#he was actually older but he didn't know it

[prlssprfctn]

You know how Jaybin was very "pat-patable" so there were always one or two panels where other characters patted his head? So, I actually need this to be ultimate Jason's ability to charm anyone to want to pat him on the head, to the point it continues even after he becomes a double-fridge. Once his helmet is not on him, everyone is just... struck with an urge to ruffle his hair. And it doesn't matter if they are older, younger, or shorter — everyone just want to do that.

Jason brings kids from streets to Leslie to check on them and help to settle down with new families? Leslie asks him to lean over here and pats him on the head, ignoring his flustered face. Jason cooperates with Two-Face? Get a random pat-pat.

The worst part? Kids do that, too!

One moment, he is squatting in front of a kid, cooing at them, and in the next moment, they softly ruffle his hair to thank him for help. And this is embarrassing.

Jason, muttering: I think I am cursed

Dick, worried: What? Why? What are the symptoms?

Jason: Look

Jason, making his way to Tim, who flips through files: So, birdie, I got rid of the trafficking ring you asked me to take care of.

Tim, without getting distracted: Thanks, Jay *reaches out to pat him on the head*

Jason: SEE? THAT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. WITH EVERYONE.

Dick, stifling a giggle: Well—

Jason, calling Talia at midnight: Are you sure there are no side effects of Pit sounding like this? Sure-sure?

Talia, tired as fuck: I think I would notice that, Jason.

Jason: THEN WHAT IS THE REASON.

Talia: *hangs up*

Jason, pacing in the Cave next to Bruce, because he is a) also insomniac; b) is the greatest detective, so he should be a help: There is only one theory that stays unverified, but it is too unbelievable

Bruce: Hm? Which one?

Jason: The one that means that I am just cute like that. Ridiculous, right?

Bruce: *tries to fight a smile*

Jason: No. No. SHUT UP.

Bruce: I didn't say anything, lad.

Jason: I HEAR YOU THINKING FROM THERE

Bruce, amused: Okay, I'll think quieter.

[shinningdance]

Continuation of this, go read every single fic of this lovely lovely writer ( ≧∀≦)

Summery: a young boy tries to steal things from your husband's room, you take him under your wing and get a personal knight in return.

Warnings: none!!!

Words: 1880

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It wasn't unusual for you to walk alone, especially in this household. While your husband is nice, he doesn't necessarily try to spend time with you. You've gotten used to the silence, being alone, the only sound being your heels meeting the floor.

But things are different now.

Trailing behind you is a young boy, no older than 12, he's admiring every single thing he sees and even takes a few things with him.

You caught him stealing from Johns office once, nothing important, just something he could sell for a bit of food. Since you didn't rat him out and instead helped him cover up his 'crime' he decided to stick close.

His walking speed picks up and he's dashing past you, towards a window. He looks out, mouth falling open at the sight. You fight the urge to smile, covering it up by looking away instead.

“It’s so big,” he murmurs, pressing his hands against the glass. His breath fogs up a small section, and he swipes at it with his sleeve. “Do you think they ever get tired of looking at it?”

You follow his gaze, even though you already know what he’s staring at. The city sprawls out before you, golden lights flickering like fireflies against the night. From up here, it all looks peaceful, untouchable. But you both know better.

“They don’t look at it,” you say simply. “Not like you do.”

He glances at you, brow furrowed. “Why not?”

You shrug. “When you have something your whole life, you stop seeing it. It just becomes… normal.”

He turns back to the window, mulling over your words. His fingers drum absently against the windowsill. You know that restless energy well—he’s already thinking about what else he could take, where else he could go.

“Hey,” you say, and he immediately straightens, wary. He still doesn’t trust you completely, not yet. “No stealing anything important.”

He grins, all teeth. “Define important.”

You sigh. “Nothing that will make John notice.”

"He won't notice this!" He calls out, rushing past you while showing something in his pocket. He passes by you and runs down the hallway, making a sharp turn to the left by the end of it. Hearing a small 'thump' makes you pick up your pace.

This was not what you expected to see.

The young boy was on the floor, rubbing his head slightly. While you would have checked on him your gaze was stuck on the person standing there.

Simon.

"Duchess." He mumbles, eyes moving from your face to the small boy starring up at him.

Like anyone would, the kid jumps to his feet, scrambling for cover. His safest option? You. He presses himself against your back, small hands clutching your dress, his head peeking out cautiously from behind you.

"Good evening..." You mumble, hand reaching behind you to pat the kids head.

...

Silence.

No words spoken, no sound besides soft breathing.

"What are you starring at?" The kid asks, glaring at the man in front of you. His words were definitely not a smart choice given the difference of their status but he still chose to say it. His glare could actually kill someone, if it wasn't for his shaky hands holding onto your dress.

"Excuse me?" Simon questions, raising a brow at the courage of this commoner.

"he didn't mean it like that!" You stutter out, pressing your hand over the childs mouth in case he wants to say something again. "Excuse us" You mumble and flash him a small forced smile.

Before Simon could speak again, you already turned around and hurried the kid away.

He just stares. Watching you disappear in the hall.

-----------

Two days later and you still have that memory in your head. You scolded the kid, Leo, for his bold cjoice of words.

His excuse?

He was protecting you.

You. From Simon.

With a sigh you place the book on the table, looking at the flowers in front of you instead. The flower garden is definitely your favorite place, people are rarely there. Leo is crouching by some flower, admiring them or something

You watch as Leo reaches out, running his fingers lightly over the petals. His expression is softer than usual, a rare moment where he isn’t scheming or watching his back. It almost makes you smile. Almost.

“You like flowers?” you ask, leaning back in your chair.

Leo startles slightly, as if he forgot you were there. He hesitates, then shrugs. “They’re nice, I guess.”

“You guess?”

He frowns, shifting his weight. “They don’t talk. They don’t take things from you. They just… stay.”

You don’t respond right away. You know better than to push him when he lets something slip. Instead, you glance at the flower he’s fixated on—a small, stubborn thing, growing slightly apart from the others.

“Seems like this one’s a bit of a troublemaker,” you muse, tilting your head.

Leo snorts. “Guess that’s why I like it.”

For a moment, it’s quiet. The kind of quiet you’ve started to enjoy since Leo’s been around. But then, the moment shatters.

A voice cuts through the stillness.

“There you are.”

John

Leo tenses immediately, his fingers twitching like he’s deciding whether to grab something or run. You don’t miss the way his eyes dart toward you first.

Protecting you. Again.

You inhale slowly, turning to face John, already bracing yourself.

"Good morning." You sigh and stand up, looking at your husband. Normally his eyes would be on you, watching - almost studying - you but not today, his eyes drift to Leo, whos holding the flowers so tight they might break.

"We need to talk..." He sighs and meets your eyes, after a short moment he continuous speaking. "...alone."

Leos eyes widen and he immediately jumps up and rushes over, hands reaching up to hold your hand tightly to his chest.

"No way!" he calls out, shaking his head. "You're not hurting her."

John freezes, looking at the kid with a confused expression. "Hurt her? Why would i hurt her?"

"You all do!" Leo accuses, cheeks turning red as his eyes start to water. "You all hurt her."

John blinks, his expression shifting from confusion to something unreadable. His jaw tightens, and for a moment, he just stands there, staring at Leo like he's trying to make sense of the accusation.

You can feel Leo trembling beside you, his grip on your hand like a vice. You squeeze back, a silent reassurance, but your own heart is hammering against your ribs.

"Leo," you murmur, but he doesn’t back down.

“They whisper about it, the maids,” he continues, voice shaking. “They think I don’t hear, but I do. They say she’s a ghost in this house. That she doesn’t laugh, doesn’t speak unless spoken to. That she flinches when—”

"Enough." John's voice is sharp now, cutting through the air like a blade. Leo stiffens but doesn't let go of you.

John exhales, rubbing his temple before looking at you. “What the hell has he been hearing?”

You don’t answer. Not right away. Instead, you gently pull Leo closer, shielding him with your body. The movement doesn’t go unnoticed.

With a small sigh you pick up Leo, who immediately hides his face in your neck. "If you don't mind, i think it would be wise to continue this conversation some other time."

Not waiting for an answer you turn around and walk back inside, missing the way Leo stares down John with a tiny smile.

-----------------------------------

Leo needs to protect you, and apparently that also means when you're sleeping. It started of serious, him guarding your door while you read a book in your bead. Then he sat down on a neaby chair, eyes still on the door. And after about 15 minutes, he's in your arms asleep.

That's how you go to sleep and wake up.

The knock from outside and then the door opening made you groan slightly, Leo aswell. After you don't hear a voice or a sound, you force your eyes open.

Johnny and Kyle are in your room, both carrying a tray of what you think is breakfast.

"Good morning..?" You mumble and sit up, pulling the blanket slightly over your chest.

Kyle blinks and forces a small smile while stepping closer, putting the tray of fresh fruits on your bedside table.

Johnny sets his tray down on the other side, a plate of toast, eggs, and something that smells sweet—honey, maybe. His gaze flickers to Leo, still curled up beside you, his face buried against your arm.

Neither of them says anything about it, but the look they exchange speaks volumes.

“You don’t usually sleep in,” Johnny comments, crossing his arms.

You rub your eyes. “Didn’t exactly have much of a choice.”

At that, Leo stirs, letting out a small, disgruntled sound before blinking up at you sleepily. The moment he realizes you’re awake—and that you’re not alone—his drowsiness vanishes. He sits up fast, rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his too-big shirt, before glaring at the two men like they were the ones who did something wrong.

“What do you want?” Leo mumbles, voice still thick with sleep.

Kyle raises an eyebrow but doesn’t take the bait. “We brought breakfast,” he says instead.

Leo eyes the food suspiciously, like it might be poisoned. You roll your eyes. “It’s just breakfast, Leo.”

He doesn’t look convinced but leans into your side anyway, watching as you pick up a piece of fruit. Only then does he grab a slice of toast from the tray, biting into it cautiously.

Johnny exhales, dragging a hand down his face. “John wants to see you.”

Your stomach twists, but you keep your expression neutral. “Now?”

Kyle shrugs. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Leo tenses beside you. “She’s not going.”

Johnny sighs. “Kid, it’s not up to you.”

“Yeah?” Leo challenges, sitting up straighter. “Well, it’s not up to you either.”

Kyle mutters something under his breath, clearly regretting being part of this conversation. Johnny just pinches the bridge of his nose.

You exhale slowly, placing a hand on Leo’s shoulder before he gets himself in trouble. “It’s fine, Leo.”

He snaps his head toward you, disbelief written all over his face. “No, it’s not.”

And the worst part is—you don’t know how to argue with that.

"Leo," You start and bring your hands to cup his face, his eyes soft as they look at yours. "John is still my husband..If he wants to talk, we talk."

He shakes his head before throwing himself into your arms, cheek pressed against your collarbone. "Then I'm going with!"

"Leo..." You sigh and press a kiss to the top of his head. "I'm sorry but no..but you can help me get ready?"

For a moment there's no answer, then he gets up and speed walks to your vanity. After a short moment he comes back, offering you a beautiful yet simple necklace.

"Thank you." You smile and put it on.

"Mama, you look pretty with that..." Leo mumbles as he takes another bite of his toast.

