#especially considering they are Not Doing Too Well Right Now.

[bellaxgiornata]

What Did You Expect?

Pairing: Matt Murdock x nurse!fem!Reader Word Count: 2.2k [Matt Murdock Masterlist]

Warnings/tags: 18+; mentions of sex, injured and snarky Matt, little jealousy, exes after a breakup, angst, hopeful ending

Summary: In need of medical assistance, Matt interrupts your evening–but you hadn't been alone.

Prompt: "Are you jealous?"

a/n: This is a short one shot for @mattmurdocksscars 2.5k Follower Celebration Writing Challenge event! I've never written Matt as an ex before (quite like this), so this was a lot of fun! Feedback and reblogs are always appreciated!

A sharp hiss of pain flew from between Matt’s lips, the noise harsh as it broke through the silence of your apartment. Eyes shifting up from the bloody, six inch gash along his left bicep, you briefly paused your stitching to glance at his face. Matt’s mouth was twisted up in discomfort, his features pinched tight in a grimace as you worked. He hated getting stitches, you’d always known that, but tonight he seemed determined to bear the pain as quietly as possible.

“You’re enjoying this far too much,” he bit out dryly.

Rolling your eyes at his comment, you returned your attention to your fingers as you resumed your work. He really did not have room to talk when he'd shown up unannounced on your fire escape asking for a favor at such an absurd hour. Especially after everything that had happened between you both only a few months ago. 

“Considering it’s almost one in the morning and you interrupted my evening?” you replied tersely. “I think I’m enjoying your discomfort the proper amount, Matthew.”

A bitter huff of air fell from him, his head turning over his other shoulder as you continued to work. Out of the corner of your eye, you knew where his attention had focused right now–towards your bedroom. Again. You’d caught him repeatedly shifting his head just slightly in the direction of it as you’d been stitching him for the past few minutes. As you pulled the needle through his skin once more, you could see the way he tensed in your dining chair. Except this time you could tell the tension in his body had nothing to do with the needle.

“Yeah, well,” he added quietly, a bitter edge to his words, “it seemed like your evening had already come to its conclusion by the time I'd shown up.”

“And what a satisfying conclusion it was,” you shot back.

Matt shook his head at you, his attention shifting away from your bedroom as he focused on a spot straight in front of himself. His lips were drawn into a thin line as he sat there shirtless, still drenched in sweat and blood from his time running around the city tonight. 

“Wasn't that satisfying,” he remarked.

Your hands stopped what they were doing, your gloved fingers resting against his bare and bloodied arm. Slowly, your eyes traveled from his injury upwards to his face. Matt was sitting there, the faintest hint of a pleased smirk on his mouth as if he was satisfied with himself for that jab. 

“Were you listening that closely, Matthew?” you chastised. “Finding new hobbies while you're out there surfing rooftops now? Is eavesdropping on women having sex the new thing for The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen?”

Matt's smirk faltered before slipping off of his face entirely. A frown took its place instead, his hazel eyes narrowing at the blank screen of your television across the room. He'd long since discarded the black mask on your kitchen table, pulling it off after he'd stepped inside your apartment–just like he used to do when he stopped over during patrols in the past–making it impossible for him to hide his expression. It wasn't like he needed the mask around you anymore, though. You'd known all about the Devil when the pair of you had been dating.

“I wasn't intentionally listening,” he countered bitterly. “I came here looking for help. It's not that easy for me to stitch something one-handed while also blind.” His lips twitched in distaste as his voice lowered. “Not my fault you weren't alone when I stopped by.”

Pursing your lips as you worked, you felt a flash of frustration run through you. You didn't like that he'd come by tonight of all nights. You had just finally started to move forward after the breakup, trying to at least let guys into your bed even if you weren’t ready to let them into your heart. But you liked it even less that he'd overheard something so personal on top of it. Especially because it wasn't that he'd just overheard you having sex, it was that Matt’s heightened senses could invade your privacy enough to know the truth–that the guy you'd been with tonight couldn't play your body the same way Matt could.

“And it's not my fault that you did stop by. You could have gone to Claire,” you pointed out, trying to finish the last few stitches.

Matt scoffed at the comment. “Yeah, alright. Next time I'm bleeding from a deep laceration, I'll go the extra few blocks to Claire's place instead,” he shot back. “I wasn't exactly expecting you to be entertaining company quite so late, sweetheart.”

Your teeth grit together at the way he'd called you that again. It used to be spoken with such soft tenderness when you two had been together. Tonight? The condescension and anger was clear each time. 

“What did you expect, Matt?” you asked, finishing the final stitch. “It's been over four months since we broke up–since you ended things and shoved me away. I'm not a damn nun.”

He huffed out a sharp breath at your nun comment, a sarcastic smile on his lips. “Hilarious.”

You turned and set your supplies back on the dining table, digging around in your medical bag for a bandage to cover his stitches with. Pulling one out, you began to open the packaging before focusing back on Matt.

“What?” you asked, arching a brow at him as he sat in front of you. “Are you jealous? Is that it, Matthew?”

A loud scoff fell out of him before he pulled an exaggerated face.“Of course I’m not jealous,” he snapped. 

As you began covering his stitches with the bandage in your hands, you once again rolled your eyes. “You certainly sound jealous to me, Matt,” you argued. “You haven’t stopped focusing on my bedroom since you’ve been here. I can tell what you’re doing, I’ve known you long enough.”

“It’s not jealousy,” he countered. “I just figured you'd at least pick a guy who doesn't douse himself in cologne. Someone with a less irritating voice and who actually knew how to get you to properly finish when he’s–ahh!”

Eyes narrowed, you dropped your gloved hands away from his arm where you'd purposefully pressed a bit rougher than necessary against his wound while applying the bandage. He was far too comfortable discussing what he’d overheard considering the breakup and his four month long silence with you. 

“Not everyone has the same unfair advantages you have,” you retorted. “You probably wouldn't be quite so successful at cunninglingus yourself if it wasn't for your heightened senses, Matthew.” You paused, shooting him a glare that you hoped he could at least feel the heat from. “Not that my sex life is any of your damn business, nor is it up for discussion. You should be sitting here thanking me for even helping you right now instead of intentionally irritating me.” 

Matt's lips twitched again at the corners as you rose to your feet, beginning to clean up the mess you'd made trying to help him. Peeling off your gloves that were coated in his blood–not an unfamiliar sight to you in the past–you stepped into your kitchen and tossed them in the garbage.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, voice still tight.

“Don't tear those open on your way home, either,” you muttered, referring to the stitches. “I'm not staying up until three in the morning doing them over again.”

Stepping back around where he sat in your dining chair, you focused on putting the rest of your medical supplies back into your bag. Next to you, Matt leaned over towards your table with a grunt and grabbed his torn and bloodied black shirt from off of it. Out of the corner of your eye, you were aware of him pulling it carefully back on.

“I can hear your heart, you know,” he pointed out.

Your jaw tensed at the unexpected softness laced with something else. Something like satisfaction.

“And maybe you should stop listening to it,” you warned him.

A heavy silence filled your apartment as he continued to slip his shirt on over his head, slowly putting his arms through the torn sleeves. Finished putting the supplies back into your bag, you began to zip it up, but now you were far too aware of your traitorous body after his comment. Of course Matt could still hear the way you reacted around him even if you didn’t want to feel that way. It wasn’t as if you had any control over your body when it came to him.

Matt rose to his feet beside you, leaning past you to grab his mask from your kitchen table next. As he did, you caught the face he made. His nose scrunched up and his eyes narrowed, the corner of his lips curling back in disgust, just as it had done when he’d focused on your bedroom. 

“What?” you asked.

With a deep frown on his face, he straightened beside you. “You smell like him. Awful cologne and…”

His voice trailed off, not finishing his sentence. You could guess what else you smelled like from the guy you’d had over to Matt’s senses. Sweat, pheromones, and the aftermath of sex. You'd have felt bad for him if it wasn't for the fact that he'd been nothing but a jerk since he showed up asking you for help in the middle of the night.

“I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to shower before I gave you free medical treatment,” you replied stiffly.

Picking up your bag, you turned and began heading down the hall towards your bathroom. But as you walked, your hand tightened around the bag in outward anger. Despite that anger, your heart ached at this painful, unexpected interaction tonight. It was the last thing you’d wanted to deal with when you’d been trying to move forward.

You’d just barely gotten halfway down the hall when Matt spoke up again. He’d spoken so quietly that you’d had to strain to be able to hear him.

“A shower wouldn't have done enough,” he murmured, pain coating his words. “The smell goes…deeper than that.”

Stopping in the doorway of your little bathroom, you glanced down the short hallway back towards him. He was pulling the black mask over his face, but you caught the expression on it before half of it was obscured by the fabric. Hurt. But not the physical kind from the knife wound you'd just helped him with, a different sort of hurt. The kind you knew he hid behind with the physical pain he endured when he went out on nights like this.

Which had been the main problem between you both. Matt often struggled to communicate his feelings with you, but he also never took care of himself. He preferred to run around the city at night instead, even after you'd just brought him back from what felt like the brink of death some nights. Sometimes it felt like he was doing it to punish himself and not the criminals of Hell’s Kitchen. While you respected what he did, you hated how he pushed himself without a care for his own well-being over and over. It had been hard to watch, eventually becoming the topic of far too many fights–until it led to Matt taking the easy route and ending things. 

“I'm sorry,” he said softly. 

Expression falling as you stood just outside your bathroom, you felt that ache in your chest grow. Those two words carried so much weight as they hung heavy in your apartment, the distance between you both incredibly palpable. That apology was meant for more than just his attitude tonight. 

“Yeah,” you said just as quietly. “Me too.”

Matt hesitated for a moment, his focus still on you before he nodded slowly, acknowledging your words. Turning, he easily navigated his way around your living room despite the four months since he'd last been in it. Taking a step back into the hallway and away from your bathroom, you turned towards him and watched his retreating form. He looked so worn now that he wasn't throwing biting comments at you–his shoulders were slightly hunched and his head hanging. 

“I'm glad you're alright,” you called after him, catching the way your voice had caused him to stop. “And I'd rather you come here for help than bleed out on the streets. Just for…future reference.”

Matt paused by your window, one gloved hand on the bottom of it. His masked head shifted over his shoulder in your direction again, and you saw the small, sad smile on his lips. 

“I appreciate that, sweetheart,” he replied.

Matt turned back to your window, pushing it up and slipping back out onto your fire escape. As he closed it after himself, you noticed how he'd called you that without the condescension he'd been using most of the night. Rather, the sound of it felt like it carried a different meaning now. 

One that said ‘I miss you.’ 

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[thesharktanksdriver]

Devils may love: leaving home, loving life and loosing you

This is part 1 going over dmc3, I’m gonna maybe write parts for the other games if people are interested. Also maybe will eventually write some stuff for the pov of other characters in love with the blind dumbass that is reader.

You never thought that in your life you’d end up working at a place called “devil may cry”

When you initially found a job listing for the job it wasn’t even named that yet, and you never knew how much it would end up affecting your life

You used to fear not being able to pay rent on a daily basis

Feared getting mugged on your way home from a late shift or if your coupons expired before you bought groceries

But now you feared having demons knocking down your door and breathing down your neck on a daily basis

Let alone the fact that you had to deal with that alongside whatever other world ending event you somehow got caught up in

And dealing with taxes

And ensuring that Dante payed for the power and hydro in time

And….

