#i can literally see it unfolding exactly like this oh my god

[yesloulou]

https://www.tumblr.com/yesloulou/757041640934375424/new-boy-dads-at-the-neighbors-3-yos-birthday

this is so lmao i just keep thinking about the other parents at school only being familiar with daniel bc he's the one in charge of picking the kid up, they know his partner is a man bc the kid proudly announced that he has two daddies at the first day but that's the most they know so one birthday party daniel arrives holding max's hand and the parents can't not stare bc not only max younger than they had imagined but he's the youngest adult in the room, everybody is in their middle to late 30s... they try to get some info from daniel like if the kid is from one of daniel's previous relationships or how long he and max have been together but daniel is so unapologetic about their relationship that all the questions pass through him and max doesn't give a shit about any of the other parents, he just plays with the kids or talks to daniel and daniel and the other parents have a good cordial relationship but daniel thinks it's weird how the other moms at the pick up line always seem to find a way to ask about max lmao

why is this so real 😳❤️

[spider-stark]

Anti-Hero // Hero x Villain Trope // pt. 1 //

Next Part

Summary - Reader and Peter are both living double lives. Spider-Man is considered a national hero, while the reader is viewed as a criminal. In their personal lives, they're both head over heels for one another, their friendship finally blossoming into something more. But as vigilantes? It's complicated.

a/n - A very sweet anon requested a hero x villain trope with Peter or another Marvel character, and after being bored at work for several hours, I ended up playing around with the idea. I decided to split it into two parts because I'm still toying around with the next half, so let me know what you think. :) And thank you anon for the request!

If there was anything in this world that Jonah J. Jameson loved, it was finding new ways to prove to the public that Spider-Man was a menace to society. More than that, he loved having photographic evidence of Spider-Man’s failings, which is exactly what New York’s latest crime-doer had been giving him.

Some random New Yorker had started an Instagram live just a few days back right after spotting Spider-Man leap onto the rooftop of the citizens apartment complex, and right on his heels was the most recent villain—one who had become the suspect of countless armed robberies as of late.

This footage was the first live-action clear shot that anyone had managed to get of the mysterious individual that now plagued the streets of Queens, and everyone wanted their hands on an exclusive with the boy that saw them first-hand.

“Now, tell me, what did they look like up close?” Jameson questioned the boy, leaning so far forward on his chair that it looked like he could slip out and hit the floor at any second.

The boy was glancing around the studio in pure amazement, clearly relishing his time in the spotlight. “Uh, well, they were dressed in all black. Like, black shoes, blank pants, even this weird black mask that covered their entire head! Literally just like all the victims have described so far—they’re like a shadow!”

He was beyond excited, talking about the person that had thieved and pretty much brutalized over a dozen people in the last month. He spoke like he had just spotted a celebrity, rather than a criminal. The severity of the situation went right over his head, and Jameson gritted his teeth at the fanboy before pressing on.

“And what were they doing on the roof of your home?”

“Chasing each other!” He might as well have squealed from joy, his eyes looking directly into the camera as he spoke rather than Jameson.

Jameson edged closer, his ass just barely touching the seat at this point, “So Spider-Man was going after the assailant?”

“Oh, God no!” The boy laughed as he said it, leaning back in his own seat to try and create some distance from Jameson, who was violating his personal space more with each second. “They were chasing him! By the end of it, Spider-Man could barely catch his breath. I think that’s why they were able to escape!”

Jameson’s brows snapped together, processing the information and prepping his next question. “So they were able to outmaneuver him? Outpower him, even! Tell me, as someone who got to see this as it unfolded, do you think it’s possible that this new man also has powers?”

“I’m not sure.” The boy answered truthfully, seemingly thinking back on the occurrence. “They were definitely fast, and super strong, so maybe! And those knives—” The look on his face was practically orgasmic, as if the sheer thought of the villains power had him bursting at the seams. “They might as well be a part of her! She never missed—not once! Superpowers or not, she knows what she’s doing.”

Jameson’s jaw fell open, practically touching the dirty rug that laid across his studio floor. “I’m sorry, did you say she?”

The boy nodded rapidly. “Yeah! It’s kind of hard to see in the video, but I told the police in my report that it was definitely a girl! I was hoping it would show up better on camera, but you can tell by their build it’s a woman. And God, her ass–”

“You heard it here first, folks!” Jameson quickly cut the boy off, throwing a sharp glare in his direction that had him immediately shutting his mouth, cheeks turning red. “Spider-Man not only let the assailant involved in countless crimes get away, but he also lost to a girl that might not even have superpowers!”

Behind the scenes Jameson could see his publicist making an X motion with her hands, trying to get him to shut his mouth before he made any further sexist comments. He ignored them, mostly.

“In my opinion, Spider-Man is no better than the rest of those animals. New York has placed him on a pedestal, bestowed upon him the title of ‘hero’, and yet he can’t even catch a girl with a pocket knife?” Jameson scoffed at the camera, shaking his head. “He’s nothing more than a fraud, a feckless, treacherous, unhinged menace!”

After seeing the interview, Peter had wanted nothing more than to throw away his entire television set and never check news headlines ever again. He had been trying so hard—unnecessarily hard—to catch you, and yet despite his best efforts, you always slipped right out of his grasp.

“Seem a little off your game, Spidey!” Your chipper voice rang through the empty alleyway they had found themselves in. Your tone was so steady, so even, as if you hadn’t even broken a sweat during their fight. Peter, on the other hand, was practically gasping at this point. “Still upset cause that idiot from the Bugle called you out on being weaker than a girl.”

He could practically feel you roll your eyes at the word, letting the taunt roll off your tongue despite being just as annoyed by Jameson’s comment. It felt like a cheap stab at both of you, and it annoyed you just as much as it did him.

“I’m getting really tired of you.” Peter huffed, desperately trying to make himself sound as composed as you did, trying not to show his exhaustion. How were you so damn fast? “Not only are you destroying the city, but now you’re dragging my name through the mud too?”

You shrugged your shoulders before slipping another knife out of the holster on your upper thigh, “Well, if you’re so tired of me, then why don’t you try to catch me for once?”

He narrowed his eyes, the white of his Stark Tech suit mimicking the expression. You were just a few feet away from him, and you had practically backed yourself into a corner by darting into this alley, nothing but a brick wall behind your back.

“That’s the plan.” He snidely remarked, taking a sharp inhale of breath before darting straight towards you, webs shooting from his wrists as he tried to pin you in place.

Miss, miss, miss.

The words chanted in his head, playing on a loop as you repeatedly dogged the webbing he shot at you, as if you always knew exactly where they were gonna land. This is impossible, he thought to himself, his irritation growing more and more.

Once he was close enough he took a swing at you, his webs rendered practically useless due to your keen senses helping you dodge them each and every time. With just centimeters between your face and his fist, you ducked, giggling to yourself as you heard his knuckles collide with the brick wall.

A series of obscenities fell from him lips, and you took this small window of opportunity to slip past his leg and get behind him, swiftly using one hand—the one that wasn’t holding a knife—to grab his arms and bring them behind his back.

“That looked like it hurt.” You came in close, so close that Peter could feel your breath brushing against his covered ear. He didn’t like the sensation, the way his body betrayed him by his knees going weak at the sound of your voice purring in his ear. “Did it?”

Peter didn’t respond, afraid that words would fail him if he tried, and instead just grunted as he went to rip his arms from your grasp to spin himself around so he was facing you.

Despite your quickness and impressive strength, he was still stronger than you. But as his left arm slipped from your grasp, you swiftly brought your other hand up and let the thick metal of the knife slice across his suit, tearing the fabric and digging into his flesh.

Peter hissed at the sensation, his hand immediately flying up to apply pressure to the wound. It was a deep cut, one that could potentially cause fatal blood loss in the average person, but Peter was not the average person, and you knew that much. He would heal, quicker than you wanted him to.

“Too slow.” You grinned at him beneath your mask, he could hear it in your tone. “Sorry to break it to you, but our fun is gonna have to end here for now, mkay? I’ve got big plans later, don’t wanna be late!”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Peter growled, his rage towards you finally building to a lethal point. He never lost control, not with any villain, but you always made it so hard to keep composed.

He took a step forward, but staggered a bit. It felt like his legs weighed thousands of pounds, like he was carrying a load of bricks. His gaze shifted back to you, squinting as his vision began going blurry. “What did you do?”

You lifted your shoulder in a half shrug, watching as he stumbled against the wall, using it to hold up his weight. “You know what botulinum is, right?” You paused, pointing your knife in his direction, waiting for an answer he couldn’t get out of his mouth as he fell towards the ground. “Guess not. Well, it’s essentially just botox. The lethal dose is around 2.1kg for the normal human, and you’re obviously not normal. So I decided to triple it!”

Peter’s eyes widened as the words rang through his ears, his muscles suddenly feeling stiffer, more difficult to move. His arms were locking up, unable to move from where they laid at his sides.

“Oh don’t give me that look.” You frowned at him, holstering the knife you had used on him now that he was struggling to move. “I haven’t killed anyone before, have I? Injured, maybe, but I’ve never killed. I’m certainly not gonna change that by killing New York’s savior, alright? It’s just gonna paralyze you for a bit, maybe knock you out for a while. That’s why I led you here!”You motioned to the dank alleyway.

“No one comes down here, so you should be safe until you recover. You’ll be back on your feet in like an hour—two, at most!” There was a pause as you scrunch your nose up a bit, a gesture just barely evident through your mask. “That is if I estimated the dosage right. Kind of hard to tell when I’m not sure what all that radioactive spider did to your body, ya know?”

You took a few steps back, beginning to move yourself back towards the street. Once you turned your back on him, you shot him one last smile over your shoulder. “Anyways, I’ve gotta hit the road. See ya next time, Spider-Boy.”

Peter tried to scream, tried to move, tried to do anything—but his body failed him entirely, forcing him to do nothing but lay against the cold, damp brick pressing into his back and watch you leave.

He was definitely gonna be late for his date with Y/N.

a/n - A very sweet anon requested a hero x villain trope with Peter or another Marvel character, and after being bored at work for several hours, I ended up playing around with the idea. I decided to split it into two parts because I'm still toying around with the next half, so let me know what you think. :) And thank you anon for the request!

[spookberry]

Oh also after i finished dgrp2 I went watched the stage shows back to back and oh my god???

The acting in those is genuinely incredible. (the 2nds better as show overall, the trials and investigations were way more interesting to watch unfold) Also I love seeing adaptations and how they change things. Especially since these have a time limit.

Genuinely though it was the acting that captured me the most. Like they gave me everything the anime didnt, to see the characters move and the way they capture their body language so Perfectly. Junko is incredble to watch flip flop, but even down to the way some would just stand there I was like in awe. The guy who did Hajime in particular I couldn't take my eyes off the screen cuz its such a subtle thing but he managed to hold himself exactly how Hajime does in the game. Even down to the walk i was like "thats literally him".