------------------------

Johnny and Kyle burst into Johns office, not surprised to see Simon already there.

At the same time the men speak, out of breath from running.

"He called her mama."

-------------------------

a/n: we're not gonna talk about the missing post from this weekend. take this silly thing and enjoy!! ヾ(≧▽≦)ヾlike always, not proofread!!!

[samsblades]

✶ natural — sam winchester

cw : gn!afab!reader, fluff & smut, sorta sunshine!reader, post-hunting!au, passing mentions of monsters hunting and guns, nightmares, illness/fever (reader gets sick), consensual somnophilia, oral (r!recieving), swearing, praise, aftercare, pet names (baby, honey, sweetheart, love), mostly unedited, 5.3K words. requested ! MDNI !!! 18+ ONLY

summary : five times that you and sam are woken in the middle of the night, and one time you get to sleep in.

when you moved into this apartment with sam, you were both worried about having neighbors. you have the middle complex, so there's people upstairs and downstairs. overall, it's actually been pleasant. it feels nice and normal, and you're pretty sure that no one suspects that you and sam were previously monster hunters. mostly because none of your neighbors know that they exist. maybe it's a bit strange that you're a little older now, and just starting your lives, but you've just told everyone that you and sam didn't like what you were doing before, and have decided to start over.

the downstairs neighbors are delightful. lina and isa are just a bit younger than you and sam, brought you homemade bean and rice as a welcome, and told you about the fantastic panadería just a few blocks away. your only complaint might be that their music gets a little loud, and their luckily infrequent yelling matches in furious spanish are even louder.

it's the upstairs neighbors who bother you more. riya is nice, but you think they're too hot and too cool for their boyfriend nate. of course, that's not the problem, nor is it any of your business. for the record, though, sam agrees. it's more so about the middle of the night sex and the poor quality of whatever bed frame they made the awful choice of purchasing.

the first time they woke you up, it had been less than a week since you'd moved in, and none of the paranoia from your previous life had even begun to wear off for you or sam.

your heart is thundering at the first loud bump that wakes you. sam's hand finds yours just as yours looks for his. your other hand is searching blindly for a gun on your beside table that isn't there. it's in the drawer, still nearby, but hidden now and less accessible than you used to have it. you and sam sit up, eyes quickly adjusting to the dark and ears tuned for any other noises that might be out of place.

another thump nearly makes you open that drawer, but your now sharpened senses register that it's coming from the apartment above you. the next realization is that the sounds are rhythmic, and you just barely catch the sound of a muffled moan.

with that, you collapse back onto your pillow with a light laugh, eyes still bleary with sleep.

"goodness," you say through a breathy laugh, the headboard of their bed banging against the wall with complete insistence. it sounds unstable, honestly. "i think they're actually going to break the bed."

sam laughs with you, laying back down as well and turning on his side. his arm wraps around your waist and he buries his face into the side of your neck, nuzzling your warm skin with the tip of his perfect nose. this is followed with a soft kiss, as usual. you grin. sam can't see or feel it, but he knows it's there. that smile of yours and another soft laugh when the wall receives a particularly harsh bang.

"think this'll happen often?" you lament. "will we have to tell them to get a new bed frame? or have quieter sex?" it's sam's turn to laugh, a sleepy sound that suits him much better than anything loud or bloody.

"might," he murmurs into your skin, all soft and tired now that he knows there's no threat. for a few awful seconds, he thought some monster or hunter or whatever possible enemy had come to ruin your attempt at normalcy together before you'd even finished setting up all the furniture. he's happy that it's just the neighbors with a wobbly bed frame.

almost abruptly, the noise stops. you wait in quiet for a few moments to be sure that you're really being granted silence.

"they're done already?" you tease with a whispery laugh. it's not that sam doesn't have the skill to get you off quickly, or you him, but you tend to last much longer together. quickies aren't your go-to, even if they're required sometimes. now that you have your own place and are starting to settle down, you don't imagine things starting and ending that fast. as for last night, it felt like forever, in the best of ways.

you and sam are courteous enough to have a sturdy, quiet bed, though.

꩜｡⋆

you sleep light when you're feeling poorly. little things like the soreness of your throat or the movements of your upstairs neighbors wake you easily. so a sharp gasp from sam and the tensing of his muscles certainly pulls you out of your sleep. your eyelids seem to stick shut for a moment before fluttering open, and you shift in his arms. his slightly labored breathing goes silence as if he's holding his breath, likely worried that he's woken you and hoping that if he's quiet enough now you'll fall right back asleep.

"nightmare?" you whisper, voice course and barely audible. you resist curling your arm around his middle in case it's one of those dreams that makes touch difficult for him.

"sorry," he murmurs, answering your question with the tone of his voice rather than his words. he sounds tense and tired, and you know definitively now that his dreams have been unkind to him. you wish he'd never apologize for accidentally waking you. it's not as if you don't do the same sometimes.

"don't be sorry," you insist, as usual. his arms tighten around you, and you take it as a sign that you can do the same if you like. instead of slipping around his waist, your hand reaches up to settle into the soft hairs at the base of his neck. you pull his head close, pressing a kiss to his forehead, lingering long. he's still all tense and closed off. "you don't have to talk about it if you don't want. but talking about it won't… it won't make everything come back. talking about it won't change what we have now, you know that. we're allowed to talk about it. any of it."

"i know," he says, sounding like he doesn't really know it. you give a soft sigh, but don't push it. maybe you'll talk about it later, when he's ready. it's hard to focus on learning to live again when you're still haunted by the past. sometimes it's easier to just let the past be, to know that there are monsters in the closet, but keep the doors shut anyway. the understanding you have of each other has to be enough, and you've found so far that it is.

"you okay?" you decide to ask instead, voice as soft as it can be while your throat hurts like this.

he nods, then tilts his head up. "i'm okay." his lips find your chin as a reassurance, a promise. "it wasn't… as bad as it could've been." he's calming slowly, melting into your hold, so you suppose he's not lying. it's true that you've seen him worse.

"doesn't mean it wasn't bad at all," you murmur in protest, but not with any force. you follow it with another kiss to his hairline. "think you'll be able to fall back asleep?"

he hums in confirmation. "i'll be fine. but what about you? your throat still bothering you? do you need some tea?"

you give him a hum of your own, but it's not really an answer, just a little noise in response to how sweet he is, always more concerned for you than anyone else. your voice comes out as a grumble, "i think it's getting worse," you admit, "some tea might be a good idea, since i'm awake. i'll get it myself though, you go back to sleep. i'll be quiet."

a huff of air leaves his nose, tickling your neck. "you're funny," is all he says, like it's preposterous to suggest that he go to bed while you make yourself tea. he's too much of a gentleman to let you do that, but you also feel his hold on you tighten, just a bit. he doesn't want to be alone, even just for a few minutes. there is no comfort in being alone in the dark.

you retort with a gentle, "you're right, i'm hilarious. c'mon. since i'm letting you make me tea, it had better be good." he sits up with you, one of his hands still on your waist. his fingers slide to your lower back as you untangle yourself from him and the sheets, and he follows suit right after. he pads through the hallway behind you, overtaking you in the doorway into the kitchen with his hand brushing over the small of your back again before opening the cupboards for a mug.

he doesn't need to flip on a light because the blinds are open and the moon is bright tonight. so you watch him move through the shadowy room, preparing the tea that he knows you'll like the most right now. he makes a cup for himself too, liking the feeling on your eyes on him, never leaving.

the tea does a fine job of soothing your throat for the time being, and calms sweet sam's frayed nerves. he's had awful nightmares for as long as he can remember, but sometimes they're even more haunting now that his days are full of nice things. last week, you took a free ceramics class at the community center together. there's a few plant pots with herbs on the tiny fire escape balcony, and when you're not busy working to get better jobs, you sit and read novels that have nothing to do with hunting monsters.

your pinkies are linked across the little dining room table as steam rises from your mismatched mugs. the table is only outfitted for two, because you could only afford two chairs. that's alright, though, because you don't have anyone to invite over besides maybe the downstairs neighbors. but sam's starting to make friends with someone he volunteers at the library with, and unbeknownst to you, your bright friendliness is making your coworker want to hang out with you after your shared shifts. maybe you'll get a set of plastic chairs to use when there's guests.

꩜｡⋆

sometimes, loads of tea and vitamin supplements aren't enough to keep a nasty cold at bay. despite how nicely sam makes you several cups of tea a day, you're truly and fully ill now.

you're woken in a fit of fever, head fuzzy and cream-colored sheets sticking to you with sweat. for once, your body heat permeates more thickly than sam's, who always runs warm. an achy sigh leaves your parted lips, and your clumsy hands fight to push the plush comforter off your tired limbs.

your restless stirring wakes sam after a few moments, who props himself up on one elbow and runs a hand through his hair, immediately searching for the reason you're awake. his eyes adjust to the dark quickly to catch sight of the light, involuntary pout on your lips. before that even, his hand brushes over your upper arm and he feels the heightened heat of your skin.

"oh, baby," he whispers, reaching over to drape his palm carefully over your forehead. he doesn't have to say anything cliche, like 'you're burning up.' it's quite obvious on its own. he just pulls the thicker blanket from your body, but settles the sheet over you to prevent any chills. his thumb lightly brushes over your cheek. "that any better? i'm gonna get you some tylenol."

you only give a noncommittal hum, but he takes it as permission to leave you for just a moment. if you weren't so uncomfortable, you'd fall back asleep before he even got back. instead, you lay there, senselessly missing him and too exhausted to move.

he returns with tylenol as promised, along with a glass of water and a cool, damp rag. he sets the pills and glass down and carefully settles the rag over your forehead, earning a soft sigh of satisfaction from you. underneath the fabric, the furrow between your brows lessens just a bit. with all the gentleness in the world, he slips his hands under your head to tilt it up and brings the lip of the glass to your mouth. you drink as wordlessly instructed. he sets the water down for a moment and replaces it with one of the two pills. your lips part when he brings it to your mouth, then the cool glass is touching your skin again. both pills go down just fine, and he's settling your head back onto the pillows.

you fail to notice that he's brought the thermometer with him too until he asks you to open your mouth again. "just gonna take your temperature, honey," he murmurs softly. you give him no hassle, letting him tuck it underneath your tongue. when he pulls it out, he gives a little sigh. "definitely a fever, but it's not so bad," he tells you, taking your hand in his before pulling it up to his lips for a kiss to your knuckles.

"come back to bed," you grumble, giving him a weak tug.

"i think you'll get too warm," he protests kindly, "i'll just sit with you."

"there's no chair," you tell him, as if he doesn't know, "and i want you in bed with me. please?" you manage a little smile to try and convince him, looking sweet and tired and a little pitiful too, in the way that's so endearing it makes his heart hurt.

"i'm sorry, but i don't want to make your fever worse," he insists, voice still as gentle as it ever gets. "i'll bring a chair from the kitchen, okay?"

"but it's the middle of the night," you sigh, your smile slipping. it's too much effort to keep it there. "sleep with me."

"honey. it's already five in the morning. you know that's not too early for me," he says. it's true. in the past, sleeping until five would be a luxury for him. but you don't really care, and it's not the past anymore.

"you're crazy," you tell him, a little furrow settling between your brows.

"i know," he murmurs sympathetically, unfazed by your feverish accusation.