Well there were a lot of and’s with the job that would go on to change your life

Whether that change was fully good or fully bad was up to debate

God knows how long you’ve weighed both sides in your mind

But it for sure made your life a hell of a lot more lively

Quite literally in the hell metaphor

And it all started when you found an add in the paper right after leaving a previous job and needing cash quick

You had a shitty apartment but rent was due in a short amount of time

Couldn’t rely on your parents either, not when they put you in this situation in the first place and you’d took the opportunity to get as far away from their shit as possible

Which meant you had fairly limited options

Especially with the fact you’d also had to drop out at the finish line of high school to make ends meet

That had ended up biting you in the ass more than anything

But the paper in your hands said little qualifications were needed

So it was your last chance

You never knew what it entail when you entered through the double doors of the newly bought building

The street lights above you illuminating your hope filled face holding your short resume

Admittedly sitting down for the job interview with Dante was a rather…daunting task

Less because he was intimidating

And moreso for the fact that the man (you say that hesitantly because he was literally the same age as you) who introduced himself as Dante sat with his feet kicked up on his desk and barely even glanced at your resume

The paper simply ended up in his hands for his eyes to skim before letting it be placed atop a stack of papers that looked like overdue bills nearby

Nor had he asked any work related question like “how do you work well in a team environment” or “do you have any prior experience to jobs like this”

Instead your potential future employer snacked on a slice of pizza and asked you questions like “know any places that deliver mid-apocalypse?” And “want a slice? Can’t guarantee you’ll get more than a piece or two with how fast I eat”

You can’t say you’d had any job interviews end up like this

They mostly ended up with fake smiles and promises to contact you if you got the position and never hearing a peep from them again

But Dante seems all too lax to be considered serious at all

Well besides his serious addiction to take out evident by the few leftover stacked pizza boxes and cartons of Chinese swept off to the side

Whenever you bring up your resume he waves it off or switches topics

He definitely didn’t even read through your previous job experiences

He just read your name and your phone number

What’s worse is that this wouldn’t even be the worst boss you’d had

Just potentially the weirdest

And that’s saying something

But At least he’s not some old creep the age of your dad leering at you

He’s just a horned up teen boy

He’s 18, just like you and just as in need of needing to get by on his own as you are

Though you think for different circumstances

By how he keeps a small photo of a blond woman on his desk, the only thing comparably well kept on the scratched up mahogany slab implies something

Something your not privy to (yet) but something none the less

A thing that leaves him both careless and untethered all the same

Perhaps for both good and bad

Whilst your seemingly the opposite, you can’t help but think of your parents with a bitterness that crawls up and wraps round every memory good (not many I the first place) or bad

Along with the fact that you can’t and don’t want to go back to them and would rather try to scrape by on your own

Even if it meant dropping out before graduation to do so

Just so you could get a job to afford rent since minimum wage wouldn’t get you by

Well…it certainly has a lot of weight to it both

Maybe something he recognizes when despite your made up professional appearance there are some cracks in it

How you nervously play with your hands

The fact that your his age and asking for a job that’d be enough to afford groceries and a roof over your head

No matter how leaky or loud the neighbours were

So when the interview is over you begin to count your losses

Grabbing your bag and trying not to hang your head on the way out

He must’ve just been messing with you

Or at least that’s what you think until he stops you asking where you going

And you can only tilt your head in confusion saying that you were heading back to your apartment

“But your already on the job”

“Huh? But I thought you were pulling my leg”

“What do you mean? I hired you already”

“What?! When???”

“When I opened the door and found an absolute babe in front of me asking for a job”

You think your already starting to regret this choice

But cash is king and you need some of that dollar to get by this month

You’ll just resign when you get on your feet and find something better

(News flash that doesn’t happen. Oh poor young naive past you)

Working at this still yet to be named paranormal/mercenary agency is a relatively easy task

Answer the phone, organize Dante’s increasingly messy desk, file some paperwork and make sure the bills are payed on time

Maybe throw out some old takeout and fight off the colony of raccoons in the back who started making a palace from pizza boxes

Somehow that ends up being the most odd but simultaneously normal thing you’d experienced yet

The place itself is actually quite cosy when you get used to it

Warm lighting accented by a the soft hum of the jukebox playing some 80’s power ballad

It makes for a nice mood when your sweeping up or filling things out

A comfy leather chair and a simple but effective desk for you to work at if it wasn’t already occupied

The smell of gunsmoke and cologne wafting in the air…alongside leftover pizza remains that you try to mask with fabreeze

On that half the job is simple

Effective as you mainly just ensured the place didn’t burn down

Or have the power taken again

Something you’d expect from being a secretary and or cleaner

(You will not say your a maid, Dante kept insisting that maybe he’d get you a proper costume to go with it that you quickly shut down)

And mainly answer the phone when Dante wasn’t there to butt in and take the receiver from you

But on the other hand working at this still unnamed place also means you were working with Dante

And that was a mixed bag in of itself

For as much as he initially intimated you with his display of guns right behind his desk or the sword casually strapped to his back

Or the ungodly amount of times you dealt with him covered head to toe covered in gore and blood

Or the fact he was your boss and could fire you at any moment

Dante’s intimidation factor quickly faded away into mild annoyance from his Dante..ness

Look you aren’t paid enough to deal with this crap-

To others Dante was the demon hunter

A mercenary of well known regard

A hero who saved the day and stopped the forces of hell

A badass with a penchant for overly complicated and dramatic theatrics

And dear god was he known for how he did this all effortlessly while seemingly being the coolest man ever known

But to you he was your annoying boss

This was both affectionately and as an insult due to the amount of times he’d gone out of his way to dump the bills on your desk and high tailed it out of the store using a mission as an eccuse

Dante as your employer is weird plain and simple

He has moments where he toys with you slightly

Pushing your buttons but never pushing too far 

Small jokes sent your way but nothing extreme

Knowing when you began to look genuinely upset and stopping before he accidentally crossed the line in the sand

He drapes himself over your shoulders while your trying to fill out his papers

Keyword his

Or he calls you by those god awful nicknames

He calls you a plethora of stuff: babe, baby, hot stuff, sugar

But most embarrassingly and most frequently

“honeypie~”

You’d swear with the amount of times he called you that you could permanently pay for the electricity bill and maybe even the water

A shit eating grin on his face as he drags out the pet name whenever he could in a sing-song manner

(Including in front of clientele and eventually the other members of dmc when they join…and it unfortunately sticks since everyone but Nero partakes in torturing you this way-)

You’ve chased him with his plethora of weapons many times trying to wipe that grin off his face

Yelling his name at the top of your lungs as he hopped over his desk and toppled the stack of still unsigned paperwork

The phone ringing conveniently has saved him too many times when you were just about to get revenge

The most effective threatening tool of them all was the well loved broom you’d swear you’d mastered at this point

But on the other hand Dante is equally kind as he is annoying

When not playfully teasing and joking Dante just talks to you

Sometimes it’s mundane things like asking for recommendations for new schlocky horror flicks to watch

Other times it’s complaining whatever demonic creature he was sent to exterminate

Something he had initially tried to hide from you before you very easily pointed out the literal demon heads he’d impaled on the walls weeks earlier

For all his bravado and being a bit of an ass he’s caring at his core

You see that through his actions that are both loud and clear and quiet and invisible

There are times he makes his care obvious

He watches intently and knows when your tired and pushing yourself to get things done even if your trying to hide it

The subtle lull of your head as exhaustion seeps into your bones

He gets up from whatever he was distracting himself with (typically a magazine of some sort)

Telling you to “take a break there babe. Don’t want you to keel over too soon” though the slight edge to it indicates his worry as he takes the paperwork off your desk and stashes it some place absurdly high

His go too method to get you to stop overworking

other times when you fall asleep at the front desk you wake up to find his coat draped over your shoulders and yourself relocated on a nearby couch

A small sticky note clinging to your face saying “don’t overwork yourself honepie, who else is gonna keep me in check. By the way there’s some leftover pizza for you in the fridge if I’m not back by when you wake up - your favorite devil hunter Dante :)”

How he offers to walk you home or let you stay the night if it was getting particularly late

Though whenever he makes that offer he ruins it with the wiggling of his eyebrows immediately after

And the cheeky grin that by that point your too tired to try and erase off his face

But even then, when he makes that offer you see in crystalline blue eyes the sincerity in them

A smidge of worry and maybe even a crumb of fear

His more subtle care comes in the form of how you find your area more safer than usual

Less muggings let alone demons slinking through the night

Apparently he made it known that these were his stomping grounds and with his reputation most demons knew to stay clear

Same for muggers as well with his name in the underworld

His other silent care comes in the form of finding your favourite snacks eventually stocked at in the small kitchen

It comes from a few stray questions here and there

Or noticing what you packed yourself for lunch/snacks

He never acknowledges it

But you do find he has a small smile when seeing you enjoy what he bought

Content without a thank you because seeing your smile was enough

how the jukebox now seems to contain songs you’d mentioned enjoying out of nowhere

Or songs you’d already liked in the machine playing more often

Because that’s the sort of person Dante was

The man who when you call in sick ends up at your place with wanton soup and medicine

Never asking for anything In return except for you to recover properly

Or The fact he always he always buys you a strawberry sundae alongside his own or makes sure to buy a split pizza incase you didn’t like his toppings

It’s perhaps because of this you keep telling yourself you’ll put off finding another job

That the job market was bad right now even if you’d seen another promising job

Just because seeing his stupid grin when he sees you enter was payment enough even without the cash

“Dante I swear to god! Get back here!”

“Sorry honepie! Got a job to do!!”

“You’re not leaving until you pay the god damn bills you asshole!!! If you can deal with demons then you can deal with me you bastard!!!” Raising the broom you whack his head, making the devil hunter groan and he returns to running for his life out the double doors “also pick a god damn name for this place already! A business needs a name!”

