures of Eli and his cake. They would need pictures of this special occasion after all.

He nuzzled into her face and gave her nose a small little kiss. He enjoyed the pda they'd endulge in every time they were out and about. It was these moments that carried him through when he didn't think he had anymore to give. "About fifteen percent. It's just people being stupid and dumb thinking they can do shit like that and not get hurt. Or burn a house down. Luckily no casualties but still stressful." His grin showed off his dimple and that twinkle in his eyes. "Yes ma'am. Whatever you say. We could conserve water and take one together. I promise I'll behave." It was his thing he needed to shower every night after work. He didn't know how people could shower in the mornings and then climb into bed like that. "Isa has always been a dad in training. I know he's gonna be a hell of a dad. Rosebud is his best girl."

He hummed into her ear and let out a breathy laugh. One of his fingers trailed down her back to her sides as he breathed her in. "But you wouldn't have it any other way, baby." He lifted his head and smirked. "Next one? Hmm sign me up. Let's have all the tiny angels."

"Move in. At least until my schedule goes back to normal. I don't like being away from you two and I know you'll have help with my sisters here but think of all the dinners we won't have on FaceTime." He tried to bribe her into saying yes as he heard Diego sign himself up for nursery building.

One second he was watching Diego carry his daughter and the next his eyes were on his cake. A chuckle escaped him as he looked up at his wife. Bringing her face to his he kissed her and put frosting on the tip of her nose before he whispered a low thank you. "I knew it. I love it. Thank you."

[oozeandgoo-art]

oh right, i drew this the other day

[thelaurenshippen]

literally where is my next to normal movie. it's been fifteen years. who is keeping this from me.