"it's too early for me," you complain. "won't you come back to bed with me? please?" of course, sam has known this entire time that he'd never beat you. it's just a matter of how many times he can deny you before he inevitably caves to your pretty eyes and hoarse voice. your soft 'please' has him ready to wave the white flag for peace; you're going to tear out his heart at this rate. but then your voice quiets even further, like you don't quite want to be heard despite the fact that you need to be understood. "i want you to hold me."

in the blink of an eye, he's kissing your cheek with a soft sort of determination. he doesn't even move a full inch away before he's whispering, "okay. alright, it's alright. i'll hold you. don't worry." then, his long limbs are slipping back under the covers and curling around you until you're settled on his chest, one hand still holding the cool rag over your forehead and your head carefully tilted so you can breathe easier.

he soaks up your heat, and the bottom sheet grows practically damp with your combined sweat. but he doesn't mind one bit, because you fall back asleep, looking far more comfortable and contented than before, for a while.

eventually, he does have to untangle himself from you because a frown settles on your lips and you turn restless in his arms again. he refreshes the cool compress to dab away your sweat and press to your hot skin. after a moment, he decides to prepare a second one for the back of your neck, and maneuvers everything so gently that you never wake until your body decides it must have water.

you wake with a little moan that he'd find sweet were it not an indication of your discomfort. he gets you more water, then lulls you back to sleep with his touch until it's time for another dose of tylenol.

꩜｡⋆

this moan is sweet, still hoarse and quiet, but only from sleep rather than sickness. your sounds start as little huffs of breath, a sigh here or there as his hands trace down your body and tug at your underwear, soft and quiet as to not wake you right away. he wants you to wake to the feeling on his lips on your hot, wet skin.

you most certainly do wake to that, a soft moan escaping your lips as your body gains awareness and your mind catches up to it. sam hums into your sensitive pussy as he feels you rouse, his hands gently holding your legs apart. he gives your thighs a sweet squeeze, then wraps his lips around your clit and sucks, softly at first to pull another noise from your lips.

he's easily successful, a quiet grunt leaving your lips as your tired arms reach down for some sort of contact with him. aside from his face buried in your cunt, of course. one hand finds purchase in his hair and the other curls around three of his fingers, holding his hand there against your thigh. your hips squirm as his tongue laves over you, your movements sluggish with sleep.

"sam," you sigh, out extra sensitive after just waking up and too tired to have complete control of your body. you're not loud, but you're noisy, letting out sweet and unfiltered sounds almost every time you breathe out. he gets more insistent the longer you're awake, letting his hunger and desperation show. his grip on you tightens, and his nose bumps relentlessly against your clit as he eats you out like he'd swallow you whole if he could.

the pleasure is overwhelming, overpowering, and you can't seem to keep a steady grip on him. your hands are still weak with sleep, so you continuously tangle and untangle your fingers in his hair, torn between pushing him away so you can breathe and pulling him closer so that the feeling will never stop.

"jesus," you groan, "please!"

"i got you," he mumbles, quickly so he doesn't have to stray from his task for long at all. "so good. so good for me, you taste so good."

"y-you couldn't.. hahh, help yourself, could you?" you pant out, eyes squeezed shut.

"never," he agrees before giving your clit a suck that tugs your back from the bed and pulls an extra pretty whine out of you.

"fuck," you sigh, "mmm, feels so good. please, sammy." really, you're not begging for anything other than for him to keep going exactly as he is, and and you know he has no plans to do anything but that. he loves this just as much as you do, possibly more. he's a damn addict, so much so that it wakes him up in the middle of the night.

the way he sweetly strokes the inside of your thigh with his fingertips is an easy contrast to the way his mouth moves against you, shameless and ravishing. your hips buck up into his face and your feet scramble for purchase on his hips to try and stay grounded. your thighs tremble with the effort, and sam moans right into you, beyond obsessed with the way you sound when you're sleepy and desperate and overwhelmed like this. it's no wonder he can't help but wake you like this sometimes, you sound like heaven, look like heaven as his eyes adjust to the dark and a sliver of moonlight finds its way into the room.

he gives you everything you need and takes everything he wants all at once, sending you over the edge with a sweet hum and relentless tongue. you clutch him close for a moment of hot ecstasy that may have lasted forever, then sag like a rag doll into the sheets. like always, he can't resist breathing you in, deep and long, and giving one last swipe of his tongue that sends a shudder up your spine.

your eyes flutter open and closed, exhausted by the pleasure and an already tired body. you swear you're still half-asleep, but in the way that you feel like you're floating, mind and body all fuzzy, soft, and satisfied. he stays tucked between your legs, sleepy too, despite being the one who was so ravenous in the first place. his head rests on your thigh, one hand still holding yours, and the other drawing stars over your hip bone.

he presses a kiss to your sweaty skin, his soft as ever and wet with your slick. "i love you," he whispers, "sorry for waking you up in the middle of the night." it's not the first time he's woken you like this, and you certainly hope it's not the last.

"i love you too," you murmur back, voice still raspy. "it's okay. love it when you wake me up like that. feels so good, every time. you're so pretty." you say that last part for no reason at all, other than it being true.

sam feels like blushing. "you're so pretty," he retorts quietly.

"thanks," you smile softly. to him, you shine like the sun, even in the dead of night. you're such a wonderful accompaniment to the moon, he thinks.

꩜｡⋆

neither the moon nor the sun show themselves much during the winter months. it tends to be quite cloudy here. the cold, on the other hand, is pervasive. and you and sam have discovered the horrors of having a landlord who's doing everything he can to avoid paying to fix your unreliable heating system. since it's not completely dysfunctional, he is most definitely stalling.

until it is completely dysfunctional, an issue that is made known to you at about 3:47 in the morning. the first thing you think is that sam must've accidentally stolen all of the blankets like he does sometimes. they'll get wrapped around his long legs, he'll roll over, and the whole plush comforter will go with him, leaving you exposed to the night air. but when you blindly reach for the blanket, you find that it's still snugly laid over you. that's when you begrudgingly open your eyes in confusion. your fingers are cold. the tip of your nose is honest-to-god freezing. and your feet. your poor, poor feet that have slipped out from the blankets and been left for dead in the cold air.

you're not the type to get grumpy. but you are now. you tuck your feet in and curl up against sam's back, seeking out his warmth. but it's too cold to ignore, so you shake sam's shoulder.

"sam, wake up," you groan, cursing his inconsistent sleeping style. sometimes he's the lightest, worst sleeper out there. other nights, he's impossible to wake. as he grows more accustomed to living a safer life, he gets more of those nights where he sleeps like a fallen log. you shake him again and he wakes with a grumble.

"what is it?" he asks as soon as he's awake enough to speak, voice gravelly. "god, it's freezing." he sits up groggily and immediately regrets it. you regret it too, because it leaves more of you exposed too. you chase after him, tucking yourself under his arm and against his chest.

"i think the heating gave out, like really gave out," you complain, trying to steal his body heat. he wraps his arms around you without any qualm, rubbing up and down your arms in attempts to warm you. he knows you get colder than he does most of the time.

"no kidding," he mumbles, pressing an absentminded kiss to the top of your head. "i'll get the space heater and hopefully that'll be enough until the morning." the light annoyance in his voice is indicative of what he plans to do in the morning. that is, call the landlord and demand he gets the heating fixed right away. it's not like the two of you have anywhere else to go without traveling farther than you'd like to. it pains you to let sam untangle himself from you, but the promise of more warmth is enough for you suffer without him for just a few minutes.

he returns with the space heater that you keep in the living room. the bedroom is usually warmer when you keep the door shut, but tonight, that makes no difference. he plugs the heater in, as close to the bed as he can at a safe distance, then wraps the blanket from the couch around your shoulders before climbing back onto the mattress.

despite the cold, you smile at him sweetly and contentedly as he gives you the extra blanket. he's so easy to be in love with.

he anticipates the way that you tuck yourself into him the moment he's laying down with you. and it's not as if he doesn't want you in his arms as much as you do, so he most certainly welcomes it. he settles one hand on the back of your head and pulls you close until your nose brushes against the soft skin of his neck. one of your legs sneaks between his, and he hooks his ankle with yours.

"i guess this is what it's like to have normal people problems, huh?" you whisper, your breath fanning over his neck. he'd love to kiss you senseless right now, but he's too tired and he's pretty sure you are too.

"yeah," he sighs, sounding relieved. "yeah. beats… beats the other stuff."

"even though it's really, really cold," you agree, smiling. he can hear the smile in your voice.

"even though it's really, really cold," he echoes. "it'll warm up."

he's right. this sort of thing passes. it gets better. the space heater serves its purpose, eventually warming the little bedroom enough that you can fall back asleep. the tile floor of the kitchen is hell in the morning, of course, and you spend the rest of the day in the library together after convincing the landlord to have everything fixed.

the weather warms too, and the relentless cloudiness fades into bright blue spring mornings. the blinds are always left closed on friday nights so that the rising sun won't wake you early on saturday mornings. it's been a blessing. sam still wakes up early sometimes, but sometimes he sleeps in late with you.

no alarms go off this morning; you and sam were up late last night watching a movie you found at the library. he really prefers vhs movies, but he'll settle pretty easily for cds. vhs is too hard to find these days, which is a shame. after the movie, you stayed up much later than intended, sprawled in bed while discussing the movie in depth. it was the sort of movie that was easy to watch, entertaining and pretty, but thought-provoking all the same. maybe it's because the mundane is something so special to you and sam that you could talk about it forever.

the blinds don't block out all the light, especially when it's so sunny like it is now. but it makes waking gentler and kinder while still letting you love the light of the morning.

gentle really is the right way to describe how you wake this morning. there's nothing particularly special about it, but that's what's so lovely. it's just a breath in, then a breath out and the fluttering of eyelids. it's a moment of peace, but the moment never ends. there's no threat of monsters or a hunt or the end of the world.

there's just sam and his heavy arm wrapped around your waist, grounding you, keeping you near him. there's sunlight on the white wall and a green plant in the corner of the room. pillows and blankets you call your own, a stuffed armchair, and a closet of clothes. sam wears sweaters and tshirts and sometimes even slacks rather than jeans these days. you can't stop telling him how handsome he looks when he's comfortable.

you don't move for a little while, and you let your eyes fall closed again. maybe you fall back asleep, maybe not. it doesn't really matter. nothing really matters, nothing but this. even if there's things like rent and jobs and a leaky sink. they don't have to matter until later.

then, because you're hopelessly in love, you open your eyes when they start to feel less heavy with sleep and turn to look at sam. there's no slight frown on his lips, no furrow to his pretty brows. he's content, he's safe, he's not so afraid anymore. if you were to count your blessings, his happiness would be the first thing to come to mind.

his body lets him rest without worry. staying up to talk about movies for fun is allowed now. it has no consequence, outside of a yawn or two while washing the dishes. but he gets to sleep in for as long as he'd like today.

maybe it's your staring that finally wakes him. the weight of your gaze, heavy with affection. the first thing he does when roused back into consciousness is smile. soft and sleepy and delighted to see you. then he kisses you. it would be without warning if he weren't moving so slowly. but you're ready for him, happy to have him.

this morning, he is insistent on having you close, so the moment his lips are no longer on yours, his arms are wrapping around your middle and holding you tight. he pulls you into him with a quiet grunt.