You end up seeing Dante in various particular intimate moments in his life (Even before all the craziness that would come later on down the line)

It first begins when you see the days he’s drained from wear and tear

From the jobs that went bad even if he made it back alive

his shoulders sag even when he tries to act like his cocky self

His grin more strained as blue eyes hold back tears from failure to save someone

You don’t ask

Never have the heart to

But you do find yourself pulling him close even with the height difference

The first time it happens he goes stiff

Still as a statue in such an uncharacteristic manner

Thinking he’s uncomfortable you tried to pull away, an apology at the tip of your tongue when shaky arms pulled you back

Clinging to you as knees buckle and he ends up in the crook of your neck

You don’t mention how his sobs are heartwrenching

Nor that they haunt you with how vulnerable it sounds

Instead you thread fingers through his snowy hair, weaving through the soft locks

You never ask what happened

Instead you say that you’d order pizza tonight, on the house

With a few sobs he tries to argue but you don’t relent

And somehow the stubborn man you called your boss relents

Perhaps for the first time you’d ever seen

It’s later on when these moments happen though few and far between that he opens up bit by bit

It takes about a year but Like small fractures in a dam it eventually breaks and lets out the waterworks

He tells you he had a dad, a stern but caring man who disappeared one day and probably died

He tells you that he had a brother, his twin who was his opposite in almost every way possible down to contrasting favourite colours

The most caring mom in the world who died as flames consumed their home

He could only stay hidden in the closet

Scared and alone

Powerless to it all

How for years he was alone with only a trail of regrets and people he cared for ending up in the crossfire

How he’s only part human (though to be honest you already kinda put that together after he walked off being impaled one day)

All because of him

That despite it all he only ended up failing time and time again

And most surprisingly that he was scared

Scared for you

Because everyone he cared for ended up dead

And that he’s sorry for being selfish and keeping you around despite the risk

That you have to hate him for how annoying he was

For the danger he brought even being in the same room as you

It’s admittedly a lot

But you hold him, letting him get it all out

Hands that had seen so much loss and blood clutching you like you were the last valuable thing in the world and simultaneously made of glass

It just solidifies your words when you tell him that honestly he was a giant pain in the ass

A admittedly terrible boss

A smartass and flirty bastard

But he was a good person

Someone who did his best despite the circumstances

Because no matter how much he was kicked down and spat on he took it with a cocky smile

Never letting the salt in the wound sting in front of others

And that most importantly you can’t guarantee that you won’t get hurt

But you’d stick with him

For some reason despite all the risks he lists off you wanna stay

Your not really sure as to why

But you stay and that’s what matters

The risk he practically begs you to consider

Yet you stay

So in the vulnerable moments you wait for him by the doors

Waiting and ready for him to collapse into your arms

Ignoring the blood and gore that you’d inevitably have to wash out your clothes yet again

But it’s a price to pay when the man you call your friend

Your technical boss who was more like your own employee than anything with how you heckled him to get work done

Your best friend and worst migraine holds you with such fragility

You never confirm with him but you think the last time someone hugged him like this was his mom

All those years ago as the blazing flames surrounded them

It’s perhaps why he clutches you so close

Hoping to not let go and have the past repeat itself

But unlike back then you remind Dante that he’s not powerless anymore

He’s not the scared boy locked in a closet surrounded by the flames

He’s a man with the power to protect those weaker than him

Because he knows what it’s like to be powerless

To pray for a hand to reach out and to now be that hand for others

Despite what he thought you remind him that the truly powerful protect what they love

(Unbeknownst to you, you are that love)

(The beating heart that makes his humanity all the more apparent and his demonic side all the more powerful with something to protect)

All the while you morn the fact that Dante and you are the same age

Both kids with no one seemingly but each other in this world and left to navigate with one another

Your both just kids

You’d heard too many of Dante’s stories about his childhood not to recognize the sight of his brother inside your apartment

White hair slicked back instead of messy locks framing his face

Their near identical features if not for the ominous threatening look in blue eyes that you knew Dante would never direct towards you even if you took the last slice or banned him from strawberry sundaes yet again

You’d think after all the stuff you’d been through due to Dante like the incident with the raccoons out back becoming infused with demon power

Or the amount of times you’d saved his sorry ass from going fully broke

That this would be the worst thing that could happen

An Incorrect assumption

Looking at his definitely evil twin brother you can’t help but sigh and put your hands up in defeat

He told you awhile back about his run In with his twin

Said twin trying to steal his half of the amulet that the half-demon always wore

Well “always wore” besides the times he’d go to take a shower and ask you to hold onto it for him for a bit

Then returning it once he was done, a certain shine of gratitude in his eyes when he sees you polished it for him

Anyways back to the evil twin thing, apparently Vergil gave back said amulet because “he said he could take it back anytime he wanted”

The death glare and that quote alone alerted you to what type of person you had in your apartment

And that’s not even accounting the fact that he’s also part demon and has a real ass katana with him

“So do you want me to write a note for him before you kidnap me? Or do you want me to call him instead?”

To be completely honest after the raccoon incident you can’t even be remotely surprised anymore

But this does either earn you amusement from said definitely evil brother or at least some brownie points for being compliant

“Your cooperating?”

“Listen sir…uh Vergil? I’m assuming your Vergil? Anyways Vergil I’m not paid enough to deal with this….and your brother said I’d be paid overtime if something like this happened. So if anything this a forced paid vacation”

To be honest that last part was mostly you trying to find some good in this admittedly shitty situation

You always had great copping skills or at least that’s what you told yourself

At least you’d hopefully get something out of this besides trauma

And potential scars physical and psychological

Or Maybe even death if your super unlucky and piss off the blue half demon

But that was an if

A big if due to the fact he hasn’t already cut you down implying he needed you for something

And hopefully that something would give Dante enough time to save you

God forbid he doesn’t or else you’d become a demon and claw your way out of hell to torture him with undone paperwork

And with that you end up as hostage/bait in a literal hell tower that spouted up from the ground

Vergil and some weird guy called Arkham holding you at the top of the tower like some princess

Guess in this case Dante would be your proverbial knight in shinning armour while Vergil was the dragon or something

The analogy wasn’t too far off with that weird ass jester occasionally popping up to piss you off when Vergil left the room

You couldn’t wait for the long nosed bastard to have some lead shoved inbetween his eyes for the fact he kept joking about your dead expression whilst being kidnapped

Unlike him you had some scraps of dignity you wanted to save

Plus what was even the point of kicking and screaming when you were up against a half demon and whatever else they had up their sleeves

Speaking of said other half demon though

Surprisingly you didn’t entirely mind Vergil

Was he an ass? Definitely

But at least you could have a conversation with him

Something that surprises even him when you spotted him pulling out a book of poetry

Specifically William Blake

Yeah, surprise surprise somehow that “useless” class in high school your parents hounded you about wasting your time on actually became relevant

You’d say you’d told them if it weren’t for the fact you never wanted to see either of them again

He reads quietly aloud not expecting you to finish the last part for him

“The sun descending in the west, the evening star does shine; The birds are silent in their nest, and I must seek for mine-”

“The moon, like a flower, in heavens high bower, with silent delight, sits and smiles on, the night”

For the first time you see something crack in his stoic demeanour

a spark of something when he then turns to you

Surprise? Maybe even a hint of some sort of longing

You don’t know what he went through after he was separated from Dante, but you can only guess it was just as hard as his twin up to this point

So maybe finding someone with the same love for flowery words of a dead guy was comforting in some weird way

At least as comforting it could get for someone who hated humanity

He walks over to where you sat on the cold ground with your wrists and ankles bound, asking if you knew more of Blake’s work and when you nod

At that there’s a moment of silence and then he asks for your interpretation of old words on faded yellow pages

This leads you to discuss with Dante’s brother without being called a “useless human” 5 seconds in

Honestly sitting atop the weird demon tower debating with him wasn’t what you pictured

But it is a sure if a lot better than what you originally imagined

Mostly because it’s actually pretty fun

Vergil unlike Dante seems to like debating and discussing

Something that was hard to do with Dante because he either brushed it off or was more prone to changing the subject

You don’t blame him for it, stuff like this wasn’t his forte

But it was nice having someone to talk to about it

The two of you start off at first with Blake

Interpretations of his poems meanings

Particular passages either of you enjoyed

That evolves into discussion of other poets

Poe, Dickinson, Shakespeare, Wilde, frost and Shelley

But it later devolves into world views

Specifically his opinion on humanity

Because despite the fact that Vergil is part human and his fully demon father married a mortal woman and seemingly abandoned that part of himself

Vergil ended up despising his humanity

Thinking of it as inferior to his demonic half

Well, maybe hate was a strong word but he definitely looked down on humans

Yourself included but maybe a bit less considering he was talking with you instead of scowling silently as he did before

He was the opposite of Dante in every way

While Dante embraced his humanity Vergil shunned his own

But Vergil accepted his demonic half whilst Dante still remained hesitant of it

One brother was loud, the other silent

One Red and one blue

One Warm and one cold

Complete and total opposites in every manner of the word

While you don’t agree with Vergils views you do try to understand them

You make the effort of understanding him because you think he deserves as much

Not only because he was important to Dante but because like Dante he also was your age

He was a kid like you are even if he tried to act mature

He thinks his mom abandoned him that day in favour of Dante

Telling him she didn’t wouldn’t change his mind especially from you of all people

A human who’d never met her or was there for that event

Especially if Dante had tried and still couldn’t get through to him

So instead you reason with him in other such ways

Sparda had sealed off the demon from the human world for a reason

Didn’t that indicate something to him?

Plus he was already powerful enough by every other standard possible

He could outmatch any human that came his way

He raised a god damn hell tower to prove it

He was already top of the proverbial food chain with enough power

Dipping his toes into this though could shift those tides

Admittedly you knew jack shit about hell and it’s hierarchy besides the small tidbits Dante explained

And even then those snippets of information were from the small stories his dad told when he was younger so it was dubious at best

You’re not sure if Mr. Sparda had sanitized stories for his sons or if he told them the truth and didn’t cushion the blow

But it safe to say even the most powerful of humans couldn’t compare to the upper crust of hell

Plus the added bonus of It being closed off for who knows how long giving an even bigger question mark as to what’s down there

Because if hell is anything like humanity things change and demons get stronger

For all he knows he could be inviting that Mundus guy his father went against to his doorstep

And seeing how Sparda apparently had a difficult time defeating him at full power the odds weren’t in anyone’s favour

That last part seems to shake him a bit more than you’d initially thought

You see the stone cold demeanour crack slightly

“Are you calling me weak?”

“I’m not, Far from it. But all I’m saying is that opening that portal is opening pandora’s box.” For a moment you pause watching his stewing expression “there’s no undoing it if you do and no telling what your unleashing on not only everyone else but yourself. Your not guaranteed anything from this, let alone the power you seek ”

Distantly if you listen hard enough you swear you hear gunshots ring out on the lower floors of the tower

The familiar rhythm and melody of ebony and ivory’s gunshots

You’d heard them too many times to be able to memorize the sound

But along with that your alerted to the fact that someone else besides Dante is in the tower

Something Vergil seems less than amused with

Not to mention the fact he looks like he’s perpetually 5 seconds away from stabbing that Arkham guy nearly any time the man opens his mouth

Something you can’t exactly complain about since you’d also found him plain weird

And that’s saying something

The only thing out that bald freak’s mouth that you agreed with was that a storm was approaching

Both physical and metaphorical as you sit when the rain begins to fall

Sitting atop this ancient tower of stone you can’t help but find some irony in it all

Sparda had sealed away this unholy tower to stop the passage from one world to the next

But ultimately it’s one of Sparda’s sons who tries to resurrect it and undo his fathers work while the other wants to topple it for humanity’s sake as his father did

It was like a twisted form of jenga with this Tower of Babel

With you unfortunately at the top of the tower waiting for it to topple

The moon hangs high in the sky, Illuminating the droplets that shine

The pale silver light reminding you of both of the twins hair

Dante’s is left down to frame his face, free and messy just like he is

Whilst Vergils is pushed back and sleek, professionalism and an air of confidence in it

Never had you been as relived in your life until that point when you see Dante’s knotted messy mop of hair

Slightly stained with blood and viscera that soon began to wash away under the rain

You can’t help but yell his name in sheer excitement, his eyes light up

Lurching forwards your stopped not only by the fact that your currently tied up with uncomfortable ass rope but also the fact that Vergil unsheathe his sword in front of you

A indignant huff escaping him

(From your yell or his brother your not sure…probably both considering him)

You see your reflection in the blade alongside the hollow presence of the moon

Her silent presence a small comfort in this entire situation despite her impartialness in helping

(You do not see the blue wearing brother glance down at you for the briefest of moments)

You can’t do anything but watch as the two fight

Blow after blow

Slash after slash

Round after round fired from ebony and ivory

All the while you stay huddled to the ground trying to desperately stay out the way

Your works cut out for you though on account the two seem to pivot away if they get too close

No matter if either was about to win Dante would pull back if either him or Vergil got too close to you for comfort

And you think even Vergil seemed to do the same for some reason

Maybe he wanted to kill you later or something

But the turning point comes and red stains the cold ground

Yamato impaling itself through Dante’s chest while you can only watch

You can’t help but scream his name again as he falls and the necklace is torn from his neck

The heirloom he seemed to only trust you with being stolen

Vergil smoothed his hair back under the rain in a comedically villain manner that takes you out of it for a moment

This is your life now

Captive atop a tower while two half demon brothers duked it out

Dante twitches, ready to get up but Vergil takes Dante’s own sword and stabs him with it

Vergil and Arkham talk for a moment but your too distracted to pay their words any attention

Not when your focused on Dante

and then a beam of light shoots out Dante’s sword and the sword changes?

