#do i think that he made a lot of bad choices that strained his personal relationships?

[raijinkou]

there's something so fascinating in seeing minato face the consequences of the choices / actions he made in life, with various levels of severity, after his death. he doesn't expect forgiveness. he will apologize because he does genuinely feel horrible for hurting others. but since he was the one responsible, he'll bear the weight of the blame regardless of what that means like getting punched in the gut by his own son, for example

[capsi-cuminme]

Blowing Off Steam

summary: in which you're very stressed, and sparring is the only way you can destress. you're having trouble finding a partner though, so logan volunteers to help.

pairing: logan howlett x fem!reader

word count: 1.7k

warnings: mild swearing, fingering, some dirty talk, lots of horny thoughts, 18+ MDNI

author's note: ahhhh sweaty logan on a fighting mat is all i need. anyways, thank you guys sm for the response on my other fic, as a gift i bring you smut ;)

•──✦──•

You’re stressed. You’ve been overworking yourself, you know it, and you need to relax, destress. Your body feels wound up with tension and energy, and you’re unable to release it. It’s not like you have super complicated abilities that mess with your mind and make you lose your shit, no - that’s Jean’s set of troubles, not yours. Your ability is simple enough - super strength. 

So what is it that isn’t simple then? Right. Someone you can actually truly train with and exert yourself out with. There aren’t a load of people who can physically keep up with your strength, not except Colossus, and even he’s just a kid. So when, at times, you want to blow some steam by training, you have next to no one to do it with. 

Or, you didn’t, not until Logan came along. You’ve sparred with him a couple of times, but only for excessively short periods of time, due to you not being able to keep your shit together because of his overwhelming attractiveness. Honestly, you don’t think it’s your fault that you’re unable to focus; his arms look like he could rip apart logs of wood with them, his shoulders are so wide that they’re practically made for people to rest their ankles on, and his demeanor - his understated, wolfish demeanor makes you go insane. 

And as if all these things weren’t bad enough on their own, they tend to get exponentially exemplified whenever you guys spar. Obviously, fighting makes him breathe hard and stuff. So your life becomes even tougher. 

Really, you aren’t trying to be horny around him all the time. But that’s the thing. You’re pent up, stressed, overworked. Being a member of the X-Men means that it gets really hard to get laid due to several factors, and then when your coworkers are so hot? God help you. 

As you sit on the gym’s bench, staring at the sparring mats, you strain your mind to think of someone to spar with. You could ask Colossus, the kid’s always more than ready and could give you some competition on one of your bad days. But there’s too much of a risk. You’re already restless with energy, itching to let yourself go; in case the kid isn’t prepared or you get too excited, you’d end up hurting him, which is something you can’t risk. 

You could maybe go to Ororo and Scott, ask them to come at you together? The two of them together would successfully tire you out. Maybe they’d become a bit more than you’re mentally willing to handle. You don’t want to have to strategise at every step. 

God, you just need someone who can handle whatever you throw at them without having to think too much. Unfortunately for you, there’s only one person in the mansion who can do that. 

“Oh hey Bub, what you doing here? Got no classes to teach?” The somehow smooth but gravelly voice breaks you out of your train of thought as you turn to look at Logan, entering the gymnasium. 

Internally rejoicing at his choice of clothes - the white wifebeater under the oversized jacket - while simultaneously praying that he isn’t here to stay, you get up from your seat to speak to him. “Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to blow off some steam.”

“And you’re blowing off steam by… sitting on the bench?” He raises an eyebrow, looking at you questioningly. 

You sigh through your nose, smiling exhaustedly. “No, genius. I was confused about what I should do to destress.”

Your prayers go down the drain as you notice his eyes light up at the prospect of a sparring partner. Nodding to the mats, he asks, “You wanna go?”

Tongue in cheek, you review your options for a moment. Go to bed frustrated and stressed, or fight an extremely attractive man who’s also able to keep up with you. 

“Sure, let’s go.” 

And that’s how you find yourself attempting to elbow Logan in the face. He dodges and takes a step back, but not too far. Turning, you see the grin etched on his face. Taking it as a challenge, you feign a movement to the right, but attack from the left. Your arm aims for his face, but he deflects it by pushing your momentum to one side, stepping away and behind you and putting you into a headlock.

“What’s up?” he murmurs into your ear. “Can’t figure out what to do? Are you really that tired, huh?” 

You felt his chest heave from behind you, his warm breath tickling your ear. Body humming with excitement and mind buzzing with the thrill of finally being in an equal match, you grit your jaw, throwing your head back against his. As much as you enjoy the tone of his voice, you hope it hits him in the mouth just so he can shut up, because being aroused is not something you’re looking forward to. 

Yes you’re horny, maybe even a little perverted, but you truly don’t have any ulterior motives. 

Logan hisses as his grip on you loosens. Shimmying your way out of his grip, you lunge at him, arms ready to swing, but instead of throwing a punch when you get near, you use your leg to swipe at his legs, resulting in him landing on his back.

Silently rejoicing, you straddle him, pulling your arm back to land a punch on his jaw, but unfortunately he grabs hold of your arms before you can do that. As a result, you’re left heaving on top of him, arms immobile, face right above his. You don’t miss the way he breathes, sweat trickling down his forehead, eyes glinting with something you can’t fully identify. You also don’t miss the dampness of your underwear, the electricity you feel where you’re sitting on him. You realize you’re playing a dangerous game. Just as you’re about to make a move to get up, Logan suddenly moves you by the grip he has on your arms, slamming you onto the mats with considerable force. He looms on top of you, looking down. You squeak in indignant surprise, but he pins your arms on both sides of your face, lodging his thigh between yours. You gasp, not expecting the sudden escalation of events. “Darling, you know I’ve got a heightened sense of smell, right?” he asks, drawling. “I can smell your arousal, practically feel how you’re soaking down there.” Eyes wide and mouth agape, you stare up at him, not sure what to say, how to apologize. “Logan, I- I’m sor-” “Don’t have to say a word, Darling, I’m the same as you,” he emphasizes his point by rolling his hips against yours. You whimper quietly, feeling his erection pressing against your clit. “If I’m not interpreting this correctly, you can stop me,” he hums, getting closer to your face. Waiting for your approval, he looks at you. You close the distance between the both of you, borderline moaning as you feel his tongue grazing against your lips, asking to enter your mouth. More than willing, you grant him entry freely, whimpering as his tongue explores your mouth. You break the kiss, short of breath, but your distance doesn’t last long. Logan is sloppily making out with you as he grinds against you. Your bodies move hurriedly, in urgent need of release. 

“Lo,” you gasp between the kisses, “need you so bad, please.” He complies, hands leaving your arms as he gets on his haunches and quickly unbuttons your pants, pulling them down. His hand moves to your pussy, thumb pressing against your clit, gauging your reaction. Your eyes widen due to the unexpected movement, and you gasp. Satisfied with your response, he rubs short, quick circles against your clit, stimulating you as he slowly pushes in one finger. You moan, hands reaching down to stop the sudden intrusion. It’s been a while since you’ve done this, so your body’s sensitivity is at an all-time high. Logan doesn’t care, swatting away your hands, slipping in another finger. He moves them in shallow thrusts, stretching you out while looking for the spot that’ll finally get you wound up enough for his liking. You bite your lip to keep yourself silent, staring at the way Lo’s fingers pump in and out of you, making a mess out of your cunt. Suddenly, his fingers press into that spot that you’re never quite able to reach yourself, making you let out a loud moan. “Lo, Lo please, right there please, don’t stop-” you break your own voice off with an even louder whimper, eyes closing due to the pleasure. Logan watches you with keen eyes trained on your face. He speeds up his fingers and thumb, enjoying your reaction thoroughly, as it ignites something deep within him. He palms himself lightly, hissing as he realizes how hard he is. “Shit, darling, you make me insane,” he mumbles, guiding one of your hands to the bulge in his jeans, making you feel him. Your mouth falls open with a little “oh,” as you feel him. You try to palm him to relieve some of his tension, but fail as his fingers pump in and out of you, driving you closer and closer to the edge. “O- oh God, Lo, I’m cumming, please please please-” you moan loudly as your orgasm crashes over you, thrashing on the mat. Logan holds down your hips, continuing his languid movements, easing you out of the feeling in waves. As you finally relax, catching your breath, you look up at him, unsure of what comes next. Usually by this point, guys tended to take their own pants off. Logan’s were still very much on. Before you could verbalize your confusion, he speaks. “I think we’ve blown enough steam off in the gym,” he chuckles. “I don’t want Charles to gim’me looks the entire month. I say we take this upstairs bub, what d’ya say?”

You stare up at him, wondering why he’s even asking, when there’s only one possible answer you could make out through the haziness of your mind. “Yes, let’s go.”

[obsessedelusional]

bane of your existence

paring ↬ Abby Anderson x fem!reader

summary ↬ Isaac pairs you with hard headed, Abby Anderson. She can’t keep a patrol partner to safe her life. That is until she meets you, the two of you slowly become close. Maybe a little too close because apparently everyone thinks the two of you are an item.

word count ↬ 2k

authors note ↬ first Abby oneshot omg!! I am so far up Abby Andersons ass that legally I have no choice but to write for her. Here’s a cute lil fluffy moment. I got more stuff in the works, hope y’all enjoy ᜊ☻︎

Feedback & Reblogs are helpful and extremely appreciated!! ((poorly proofread))

⊹ ꙳ ✦ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹

“Wake up.”

You groan and turn your back to insufferable voice that wakes you up way too damn early everyday. It’s a lost cause there’s a pair of hands shaking you gently. Which is strange because normally they’re a lot rougher with you.

“What time is it?” You ask still not facing her.

“5:45.”

“We don’t have to be there till eight. Why are you awake so damn early?” You snap, sitting up in your bunk. Facing the bane of your existence, Abby Anderson. Or so you pretend secretly enjoying her constant annoyance.

“Couldn’t sleep. So I thought it’d be best we head out early to catch the scars off guard.” Abby explains, stood there arms crossed looking down at you.