"good morning, sweetheart," he rumbles softly, lips brushing over the skin of your temple.

"good morning, love," you murmur back, voice just as sweet as his.

"i love you so much," he tells you, hand rubbing up and down the expanse of your back.

of course, you answer, "i love you, too. so much." his hand slips under your shirt, like you'll never be close enough, and touching your skin will make it better. you huff in protest and arch against him just a bit. his fingers are cold, but only for a moment. then you're melting into him and sighing in contentment.

"the weather's supposed to be nice. like yesterday. we could walk to the park," you whisper.

"later," he answers simply, ducking his head to press his nose to yours, then kiss the skin under your eye. "let's just lay here a while.

you can't help but grin. "okay. later." you kiss his cheek and he smiles back, then closes his eyes again. the smile stays on his face and you think that maybe he's never looked more beautiful than he does now.

"i love you," you say again, because you just have to.

he hums softly and his other hand slips under your shirt, his fingertips pushing gently into the plush of your lower back. "i love you," he echoes.

nothing aches, not right now. there's growing pains and old scars and sores that will never really go away. but in this moment, nothing aches save for the kind of ache that love gives. and it's a lovely sort of ache. the kind that could make your eyes all misty in the happy way. like you're so grateful to be where you are that it almost hurts.

magic is real. so are monsters and gods and demons and angels. but this moment is a miracle in a way that it has nothing to do with that sort of thing. it's simple and normal and maybe you've romanticized it because of the way you lived before. but you don't think that's such a bad thing. living like this with sam… it's natural.

[mehiwilldoitlater]

Yandere destined one... deciding to courtnap his new obsession. I would love to see this!

(I don't write much destined one but I'm really liking his character!)

Two young children sat in the shadow of the apricot trees, fresh and juicy fruits in their hands while they spit away the seeds, playing and laughing. Your childish laugh echoed when you were able to defeat the young one beside you.

Your innocent and naive mind never found trouble in his look, after all, how many kids could have said to be friends with a demon monkey?

"You know," you said, chewing another fruit, "my big sister is going to get married soon, and they promised me to buy me a new dress!"

His eyes narrowed; his sharp canines bit in half the apricot with one strike.

"What does marry mean?"

"It's when two people love each other a lot and they start to live together!"

"Oh…we do the same! But without new dresses…" He looked at you, his tail swirled around. "Say, would you marry me when we get older?"

You inclined your head, confused by this question.

"But you're a monkey!"

"I know! So? Do you want to?'

"…ummm…"

You bit into the apricot again, clearly questioning if you wanted to get married in the first place.

///

The open window allowed a soft breeze to enter your room. Your small figure held the doll that your father gifted you for your birthday to help you sleep, especially since, for some reason, your sleep seemed quite disturbed and erratic.

Strange noises came from your room, alarming both of your parents and the servants.

Sometime you woke up, feeling a pair of eyes watching you. Sometimes you actually saw a figure, and every time your screams woke everyone, alerting them and making them come to you in fear.

During the day, when you were able to meet him, you told him about those nightmares, fearing what was happening in the security of your own house.

"I'm sure those are just nightmares! Who could even think to hurt you?"

And you wanted to believe him, but the truth was beyond everyone's imagination.

Your parents always told you to beware of yaoguais, especially the monkey ones.

"As simile and harmless as they look, they can be conniving and prone to lying! They have an eye for treasures and beauty, and they're ready to steal!"

But a child doesn't know better, and you thought of him as a friend. You played with him, shared snacks with him, never knew that he had a treasure in his mind all of this time, and, despite the age, he had already enough courage to try and steal it.

You wanted to be brave, a brave little girl, and, instead of screaming, that night you pointed the light of your candle closer to whatever was roaming in your room.

Your eyes met the one of your friends, occupied in preparing a bag, with your staff.

When you screamed, your parents finally met who was trying to steal you. He ran away, betrayed and in fear.

You never saw him again.

///

"And what did the fortune teller say about the date?"

"The ending of the month is a good date!"

The voices of your mother and your grandmother were just background noises in your head. Looking out of the window, your eyes fall on the old apricot orchard, with the white petals falling down like snowflakes. An inch of nostalgia and fear came back to you, remembering what memories held that place. Sitting on your chair, the breeze outside the window didn't give you the chance to be part of the discussion between your family, even if you were at the center of it.

"My child is getting married! Her father acts all grumpy about the expenses, but he's just so sad to see his princess become a bride!"

It wasn't like you didn't want to get married; to be fair, it wasn't in your mind at all, and you were mostly acceptable of the event.

Your spouse, the man who insisted with all his soul to marry you, was the child that came to you after the rumor started to spread.

The girl of the monkey, a girl that had almost been taken away from her house by a demon monkey.

The child came to you, curious about why a demon should want to take away such an ugly girl like you. You didn't know if you were ugly, but you knew that you didn't want to take that offense, and so you punched him. You two became friends; he started to play with you, allowing you to finally come out from the fear of meeting the monkey again, the fear of being captured.

You forgot about that fear…Maybe it was because you wanted it to be as far away as possible that you decided to accept marrying your childhood friend, even if, more than love, you felt for him a connection like with a brother.

Well, it wasn't like you had any friends or suitors since your background…Better accept it, you thought.

While looking at the orchard, something caught your eye, a glint, something shining between the flowers and the leaves. Strange, it wasn't the right time to tend to the trees… You tried to look better, your eyes glued on the plants, when the cranky voice of your grandmother called you back.

"Child, are you listening? "

"Uh?" You looked at her, completely spaced out. She sighed, massaging her face.

"Dear Y/N, how are you planning to be a good wife if you can't even listen to your old baba?" She smiled again, caressing your face gently. "We were talking about the decorations!"

And, by being dragged back in the discussion, you failed to notice a tail moving like a snake in the trees and the glint of a sword.

///

The smell of the powder and the incense was almost intoxicating; you had to plead with your mother to let the maiden open a window to allow some fresh air to clean the room. You were in a remote area of the house; no one could ever be able to trespass there, so why bother fearing being seen?

The red silks adorned your skin like the petals of a peony, the blue gems in your hair to symbolize the ever-l'astinenza phoenix, the crystal flowers decorating your neck and ears…

You needed to look better, the gentle ray of sun illuminating your face like no candle could even. You never were someone that proud or arrogant, but this time you had to admit it to yourself: you were standing.

You gasped; the makeup on your skin gave you an aura of elegance and refinement. It was like a princess was sitting in front of that mirror.

Your mother must have noticed that a sense of pride took over her.

"Oh…oh, my baby," her voice starting to crack, holding a handkerchief to stop the tears from ruining her makeup.

"Mom, please!"You tried to calm her down, "Don't cry!'

"Forgive me, my dear," she sighed, "it's just so much for me…"

You smiled; a sigh escaped from you. She's been crying since the news of your engagement, so overwhelmed by the fact that her little girl was now becoming the bride of a fine young man. The child that was marked as the chosen by the demon was finally getting free…

You caressed her shoulder, hugging her with fondness, looking at the maid that even she couldn't contain the happiness.

"Please," you said, trying to calm your mother, "can you take Mother to take some fresh air? I can take it from here…"

She nodded, helping your mother to stand up and leading her out of the room, closing the door behind her to give you some privacy.

You turned your face back to the mirror, smiling again at your reflection on the surface.

You were getting merry; soon you would leave the house of your parents to live with the man that promised to protect you from an old nightmare…

You felt a little bad, but you cared for him, and you knew you were holding nothing but affection towards him.

He could have asked someone else, and yet he chose you. He properly courted you… Yes, it was better like this…

You yawned a little, feeling a wave of exhaustion crashing on you all of a sudden. How strange…Well, you had woken up quite early for the preparations, and you had no time to take a pause from your big day. Sitting down in silence, the sweet smell of the incense was making you quite dizzy and sleepy.

Without even acknowledging your action, you allowed your head to repose on your arm, sustained by the wood of the vanity. You didn't plan to fall asleep, only to rest your eyes a little. You promised yourself to not ruin the dress or your makeup.

Why were you so sleepy? Was always the incense of this smell? You didn't know; you felt so tired right now.

How funny, three people in a room and no one noticed a hand from the window, pouring a strange powder in the incense burner.

You were so tired; the figure slipping in your room was probably a dream.

///

"Oh my, she looks like a goddess!"

"Is she a princess, Mama?"

"Not for us for sure!"

The giggling from the monkeys was whispers in the cavern, echoing through the walls alongside the sound of water drops and the small cascades that were born from the main stream and found passages in the mountain.

The small taunts and remarks were silenced in the ears of the now-grown monkey, far too occupied in admiring your beauty, now sleeping peacefully. Not anymore the small cub that tried several times to take you away once, too small and frail to actually do it. Now he was older, stronger, and bolder; he had found no problem in holding you in his arms, like he had found no problem in slicing the throat of the young maiden and bursting like an old pumpkin the head of your own mother.

Killing the maiden? It was precociousness; he needed no one to set an alarm when he was taking you with him on the mountain cave behind the waterfall of his homeland, but with your mother…that was personal.

He had such a hate towards your parents that he swore nothing could compare to it.

He could have accepted the fact that for some mortals, taking away their own mate could be seen in not such a good light, but he was a kid! Who could blame the ignorance of the youth?!

He was able to understand that, but it was when he had come back with his father, to discussing the proposition of letting you two get marry once you were both old enough. He was even able to accept the idea of just doing it in the mortal way, acting as a human; that was nothing if the price was having you at his side forever.

"Our daughter will never be the spouse of that monster."

Since he was a child, those words were like fire branded in his mind. It was at that time that he decided that no matter the cost, having you was his real mission. No matter what the Elder said, bringing back the old Sage was just another way to prove how your parents were wrong.

He had trained a lot, you see? He had become stronger, just to protect you. He hated the fact that your parents put so many guards near your house; he even suspected that they forced you to not set a foot in your sacred haven, the apricot orchard! Where you two met, when he had proposed the first time to marry you.

You were silent that day, but you were just shy, right?

His hands caressed your rosy cheeks, your sleeping form on the mattress of thousands of flowers to help you sleep, until at least he had done what was needed to be done.

He could have stayed there for days, admiring your innocent, relaxed face, your chest rising and falling alongside your breath, in those beautiful garments made for a bride, his bride.

But he still had some jobs to do, he told himself, sighing, holding his sword to his side and his staff in his hand.

He needed to take care of your father and to that…boy.

Since the day he started pestering, how much he wanted to rip his fingernails one by one, to pluck his eyes and tongue to make him eat them, to rip his guts from his body and strangle him with them, to make him suffer in every possible way, to try to take his beloved Y/N away from. Marry him? The thought made him sick, like he could have been even at your level! Your parents were fools to accept his proposals; they did so only to keep you two apart, of course!

But that was over; today your life as newlyweds was beginning. Kissing your forehead, he saw your sleeping body move a little. He hoped you were dreaming of him because he had dreamed of you for such a long time.

And so, after another loving glance, he started marching out of the cave, ready to make some more blood spill.