And then Dante’s back up again

This all happens in the span of a couple minutes the while your gaping at the scene

Because a) you knew Dante had some type of magic deus ex machina bullshit but you didn’t know he could get stabbed multiple times and survive. Mind you, you’d seen him stabbed once or twice before and walk it off but several times in a row was something you didn’t expect him t just walk off either

plus b) all this time he could get impaled several times over and yet his ass would run like you were coming at him with a chainsaw when you were trying to whack him on the head with a broom a few days back

You don’t get much time to focus on that anymore

Not when Vergil picks you up and walks to the edge of the tower

All the while Dante stumbles to his feet

A bloodied cough erupting from his chest as he tried to stumble forwards with his arm outstretched to you

“Oh please god no, can’t you just take the stairs-“ before you get to finish your plea Vergil takes a leap off the tower with you firmly on his shoulder grasping him for dear life “DANTE!!”

Never had you thought that your life would end up like this

And it all came from a singular job ad

[mixingandmelting]

Hey so how do you think the bat boys would deal with a s/o where they list off a ton of insane injuries that they didn’t go to the hospital for treatment for, you can’t even tell they been through that stuff and it kind of makes you wonder how s/o is still alive after all that? S/o is just casually listing them like you would a grocery list (Jason interesting cuz He did die and was brought back. Dick got shot in head and made an amazing recovering).

A/N: per protocol, a psa/disclaimer - there’s nothing graphic or explicit in what’s written below (it’s literally the name of the injury that’s all) but please do not be like the boys or reader. Seek medical consult, makes the life a whole lot better and easier 😔

Dick:

He would be a hypocrite if he were to call you out right there and then. But his “eldest siblings” bell keeps blaring in his head the more he listens to your list of injuries. 

“So, let me get this straight.” He rubs his temples with two fingers, a familiar migraine faintly throbbing in his head. “You thought it would be fine to NOT go to the hospital and get checked up after falling from a roof despite knowing you had a concussion.” 

“Well, if you put it that way, it doesn’t sound all that great-“ You clear your throat, your eyes shifting away from him when he gives you a pointed look. “Okay, so that might’ve not been the smartest idea. But it was what, the third one I had? I already had a clue what to do so…” 

He’s going to have an aneurysm. Hands down for sure when you simply shrug as if you hadn’t just told him a list of insane injuries he had no idea about. 

Breath, Dick. Breath. It’s you he’s dealing with. His one and only who happens to be prone to getting injured in the worst ways-

Sensing her dad’s distraught, Dick lets Haley jump into his lap before he plops his face in her tummy. 

“Oh, Haley. What are we going to do? Your other parent is a trouble-magnet and hates hospitals. At this point, I’ll become a widower in my mid-thirties.” 

“Hey!” You shout, jabbing a finger at him. “I’m not like you, jumping into toxic gas without protection- widower? Why would you be a widower?” 

It takes a while to finally get him to stop mother-henning you after he follows you around in both civilian and vigilantes to every place you go. But after the bathroom incident, he relents once you agree to have him on speed dial and emergency contact. 

Jason:

“Relatable.” 

Relatable his ass. Sure, he can relate considering all the things he’s been through (prime example: him dying and reviving). But here’s the difference: it’s you. Period. He wants you to be safe, unharmed, and happy. Like, is it really too much to ask? 

Hell, he probably would’ve never thought you’d gone through all that had you not said anything. But,now, everything changed and he didn’t think a day would come for him to, ironically, be the one to tell someone to go to the hospital. 

“Right? Thank you, at least someone gets it!” You don’t notice the blank stare he has, the mug he takes a drink out of obscuring his face. “I swear, people freak out when it’s not that bad.” 

…He needs a beer. And send an apology note to Dick and Alfred. 

“Oh yeah, nagging? Definitely isn’t going to do anything. Just makes you want to do the opposite.” 

“Exactly. I mean I get it, especially if it’s getting both my shoulder and knee dislocated at the same time.” The grip on his mug tightens, a crack starting at the handle. “But, I’m not going to go if someone won’t stop going on and on with ‘oh, you should get that checked, or ‘why didn’t you get seen by a doctor’, you know?” 

Oh, don’t you worry. He knows, alright.

“So, your ankle. I’m guessing you didn’t get that checked.” 

The one and only good thing about your current injury was that you couldn’t dart away like usual. With having sat next to you this whole time as a plus, he’s quick to pull and, mindfully, hold you in the princess hold. 

One thing leads to the next and the two of you are at the manor with Alfred taking a look at your injury. At least you weren’t mad anymore, watching him endure the harassment of bringing over his S/O home. 

Tim:

“You had an injury on your neck but you left A.M.A*!” 

“At least I went to the hospital! Unlike someone here who didn’t after breaking three ribs!”

“Okay, no. You were forced to get admitted, first off. Second, you’re still missing a spleen-?!” 

The two of you have been going back and forth with each other ever since you dropped on him the list (why is it a list??? Why do you have a list???) of insane injuries you never went to the hospital for. 

At first, all he did was, calmly (calmly being the keyword), inform you why going to the hospital would be a good idea in case of future events. And you said sure. When you need to, that is. 

He catches it and calls you out on your poor attempt to BS. You then called him out for his BS. There was a moment of truce that lasted for a minute when Alfred got mentioned. You both shook hands over not to delve into it as you both held affection for the butler and fatherly figure. 

“I was trained to recognize this stuff even before my Robin years! I’m certified for first-aid treatment!” 

“Oh wow, that’s amazing Tim! But who was the one that gave you CPR when you nearly drowned?!” 

He loudly groans, dragging both hands down his face. 

“Then, that’s a bigger incentive for you to get checked up at the hospital, then!” He makes vague hand motions in the air as he starts to pace around. “You get hurt whenever I’m not there and can’t protect you!” 

“… What?” 

In the end, you comfort Tim though it takes a while to talk him out of about a 24/7 personalized bodysuit. You did end up agreeing with the emergency pager to make him feel a bit better, designed as a fashionable wrist watch. 

Duke: 

He closes his mouth. Opens it. Closes it again. Opens it. 

“So… How exactly are you alive again?” 

He simply raises an eyebrow in response to the unimpressed expression you give him. 

“It’s not all that bad-“ 

“Not that bad?” He snorts. “Not that bad? I’m not that bad!”

He jumps up and points both hands towards himself before pointing them towards you. 

“Here I am, dealing with villains left and right which makes sense as to why I get hurt. But, what was it you just said? A stab wound with a knife?” 

“Actually, it was a spoon.” 

“A spoon-???” His voice pitches an octave, cracking in the end. 

For someone so normal, he couldn’t help but wonder how you knew so well on what to do when someone gets injured in the most bizarre ways. Not at all expecting there to be personal lore on how you gained that knowledge. 

In one part, it saddens him at the fact he’s once again the one with common sense. The other? 

He grimaces. 

It…actually checks out. Because it’s a rule written by the universe that vigilantes are not allowed to fall in love with someone normal. And though you are normal for the most part, this? This definitely checks the box on meeting the requirement. 

“Why did you get stabbed with a spoon in the first place?” 

Oh no. You’re awkwardly laughing. 

Some time passes and he’s shopping with his mom for office supplies. As she looks over the Manila envelopes, he notices a particular large roll of bubble wrap. So, when he’s asked as to why he’s buying three rolls of it, he gives the classic excuse of needing it for a science experiment. Which, in part, is true considering he’s planning to see if you being wrapped in it will prevent you from getting injured like in the ads. 

Damian:

“What are your parents' occupations again?” 

You give Damian a flat stare. 

It does little to deter him, persuaded that you’re either lying to him or you’ve lived a similar life as him with training in the most extreme conditions and didn’t tell him. 

There’s no other options or explanations to how you could possibly get those injuries, nonetheless a list of them. And he doesn’t know what he’s frustrated more about: the nonchalance of you stating them like reading off items on a grocery list or he wasn’t there and prevented them from happening. 

Not going to the hospital for your injuries, he can somewhat understand. With how terrible Gotham’s healthcare system is and the number of patients that get admitted from criminal activities every day, it’s considered a good day when patients are seen after eight hours of waiting in the ER. 

Lucky you, you happen to be loved by someone who can medically assess whenever. The Batcave has the latest, cutting-edge technology on medical equipment while he, himself, has the medical expertise that’s potentially on par with that of his father’s and Alfred. He’s sure he can provide you treatment better than any hospital in the city. 

“Damian, I’m fine.” You huff, rolling your eyes.  “Besides, it’s nothing compared to last time.”

Does he want to know what happened during this so-called “last time”?

“I think you need to get your brain checked if you’re considering forced-bed rest as ‘nothing’”. He shoves another peeled apple slice just in time when you’re about to talk back. 

That pattern continues for the rest of the day with him nagging you like a tiger parent while feeding you food (he ignores the bit about him sneaking into your room is an invasion of private property). Eventually, later that week, the two of you squabble again after you catch him following you around almost everyday while he argues how you can’t be left unsupervised.

[the-rodent-gentleman]

With another tale to spin.

So many days spent working on this...and it was worth it.

A lineup of the main cast for a Talespin reboot set in the 1990s. I had to do quite a bit of research into the fashion trends of that decade to ensure everyone fit in. To be frank, I'm impressed with how easily (almost) all of them take to the aesthetic.

As for how this sort of reboot would work as a show, I have a few loose concepts I might consider posting in the near future, both for reimaginings of classic episodes as well as crossover events, considering I envision this taking place a few decades before the events of the 2017 Ducktales reboot.