Theres only so much that can happen with a 2d talk sprite and a description box so actually seeing them move and like Interact is really amazing.

[milo-the-professional-yapper]

Hello! about your malevolent ask

[long ass answer- many apologies]

its a slightly goofy, sort of horror soap opera, in the vein of call of cthulu/tma. I dont find it Super Scary, but idk what your milage for horror is.

The overarching plot is drivin by the patrions (sp sorry), in the style of a choose your own adventure novel- you can usually tell where the choices are; it'll be something like 'omg arthur, we're at a crossroads- do we go left, to the evil cavern (where the horrors live) or right, to the evil woods (more horrors).' You can also hear more overt RPG stylings in the beginning- dice roll sounds for perception checks, etc. These do fade out after the first season.

Rough outline (some spoilers): John (a spirit/demon type guy) possesses Arthur (a detective from Arkham MA) and, in doing so, takes over his eyes. Now Arthur must navigate the world with only the guidance of the voice in his head. Horrors unfold, walls are walked into the boys are in their get-along consciousness. Think venom, if both of them were way bitchier and prone to swearing. and also eddy was blind.

IS IT GAY: Yes and no. If its a friendship, its really intense- but cannonicaly it has been very firmly stated that they are just friends. However, the relationship is intertwined and deep enough that many people consider it to be queerplatonic- Arthur being aromantic is a very popular interpretation, if that sweetens the pot for you (idk how loosely you're using gay here). Glib answer: its pretty queer, but no kissing.

COOL STUFF:

-A dramatic, intense relationship between a guy and the dude who lives in his head. They argue ( my god how they argue) they make up, they argue again.

-The saddest little english man (arthur) gets chucked off cliffs multiple times. Do you like men whimpering? This is the podcast for you!

-Very impressive voice acting: the writer voices absolutely everyone in the podcast (yes. everyone) and its genuinely almost unnoticeable. You really do have to have it pointed out to you.

-Fun, slightly campy (in the way of an rpg campaign) Lovecraft style horror

-Lovely piano soundtrack

-A gentleman called the butcher shows up in- what season 3? maybe?- and I adore him. Go singing irishman go. You get that violent homoeroticism.

Drawbacks:

Again, I don't really know your taste, but these are some of the things that might turn someone off from listening. YMMV etc.

-LOUD. If you dont like gentlemen yelling DIRECTLY AND ANGRILY INTO THE MIC then this is not for you. If you do like that, then you are about the have the time of your life. There is also just. An incredible amount of panting/heavy breathing. Also directly into the mic, and at length. Like, an 'i am secretly watching gay pornography' amount. I had it going on a speaker once and my roommate had questions, kind of amount

-Almost no women characters: understandable, since a dude is voicing Literally Everyone- but it is something of a sausage fest. Women exist in universe, they just tend to move in the backround/be unvoiced. Lots of 'oh heres whats happened to her' sort of describing around the 'I can't voice a woman' issue. One old lady has a few voice lines and thats it.

-Kind of a soap: This is a draw for me ngl, but if you are looking for TMA 2: the magnusing- she isn't it. Its a LOT lighter than tma, writing wise, and isnt exactly hitting any crazy new twists in its plot (if you've read Any lovecraftian stuff you probably wont be super surprised by anything)BUT. Its still very fun. Two dudes sharing a body, detective roadship shenanigans. They might kiss! Might see some skinned bodies or something.

The dynamics can be a lil repetative (wake up break up back together) and the plot can be a little- ehhhh. due to it being yk, patrion controlled- but that can be fun- it's pretty heavily a choose your own adventure story at heart, so if your down with that (and the sillyness that comes with it) then you'll like it.

-Gore: pretty gory. I enjoy that sort of thing/ am not really effected by it BUT if that not your cup of tea, then you might wanna skedaddle.

🤠 thats all. Again, apologies for the very long answer.

First off- don’t apologize! This gave me everything I needed- thank you for the detailed answer to my question! Looks like I’m giving this podcast a listen- everyone wish me luck 😭

[wellthebardsdead]

Riiju-Lei: *steps out of the wretching netch, tying a piece of cloth around his forehead covering his third eye as he does so* right, back to skyrim the- *backs up as he’s suddenly surrounded by temple guards* I- what? What’s going on?!

Galdrus Hlervu: *emerges from behind the guards dragging Elder Othreloth by his arm* Oh you know exactly what’s going on here Sharmat! You may have everyone else on this island fooled but I know the truth!

Elder Othreloth: Galdrus! Stop this at once!!

Captain Veleth: *walks over with his men seeing the situation unfolding* What’s the meaning of this?! This lads put our settlement back on the map and even cleared your temple of Ash spawn! You have no grounds to threaten him in the street like this!

Galdrus Hlervu: With all do respect captain this is a matter concerning the ancestral temple so kindly run along. And as for grounds- *suddenly grabs the cloth from Riiju’s face pulling it from his head and showing his third eye* SEE?! I TOLD YOU! HE HAD YOU ALL FOOLED! THE COUNCILLORS AND THE CAPTAIN KNEW ABOUT IT!

Elder Othreloth: Galdrus you’re causing a scene-

Captain Veleth: A third eye does not the false dreamer make him. I once met an argonian with two tails, a dunmer with a third eyeball could be anybody-

Galdrus Hlervu: Oh really captain? Then how is it that both he and the Hortator were both reported to have coincidentally returned late last evening and now lord nerevar is missing hm?!

Riiju-Lei: p-please I can explain everything-

Galdrus Hlervu: Silence! You’ve spread your lies throughout this entire settlement to trick the good people here into thinking highly of you! But I know exactly who you are you n’wa-

Nerevar: You’d best think before you say what I think you’re about to, priest. *steps out of the doorway to the wretching netch, team dragonborn following behind him as the temple guards back up in shock to be in his presence*

Galdrus Hlervu: I- l-lord nerevar you’re alive-

Nerevar: Yes. I am. *grabs the cloth from his hand and yanks it away before gently tying it back around Leis brow, smiling at him adoringly as he does so* And he’s not the Sharmat. However he is the reincarnation of Voryn Dagoth. My closest friend, now much more… *flares down at the slimy weasel of a priest before him* And from what I hear. *glances around before looking back at him* He’s been kinder to the people of raven rock in the weeks he’s been here than you’ve been since you were stationed to this temple. Perhaps I should have him replace you.

Galdrus Hlervu: I- wh-what? *drops down to his knees* m-my lord wait-

Elder Othreloth: *catching on that nerevar just wants to make him squirm* Yes I’ve heard splendid things about you all around solstheim and word has even reached my ears from skyrim about you lad. Hard working, kind, and- *holds up the bag of coin he’d tried paying him for clearing out the ash spawn* Very generous. Shall I try giving this to you again or will you hide it in my coat pocket this time?

Riiju-Lei: *visibly blushes at being called out* I-h-heh, I don’t feel right accepting money from the temple sir, or from anyone here on raven rock it’s been hard- *looks around finally noticing how busy it is in the settlement* I? Gods what’s happened? This place is- booming.

Captain Veleth: *enjoying seeing Galdrus meltdown* Oh all this? This is all your work lad! You and your friends, this place is finally back on its feet and we have you lot to thank for it!

Elder Othreloth: And that’s yet another reason why I’ve been considering asking you to replace Galdrus!

Galdrus Hlervu: *on the verge of tears grovelling at nerevars feet, looks back at the elder priest* m-Master Othreloth! You can’t be serious!!

Nerevar: *trying not to laugh* Then it’s settled. By my right as Hortator, I hereby discommunicate you from the ancestral temple and appoint Riiju-Lei Dagoth, head of the 6th house now mourned as you’re replacement.

Galdrus Hlervu: *literally having a tantrum as his life’s work collapses before him, banging his fists on the ground and screaming between wailing sobs* NOOOO! NOOOO PLEASE NOOOO!!!

Riiju-Lei: *gently pats nerevars arm* as amusing as it is it is cruel, besides I swear too much to be a priest… don’t think I could get used to the underwear either. Let him keep his job… please?…

Nerevar: *smiles at him fondly before looking down at the snivelling elf at his feet* oh fine. Consider my decree null and void. You may keep your job if your superior sees fit.

Galdrus Hlervu: *snot and tears running down his face as he stops mid meltdown* I-I? M-my lord?

Elder Othreloth: hmmm, very well then. Though my offer still stands if he steps out of line like this again~

Captain Veleth: and speaking of which. *suddenly cuffs the priest pulling him off the ground and to his feet* Youre getting a night in the slammer for threatening a civilian with undo cause or writ, and for causing a public disturbance!

Galdrus Hlervu: I- w-wait no! No I’m sorry! IM SORRY! MASTER OTHRELOTH HELP ME!!

Elder Othreloth: No I think this’ll be good for you. And once you’re back your studying the lies of Vivec and cleaning the chamber pots!

Galdrus Hlervu: *screams as he’s dragged off*

Nerevar: *snickers watching him disappear through the crowd before looking at Riiju* are you okay?

Riiju-Lei: you… called me Riiju-Lei Dagoth… head of the 6th house, now mourned?…

Nerevar: I… yes. I apologise I should have made sure you were comfortable with the titles but I wanted him to know how important you are… to me… and to a lot of people in morrowind…

Riiju-Lei: *smiles softly* thank you… it’ll… take me a while to get used to it…

Nerevar: it’s okay… we have a long while yet before you’ll be hearing it often… but before then. *holds his hands* I want to go to skyrim. And see everything there is of Riiju-Lei, the last dragonborn~

Riiju-Lei: *smiles and starts laughing again, unable to contain his giddiness or control his emotions yet but honestly not wanting to in the slightest* okay!

Taliesin: …are we getting back on the water now?… *groans already feeling sea sick*

Miraak: you can ride on one of my dragons if you’d like-

Kaidan: *jealously yoinks Taliesin to his side* We. Will take the ship, and I’ll hold his pretty hair out of his face as he gets sea sick thank you!

