#good ol switcheroo

[tin-bt]

John & Jade aspect swap hehe

This was really really fun to do and im honestly super proud of all of those

[khaotungsfirst]

growing a new body from a mushroom was not on my bingo card for this book but then again what is?

[wispcherry]

so d'you think the doctor likes bananas because an apple a day keeps the doctor away or what

[spydcddya]

one second is all it takes.

[anon-unofficial]

Because pronouns aren't and shouldn't be tied to gender :D you can choose whatever you want as long as that's what you're happy with, but if that wasn't what you were asking then um. sorry, I'm really bad at reading the room online haha...

Honestly, I think it's cool to see cis people adopt and use "nonconforming" pronouns. I saw a cis man state their pronouns were they/them, and I think that's awesome that they're forthcoming with that! I think a lot of cis people think pronoun nonconformity excludes them, but they're completely wrong! Pronoun nonconformity is literally for anybody. If you are a they/them cis man, that's fucking awesome! There will be people who will respect you, and it isn't a world-ending request to be addressed correctly

[livelaughlou]

i wish *you* would write fluffy louliver ☺️ (i did the ol' switcheroo)

Oooooh. Okay! That's fair! I kind of waffled on this and what I wanted it to be before I decided to keep it simple.

This is based off this photo Oliver posted to his Instagram.

louliver (rpf) - words: 570 - rating: general - complete

He looks at the picture he just took. Not bad, the surroundings are pretty, the dogs look cute and he looks appropriately ragged for all the traveling he's been doing. He also looks like he's being completely transparent with how little he's brought along with him and he can't help a little laugh to himself. If only they knew.

He posts it to Instagram and turns around to yell into the van, "All good."

He hears the shuffle of a long body before the passenger side door opens and Lou comes striding around the side of the van, a reusable coffee cup of his own in their hands from their stop to refill the gas tank on the van.

"Get your photo there, hotshot?" Lou teases. He sets down the coffee cup by Oliver and zips his jacket. Oliver has quickly learned that Lou is a California baby through and through, sensitive to the slightest bit of cold.

"You cold there, grandpa?" Oliver teases back and Lou rolls his eyes, adjusting the beanie on his head. He shouldn't look as cute as he does, but he manages it somehow. That's another thing he's learned....Lou is a bit of a wildcard. He hadn't been intimidated by him by any means, but there'd been something about him when they'd met briefly back when shooting season 2. And when they'd finally met again before shooting the big scene, well, Oliver won't admit to him the attraction to the guy who'd beefed up since then.

Besides, Lou probably already knows considering he'd all but jumped him in his trailer.

"I'm not that much older than you," Lou grumbles, sitting next to him, taking a sip of coffee.

"I like that that's the part you focus on," Oliver says and Lou chuckles.

"I'm not the only one dressed like we're in a midwestern winter," Lou answers, bumping him with a shoulder. "Weren't you raised in a cold environment?"

"Too much time here," Oliver says and it's probably true. He looks toward his traveling companion, who's spent time sleeping in the van, or out-of-the-way motels for the last week and a half. "Thanks for coming with me."

Lou shrugs, shoots him a little look. "Not like I was doing anything. SWAT doesn't start shooting for a while either. I am glad I left Bjorn with Shanna. Three dogs to sneak into motels would have been too much."

"He's so cute though," Oliver complains lightly and Lou laughs and God, he's gorgeous like this, haloed by the low light, nose a little red lips a little dry.

Before he can help himself, Oliver reaches a hand up and cups Lou's face, turning it toward him and bringing him in for a light kiss, short and sweet. When they break away, they lean their foreheads together.

"You know," Oliver says carefully. "You wouldn't have to hide in the front seat if I wanted to take photos. You know, if you want."

Lou raises an eyebrow. "I thought we weren't ready for that."

Oliver shrugs. They've been doing this for over six months. Maybe...maybe he's tired of hiding. "I think I might be ready to start...going public, I guess."

Lou's smile turns up the corners of his mouth, scrunching his nose a little bit. He reaches into his pocket and pulls his phone out. He gets it ready, the holds it up in front of them for a selfie.

"Well," Lou says carefully. "Say cheese."

[daflangstlairde-art]

lightning in our fingertips today

Work 1 of DFL's Whumptober 2024

Summary:

Donnie and Leo get hit with a wayward body swap spell. You could say it gives Donnie a new perspective on the matters of his dear twin. When was Leo going to tell them that his Ninpō hurts him?

—

Chapter 1

It was an autistic nightmare, sure. While yes, Donnie felt like a god in physical form on good days, on bad days, he barely dealt with his own body. Especially after the Invasion. He shuddered.

And now–

“Duudeee, you seriously have to take this thing off more!” his own voice teased in Leo’s cadence, and the softshell turtle body let out an exaggerated sigh as he put down Donnie’s battle shell. 

Donnie stared at him, as he moved over to take his battle shell. Dang it, it shouldn’t just be put down in the living room, he has a specific place for it.

“Man, this is still totally boggling Raph’s mind,” Raph commented. He hadn’t stopped looking between them and addressing them incorrectly the whole way back from the mission to their Lair. 

“Eh, I’m sure it’s got an easy fix or something,” Leo shrugged with Donnie’s shoulders, unconcerned. 

Donnie stared at him, holding the battle shell close. Fingers flexing with a phantom memory.

“Oooohh, maybe I can magic you up!” Mikey wriggled his fingers in their general direction. 

“No way Mikes, let’s leave this up to Draxum, huh?” Leo countered. 

“Yeah Mikey, your hands are still recovering,” Raph reminded, and Mikey let out a dejected-slash-annoyed grunt.

Oh, perfect opportunity, Donnie cleared his throat. 

“Right, Mikey’s hands,” he started smoothly, and eugh it was weird to hear Leo’s voice from his own mouth– “speaking of, uh, Leo, can we–”

“Oh, truuee!” Leo grins with Donnie’s face, and starts doing carpal tunnel stretches in the middle of their living room. “Now I can finally prevent you from ruining your own!” 

Donnie huffed at yet another change of topic. Was Leo seriously unaware? Or was he doing this on purpose? 

Donnie tried to bring this up several times ever since the Hidden City mission that caused this whole Freaky Friday situation (on a Tuesday, no less). 

Some overly-confident-but-otherwise-clearly-inexperienced wizard with a staff violently going wild. It wasn't even the mage herself that was the culprit; the staff seemed to be firing off on its own. Not really important. They just grabbed the staff from her. 

But not before Leo jumped to block a wayward spell, causing him and Donnie to get the ol’ switcheroo in the middle of the whole thing. And sure, at first, it was jarring! Then, at second, it was kind of fun, actually. Leo laughed and rolled with it, and amidst the action and all, it gave Donnie the thrill to also roll with it. They are twins after all, much as he denies it for The Drama. 

And then... at third... 

Donnie stared at the sight of Leo, in his body, retreating to med bay to inspect for injuries. 

When they got switched, Donnie had been in the middle of a swing with his bō, a Ninpō construct of a hammer at the end. 