Here's some information on what they'd be like along with my thought processes on the character designs from left to right:

Baloo von Bruinwald - Papa Bear here wasn't particularly hard to pin down. I just had to jazz up his wardrobe a bit with a jacket and glasses, really. If I could pick VAs in real life, I'd go with James Monroe Iglehart because not only does he have that deep bouncy voice that invokes the perfect blend of devil-may-care and warmheartedness (Lance Strongbow from Tangled: The Series) but the man can also sing (Asmodeus from Helluva Boss), something we should have gotten more from Baloo in the original Talespin. Besides, it'd be interesting and fun to explore a Baloo with black coding on top of the German ancestry the original Talespin gave him as well as his original Indian heritage from the Jungle Book.

Rebecca Cunningham - Now Becky here definitely got the biggest makeover in terms of redesign. As much as I don't mind her original look, it really needed her personality and VA's performance to do all the heavy-lifting and felt like a product of the time. That's why I decided to depict her and Molly as Plains Cree (hence the added ponytail), not merely for the sake of diversity but to help introduce conflicts that feel genuine and less forced with a nonwhite-coded character. As for voices, Deedee Magno-Hall would work well as her time as Pearl on Steven Universe shows she can do motherly figures but also depict that neuroticism that's key to Rebecca's character flaws.

Bagheera - Yes, that's right. Baloo's original spouse is here like he deserves! Like any rebooter worth their salt, I had to figure out how he'd fit into the universe, especially since I want to incorporate his friendship with Baloo and the other Jungle Book characters - so I decided to make him a former S.H.U.S.H. agent who now works as Higher for Hire's second pilot. There'd be a whole arc centered around him having to confront his past because of F.O.W.L. causing trouble and everything. Now for his design, I decided to go for simple by giving him a very "dorky dad" look as way of making him seem unassuming. Personally, I'd pick Riz Ahmed (Ballister Boldheart from Nimona) as the VA as I headcanon Talespin Bagheera to be Indian-Pakistani. Plus, Ahmed is a dedicated rapper and the idea of Bagheera dropping a diss-track is just too good an idea to pass up.

Shere Khan - Nothing changed. Aside from the flower and cane, nothing about this man changed at all. Really, it's stupefying how little formal business attire has changed between the 30s and 90s. So, I added in an orange gerbera (a symbol of strength and resilience) and a badass cane for extra flavor. I also headcanon him as Chinese-Indian by the way, so make of that what you will. Now while I know none can truly replace Tony Jay, I believe Christopher Judge (Kratos from God of War 2018 and Ragnarok) would come pretty dang close on account of his intimidatingly booming voice and the way he delivers dry wit.

Don Karnage - As time consuming as he was (the teeth especially), I think Karnage's redesign is by far my favorite. Something about him in that flowing coat with the open chest fur just works. In terms of lore, Don Karnage would stay more or less the same, albeit he'd be like that old man struggling with all the doohickeys cropping up. He'd be voiced by John Leguizamo (Sid from Ice Age and Bruno from Encanto) who can do surprisingly good villains, like in Violent Night, yet can still come off as hilarious.

Wildcat - To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if I'm OK with the look I gave him, but I do like the idea of Wildcat rocking a beanie, so I'll keep him this way for now. Other than that, I'd prefer to keep Wildcat as much of an enigma in terms of backstory as the show did, just to preserve that sense of amiable chaos he's so good at bringing. By the way, I'd let his original VA Pat Fraley keep voicing him cuz if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Molly Cunningham - Other than giving her pants longer legs and getting rid of the bow, Molly's not too different. The most noteworthy detail I added would be the cuff bracelet on her wrist. I based it off of this trinket posted on Facebook a while back based on traditional Plains Cree beadwork since I figured that'd be easier for me to draw. For a VA, I'd give her Dani Chambers (Molly from Epithet Erased and Becky Blackbell from Spy x Family) since she's pretty good with voicing cute yet sassy young girls. Kit Cloudkicker - Ah Kit, the one the Ducktales reboot did so unnecessarily dirty. Not to worry, he's still as much of an aviation prodigy here as ever. Besides, it'd be far more interesting to explore a Kit who tries too hard to instead emulate Rebecca, even if unintentionally, to the point of burnout. As for his fit here, I simply switched out his beloved sweater for a nice two-toned jacket. For voices, I'd go with Justine Lee (Ken Amada from Persona 3: Reload) who can pull off sounding like a young spirited boy quite well. Simon Zhong - The only original character in this lineup. Ya'll who follow me might recognize him from all my Kit x Simon art. He's mainly here to serve as a nice chaotic counter to Bagheera (the two of them will parallel Baloo and Kit naturally) as well as a living bridge to potential conflicts with F.O.W.L. I decided to give him a grunge look since black is so prominent in his design, not to mention a Pac Man ghost shirt to hint at his fixation on video games. If he were to be a character in a real-life reboot, despite being pretty laconic, I'd go with Charlene Yi (Ruby from Steven Universe and Chloe from We Bare Bears) since she's got that crackling voice that has its own unique charm.

Louie - Yeah, I gave the main man the Florida treatment. Honestly, I think he looks even better this way. Aside from deeper lore on his history with Baloo and the other Jungle book characters, I wouldn't change much else about him. On that note, like with Wildcat, I'd stick with his original voice actor, Jim Cummings in this case.

Marcos - And now for the guest of honor. Say hello to Don Karnage's singing, prancy, and oh so theatrical nephew (who may or may not take over as captain one day). Because yes, yes this kid will in fact grow up to become the Don Karnage we see in the Ducktales reboot! Between an uncle who keep berating for "not acting like a real pirate" and a one-sided rivalry with his uncle's former protege, Kit, poor Marcos has quite the chip off his shoulder. In light of that, Alanna Ubach (Manny Rivera from El Tigre and Mamá Imelda from Coco - God that woman has range) would be his VA as she can pull off voicing a bratty and overconfident Latino kid pretty well.

Overall, this would be a pretty stacked cast.

As for the background, I'd rather hold back on explaining that until I start posting some more of my concept art. But I'll give you a hint: Memphis style. And that's all ya'll are getting from me (for now).

Talespin, the Jungle Book movie, and all relevant characters belong to Disney. I only own Simon and the idea of this reboot.

[cryinggirlnamedhelen]

a follow up to this post by @mvrdermeharder

ok, so this is an amazing idea as observation, and i'm going to talk about my thoughts on it.

as we know, buratsuta only cares about profit. the only reason why he originally hated blue lock was because it wasted too much money and because he really doesn't care about or even like soccer. the only reason he switched sides on blue lock after the u20 arc was because blue lock was cashing in lots of money for the jfu (japanese football union).

from a volume extra we saw, we know that the most viewed video on blue lock tv is nagi's five volley goal in the manshine vs bastard match. we also know that from his goal in the u20 japan match, he became unbelievably popular. we see that even after his downfall, he still has numerous fans (from the social media panels we see).

i mildly touched on this a few weeks ago when someone sent me an ask about how they were in mourning for nagi (post linked here, ask sent by sasukevrz -- for some reason i can't tag them😭), and i briefly talked about how eliminating nagi was a good choice in terms of story but a horrible choice in terms of sales and marketing.

nagi is well known to be one of the most popular blue lock characters. his merch sells extremely well because of this, and removing nagi from the story definitely isn't going to help nagi's sales. irl though, if season 3 comes out in 2026, then they have enough time to milk the kaiser merch, especially since nagi hasn't been eliminated in the anime yet.

again, i think it's a rlly good writing choice for kaneshiro to eliminate nagi and keep reo in. i still firmly believe that there should be a timeskip to the official 2022 world cup and then that would when nagi returns.

anyways, back to the topic, in the actual manga right now, there is no way that they can keep on selling nagi merch right now. he's been eliminated, and if they continue to sell merch of him, they're 100% going to get flamed online. since blue lock has still only been famous for 2 months (in world), they can't risk having the media turn against them.

i really hope this doesn't happen, but the jfu might make some sort of shit excuse to practically force nagi to participate again. we know from buratsuta that blue lock merch sells wonderfully, so losing the rights to sell merch of a young and attractive athlete will certainly be a stain on the jfu's name. i don't think ego would want or even allow this, considering how much he dislikes nagi and how nagi directly contradicts blue lock's philosophy, but the jfu might force it with some sort of threat.

now as for nagi himself, i don't think he would care that he's going back. i think he would definitely be confused and maybe even mildly irritated, but i think that if this situation does ever happen in the official blue lock manga, nagi would know that ego would never do something like this.

[vinnyvamppp]

i feel a little pathetic dragging myself here but do you have advice for writing mark smut 😟 i feel a little lost for him and i dunno

I'm surprised, considering your recent post was jaw-dropping, but I'll give the pointers I remind myself of. From the comics to the show, he's someone who feels everything hard, so let that bleed into the smut. Is he hesitant? Overwhelmed? A little too eager? There’s a lot of room to play, and it’s all about emotional push-pull dynamics.

Now, this also depends on the era the character is in. If we were following the show's current timeline, he's emotionally intense, sometimes awkward, and very in his own head—especially in intimate moments (usually beforehand). So when writing smut, don't be afraid to let him overthink, stumble over words, or act with that raw and youthful sincerity. He’s stubborn, but VERY WILLING most times and is a quick learner. He's had his confident moments too, so let those shine, usually through facial expressions or dialogue like, "I thought fighting Viltrumites was hard, but trying not to kiss you right now? Impossible.” He’s charming in a dorky way, overthinking, blushing, then blurting out something too honest. Flirty lines from Mark usually carry a “I can’t believe this is happening” energy with a charmingly corny edge, or even some humor. ... He also canonically uses, "Oh, God." as a form of expression in bed which can be pretty funny. (he likes calling out his partners names too. Source: trust me bro.) ~~~~~~~~~

That being said, if we're deciding to focus on his later arc—which I won't delve too much into for the sake of avoiding spoilers—he’s becoming a compelling mix and leaning into the median of his identity. He's still deeply human, though, and he doesn’t want to dominate; he wants to rebuild. He's also still Viltrumite. When pushed, and when threatened, he’s capable of terrifying things. He no longer flinches at morally gray ideologies, but he mourns every loss in its stride. He loves everything he has, but he's quieter now.

Emotionally, Mark is more closed off from a combination of traumatic experiences, but he's still desperate for connection. He is a character who uses his power to serve his partner rather than subjugate them. He's a character with a lot of strife, so make intimate moments feel heavy—like he's memorizing them because they may not last. Moments of softness or desire should be incredibly charged. Does he cry still? Now, just because he's an emperor doesn’t mean he no longer cries and is suddenly stoic. He does, and depending on the plot of your story, feel free to incorporate it. He's wiser now, more experienced; he knows what drives his partner wild, and I could see him putting his partner's pleasure here before his own. ~~~~~~~~~

During sex sequences, you can always include descriptors of feelings and paint the scene so the reader can visualize what's on paper—or, more importantly, his perception. How does he feel? How does the reader feel physically? What does this compare to? Sensory interpretations (touch, sight, taste, and sound)? What does it mean to him in that moment? Is he trembling from restraint or shaking from how overwhelmed he is? Is his heartbeat too loud in his ears to focus, or is he hypersensitive to every breath they take? Is this the first time he’s felt peace in weeks, or the only moment where he doesn’t have to be a leader or fighter? And go on to complete your usual writing from the reader's perspective as well. It’s truly up to you! I hope I'm making sense LMFAO.