[faded-coat-of-blue]

(ADVANCE NOTICE: This post is spoiler-free)

So having only watched the original Knives Out for the first time last week, and having watched Glass Onion last night and just generally not being someone who enjoys film as a medium (though this is somewhat counterbalanced by me being the world’s biggest slut for murder mysteries)…

Ohhhhhhhhh my god. Oh my god that film was so good on so many different incredible levels and if you follow me here I can already guarantee that you’re exactly the kind of person who would adore it. I’m gonna try and throw some non-spoilery endorsements of it below, because unfortunately tumblr did spoil it quite significantly for me personally (luckily it’s the kind of film where that sorta doesn’t matter too much? Still enjoyable to see the mystery unfold even if you know where it’s ultimately headed)

1) it feels like almost too obvious a place to start, but both the casting and the acting in this movie were top notch. Daniel Craig took the half-caricature of a classic sleuth that he’d already done well in Knives Out and just perfected it. I won’t elaborate too much so as not to spoil characters, but the entire supporting cast felt hugely believable when they needed to be believable and were hilarious parodies when they needed to be funny - particular favourite performances of mine were Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe and Edward Norton (whom I’ve always rated anyway but y’know), but honestly everyone, whether minor or major role, killed it

2) the political commentary is excellent and a lot more nuanced than you might initially think

3) it was an actually palatable COVID movie? It was truly delightful to see a ‘oh this happens to be set during COVID and like, it was such a big thing that obviously it’s going to influence a lot’ movie that at the same time wasn’t a ‘this is all (or even at all) a “life during COVID” movie’ - it was just there and acknowledged but it absolutely wasn’t integral to the movie

4) as a long-time wrestling fan, hi there, Batista’s dick. We missed you, buddy (for anyone concerned, it’s not ever shown explicitly but like… the speedos are tight)

5) utterly gorgeous set and costume design that (particularly the latter) was actually done with massive consideration for characterisation

6) many incredible (and in one instance downright hilarious) celebrity cameos (which normally I hate but you’ll see why it makes sense in this movie) - particular favourite had to be piss-drunk Yo-Yo Ma (who I’ll admit I only recognised because YouTube had literally recommended me a video of him two hours prior)

I think pretty much everything else I have to say about this film is spoilery but uhhhhhhh

please watch it

Oh and if you’ve seen it and either want to froth at me or you can think of non-spoilery good things that I’ve missed (I’ve already thought of one) please please DM me or reply or whatever

7) every single way in which the Mona Lisa is used in this movie

8) the fact that I can’t put my finger on it but if you’d told me everything I know about this movie from start to finish without me seeing it, I would’ve assumed I was getting Goncharov’ed

[peridyke]

I decided to watch Chainsaw Man and I'm in episode 9. I didnt expect to binge trough all the episodes ?? The opening and the endings animation are so good !! Also I get now why Himeno feels more morally gray than Makima even though Makima is the literal villain that can explode people. I didn't expect Denji to be 16 ?? And then Himeno vomits on his mouth and takes him to her home drunk and yeah. I felt super bad for him even though Makima did seduce him and is using him for her benefit, but she's like a lot more evil than Himeno so maybe thats it. Oh and the whole sequence of Makima using her powers was so good I was genuinely unnerved, I like that she doesnt have to be super scary in appareance except for her eyes and calm demeanor, actually i think her rather innocence look and soft voice adds to that disturbing feeling!

AHHHH THATS AWESOME i’m so glad people are watching chainsaw man based on my recommendations LOL i’m glad you’re enjoying it! god yeah himeno as a character is fascinating to me because in contrast to a character like makima who embodies this kind of deeper greater power she just feels so…real, you know what i mean? like, this woman is fucked up mentally from her job where she deals with constant death and grief and she copes through repression and substance abuse and sex and ends up not just hurting herself but the people around her. i worry this comes off bad because i completely understand people hating this aspect of her character and wishing it didn’t exist but she like…absolutely seems like the type of person to try and fuck a teen while dead drunk and not give that much of a shit in the morning lmao. it sucks cause denji being a kid just isn’t capable of understanding exactly what happened to him and can only really comprehend the more overly unpleasant parts of his time with himeno, which is like…yeah, that’s real. i would say that denji’s age is actually a really important aspect of chainsaw man because it is just another part of him that puts him further into this vulnerable position that makes him easy to manipulate and take advantage of, makima’s relationship to him being the biggest example of that but it’s something that pops up with other characters too. he’s an orphaned impoverished hungry teenager who was adopted into this world that he cant comprehend is taking complete advantage of him.

GOD makima’s scene where she kills the yakuza agents is fucking amazing and terrifying. it is the first time you really understand the extent and terror of her abilities and the lengths she is willing to go to, and that’s something that builds exponentially as the series goes on. i’m really excited for people who are just watching the anime to see how chainsaw man’s story unfolds and i’m also thrilled to see the rest of the action in the series animated. makima’s supposed innocence and gentle demeanor is something that i think is a really compelling part of her character and is essential to making her as effective as she is. there is this sense of danger and dread with her but it’s hard not to get pulled in and captivated, like a prey animal being hypnotized my a predator. honestly i think it’s cool that her eyes have that hypnotic look to them because it symbolizes the effect she has on people.

sometimes i think i can kinda give perhaps a bit of a warped perception of chainsaw man LOL because it is genuinely a really awesome series with some very morally gray characters and terrifying villains, i’m just also a lesbian who is not immune to hot girls ghfhfjghf even knowing how terrible everything that’s happening is it’s so hard not to be like GOD i wish that were me

[jennawynn]

Chronotrek: Disco Season 2 Part 4?

Episode 11

mmm body horror. exactly what i like over my mac and cheese :joy:

I really like this kind of intro where there's a bunch of images that you can contextualize differently as the season goes on. it's like a scavenger hunt.

Michael's face journeys are always such a sight to see. Her indignance when she hears that her mom doesn't want her to come down.

lol "Hamlet. Hell, yeah."

Mom's like 'I feel nothing about you because all life is going to die.' Michael's like 'I will feel for both of us.'

Did they have to flashback the "unacceptable risk to the larger mission"? They don't trust us to remember the 'unique turn of phrase' we just heard in the last scene?

As soon as Mom did the UNO Reverse and started talking about how much she was there with Michael, watching, I knew she wasn't going to come back any time (haha) soon.

Episode 12

I feel... I dunno, disappointed? in the direction this went. There was time fuckery and everything... and it just boils down to Evil AI? An Evil AI that was supposedly already killed, but 'not really because I said so'. With a hefty dose of 'nothing you're doing is working because I said so'. Maybe I'm just feeling frustrated like Michael is :joy:

The biological imperative of protecting a child is... idk, I don't like it in pretty much any context. It feels lazy and reductive. Add it to Ash's story, a story I'm already unenthused about, and it only makes me dislike it more. "This child I've never met is my child and I would do literally anything to protect them because they are made of me." Ugh. Like. I think I don't like it because of the assumed elevation of biological parenthood and procreation over everything else, the assumption that bio parents are best parents, that all parents feel this way. The way it's lumped in with 'you might not want kids now, but if you have one, you'll connect and change and feel it later'.

I remember seeing somewhere that God does not exist in Star Trek. But that's at least twice now "God" has been referenced by characters in this show. Did they slip, or did they make the active choice to go against the old standard?

This whole 'capture it in a cage of a new system' thing doesn't feel like how computers work. Or why they're getting under the floor to do things. It feels forced like so much of this arc. Now... Gant being 'infected'? That I saw coming.

I don't know, maybe they just needed to make it a threat that could be seen and interacted with because 1) TV is a visual medium and 2) it might be hard to understand what's happening without it.

I couldn't explain it if I tried. "The crystals cause things to age fast." There, explained it :joy:

Episode 13

Those evacuation corridors were hot. lol I love seeing the way they bring the science to life. Though the folding/unfolding thing would be very.. questionable to me. Lots of stress on the joints.

You know... even though I knew they go to the future (which is why I don't get to watch Disco season 3+ until after I watch everything else), I somehow didn't see this coming?? Like. I don't know why? I assumed it was some accidental thing or something (maybe because I thought there were still several episodes left in this season). Even though again

I knew Disco season 3+ is in the future

I know that the plan was originally to send the data with the suit into the future

lmao Georgiou: simply find a nova and fire an antimatter torpedo into its core. Saru: We'd be responsible for the loss of life through dozens of light years Georgiou: Uh... yeah. Michael: We're not doing that. G: I thought there were no bad ideas. Pike/Admiral: That's a bad one. That's a lie.

Which genius built that? My mom. I had a special mom too. Georgiou: Ugh.

That was like three sentences and it still made me want to cry.

Listen I just want to repeat every line Georgiou has. 'like a galactic rubber band with a martyr complex.'

Oh no, now I am crying at this Sarek, Amanda, Michael scene.

And everyone standing with her :sob: But god leave Ash behind please.

Oh yay! lol ....ugh.

Oh no, all the going away messages :sob: They're just trying to wreck me.

Wait, Spock can't go. He's in the other ones.

So weird that 'parade rest' is the kind of informal salute of respect for Starfleet.

The cage is slowing things down, so Tilly calls for help, but not from Po? Who made the cage? Who already said she's not leaving? And was verified to not be back on her planet yet? Where's she at?

God I'm stressed. I'm almost glad I have to go back to work and can't watch the finale yet.

4 hours later... seriously i think i cried so much i gave myself a headache that is STILL HERE.

Episode 14

"Leland! We were just talking about you. Everybody hates you. Congratulations."

Man... I gotta say I'm kinda surprised that they were surprised that the 31 ships were nano-botted into micro-ships by Control.

At some point the people on Discovery have to realize that they're actually more likely to survive this battle than the folks on Enterprise, right? Like... yeah, they're going into the future and leaving everyone they've ever known behind, but at least they'll be alive.

Going to give my usual 'evasive actions and attack patterns being prescripted is silly' speech... like chess moves being memorized, especially playing against an AI. The only way to win is to be surprising. Anyway.

They're surrounded (but still in planar orientation, like a disc, not a sphere) but they still say all power to forward shields??

Get off my ass! Sir. Get off my ass, sir!

"Starboard shields..." and then they turn 90 degrees and show their whole topside against the enemy like a shield. Wish they'd like... use the terminology they're showing.

This cocoon thing is stressing me out. It's so well designed to explain exactly what's happening, and it isn't confusing like a lot of action scenes can be.

The DOT 7s are adorable.

Shouldn't the two big ships also be moving? Like... they're sitting ducks. Go up or down and move. Space is 3 dimensional.

You're my home. :sob:

Such a cool way to portray going through the time wormhole, with time turning into a static image on a plane of glass, seen from behind with the textured hole around emptiness... In other jumps, it looks like a CD.

Ok as much shit as I give them for making stuff up to make it sound scientific, this fight on the walls and ceiling is fun.

Why are captains so goddamn self-sacrificing? _You don't sacrifice the queen or king without good goddamn reason._

Are they really asking how she's gonna guide them through DURING THE FIGHT?? Shouldn't this have been figured out before?

And why aren't the people working on the torpedo in EV suits just in case they get ripped out into space? I guess it's faster that way.

Why was the effect of that torpedo so much worse than normal ones? Don't they fire those all the time?

Ah, so that's why Spock stays.

Y'all. _People are dying._ Hurry this up. lol

Fuckin Enterprise looks like someone took a bite out of the cookie.