When they got switched, Leo continued the arc of the swing, smoothly. This gave Donnie, ever the curious scientist ready to experiment within new circumstances, an idea. 

And he swung Leo’s sword. 

And that is when he felt it. 

Mikey’s hands, hah. Ironic. Donnie flexed his fingers again, shuffling the battle shell to one arm. He looked at his free hand—Leo’s hand. Like there would be any indicatory, enlightening wounds, which of course, there were not. He rubbed the fingertips together, remembering the feeling. It's like it lingered still.

When was Leo going to tell them that his Ninpō hurts him?

—

Well! One positive of this body switch thing: Donnie could be sure Leo would check them both over for injuries, and do it well. Since one was Donnie’s body and the other was, currently, Donnie’s perception. 

As Leo was doing now, in med bay. Standing in front of Donnie, in Donnie’s body. Donnie sat on the gurney, going along with the examination. Leo clicked off the light, and Donnie blinked to clear his vision. 

“No concussion,” Leo commented, and oh, that’s good. His shell—an actual, hard-scute carapace—and his right shoulder were a bit achy, but if Leo found nothing wrong, it was probably regular fight aftermath and would all be gone by tomorrow.

Donnie had never before questioned whether Leo treated himself medically as well as he did with them. But, well. 

Donnie looked back down at his hands—Leo’s hands—rubbing the fingertips together, frowning.

“Alright, you’re good to go,” Leo said, in Donnie’s voice but in his own manner, very odd. The words lilted all the wrong directions, down instead of up. They even spoke with slightly different registers. He patted Donnie on the shell, getting up. 

Donnie had never questioned Leo’s care of himself before, but this situation made a lot of new queries pop up. 

Did Leo’s mystic powers hurt him? Or was this a consequence of Donnie being in his body? Or, if it was a regular thing for Leo—since when? Since always? Since they unlocked their Ninpō? Or was it some sort of recent development?

And, more upsettingly, if it was a regular thing... why did Leo never say anything? How did they never notice? Donnie wracked his memory, but not a single peep about it arose. No complaining, no jokes, no flinch or wince, no stutter when summoning up a portal (except back when his portals were at their most... faulty), nothing. Not a single thing. 

Perhaps– perhaps Donnie really was just making far-fetched assumptions. Classic Donnie overthink! It was most likely just a side effect of the body swap—their Ninpō was a reflection of themselves, it was unfitting and unnatural to use someone else’s, surely. He wasn’t even sure why he’d considered the option! 

(“Casey, when I get to the other side, you close that door–”

Staring upwards, shellshocked. 

Color and light and debris hurling as a portal snaps shut.)

Donnie’s breaths were shallow and perfectly measured, and he–

“Dee?” his own voice questioned, and Donnie blinked, clearing his throat and pushing himself to his feet. He was faced with his own questioning eyebrow arch. Man, that really did look great. What an occasion, to truly witness oneself from an external point of view. Fascinating!

“I’m good, I’m good, no concussion,” he affirmed. 

“You’re spacey,” Leo pointed out, arranging his stuff in med bay. Which was hilarious, considering he left a mess literally everywhere else. But med bay? Always stocked up and organized. 

...Well. Hm. Thinking about it... Leo’s room was... cleaner recently, too. Or perhaps that wasn’t the most precise of descriptors. More... neater. Far less clutter. 

Far less trinkets and colorful posters. Odd.

Anyway. Wow, Donnie’s face was expertly skeptical. 

Donnie rolled his eyes. Leo’s eyes. The eyes that were currently under his temporary ownership, responsibility and control. 

“Yeah, I was... thinking,” he said casually. 

“Uh, yeah, when aren’t you?” Leo joked, his lighthearted grin cracking over Donnie’s face. 

Donnie generously ignored that, because he had questions to dig out answers for. 

“Hey, you kinda used my Ninpō during that fight, right?” he started. 

“Sort of, I guess,” Leo shrugged, closing the cabinet and leaning on it relaxed to face Donnie.

“Did it hurt?” 

“No.”

And then. 

“Yeah, a little, now that I think about it,” Leo tapped his chin, casual, easy. No tells whatsoever. Donnie scrutinized him. Absolutely zero deviation from his regular mannerisms. Heck, he somehow made them sit comfortably even in Donnie’s body.

But. 

But Donnie had caught that. The immediate denial. He narrowed his eyes at his twin.

There were two options: 

Leo had not felt the pain, and it was specific to Donnie using Leo’s mystic ability; 

Or Leo had felt the pain, and his immediate reflex was to lie about it. 

Donnie had absolutely no clue which one was the truth. At his sides, he rubbed his fingers together, reflecting. 

It was sharp. Like a shock. But a... shock from a very tiny blade. But if a small blade could cover the entire surface of his hands. His fingertips and palms, gripping the katana’s hilt. 

“Did you?” Leo asked, approaching and reaching a hand to take Donnie’s current ones, probably to check them over. 

Ack. Welp, can’t really get out of this one. 

“Yes, a little,” Donnie said, offering his—Leo’s—hands for inspection. Oh, wait, this was a perfect opportunity! Leo was actually engaging the conversation instead of deflecting! “Does it usually–”

“‘Course not, imagine that,” Leo laughed, gently rubbing and prodding his fingers and palms. No pain. 

“...Huh, I... guess it must be from the switch,” 

“Oohh yeeaahh yeah yeah yeah!” Leo nodded, “Totally, you’re so right,” 

...Very weird to hear that from Donnie’s mouth, but, okay.

—

All things considered, dinner was pretty normal. Sure, Donnie’s body felt... weird, and their brothers kept getting them confused, prompting a quick mask switch. Donnie also took his goggles and arm brace. 

Seeing Leo’s blue bandana on his own face, and with no additional eyebrows, was incredibly... well. Donnie never quite understood the feeling of “uncanny valley”, but he was now getting a Bachelor's. Maybe he'd experienced something similar when seeing humans for the first time? But he’d been so young, it had been easy for his mind to adapt and roll with it. They're mutants and they engage with all manner of other sapient and non-sapient and of-questionable-sapience beings—he doesn't pick up on facial expressions on all of them equally. 

Not the point.

Point is, he was watching his body, with Leo’s cut mask and Leo’s mannerisms, across the table. But Leo appeared... unbothered, really. Behavior: standard. Which seemed to be putting everyone else at ease. 

Donnie wondered how he looked from the outside. He tried to imagine Leo’s body with his own posture and expressions, and it just felt... uncomfortable. They're twins, so a lot of their attitude often overlaps—to the point where their brothers call it creepy sometimes. But when it differs? It differs. Kind of like when Donnie messed with their brains and accidentally overdosed them with his personal brand of Neurodivergence™, but... in reverse. Mmmmkind of.

But! Right now, they were just eating pizza, with Mikey showing them videos of a new Youtube channel he got into. Uhh something about scrapbooking or journaling?? And Donnie actually felt quite hungry, so he was just... eating.