This is getting really long (literally why my fics are always 2.5k+ the need to explain is REAL)... so I'll only continue if needed, but hopefully this helped some! I literally just started word vomiting, sorry. Please take this with a grain of salt and make any desired changes!! (I'm sure yours will be great) Now this doesn't include smut dialogue, but can give you a feel for his main attributes as a character. I've caught wind of a few creators reposting it, though I haven't finished the entire analysis myself at the time: https://www.tumblr.com/batsovergotham/782055318627729408/𝗛𝗼𝘄-𝘁𝗼-𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲-𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸-𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆𝘀𝗼𝗻-a-detailed-guide

[phobiaexists]

Imagine if our John Doe's + their Jane Doe's-

-Met each other!

.-.-

-.-.

Most likely, the John's would be iffy of each other.

Jane's idk what would happen.

OOOOO

Multiversal interactions my beloveddd

YEAH I think I’d have to agree on our Johns interacting to be iffy. I think I already kinda established my regular John would treat my AN Other!John on a bad day very likely as a “true prey item” with the chasing down and eating and everything because of some very specific reasons that I won’t get to to keep our conversation on topic LMAO

Depending on your John’s height my John, if he’s having a more “feral in a violent way” day, might treat yours as either a threat to him, his/the survivors’s space, his hunts- or as a prey item (even if your IaMD!John is technically recognized as a killer) especially since they’re both very animalistic 

Otherwise, he’d probably be slightly curious (as this is a familiar face! But, also, not his own?) yet also for the most part cautious since… well, these are both wild animals in the same room together (and, again, this is a familiar face! But, again, also not his own?). If IaMD!John isn’t doing anything to provoke/pique my John’s interest then he probably wouldn’t hang around for long simply for the fact that he doesn’t prefer to hang around the other killers (before being “tamed” it’s because John saw the other killers as “competition” for prey, and after being “tamed” it’s because he now sees the other killers as potential risks to the survivors)

And for my Jane I feel like she’d probably be a little confused but if IaMD!Jane isn’t a threat she’d probably still retain some level of caution but wouldn’t mind being welcoming or friendly if she has the time. She probably wouldn’t even be too surprised to eventually bump into another Jane Doe (especially since awhile back I drew TR:UD!Jane interacting with Forsaken!Jane for self-indulgent reasons, and I’m considering it to be somewhere along the lines of canon to my regular Forsaken lore), she’s stayed in the realm long enough hidden from The Spectre and its rules like the unidentifiable shadow that she is to know that the realm has trapped people from all walks of life including multiples of the same people with different lives.

Unless there’s obvious physical ways to tell I don’t think my Jane would be able to recognize IaMD!Jane is exactly a zombie or know that she had died prior to enter the realm, and would die leaving. She’d likely be able to pick up something’s not exactly right with IaMD!Jane but wouldn’t really bring it up or say anything if she feels like whatever it is won’t affect either of them while they’re hanging around together, especially considering her own circumstances of having eldritch tampered code willingly bound to her

[kikyoupdates]

Girlfriend-For-Hire ⭑˚🦋⭑ 𝟷𝟶

yandere!ocs x f!reader

yandere, reverse harem, yandere reverse harem, original characters x fem!reader, slowburn, slowburn yandere

Hoping to try something new and earn a bit of money on the side, you join an app that lets people hire you for your dating services. The idea is pretty straightforward — you pose as the client's girlfriend for a brief period of time, and in turn, you receive payment. But you didn't foresee everyone getting so attached to you, and suddenly, they're no longer satisfied with a fabricated relationship.

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“Do you want to go on a date?” 

Admittedly, you were surprised to receive that text. Last you spoke to Isaac, you were under the impression that he only needed you to maintain appearances around his family, and very rarely, at that. You didn’t think you would actually be going on any dates with him. Not that you’re complaining about the extra money, but still. 

Well, at the end of the day, he’s the client. If he wants to hire you again, then so be it. You certainly have no qualms. He’s much better than a certain piece of shit you’ve recently had to deal with (cough cough, Callum). You’re also kind of curious how things have been since you had dinner with his parents. It’d be nice to hear some good news. 

Long story short, you agree to meet up with him the next chance you get, and that’s how you find yourself standing outside of a movie theater on a Sunday afternoon. 

As always, you can’t help but feel like you might be a touch overdressed, but you’re technically on the job right now. No harm in trying to look the part, right? Although you suppose a movie theater isn’t exactly the most extravagant date spot. 

There’s lots of couples. Actual couples. In their eyes… Isaac and I probably look like we’re dating for real, huh? 

It’s a strange point of view to consider, especially knowing that all of this is a paid arrangement. You don’t have the chance to speculate for very long, though, because Isaac soon arrives.

He greets you with a polite smile. “Hey, [Name]. It’s nice to see you again. You look really nice today. Oh, um, you looked nice last time too, but I just meant—” 

You watch him flounder with his words for a few moments, before eventually letting out a heavy sigh and hanging his head in defeat. 

“You look nice,” he says again, a slight tinge of red on his cheeks. “You always do.” 

“Thanks,” you giggle. “So do you. Are we too overdressed for the movies?” 

“Probably,” he admits, and another smile rises to his lips. “It’s fine. No shame in classing the place up a bit. Come on. Let’s go buy our tickets.” 

You follow him to purchase your tickets, get set up with popcorn, candy, soda, and basically all the movie necessities. Back when you were a kid, you remember begging your parents to buy you some goodies during your rare movie theater trips, but since they’re, well, your parents, they’ve always been extremely good at saying no.

…man. Your family issues always have a way of rising to the surface whenever you’re with Isaac. Maybe this is that whole shared trauma thing people keep talking about.

Anyways, now’s not the time for that. Isaac’s parents aren’t here either. It’s a rare occasion to detach yourselves from all that and forget about troubling family dynamics. In the messages he sent you, he said he wanted to work on spending more time together, so that your relationship would seem more convincing once you inevitably met his parents again. You think it’s a good plan, especially since Isaac’s dad isn’t the kind of guy who can easily be fooled. You’ll need to watch out for any inconsistencies and make sure you’ve always got your stories straight.

But right now, you’re free of all that pressure, and you’re gonna sit down and watch a good old fashioned horror movie. 

“Remind me again why we picked this movie?” Isaac chuckles nervously. He keeps glancing down at the ticket in his hands as you make your way over to your assigned theater. 

Looks like he’s not good with horror. 

“Maybe it’s not too late to swap our tickets,” you suggest. “Sometimes they let you. It just depends on the employee.” 

“No… it’s fine. We’d have to wait quite a bit to get into a different movie. They’ve already stopped selling until the next showtime. Besides, I don’t have any problems with horror,” he shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant. “I just, uh, wasn’t expecting you to push for it. You seemed really excited to watch this sort of thing.” 

“Sounds like there will be lots of gore,” you smile happily. “Should be fun.” 

“R-Right…” 

Poor guy. You feel a bit bad about teasing him, and you chuckle as you gently pat him on the back. 

“Come on, Isaac. We can watch another movie if you really don’t want to. I don’t mind waiting. We can just grab something to eat at a cafe or something in the meantime.” 

Despite your suggestions, he seems determined to prove to you that he’s not scared, so he confidently waltzes into the theater room.

And immediately yelps from one of the pre-show commercials. 

You try not to laugh, but fail miserably. He nearly jumped out of his shoes just then. To think that a preview for a movie about a talking walrus could possibly be so terrifying. 

“It was really loud,” Isaac furiously insists. Even in the dark theater lighting, you just know he’s beet red. “That’s… that’s all it was. I wasn’t prepared for it to be that loud.” 

“Hey, I’m not judging,” you muse, but it’s impossible to keep the grin out of your voice. 

Isaac makes a pouty face and stomps over to your seats, which of course makes you laugh all over again. 

As is pretty much standard for moviegoers, you have to sit through loads of previews (none of these jump-scare Isaac, thankfully) before moving on to the main show. You start digging into your popcorn and snacks. There’s definitely too much for just the two of you. You’ll probably be sick by the end of this, but oh well. It’ll be worth it. 

Finally, the movie begins. 

“I’m fine with horror,” Isaac whispers, leaning over your seat. “Seriously. I was just messing around earlier. I watch horror all the time. By myself. At night.” 

You let out a dramatic gasp. “At night? Holy shit. Why didn’t you tell me this earlier? I didn’t realize I was on a date with such a badass.”

Isaac nods sternly. “Well, as long as you know.” 

You resist the urge to laugh for the third time, but only because the movie’s starting up, and you need to be quiet. Also, even though you were half-teasing Isaac earlier, you do like horror movies. It’s hard to explain the appeal, but perhaps it’s because you know that everything you see on the screen is fictitious. It’s not actually happening, and besides, real life is infinitely scarier.

Plus, part of the fun is gauging other people’s reactions throughout the movie, whether they be intrigued, disgusted, or so terrified that they’re constantly covering their eyes. 

In Isaac’s case, he is all of the above. 

“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck?!” 

Normally movie theaters are meant to be quiet, but thankfully, this is a horror screening, so plenty of people are being loud—Isaac included. He’s really committed to seeing it through till the end, but his reactions are… visceral, to say the least. 

You lean closer to him and frown. “You want to become a doctor, right? Will you… be okay with this kind of stuff?” 

“It’s different,” he manages to choke out—then he goes right back to covering his eyes. “It’s not, ugh. It’s not like this.” 

You decide not to comment on it. Being in the moment and working to treat a real human being is probably a far cry from watching an actor be gratuitously torn to shreds on screen. Everyone has their quirks, you suppose. 

Either way, it’s clear that he’s not having a good time, so you suggest leaving the movie early and finding something else to do. 

“But I want to know how the story ends,” Isaac states, as if it’s obvious. “I won’t get closure otherwise.” 

“Um… it’s a horror movie. It doesn’t really have a story. Also, your eyes have been covered pretty much the whole time.”

“I can still hear,” he argues. 

“Pfft.” 

You lean back in your seat and chuckle softly. Yet another gruesome scene is taking place, and Isaac flinches all throughout, occasionally mustering up the courage to glance at the screen, before covering his eyes for the millionth time. 

Well, he’s tenacious, you’ll give him that. It seems like a strange thing to torture yourself over, but hey, if he wants to stick around until the end, then so be it. 

“Don’t worry. I’m here for you.” 

You smile and grab his hand. It’s quite possibly the cheesiest thing you could do in the middle of a horror movie, and you’re certainly not being subtle about it, but fortunately, Isaac doesn’t seem to mind. 

He squeezes your fingers and inhales sharply. 

Thanks to the darkness of the theater, his blush is obscured. 

You enjoy a nice day with Isaac. He looks visibly traumatized after the movie and needs a few minutes to catch his breath, but then you sit down for some coffee, and that seems to reinvigorate him. 

You spend a long time just chatting and getting to know each other better. He told you a bunch of important facts before you met his parents for the first time, but being familiar with each other makes a big difference. You intend to do your job flawlessly and never give his parents any reason to believe that you might not be dating for real. 

You learn that he doesn’t like horror movies (shocker), and that he’s really into period pieces. It’s a shame that nothing like that was in theaters today, but maybe next time he’ll get to watch something he actually enjoys.