@thepoweroffiction @angryvampire @the-little-devils-chaos

@nerium-lil

@phoenixeclipse-lmkau @miifu666 @sleepingdramaqueen @whitefox2k18 @ladydoe8 @jeminiikrystal @theactualgir @birdioarts

@jssy96 @silenthopper @nezukos-number1fan

@blackknight-kai

[hug-me-hard-so-i-dont-forget-you]

Can we talk about Buck's abandonment issues for a minute? You're probably thinking "Yeah his parents were neglectful and Maddie keeps running away." But there's so much more:

First and foremost we see two scenes where his parents are giving him attention but only in a negative light. All the while they're not telling him WHY they're upset/disappointed in him.

Then of course, there's the many times he's lost/had to say goodbye to Maddie. (Not pictured: when she ran away to Boston)

Then we've got any and all friends/relationships he had when travelling from Pennsylvania to LA.

Then we've got Abby leaving, without telling him beforehand, for an indeterminate amount of time. Leaving him to haunt her apartment and then forcing him to rescue her fiancé that she somehow acquired while never actually out right breaking up with Buck.

Next is Redmond 'Red' Walker. The man Buck warms up to very quickly and whom he sees as his future self: a man who's truly, completely alone in the world.

THEN his friends who only show up to ask for his sperm, make him be the go-between when they have a fight, and then make him deliver the baby and ruin his couch. And he held his biological child in his arms with tears in his eyes and just never saw him again. They never even mention it again.

GIVE THIS MAN A BABY

Then, of course we have his older brother, Daniel. Basically the only reason Buck was even born. The person his family kept from him for nearly 30 years. And no, he didn't particularly abandon him but he was given all of this information in one afternoon and that's a lot to process.

And we can't not mention Chris. He lost him once before, blaming himself the whole time. He wasn't even the one to find him in the end so he never really got that closure.

And we talk about how heartbroken Eddie was about Chris leaving but what about Buck?? He was basically a second father for him. Not only that, but he was the last one to speak to him before he walked out. Eddie threw a Hail Mary by calling Buck, asking him to do "what you always do." Only this time it didn't work and he 'failed.'

We get another instance of Buck learning way too much information in one night: not only discovering that he likes Tommy, but the fact that he likes guys AT ALL. He goes through an identity crisis and has a bit of a panic attack. And what does Tommy do in response? Leaves him outside of the restaurant on their first date. Then, 6 months in, Buck thinks he's in love and asks him to move in, complete with heart eyes and oblivion. And instead of going their date that night Tommy decides to break up with him. I understand his reasoning: knowing Buck is just a baby gay and needs to find himself a bit more before settling down. But Buck is also a 3-braincelled puppydog when he's infatuated and he needs to be handled gently or else he's gonna use up the city's flour supply, baking away his temptations.

And now he's losing his absolute best friend. The one he works with, eats dinner with, co-parents a child with, facetimes/texts/calls during the rare times they're NOT together. The one who restarted his heart after getting struck by the same bolt of lightning. The one who wasn't in his coma dream because without Buck his life went to shit. The one who immediately accepted him when he came out, encouraged him to give it a try with Tommy, and then supported him after the breakup when he was going through withdrawals. The one that he can't imagine his life without because he has become such an integral part of every aspect of his life.

I'm surprised this man has kept it together this long and hasn't shut everyone out completely. My heart hurts just thinking about it.

[silkenwinger]

Soap's been having fun lately. Lots of gym, swimming. Eating his heart out. He misses the action, but his condition has finally improved enough that he can at least enjoy life's simplicities. He greets the old people in his complex, takes on small jobs to keep busy while he mostly lives off the pension until he finds something more meaty to get his hands on. He doesn't have a dryer back home, and he hates hanging clothes, so every Friday he gets to the laundromat, pays for his washing and sits there waiting for it to be done, sketchbook in hand. Every time he goes there, the same arrangement of people finds him: older ladies, some eternal bachelors, and the sweet younger thing that lives just upstairs from the laundry.

It's not his fault he tends to monopolise the attention, you hear him? Classmates would roll their eyes when teachers took him under their wing just because he was funny. Everyone there knows all of his business; his inside voice never really developed outside of life threatening situations. He announces he has an interview for some construction worksite ("they do interviews nowadays?") and that he's excited to have a full time job again. The pensioners wish him good luck. You, instead, invite him for a drink together back at your house.

You're lovely, really. Pretty, funny, the whole package. But, um. He's still not fully recovered from the incident. He's afraid he won't be able to perform at his best. He also thinks you deserve to be with someone a little less scarred, someone who can share a general life path with you. Not someone whose dream is already over. Not someone like him.

But he still has pride. A male part of him simply doesn't think he has any right to refuse your invitation. And it doesn't necessarily mean that you want him that way to begin with, he shakes his head. You have a generous nature, he can tell. Maybe you're a bit lonely in this big city and just need someone to talk to.

The two of you have a lovely dinner together, actually. You cooked the lamb meat tenderly, just as he likes it without even knowing it. He's just about to tell you that he's had a great time, but that he should really go back home, because the interview is tomorrow and he has to wake up early...

He starts feeling weird. Lead in his legs, his head throbbing where he was shot, blood pooling behind his eyes. He sees you get up from the chair before his vision goes dark.

He wakes up some time later, his head full of cotton. His back is on a soft surface and his limbs immobilized, still caged even as he shakes, full force not recovered yet. Hearing him struggle, you slither in the room, immediately coming to his bedside. Even as he yells and convulses, desperately trying to set himself free, you don't speak, just try to pet his hair through the shakes. He decides to shut up for a moment then, still not totally sure of what's going on, if this is a joke. You speak then.

"Oh Johnny," you sigh, looking at him with so much pity he's only getting more confused, your hand still in his hair, "you didn't think I would let you be in danger again, right?"

[kilforheaven]

Ever think of how Jason tries to be the bigger brother to Damian and Tim that he hoped Dick would've be towards him when he was little? Even though he knows Dick was only a child too back then with his own struggles and that he couldn't have possibly done any better especially considering his relationship with Bruce at the time and the Titans in Bludhaven. Yeah, he helped them out in cases here and there, Jason and Dick even hung out maybe once a month. But at the end of the day Dick always went away. Jason always went to the bigass mansion to be alone with Alfred and Bruce. He was almost like an only child. Bruce took care of him and was kind. But at every mistake Jason made, he would be dreadfully reminded that he wasn't the only son and that he couldn't ever fit into the shoes of Dick 'Nightwing' Grayson. And yeah, Dick stood up for him when batman got angry at Jason in front of him. He even tended to take Jason away for a day or two, spend some time together (jason would never admit how much he enjoyed those times they spent together). But Dick always went away. And he would be left alone in the bigass mansion with Alfred and Bruce.

Dick was late to realise how leaving Jason alone was a mistake.

Dick Grayson moved back to Gotham only to look after Tim. Even though he couldn't bear being around Bruce at the time, he would never leave a little boy alone under the pressure of being robin ever again. Not after what happened to Jason. When Damian came around, Dick wasn't even absent to begin with. And not only did he have Dick 'wonder boy' Grayson around to be his older brother, but he also had Tim Drake, the boy that was good enough to replace Jason Todd. Dick spent almost all of his time in gotham with his brothers. Dick even seemed to actually get along with Bruce now. Dick took Tim on stakeouts, damian and him loved watching cartoons together, he played chess with Tim, monopoly all together. They had dinner almost every day every week. They were trying to function as a family and Dick was the glue. Something he never tried to be for Jason.

Jason knew it was unfair to blame Dick. He never quite got the gist of 'justice'.

He was furious and disappointed not only at Batman but at Dick too (seriously, he understood Dick growing up to be a better brother, but Bruce was a better father too?). Worse? Dick 'perfect brother' Grayson was the one trying to convince Jason to be kinder and more accepting of Tim and Damian. Dick was trying to make Jason forgive Bruce. The fucker didn't leave him alone until he would agree to drop by the mansion to have dinner once a week.

Dick would never leave Jason alone with himself ever again. Jason had a family wether he liked it or not and Dick would glue him to the batcave if he had to.

The thing is it worked, Jason did forgive Bruce. Heck he even started going to missions and having dinners with the guy. Jason did become an older brother figure towards tim and damian. He ate breakfast weekly with his replacement. He was the one to train the biological son in martial arts. He never left them alone more than they needed to be, he didn't want to (what if they ended up like him?).

But how could he ever fit in the role of being a younger brother? Knowing full on that he had been abbandoned by his elder brother only for him to realise his mistake after Jason's death and fix it only when it was too late. Maybe he was being too harsh on him. If he never fit into the role of being the younger brother, why did he feel a weird feeling in his chest every time Dick approved of something he said or did. Surely, there wasn't a reason that whenever he did something wrong or rash, he wasn't only afraid of Bruce's reaction but Dick's too. No rational reason for why he never insisted on driving the car when he was with Dick. He never tried to pay for anything when Dick was around. He had once or twice or thrice (or more) crashed into Dick's apartment at 3 am to ask his opinion on some chump he has been tracing and stayed there until morning even though that topic only lasted for five minutes. There was absolutely no reason he respected Dick's opinion more than any of his other siblings or even sometimes (most times) his own.

As in typical sibling nature, Jason forgot why he even was mad at Dick in the first place.

[currentlysleepingus]

I'm bored

Deadonmain, but danny and Jason knew each other when Jason was still Robin. Danny was visiting Gotham and stayed there for a but, he didn't fight crime he mostly helped his parents bc he was young and Jason became his friend. Jason starts going out as Robin and danny follow. Danny goes as phantom. They befriend each r tin both persona's and meet in secret. Batman knows, but the ghost boy isn't hurting Jason and asks for help on his English homework while Jason asks for help on his math. Both are often found knocked out near the mannor with a blanket over them.

Danny's family moves back to Amity, and Jason and danny have to say goodbye but promise to keep in touch. Years later, Jason died and meets danny again. They both realize who the other was out of persona and laugh. They then spend their drafter life together until Jason is pulled violently from him. He was resurrected, danny looked for Jason while he's on a killing spree, and Jason looked for danny only to find nothing because the government hated him. He believes that danny is a hallucination and gets even more upset. Danny's not, but Jason doesn't know that. Years later, Jason calms down a bit, damian is here, and danny is wandering the living plane looking for his Robin. He's slightly older than Jason. He accidently meets a lot of teen heroes, and the word he's around that he's looking for Robin. Red and batman pull up, and danny says You're not him. you're not robin. Red argues, and danny eventually yells that he's not you one you look nothing like him. He mentions that his was a book nerd, not a nerd nerd

Batman realizes who he's talking about, and jason walks in. They look at each other. Jason is actually calm for once in his life, and danny is shocked. Jason is now mad that danny was real all along, and they get into a hate, love fight they calm down by the end. Stuff happens they have a WYFILWMA moment. And now danny hangs out with the outlaws sometimes while jason does his best to keep his family from meeting him because danny has a lot of embarrassing stories about him while he was dead and alive and dick wants to trade them.

[wakebymoonsleepbysun]

My breakdown of the Doey timeline, cuz whynot

Combination of my own theories/conjecture and what's actually in the game.

We see Jack getting a Doey toy for Christmas of 92, as well as a trip to the factory. The trip to the factory happens in Jan of 93 and of course Jack falls in.

This makes Jack an unplanned experiment. My theory--since he wasn't trained/prepped in the Game Station or Playcare, and the scientists had to kinda scramble to get anything salvageable of him, that left proto-Doey in a pretty bad/unstable state.