Everyone was just... sort of alright with the current situation. It's just a thing that is. Draxum will fix it. And if he doesn't, they'd find a way. Compared to the world ending due to an alien invasion, this seemed banal. 

“Hey hey hey, dudes, watch this,” Leo caught their attention, waving his hands and getting up. Then, with Donnie’s voice and way too accurately in Donnie’s style, he leaned back and crossed his arms, saying “Eugh, this pizza has cheese? That is way too much flavor for moi’s precious taste!” 

Oh so that's how it was going to be, huh? 

“That's not how you use moi,” Donnie said dryly. 

“That's not how you use moi,” Leo parroted, in Donnie’s voice, just as dry. With just a toooouchh of mockery in it, and their dual-trademark smirk. Raph and Mikey, the traitors, giggled and cackled.

Donnie leaned back, a hand to his plastron—Leo’s plastron—for The Drama™. 

“Well I, your lea-dur, say it isn't flavorful enough!” he stated with a swooping tone. “Put some kiwi on there! Throw in a couple marshmallows too, for good measure!” he declared, making their other two brothers laugh. 

“I prefer mine with radiation,” Leo said primly, sticking Donnie’s snout up, making Mikey chortle.

“Careful, it may mutate you,” Donnie warned kindly, trying to mimic Leo’s way of speech from memory, “And then you might actually gain a second brain cell,”

It... hm. Yes, they teased each other, yes, it was banter. Raph and Mikey wooped, they started placing bets, and Donnie and Leo did increasingly stupider impressions of each other, and it was fun.

But it didn’t... feel right. Now that Donnie was seeing everything through a new perspective—quite literally—Leo was acting... odd. Unusual, as in, outside of what Donnie grew used to being Leo. He was only noticing it now, when Leo’s face and his voice couldn’t deceive him that it’s still Leo, of course he’s acting like himself.

Leo didn’t escalate it. Not really. He didn’t go for the throat. He didn’t go Full Silly. His entire demeanor felt... dampened, which was really, really weird for their Always Full-Max Silly brother.

...Oooorrr Donnie was just being weirded out by watching his own face and body move externally and out of his control. 

— 

Donnie felt nausea upon going to bed, but that's alright. Stomach upset sounded like a reasonable side effect of being body swapped. The pizza sat heavy. 

His shoulder and shell were still cramping, too, even after he'd done some stretches. Eh. Not like he isn't used to some cramping or whatevs. 

It just... felt like he couldn't get comfortable in his bed. Maybe it was the hard carapace, he'd theorize, but it's not like he hasn't slept in his battle shell before which, sure, wasn't exactly snuggly, but he'd still been able to sleep. 

He tossed. He turned. His eyes—Leo’s eyes—felt a little buzzy, like the melodic hum of electricity all around, so it's not like he wasn't sleepy. And it felt like there was a... some sort of weight on his chest. He couldn't decide whether his blankets were too warm or not warm enough.

Donnie sighed, rubbing his face. Leo’s face. Weiiirddd. 

He turned on his side yet again, to check the time on his epic purple analog clock. 

00:23 p.m. 

Not even that late. And yet it felt like the night was stretching endless. A liminal space. He turned to lay on his plastron. Leo’s plastron. The weight there persisted. Hm. Hopefully Leo wasn't having lung issues. Just in case, Donnie inhaled. Long and deep, feeling the air pass through his nostrils. Until he felt his lungs stretch and strain. 

Nope. That felt like a pleasantly deep inhale. No whistling, no obstruction, nothing. 

Strange thing: Donnie’s room smelled like... him. It smelled like Donnie. Which... shouldn't be surprising. But usually you can't smell your own scent, due to being exposed to it constantly, and therefore being entirely desensitized. 

Donnie couldn't smell Leo’s, right now. Yet he could smell what he could only, logically, deduce was his own scent. Or at least that of his room.

Metals and plastics and other materials. Soldering. Ever so slightly—pen and marker ink. The bed sheets. Something specific he could not quite describe.

It... wasn't a bad smell, he was pleasantly surprised to note. He could see how this smell could be comforting, even. Familiar and homey and secure. He pulled the blanket a little tighter around himself, curling into himself. Yawned. Buried his face—Leo’s face—into his pillow. 

...

Simultaneously, the weight in his chest both loosened, just a little, and ached more. His shoulders—Leo’s shoulders—felt too wide, his thighs too thin, his back... weird. He curled his toes.

Donnie wondered if... there was something he needed. Something the body needed, that he just couldn't analyze and figure out. Water? Food? 

...No, no it didn't feel like any of those, even though he was not an expert on the matter. He’d practically just eaten, too. Maybe it was the ache in his shoulder and his shell that was off-putting? 

...You know what! There could be a simple, obvious solution to this. Donnie grabbed his phone. 

The smarter twin™: I can't sleep and I feel weird

The smarter twin™: Is there something I'm missing for your body

It was immediately seen.

Yapper boy™: lol

Yapper boy™: cmere

The smarter twin™: ???

Yapper boy™: youkl see

The smarter twin™: SIGH

Donnie sighed, for realz, rubbing his eyes. He hated it when–

...Hm. Well, actually. Thinking about it.

Leo hasn't really done the very annoying “not telling them the plan” that he used to do. Not since the Invasion. Only really for silly stuff. 

Huh.

You could say this situation was giving Donnie a new perspective, zing. He was really seeing the world through different eyes, ha! 

He grinned a little, wrapping the blanket around himself. Time to go tell these to Leo and then gloat how he had been the one to think of them first, because he is hilarious. 

Leo immediately opened his arms upon Donnie’s arrival, smirking, and huh.

Huh. 

The press of another’s body helped tremendously with that... weight. With the odd sensation of misplacement. Like everything slotted into place as easily as slotting into an embrace. Literally. 

This wasn't much like Donnie. Sure, it's not that he hated physical contact—was quite the fan of it, really, unless he was actively upset. Or if it was from somebody who wasn't his loved ones. He wondered what brought on this new craving. Leo’s body?

...Strange.

Leo never came to them to snuggle. 

Even though he was a huge cuddle-bug before. But not anymore, evidently.

Donnie, ever-so-discreetly, frowned at that. 

...When did that happen? 

—

When he woke up, the light pain in his right shoulder and that one crick at his shell—Leo’s shell—remained. 

Donnie grunted, rolling sort of on his side, sort of on his back, digging his heels into the mattress and rolling his shoulders. Pushed himself up, smacking his lips, blinking. Rubbed his eyes. Yawned.

Eugh, his breath was rancid. 

“Do you ever brush your teeth,” he muttered, jarred to hear his voice sounding so different. Right, right. Body swap. 

He was a little surprised to hear an off-tone chuckle, and he properly cracked his eyes open. Oh huh, Leo—in his body—was, in fact, still here. He looked to have been awake for a bit. He was scrolling on his phone, but clicked it off and put it to the side now. 

“It's a waste of time, I've got so much leadering to do,” Leo joked, also pushing himself up and stretching. 