You talk about other things too, like what he’s been focusing on in school, and his hobbies. He apparently taught himself to play the acoustic guitar a while ago, but his parents still don’t know. 

“My dad will make fun of me for it,” he grimaces. “That’s what he does with everything he doesn’t approve of.”

You nod gravely. “My parents are the same way. They dismiss anything they don’t like, as if people can’t possibly have different opinions or preferences. It’s not even like I’m ever doing something that’s objectively bad. They just want to micromanage and control me, and it sounds like that’s what your dad does too.” 

“Parents who try to live vicariously through their children,” Isaac shudders. “Parents that think their childrens’ accomplishments are their accomplishments. I’ve never understood it. I thought that as long as your children are happy, healthy, and are succeeding in their own way, that should be more than enough.” 

Both of you sigh in unison. You wanted to avoid the topic of parents, but both of you have way too much in common in that regard. 

Still, apart from all the family bullshit, it’s been a pretty good day. It’s nice just to be able to relax and chat like this. Isaac’s a good guy, and you’re always happy to learn more about him. Even if you weren’t getting paid, he’s just the kind of person that’s pleasant to be around. 

Everything goes well. You chat for a while longer, and when it’s time to receive your payment, you finally realize how late it’s gotten. 

Time really does fly when you’re having fun. 

You smile appreciatively. “Thanks, Isaac. It was nice seeing you again. I hope you had as good of a day as I did.” 

“I should be thanking you,” he chuckles. 

“Well, I hardly did anything today. It was really chill. I didn’t have to watch what I said since your parents weren’t around.” 

“Still. I’m so glad you agreed to help me with this in the first place. I… really needed a break. From all their bullshit. It had just gotten to be too much.” 

He smiles, and it’s hard to put into words exactly, but it’s almost as if he’s feeling relief for the very first time. 

And you helped make that happen. 

“We should do this again sometime,” Isaac blurts. He cringes a bit at his hastiness. “Uh, I mean, I think I might need to meet with you more often than I initially said. Is that okay?” 

“Of course,” you nod. “Just let me know, and we’ll decide on when works best.” 

He smiles again, except this time, it’s more muted, and perhaps a touch bashful. Either way, you’d call that a day well spent. You had fun and earned money at the same time. Plus, Isaac sounds like he’s feeling better, and that warms your heart.

He’s a good client. A great client, even, and an equally great person. 

You know who isn’t either of those things, though? 

Callum. 

Ugh. 

The reason you’re scowling right now is because you’ve just had the misfortune of seeing a not-so-friendly face. Your date with Isaac tied off the weekend, but now you’re back on campus, and you ended up running into Callum at the same coffee shop where you first met. 

“[Name],” Callum says, frowning a bit. “You really blocked me? Don’t you think that’s a bit too harsh?” 

You blink lethargically. You really, really didn’t want to run into him for the foreseeable future, but you suppose it’s bound to happen, since you attend the same school and all. 

Still. It doesn’t mean you have to pretend like you’re happy about it. 

“I’m late to class,” you mutter, pushing past him so forcefully you nearly spill your coffee in the process. 

Callum’s brows droop. “Hey, come on. Don’t be like that. I’m trying to apologize here. I understand what happened was fucked up, but that doesn’t mean you had to block me on everything, right? I still haven’t even been able to transfer you the money I owe. It makes me feel like I exploited you.” 

Uh, you did exploit me. You hired me to make your crazy ex jealous, knowing full well what she would put me through. 

It’s unreal that even now, Callum doesn’t seem to realize what he did wrong. He must believe the fault lies entirely with Nadia, and while it’s true that she’s the worst of the worst, he’s hardly innocent in this situation. 

You stare at him for a few moments, in visible disbelief. But it’s clear from that blameless, ignorant expression of his that there’s no point in holding out hope, so you scoff and shake your head.

“Whatever, man. I need to get to class. Bye.” 

You leave, lips twisting into a scowl, and you make a mental note to never come to this particular coffee shop ever again. By the looks of things, it’s a popular spot for both Callum and Nadia. You never want to see either of them ever again. 

Normally, the conversation would have been over. You’ve made it clear that you have no interest in hearing him out, and you don’t want to get involved again, whether or not he owes you money. The fact that you walked off so abruptly should make it obvious that you’re not interested in talking with him anymore. Anyone else would have gotten the hint. 

But no, apparently not Callum. 

The bastard fucking follows you.

“[Name], wait,” Callum splutters. He steps in front of you without warning, making you reel to a halt. Some of your coffee spills over the edge of the cup and splashes onto the ground. 

You glare at him. 

“Sorry,” he mumbles sheepishly. “Uh… I just really want you to hear me out. It seems kind of harsh that you’re reacting like this. I know Nadia’s a bitch, but it’s not like I expected her to go that far. I obviously didn’t want you to get hurt. I’m not that kind of guy.” 

You press your lips together. “Oh, really? Exactly what kind of guy are you, then? Because it sounds like you already knew how she treats other women that she’s jealous of or feels threatened by. That must be why you were confident that it would be so easy to win her back. Because you’d already predicted she would go batshit insane on me.” 

“I just knew she had a jealous streak, but that’s really it,” he insists. “I didn’t think she’d actually slap you, and in the middle of a huge party, no less. It caught me completely by surprise. There’s no way I thought you’d have to deal with something like that.” 

That’s bullshit if you’ve ever heard it, but whatever. From the very start, he was hiding things from you, because he probably knew you’d refuse the job outright. No one in their right mind would agree to become the target of some vengeful ex-girlfriend’s rage. Maybe someone desperate for money, and sure, you need money as much as the next person, but you haven’t hit rock bottom yet. You still have some dignity, believe it or not. 

But even taking all that into account, it’s still not what pissed you off the most. 

It’s the fact that when the incident happened, he didn’t even stand up for you. He just stood there and watched.

Knowing that you mean that little to him—even if your relationship was purely contractual—makes you feel like absolute shit. It’s clear that nothing good will ever come of this arrangement. You’re far from perfect, but you’re not an idiot, and you also have no intention of being anyone’s punching bag. 

“Whether you expected it to happen or not is beside the point,” you say. “I know that no matter what Nadia does, you’ll always go back to her, and you won’t hold her accountable for her actions. It doesn’t matter what shit she puts me through. You’ll forgive her time and time again, and I honestly don’t want to associate with someone who’s willing to stand by and watch me be treated that way.” 

Callum blinks, and he actually has the nerve to look offended. 

“I wouldn’t do that,” he gapes. “Why would you even say that? I was caught off guard the night of the party, but if she ever tries to take things that far again, I’ll stop her. Seriously. I promise.” 

“You can’t stop her, and you won’t,” you sigh. “Not to mention that she could pull some crazy shit on me when you’re not around, too. I really just can’t deal with this whole situation. It’s way too stressful, and it’s not what I signed up for. I want to distance myself and pretend like it never happened. Good luck with Nadia.”

You walk off again, but Callum can clearly be one hell of a stubborn asshole, because he still doesn’t let you leave. 

“Come on,” he keeps insisting. “It was one bad night, but it won’t happen again. I swear. [Name], don’t be like this. You’re overreacting.” 

You grit your teeth and ignore him, walking as briskly as you can and stealing sips of your coffee in between. Callum matches your stride with ease, thanks to his generous height, and he keeps forcing his way in your line of sight, like an impatient kid demanding to be heard. 

It’s remarkably immature, but then again, you’ve come to expect this sort of thing from him. 

“Callum, fuck off,” you warn. “I’m seriously not in the mood. Just move on. Nadia will get back together with you anyways. Like you said, it’s just a matter of time.” 

“Not if you back out this early on,” he protests. “Then she won’t actually worry that another person might steal me away, and once we start dating, it’ll be the same old bullshit all over again. She’ll keep dumping me for no reason because she always expects me to come crawling back. She’s not going to change her ways until she actually feels like she might lose me to someone else.” 

You take another sip of your coffee, but this time, rather than staring straight ahead, you pause to meet his eyes. 

“And that’s my problem… why?” 

Callum freezes up. He clearly wasn’t expecting such a blunt response, and you chuckle briefly before carrying on your way. You’re usually not one to be so direct, but considering what he’s put you through, you feel like you’ve earned it. 

You keep walking. Fortunately, the building for your next class isn’t too far off. You steal a glance over your shoulder and realize that Callum’s still following you, albeit much more slowly. He’s practically dragging his feet at this point, and there’s a bitter, jaded look in his eyes. 

Is he seriously having a pity party right now? I’m the victim here. God. 

You roll your eyes. Good thing you dropped him. You can only imagine how much worse things would have gotten if you continued to stick around. 

Soon enough, you reach your next building and prepare to head inside. There, you spot Theo on his way up the stairs, so you race over to meet him halfway. 

“Hey,” you smile, bumping shoulders with him in the process. “Excited for class? I took a look at the pre-lecture notes, and it sounds like he’ll be droning on for a while today.” 

Theo chuckles shyly. “Y-Yeah. It’s okay. He just likes to talk, I guess. I’ll admit it’s kind of annoying when he goes off on those tangents that have nothing to do with class content, though.” 

“Seriously.”

You make a gun with your index finger and thumb, then pretend to shoot yourself in the face. Theo chuckles again, and honestly, it’s one of the most endearing sounds you’ve ever heard. Hopefully he’ll start letting his guard down around you and doing it more often.

For a few moments, you completely forget about the massive pain in the ass that was following you just now. 

“[Name].” 

…up until he demands your attention again, that is. 

You turn around, exasperated. Callum still hasn’t left. He’s been sticking to your side like glue ever since you bumped into him at the coffee shop. You’re not sure if he’s done with classes for the day or what, but either way, it’s ridiculous that he’s doing this after you’ve told him multiple times to piss off. 

“We’ll work it out,” Callum insists. The way he says the words is unsettling, because he’s not so much asking you as he is telling you. 

He’s phrasing it like you don’t have a choice in the matter.

“Everything will be fine,” he continues. “You’ll see. We’ll sit down together sometime so I can give you the money I still owe, alright?” 

You don’t say anything. Instead, you narrow your eyes, stare at him for a few good moments, then turn away. 

Theo furrows his brows and leans closer to you. “U-Um. Is everything okay? Who… is that guy?”

You shrug. 

“No one. Just some asshole I used to know.”

This time, you walk off for good, and Theo stumbles after you, looking back in Callum’s direction. Their eyes meet, just for a moment, before Theo hurriedly averts his gaze and follows you inside the building. 

Callum scoffs. Seriously? Fucking seriously? He wasn’t expecting you to play this tedious game with him. And you won’t even accept the money he owes you? What are you being so stubborn for?

“Women,” he sighs. 

All of you are so damn confusing. Sure, he knows that Nadia is a loose cannon, but it’s not like she mauled you, and he’s not the one who made her do it. Yet you’re taking out all your anger on him. It hardly seems fair.

Callum is indifferent to most things, but being labeled the ‘bad guy’ doesn’t exactly sit right with him. You’re making it sound like you never intend to see him again, when really, this kind of tantrum will blow over before long. It always does. 

Speak of the devil. 