—

Three months ago the two of you we’re partnered for patrol. You didn’t know much about her before that, only the negative comments you heard from coworkers. Abby didn’t have the nicest personality and that often rubbed people the wrong way. Her hard headed ways make her nearly impossible to work with. Doesn’t help her case that when she’s not working she alone in some corner of the base, nose in a book. Often ignoring anyone’s attempt at a conversation. Only friendly to the people she joined the WLF with and half those relationships strained by the past.

Isaac thought your positive attitude would rub off on Abby. Buttering you up with compliments about your ability to not take anyones shit, calling you stubborn without using the word. Then talking about how she’s been through several partners in the last year, the longest lasting less than a month. Ever since Manny left his position to do something else, leaving her alone.

By the end he was borderline begging and following it up with apologies. You walked out of his office filled with curiosity about this mysterious women. The next day Abby was in your room uninvited and waking you up way too early. Somehow you’ve lasted this long and now you’re roommates. Manny moving out of bunk to be with his girlfriend and you having no roommate, Isaac made the decision to room you two together. Which only made Abby’s presence more constant.

Which is fine for the most part, you’d never admit it but part of you enjoys it. The constant bickering is fun and sometimes Abby lets a side of her personality slip you’ve never seen before. The two of you unintentionally becoming friends, which Abby would never say out loud. She even started hanging out with your friends. Probably spending an entirely too much time together, people began to take notice.

—

You stand up from your bed and make the short walk to your dresser, finding your work clothes for the day. Abby sits in a chair, fumbling with her backpack as an attempt to not watch you undress. You had caught Abby’s eyes lingering one second too long the first week. You looked back at Abby and her eyes were so obviously on your ass. She looked up a second later and saw you smirking. That was the end of that and now she does everything in her power to not get caught. Today you quickly get ready, sensing Abby’s eagerness to leave.

“Hurry up.” She says as you’re almost done.

“Why are you in such a hurry? We’re going to be two hours early at this point.” You ask, irritated.

“Quit complaining.” She spits.

“Quit being such a hard ass.” You spit back. Abby only rolls her eyes in response, so you add: “I don’t want to hear shit about my bad attitude today.”

“You always have a bad attitude.” Abby says, with a small grin.

“Do not.” You scoff at her comment.

“Do too.”

“Never did before. I think you’re starting to rub off on me. Or maybe it’s cause I keep getting waken up before my alarm has a chance to go off.” You explain, grabbing your backpack and pulling it on.

“What? You don’t like waking up early?” Abby ask, playfully already knowing the answer. Part of her loving to hear you complain.

“No.”

“Morning patrols aren’t that bad. You wake up early get off early. Have the rest of the day to do stuff.” Abby explains, trying to make you feel better.

“Yeah maybe. But I usually end up working even longer because you want to get out of here early. An eight hour shift turns into a nine or ten hour shift. One day you had me out there for twelve hours Abby.” You retort, bitterness heavy in your tone.

“You are the moodiest person in this entire base.” Abby says.

“Wasn’t before.” You speak flatly causing Abby to smile, getting closer.

“You’re such a brat.” She says, smile never leaving her mouth.

“Whatever. I know you like it.” You respond, smiling back at Abby.

“How bout we make a deal? You try to not be a brat today and I’ll try to not be such a hard ass.” Abby suggests, laughing as she squeezes your cheeks together as if you were a child.

“I don’t think I’m capable.” You speak. Abby’s hands smooshing your cheeks together. Pulling away to put one finger on your lips, shushing you.

“Just try, okay?” Abby asks, looking down at you with a pout and those damn eyes that’ll get you to do anything.

“Ughh I guess but only since you asked so nicely.” You respond suddenly hitting you that Abby is being way nicer than normal. What is her deal today?

“Really?” She grins.

“Yes let’s go.” Abby chuckles and then grabs your hand, gently nudging you forward. She’s slowly become more touchy since the two do you met but this takes it to a whole another level. When the two of you leave the room she doesn’t let go. You let the both of you walk a few feet before stopping in your tracks and looking at your hands intertwined.

“Are you holding my hand?” You question, causing Abby to realize and her face goes pink.

“Huh? Oh.. uhm.. I guess I am.” She awkwardly smiles, still not letting go.

“I mean I don’t mind. Just know you wouldn’t want to give everybody the wrong impression.” You respond, slightly traumatized from the first time you tried to sit with her in the mess hall and she went off on you about how she didn’t want anyone to think you were her friend.

“Pfft. They already think we’re in a relationship, or we will be sometime soon. What’s the harm in holding your hand?” Abby says casually, rolling her eyes as if your concern is ridiculous. She attempts to keep walking but you’re stood still, not willing to end this conversation so soon.

“They think that?” You ask.

“Yeah, they do. You should hear them gossiping during dinner. It’s all about us.” Abby says looking down at you and laughing slightly.

“How have I never heard this?” You question.

“It’s because you always head directly for you bunk room to rest after dinner. They’ll start talking about us as soon as you leave.” She explains as if this isn’t a big deal.

“What else do they say?”

“Oh. Uhm... they mainly talk about your... uh.... assets.. yeah.. that’s it.” She blushed slightly thinking about it.

“My assets? Ew.” You cringe at the thought.

“Hey I think your... ‘assets’ are fine.” She smirks, face somehow more red than before. You eyes go wide in response, it’s a rare occasion that Abby says something nice. Let alone a compliment that borders on flirting.

“Are you flirting with me?” You ask because you never know with her and you need to desperately make sense of what’s happening.

“Errr.. ummmm.. no I am not.” She nervously looks away, couldn’t help but start chuckling at her own awkwardness.

“Abby Anderson. You totally-.” You say, teasingly poking at her chest. She puts her hands over your mouth as an attempt to shush you.

“They probably think that because we work together, hang out and live together. We’re always together.” She explains trying to change the subject from her flirty comment.

“Or do they think this because you said something? Planted it in there head.” You ask, teasing as you pull Abby’s hand away from your mouth.

“Ok I may have said something. Which turned it into a whole thing.” She admits.

“Something?” You ask curiously.

“They were making some crude comments about your body. And one of them joked that I would know. I may or may not have agreed that I would know.” Abby explains, part of her embarrassments that she entertained them for even a second. In the end being grateful because them think you two were an item got them to shut up. The teasing now focused on Abby, wanting to know more about said relationship that didn’t actually exist.

“Are you mad..?” She looks at you, still holding your hand as you both walked down a long staircase to an area outside of the stadium.

“No it’s kinda cute.” You smile.

“You think it’s cute that they all think we’re in love?” She laughs.

“Yeah but just because you made them think that. No wonder Manny’s been teasing me about you.” You explain, connecting the dots as you speak.

“He’s been teasing you?”

“Yeah always telling me my *girlfriends* looking for me. Shit like that.”

“Your girlfriend?!” She grins at the thought before adding. “Well I am looking for you all the time.”

“Apparently you’re obsessed with me.” You joke, laugh leaving your mouth.

“I am. Just a little bit.” Abby responds, leading you out of the stadium and to where everyone starts patrols. Still holding your hand. As the two of you exit the stadium, you notice that Isaac is standing outside with a small group of people. He immediately takes notice of the two of you holding hands. Making a face as he looked back at the patrol, saying something inaudible to the them.

“Oooh does Abby have a girlfriend?” Manny hollers before laughing. Abby’s face is filled with so many emotions and before you can say anything Isaac’s say something.

“It’s about damn time. I was starting to think the two of you didn’t have feelings for each other after all.” He smiles.

“Can we start this patrol so I can stop be the center of attention?” Abby asks, ignoring everything everyone’s said.

“Or so you two can be alone?” Manny teases, causing everyone to laugh.

“Shut up.” Abby growls, pulling you away from everyone. You wave goodbye at everyone as Abby drags you away to start the patrol. Manny gives you two thumbs up which only adds to Abby’s irritation.

“You never answered. Do you have a girlfriend?” You ask teasing, curious about her answer.

“I don’t know. Do I?”

“You’re gonna have to ask for yourself and find out.” You tease causing Abby to groan outloud.

“You’re really gonna make me ask?” She asks, followed by rolling her eyes.

“Yeah.” You smirk, wanting the word to come out Abby’s mouth.

“Will you be my girlfriend?” She says annoyed.

“Mmm I’ll have to think about it.” You joke, watching Abby get more annoyed. “Just kidding yeah.” You laugh, finally bringing a smile to Abby’s face. Before you could register what’s happening Abby is stopped, pressing her lips into yours. You kiss back for a few moments, Abby eventually being the one to pull away.

“That was amaizng.” Abby purrs.

“Mhmm.” You smile, nodding.

“Just cause we’re dating now. Don’t think I’m gonna be any less of a hard ass.” Abby says, going back to her annoying self.

“We’ll see about that.” You tease, walking ahead of Abby. Abby grabs your wrist pulling you back to her. Abby grins kissing you again, knowing damn well she’d do whatever you asked.

[zoropookie]

WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE (WYWDFL) — TWO

YOU couldn't be having a worse halloween night. choose your fate with your fellow readers and see if it gets better!

chapter one — chapter three

soulmate!wanderer x gn!reader

Yeah, let’s do it. At least the debt collectors won’t call anymore. That's only if you do actually die, though.

"I love you, mom," You muttered to yourself begrudgingly, the oppressive tons of the night and your earlier agitation whisked away in the wind by a sudden anxiety. You found yourself moving to the alleyway.

It was a narrow area, littered with debris from front to back. There were discarded newspaper, broken bottles, the occasional piece of unidentifiable trash and...syringes you were too apprehensive to even walk near. You walked through the cracked and uneven pavement to follow the sound of two people speaking from a distance.

You carefully made your way, and as you did, the voice you were hearing became clearer. It wasn’t a dying dog, or a man who was suffering the severe after effects of meth and paying for it. No…it sounded like just a regular guy who was panicking (which admittedly, pissed you off. this was clearly a waste of time). The muffled voices of the conversation were partnered by the irrefutable rustling of movement.

The alley’s walls loomed high above you, making long and distorted outlines in the shadows. They were mingling with the dim light. The steps you took were tentative, each one seeming louder with how quiet the night was.