Donnie rolled his shoulder, trying to rub it a little to see if that’d relieve the persistent ache. It didn't. He yawned again. 

Leo got up, snatching a hoodie to put on.

“My battle shell is–”

“I know, D,” Leo cut him off. “I’ll go get it in a mo. Your shell just feels weird bare,” he shuddered theatrically. “Like a lizard,” 

“Yeah, well, yours feels like a badly fitting box,” Donnie fired back. “Box boy,” 

Leo gasped. “My curves! You wound me,” he dramaticized himself out the room, and Donnie chuckled. 

That just left him. Still sitting in Leo’s bed, in Leo’s body.

He should get up. Right.

It just. Felt... like... mmm. Not fun? 

He... doesn't usually have this pause before getting up. Usually he's itching to get out of bed and get back to whatever ongoing project he has. 

He stared at Leo’s room, still sitting there on Leo’s bed. 

...Dang. Leo’s room... was cleaner. Hm, well, again, maybe not cleaner. 

...

Emptier. Where did his many posters go...? Now there were only two left. One of Lou Jitsu, and one of Jupiter Jim. 

...Welp, Donnie wasn't going to judge his brother’s turn to the light (tidiness)! 

Now he just had to get up. 

...Except... there was a new weight. Was it Leo’s shell? Was he not used to the weight of a natural, irremovable carapace? Weird. 

That didn't ring very plausible, because the weight wasn't at his back. It was... it was... 

Chest. Legs. Everywhere. Making it difficult to break the position he hunched over in the longer he remained in it, a vicious cycle. 

He just had to get up! Go and brush his teeth so his mouth didn't taste foul. Get water to drink. Coffee, perhaps breakfast, even though he did not feel that hungry. Maybe. He wasn't sure. There was just a prodding in his stomach. 

Ugh.

Thinking about it all made the weight worse. It felt like standing on that rooftop, looking up at the Technodrome. Raph lost. No plan, no direction, no hope. Nothing. And now, no Leo to turn around with a crazy idea that nonetheless inspired some desperate hope within. 

Just weight. Just... dread. Anticipatory exhaustion at the awaiting cardio. 

Why was he feeling like this?

In the end, Mikey called him for breakfast and that aided in kicking his buttocks out of bed. 

—

Donnie didn’t feel much like eating this morning, so, he wasn’t eating much. It wasn’t unusual for him. Mikey knew not to be hurt by it. Donnie was focusing on some fruit. 

Leo was eating normal as ever. He was smiley and fresh as ever. Which were strange observations. Not things you’d pay mind to. But Donnie was. He wasn’t sure why, but he was paying a little more attention to Leon after their switcheroo. 

Leo was hurt after the Invasion, but he’d bounced right back up. In fact, he’d bounced back up faster than any of them. In fact, he’d bettered himself.

Case in point, 

“So when’s Draxum coming by with his magic whatever-there?” Leo said, in Donnie’s voice, slurping on a smoothie. 

Readily asking for Draxum’s presence. Donnie would bet it was for his sake, not due to Leo having a sudden change of heart about the man. 

“A little later!” Mikey answered. “Why, is something bothering you??” 

“Nah, not really,” Leo shrugged. “I just want to go back to feeling happiness looking at the mirror,” he teased, and Donnie rolled his eyes. “Plus I’m sure D can’t be enthused about this,”

“Meh,” Donnie shrugged. “Honestly? It is not as abhorrent as you’d imagine,”

Leo looked at him, just for a second. Over too quickly for Donnie to pay proper attention to it and to then analyze it. 

“Wanna know whose body would be super cool to warp into?” Leo brought up. 

“Oh! Oh!” Mikey waved his hand up like he’s in a school classroom, grinning, “Lou Jitsu?”

“Lou Jitsu, babeeyyy!”

It was half an hour later that Donnie realized just how smoothly Leo had diverted the conversation. 

(And only later would it occur to him it might’ve been intentional.)

That half an hour later just so happened to include Donnie’s alarm blaring.

“Oohh, a crime,” he stated, checking the info to rattle off the relevant code. 

“Alright team, let's roll!” Leo exclaimed easily, his energy immediately bouncing off the rest of the team, everyone going off to grab their weapons. 

...Wait. 

Their... weapons, oh, boy, uh, well Donnie had leagues more experience with a bō, buuut they never tested if they can access their own Ninpō like this, ah, dang–

That question was quickly answered by Leo skidding to his lab. 

“Dude, you would not believe this–”

“You can't access your Ninpō? Yes, me neither,” Donnie agreed, already holding his bō out for Leo to take. “You know how to use it?” 

“...Well if I don't, I'm about to learn real quick,” Leo was grinning with his face, “Portal us in, leader in purple!” he tossed his katanas to Donnie, and Donnie scrambled to catch them by the hilts and not roughly in the middle i.e. where he would catch a bō staff. 

Hoo boy was this about to be an experience. 

At least like this Donnie needn’t relay the location information to his portal-able brother, because now he was the portal-able brother. 

Now all he had to do was make a portal. A proper one, with concentration. 

And with that same shock-burn to his hands. 

Hhhngh. Well! At least getting lightly (or medium-level) electrocuted wasn't a new experience for him! Honestly, Donnie wasn't sure why it was so hhhngh to him. It should be familiar as anything. 

Perhaps he was overthinking it. Classic. But judging by his scanners, they had to get to the scene now. 

So as Mikey and Raph joined in on their huddle, Donnie sucked in a breath and slashed the swords through the air in one of the ways he's seen Leo do. 

“No, you gotta put more juice into it,” Leo commented oh so helpfully upon the nothing that took place. 

“Ah, thank you, such constructive critique,” Donnie deadpanned, hands gripping the hilts. Ugh. He'd already struggled with one set of mystic powers, now he had to figure out another?! 

...Hmm, y'know, that might be a good idea. Donnie thought back to his own arduous mystic journey. 

He never quite managed to get the hang of “just do it”. It didn't come naturally to him, not in the same way it appeared to with his brothers. 

But Donnie focused on the same feeling that helped get his Ninpō thrumming. Acknowledging the facts: that this was something he could do for his family, to help them, to boost them, and he liked helping and boosting them. Even now it pushed this not-unpleasant tightness at his chest that made him want to shake his hands and chuckle a bit. 

In the same rhythm, a glow crawled up the blades. 

“Oh, uh, also you gotta think about exactly where you wanna go,” Leo mentioned, and now that was actually useful guidance. “And where you are and the distance between the two. And, y'know, the size of the hole you're shredding. Ooh, and also the angle and where it's facing, and–” 

“Jeez, do you seriously think about all that when making portals?” Mikey was staring at their– well, their current soft-shelled brother, which, huh. Good point. Now they were all looking at Leo, who shrugged, nonchalant as ever.

“Donnie, portal,” Leo snapped his fingers, and right! Right, crime! 

(Another diversion Donnie only caught later, when he thought back to it.) 