Number One's name and rank is "Number One" :joy:

lol how convenient that "we have sworn to never speak your name with others' to explain why Spock, who is so central to TOS, never mentions a sibling.

He looks so different all cleaned up.

And that's it for Discovery until I get through all 1000 hours of the rest of the entire fucking series of serieses! lmao

looks like I have a couple short treks to get to before we move on to Strange New Worlds.

[earnmysong]

P F & T for the fic meme!

thanks so much for asking, lovely!

P: ARCHITECT - story built and planned out or GARDENER - story unfolds as you, and it, progress

i'm such a freaking gardener, MY GOD! there's never any planning ahead. i usually literally say to myself 'well, shit, [exhibits a-z] gave me feelings. what would it look like if...' then, i type a bunch of emotions into a doc and make my chaos mildly more coherent. you've saved my ass from myself a time two as well, for which i'm eternally grateful!

F: one of my favorite dialogue exchanges in my repertoire, with explanation

this rather lengthy snippet of 'experience has made me rich' holds a high spot in the rankings:

“Good God, Alexis! Were you mugged?” David’s concern manifests rather forcefully and in an extremely high octave. She startles, scrunching away from the noise and blocking her ear with an arm. The closest arm, sure, but definitely the wrong choice.

“Ouch, fuck!” she hisses, cradling her ice-chilled {also bandage-wrapped and currently about five times its regular size} wrist. Silver lining? She can finally feel her pulse! Except, it’s kind of, like, not where it should be, and it seems really angry and basically shocks her whenever she moves. She must not be exactly at her quietest, either, because Ted glances over, every feature of his face asking if she’s okay. She smiles, shoos him back to steadying their daughter on that murderous contraption. “Hey, David? I, um, kind of broke myself?”

“Mhmmm, yes. I did notice that. Sort of difficult to miss the striking resemblance between you and Anna Paquin after her car crash in that movie you always lose your shit over? Where she’s Mother Goose? And how exactly have we achieved this ultimate form of flattery and maimed ourselves so spectacularly this fine spring evening?”

“Okay, first of all? Shut up, David. Fly Away Home is fantastic and you totally got misty when Len held you hostage and finally forced you to watch over Chrismukkah. Don’t bother denying. Lying is beneath us now. Also?” She fluffs her hair, bracing herself to recount her harrowing ordeal. “Len’s got a shiny new itch to be a tinier, much more adorable Tony Hawk? Because of the Vans.” She growls the brand at him; he peers down apologetically – he’s probably wearing the traitors as they speak – and scoots himself slightly farther back. “She assigned me the role of guru, and I said: What the hell? It’ll be like surfing. But on solid ground.”

“I don’t think –” David grimaces at her misguided logic, nods in understanding. “That hasn’t ended well for you?”

Alexis treats him to a slow, shaky pan of her battered physique in case he requires assistance to arrive at the correct answer. “Clearly not, David,” she huffs. 

“Yes, well. To render the sting of your obviously declining athletic aptitude less sharp, I’ve just shipped you the largest, most expensive bottle of peach schnapps that a five-minute search can yield.” She flips him off. “I also took the liberty of having ‘Get Well Soon’ engraved on an ice bucket, to both commemorate the occasion and be available in the event of future mishaps. Whether these will relate to beverages or body parts of course remains to be seen.” 

“So much love!” Sarcasm edges her cheer, but her grin is genuine; she boops his nose through the screen. 

Then: “Mommy, I can almost land an ollie!” Len announces proudly, clambering up to sit next to Alexis as Ted mouths She can stay upright. “Are you alive? That was so much blood! And, see? I told you I memorized Daddy’s numb – Oh! Hi, Uncle David! Did Mommy tell you she taught me to skateboard?” 

David snorts in a ridiculously impolite manner, choking down the rest of his chuckle. “You could say that. The marvelous Ms. Mullens she most definitely is not, however. Oooh, have we added to our wardrobe without consultation?” 

Alexis listens to Lennox and David chat while Ted examines her mangled wrist. “Um, babe? Are you sure this – ” he’s pushing gently on various spots “- is the safest bet? Like, knowing something’s broken when I pass out in the park?”

“I’m not just going out on a limb, Lex. I have had practice.” Ted laughs, pressing his lips softly to hers, trading an unnerving touch for one flooded with comfort and calm; okay, yes, he might be, like, an expert at taking care of everything he encounters. 

“No. No.” David’s insistent scold cuts into their impromptu make-out sesh far sooner than she appreciates. “None of that, please. Your child is present and that fact alone should deter you. Because I am well-acquainted with your habits, however, I must also submit this for your consideration - my sister has wreaked enough havoc upon herself in a single afternoon to, quite possibly, last a lifetime.  Do we really want to put her further at risk, given some of the fun in which you’ve engaged in the past?” 

okay, so! my affinity for, and admiration of, dan levy et al. and 'schitt's creek' as a whole is storied and unrepeatable. typically, i would be terrified to attempt to capture the essence of a universe i value that highly. because i love SC as much as i do, still, i also wanted to see how close i could get. i'd already written two installments of the saga before this, but they'd only featured alexis and ted. here, david enters and the established tiny human speaks. i ended up coming pretty close to the mark, if i do say so myself, a fact that makes me smile, even a few years removed.

T: fandom tropes i can't stand

i don't necessarily understand when protagonists are paired romantically with villains who showed no glimmer of redemption in canon [carol danvers/yon-rogg, jyn/krennic, etc]. also? i'm not one for when violence extends beyond the action/fight sequence realm.

[daysofourlivesrecaps]

Thursday, 27 July 2023

It recently occurred to me that, while I sometimes want good things to happen to characters I like, what I really want from this show at any given moment is MAXIMUM DRAMA. I want whatever situation is unfolding to unfold in the most emotionally overwrought and complicated way possible. So let’s see if anything in today’s installment lives up to that desire.

First: Dimitri and Leo are still fucking around behind Gwen’s back — or, in this case, literally twenty seconds after she left the hotel room.

Hopefully she doesn’t forget something and let herself back in —

Whoops!

Unfortunately, this doesn’t get anywhere near MAXIMUM DRAMA. Instead, we get one of those extremely hacky sitcomesque “we were rehearsing for a play” explanations.

Only Leo — four-foot-nothing Leo, who would be perfect casting as a Ferengi or an Oompa Loompa — actually expects Gwen to believe that he was getting beefy, bulky Dimitri to try on one of his suits.

Damn it, Gwenjamin. You’re getting married TOMORROW. You need to wake up and smell the sodomy!

At the hospital, Theo and Kayla share what my partner Amanda keeps insisting on pointing out are empty cups of coffee.

Theo goes into some weird theory about how Abe getting hit over the head with a rolling pin is probably his fault. This is about as far from MAXIMUM DRAMA as you can get. Theo had nothing to do with any of this. He was in South Africa at the time. Which is very far away from wherever the fuck Salem is supposed to be.

Meanwhile, in Lani’s room, she and Eli are reminding us why they were pretty much the best couple on the show before they left.

Eli’s coming on a bit strong with his OH MY GOD WE WERE SO WORRIED CAN I GET YOU ANYTHING and Lani very cutely calls him out on this.

I’m really going to miss these two when Lani gets dragged back to prison. Which is exactly what US Marshal This Guy is insisting upon right now.

It’s weird that in a room full of cops of various flavors, I still thought of this guy as the narc.

Abe wakes up and talks extensively with Paulina, whom he does not remember at all.

Turns out all the drugs and lies that Nurse King was feeding him for all those weeks (months? days? The passage of time on this show is always extremely nebulous) haven’t helped with Abe’s existing amnesia. Quite the opposite, in fact — he’s more confused than ever now!

Then Abe is visited by Theo, whom he also doesn’t recognize since Theo isn’t Jerry, the guy who was claiming to be Theo.

Then Lani shows up and very diplomatically tells Abe that she has to leave for awhile, without laying all that prison stuff on him. 

Which is a very compassionate thing to do, but also isn’t getting us any closer to MAXIMUM DRAMA.

And over in That Little Room Where Everyone is Allowed to Visit Prisoners at the police station, Marlena attempts to ascertain just how lip-strummingly mental Nurse King really is.

And given that she believes Marlena is actually Charlemagne from Body and Soul, the answer is “quite mental”!

And… okay, this may not be MAXIMUM DRAMA, but it is a really good use of that whole Body and Soul thing. I thought they were just doing that as a silly little self-referential thing and casting their existing performers because they knew they’d have fun with it. And that was probably part of the reason they did it. But now we have Whitley being genuinely confused that the woman from her soap is also this nice psychiatrist who’s come to talk to her BECAUSE THEY LOOK AND SOUND EXACTLY ALIKE. 

Sometimes this show does those “heel turns” (which I understand is an expression about wrestling and shoes?), but occasionally they’ll take someone who wasn’t especially sympathetic and add something that absolutely breaks your heart. And this is what they’ve managed to do with Nurse King in only two or three episodes.

So when Paulina shows up and smacks her in the damn face…

…it absolutely qualifies as MAXIMUM DRAMA but also I feel legitimately bad for Nurse King! Well done, Days.

Also, if I do these things for the next 20 years, I will never get a better screen cap than that one.

[wil-is-done]

When You’re A Mystery Kid - Chapter 9: Critical Roll

Summary: With almost everyone in her adventuring party down for the count, Coralynn the Barbarian resorts to drastic measures to finish the quest.

Word Count: 1.574

-

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters featured here.

Coralynn peered up from behind the rock that she’s currently using for cover, looking at the massive, ancient red dragon that her party had been battling. It is currently hovering above the pool of lava that it emerged from, roaring furiously. They’ve been battling for quite some time, and it shows; the fearsome dragon looks badly beaten, but she couldn’t tell just how close the dragon is to being dead.

Coralynn turned to her companion, Raziel, who is taking cover beside her. “We’re getting close. What’re our options?” she asked.

“To be perfectly frank, not much.” Raziel replied, his gaze anxiously fixed on the dragon. “Our druid and gunsmith are unconscious, our warlock and sorcerer are out of spells, our cleric has been literally paralyzed in fear all this time, and I’m pretty sure we’re out of potions.”

Coralynn frowned. “I asked for options, not bad news.”

“Well, if you want options, why don’t you think one up?! I’m a bit busy right now!” Raziel barked back. At that moment, the dragon let loose a fire breath directed at the pair, only for the jet of fire to be blocked by a barrier. However, Raziel looks visibly strained, and the barrier seems to be weakening. 

Coralynn looked around, the situation being exactly as Raziel described it. Lilian and Nephros, the party’s sorcerer and warlock respectively, are ducking behind the cover of a boulder halfway across the battlefield. With them are the unconscious forms of Maybell and Wranbek, the party’s druid and gunsmith. Lastly, Niall, the party’s cleric, is cowering behind a rock all the way back across the battlefield.