There was a bend in the alley— the voices becoming clearer. You strained to hear them still, catching snippets of what they were saying that made your heart race even stronger

"You said…this would be easy," a voice hissed with a thicker sound to it, sharp and tense. It was a man's voice. “You said I’d gain a lot doing this.”

"Yeaaah," another voice replied, smoother and more evasive. “That was until I heard you were thinking of ratting me to the cops. Now I have no choice. Makes me look bad.” This voice carried an air of authority, as if its owner was accustomed to being in charge.

“Huh?” You sounded in brief confusion, pressing yourself against the gritty brick texture, trying to steady your breaths. The low glow of a flickering streetlight barely illuminated them as they spoke in the crevice carved out. You peeked expectantly.

“I would never! I swear, I swear.” The man spluttered out, groveling on the floor pathetically. The panic he felt was clearly highlighted by the street lights, his throat sounded completely dry. He wasn’t able to salivate from how high the stress he felt. “Finding out that guy was my soulmate…it clouded my judgement. I’m sorry!”

The silence that followed was long and arduous. The tension thick enough that it lingered around them until the other lips curled a little bit. “I’m kidding.” His smooth voice admitted.

“Wh…what?”

“Yeah. Just wanted to josh you. Happy Pride.” He snickered, shaking his own head in a personal amusement. His lips curved in a leer before he began to laugh softly, some huffs, some chuckles.

“Uh…yeah, thanks.” The other man tensed, looking uneasy as he forced himself to laugh along for the time that he was. You found this encounter really odd, amongst everything, but you couldn’t help but sit there and watch.

“Oh, but seriously,” The chuckles died down in an instant, as he straightened out. The atmosphere plummeted so hard that even you could feel how ominous it was. “You really only have one use to me as of now, and well… you don’t need to be alive for that.”

Without warning, he grabbed the hilt before it fell and plunged his knife deep into his chest. He reeled his arm back at such a high speed that the other couldn’t whine, cry out for help, or protest in time. The blade, a steely glint still remained despite it bloodied.

Your stomach dropped immediately, mouth opened wide. You’re listening to a man gargle blood, struggling to even keep himself alive right now. With each stab he did pierce into the man, you flinched harder every time as the sound reverberated. You were watching someone die, and couldn’t feel your legs.

It was like you couldn’t do anything to keep yourself from watching, either. If that guy was capable of killing a man, then he was capable of killing you too once he figured out that you were watching him like you were watching the fucking Garfield movie.

His eyes were still shielded by the cap he wore, but you knew that his hair was dark from the unruly way it stuck out in the back. He cocked his head to the side, a simple and effortless jolt of his arm twisted the blade in his hand. A last high pitched wheeze escaped his lips before he truly fell limp.

You finally realized the severity of the situation. This wasn’t no Garfield shit, and with that, you slapped a hand to your mouth once the fight or flight kicked in. Oh my god.

You cringed at the slight thump that came afterward, the sight of the man lying on the floor, the other man retching at the sight of the blood after a few seconds. He looked like he had done it multiple times, but even so, the gagging came around like whiplash.

It echoed through the empty streets, an ugly recoil as his gloved hands covered his mouth. He gingerly tried to pull the knife out of the man, simultaneously keeping his food content in his stomach.

Your heart was beating like drums in your ears; you knew you had to do something before he decided to put you on his hit-list next. Taking in deep, juttered breaths you glanced around the small alcove you were in.

Maybe if you hide here, he wouldn’t really notice anything—?

“Enjoy the show?” A piercing, stiff and chilling voice called out. “I know you’re there. Protip; if you don’t want to be heard, maybe don’t gasp on command when you see a little blood.”

You wanted to point him out on his hypocrisy, considering he was the one who almost blew out chunks over it, but you were too scared to even say anything back. Nor did you want to. Your best bet was making it seem like you left, but the longer time you waited, the nearer his footsteps got.

“Come out.”

[7-wonders]

‘laying wide awake at night after watching a horror movie that left them unnerved’

could you do that prompt with the reader being the one who can’t sleep and Adrian comforting them and promising he’ll keep them safe?

I had two people request this prompt, thank you! Man I've MISSED writing for Adrian, this was so fun.

You've made a lot of dumb decisions in your life, though that's not specific to you. No, being human is about making dumb decisions. What is life if not a string of dumb decisions, one after the other?

Still, letting Harcourt and Economos pick The Exorcist: Believer for a team movie night instead of fighting harder for your and Peacemaker's choice, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, probably ranks up towards the top of your list of dumb decisions.

It probably wouldn't have even been that scary of a movie if you weren't watching it in the movie theater! Yes, The Exorcist scares you (you don't know a person who isn't scared by that movie), but it doesn't terrify you—there is a distinct difference between the two. Watching it in a darkened room, in surround sound, with 100+ other people just as scared as you are? That's terror at its finest.

After the movie was over, every member of The 11th Street Kids excitedly talked about how good it was, how scared they remained. Yet none of them looked affected or like they actually were still scared, so you pushed down your own fear and laughed it off as well. You went out for a couple of after-movie drinks, kissed Adrian goodbye as he went on patrol with Chris, and went home.

Now you're here, lying paralyzed under the covers and staring through the dark room intently as you try to discern if you're actually seeing something lurking in the inky blackness. Are those the yellow eyes of one of the possessed little girls, glowing dimly in the dark? If you strain your ears enough, can you hear the Latin of the exorcism? Your body begins to shake in fear, and you slowly draw the covers up over your head.

So wrapped up in your own mind are you that you miss the quiet sound of the door slowly opening. After having worked at A.R.G.U.S for a few years, it should be second nature to catch on to the feeling of the air shifting outside of your safe haven. But fear is a very powerful thing.

When something grabs the blanket and tugs it down, you scream.

The lights flick on as you do so, blinding you momentarily. When you blink the brightness out of your eyes, you come face-to-face with Adrian, your boyfriend. He's still in his Vigilante costume, which means he's just come back from patrolling. His mask is pulled off, and he's staring at you in bewilderment.

"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you up!" Adrian apologizes profusely.

"You didn't," you assure him, even as you try to get your heart to stop beating in your throat. "I wasn't able to fall asleep."

"Really? That's weird, you're always asleep by the time I come home." He hits the screen of your phone, lying on the nightstand, to check the time. "Do you know that it's three thirty right now? You're supposed to have a full eight hours of sleep to function healthily, and you're not gonna be able to get that."

Your lips twitch up in a smile. "I know."

"Then why aren't you asleep?"

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise!" His face is so earnest, and you wonder why anybody would think that your open book of a boyfriend didn't have emotions.

"It's because of that stupid fucking movie."

"Which stupid fucking movie?" he asks cluelessly.

"The one that we saw only a few hours ago?"

Clarity dawns on him. "Oh, that stupid fucking movie! I didn't know it scared you that bad, pumpkin!"

You appreciate the seasonal term of endearment, probably one of the more tame ones that he's come up with. "You mean it didn't scare you?"

"It was a little scary, I guess. Maybe I'm just built different."

"You almost cried when we went on 'It's a Small World,'" you remind him, referencing your trip to Disney World.

"Hey, those dolls are fucking scary and definitely have the souls of children trapped in them!" Adrian defends. He must see something in your face that betrays just how scared you've been since you arrived home, because his own softens. "Man, that movie really scared you, huh?"

You nod, and he nods back.

"Alright, then." He sits on the bed abruptly, pulling you into his arms and laying down on the mattress with you.

"What—Adrian, you're all sweaty! You need to go shower!"

"Not until you fall asleep. I'm gonna stay right here and keep you safe."

"You know that I know the movie's not real, right?"

"I know. But your fear is. So I'm gonna make sure that you fall asleep, and then I'll fight off any nightmares if they try to come knocking."

He's so sweet sometimes that it makes your teeth ache. "What about your eight hours of sleep?"

"Screw that, I can catch some zzz's at the office tomorrow."

You laugh. "When you're supposed to be doing the mission paperwork that you've been putting off for over a week now?"

"Pssh, paperwork, shmaperwork."

Your conversation dies down, and Adrian reaches a long arm over to turn the lights off. Despite your best efforts, your eyes close from the heaviness of sleep calling to you, Adrian's humming and his hand rubbing your back helping to get you there. The memory of fear zings through your brain, however, and you jolt with a sharp gasp, feeling like you do when you're about to sleep and have the sensation of falling.

Adrian's immediately holding you tighter, making sure that you feel him with you. "Don't worry, I'm right here."

You nod and settle back into him. "Love you."

"I love you more...my moonlit lake." You chuckle, and that's the last thing you remember before finally falling asleep.

True to his word, Adrian makes sure that no nightmares bother you tonight.

7-wonders Halloween Spooktacular

[sonicasura]

Let's be honest with ourselves that Transformers Earthspark has its issues. It isn't uncommon for the series to have a few messy iterations throughout the years. However those at least have something going for them.

Bayverse is a junk pile yet there's a lot of material you can build off on and some pretty interesting concepts. RiD15 is an awful sequel to Prime but does decently well as a standalone although there are much needed changes to be had. Earthspark... Well, it's just there.

I can be lenient with the plot holes and poor pacing as Nickelodeon is notorious for interfering with any show that isn't SpongeBob to the point of cancellation. The issues truly land on the characters themselves. I'm gonna try to simplify it without devolving into a rant like the previous draft.

Edit: Gonna add some further edits as I wrote this in the middle of the night. Plus my simplified version skipped some key details.

Robby. Somehow they made a human character I actually dislike instead of be neutral about. In the official Transformers wiki, he's labeled as a big brother who cares for his siblings but his actions so far say otherwise. Robby literally ran away in the first episode because they moved then decided to try and hide the Terrans from his parents.

Yet he rarely gets enough consequences for his actions. I think we don't just need less Emberstone saves not just because of plot armor but force actual character growth on him. Like a life changing to one of his siblings as consequences for his actions and strained relationship until he gets his head outta his ass.