“Right!” he slashed the blades through the air, and then once more with the crackle of mystic energy and–

Donnie yelped as the electricity-like pain bit down on his hands, immediately dropping the swords to the ground. Gah! It was worse the second time around! 

Leo snorted and clapped his back, hopping into the portal that hung before them. And he did need to hop, it wasn't particularly large, oh boy, Donnie sure hoped Raph would be able to fit through.

[starrdio]

I just binged Dandadan in 2 days and AUGHAGH ITS SO GOOD but on top of all the other subversions of common tropes people are pointing out, I noticed that theres sort of a role switcheroo with Momo and Okarun!

Like, Momo is this brash character who gets introduced by trying to kick her shitty ex in the face. Okarun is, obviously, a big ol nerd. In most other series, you might expect Momo to be the muscle and Okarun to be the brains, so to speak. But in every fight (at least in the anime so far), Momo is the planner and Okarun is the enacter.

She's the one who figures out enemy tricks and how to outsmart them-- tricking Nessie into breaking its own arms, grabbing the mannequin's heart, getting the sumo alien to touch the ground-- and is often heralded as a genius by Okarun for doing so. She's clever, knowledgeable, and quick-witted as hell.

On the other hand, Okarun has a wealth of knowledge about cryptid trivia but it basically never comes into play in the fight itself bc its... cryptid trivia. Its not accurate, much less deadly. Instead, he is fast as fuck and continually trains to get even stronger and better. He has the self discipline and motivation to keep pushing himself not only during fights, but every day in between.

And its not that Momo ISNT physically aggressive and bold, and its not that Okarun ISNT intelligent and calculated. These just arent their main strengths when theyre really put to the test.

Neither of these traits are the strengths you would expect from these characters from their looks and the tropes they play off, but they are theirs nevertheless.

[mad-hunts]

with the recent development of how barton was dozing, the old car warehouse fell into a deep silence (at least on his part). and because matilda's voice was unintelligible from the kitchen — perhaps because she was purposely keeping her voice low, it was like you could now hear a pin drop in it. even matilda could tell from where she stood that the dynamic in the main room had suddenly changed. she just hoped that barton had fallen asleep again, and not that they'd killed each other while she had been gone. a sigh left matilda's mouth as she hung up the phone from the second person she'd called then.

she was tired, and she needed someplace to recuperate away from those two; though that was something matilda chose to keep a secret from her father for now. barton would probably be mad at her for what she'd done, but sleep was something she needed. and with the way things were at that moment? matilda would be lucky to even get a wink in as barton's condition only seemed to be worsening over time. plus, it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right? she really hoped that was the way to go here. returning to the main part of the warehouse felt like a little bit like she was entering a solemn hospital room.

it was grim, and there before her lied two people whom were definitely not at their best, after all. matilda only rearranged the blankets in her around barton while jervis informed her about cell regeneration. it's not that she wasn't listening, though; matilda was actually drawing up an antipyretic which she'd injected into the port of the IV bag. she kept her facial expression neutral as she capped the needle, before her eyes darted over to jervis. ❝ mhm. he's a doctor, like my dad. but that's about where the similarities end between them. his name is nico morselli; and hmm, that's interesting. was it just the brains complexities that appealed to you to get into neuroscience or? ❞

small-talk. matilda didn't usually like to engage in it, but she couldn't really think of anything else to talk about. barton was not something she particularly wanted to touch upon and jervis's own poor physical state wasn't either. the other looked like he was at war with himself over something in his head, and honestly, matilda could kind of relate to that. this whole situation was crazy. it was mind-bogglingly insane, but those were the types of conditions matilda dealt in more than 50% of the time. so she had gotten used to it long ago and tried her best to put anything she couldn't deal with in a metaphorical vault in her head. barton could be a pretty okay father at times, after all, but he could also be a terrible one.

failing him was like failing the world with how seriously he usually took it. but matilda was still glad that barton had been able to call her for help, because she loved him. which might be something that made her suffer sometimes... even though familial love isn't supposed to be like that. matilda was just about to go to throw away the vial she grabbed before she saw at the very last second that jervis didn't look well at all. her eyes widened slightly when she saw that, yes, he had fainted — a barely audible expletive leaving her lips before she speed-walked over to him.

thank god jervis was still breathing, had a pulse, and everything. pulling him into a fireman's carry was only a bit challenging for her since she had built some muscle up and upper body strength over the years; but matilda managed to do so eventually, the bed in the back room past the kitchen being where she put him down. it must've taken her about 15 minutes because that was when she'd heard a loud knock at the shutters of the warehouse. she quickly let the duo standing outside in, then, ❝ my dad is over there and i think he's got some brain swelling, so could you take care of him, please? i'm going to take care of jervis in the back. and you, i guess... come with me. ❞

from there, it was like matilda and the person in question were in overdrive: they had put an IV in jervis after some deliberation about whether they should and barton had, indeed, been revealed to have some swelling in the brain. so nico has given him medicine that would hopefully ease it all down, but wanted to stay to monitor him for a while anyhow. then... after chomping down on some food one of the people brought with them, matilda bid her adieu after swearing she'd be back once she got some sleep.

it was nearly a full four hours later when barton had finally come back to the land of the living. and the first thing he saw was nico, whom looked somewhat surprised, but still happy to see he was awake. all that barton could focus on however was that he couldn't see matilda anywhere; so, naturally, he asked about her and the doctor told him someone else had agreed to watch over the both of them while his daughter got some necessary rest from all of the 'insanity.'

the 'someone else' was in the main room and was just in the middle of turning around while practicing his aerial silking when they had caught eyes. it was perhaps one of the strangest things to see upon waking up, barton thought. but the way that jack quickly unfurled himself from the rope and landed perfectly was kind of impressive. jack waved at him then from where he stood, ❝ oh, hey, dad! i bet you're glad to see i didn't land on my face this time — right? ❞ self-depreciating humor. barton wanted to groan at that, but he found himself rolling his eyes playfully at that instead.

it was frustrating that he couldn't be angry at matilda for leaving at that, ❝ yeah, i am. but that wasn't exactly my first thought upon seeing you. what happened? is jervis still here, and is it true that matilda felt like she had to leave just to — ❞ barton couldn't even finish his sentence before he was suddenly being squeezed into a hug by jack. now, that was one thing he wasn't expecting. ❝ uhh... what's wrong, miel (honey)? ❞ he embraced his son back loosely at first before returning the hug fully. ❝ well, you were really sick, so i guess i'm just glad that you're okay. i was worried about you. ❞

barton was about to say something but then jack pulled away and his eyes actually looked watery with tears. his son rubbed at one of them before chuckling, ❝ sorry, sorry. i just... got something in my eye. if jervis is that guy in the back room, i've been checking to make sure he's still alive every now and again. just like you taught me, ❞ barton remained a bit speechless even now while he was just sitting there. it was easy to forget sometimes how warm he was compared to the rest of the family; for, although they weren't blood-related, jack had still grown up around someone who people was said was ice-cold. without a heart.