The fact that he had a Doey toy that he already loved so much could be what saved him. Kids are shown to have "assigned toys" at the Game Station, which makes me think a bond with the character/toy is necessary for the kids to adapt to their new bodies, and maybe even make the child take on personality traits of the toy's character.

1322 was too unstable to survive on his own. So another child was selected--Kevin. It seems the scientists hoped Kevin's physical strength would balance out Jack's lack of physical training before the process, and Jack's good temper would balance out Kevin's (perceived) bad one. (I think there's more to Kevin than just "angry child angry and violent at everything". I think he was abused and probably neurodivergent, maybe autistic. Probably on the cusp of a very rough puberty as well. But as a 90s "problem child" myself, I'm not surprised he was just dismissed as a bad kid with no hope. Heartbroken, yes. Surprised? No.)

Sidenote here--I do wonder if they'd gotten the idea of using multiple subjects in the same experiment from the Prototype. Not sure if that would have been something the Prototype would have been doing yet at this point. But I do think it's interesting to call out that the Prototype is not the only experiment made from multiple sources. (I think Poppy may also be such a one but that's some wild conjecture on my part and a post for another day.)

We know Kevin is second because he's described as 1322B. However I think the incident with Jack's parents happened before Matthew was added.

Jack's parents get invited to see Doey. Now, who wrote that letter and why? I'm not completely sure on the details, but I think the main reason it got APPROVED was for the sake of conducting a test. I think it's POSSIBLE someone like Stella may have been making a genuine attempt to do good, but that wouldn't've been reason enough on its own to make this happen.

So Jack's parents rock up to Playtime so the scientists can see how 1322 will react. We've all heard the tape so we know the jist of it, but here's what I think happened internally with Doey. Jack and Kevin's personalities and memories were still muddled. Kevin saw Jack's mom, recognized her as "mom", not realizing she is NOT actually HIS mother. I believe his parents had been abusive, so what Kevin THOUGHT he was doing was fighting back at his own abusers, not some other kid's kind parents. Between that and being in a body he could barely control with a strength he can barely comprehend...Well. Again. We all heard the tape.

So, time to stabilize. Enter Matthew. Responsible, kind, and older. Perfect to wrangle the two younger boys into a fully functioning experiment, ready to be useful to Playtime co. (I kinda gagged typing that. Playtime Co is bastards.)

And y'know? I'd say it mostly worked. From his monologues in the prison, it sounds like Doey wasn't always the most cooperative. He had a bit of a mischievous streak. But I get the impression he didn't lash out or attack until Safe Haven was destroyed. And who wouldn't be broken by that?

[pickleslikesducks]

excerpt from my first published fic

again, really just trying to get my content out there😅

this fic did SO well on ao3, like wayyy better than I ever could have imagined. I'm honestly really proud of it haha

Damian’s POV    "It has been a while since I last saw you. Older Kent said your birthday has passed. You are... fourteen now?"    Jon tilted his head slightly. It vaguely reminded Damian of Titus when he was a puppy. "Uh. Yeah. I am." Damian suddenly remembered that birthdays were somewhat of an important event in people’s lives. He often forgot, considering he rarely even remembered his own birthday, and he never had celebrations as a child.    "How... was your birthday? Did you, ah, get good gifts?" That’s a normal thing to ask, right? Father said Damian was improving in his social skills, but he still got weird looks sometimes at his formal grammar and inadvertently rude behavior.    Jon smiled. That was good. "Yeah, I did!" Jon talked about all the presents he got, and the two of them chatted for hours longer than either intended.    Damian felt oddly content sitting next to Jon. He had a small sense of… admiration? attraction? for Jon. He had described this feeling to Drake once, and Tim had theorized that, since Damian was callous-unemotional, the contentment and the sense of feeling drawn to Jon was probably his body’s way of expressing romantic attraction. Damian was thankful it was dark; he could feel his face heat up slightly at the thought of having romantic feelings towards Jon. He mentally shook his head and decided to just sit and enjoy the quiet peace. 

A/N --- For reference, since Damian typically calls everyone by their last names, Jon is "Kent", Konner is "Older Kent", and Clark is "Old Kent". Ma and Pa have bribed Damian with farm animals and convinced him to call them Ma and Pa (Though he typically calls them "Ma Kent" and "Pa Kent". He's too formal for this world). Super random, but I decided to make Damian slightly callous-unemotional (often called child psychopathy). It's really mild for him, bc I didn't want to make him an actual psychopath, but it still mutes his emotions. He doesn't really feel joy, more like contentment, and he doesn't feel pain really, he just knows when he should* feel pain and plays it off as though he is hurt. He gets frustrated sometimes, but never actually that angry. He was just raised to be a violent kid, so he often lashes out bc of that mentality growing up, but he's not actually an angry person.

[cocogum]

The Great Wave - Chapter 17 Review

‼️SPOILERS FOR THE CHAPTER‼️

Nothing too major happens in this chapter which I think is a good way to relax a bit from all the serious stuff (and doppelgangers) that we've had to see in older chapters. But sadly, we don't get to see Amalia freaking out over the orphan ouginaks like a customer at a pet smart store (sorry @kirichux looks like it'll just stay a fantasy 😭) Too bad that didn't happen (for now 👹). Either way, it's at least nice to know that Yugo was actually not personally angry at Joris but rather just had a very serious while thinking about daddy Rasalar's face in the last chapter.

OMG LUIS STILL KEEPS CALLING HIM JOJO ‼️‼️‼️

I mean I know that he still does call him 'Jojo' since we also saw him in season 4 calling Joris like that, but I'm just happy to see him addressing him like that even in the Great Wave 💕💕💕💕

And yeah Luis is right, relax you're not acting as Bonta's representative/messenger right now lol Even your shushu has a point which is honestly saying A LOT. You can call them your besties here Joris don't be shy 🥰🥰🥰

And speaking of Yugo, I'm semi glad that the face he made last chapter wasn't meant for Joris. Cuz not only would he have confused the living hell out of Joris but he would have also scared the crap out of these kids.

JORIS IS WORRIED FOR HIS DEMIGOD BESTIE ‼️‼️‼️ OMG RASALAR IS GONNA GET HIS SEXY ASS KICKED ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

(sidenote: I personally see Lilotte as Joris's mortal bestie while Yugo is his demigod bestie. Yeah that's how I think i know it's clever ✨️✨️)

(yeah @geekgirles ur right, these two look so good in that panel 💗💗)

Like Joris is literally hearing that his demigod bestie got poisoned by the dragon who was meant to use him as a vessel. Shit was always personal but Joris knows that he crossed a line when he went for Yugo 🩷🩷

This must be such a weird day for Joris to visit memory lane again. First, he catches a thief who looks way too much like his past best friend. Then, he learns from Yugo and Amalia that the dragon who was meant to use him as a vessel poisoned Yugo.

Who's next on the list that would resurface from the dead and punch his childhood in the dick? His mom??

HAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAAHHAAHHAHAAHAHAHHA-

So uh Atcham really doesn't remember...either he sucks at remembering past faces or he's genuinely tweaking.

No cuz like wtf is going on in his head?? Same with Kerubim. Aren't they aware that they're standing face to face with Lilotte's doppelganger??? Come on, they literally look THE SAME. Fine, maybe Atcham kinda forgot since he had only seen Lilotte a few times BUT KERUBIM DOESN'T HAVE ANY EXCUSES TO NOT REMEMBER!?!?

He literally watched Joris GROW UP WITH LILOTTE. She was literally his best friend! After she died, can you honestly tell me how many more mortals Joris has gotten this close with??? Exactly. Atcham may be dumb for not remembering one of Joris' friends, sure, but Kerubim is the true dumbass here.

Speaking of Lilotte actually, Thirteen is clearly her doppelganger but it would be super ironic if her number (aka name 💀) was meant to be a bad omen for Harigue lol (if you forgot who that was, I don't blame you. It was that disgusting old man's name who slaved these precious kids)

Like her number name literally meant 'bad luck'. And you're telling me that she ended up being the one to bring Joris to his base? Yeah, if that isn't shit luck for that old bastard, then i don't know what is. It's especially ironic for her because that ended up being her lucky number 💕💕💕

ALSO PUPUCE IS ALIVE ‼️‼️‼️ WTF ‼️‼️

She's such a fighter, look at her still moving around with her little stubs 💕💕 It's nice to know that she survived 500 years with Joris and can still manage to run around...Pupuce is a real fighter lol

Also fun fact about her kind, they kinda work like bees: when they attack the player, they instantly die afterwards. So one attack equals immediate death. Looks like Pupuce is a pacifist....💀💀

These two bozos forgot that their asses got handed to them and are now Joris's kids. Yet they don't wanna share their stuff with OTHER orphans 😭😭😭

I swear to god it doesn't matter how old they get they are still lazy morons in each life.

I missed Luis's house magic 💕💕 The dofus movie made his skills look so smooth and satisfying like the motion and the way the bowls would just appear out of thin air, I loved it!!

AND THE CHILDREN‼️‼️‼️‼️

LOOK AT HOW THOSE LITTLE PUPS ARE OGGLING THE TABLE!!! That fucking old man never fed them right, he literally lashed out at them that they should be grateful that he feeds them every once and a while. So for them, seeing as table filled with food without anyone pushing them away or sneering at them is literally like seeing a miracle happening right in front of their eyes.

I bet that some of them still can't believe that they're out of the sewers. Those poor kids must be thinking they probably died or something because ever since Thirteen came back to the sewers, they got saved by a strong important guy that managed to scare the shit out of 'their master', got taken out of the sewers, got told they could just call their rescuer by his first name, got told they could stay at their rescuer's house, got told they could eat his food and sleep at his place, AND got told by their rescuer that he would give them normal names.

LIKE PLEASE YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT SOME OF THEM ARE AT LEAST DOUBTING THEIR OWN EXISTENCE RIGHT ABOUT NOW!!!

All I can say is please let Yugo's wave not annihilate them and shred them into more pieces than they're already missing 😭😭

I can't tell if they're purposely being petty assholes while having the mental age of a kid. Cuz wtf bro this is like being a mom and showing off your new baby to your other kids only for them to hate the newborn because they'll have to start sharing everything with them 💀💀

I'll smack these two 😃😃

TWENTY-SEVEN STOP YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE HIM ANYTHING 😫😫😫😫

Don't get me wrong, it's so cute that he gave his (make-shift 😭) teddy to Joris but the fact that he was thinking about giving him anything at all, especially his TEDDY, was as if he gave him some sort of payment rather than a gift. Because why would he give him his teddy of all things? He's still so incredibly young, he obviously uses it all the time. So to give it away would mean that he's so incredibly grateful, he would see it as his payment to Joris so that he and his siblings would be able to stay here 😭😭😭

STOP IT WOULD MAKE TOO MUCH SENSE!!!! 😫😫😫😫

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS WTF MAN 😭😭😭

He says it way too casually too 💀💀

"Yeah no, he's been a pain in my ass for like 500 years now 🙄🙄 urgh I can't stand him sometimes i swear 😒😒" like excuse me????

I'm waiting for the Joris fans to use this face as their pfps lol

And into the abyss they go...