Edit: Yes, I know Robby is a teenager but that isn't a decent enough excuse for his behavior. Seen the trope about big brothers who do act closed off or at some points rude but they haven't done shit that put their family in serious danger. No, I didn't try to purposely forget the times he was injured badly.

There honestly needs to be less of those and his consequences be adjusted to it affects someone else badly. *

Next issue is lacking confrontation with Optimus choices alongside the obvious misplaced trust in the 13 Primes. Quintus Prime literally emotionally manipulated and scarred Mo through a fake bad ending reality because she doubted herself. No good person would do that, much less an actual ally. Even moreso on a child.

I seen this shit in Trollhunters but at least Jim, the main character, was a teenager. (It still was wrong though.) We also got remember that Liege Maximo and Megatronus/The Fallen are Primes. Yet somehow it is best to trust them.

Don't get me started with some of Optimus' choices when it comes to GHOST. He probably did it to protect his Autobots but what about the Decepticons who are locked away? Why are there so little of his companions with him especially since Bumblebee had fucking went into hiding before the show began.

There needs to be tension between Optimus with his Autobots. Someone is bound to snap and Bumblebee would have the biggest impact. The man clearly isn't okay as he's doing things that even Megatron admits ain't like him.

Mandroid needs to be written differently. He has the making of a sympathetic villain but oh boy. First off it is clear that his depiction is ableist aligned since the reason he doesn't like Cybertronians is because he lost his arm. Major thing to change right there.

Give him a narrative where his interest been genuine but slowly declines as the Autobot/Decepticon war increases the number of destroyed lives. Let him become a victim to this than just 'I lost my arm so death alongside experimentation to all Cybertronians'. Also don't make Mandroid ignore the obvious fact that the Transformers parts he puts into his body is slowly poisoning and instead come up with ways to fight the infection. Kinda like in Ironman 2 where Tony's arc reactor began to do the same thing.

Edit: Mandroid's negative views on Cybertronians are about the war and he's aware of the Energon poisoning. It is just that it is poorly portrayed to the point you rarely see it over his Arachnamechs/his ruined life.

Have the man present various evidence of destruction the war caused by both sides at the Malto children or anonymously spread such info around town to sew discontent with the townsfolk. 'These are the people who you consider heroes. Who you see as family and friends. Or should these tragedies be forgotten?'

Do a Baxter Stockman where you frequently see him try to fix the Energon poisoning than just simple dialogue. Even have testing on organic subjects to see how they react and find ways to counter it. Don't keep these key points as simple dialogue. *

I don't think Karen needs much changes either. 'But her taking over Cybertron doesn't make sense!' It actually does for one reason: hubris. Have you ever seen what happens when you give a control freak power? Their behavior becomes more erratic as they begin to think they deserve more. She is xenophobic in nature so imprisoning Decepticons and ordering around the Autobots is a drug to her.

Karen wants to treat them like slaves so the next step in her mind is Cybertron. Her death is well deserved and well played. Just like Icarus, the bitch flew too close to the sun.

I think the last major issue, other than out of character racist Shockwave, is the Terrans. No offense but they need a bit less screentime so the rest of the cast can shine. We barely see Alex and there's unclarified issues involving Bumblebee with Arcee if he's uncomfortable around her.

I also want their flaws to be at the forefront. Thrash is the only one who gotten such character development from his encounter with Swindle. We need more of that! Like Hashtag's overreliance on the Internet biting her back as she is forced to use real world skills.

Edit: I accidentally put in Terrans when I really meant Twitch. The screentime for everyone needs to be balanced mainly for the Malto family. Alex alongside the three younger Terrans rarely get involved or their characters further build upon. Twitch needs to get benched more.

Also the Dad Number 2 should really be addressed. Wheeljack was clearly uncomfortable when it been brought up. Plus it is way too fast to even consider such ideas unless you plan to have it addressed properly. Like 'Kid. We barely know each other yet somehow I became a father figure in an instant? It's best not to do that until you truly certain "Dad Number 2" doesn't mean harm or feels comfortable with it.' *

Earthspark clearly has potential but these problems need to be handled better. Addong the deleted scenes help add some clarification but canon needs to present it. We are supposed to get a second season so hopefully some of these are addressed.

[cinnbar-bun]

Unrefined

Pairing: P5 Protag x GN!Reader (Ren Amamiya is used as his name)

Summary: Ren is happy to see you again after being separated from you for many years since you two were children. However, he knows he's not exactly the best choice for a boyfriend. In order to look cool, he tries to approach you as Joker.

Of course, reality isn't always that easy and he learns that looking cool isn't the most important thing when it comes to love and friendships.

Rating: G

A/n: Ahhhh I'm loving P5R and I'm loving Ren very much!

Ren was many things growing up. He was rather lackadaisical, unsure of himself, and oftentimes, just plain messy. He was caring and sweet, but his airheadedness had, on multiple occasions, led to some awkward encounters with other people. It was mostly through growing up together that you had understood what he really meant, but not everyone was willing to make the time. 

You two had been inseparable as kids, always doing everything with one another. You had seen each other at your most awkward and weirdest- like when you got braces or when he broke his arm trying to do cool moves on the jungle gym. You dressed up in matching costumes and outfits for all sorts of events. He even took you to the middle school dance when no one else bothered with you two. You shared your dreams, worst nightmares, struggles- everything. 

Yet, that connection had to be strained when your parents were relocated to Tokyo for work. 

His home just wasn’t the same without you. So you two tried to keep contact with each other every day. Texting, calling, sending emails or doing video calls together was such a normal part of his routine. 

He told you about how your old home was doing, anything new that was going (there was rarely anything new, though) so a majority of it was spent discussing Tokyo. 

“You’d never believe all the lights! It’s crazy bright over here.” 

“Yeah, I don’t think I can. Sounds like a hassle, though. Aren’t all those people and lights annoying?” 

You only laughed at his response- of course shy and withdrawn Ren would never love a city like this. 

Years passed and you two did your best to continue talking, but slowly every day became every other day, to maybe once a week, to sporadically whenever. There was just a lot to deal with, and life at Shujin Academy was anything but easy. He just had to settle for brief text messages and possible calls and gifts for things like birthdays and holidays. 

He was stressed after his hearing, so he broke his personal rule of trying to leave you some space to send a message. 

Hey it’s kinda urgent do you have time to call? 

“Hey, Ren, what’s u-,” you gasped. You looked at him like he was an alien from outer space, and he figured it must be because of how awful he looked right now. 

“Something wrong? You just stopped talking,” he commented. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry. What’s up? You said it was urgent. Are you doing okay?” You sent a barrage of questions his way and Ren slid a hand through his hair. 

“Want the good news or bad news first?” He responded, ignoring your questions. 

“Um…” you rose an eyebrow at what he could have possibly done to warrant this question. “Bad first?” 

“I’m on probation.” 

“WHAT?” You screamed, yet Ren didn’t flinch. “What do you mean probation? What the hell did you do?” 

“Some asshole framed me for assault when I was protecting a woman,” he casually answered, as if it was just a normal occurrence for him. 

“Seriously? And you still got in trouble?” 

“Yeah. It sucks, honestly,” he sighed. 

“Jeez I’m…” You looked crestfallen at his explanation and he felt bad he made you feel so glum. “I’m sorry.” 

“Not your fault. Besides, there’s some good news.” 

“What’s the good news? Please don’t give me another heart attack.” 

“I’m moving to Tokyo. Some guy my parents are friends with is taking me in while I’m on probation. And I’m going to that Sunshine Academy you go to.” 

“It’s Shujin, for one thing,” you corrected him. “But you’re really coming to Tokyo? Oh my gosh, it’s gonna be like the old times again! I have so many places to show you and take you! You’re gonna love it, I promise.”

“Eh, I dunno. I’m just gonna try and avoid those places. Sorry, I know you probably wanted it to be super fun and all, but I don’t wanna go to jail. It’s a miracle they even left me with only probation. I’m even donning a disguise.” 

“A disguise? What do you mean?” 

He pulled up a pair of black, thick-framed glasses. 

You pinched the bridge of your nose and shook your head. 

“That’s not a disguise. Come on, Ren, you can’t be serious.” 

“I am. Look,” he put the glasses on and you stared at him deeply. You looked deep in thought and he wondered what was crossing your mind. “See? No one would punch a guy with glasses.” 

“You’re hopeless,” you chuckled at his antics. 

“But you still love me, right?” He whined, pouting like a child. 

“Of course,” you said, the words slipping right out of you. A warm smile crept on your lips as you gazed at him. “So… when you come to Tokyo, I’ll make sure you have the best probation ever. You can even visit my house. It’s got a nice view of the city and we have a great diner nearby.” 

He smiled for what felt like the first time in a while since this miserable incident. 

“Thanks, (Y/n), I know I can always count on you.” 

A few more pleasantries were exchanged and you two logged off, leaving him staring alone at his own reflection from his computer. He looked down at himself and frowned. 

Great, he was going to see his best friend (and crush) for the first time in years, and it’s because he was accused of committing a crime. In some ways, though, he felt safe with you and could put his probation aside. 

He hoped you would continue to be his friend in Tokyo. It was probably going to be a long year there, and he wasn’t looking forward to all the judgmental people. So much for being a guy you could depend on. Just like always, you were the one who would have to help him and accept him. He wished he was not this lame dude who couldn’t even handle a few rumors, but this isolation was killing him.

----

Ren always knew he wasn’t the most attractive guy ever. Or the smartest. Or the most courageous or confident. Barely had any talents or future aspirations beyond “just make it to the weekend”. He was pretty below-average, all things considered. And he was honest about that, like he was with pretty much everything else. He didn’t like beating around the bush or lying to others. 

Sadly, his big mouth got him into this probation (he still didn’t regret it) but man, it was exhausting to try and bite his tongue back at every opportunity. 

He couldn’t fight back or argue when the people made audacious claims about him. Couldn’t say a thing when people purposefully riled him up to get him to act out. Ren couldn’t even properly ask out the best friend he had loved since they were kids. Nor could he defend them whenever someone tried to spread rumors about them because of their association with him. 

But, that was Ren. 