Like Raziel said, not a lot of options.

Coralynn growled. “Ah, screw it!”

Without warning, she bolted out from her cover and charged straight at the red dragon. Her companions could only watch, speechless, as the barbarian sprinted at full speed with both swords drawn. With a fearsome battle cry, she leapt at the dragon and-

-

“Wait, you’re trying to do what?!” Dipper asked, surprised.

“I jump from the cliff at the dragon and try to attack it with both of my swords.” Coraline repeated. “The cliff’s edge is within my movement speed. I can do it, right?”

The others gathered around the table simply watched wide-eyed as Coraline’s insane plan unfolds in front of them.

Dipper is still slightly taken aback. “Well, I mean, you can certainly try.”

“Then I try it.”

“In that case, roll an athletics check to see if you succeed the jump.” Dipper said, regaining his composure.

“Coraline, what the hell are you doing?!” Lili exclaimed, her fingers pulling at her hair.

“Killing this thing!” Coraline shot back, rolling the 20-sided die.

“Oh god, can I just… can I cast Featherfall on her?” Lili asked desperately.

“Coralynn is just outside of the spell’s range, unfortunately.” Dipper replied with a somewhat sympathetic smile. Lili leaned back with a look of frustration.

“DM, I got a twenty six on that athletics check.” Coraline said after a quick check on her character sheet. 

“Twenty six?!” Wybie parroted in disbelief.

“Yeah, I rolled a nineteen and I have a plus seven on athletics.” Coraline explained.

Dipper simply nodded. “Alright, so… ‘With a fearsome battle cry, Coralynn leapt from the cliff, over the lava pool not even a hundred feet below, at the red dragon. The dragon roared, seemingly in response to Coralynn’s battle cry. The swords Coralynn wields in both hands almost glows from the light and heat emanating from the lava below as she swings them downward.’ Go ahead and make an attack roll.”

Coraline quickly threw the twenty-sided die. The table froze as they saw the result.

“Natural twenty.” Dipper stated with an amused smile. “That’s a critical hit.”

“Jonesy, you can actually do this! You can kill it!” Wybie cheered.

“Better get some good rolls on this one, you madwoman!” Raz added enthusiastically.

With a grin, Coraline rolled the dice, but her face fell when she saw the result. “That’s… twenty points of slashing damage.”

The table let out a collective groan.

“You doubled it for the critical?” Dipper quickly asked.

“Yeah.”

Dipper silently nodded, the expression on his face carefully kept neutral. He leaned down, scribbling something down behind the screen separating his side of the table from the others. He looked up at Coraline, now with a smirk on his face, and said, “How do you want to do this?”

The table, minus Coraline, went hysterical.

Wybie grabbed Coraline by both of her shoulders and started shaking her. “You did it! You did it!”

“W-wait wha-? W-what did I do?” Coraline looked around, flabbergasted. “How do I want to do what? What does he mean?”

“It’s this thing Dipper does.” Norman explained. “When you manage to land the killing blow on a boss fight, he says that phrase.”

“How do you want to do this!” Mabel added, pumping both fists into the air.

“Right.” Dipper said, still smirking. “Since you managed to land the killing blow, you get to decide what that killing blow is like.”

“Oh. Oh. Okay.” Coraline grinned. “Alright then, so…”

-

At the last second, Coralynn switched both of her swords into a reverse grip. The dragon lunged forward for a bite, but she managed to plant both feet onto its upper jaw, dodging the bite. With that foothold, she launched herself forward again along its snout. Finally, with one last battle cry, she plunged her swords downward into both of the dragon’s eyes.

A roar of pain and anger echoed throughout the cavern. The dragon wildly flailed its head around trying to shake Coralynn off. She held on to the swords with all her might, refusing to let go. After all, she’s not finished. Not yet.

As the dragon swung its head upwards, she pulled her swords from the dragon’s eyes. She let the momentum of the swing toss her up into the air. Grinning, she switched her swords back to a normal grip and looked at her target directly below her: the dragon’s gaping maw. With both swords at the ready, she dived down and disappeared into the dragon’s maw.

Coralynn’s companions, at least the ones who watched the entirety of her brave stunt, were left stunned. The barbarian just willingly dived into a dragon’s mouth. They already knew she, the brave warrior that she is, had a penchant for doing crazy things, but this simply takes it to a whole new level. Hell, even the bravest and most courageous warriors would give simply fighting a dragon a second thought. Diving willingly inside the jaws of one? That’s what commonly known as suicide. Just what on earth is she planning?

-

“Get on with it, Coraline.” Lili interrupted, unamused.

“Alright, alright. Sheesh.” Coraline cleared her throat. “Suddenly…”

-

The dragon let out a strangled cry of pain. It looked around blindly for anything that could hurt it, only to let out another cry of pain. The dragon now started flailing and flying around frantically, letting out cries of pain all the while. It started flying around the cavern chamber, panicked, desperate to stop whatever it is that’s harming it. Coralynn’s companions watched the dragon’s increasingly erratic behavior as it dawned on them what Coralynn’s plan is.

Finally, with one last pathetic cry, the dragon’s movement stilled, and it’s lifeless body started plummeting down to the lava pool below. 

As it fell, a pair of swords burst out from its back, slicing down in an X shape. Moments after, Coralynn bursts through the wound, leaping over the lava pool and landing back on the cliff where she first leapt. Her companions emerged from their cover one by one, approaching the barbarian in awe. She’s covered in dragon blood and panting heavily, but a confident smile remained on her face. Behind her, a lava spout shot up as the dragon’s body finally fell in the lava pool.

Coralynn grinned. “Mission accomplished.”

-

The table erupted with cheers and applause as Coraline’s story came to an end. Coraline herself leaned back with a satisfied smile.

“I think that’s a good place to end our session.” Dipper stated.

“Wow, that was crazy.” Neil exhaled in relief. “That’s easily, like, top five best moments in the campaign.”

Wybie chuckled. “You said it. Too bad my guy went down so early, though. I had some pretty cool stuff I wanna try out against a dragon. Who knows when we get to fight a dragon again?”

“Don’t go give Dipper any ideas now.” Norman gave Dipper a knowing look. Dipper replied with a mischievous smile.

Dipper turned to Coraline. “So,” he started with a smug smile, “what do you think of our little make-believe game now?” 

Coraline briefly considered putting up a front, but after the amount of fun that she had, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. 

She chuckled in defeat, and asked, “When’s the next one?”

-

Hey, guess who’s back?

I’m a bit obsessed about D&D right now, so I thought I’d write a quick story about the kids enjoying this awesome game. It’s pretty fun writing this while writing scenarios for a D&D campaign I’m running.

The ‘how do you want to do this’ line is from a show called Critical Role, by the way. It’s pretty much the best D&D show ever. You guys should check it out.

[aithorin]

An Exception to the Rule - All Smite x Reader (18+)

Summary: Now All Smite was by no means a hero. In fact, he was quite literally the opposite, but for you he might be willing to make an exception. 

Warnings: Mentions/threats of rape (nothing actually happens), Villain Au, Villain!All Might, Blood and violence, Threats of violence, Slight gore, hostage, Protective!All Might (i.e. he basically goes on a rampage cause someone tries to hurt you), Soft ending with hurt/comfort

Rated M for violence

Flying through the city, a smirk made its way onto All Might’s face as he heard a scream echo throughout the night. God, he reveled in the chaos. The chaos that he created. His very presence had allowed the chaos in Japan to fester and grow throughout, and thus every time he heard crimes being committed, his chest swelled with pride. It made his ego surge to watch the fruit of his efforts be harvested and taken advantage of. There was just something so immensely satisfying about it, knowing that every villain in Japan owed the success of their crimes to him. It provided a rush of gratifying adrenaline like no other.

Deciding he had a few minutes to spare, All Might quickly set course towards the sound of the disruption. At the very least, it would provide some entertainment. But, depending on what they were doing to the unfortunate soul, he might even decide to join in. It would be a nice way to unwind before going home to you. God knows how much fun he had seeing the way people cowered at the very sight of him.

Landing silently behind the group, he quietly observed the scene unfold, trying to decide if he wanted to step in.

“Eh this one’s a looker, isn’t she boys? Before the night’s over, I think I’ll use her for the whore that she is.” The one All Might assumed to be the leader taunted, stepping forward to tower over their victim.

Manic laughter floated throughout the air as the two lackeys accompanying him moved in to completely surround their target. “That sounds like a great idea boss! You always have the best ideas. Can we get a turn too? Please. Please. Please!” The one on the right begged.

“Maybe once she’s unconscious. You know it’s only fun for me when they’re awake so I can see the look of fear in their eyes. God, just the thought of it is giving me a hard on already.” The leader chuckled out.

”Pl-please,” A woman’s shaky, frightened voice whimpered out, “let me go. I-I have money. Just tell me what you want!”

At the sound of the woman’s voice, the blood in All Might’s veins turned ice cold. That-that was your voice. And just like that, the overwhelming pride he had been feeling moments ago withered away, consumed by something much more deadly-a feral rage. How dare they talk to you like that? How dare they even try to lay their hands on you? Fists clenched and shaking in anger, All Might stalked towards them, blue eyes blazing and filled with an unquenchable, seething bloodlust.

Unaware of their impending doom, a harsh slap echoed through the night as the leader thug slammed your head into the dumpster you were backed against. He looked down at you, sneering, “Shut up, bitch! You’ll be lucky if you make it out of here alive tonight. You should be grateful that I’m even considering it.”

“I’d leave the girl alone if you know what’s good for you.” A gravelly voice spoke from behind.

Turning around halfway, the leader scoffed, not even bothering to see who the person was. “Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it? This one’s ours, so why don’t you scram before I decide to kill you t-”

He was cut off as a hand shot out, quick as lightning, to wrap around his throat. Before he could even register what was happening, the thug’s eyes bulged as the hand began choking him. He felt himself being lifted 3 feet into the air, and soon came face to face with a set of flaming blue eyes. At the sight of them, his body went stiff in fear. The rest of the newcomer’s face was hidden by the shadows of the night, but just the sight of his eyes were enough to make the thug cower.

“Who….the….hell….are….you?” The leader gasped out, vision going spotty from his quickly draining air supply.

Letting out a sinister chuckle, the newcomer stepped into the light emitting from a nearby streetlamp. Seeing who it was, the leader’s mouth went dry as a sweat broke out on his forehead. His already tight throat closed up even more causing his breath to come out in wheezes as a chill of fear worked its way down his spine, causing his body to tremble in mid-air.

“Al-All...Might” He rasped out, hands pointlessly tugging on the one large hand curled around his throat.

A wicked smile crept onto All Might’s face. “Good,” He purred out, “You know who I am, so there’s no need for introductions. Maybe you aren’t a complete imbecile.”