❝ speaking of, i have to check on him again. i'll be right back, ❞ and just like that, he was gone. jack looked at the IV he'd removed from jervis that was now in the hazardous waste trash and peeked around the side of him to make sure he was breathing. and indeed he was.

"Oh, frabjous day, callooh callay," Jervis responded unironically in a tone that's dryer than the dunes of the Sahara upon first hearing, but since his and Barton's initial stalemate over the falooda earlier today, there's now a visible gleam of warmth in his tired eyes. The dark gray of his irises brightens slightly behind his glasses as he took a step back from Barton's comatose figure; idly tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked backwards into his corner. "Talk about friends in high places."

As he leaned against the cool wall, he allowed himself a brief moment to breathe, the weight of the situation lifting just enough to let in a sliver of light. He lifted his fingers, took another drag from his joint, watching the tendrils of smoke coil and spin like wisps of white silk buffeted on the wind. The electric charge of anxiety in the room that had begun to reemerge now seemed to be snuffed out, for the second time in as many hours.

It was a wonder his very skeleton and musculature hadn't snapped under the weight. Though Jervis himself bore no physical wounds or signs of violence save for the deep indigo bruise blooming on his jaw - a parting gift from Marty's colleague, he now recalled with a twinge like snakes curling in his guts - his whole form felt battered to its marrow. Every nerve and every hair follicle felt as though they were soaked in a thick sludge of oil mixed with wet concrete.

He tilted his head, his eyes fluttering open as a strand of hair brushed against his cheek. The joint in his left hand continued to shed ash. "Fifteen minutes… that's just enough time for the body to generate more than 22 billion cells." Jervis was unsure why he had said that, the words spilling out before he could catch them, as if they had a life of their own.

He dragged his boot across the rough warehouse floor, the sound grating against his ears as he attempted to focus amidst the faint echo of dripping water, glanced over at Barton; gauged the shallow rise and fall of his chest, before turning back to Matilda, searching for any sign of doubt or hesitation in her face. "... this person, you trust they'll be able to handle the situation? I shouldn't think there's any permanent damage, but... appearances can be deceiving. And I'm not a neurologist by training; pharmacology and neuroscience was always my purview."

Why are you asking, you idiot? You can't care for these people, you shouldn't care. You don't, really; you barely know them to begin with, and you've stayed here long enough. You've already crossed two lines tonight, so much for Barton's claim of you being "self-righteous".... it's past time for you to go while you're still in one piece, and pray to whatever's out there you never cross paths with anybody named Mathis anytime soon. Let the GCPD or the Bat deal with them.

Even so, even as he deliberated, he knew could only run for so long in Gotham. So the next question was, where could Jervis possibly hide if he actually left the warehouse? Did he take his chances here, on the streets... or Arkham? Even if the situation was deplorable, the stakes nail-bitingly high; the tension in the city now likely rising to a boil thanks to the fallout of his and Barton's actions; his own instincts screaming for self-preservation; that emaciated, unspoken selfish part of him wanting to leave them to whatever came next... to die, to sleep, to dream - as Hamlet had once put it... damn it all... Jervis may as well pry out his own frontal lobes with a rusty spoon, for all the good it would do him. Indecision and exhaustion was calcifying his thought process into a knotted skein.

Maybe Arkham wouldn't be so bad, after all... maybe if they locked him away in some dank, dark hole and threw away the key, forgot about him... Gotham would forget. He would forget. But then the memory of Sylvie and Alice sprung to his mind, as sudden as a hurricane, and he cringed. No. He'd sacrificed too much... lost too much. The city's price for a life in its arms was blood... and it had been paid. And paid. And paid again. With interest, steadily compounding...

... god, he was so tired... Gray spots danced in front of his vision, and the room careened... his whole body lurched, right leg crumbled beneath him like a log burned to the core, and he distantly recognized he was slumping down the wall to the floor. It was his final clear thought before darkness overtook him.

[vln-vibes]

The Good Ol’ Switcheroo

GUYS

GUYS

GUYS

I know there’s fics out there with switcheroo hijinks with Tim and Danny but imagine this---

Jazz and Babs

and

Danny and Tim

But like at the same time

So the Fentons are visiting Gotham, the reason why is a bit up in the air;

Jazz wants to visit the Gotham U campus, the Fentons have a meeting with W.E for a business deal (they’re sus about the whole ghost hunting thing but it doesn’t hurt to scope out what they’re capable of) or maybe they’re hunting down Batman because they’re sure he’s a ghost. Reader’s choice tbh.

Unfortunately Jazz sprained her ankle the week before while ghost hunting with Team Fenton. This also led to her parents coddling her and she just barely managed to convince them to still go on their trip as a way to get Danny a vacation.  The only caveat; they force her on a wheelchair for the duration of the trip.

Spring forward to a random Thursday afternoon during their vacation; Danny and Jazz were dying of embarrassment (in his case re-dying) with their parents antics. They didn’t think Gothamites would blatantly stare at them all things considered but even they had their standards they guess.

Danny bought himself some sunglasses and a coffee while Jazz just put on her reading glasses and just tried to bury herself in her new Spoiler themed sweater.

Of course that’s when the chaos started.

It was just their luck that just as they finally got away from their parents that a rogue finally attacked; where there was a rogue the Batman wouldn’t be too far behind.

Danny’s plan was just to hide in a random alleyway or wait until the coast was clear to use his powers and fly them back to their hotel room and wait for everything to die (hah) back down. That’s not what ended up happening.

“There you guys are, c’mon time to suit up”

The duo are too stunned to do anything as they’re dragged off by this random rich guy (Bruce Wayne) and into a really expensive and familiar looking car (the Batmobile). The door folds open and Jazz’s wheelchair is fastened in seconds, Danny just kinda goes to sit next to her (can’t let his sister be kidnapped by herself). 

There’s a guy sitting shotgun next to the original alley guy. He’s wearing a mask. Oh shit its Nightwing.

“Looks like Freeze is at it again, Uptown’s already halfway covered in ice. No time to waste Red Robin”

Red Robin? Like the food chain??

In those few seconds the Batmobile is speeding off, the alley guy is now the Batman and they’re passing a speeding RV going the other way. Cue that one Umbrella Academy meme but its Tim and Babs staring back at Danny and Jazz.

A compartment opens up revealing Red Robin’s suit with the cowl. 

‘Why the hell not? It’s not like it’ll kill me’ is all Danny thinks while he puts on the outfit, ditching the cowl tho because it looks ugly and instead grabs one of ‘Robin’s’ extra masks that were next to it. He took a selfie and sent it to Sam and Tucker, one also featuring a Done looking Jazz.

“You got that RR?”

“Hn yeah sure”

It isn’t until halfway through their fight with Mr.Freeze, not even noticing how the usually chilly Tim doesn’t look the slightest bit cold, when they meet up with Black Bat that any of them are clued in to what happened.

“Not Red Robin. New brother?”

“What are you talking about Cass, he’s right there?”

Cue to Danny using Tim’s bo staff to propel himself and air kick Mr.Freeze’s helmet.