Joker, however, was a completely different story. Joker was cool, suave, elegant- everything the clumsy second-year wasn’t. He could flirt with monsters and defeat evil while looking completely badass doing it. 

But it’s not like he could be Joker all the time, not with the Phantom Thieves working in the shadows and him still being under the watchful eye of almost everyone in society. He had to keep it quiet. 

Joker was Ren’s safe space to act out and be the man he wished to be. No one knew who he was, no one held any expectations for him- they just knew he was there to get the job done. And he did it, flawlessly, every time. 

Which is why it was frustrating Ren would get so tongue-tied the minute he wished to talk to you. 

The years were kind to you- very kind to you, actually- and he marveled at how you grew to be more confident and proud than when you were younger. You had a steady head on your shoulders, leading you to be the secretary of the student council and great in your club activities. 

He wished he could spill everything to you, everything about the Phantom Thieves, the Metaverse, personas- it would be so much easier if you knew. But he knew that if he bothered, you would simply laugh and say he probably was pounding too many energy drinks. None of it was believable, even to his own self. 

He hated lying to you, he despised it so much, but you were too understanding to call him out on his bullshit. You knew he was lying through his teeth about being ‘busy’, and he knew you were lying when you would smile and say you were ‘fine’ when he would miss out on another outing. 

He didn’t know how to make it up to you or truly admit he was the Phantom Thief that had grown so popular. 

He had brought this question up to his team members, and frankly, all of them were sending mixed signals. 

“Do not reveal your identity to them! They could be a traitor and rat us all out! Or worse, they could try and use you!” Makoto would say. 

“You should totally reveal it! And you love them a lot, right? Maybe you can make it up to them by taking them to an all-you-can-eat buffet with extra dessert!” Ann squealed. 

“No, make it meat! They gotta love that, right?” Ryuji would add. 

“I would say a buffet is not classy enough. You wish to showcase your heart’s true intentions to them, no? You should whisk them away to a beautiful resort and craft a gorgeous jewel that they can wear to remind them of you and-” 

“Yusuke… you do recognize Ren is a poor high school kid, right?” Futaba raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think he even has a dollar to his name, right now.” 

“I have twenty dollars to my name, thank you very much,” Ren corrected. “Wait- no- that’s not the point.” 

And then he was back to square one. Sure, he read Reckless Casanova and The Art of Charm, and it did help as Joker, but he was helpless when it came to you. 

There’s no way you’d like whimpering, pathetic Ren, especially when compared to the city boys of Tokyo, who were way flashier, energetic, and could treat you right. Unlike him, who couldn’t even say a word when people smeared your name. 

That’s when a thought came to mind- he should confess to you as Joker! Joker was everything Ren was not, and you’d surely fall for him, right? All he’d have to do is play it cool as Joker, and you’d be swooning for him in no time!

He imagined the scenario in his head.

You were there, sitting in your dark room with your balcony window open. He would jump through the buildings and smoothly glide to your balcony. You would be breathless at the sight of this handsome phantom thief, who looked so similar to someone you knew, but unlike him, this man was cooler. Better. Smarter. He was the entire package. 

You would be crying over that lame good-for-nothing boy who gave you nothing but trouble, and Joker would wipe your tears away. 

Perhaps he’d say a really nice line in French to really hammer in the ‘phantom thief’ act. You’d embrace him and he’d confess your undying love to him, and you would accept it in a heartbeat. 

Yeah, this plan had zero chance of failing. 

----

Ren, donning his disguise and mask, descended upon your rooftop. He made sure to be as quiet as possible, hoping to fulfill the dream movie scenario he had planned up. It was foolproof, he’d smugly thought. 

As he was preparing to jump down to your balcony, he noticed something shuffling near him. 

Was it someone watching him? He turned back to see a group of rats in the darkness, watching him. 

“Shoo! Go away!” He swatted at them. Some went scrambling and he thought he was in the clear. That was until he heard their chittering and squeaking. The group had ran back to him and were hissing at him, and he brought out his dagger. “Shit-!” 

The rats lunged at him and he quickly jumped down on your balcony to avoid getting bitten by one of them. He crashed onto the floor and groaned in pain, cursing the rats and the concrete of the balcony. 

He heard some shuffling and the balcony door swung open, revealing a very angry you with your cellphone at your side. 

“Wonder what-” you screamed as you locked eyes with him, and slammed the door shut. “Who the hell are you?! Get the hell out of here or I’m calling the police!” 

You typed something on your phone and Ren was panicking. Shit, he couldn’t mess up or get caught by the police. That would ruin his life and everyone else in the Phantom Thieves’s life. 

“W-wait! S’il vous plait!” He screeched one of the few phrases of French he knew. He slapped himself internally at the fact he even used French when you were trying to call the cops. 

Great job, brainiac. 

You seemed taken aback by him until you put your phone down and raised a knowing eyebrow at him. 

“Ren? What are you doing?” You asked.

Now he was in deep shit. He quickly stood up and posed by the balcony, as if he was just casually strolling by. 

“I don’t know who-” Crap, I can’t use my voice. He cleared his throat and tried to make it deeper. “Uh, I mean, I don’t know who this ‘Ren’ person is.” 

You looked unimpressed, and he knew his cover was blown. 

“Ren, what’s with the get up and trying to break into my house?” 

“I assure you, (Y/n), I was not trying to break into your house!” He answered in his fake, deep voice. 

You strode over to him, and he leaned back into the balcony ledge, trying to avoid touching you. 

Too close! Too fast! Shit! Abort! Abort! Abort mission! We’ll get them next time!

“So, mysterious stranger who is not Ren,” you sarcastically began, “what are you doing here?” 

You stepped closer and he leaned closer against the edge. He peered down and saw how far below the sidewalk was and gulped. 

“I-I am- gah!” He felt his body slip over the ledge after he tried to lean against it. He yelped and quickly brought out his grappling hook and shot it to your balcony, before slinging himself back up. 

He sat on the ledge, crossing his leg over the other and running a hand through his hair as if he wasn’t about to fall to his death just seconds before. 

“I couldn’t help but um, couldn’t help but be taken aback with your beauty, mon amour!” He dramatically stated, winking at you and handing you a (crumpled) rose he had picked out earlier for this very moment. 

Unlike in the dream sequence he conjured up, you were not breathless or swooning- instead, you were laughing. 

“Oh my gosh, Ren, what the hell is all this?” You said in between bouts of laughter. 

Normally, he loved your laugh, but in this situation, he felt his pride crumble to dust. 

“I… I, uh…” Not even Joker could save him. He could practically hear Arsene in the back of his head howling in laughter at the way he messed up. 

Ren sighed and took off the mask. 

“Yeah, okay, you figured it out, it’s me,” he said, defeated and exhausted. You wiped the tears out of your eyes and examined him. 

“Wait, no way! You’re part of the Phantom Thieves-” you loudly exclaimed, and Ren shushed you quickly. 

“You can’t reveal it out loud! I’m not even supposed to be here!” 

“Sorry,” you complied, whispering to him. “You’re part of the Phantom Thieves?” 

He nodded. 

“Yes, you’re looking at the leader of them.” 

“No way…” You stared, gobsmacked. 

“Listen, I get it, it’s hard to believe and you may think I’m crazy but-” 

“Huh? This explains everything!” You grinned. “I just… I just thought you were avoiding me and didn’t wanna see me again. You avoided me for so long and always hung out with the others, I assumed you got tired of me! But really, you were a part of the Ph-” 

“Shhhh! Not so loud!” He whisper-shouted. 

You fanned yourself and he noticed your eyes were becoming wet with tears. Your face was turning red and you were straining yourself to not cry.

“Crap, I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he apologized. “This wasn’t how I wanted this to go…” 

“Well, you idiot, of course you make me cry. We were best friends and this whole time I thought you hated me. Why didn’t you just tell me sooner? Why didn’t you trust me? Did you think I would have told on you? And now you’re coming here randomly at night and pretending you’re not even you! Don’t you know how that looks to me?” 

“I know, I know I…” he shamefully looked at the ground. “I know. I messed up. I messed up really bad but that’s why I came. I didn’t know who to trust, and I didn’t want you to get hurt because of me. And I see that I was the fool for not believing in you to begin with. You were always too good for me, (Y/n). So I wanted to be upfront with you and give you this.” 

Ren extended his hand to show the broken rose again as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I’m not perfect. I’m not as handsome, or as rich, or as cool as the other guys and I am a huge coward. I run at every opportunity. But I wanted to have you see me as… you know… someone better than me. Someone who could treat you right, defend you, and not have you always try to care for them. I know I’ve been an asshole, and I wanted to fix it. I wanted to just be someone you could rely on for a moment. Because you mean the world to me. Always have.” 

You gasped and he looked at you to see your reaction. A few tears had fallen down your cheek and you covered your mouth in shock. 

“Sorry, I know you’re probably upset so I’ll leave-” he began, putting a leg over the ledge to jump down when you grabbed him. 

“D-don’t walk away, idiot! You didn’t even let me respond!” You shouted tearfully. He settled back onto the balcony and you threw your arms around him. “You’re really dense. You’re not a bother to me and I don’t want anyone but you. I don’t want this Joker guy, or those other people in our school. I just want you, Ren. Did you really think I would continue hoping for you to see me more if I didn’t care for you? Did you really think I would wait around for just about anybody?” 

Now he felt his face heat up. 

“Wait, you mean it? You like me too?” His gray eyes sparkled under the moonlight and his smile was wide. He must have looked so stupid, but he didn’t care at this moment. He was just happy you didn’t hate him and actually liked him!

“Yes, but if you wanna make it up to me, you have to promise something.” You pushed yourself off of him for a brief moment and had a serious look on your face. 

“Anything.” 

“No more lying to me like that. Please don’t hide things from me.” 

“I promise.” 

“Good. Don’t underestimate the both of us together. I rely on you just as much as you rely on me, silly. You don’t have to be anything other than you. I like how dorky and lame you are sometimes.” 

Ren let out an offended gasp. 

“I’m not dorky!” You smirked and pulled him down by the collar. He felt his heart race a mile a minute and he was curious what you were going to do next. 