Tilting his head to study his prey, All Might reconsidered, “Although it is hard to believe you actually possess a brain, considering you tried to steal something of mine.”

Nodding his head toward your shaking, huddled form a few feet away, All Might’s face hardened. “That girl over there belongs to me, and you just tried to touch her. Now if you remember anything about me, you should know that I don’t share. Do you want to know what happens to people who try to take things that belong to me?”

Eyes darting back and forth, the thug frantically shook his head as much as he could while being held in All Might’s grip. “Pl-please… I-I… didn’t know!”

Ignoring the man’s pleas completely, all the previous traces of being dangerously coy with the thug were wiped away as All Might murderously intoned, “They die.”

With that, All Might began to squeeze the hand wrapped around the man’s throat even tighter. Garbled chokes escaped the man’s lips as with each passing second All Might added more and more force. Reveling in the sound, a sadistic, twisted grin made its way onto All Might’s face. If he was feeling generous, he could have just snapped the man’s neck and been done with it, but that would have been too easy. The bastard had to pay for what he did, and so All Might made sure to drag it, delighting in the way the man’s neck slowly began to crack in his grasp as the life drained from his eyes. Sickening sounds floated into the air, mixtures of bone breaking and strangled gasps as the man gagged on his own saliva. His hands flailed, desperately clawing at the limb wrapped around his neck in a futile attempt to break free. Much too soon for All Might’s liking though, the thug’s efforts slowed before stopping altogether, his hands falling lifelessly back down to his side.

Letting out a sneer, All Might finally released him from his grasp letting his body carelessly crumple to the ground with a revolting thud. “How pathetic, he didn’t even last 2 minutes.”

Taking one last glance at the body, he kicked it to the side before turning his attention toward the two lackeys trembling in the corner. Blinded by bloodlust, he stalked toward them, licking his lips in anticipation and clenching his hands together, imagining their necks were in between them.

All Might was almost upon them when a flash of movement captured the corner of his eye. Momentarily ignoring his prey,  he shifted his body slightly and caught sight of you, shivering in a seated position with your arms wrapped tightly around your legs while slowly rocking back and forth. Gooseflesh had broken out along your skin from the chilly night air, only agitated by the cold sweat that had broken out upon your brow from the night’s events. Stray hairs stuck to your skin as wide, fearful (e/c) eyes looked up to lock with his own, and instantly All Might felt his bloodlust melt away, replaced by an overwhelming need to go to you.

Spinning back around, he addressed the two lackeys quivering in the corner. He pointed a disgusted, raging scowl at the thugs before thundering his ultimatum. “You have exactly 5 seconds to get out of my sight. Otherwise, you’re gonna end up like your boss over there.” He stated, throwing a finger back over his shoulder in the direction of the corpse.

Leaning down, he pulled both of them up by the collar of their necks. “And if I ever catch you even looking at this girl, trust me when I say you won’t live to tell anyone about it. But, feel free to tell your buddies about what happened here tonight. It’ll be a good reminder to everyone out there about what happens when you try to take something that belongs to me. Remember boys, I. Don’t. Share. So spread the word that this girl’s mine.”

Then, without another word, All Might threw them towards the opening of the alley. Not needing to be told twice, they scrambled back, hightailing it out of there. Watching them go, a small smirk passed over his face at their show of naivety. He’d let them go, for now. He had more important matters to take care of. But come tomorrow, they’d be dead. All Might was nothing if not a man of his word, and so they, too, would have to pay with their lives for trying to steal from him. He could see it now. The look of shock their faces would portray at his appearance tomorrow. The way it would morph into a look of fear as he approached them. And finally, the acceptance that would fill their eyes as he squeezed the life out of them, realizing, at last, that he had never intended to let them truly escape. Yes, tomorrow would be a very good day indeed.

Turning around, he started to approach you, making slow, small steps when your face darted up in fear, like a deer caught in headlights. Seeing that it was just him, All Might watched your tense body start to relax as you buried your head back into your legs. Reaching you, he squatted down to be eye level with you, hesitantly reaching an arm out to place it on your shoulder. Now that you were no longer in danger, All Might felt unsure of what to do. He didn’t know how to comfort someone in distress as he was much more used to being the one causing the distress. Finally, he decided to settle for asking basic yet somewhat obvious questions.

“Are you alright?” He gruffed out.

Hearing no reply, a worry that he tried to push away started to creep into his mind the longer you stayed silent. Were you hurt? Had he gotten there too late? Had they touched you? He started to become lost in thoughts until a sudden force jolted him out of it. Looking down, he saw that you had attached yourself to his body, clutching at him like your life depended on it. He debated with himself for a few moments before choosing to reciprocate the gesture, wrapping his large arms around you and encasing you within his body heat. At his touch, your body started to shake with silent sobs, tears from your eyes beginning to wet his shirt. You stayed that way for a long time, bodies holding onto each other as you tried to process the events from the night. All Might didn’t say anything, choosing to offer you support quietly for as long as you needed it. Eventually though, your cries subsided and your frame slumped against him, exhausted from everything that had happened.

Eyes heavy, you were vaguely aware of your body shifting as All Might stood up. Lifting you with ease, he placed you into both of his arms, saying “Come on. Let’s go home.”

Slowly being lulled to sleep by the rhythm of his footsteps, a feeling of warmth and safeness washed over you. Right before you drifted to sleep, an inkling of a smile crossed over your face as you thought of the irony that you felt completely protected in the arms of the number one villain. With him, you knew that he would always be there to keep you safe. Although he was a villain, if tonight had proven anything, it seemed that you were an exception to the rule.

[ptergwen]

play the game

w/c: 2.2k

summary: an interview question catches you off guard

a/n: this is kinda random but i wanted to write something just fun n cute with actress!reader so this is what we got enjoy everyoneee

-

“ooh, these are always fun,” tom murmurs to you. he pushes a bucket of questions to the middle of the table. you turn it towards yourself with a furrowed eyebrow.

you’re at buzzfeed promoting the next spider-man. it’s just you and tom for this one. zendaya and jacob are doing their own interview in the room next to yours. you’re usually paired with the two of them, but tom joins your group sometimes. you find yourself much more intimidated by him than the camera whenever he does. not because he scares you. you’ve actually become close friends over filming.

it’s because you never know what he’s going to say. tom is a flirty guy by nature, and he’ll play it up even more if he has an audience. he loves to give them a good laugh. spark a few rumors maybe, only to get people talking about the movie. the idea itself isn’t half bad. the effect it has on you is what you worry about.

you’ve had a pretty big crush on him that started the same time your friendship did. in your defense, how could you get to know him and not fall? he’s one of the most genuine people on earth, he calls you cute british pet names, he makes you laugh on set during a stressful take. he’s just so charming. he charmed you, after all.

so much as a wink at you and your cheeks would be burning. the last thing you need is for the whole world to see that. it’s bad enough he would, too. you’re hoping he keeps the playfulness at minimum for your interview. with you being the only person he has to bounce off of this time, you’re not sure he will.

“i feel like the fans always ask better questions than interviewers,” tom jokes and takes a slip of paper out of the bucket. he reads it to himself with a snort. “what does it say?” you peek over his shoulder. he folds it again before you can see. a smirk pulls at his lips. “you’ll find out.” “you’re not even supposed to look at them yet,” you huff, reaching to grab the paper. tom drops it back into the bucket.

looking off to the side, he breathes a laugh out of his nose. he’s so annoying about keeping secrets. you push at his shoulder with a smug smile. “can you ever just, like, behave?” “around you? no, i can’t,” tom teases, the hint of a smirk still on his face. this is exactly what you were dreading. what’s worse is you haven’t even started the interview. thank god the cameraman gets your attention.

“all ready. you two start whenever you want.” he gives you a thumbs up from behind the camera. tom scoots closer to you in his chair. his knee is touching yours. it’s such a childish thing to care about, but your heart speeds up. “thanks, man. i think we’re good.” he glances at you to make sure. “yeah?” “yeah, we can start.” your voice is higher than usual, which only happens when you’re nervous. you clear your throat.

the little light on the camera turns red. that means you’re recording. tom beams into it, sounding cheery as ever when he introduces himself. “hey everyone, i’m tom holland.” he holds out a hand to present you. you can’t help but smile at his antics. “i’m y/n y/l/n. we’re gonna be answering some questions you guys sent in.”

“there are a few prompts in here, too,” tom adds, eyes meeting yours for a second. “we have to act them out. let’s get into it.” you raise your eyebrows at the camera. spinning the bucket in his hands, he holds it out to you. “ladies first.” “when he has manners,” you deadpan, getting a giggle out of tom. his stupid adorable laugh that gives you butterflies. holding back a smile, you pull out a paper slip.

“tell us about gwen stacy and peter’s relationship in the movie,” you read off and push the paper to the other end of the table. “i mean, it’s not a relationship. it’s a new friendship,” you explain. tom nods in agreement. “yeah. peter is still after mj in this film.” squinting into the camera, you try to think of a description that won’t spoil you being spider-gwen.

tom digs into the bucket for the next question, but keeps his eyes on you. you hold up a finger when you get it. “my gwen is with spider-man more than peter. that’s all i’m gonna say.” “nice. very smooth,” he teases and unfolds the paper. “how hard was it to do all your stunts?” you shoot him a knowing look. there were a few the two of you had to do together.

they weren’t anything major because you’re not trained like tom is. a lot of the time, you only watched him do insane flips and leaps before simply entering the scene. he’d come back to your trailer after and complain about how sore he was while laying his head on your shoulder or some other part of your body. stunt days were exhausting.

“you know, i’ll be honest. they were awful.” tom shakes his head with wide eyes. you let out a quiet laugh. “not because they were bad or anything. the stunts look amazing. but, they really hurt.” he tosses the piece of paper at the one you just answered to create a pile. “the amount of ice you had to put on your body,” you giggle to him, tom joining in your laughter. he sighs. “i raided the freezer in your trailer every day.”

grinning at the memories, you reach into the bucket for your next question. you’re still smiling when you read it. “this one’s a prompt. it says to do an impression of each other.” tom eagerly sits up in his chair. his leg brushes yours again in the process. you catch your lip between your teeth. “easy. i’ll go first.” he hasn’t started, but you roll your eyes.

“we’ll all be watching a movie and she’s like,” he switches to his american girl accent before continuing. “isn’t that guy so hot? he’s literally so hot, guys. how do you not see it?” your mouth dropped open, you bump his knee under the table. “oh my god, what?” “and it’s always the most basic looking person, too,” he goes on, pressing his lips together in shame for you. you make the same face.