His phone just buzzed, and when he swipes the screen, he’s unsurprised to see who just messaged him.

Callum scrunches up his nose. It’s the same banter he’s used to, the same nonsense he’s entertained too many times to count, but right now, he’s really not in the mood.

“Fuck off, Nadia,” he mutters, pocketing his phone in one fell swoop. This is the first message she’s sent him in a while. The fact that she’s texting dumb shit like this means she’s probably warming up to get back together with him.

But he’s not as excited as he thought he would be. 

Not even a little.

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[dammit-tazmuir]

Man... I wasn't even considering time travel, intentionally, though yeah I'd trust Tamsyn with it too if it went that way. All I've been saying is more like... If we imagine Time as one continuous string, and it should normally just stretch out straight, it feels like the string in the TLT universe right now has a lot of places where it's tangled and knotted, places where a bit has been cut and poorly tied or burned or glued back together, places where it loops back on itself. Things like the lobotomy being 9 months 29 days ago, and weeks later the trip to the Mithraem being 9 months ago, and days after that Gideon attacking Harrow in the kitchen being 10 months ago, in that order. And the fact that Harrow took weeks to recover from the lobotomy, such that it was 9 months if not slightly less by the time she left the Erebos, but then G1deon said Varun would be there in just under 10 months, etc.

It just feels like it's Not Flowing Correctly, and that John has some ability to manipulate how it's flowing, or prevent it from doing so when it suits him. (And while, yeah, Harrow's is explainable, just like a lot of the stuff is explainable but still has a big pattern of being just a little questionable, it wouldn't be the first time Harrow didn't fully notice something because it overlapped with her symptoms. She didn't notice she was also being haunted because she was used to hallucinations, so why not also fail to notice that time is genuinely messy because that's expected for her in particular?)

As far as the River, it definitely feels like either Dulcie exists outside time now as you said, and maybe like everyone was meant to, before John created or did whatever he did to this version of the River.

And for Harrow, since finishing Nona I assumed it was vital for them to have an heir so the line of the tombkeeper would remain unbroken because of the vow between Anastasia and Alecto, which of course we don't have details of yet but will be sure to get. I'm not sure if that especially interacts with all this or not but I suppose it wouldn't surprise me for any plot point in this series to be interwoven thirty layers deep lmao.

But yeah, MAN... I wouldn't EXPECT Harrow being the orchestrator of her own conception but I could unfortunately see it now... "If I could do all these amazing things and achieve all this, OF COURSE I wouldn't be worth it" Yeah well what if your existence fixed the entire universe and spared billions? What then huh? 😤

(Also very tangential but LISTEN. Listen that particular thing in Homestuck was arguably the coolest thing it ever did and CANNOT be experienced in full if someone wasn't there for it. Most forms of media straight up could not do it. Because if you go back through the comic now his arm is just there sometimes. But it wasn't. When he put his arm through the retcon power artifact it genuinely retconned his arm into existence in real time across a stupid number of pages and it sounds simple to explain but I swear at the time it was so hype...)

You know re time, I kinda have this notion that the end of Chapter 1 of Harrow doesn’t end right as Harrow dies from being by skewered by Mercymorn. I understand that contextually she hears the resurrection beasts heralds, as well as sounds of steel clashing like swords, but that particular bit about hell spitting her back out?? Like yeah, this could be her returning from the river, and it probably is, but like. I don’t know. I feel like there’s something there with the fact that Alecto starts with Harrow in Hell.

Huh...

On one hand, it fully does work. (It's the Prologue rather than Ch1 but I know what you mean.) When she goes to "make war on Hell", that just being hyperbole / metaphorical to talk about dropping into the River to help with the RB works just fine. Harrow drops in, gets stabbed before she gets too deep, pops back out. It's fine... There's nothing about it that especially demands scrutiny...

And that's how Tamsyn fucking gets us, isn't it...

Because the other Lyctors never saw Harrow drop in with them... And "make war on Hell" / "Hell spat you back out" was said before we knew there was a literal entrance to Hell down there, too. Hell is capitalized there... When John says "give it hell, children" paragraphs before, it isn't, but the Hell Harrow goes to make war on is. When John describes the stoma as the mouth to Hell, it is.

And at the end of Ch39, which leads into the Prologue at John's "ten minutes until breach"... there's the separation formatting putting emphasis on the single last line:

And you walked to your death like a lover.

And what took place between "Ten minutes until breach" and "went to make war on Hell"? Ianthe's whole deal, and after she leaves, the last thing before dropping in, Harrow praying...

“I pray the tomb is shut forever,” you heard yourself saying aloud, and you could not bring your voice above a choked whisper. “I pray the rock is never rolled away. I pray that which was buried remains buried, insensate, in perpetual rest with closed eye and stilled brain. I pray it lives … O corse of the Locked Tomb,” you extemporised wildly. “Beloved dead, hear your handmaiden. I loved you with my whole rotten, contemptible heart—I loved you to the exclusion of aught else—let me live long enough to die at your feet.”

You walked to your death like a lover.

And how does Harrow's side of things and the whole book end? With that... trippy scene that doesn't add up...

The chains in their great holes were snapped and broken. The ice crawled up the sides of the empty altar. Within that bed of ice and glass, on the stone-shaped pillow to prop the head, that final resting place of Harrowhark’s one true love, lay a sword. [...] Harrowhark had come home, and she was not afraid. She did not know why she did it, but she climbed inside that empty coffin, and she took the sword within her arms. She was filled with a drowsy, comfortable certainty, as though rather than an icy tomb she had been tucked into a bed with a pillow fluffed beneath her. Her eyelids felt as heavy as the chains that lay broken around the outside of the bier. The sword she embraced shamelessly; those six feet of steel held no fear for her now. Something rustled at her side. She had not seen it when she climbed in; it had been tucked to one side of the coffin. When she reached out to hold it in front of her face, she found a shiny mass of magazine flimsy. [...] “Frontline Titties of the Fifth,” she read, and found she was smiling helplessly to herself. She murmured: “Nav, you ass, that’s not even a real publication.” Then there was a huge, side-to-side rocking, in the manner of an explosion, or a cradle. Her eyes closed. Lying in the tomb that had claimed her heart, faraway in a land she had never travelled, Harrowhark Nonagesimus fell asleep, or dropped dead, or both.

And assuming it was genuine and doesn't significantly change, we know AtN opens with Harrow waking up to see the titty magazine, and is also called "Harrow in Hell."

I deeply deeply think you're onto something here.

How deeply Harrowhark would it be to keep her plans to herself, even from the audience? To see that she is certain to die fighting a Resurrection Beast, to know the others don't even expect her to show up to the fight, and to use the time instead to slip right down to the bottom and try to do some shit in Hell that we simply have not been privy to yet.

With the emphasis on the chains being broken, what are the odds that Chapter 53 takes place after Nona the Ninth?

Hell, given the epilogue setting up Nona is labeled "Six Months After The Emperor's Murder", and Chapter 53 is labeled "Half an Hour Ago", how much even higher are the odds that "Half an Hour Ago" is relative to AtN, not to the Emperor's Murder. Especially given we've only seen tiny snippets of Harrow since?

With all my other thoughts about Time being broken, could it even be that Chapter 53 was Half an Hour Ago before the start of AtN, yet for Harrow specifically was experienced before the epilogue of NtN, while to everyone else what Harrow remembers before came after?

There's something here... There's something...

(Tagging in @cemetegee and @thanergetic-hyperlinks for more time discussion too.)

[circlesuponcircles]

Dearest Blazar, Sun spot in my eye. I hope you find some kind of way around this. Can you eat? Perhaps we can provide you something to nourish the soul?

✨️: I'm perfectly fine, thank you~

[sonknuxadow]

theres multiple reasons i dont like s/urgeamy but one of the things ive seen people do with it that annoys me a bit is the idea that surge and kit are going to become good because surge is gonna fall in love with amy and thats gonna be her only motivation to change.. and im sorry but am i the only one who thinks it would suck so bad for such fun antagonists to instantly switch sides just because one of them was "fixed" by romance and no other reason

[mixed-up-metaphors]

weird practice doodle comic thing idk 2/2

(first one is over here)

in case you are bamboozled and missed the first post this is just me ranting/rambling abt dimitri and ashe and ghosts in comic form

huzzah, the rest of the first one featuring uhhhhhhh idk lol its like the first one. But Now With A Brief Appearance From Our Special Guest, Dedue!!!!!!!!

[iniziare]

/breathes in real deeply. I'm trying to sit on my hands, and I managed to sit on only one for the time being, but even that'll falter as I get tired. Ladies and gents, please hear me: Dorian Pavus was born in 9:11 Dragon, Veilguard takes place in 9:53 Dragon, that places him at the age of 42 years old. I will not, I absolutely will not stand to see people infantalize him in any way whatsoever, be that jokingly or not. Dorian Pavus' entire backstory up until his 'departure' from Tevinter, is ripe, and I mean absolutely dripping with everything starting from lack of agency, to a planned violation of self-autonomy at the hands of his father, and constant 'infantilization' by his mother; I will not see it continued. Have a little respect for a character (and his struggles) that meant, and mean, a great deal to not just his creator, but to many fans who are part of a community that hasn't had a character that hits this close to home.

And as a little addendum here: Necromancy is a specialization, which is not taught before anything else, and thus not at a young age. When you go to learn, or refine your use of magic, you first work on your basics, your chosen school of magic. The school of Power, consisting of Spirit, and Primal; or the school of Matter, which is sub-categorized by Entropy, and Creation. This takes up a substantial amount of your formative years as of potentially a child, until adulthood (if we loosely take the Circle's ages as reference). The specializations are not an addition pursued by all mages, and if one is pursued, they come after the basics, which means that no young child/teenager is dabbling in Necromancy, Rift Magic, Spirit Healing, the ancient art of Knight-Enchanters or anything similar. With which I aim to say that Dorian Pavus was not a teenager when he started his specialization into Necromancy, nor was he likely under the age of 20 when taught for one term by Emmrich Volkarin in Nevarra. Do not use that man to infantalize Dorian Pavus, do not use that man as an adoptive father figure, do not call Dorian your 'son', do not— Oooh, I feel strongly about this topic. It's so easy to preach respect, but it's so selectively applied in practice, and it bothers me greatly.

[orcelito]

Actually, on the topic of the baby fever. God it's so frustrating. Bc when I was like 14 ish I was Adamant that I never ever wanted kids. And my dad said smth around the lines of "that'll likely change" (probably from his own experience with this) and I was like NO. it WONT.

And then eventually, age 21-22 ish, I admitted that Okay, I still don't want to have my own kids, but someday maybe I'll adopt...

And Now, 27 years old, I got the general baby fever on occasion. It Did fucking change. And I don't know if I actually WILL bother with having my own kid (I still don't want to go through the hassle and massive body changes). But god. I do see a fucking baby and feel that stab of longing. It's almost like my damned hormones betrayed me or smth. Maddening!

I shall simply write fanfic about it.

[talkorsomething]

I can't sleep again.

[ko-eko-ev-go-ms]

The struggle of putting yourself in the position of having to do a bunch of social stuff for a good cause but meanwhile you have SO MUCH social anxiety