“Shut up and kiss me already, Ren,” you laughed, and he felt himself melt at the sound of your voice. 

“Of course, my treasure,” he grinned as he tried to go through every tip those romantic books wrote in his head. 

He pressed his lips against yours gently, almost unsure if he should even go through with it. You kissed him back and he felt himself slowly let go of his insecurities and enjoy your presence like this. 

The need for air arose so he (unfortunately) separated himself from you. You laughed quietly as you stared into his eyes, and he wanted to memorize every detail about you. 

“You kiss a bit too well, Ren, don’t tell me you practiced with someone else?” You teased. 

“N-no I just… read a lot of books.” You snorted at his response and pressed a kiss to his nose. 

“Gosh, you’re the best. Don’t tell me you also learned your terrible French from those books too?” 

“Maybe…” 

Sure he wasn’t perfect, but in this moment. There was nobody he’d rather be than himself in all his imperfect glory.

[grasshopperdoingdogpaddle]

Hypothetically speaking; if Omi, Kimiko, Raimundo or Clay drank the Lao Mang Lone Soup, what do you think their respective Heylin monster forms would be? What would their evil personalities be like?

Please note though that the personalities we saw when each one of them briefly turned to the dark side hardly count, since, A.) Heylin Raimundo was just Rai going through some emotional problems and looking for both an alternative choice and an outlet to take all of his frustration and anger out on, B.) Omi and Kimiko only turned evil because they both had their respective good sides magically removed by the Ying-Yang World, so, it’s kind of hard to count that as seeing what they would be like if they turned to the dark side, and C.) Clay was merely possessed by an evil entity, meaning that every single bad thing that we saw him do or say was all just Sibini using him for a puppet

I definitely subscribe to gravity-what's theory that "Lao Mang Lone soup transformations work by latching on to a person’s insecurities and current mental state."

Hence, Chase looking very much like a traditional, reptilian dragon/drake that even incorporates some of his spiky hair into its design, because Chase took the time to contemplate it and knew what he was getting into and ultimately decided he wanted this path to make the legendary name for himself that he envisioned, regardless of it costing him everything he believed in and everyone he loved.

And Guan having this harder exterior and a much more haphazard mix of pincers and claws and natural weapons because, when he accepted Hannibal's offer, it was some time after a strain had appeared in his and Chase's relationship with Chase having this unresolved enmity from not getting to drink the soup when he had resolved to abandon everything. So Guan wanted a means to lash out, but also a defensive outer shell to harden his heart.

So, my thoughts for how each monk's Lao Mang Long dragon form might be:

I love gravity-what's design for dragon Omi, can't improve upon perfection.

Tiny, but with this frill he can flare up to make himself look and feel bigger and scarier. Claws and fangs that are good for sharp, quick attacks. A tale that's not a good weapon but serves for good balance, so he's very agile and fast. Hyperactive and vicious, but still has this surprisingly kitten-like adorableness to him somehow. Confused and angry and tricked and lost but feisty and determined and sharp and wide-eyed and naive, this form definitely captures the moment!

He's scared and confused, and was tricked into it again, but he's always been a fighter, and he's prepared to fight now, too.

Once he acclimates, though, he'll be fueled by loyalty and devotion like he always is, so it's a matter of who he aligns himself with. There's no form of Omi that's ever going to want to go it alone, so he'd inevitably end up under someone he can cling to.

-

For Kimiko, her Heylin side is driven by ambition and passion. It was only half of her, but what we see is still genuine. She made it very clear, she wants the world, nothing more and nothing less.

Her dragon form would be the only one that incorporates her element into it, visually, and the only one that would have fur instead of scales. She'd look a lot like a Hisuian Typhlosion.

Hypnotically pretty in a dragon sorta way. Sleek, shiny, fireproof fur, beautiful eyes, fluffy ears and tail, graceful but powerful movements. A collar of ghostly flames that wisp and flare in a bright magenta red color. The ever-burning flames would be more of a Heylin magic thing and less of a true-burning fire by default, but they'll still burn whoever she wants them to burn. Kimiko's always been a little scared of getting too close to others and letting any shortcomings show, so the natural way to keep other's at whatever distance she wants or to draw them in with something eye-catching would suit her.

She can emit fire or smoke with a practiced ease, and its powers can be just as mystical and disorienting as they can be destructive.

She's still clever but temperamental, and is the dragon that'd be most focused on long-term goals, since her motivations are the most goal-oriented.

-

For Clay, he's a big guy that often tries to make himself seem smaller, take up less space.

We've never seen what it would take to drive him to the Heylin side, but we still have a lot of his hang-ups and motivations that we can draw from.

His dragon form would have the thickest skin, maybe even a hard outer shell of some sort he can retreat into. All defense. And his would have a "chameleon-like" (but more cuttlefish-like in the mechanics) ability to camouflage itself to any environment, even changing his texture and patterns to blend in. I don't have an exact visual analogue for this one, but if I had to pick, maybe something like the Mystery Shell Dragon from YuGiOh?

Clay would make some place his own, cultivate it, and be highly territorial over it. He'd have little interest in dominating the world, he just wants some corner of it that is his and his alone, like how he focused on building a new home in the alternate universe rather than actively fighting. But like Chase and Guan, he'd definitely gather up an army of people-turned-animals of some sort.

-

For Raimundo, he made the decision to betray his allies fueled by spite. He was fully of sound mind and didn't really have to be prodded or magically altered. Raimundo ultimately wanted the other monks taken down a peg. He was angry and frustrated, and he wanted to hurt them and make them feel as bad or worse than he did. That was more of a motivation for him than the riches.

Though the riches he sold out for were still some factor, so it'd be interesting if gold were incorporated into his dragon form somehow.

Aside from that, I think his form would be a bit like Guan's in that it would have a lot of natural weapons incorporated into it and boast a design most suited for offense, but far less shielded. An amalgamation of vulnerable sinew and sharp edges. He'd have a stinger on his tail, tusks and horns on his head, pincers on his hands, spikes along his body, rows of shark teeth, maybe even something projectile-like incorporated into his anatomy. The soup would draw out a form built for destruction and pain in accordance with his motivations for turning.

Again, I lack a perfect analogue here, but it'd be something to the vibe of Devidramon from Digimon.

[ken-katayanagi]

I’ve read your google docs of the katayanagi twins’ fashion. Super interesting stuff and I love it as both a fashion enthusiast and fan of the siblings. Your document really emphasizes the distinction between those two even with the very little info we have on them (kyle’s style could be late 80s japanese pop while ken’s style could be more leaning towards visual kei). Also matches their personalities (ramona mentioned kyle is the hothead of the two, so I guess the pretty and proper bad boy kind of look fits him)

Something about your endnote fascinates me, however. You mentioned something about the twins’ relationship being strained but then strengthened after ramona’s betrayal. Would you implore more on the idea? I’m now invested in it very much…. thank you and have a good day

Thank you!!! I mostly based my looks off this piece of concept art by O’Malley, which makes me think the personalities the twins had in their few anime appearances were just parts that weren’t as well communicated in Vol. 5

(I think that little doddle next to the crossed out “they’re not even Japanese” emphasizes that visual kei comparison you made)

But as for the second bit, I think the twins weren’t exactly on great terms, even before Ramona. A decent part of this has to do with my own personal head cannons surrounding Kyle and how I perceived his and Ramona’s relationship with alcohol, but also with just how different the twins seem to be under the surface. They seem like they would run in almost completely opposite social circles and be invested in similarly opposite things.

And it’s honestly really tied to their teens. Basically, their parents kinda unintentionally set up a dynamic where Kyle felt like Ken got away with everything (piercings, weird clothes, going out to band shows and having a more trusting relationship with their parents) and Ken thought Kyle couldn’t get his act together (partying, showing up back home late, getting in fight with their parents). Neither was true as in reality their parents let a lot of stuff with Ken slide that wouldn’t have otherwise because “well at least he’s not drunk” and Kyle was genuinely going through some serious mental shit but not telling anyone so his actions just looked super random and mean spirited. So by the time they get to college, they haven’t really addressed this weird image they have of the other in their heads.

And it explains how Ramona was even able to two time siblings. They’re not going to the same parties, they’re not really talking at length about their lives (since they never mention enough detail to make the other suspicious), they’re probably not really bothering each other much if they share a dorm. Ramona unconsciously sees and plays this divide, knowing they’re not really together enough for her to get caught.

It also emphasizes for me a very emotional aspect for all three of them. Ramona is hot off a messy break up (Roxie), the breakup that ended her first relationship with a women and also seems to be her first attempt at having something…maybe not serious but genuine (it seemed more important than anything with Matt Todd or Lucas). Shes hardly in the headspace to be in a relationship, and maybe after some nights out, she’s terrified and not sure what to do because whoops she’s in two! And the longer it goes on the less Ramona actually wants to fix it because it’s kinda fun in a messed up way, and the twins aren’t bad company…until it all comes crashing down and she’s out the door before they even notice she’s gone. I think Ramona’s relationship with the twins is her at her actual lowest, with her being most at fault for what happened and the least justified in bolting afterwards. This low point is exactly when Gideon finds her, unsure and upset at herself, in exactly the position to manipulate her. (Sorry if this came off a little Ramona bash-y, I love Ramona but this girl makes bad choices)

As for the twins, I think the really strong emotional beat here is the idea of how avoidable it would’ve felt for them. How if they had just been able to set aside their own bullshit, if they had even bothered to connect at all, they could’ve figured it out in a few days, rather than in a few weeks or a few months. Ramona’s betrayal is catalyst for them to sit down and just…talk out a lot of their own personal crap.

But yeah that’s why. Sorry this got super massively long, but I hope you liked it and it wasn’t too ramblely lol.

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

Arc 1, Reflections

Well, Arc 1 down, time to reflect.

First and foremost, I do like it. I mean, I'm not really happy in some ways that I'm committing myself to reading this whole thing, and a significant part of the reason I'm reading worm now is because I have fic ideas I developed after reading all the discussions I read and reading various fanfics, and I at least have enough self-respect as a fanfic writer to believe one needs to read the source material to write fanfic about it.