[virginiaisforvampires]

There is something I think the creators of the show never really thought when it comes to the change other than the obviously ugly ones: Lestat being a vampire for so long in the show as opposed to a few decades in the book kind of seemed deliberate to up the power-dynamics between him and Louis. There is a line Louis says in the first book about how Lestat had human problems (his dad needing csre and how it was difficult for them to live in NOLA according to Louis), which quite the opposite from Show Lestat being all suave and flaunting his riches a lot more. This is why Louis' supposed fear of him in the book was contradictory, he kept repeating he couldn't escape him him and yet at the same time he threatened to kick him out of the house like five times per day 😂.

I wonder if it was to give a true appearance of malice, despite further books. As if since he is a century older he would look like he was 'trapping them' or holding information out of malice instead of well-intentioned but failed protection (also the fact that Louis and Claudia thought he was an idiot at the time and weren't really afraid of him). What do you think? For me it feels like Lestat being an older vampire took a lot more from his personality than him being physically older.

Not exactly.

@nalyra-dreaming has already discussed Lestat's age in the show in relation to his behavior here, and I concur with all of her points.

The thing is the writers didn't appear to think that aspect completely through either, because Lestat's age isn't actually the factor when it comes to the alleged power dynamics between Louis and Lestat. Again, not exactly, and that gets into the constant arguments about Lestat, as you mentioned, seemingly trying to deliberately wield power, and that was never truly the case.

The writer's demonstrated Louis holding the power and demonstrated Louis and Claudia were not afraid of Lestat at any point. Those elements are always forgotten, because the tale attempts (and fails) to gloss over them for a very specific effect i.e. why Lestat was the monster who needed to be "inevitably" killed.

So no. I don't think the writers were trying to make any statements about the relationship itself by aging up Lestat, because everything they subsequently wrote pretty much contradicts that notion. The only time Lestat's age was a true factor was during Claudia's turning and like Nalyra pointed out, it was meant to depict Lestat as no longer being the naïve youngster fledgling who just "wanted to see what would happen" and to serve as the motivator for Lestat warning Louis of what Claudia would be, because the writers wanted to give more culpability to Louis — not Lestat — in Claudia's turning. That was one of their big gotcha reveals of S2, and it's unfortunately flown right over people's heads.

Now it could be argued Lestat is older and therefore should know better, but that isn't the point the show was making with that revelation. It was about Louis and how he wielded power and how it wasn't ever about Claudia and how Louis downplayed his hand in everything. It went hand-in-hand with the revelations about the fight and again, people missed the point(s) entirely.

It's another creative choice by the writers with which I'm not completely thrilled, because it's also led to drama and accusations due to the fact people are stuck on the filtered tale and can't engage with what the writers are truly saying.

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Parental Guidance

WE'RE BACK WITH UIFY TMNT AU COMP STORIES!!! THE TOT ARC COMMENCES!!

@tmntaucompetition @littlemissartemisia

Prev | Next

DvD was getting strangely used to these people. He found that he didn't mind the mutant turtles. The younger ones seemed to look up to him, due to his wisdom and his tactical skills. Actually, even the slightly older brother looked to him for guidance. And it was comforting to be in a majority, having a lot of mutant turtles around him wasn't something he was used to. He liked having a 'big sister', as well. Raphael said he also had another big sister named Frida, but nobody paid any attention to that. And Donatello was even starting to like the other grownup mutant, April. He had slight reservations about her having once been human, but at least she wasn't human anymore. So that was something.

But DvD disliked, despised, and even hated the human Karai.

As he hated all humans.

He took every opportunity to ignore her, avoid her, belittle her. He would never speak to her directly, he would use one of the others to speak for him. He would never follow her directions, rules, or regulations; but only if April or Misa made it abundantly clear that he needed to. And even then, he did so begrudgingly and with venom in his words.

"I don't understand why he dislikes me so," Karai sighed sadly to her companions. "He's never acted like that before!"

"You never met him before he left his father," April explained, groaning loudly at the memories of her fights with him. "Draxum had him under his thumb reeeaaal bad."

"How so?"

"Draxum hates humans," Misa whispered nervously. "His life's work in most every universe is or was to destroy humankind by means of mutating them."

"Or simply unaliving them," April added.

"Unalive--?"

"She means murder," Misa translated. Karai still didn't totally understand the slang of the 21'st century.

Karai's eyes widened as she looked back at DvD. He was so young, only a child... but even at this tender and innocent age, his 'father' was working to corrupt him. What kind of cruel man was he, to have so much hatred inside of him that he would not only seek genocide, but would bring up a boy to believe that such an action was good and commendable? Donatello -- the older one, the one she knew as family -- had expressed his extreme dislike of the man. But she did not know how deep the roots went.

She hoped that there was still time for her to help him at this age...

Karai was not one to play favourites. BUT she did try EXTREMELY HARD to help solidify in Donatello's mind that she was not 'evil' or 'disgusting' as Baron Draxum had believed. It was hard work, and it seemed in vain. DvD was completely against her in all matters. And the one who truly seemed repulsed at Donatello's actions was not Karai, but April. April O'Neil, who was one of the only people that could get DvD to listen to reason, was furious on Karai's behalf. She hated the discrimination that he showed her, the way he belittled her and argued with her no matter the reason. His behaviour was getting out of hand.

"Donatello, you need to stay where I can see you," Karai remarked softly when the softshell had tried once again to lead the group in a different direction. "You cannot keep running off like that, you could get lost."

DvD shot her a glare and scoffed, preparing to run away again.

"Dee, stop it!" April barked angrily. "You heard Karai. And don't make those faces at her, it's rude!"

"She can't tell me what to do," Donatello argued.

"Yes, she can. She's the oldest, she's in charge."

"She's not in charge of me!"

"Donnie," April growled, storming over to him. "Listen to me. I mean it, you have to stop acting like this to Karai. She's in charge, you have to show respect--"

"NO," Donnie yelled at her. "I WON'T! I don't care if she's in charge, she's a filthy human and I HATE HUMANS!"

April's patience met its limit. She snapped, her hands moving before she could even think. She'd grabbed Donatello by the arm and pulled him close to her face, which was already red and seething with fury.

"DONATELLO VON DRAXUM," she shouted. "I've had just about enough of your rotten attitude and AWFUL BEHAVIOUR! You CANNOT act that way to ANYONE, ESPECIALLY Karai!! She's working her butt off to help you and all you can do is sass her and treat her like dirt?! You will show her respect and you will do as you are told, young man! I don't care if you don't like her, YOU DO NOT TREAT HER LIKE THAT. YOU DO NOT TREAT ANYONE LIKE THAT! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

DvD's eyes went wide, his face pale.

"Y-yes..."

"I said DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" April demanded, almost shaking him.

"Yes ma'am!" he whimpered, tears pooling in his goggles and preparing to flow down his cheek.

"Good! Now, you are going to apologize to her right now and be on your best behaviour or so help me I AM GOING TO --"

DvD flinched, crying in fear as he attempted to shield his face. April paused. Her hand was balled in a fist, held tightly between herself and Donatello. She took a breath, steadying herself.

Donnie looked so scared.

This little boy was absolutely terrified of her anger. Of being hurt, punished, painfully reprimanded for doing something wrong. April recalled some of the stories his older counterpart had divulged once or twice about the extent of his father's abuse and his 'training'. Ways to ensure that the boy would grow up to be strong and self-made. What he did to punish him, to 'fix' him.

DvD was shaking and sobbing as he waited for her to strike him, how his father would strike him. He tried to pull free from her grasp. She realized she was holding him too tightly and let go. He stepped away, eyes wet with tears as he blubbered incoherent apologies to her.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't hit me, I won't do it again...!"

April felt her heart crumble.

"...No, I'm sorry," she said softly, gently taking his trembling hands in hers. "I shouldn't have yelled like that, or grabbed you so tight... I handled that badly. I was angry, and I'm sorry for hurting you and scaring you."

Donatello Von Draxum stared at her in shock, tears still seeping through the cracks of his goggles as his cries turned to suck-ups.

"Y-You...? Sorry?" DvD hiccuped.

"Yes, me, sorry. I was being a bad grownup. But I meant what I said, you cannot keep acting out like that around Karai. She's a good person who's doing her best to take care of you and keep you safe."

"But she's human!" DvD retorted, sniffling in between sentences. "And Father says all humans are evil and weakened fools!"

"Then why would he use human DNA to create you?" she shot back with a sly grin.

That caught him. DvD stared at her, mouth falling open.

"He... what?"

"Draxum mutated you with the DNA of the greatest warrior he could find. And it wasn't a Yokai, or some random creature or mythical beast. He chose to mutate you with what he believed was the strongest and most skilled being in existence -- the human warrior and champ of the Battle Nexus, Lou Jitsu. Draxum didn't tell you that?"

DvD squirmed slightly.

"I... I'm sure he would have... I'm sure he was getting around to it."

"Maybe. But you realize that means you have a lot more in common with the humans than you think, right?"

DvD mumbled incoherently, fidgeting with his shirt sleeves and kicking the floor.

"And you have more in common with Karai, you know," she added.

"What do you mean?"

"You're family."

"Huh?" he asked, forehead creasing with confusion. "What do you mean? She's Leonardo and Michelangelo's family, not mine."

"Actually, she's all of your family. Because she is a part of Lou Jitsu's family clan. That means you guys are direct descendents of her!"

Donatello was silent. He stared blankly at April, then peered over her shoulder at Karai. The human smiled gently at him, hoping maybe he would give her a chance. DvD looked back at April and sighed.

"I guess... I could try to listen to her."

"Good enough for now," April sighed back. "And maybe, if you're nice to her, Karai might want to teach you some cool kung fu moves or whatever?"

"Actually, kung fu is more of a Chinese-originated martial arts whereas--" Karai interjected.

"Right, you get my point though," April said.

DvD nodded solemnly.

"Okay."

"Now, I think you have something you need to say to Karai?" April reminded him, gesturing to the only real grownup of the group.

DvD took a deep and overly dramatic inhale before striding over to Karai and respectfully bowing to her.

"I apologize for my behaviour."

"I forgive you, Donatello," Karai answered, patting his shoulder and signaling him to stand straight. "Thank you."

"I shall do better to respect my elders," he finished. "May I go... be with the others now?"

"Yes, you can go play with your brothers."

DvD rushed off, leaving Karai and April to themselves.

"Oh my ancestors, he called me an 'elder'," Karai despondently moaned.

"Well, at least he's trying to respect you now!" April chuckled. "Baby steps."

Prev | Next

[retrosofa]

It's been 10 years and I still don't understand why Kill la Kill gets a pass for having fan service while Cutie Honey constantly gets condemned for it. Likewise, I don't understand how Re: Cutie Honey (arguably one of the raunchier adaptations) also gets a pass while the other series (namely the original) are quickly dismissed.

Recently I heard someone praise Re: Cutie Honey and Kill la Kill but was apprehensive about watching the original Cutie Honey simply because Honey is depicted as 16 years old. This confuses me for a number of reasons:

I never finished Kill la Kill because I hated it so I might've missed something but isn't Ryuuko also a teenager?