“Ice to meet you frosty!”

“Yeah no. Our parents may be nuts but we’re not open for adoption” Jazz quips from the comms, strangely not too different from the system Tucker uses when they out hunting for ghosts.

“Wait I thought you were just recovering from the cold!?”

“Twisted ankle actually. On your five!”

Meanwhile Jack and Maddie got a ecto signature at the other side of town. They spotted Danny and Jazz leaving the library, grabbed them (not noticing the yelling crowds running the other way). 

They let the GAV fasten the kids in before speeding off to catch the ghost.

In his defense Tim was working on one hour of sleep in the last 48 hours and Bab’s lost her voice from her cold. In all the ensuing chaos Babs dropped her phone and Tim’s just ran out of juice.

They’d thought it was a Standard Wayne and Co Kidnapping until the duo in hazmat suits kept referring to them as Jazz and Dann-o. Hopefully not insane and trying to fake being a family. Hopefully

They take a turn into Crime Alley and the duo look at each other as they see the GPS head towards one of Red Hood’s places.

This would be good

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

pt V good omens S1E1 summarised but i understood nothing but the queer

this is me back to summarising because if i think too hard about crowley and aziraphale watching each other i'll break down and i've only watched three episodes what does this say about me

without further ado, good omens episode one:

It opens with narration by God who is morally grey and tells us Earth is a libra. I see tarot cards. It could be a hallucination.

Cut to the garden of Eden. Crowley is a snake. I assume Adam and Eve ate the apples, but I am too busy looking at David Tennant.

They talk and say important things, but I am too busy looking at Michael Sheen. Aziraphale gives fire to the humans and adopts the gaslight gatekeep girlboss method of explaining it to Crowley and the folks at heaven.

Heaven consists of uncomfortable close-ups. I hear nothing they say any time a scene is set in heaven because I am counting skin cells on the angels. They like Sound of Music. I am growing to hate Sound of Music. Thanks, heaven.

Cut to modern day but not the present, 11 years ago. Zombies emerge from the ground, but they are not zombies, not yet. One of them looks like a dead blobfish. His face decomposes later.

Not-yet-zombies hand the Antichrist baby to Crowley, who catwalks through the graveyard with the basket swinging on his hand.

God starts talking about the ol' switcheroo, intercut with an American politician who loves the Y chromosome, as one does.

There are Satanic nuns, and they are bad at their job, but they really like toes. Not in a sexual way. We think. We hope.

There is a lot of baby switching and inaccurate wink interpretations. I understand nothing. It is fine. The plot is unimportant.

The Antichrist does not raise tropical fish. An easy mistake to make.

Crowley and Aziraphale try to balance the Satanic tendencies of their adoptive son Warlock, who is not the Antichrist. Crowley serves us more gender as she becomes the nanny. Aziraphale is the gardener. I hope it is not him. I hope it is someone else.

I hope in vain. It is him. It is always him.

They raise not-Antichrist for eleven years.

A scheduled dog delivery from hell does not arrive on time, which makes Crowley and Aziraphale realise they did not raise the Antichrist. Contrary to sensible interpretation, this is not good. They abandon their adoptive son, which is normal.

Cut to the Antichrist, whom I immediately want to adopt. There are friends, and I am told they are important, but all I know is Brian is just Brian and the others are foils for the horsemen of the apocalypse.

There is an apocalypse upcoming. I do not realise it until this point.

The Satanic dog delivery arrives as scheduled to the Antichrist, and becomes a puppy. The Antichrist, with boundless creativity, names the Satanic dog delivery Dog. I continue to love him.

Contrary to sensible interpretation, this is not good. The Antichrist naming the Satanic dog delivery Dog is such a tragic blow to the world of scientific nomenclature that the apocalypse is now set into motion.

The end.

[anonymouscheeses]

Thanks... mate 😈 (IVE ACHEIVE MY DREAM OF BEING CALLED MATE I CAN DIE HAPPILY NOW! /J) BUT SRSLY THANK YOU SO MUCH! if your still here after being in the inbox for months 😔

Anyway since your so kind here's my full body design + somewhat updated designs of chaggie!

I THINK VAGGIE LOOKS SO PRETTY??? IS THAT JST ME? I think I kinda ate 😎 but yeah she's your average person (depressed. Edgy. Angsty.) And she wear jordans cuz she's just cool like that 😍 she listens to hard-core rock music and Tyler, the creator for sure. Idk she also gives off Mitski vibes (no... it's not because I'm listening to Mitski right now wdym.....). Her dad(Husk) couldn't afford a prosthetic eye so she opted for the eyepatch(she would wear it anyways she's a freak like that 😭)

Charlie design! Her horns stay out because she's not sure how to conceal them yet. When they grew out it became hard to hide them. She's a bit insecure about her demon features. Doesn't help her parents think of her as a failure and disappointment. Yeah, she's got some family problems 😔 my poor baby. Oh yeah and also she kills people for Valerie! It's apart of their deal, due to Valerie's gang stuff, she summoned a demon to protect her. And kill for her. Who knew she'd fall in love with that same demon and let alone become friends with her?

Human form! Her pupils are still goat like, plus her fingers look like claws to differ herself from other humans. Buttt... she still fits in as one so she's totally fine! She's kinda giving Sheldonnand I'm scared. She's annoying asf to everyone in the school she goes to with Valerie. People try to fuck her up but she doesn't want to risk getting caught as a demon so when that happens, Valerie is the one that protects her! So ykno, a good ol' switcheroo! Not one sided protecting here!! 😈

[randomthefox]

https://randomthefox.tumblr.com/post/767687170211397632/lucky-as-if-the-same-creative-team-didnt-write

"Bro, they were so lucky that the fake emerald from SA2 and the emerald Shadow had in Generations just so happened to be the same color so that this plot point could work Imao"

They're desperately grasping for anything they can in order to mock Sonic Team or dismiss their competence

The tweet feels like they're saying "NO WAY SONIC TEAM INTENTIONALLY MADE SOMETHING GOOD! IT HAS TO BE AN ACCIDENT OF SOME KIND!"

Also like I'm pretty sure Sonic Team would know what colors the emeralds are in each game. What are they even talking about?

And if the emerald was a different color from the one in SA2, then they would've constructed a different plot point for Shadow's story in Shadow Generations. This isn't complicated.

These people have devoted so much of their lives and personalities into hating on Sonic Team. Whenever Sonic Team makes something that they enjoy, their minds immediately start scrambling for anything that can be used as a dig against Sonic Team.

They're psychologically unable to just let themselves enjoy something made by Sonic Team. They need to make up something to get mad about or make fun of, or else their minds will short circuit.

Yeah, exactly. They're acting like every single creative decision behind what happened in the story of Shadow Generations wasn't completely within Sonic Team's control.

What is their conception about the process of video game development? What do they think would have happened if the emerald Shadow gave up in Sonic Generations and the fake emerald from SA2 WEREN'T the same color? Do they think that Shadow Generations still would have just used the ol' switcheroo idea ANYWAY even though that wouldn't have made sense? That seems to be their implication.