Also spite, tbh. Because while yes, one cannot have a completely informed opinion about things that happen in a story without consuming that story, one can still have a reasonably informed opinion under some circumstances, and I'm going to find out if my opinion on the thing is the same once I've read the whole thing. (I was going to read it eventually anyway, or so was the plan, but spite plays a role in why now. If my opinion doesn't change, I'll feel vindicated, if it does, I'll never mention the previous thing again and pretend it never happened).

Anyway:

As a first arc, there's not that much that happens apart from the Lung Fight (which is like saying not much happens in the first half of a New Hope that isn't Darth Vader killing Obi-Wan, I suppose), but there's some vital establishing character moments, key worldbuilding, and a ton of tantalizing questions left open - what caused Taylor to be hospitalized? Where did the powers come from? If you judge the timelines around, the two are linked, obviously.

Why do Emma, Sophia and Madison hate her? Why is the school system quite this fucking broken (Which, tbh, I don't really buy. Each part of the bullying feels realistic, but the whole picture *and* the sheer degree by which the system is just... doing nothing, really does strain credulity. There's a reason a lot of fanfics use various fanon explanations to try to make sense of it. As a whole, it all feels a bit gratuitous).

I believe I heard once that Wildbow tried out a lot of main characters for this story before settling on Taylor, and I wonder what it is about Taylor in particular that made him think it was such a good choice. She doesn't seem a bad choice, and obviously without Taylor Worm either doesn't exist or is unrecognizable, so obviously it worked out.

Danny wants to be a good dad, and just... can't. There's too much going on, crossing that distance is hard, and each day it gets harder.

Taylor desperately wants to be a hero, but stumbles right out of the gate.

Armsmaster is a hero, but he's also a bit of a prick, even if his prickishness in this scene has been overstated.

The powers and the way they work, such as we know of them, are fascinating to think about so far. How do they interact, what cancels what, etc? I can certainly see why this story would have hit Spacebattles's buttons so very hard - right at the start you get the seemingly weak power being overoptimized and used to nearly take down a guy like Lung, who is presented as a huge hitter. Sure, it take's Bitch's dogs to really take him down at the end, but even then, the dogs alone probably wouldn't have been enough either.

But when Taylor used her powers cleverly, along with a bit of luck, and then the fortuitous arrival of the Undersiders to help finish the job... well, in the end, it does rather work.

Overall, I can also see why people bitch about TINO so much - though I suspect a lot of that is people not understanding things like different interpretations or not thinking about how different experiences will change a person - but also, I can see why it would come up so much.

Taylor's voice is a little hard to pick out, because... well, it's all Taylor's voice except in the interludes. But the writing in the main chapters (of Arc 1 anyway)... it feels more like... narration that is detached, than by a character who's right there in it all, feeling the emotions.

Honestly, I felt more emotional depth from Danny in his 3rd person interlude than I did from Taylor in her 1st person main story, at least pound for pound.

Not that we don't get any hints of Taylor's emotional state at various places, we do, but it feels much more... tell, rather than show.

Which may be a function of the way Taylor acts and feels, especially after a year and a half of bullying, but I also think it's a limitation of the 1st person narration, tbh.

There's a reason why I don't really care for it. Not enough to make me not read it, but enough to be noticeable.

Anyway, all this aside, I do like it. Fic ideas or spite aside, if I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't choke it down. I'm not that kind of masochist, nor do I have that kind of time.

[shifuto]

I wonder if Lu Guang is that way because of his power

I finished rewatching season 1 and, honestly, it feels like his power is a curse: he is able to observe the past through photos, going as far as 12 hours in the "future" of these photos. He cannot change that past or intervene in any way

he has no choice but think/act critically, to remain detached, and it makes me wonder how much of the "future" has he seen through photos, about his own future, about his family, about his friends. We know very little about him and absolutely nothing about his past

of course, things started changing when he met Cheng Xiaoshi and they were able to use their abilities together - it was a perfect fit after all: an observer guiding the actor, judgment and execution

but their personalities are just too different so a lot of conflicts arise..

in episode 5, I guess was the moment when the cracks start to show.. so far, Lu Guang have been observing and, while with Cheng Xiaoshi, walking through the past while trying to not change much - and he is right after all.. changing the past can cause the future as they know to stop existing, which would mean even their lives could be no more

did he take that risk before? Or was it just preventive? Is he scared of changing the past if he had the opportunity to do so because that would mean a new present? He won't touch on certain nodes and paradoxes out of a taboo of sorts?

I guess, logically, it seems easier to be a mere spectator (while, if you're the one dealing with something, of course you'll want to change a "bad" outcome or make a move) but is it really easier.....?

and, if I understood his power well, it really does mean he can see the future. If he sees a photo from the "present" moment, let's say.. taken minutes ago, he would still be able to see 12 hours ahead, huh? He can know what will happen to anyone at anytime and he's absolutely powerless to do anything about it (if he so wishes)

I wonder if his overall detachment has to do with that, with the pain of merely observing through a power he probably had no choice but obtaining/being born with, with all the prospective loss and death he must have witnessed (when the "links" are lost and he can't see any further), maybe there's a fear of getting too close to someone, anyone, just to lose them in the end

Lu Guang approached him, Cheng Xiaoshi "picked" him up and they became friends and work partners. Because their powers are a complement to each other, their relationship has, at least, that common point. It's interesting to see Lu Guang being constantly "tested" by Cheng Xiaoshi's "unpredictable" predictability, and seeing how he adapts and changes

it is also interesting seeing how his detachment put a huge strain on their relationship at times. Cheng Xiaoshi has no intention of changing him after all, that's where and how they met each other, that's how their relationship started and how it's been working so far (and the feeling is probably mutual, too.. it explains why Lu Guang goes "with the flow" more often than not, even if he's the one that has to fix the other's mistakes as they come)

"please, show that you care"

"I can't"

he cares but he shouldn't care, that will only cause pain

I also wonder about Cheng Xiaoshi's power a lot.. it seems he has not used it before on his own?

I wonder if his power is actually an extension of Lu Guang's, since he's the one that seems like the person who made the "terms" in which his power is activated ("the promise of a high five" explained in episode 9)?

so we have the mysterious Lu Guang, who seemed knowledgeable of these powers and their implications and consequences, and Cheng Xiaoshi, who started dealing with the aftermath and trauma of these "dives" first-hand

...

it's likely we'll never get explanations for most these questions.. but I guess that can be a good thing, too

now onto season 2 rewatch..

[lasi-nariyoyoreads]

Also Sehun and Junmyeon? thank you 🙏

Suho and Sehun's relationship according to tarots

Disclaimer:

My readings are made for fun and you should read them for fun too. So don't take them seriously. 

The lovers, 10 of swords, temperance

That's a very interesting combination of cards.

At first they had a great union, similar values, lot of respect for each other, a great feeling between them, very intense relationship.

Then sh1t happened at some point.

10 of swords indicates betrayal, severed tied and hitting the bottom, so their relationship was strained at some point.

I don't know if something happened between them, or if they were stressed out and/or with a poor mental health, either way they were on very bad terms.

The last card points to a pacification between the two. As coworkers and in honor of what they shared in the past, they probably forgave each other and began a new and more mature phase of their relationship.

Now their relationship might be less intense, but it's more balanced and peaceful.

If I have to be honest, the cards look like they're narrating the story of a father and a child at first, then the child becomes a teenager and they begin to argue and lastly the son who finally becomes an adult starts to understand better the father.

What Suho thinks about Sehun

Rev 2 of cups, 8 of pentacles, rev the justice

He felt there is an imbalance between them, it's possible he thinks he has more affection for him than the other way round. He might think he cares less about him and that it's somehow one-sided?

I can also see rx 2 of cups pointing at Junmyeon thinking that Sehun isn't that good when it comes to relationships with other people, for example he doesn't know how to be agreeable, he might speak in a way that isn't considered proper in certain situations etc.

He considers him as a hard-worker, someone ready to try new challenges, successful and very productive.

He thinks he can be unfair sometimes, lack common sense.

I think Suho might think he needs to guide him or fix some of his bad antics.

What Sehun thinks about Suho

Rev high priestess, rev the chariot, knight of pentacles

He thinks Suho is too focused on other people's opinions and too self-sacrificing.

Sehun might've felt a bit too controlled? Like don't do this or don't do that.

High pristess is a card related to intuition and inner world, he might've felt repressed and not heard.

In Sehun's eyes, he might make unreasonable choices, maybe for the sake of others, the group or the company.

He might think Suho should listen more to his inner voice and, in a way, be a bit more selfish.

He thinks he's a patient person, hardworking, persistent, someone who gets what he wants in the end, responsible and with common sense.

[hazbinsinners]

;; oh! also!

i don't think i have any molly or arackniss blogs following me, but i feel like i should probably talk about how my angel views his relationships with his siblings and his family in general since it hasn't been disclosed yet --

for the past four years i've had his background pretty cemented, and that includes his siblings. so:

-- molly is his absolute world. he loves molly more than anything; probably even more than his mother. molly is older than him by two years and she pretty much raised him. however, she died by accident because of a fight with their father that angel caused. towards the end of his human life, when he was addicted to drugs, he didn't care much about what happened to him anymore. so he would start fights with his dad that would sometimes escalate into gun fights ( he was in the mob, but i think i've made that clear already so i won't talk too much about that right now ). molly got in the middle of one because she was trying to protect angel and she bled out from the shot inflicted. angel blames himself wholly for her death, and it is one of the leading causes of his overdose that took his life and planted him in hell. he died about three months after molly did.

-- his relationship with arackniss is . . . strained at best. arackniss is younger than him by a year, and he was always the troublemaker. he was bold and threw caution to the wind; he was reckless, and in doing so, he became their dad's favorite. but technically, since angel was older, he was in line to inherit everything once their father died. this caused a lot of resentment between the two brothers ( and their father ) because angel didn't want to run the mob, but arackniss did. but neither of them had a choice. arackniss was also the one who got him into drugs in the first place.