Honey is an android so her age is absolutely dubious. Although Honey is depicted as an "adult" in Re: Cutie Honey, she's mentally a child - especially in the live action tie-in where she outright says she's only one year old. So, isn't that kind of worse? Honey is very much an adult woman in New Cutey Honey (166 years old, apparently!) yet I don't see the Kill la Kill/Re: crowd praising that version. Also there are plenty of people who are fine with Cutey Honey Flash even though Honey is actually 16 years old in that version, which arguably has more fanservice than the original.

I'm sure a lot of folks don't realize this because they probably haven't actually bothered to watch it but the original Cutie Honey is extremely tame, especially by today's standards? The more problematic aspects are all over the manga (which I'll give you guys that, I have a hard time defending it) and the nudity is pretty much exclusive to her transformation scenes. It also worth mentioning the Hayami family is never celebrated for any of their problematic behavior. Take for instance a scene where Seiji tries to kiss Honey while she's asleep. He is immediately slapped before anything can happen, the entire scene shows that he is in the wrong. Quite the opposite happens in another magical girl show - Sailor Moon (which as you guys know, I love and adore) - where this sort of thing is heavily romanticized. Also Danbei also makes a lot of sexist comments at the beginning of the series, namely downplaying Honey capabilities simply because she's a woman. This stops shortly after he finds out about her battles with Panther Claw and realizes she's not this feeble little girl he's framed her as. Character development, what a concept!

For the record, I do like Re: Cutie Honey (I wouldn't have worked on the official English release if I didn't!) but it bothers me that it's the only version that most fans praise and make excuses for. Meanwhile the original anime gets dismissed quickly simply because it's 50 years old or something. I don't know. It's annoying. Like literally nearly every Cutie Honey property (and trust I've seen and read basically all of them) is problematic to some extent. Most older media is in one way or another.

I know it's not for everyone but it's sad to see the original Cutie Honey as well as New Cutey Honey and even at times Cutey Honey Flash get pushed aside like this. Re: Cutie Honey is an incredible series for sure but that's not all there is. Honey is such an incredible character and I'm not always fond with the way she was written in Re: Cutie Honey. I say all of this has someone who does not love Honey for the fanservice. I'm just a gay man who likes awesome heroines and that's what Honey is to me.

*drops mic*

[dragon-susceptible]

Do you have any casual headcanons about the assassins? Not big, life-changing stuff but little things like their favorite food, what they do in their free time, do they have any weird party tricks, etc.

Bless you for giving me an opportunity to talk about them. Absolutely yes.

Ram is a nerd. An absolute fucking nerd about the nature of magic and the moon arcanum and their people's history. He bonded with Runaan over studying assassin histories (an oral record kept with extremely strict accuracy) and comparing them to the histories and artifacts kept by the Keepers like his father. He's very "religious", in a sense, very aware of the spirituality of the moon arcanum, and even knows basically where the Moon Nexus is despite having never been there. He'd be a powerful mage if he bothered to hone the skill, but for him it's not about using the arcanum, he just wants to understand their people's nature and history better. He and Rayla are united on that front, as she also enjoys learning about Ancient Draconic (he's fluent in it) and the biological effects of magic, though her interest is broader to Primal Magic in general rather than their own arcanum. He's also blue-yellow color blind as a standard, which he discovered when he first achieved Moonshadow Form and nothing changed. (Moonshadow Form trades some color vision for light perception). His favorite color is red.

Andromeda loves kids. She's bisexual and genuinely does not really understand having exclusive interests, but part of the reason that her husband Elyrin got preferential treatment when he was courting her was because the Tab A Slot B biology of it makes children an easier prospect. They're both musicians (a shade that looks like Andromeda plays the harp in Lujanne's illusions), but it's Elyrin's whole career to be one; he's a bard and a teacher. They have an arrangement, they're both allowed to flirt outside of their marriage, though taking anyone to bed needs cleared with both of them first. Andromeda also likes to sing, though she's self-conscious about doing it around Skor sometimes as she's aware he used to and can't anymore. She's a good baker but sucks at cooking actual food, which is a constant rivalry between her and Runaan (who can Cook, but sucks at baking). She has a younger brother named Sirius who's about Rayla's age, and she took a few rotations as their Pride Leader before they got old enough that they didn't need one. She encouraged their nonsense, much to the chagrin of the older adults in the Silvergrove. Her favorite color is purple, and her husband wears a purple feather in his hair to match.

Skor also loves kids, to this day, though he doesn't take rotations with the cubs anymore because he'd need help to talk to some of them. While singing is painful now, he still writes songs and poetry and keeps them in a book similar to Callum's spellbook. He's a good cook and a good baker, which he hangs over both Runaan and Andromeda when they start to bicker too much, and provides snacks for the other assassins. He has unique signs for each of the other assassins in shadow sign - Runaan's is Master of Blades, but with his hand in the shape of an R for the word master. Rayla's is Little Blade, which is derived halfway from Runaan's nickname for her and halfway because she is the daughter of the master of blades. Ram he just uses the sign for "Goat", which made Ram sigh the first time, so he's kept doing it because it amuses him to be a Mild Annoyance. Andromeda's is "Sparkles", because her jewelry and other ornamentation makes her Moonshadow form so bright and colorful. It's a combination of affectionate term and warning. The one he usually uses for Callisto is "The Glaive", as it's a fairly unique weapon among assassins, more suited to outright combat than assassination, but in private he's been known to use "love". He's pansexual and autistic, and his favorite color is orange - coincidentally, Callisto's eye color. Callisto has not noticed this. Baking and making food for his friends is a hobby of Skor's. He cultivates a vibe of being cool, collected, kind, sometimes distant when at work but warm at home, and then his sense of humor is people's shock after he delivers a searing roast.

Callisto didn't get along with other kids when they were a kid, and finds it awkward as an adult, but they do think children are cute and want the best for them. Despite being pretty much on their own since they were old enough to live alone, they can't cook for shit, and Skor and Runaan regularly just take their food away and hand them something better. They have a broad sense of humor that covers everything from Dry Gay Humor to stupid dad jokes, and they like to laugh. They wouldn't specify it like this, because these terms don't exist in their world, but they're genderflux between masculine and nonbinary, using both 'he' and 'they' as needed. They're also demisexual, and were genuinely startled by the attraction to Skor starting up in their mid-twenties. They use a glaive out of sheer spite because someone told them it wasn't practical when they were a teenager. They're an introvert who genuinely doesn't need all that much social interaction and tends to avoid large gatherings unless they're allowed to keep to the fringes, but despite their own insecurities about it, their awkwardness and humor make them a big hit with the kids of the village when they're on guard duty. They don't really have a favorite color - "I couldn't even pick a gender, why do you expect me to pick a color" - and the fact that their earrings have a tiny gold inset has absolutely nothing to do with Skor's yellow eyes.

Ram's favorite food is roasted ruby potatoes, and he Will fight over the last of them with the energy of a neglected middle child despite having no siblings.

Andromeda makes an excellent Moonberry Surprise, but her favorite is actually starseed biscuits, especially with dewflower jelly.

Skor just likes food, frankly, but he's fond of star plums without anything done to them, and loves the summer months when he can actually get them.

Callisto doesn't tend to like food all that much, hence why they still suck at cooking, but they enjoy anything Skor gives them and most things Runaan does (look, the man really sucks at baking). Their favorite is probably just Xadian oranges, though, for the ease of eating them.

Ram is one of the fastest assassins the Silvergrove's ever seen, and he used to run races with other kids in the grove. It frustrated him when Rayla started matching his speed at 15, but he grudgingly admires her for it.

Andromeda taught Rayla how to climb using her butterfly blades, as her sickles can be used the same way. She's fond of curved blades.

While Callisto is quite strong, they're mostly lean and don't have all that much weight behind their glaive for their size, and they tend to use it to keep a distance from their targets.

Skor isn't much taller than Callisto (it's debatable, depends on their horns mostly) but is significantly stronger and heavier, and throws his weight around with as much savagery as his blades. He doesn't like the convertible weapon nonsense that most Moonshadow elves use, as he doesn't trust the mechanisms to stay sound to allow the conversion in tight spots. Swords are swords.

Of them all, Callisto has the foulest mouth, and sometimes reminds Runaan of Tiadrin with it.

Ram is a catty bitch who likes to criticize people for fun, and he and Rayla are an absolutely savage duo when they're judging the same person together. Runaan suffers from this combination regularly.

Skor has complicated feelings about Rayla's parents, because he knows they didn't have a choice about leaving her, but he can't imagine being willing to leave his own child behind and never even visit her - he landed solidly on the opinion that Runaan and Ethari should just claim parenthood officially when Runaan had to stand in for Lain at her coming of age ceremony.

Callisto didn't think much of it, in contrast, as the head of the assassins' guild stood in for their late parents at their coming of age.

Andromeda doesn't really do nicknames based off of her name - Skor's "sparkles" is fine with her, but no shortening of Andromeda really passes the vibe check. Elyrin calls her "moonlight".

Callisto also doesn't really do nicknames, but isn't close enough to most people to bother with them.

Ram's name is Ram, there's really no shortening it, but he's been called "Speedy" by his pride growing up.

Skor's name is also too short to bother with nicknames.

There's more I'm sure I'm forgetting, but here's a little bit of it lmao

[currentlysleepingus]

I'm bored

I want danny to propose to Jason the same way Floyd proposed to Yor, with a grenade pin.

After throwing the grenade. This can be after danny helps Jason as Phantom. Red Hood and danny are basically dating. Phantom is on a mission with the outlaws and is with red hood. danny knows that the red hood is Jason and proposes, detransforming while the explosion goes off. Redhood is starstruck and promptly tries to have an actual wedding....only for the government to crash it, again and again. Until they just nab aqualad and ask him to get aquaman so they can get married. aquaman is a king so it should count.

Anyway, they get married, and the government annuals it because Atlantian rights and all of that so they get Shazam, and it works out. Anyway, Jason gets back to Gotham with danny and one day at the manor, just completely out of the blue mentions that he needs to call his husband while cooking. Everyone is shocked because WHAT HOW DID HE GET MARRIED BEFORE ALL OF THEM? Also, why weren't they invited. Danny gets the shovel talk until dick recognizes him from when they were younger and immediately approves of him.they have a lot to talk about when Jason isn't around( embarrassing stories and blackmail) Bruce is wary until they mention the government part and asks if they'll try again for a ' proper wedding' since they weren't given one in their civilian persona's. Danny said it's too dangerous cause the government knows who he is but says that they didn't have their ghost wedding. Everyone is confused until danny tells them that he's half ghost and the government want's to kill him. And that he's phantom. And that the undead have a different way of courting and marriage so they still need to have one. He does not put two and two together and realize that their the batfam. Chaos ensues, and now the batfam is going to overthrow the amarican government unless they let jasonand danny get married. Mostly to let danny do what he wants and to stop what's definitely a genocide but it's more so that they want to help Jason get married. Stuff happens.danny is a year older than Jason, and ' accidently' kidnaps and raises conner, conner isn't complaining noone noticed and now he has a parent who cares

Dan is still around, but he mostly messes with people while on the run from green lanterns. And by that, I mean he is going about his daily life as Dante nightingale and hal keeps trying to arrest him. He never succeeds. He's not a cop out of uniform, and in uniform, it's very suspicious.

Dani is traveling but visits danny often, wonder woman basically is her mom now, and everyone is going about their lives raiding government bases on the regular while bashing the US government.