You're completely fucking right and I appreciate that you understood what I was getting at lol.

It really does feel like they're devoted in some fashion to hating on Sonic Team. It's really just so frustrating and pathetic.

[levemetal]

I have a million and one svsss AU ideas that idk if I'll ever write cause I have 0 confidence in my untested writing skills. Any of these appeal to you?? Go ahead, use 'em. Know any fanfics like that? Please please PLEASE leave them in the comments. Ideas to add? Anything? Please go ahead I have no friends that are as deep in the svsss brainrot as me to subject this to ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚

Continued under the cut due to excessive rambling

These will be Ghost King/Calamity!SJ cause he has been living rentfree in my brain ever since one braincell at one AM shouted about it so you have been warned.

- Dual Ghost Kings YQY and SJ, Post canon of PIDW. That's it that's the idea. Their extras hurt my cold dead heart way too much and as much as bbygirl SJ is a piece of shit, Yue Qingyuan deserves happiness, and for that he needs his Xiao-Jiu. Basically YQY does not stay dead when Bingge turns him into a pincushion à la White No Face to Xie Lian except with arrows. What happens from here? Idk didn't get that far but I imagine he steals back his (probably dead) Xiao-Jiu, maybe does some other batshit insane shit like we all know that deep down he's capable of, and the duo fucking COMMUNICATES for once in their life and they live happily ever after. Bonus points for hilarious deaths for Bingge.

- If you're a filthy multishipper like me, want a BingJiu version of the above QiJiu? Easy, SJ decides to haunt Bingge's ass for eternity and vice versa when Bingge kicks the bucket and so they spent the rest of eternity trying to make each other miserable in increasingly ridiculous and creative ways. Maybe along the centuries they find a common enemy or sort their shit out and proceed to make their awful existence everyone else's problem. A match made in hell, truly <3

Are you seeing a theme yet. I like a general comedic air to svsss AUs, it just belongs to the svsss experience ya know? Anyway carrying on-

Shen twins, and SQH twins cause why not. If you want Binghe twins too, actually probably funnier with Binghe twins, where one is our beloved maiden Bingmei and the other OG!PIDW Bingge but forced back in time with memories of the PIDW timeline. Transmigrator SQH aka Airplane gets the peak lord + Mobei-Jun plotline while OG!SQH is just chilling as an An Ding Peak Hallmaster or something. Meanwhile, the Shen twins have a funny game of imposter going on. As far as everyone is concerned, there is only one Shen Qingqiu, Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan transmigrated in earlier into the novel, but ended up going to CQM with Yue Qi while SJ got stuck in the Qiu household as in canon. From here the details can change but the main idea is that

A) Shen Yuan knows how to do his peak lord job actually

B) SJ is a calamity ghost, having died either in his disciple years or alternatively never made it out of the Qiu household alive

C) Both SY and SJ have been playing switcheroo when SY needs to head out and do stuff or just wants SJ to do his paperwork for him.

I still need a good reason for the switching and duping, but wouldn't it be funny if the disciples just had to deal with their peak lord behaving WILDLY different at times. Most of the time it's good ol' Shen Yuan smiling at disciples, way too enthusiastic for monsters and plants and keeps forgetting his fans everywhere. Then one random week in the month after he has a resting bitch face, scowls, snarls and bitches at anyone and has 0 patience for teenage attempts at music.

Most shrug it off as just terrible migraine weeks, but some disciples are suspicious, most of all Bingge who is CONVINCED something is WrongTM. Like, he KNOWS SQQ and this SQQ is just so different, something must be different. He doesn't know how right he is yet everyone just thinks he's actually insane.

I know this is probably increasingly insane and dumb, but fast forward to the Abyss opening. SJ was probably there to keep an eye on his clumsy twin, but SY ends up asking the ghost to look over the Luos, as the system still demands that they go to the abyss. So SJ after much grumbling agrees (after all he probably just was unmasked as ghost calamity, and the twins as demons, with a huge amount of cultivators moving their way. It's really the smaller hassle to jump into the Abyss and deal with the horrors there. Besides, the scholar in SJ would be curious about the abyss (and SY too let's be honest) ), kicks both in and goes "Alright we're taking an impromptu field trip" and jumps in after leaving SY to deal with the political mess that comes after.

Anyway, the last AU can be changed in various ways, like make it a PIDW time travel fix it with only the OGs around, or just Shen twins, etc. Feel free to shout at me how dumb this all is.

[codename-adler]

6 and 12 for aftg ask game bc I am obsessed with character foils

6. A non-canon ship you love?

Obviously per the last ask, Kevaaron. So I'll speak on others.

I sincerely love Jean/Aaron. It works. It so works. Trust me. Might have a little wip on them... also, this fic by @merceyca was gifted to me and it's absolutely bonkers amazing: Bury Me in the Glow

Jean/Neil. Forever misplaced partners... Even before TSC, the intimacy they share and the worse they see of each other but still do the best they can to protect the other...

Renee/Allison. To me atp they're just canon fr. like, ofc they work.

Kevin/Andrew/Neil. Duh. That includes Kandrew & Kevneil. At times too painful for me, but the proofs are all there. So.

i'm probably forgetting to many bc the possibilities are infinite so, last but not least:

Katelyn/Thea. Yes. Mangum Opus of mine. Good ol' switcheroo genius move. Give it a try. It'll stick. I need more people with me in the boat. Pls i'm lonely.

12. Favorite narrative foil?

I have already touched on Jean vs Neil here, and I could go into heavy details because oh my god these boys. these boys. but i can't really bc it hurts too much!!! yippee.

so instead I'll mention Kevin vs Seth. (bc they are soooo much less painful right...) Not! Talked! About! Enough!

Seth "His life is not more important than mine just because he's more talented" Gordon

vs

Kevin "One of us has to make it, Mom. It wasn’t going to be Neil. It was obvious he was too stupid to survive without his mother if he let himself get into messes like this. But maybe Kevin could do it. Maybe he’d get through this somehow, riding his talent and Andrew’s psychotic obsession and Wymack’s fierce protection. Maybe he’d get through this season on the Foxes' roster and be sage. He’d recover and he’d be free. Neil couldn’t leave until he knew Kevin would be okay" Day

And especially how they're foils of each other in Neil's opinion, not just objectively from a reader's pov.

Also something about Kevin's alcohol addiction being treated as a necessary crutch others allow, make fun of, purposefully utilized, while Seth's drug addiction being treated as dirty, shameful, sinful, problematic, a hindrance, his own fault entirely. Andrew forcefully making Matt and Aaron clean, but letting Seth be. Andrew actively encouraging Kevin's alcoholism. Seth dying of his own addiction, murder or not. Kevin living despite his.

Seth not getting his chances. Kevin getting them all.

[babacontainsmultitudes]

Lark and Sparrow as the devil and angel on Grant's shoulders but occasionally they pull the ol' switcheroo without warning just to mess with him and altogether don't give very good advice aaaand send.