-- angel's mother was actually lobotomized when he was about eight years old. it was an arranged marriage, and she wanted out, but he couldn't have that ( mob things ) and so he wound up lobotomizing her which was somewhat common back in the time period he was alive in. angel remembers who she was before, but very faintly; he mostly just remembers crying and clinging to the zombie that used to be his mother. she used to be so full of life, at least for / in front of the kids, and now she hardly had any at all. she was also treated as far more of an object and possession than a person; she was the mafioso's wife. that was her title, that's all she was. incredibly sad, but also extremely common in his environment.

-- angel's father was an absolute piece of shit. he would take his anger out on the kids ( of which he had just for status and possession reasons; he never loved them to begin with, he just had favorites based on who was the most useful, which constantly made the siblings -- or at least arackniss and angel -- fight for his approval ) and he would pretty much throw his family to the wolves when he could. if he ever protected them, it was because it would look bad on his image if he didn't. he also had them for fake leverage; angel and his siblings have been kidnapped several times before because someone from another gang thinks that his father will be crippled by his absence and willing to do whatever it takes to get them back. it's not true, of course; they serve as a diversion to the things angel's dad really cared about. though angel never really figured out what that even was. he was heartless; it was difficult to see him care about anything.

that being said! if any molly or arackniss blogs do follow me, this is all extremely flexible! this is just his canon, if he's talking about his life with someone, this is what he will be referencing.

[suuho]

Hi! What do you think of Changmin (TVXQ)? Personally, I think he is one of the most talented and attractive men in kpop. I would love it if you could do a small write-up about him. No pressure, though.

this is honestly such a funny ask, because i am yunho biased and i always have been when it comes to tvxq. but!!! i love changmin, and i think he is hysterical, lmao. he really is someone who keeps it real, and i love that he is neither afraid to speak his mind, put people in their place, or just live his life the way he wants to. it helps that he has yunho by his side, for sure, who would probably burn down this entire planet and bend the earth in half if anyone were to actually give changmin shit, but the funniest thing about the fact that yunho will always support changmin is, that it has made changmin quite audacious. he really lets changmin do whatever and changmin has spent his entire career taking advantage of that. as he should, obv.

anyways, my thesis in defense of shimothy maximilian changmin.

i've talked briefly about him as a vocalist, so i will try to expand my thoughts here somewhat. first of all, changmin is in a duo in which his function is as the main vocal—and that position has remained unchanged since the foundation of tvxq, i might add—and by that, he de facto carries a lot of tvxq's vocals. yunho, of course, is insanely talented and has seamlessly filled the need for any other vocalist in the group in the past 10+ years, but changmin's voice sits way (WAY) higher than yunho's, so he is expected to fill the majority of high notes. which he does, of course! people love to claim that all he does is yell and scream when that is, in fact, not true. yes, changmin also has gone through a learning curve but he has always been a gifted vocalist with immense potential, and he has just grown into that talent and potential. contrary to what appears to be popular belief, changmin doesn't strain his vocals. at least not in the past years. he does mix his voice very high, though, which is fine considering how high the notes are that he sings. and at the end of the day, the voice is an instrument—just because a note is high doesn't mean it has to sound pretty. voices don't owe anyone to sound any way they want; changmin is a very talented vocalist and he uses his voice to create a distinct mood and sound in his songs for the purpose of the performance. not the pleasure of the listener.

he is very, very tonally solid and a very smart vocalist. his musicality is sooo good, you can hear it when he sings live and the choices he makes, which he can afford to make because he is insanely confident in his voice (as he should be). i love the way he conducts his riffs and the tiniest of vocal embellishments, you can tell he thinks about these things and has rehearsed them. and i'm obsessed with their killing voice just because it really shows off just how good changmin is. he intentionally adds effects to his voice (like a certain amount of vocal fry) to change the dimension and texture of their sound. that is part of his artistry and a personal choice, not a flaw. after 20 years, changmin and yunho are able to harmonize and blend their voices flawlessly; changmin, for as much of a brat as he can be (and certainly loves to exploit), is actually a very giving partner. he makes everyone around him sound better and yunho has benefitted from this the most.

it is actually mind boggling to me that people think this man cannot sing, or is a bad singer. like, that is simply not true. 😭 sure, he is not perfect, everyone has off days and everyone has flaws, but he is undoubtedly an incredibly talented and skilled vocalist. he knows how to conduct his sound in different environments, most recently in the benjamin button musical he is starring in, because he is aware that a musical demands different things vocally (often this is where idols stumble, or need an adjustment period, which is completely normal. i think jongdae and kyungsoo have a distinct musical sound to their voices, as do yoseob, jinho and eunkwang. there is a reason why an idol cast will always have to prove themselves in a musical, lol. not everyone got it).

the first time i watched the last minute of this fever performance, i couldn't fucking believe what i was hearing. he is so outrageous. taking those adlibs up the octave (and higher than the backing track) is just lunacy. showing off for the sake of it. as is his god given right after all the shit he had to endure.

[sonicasura]

I wrote and we talked about a TFP X Poppy Playtime Crossover, but I can see it also working for RID2015 with Denny being the ex-employee that worked at Playco.

At his time at Playco. Denny was basically this high rising marketing manager and engineer who ultimately helped design a number of the company's toys, deciding their names, colors, and selling personalities. With a lot of his ideas coming from his young son Russell. Denny was driven and loved his job, hoping to make it to the top of the company one day.

But when he finally got to one of the highest ranks in Playco. he was suddenly shown the darkness behind the companies intentions. Denny was at a loss of what to do or how to escape the grip of this macabre business, but on a day he choose not to show up for work the choice was made for him during the "incident" that shutdown the company forever and set him free.

Till years later when a letter was sent, drawing him in once more.

Now with his disappearance Russel, Fixit, Slipstream, and Jetstorm are the ones to have to search the factory for him and encounter the horrors of Dennys past.

This is another plausible reason that Denny's relationship with his family can be strained. Maybe he nows owns a scrapyard is because he can't part from the love of his old job. Ideas left forgotten just like his past.

Russel has a better chance of handling the factory than the TFP group when you consider how crafty the smaller bots are. They obviously make noise so Fixit is most likely to craft something to muffled any noises as it soon becomes obvious the toys act similar to ambush predators. Everyone keeps in touch with main group so Bumblebee is the only one who could handle the horrors they are about to find.

Shockwave's experiments are very infamous and these toys can be summed up as a gruesome reminder on how deprave people can go for their goals. He obviously chastises everyone for thinking negatively about humans when their species is just as bad. Russel's young age would protect or help recruit some of the factory inhabitants.

Fixit, Slipstream, and Jet Storm will have to rely on their words alongside actions. How the toys react to them can definitely vary. The most possible place Denny can found is Playcare as he knows the darker parts of the factory and might be able to avoid Mommy Longlegs.

Rescuing the survivors would definitely happen but finding a place for to go will be complicated.

[altfire]

Fic asks: 1, 25, 50 :3

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

best introduction,,, i feel like if i wanna put my best foot forward i'd say Behind Enemy Lines (a widowmaker overwatch character study, said by some 2 be my magnum opus) but i personally feel like the horror and the wild (tes oc fic) is more representative of my Current Style And Ability lol

the rest under the cut bc this got long lol

25. What other websites or resources do you use most often when you write?

i write in google docs, but i do a lot of like Scrap Writing and keep a lot of references on google keep. as far as resources, i have a bookmarks folder of articles i reference often. here's some prominent ones:

7 point outline (i use this to lay out the general shape of an outline before fleshing it out in this next point)

my proprietary short story/novella outline (which i made myself and have used for multiple projects. it's flexible and can be stretched out as needed. here's an explanation/example)

STC scene outline (if a scene is giving me trouble i consult this to see if anything is missing)

STC full outline (i mostly use this for vibes and not like Fully Use It but it helps me idk)

OH AND OF COURSE the UESP my beloved ♥ with how much tes fic i write i practically live on the uesp, it's ridiculous

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about! 49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

i have So Many Projects right now but to talk about something other than thatw for a second, here's some of the tun-tei thing i've been working on (~460 words):

It was barely dawn when he finally caught sight of Winterhold, and by the time the sun's first wan rays of light peeked up over the Sea of Ghosts, he was silently picking open the Hall of the Elements. The silence was comforting, and the warmth inside even moreso - thankfully it was early spring, and the cold in the southern holds wasn't so bad, but this far north it was as if seasons didn't exist. Between the perpetual winter weather and the frigid ocean air, Tun-Tei was sure his beloved couldn't have picked a more miserable place to settle down.

 Safely inside the college, Tun-Tei relaxed and opened the door on the left side of the foyer without care for being heard and took the stairs two at a time, despite the weariness of traveling all night. He was revitalized, as always, by what waited for him.

He pushed open the door to the Arch-Mage's quarters much more slowly, quietly, and kept his footfalls soft as he crept inside. He tossed his traveling cloak over a chair and noted the magelights that kept the alchemical garden illuminated were still out for the night - a good sign that his target wasn't yet awake.

A soft sound drew Tun's attention, then, and- and he strained to see, in the darkness, but a familiar motion conjured a healing light in hand and he gestured, curious, toward the stone floor. There - a piece of parchment, blown off the table and to the floor by his cloak. He picked it up, turning it over on reflex.

It was a map, which in itself wasn't particularly interesting, but it wasn't of Skyrim - rather, it was a map of all of Tamriel, and a recent one if the uncertain border between Morrowind and Black Marsh was any sign. Tun was used to maps being dated to the end of the third era, or at the least being admittedly based on older maps. An accurate, up-to-date map wasn't common, and his thieves' sense for loot lit up. To the right buyer, a merchant or adventurer, this could be worth almost a thousand septims. What use had the Arch-Mage for such a thing?

He looked it over for any further clues - anything written in his lover's steep hand, inked into margins - but only found one. One city was circled in noticeably darker, newer ink than the map had been scribed with: Stormhold, right on that uncertain border, placed as the last bastion between the volcanic wastes of Morrowind and the swamp.

Unbidden, Tun's stomach turned over, anxious, as it always did when he was made to think of Black Marsh. He set the map back on the table and put it out of his mind. He could ask in the morning.