“someone sounds a little jealous.” “it’s not me,” tom scoffs, still playfully making fun of you. you narrow your eyes at him. “ok, my turn.” he’s biting back a smile while you get yourself ready. “ello, love,” you start in an exaggerated british accent. he closes his eyes in defeat. “i love golf. i’m like an old man, innit? i fu-“ you put a hand over your mouth in the same way he does. “i forgot i can’t swear.” tom claps slowly for you.

“bravo, y/n. you didn’t miss a thing, love.” he emphasizes the last word. there goes one of his infamous pet names. he’s just repeating what you said, but it still makes your heart clench. your favorite is when he calls you darling. it sounds so perfect falling from his lips. that being said, you wouldn’t have been able to control your reaction if he called you it right now.

you shrug your shoulder and give him a cheesy grin. “i know i didn’t.” “right, next question.” tom grabs the bucket back from you with a pretend glare. he gasps before reading it out loud. “who’s your favorite cast mate? that’s wicked!” you move your head forward dramatically. “that’s not fair!”

tom drums his fingers on the table. “jeez, you guys are ruthless. i’ll say y/n because she’s right next to me.” you don’t miss a beat. “um, i’m saying zendaya.” you nod at the camera, tom pouting. “love you, z.” “i should change my answer to jacob, then,” he mutters childishly. exhaling, you pull out the next question. there are only two left after this.

“or maybe marisa,” tom keeps throwing names out. “are you done yet?” you ask like you’re his mom. he is acting like a kid, to be fair. “no.” “will you be done if i say you’re my favorite?” he perks up. “yes.” looking him in the eyes, you put your free hand on his arm. “tom, you’re my favorite cast mate.” “thank you.” his sarcastic tone matches yours. he tilts your chin up with the tips of his fingers. “my love.”

you’re quick to turn your head before you let yourself lean into his touch. you’d never recover. for one thing, you’ll think about it too much. another, it would give tom something to tease you about.

pretending to be disgusted, you unfold the paper. your expression relaxes when you look over the question. it’s kind of sweet. “what was your favorite scene to film together?” “all of them,” tom answers right away. “that’s a cheat answer,” you laugh out. he shrugs and looks down at the question. “i’m being serious. i really loved working with you.” his eyes meet yours. “every second of it.”

he’s being genuine. it’s probably to make up for tormenting you this entire interview. all you know is, the fans will definitely start talking. you find it nice either way. “aw, tom,” you coo, him nodding his head. “what was yours?” you’ve never thought about it. you shared so many special memories while making the movie. but, there is one that sticks out to you.

“our last scene. it was a really, like, emotional day because we were wrapping.” tom already knows what you’re going to say next. his lips curl into a smile. “i cried before we started shooting it, so he kept hugging me and said i’d ruin my makeup.” you rest your head on his shoulder for a few seconds, returning the smile. his arm slings around your waist.

“yeah, i felt so bad. your crying face just breaks my heart,” tom tells you with a head shake. you lift yourself off of him and wiggle your eyebrows. “that’s what every actor wants to hear.” “you’re ridiculous. do the last question.” he taps the bucket twice. he’s still holding your waist. “isn’t it your turn?” “it’s the one i read earlier. you read it now.” eyebrows knitted together, you pick out the slip. it’s a prompt.

this has to be a joke. no one in their right mind would have you do this on camera. what kind of interview would this be? blinking a few times, you hold it closer to your face. “it... it says to kiss each other.” you crumple the piece of paper up, face still scrunched in confusion. buzzfeed probably decided to mess with you two. “are we actually supposed to?”

“yep. a fan sent it in,” the cameraman interjects. you look at tom in a panic. he was all smiley about this earlier. now, he’s taking it seriously. “why would we...” you’re too flustered to finish your sentence. tom squeezes your waist. “it’s what the people want. i want it, too.” you can feel your stomach drop. “would’ve said something if i didn’t. do you?”

of course you do. for the past year or so, you’ve been craving to taste that mint chapstick he’s constantly applying. you can’t believe it’s finally going to happen in front of millions of people. technically eight people right now, but the whole world eventually. you’re afraid he’s only going through with it for the movie promotion. for a good thumbnail.

“are you only doing this for promo?” you whisper so the camera doesn’t pick it up. you need his real answer. “never. the promo just gives me an excuse.” his eyes dart from yours to your lips. he inches his face closer. you gulp. “can i kiss you?” he asks lowly. “mhm,” you hum, eyes fluttering shut.

his lips brush yours before he closes his eyes. he kisses you softly, his other arm wrapping around you. your hands go to his shoulders when you kiss back. it’s everything you’ve been needing, been dreaming of for so long now. he tastes even better than you expected. tom breaks the kiss first. a grin instantly spreads across his face. “we’ll continue this later,” he says only to you.

your lips and whole body feel tingly. you give him a goofy smile in return, looking at the camera over your shoulder. “thanks to whoever sent that one in. thank you so much.” you laugh in disbelief. tom turns and faces forward. “i think this is a good place to wrap things up,” he chuckles. “thanks for watching! we hope you enjoyed!” you wave. tom points at the camera. “see us again in theaters next week, if you did.”

the camera clicks off, and everyone else in the room starts chatting. you can’t imagine the headlines that are going to come out about you two. at the same time, you don’t care. you’re too happy. you move your arms up to wind around his neck. tom sighs in content. “i like you, too. in case you couldn’t tell.” he never stops finding ways to shock you. “how did you know i like you?” you groan.

“from one actor to another, you’re not good at hiding it.”

[wistfulrat]

a 4-part rec list of my fave drarry fics - the thrillers, dramas, soft bois, and wankbanks getting me through 2020′s shitstorm

[the soft boi list is here and truly i’m not surprised this rec is going to be the longest bc if there’s one thing a bitch is going to do, it’s yearn.

as always! if you love a fic, follow the authors, leave kudos & comments, send them nice msgs bc free art is still labor xoxo]

part 3: soft bois

mood: for when I need respite, a balm to the all-consuming shittiness of life

includes: fluff, comfort, low-stakes, slow-burn fics. a wistful look, a rainy morning, an unexpected grace, a stupidly disarming joke. i could live inside these fics. the smallness of human lives removed from the site of that which hurts & irreparably changes. the story-equivalent of a deep breath after a long day. pregnant silences & pensive mundanity & shy smiles. banter with bite but without the cruelty. the color lavender. weirdly whimsical. soft fics are not necessarily conflict-averse (no drarry fic rly can be, considering the context) but, they offer the reader a generous distance from the initial harm. they’re the quiet cleaning up after a storm. sometimes healing is an exacting surgical knife and other times it’s a slow scabbing. you read these fics to be reassured that the way forward is not always ruthless. and honestly?? they deserve a semblance of peace godDAMmit.

The Way Down by @letteredlettered - 65k - T “and I thought that if someone talked to you as though you were a human being you might—maybe you could act like one” --the way i think about this line daily. the characterization of draco in this fic is one my favorites bc he’s earnest and neurotic and tired of harry’s shit. which is to say, he cares so so much. and harry doesn’t know what to do with that bc he’s got a monster in his chest and lives as a recluse. but they both humanize each other in ways no one else can. “you’re just a person” has to be some kind of drarry ethics of belonging and it makes me CRY. -

Little Deaths and How to Avoid Them by @greaseonmymouth and dustmouth - 96k - T “Maybe it’s not about deserving it? Maybe you just get to have it anyway. . .I’m allowing myself to want something and to let myself have it and to fight for it.” --harry runs a daycare and also works at a library. draco spends a lot of time in said library. they bond over sci-fi books and therapy anecdotes and quiet philosophical conversations held over cafeteria soup. and harry’s struggling to understand his asexuality. draco’s learning how to live with anxiety and depression. they both want to be deserving of love. incredible fic with beautiful art by dustmouth. - 

Open for Repairs by @drarrytrash - 35k - T “A few leaves rustle in the gutter and the muggle world pays no mind to them, to two lost boys holding on for dear life.” --all of their fics feel exactly like this. like you’ve been allowed to look at something private, tender, unexpected. draco, known abba fan, is a repairman in the muggle world & harry can’t stop breaking thrifted things in order to see him? say less, i'm thERE. also “I think I have a crush on you” goddddd  - other faves by them: Counting Down By Ten - 2k - T: draco’s stepped outside of the party for a smoke. harry follows him bc of course he does. i could read this 100 times and not get tired of it. - Clouds That Veil the Midnight Moon - 36k - E: FUCKING HILARIOUS I CACKLED THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. draco’s wolfy problem and harry helping him and harry being flustered by how much he likes draco and draco’s hot heroic moment. shutup it’s perfect. “He almost asks if Draco ever gets tired of being a miserable complaining shit all the time, but he knows that he, personally, never ever gets tired of being a miserable complaining shit.” and “It’s the traumas,” Harry says gravely” --lines that live rent free in my head -

Harry Potter and the Future He Doesn't Really Want, Thanks by seefin - 70k - E “That was the only logical thing to do here, wasn’t it? It was the next step, it was the end of hurting each other and the beginning of the exact opposite.” --harry lives with luna and neville and also he dreams about the future sometimes? and he keeps running into draco. draco thinks this is sus as hell, until he doesn’t. feat. taxi rides, museums, cinemas, rooftop conversations beneath a lunar eclipse, mid-sex innocuous banter, draco and harry discussing nicki minaj. this fic charmed my ass off. seefin writes the most effortlessly hilarious dialogues. i smiled at my phone like an idiot at least 7 times. -  other faves by them: Wild - 93k - E: “he liked feeling needed, for the things that he was needed for back at the house in Ireland. For cooking and gardening and driving. Easy things.” --this shit makes me cry it’s so good. harry lives in Ireland with these three brilliant, hilarious, wandless witches and draco’s a potions student who's come to study under one of the housemates and the boys have so much shit to work through but their love becomes so tender and honest. draco yells at harry a lot and harry lets him and they both keep each other grounded in something real and fuCK.  - Divination for Dickheads - 7k - G: “I’m terrible at having crushes. I’ve never played anything cool a day in my life.” -- oh harry, we knOW. a bus ride, a fortune teller, an aquarium birthday party. god i love this fic. -

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic​ - 61k - E “But we’ve worked so hard at this, haven’t we? Yeah, I know it’s a horror to have to talk about it, but fuck it. We’re friends now, but it took so long to get here. Have you ever had to work so hard at something before?" --the steady blossoming of their friendship in this fic is so goddamn beautiful i want to yell. it’s draco and harry learning to trust each other and the whole thing unfolds so slowly, in this whimsical mix of london streets, wizarding politics, church halls feat. a Hot vicar, and a magical antique shop owner who’s married to literal poseidon?? goD the environment of this fic. immaculate. [also there’s a tender shower scene that makes me cry every single fucking time so if you read this fic pls dm me so we can be embarrassing about it together tbh] -

Nice Things by aideomai - 22k - M “He kept waiting for the weird shock of touch to not knock him clean out of his head, leave him quiet and warm and happy.” --8th year. harry forms an unlikely friendship with draco that begins with smoking weed on a windowsill. harry is touch-starved and draco touches him like he touches all his close friends - like it’s easy. the quiet affection in this fic, the way harry burrows himself into touch bc he’s been without it for his entire life. reading this is like being held. -

Running On Air by @tinyhistory​ - 74k - T “do you remember when we were eleven?” --alexa play coldplay’s the scientist it’s sad girl hours and we’re about to fucking yearn. you’ve seen this fic rec on every drarry list under the sun and i'm here to be redundant. the hype is so goddamn real. this story is a lyrical masterpiece held together by lines that act as refrains that will rattle around your brain until you die, probably. draco’s been missing for 3yrs. harry goes to find him. it’s their odyssey of homecoming. -

Title of Their Sex Tape by @cibeewastaken - 12k - T “But Draco, Draco was everything but boring. Draco made sitting in the rain watching an empty house fun.” --auror partners pining and draco being eccentric and harry being very earnestly gay about draco’s eccentricities!! god this fic is so genuinely fun skskd feat. undercover missions, murderous faeries, a book heist, a stunning navy dress, harry’s eyelashes. -

How We Throw Our Shadows Down by @thistle-verse - 14k - T “Draco is about to say something else— to thank Potter for what he’d done, however poorly— but Harry is smiling at him again, and it’s so soft and perfect that Draco holds in any inadequate words, lest he spoil it.” --draco collects tea cozies and of course harry has the one he wants. the sad and tender gays are at it again feat. conversations in the rain at a train station, melancholy Blaise, muggle photos, wizarding e-bay, the Dursleys.  -

Helix by Saras_Girl - 92k - E “Draco sighs in his sleep and Harry clings on to consciousness, needing to hold on, to give this tiny, insignificant moment the attention it deserves” --I think maybe you can describe every soft Saras_Girl story as giving tiny, insignificant moments the attention they deserve. like, this is an 8th year fic about snails and it’s full of whimsy, grief, compassion, and easy humor. an absolute must-read author in this genre if you want languorous, episodic fics full of distinct OCs and affectionate creatures. - other faves by them: Light up the Night Sky - 98k - M “Draco, sometimes you make my head feel like soup” --the one where harry is a fireworks artist and has a pet chameleon named ken. draco is on the wizarding arts council. they both pine like hell. - Headlights in the Snow - 71k - M “they stare at each other in silence, Harry’s heart beating so loud in his chest that he thinks the biddies must be able to hear it over the sound of their card game.” --the one where draco drives the knight bus and carts around the biddy club, a group of rambunctious old ladies who knit and drink tea and gossip. harry can’t help but fall in love with the everything about this. -

Follow the Water by @xanthippe74 - 38k - T “Harry’s heavy thoughts lift at the sight, like dark clouds blown away from the sun by the wind. The tent doesn’t feel so cramped and stifling now. It feels cozy. And safe. It’s the same feeling that Harry gets when he’s at the Burrow for Sunday roasts, when a group of people who care for each other deeply are crammed into too-small a space.” --harry wanders to the lovegood house on a sunday afternoon. he’s baffled to see that luna’s taken pansy, greg, and draco under her wing. what follows is a summer of forest walks, scavenger hunts, gardening, water fights, odd cakes, faerie rings, and picnics. so many picnics. i love the pace of this fic, the innocent return to childhood things, the way luna brings out the best in all her friends. reluctantly soft slytherins are just *chefs kiss*!! -

Going Postal (A 125pg comic) by dustmouth - T what. a. beautiful. ass. comic. the wizarding fashion, the textures, the character design!! harry travels a lot for his job as a resourcer. draco works in the regulations dept. they pine like a bunch of lovesick idiots via field report notes. god i love dustmouth’s art. -

All the Earnest Young Men by @tepre​ - 29k - E “Draco is twenty-seven layers of personality wrapped up in drama and humour, and a wit so sharp it still stings when he doesn’t see it coming. But there is something below that, too. Something that makes Harry ache just looking at him.” --the way i would lay down my little life for tepre’s characterization of draco, whom invented the word earnest. he’s a magical art theory expert and portraits are disappearing all over London and harry’s the auror assigned to this case. and well. they’re both so very avoidant about how gay they are for each other and it’s like!! shutup and kiss!! which they do in fact, shutup and kiss.  -

Trenches by sara_holmes - 3k - M “Somewhere in the distant part of his mind that hasn't frozen solid, he thinks that maybe he and Draco are about to become more than auror partners, smoking buddies, wine-mates and co-inhabitants of a snow filled trench somewhere in western Scotland.” --the plot line here is literally “it’s cold and i need a fucking cigarette” but let me tell you how I never tire of the shared loaded-silences of two emotionally repressed gays. -

The Years Before Love by lomonaaeren - 13k - M “That’s one of the meanings of peace, he thinks, as Hermione hugs him...That he can do things slowly, softly, without worrying that they won’t be there tomorrow.” --andromeda taking harry under her wing and harry finding solace in teddy. narcissa and draco showing up and the tentative relationships that slowly develop in the quiet calm of andromeda’s house. found families and kisses in the snow and special xmas gifts ugh what’s not to love -

The Moon Looks Lovely Tonight by Omi_Ohmy - 35k - M “I want this to be a house where people are welcome, where they don’t have to be any one way or another” --in which harry collects lost things--owls, best friends, inept bakers, potions experimenters--and turns the mausoleum that is grimmauld place into a home. feat. your fave drarry tropes like shared-beds and reluctant waltzing partners. -

[part 1: thrillers | part 2: dramas | part 3: soft bois | part 4: wankbanks]

[lazywonderlvnd]

Hi, if you are still taking prompts; A magically powerful Harry not noticing that his magic does things to make Draco happy. This can be pre-relationship or established relationship. Like it starts of with his tea being exactly as he likes and always the right temperature. Then evolves to rooms changing colour or weather changing or people being unable to invade Draco’s personal space due to an invisible barrier or something ridiculous. Btw Draco doesn’t notice as well.

anon.....you really killed me w this one. i’ve been so emo over this wyugeahrwiw might end up writing smth longer tbh bc this concept is literally the only thing that matters to me!!!!!!! i hope u enjoy i had so much fun with it ❤️❤️❤️

“Harry, you do it. Please.”

“No.”

“Please!”

“We’re fucking watching something, Draco!”

“So just pause it!”

Harry grabs the pillow on his lap and slams it onto the sofa next to him. Hermione can see dust rise in its wake. He pauses the telly. 

“Are you doing it?” Draco asks hopefully. Harry scowls at him. 

“Well you won’t shut up until I do, will you?”

“Definitely not.”

Harry disappears into the kitchen and Draco sits there looking smug.

“It’s kind of sick how you get off on bossing him around,” says Ron, his tone one of simple observation. His fingers are idly playing with Hermione’s hair, but she doesn’t think he notices he’s doing it. 

“If I’m not mean to him a few times a week I break out in a rash, Weasley,” Draco says blithely. “Besides, he makes it perfectly. I don’t know how he does it, it’s always exactly the right temperature and sweetness and all that. I s’pose his years as a house-elf for those Muggles gave him plenty of time to perfect the art.”

“You’re a twat,” says Ron. “And my mum makes tea better than him.”

“Well you’re just a pitiful little mummy’s boy, aren’t you, Weasley? We can hardly trust your opinion.”

“Hark who the hell’s talking,” Ron scoffs. “Least I’m not twenty-three and still calling my mum ‘mummy’ like the world’s biggest bloody ponce.”

Draco splutters but before he can retort Harry’s coming back into the room hovering four cups of tea that float placidly to each of them. Draco looks exactly like a satisfied cat as he takes his and Harry drops back down onto the sofa next to him. Not too close, but certainly not too far, either.

“Literally exquisite,” Draco declares after he’s taken a sip. Ron rolls his eyes.

“It’s just tea, Draco,” says Harry, and he grabs for the remote to turn the film back on. “You’re such a demanding little brat. Merlin’s fucking tits.”

But Draco looks happy and Harry looks suspiciously content as well. Ron turns to her and makes a silent gagging face. Hermione snorts and puts a finger to her lips. They’ve decided not to say anything yet.

*

“Wasn’t this place a lot … uglier last time?”

“What?” Harry says absently. He’s not listening — he’s got all his attention zeroed in on a stack of parchment he’s holding. They’d only barely dragged him along to lunch; earlier the captain of the English National Team had apparently owled him a great number of brand-new Quidditch plays and required Harry’s extensive thoughts and notes before their next practise, which was tomorrow morning. 

“Uglier,” Draco says emphatically, and Ron mutters something she doesn’t catch. “Remember? The walls were that tragic egg-yolk colour.” He shivers. Hermione thinks it might have been an honest-to-god shiver of revulsion. She also thinks she knows what’s happened, even though the extent of it surprises her.

“Maybe someone heard you whingeing and changed it,” Ron apparently can’t stop himself from saying with a snigger. Hermione elbows him hard and he shoots her a glare, mouthing, he doesn’t know!

Harry would usually be the one to take the lead and get them a table when all four of them go out to eat together but today he’s too wrapped up in his Quidditch plays, so Ron steps forward and does it, which makes Hermione’s chest flutter pleasantly. He’d blush down to his bones if she ever said it aloud but he’s quite capable of being a leader in Harry’s absences. 

“Whatever happened,” says Draco pointedly as they’re led to their table, “it’s a great bloody blessing, I was genuinely unsure I’d have the mental fortitude to survive another assault like that on my delicate senses. And, I mean, this —” he gestures to the walls, which are now an admittedly pleasing dark teal above a white trim “— is stunning. It’s my favourite colour.”

“Is it? So weird they picked your favourite colour completely by coincidence,” Ron says, and Hermione elbows him again. Draco notices nothing and neither does Harry, although he does finally set the plays aside once they’re seated at the table.

“Are you complaining about the wall colour again?” he asks drily. They would both be extremely displeased to know they sound like an old married couple. Draco snatches haughtily at the paper napkin on the table and unfolds it to place over his lap. The first time he’d ever done this at a regular, decidedly not upscale restaurant Ron had taken it upon himself to spend the entire meal adopting a posh accent to match Draco’s and saying things to the waiter like “Don’t you have crystal?” while holding up a glass cup full of Pepsi and then commenting “These aren’t real silver, you know” after making a show of inspecting the titanium utensils. 

“I can complain about hideous design choices if I want to,” Draco tells Harry with his nose in the air. “Thankfully they’ve rectified it this time.”

On the other side of the restaurant, Hermione sees two employees talking, one of them gesturing at the wall with utter bewilderment. She doesn’t point it out.

*

“Twelve o’clock,” says Ron, nodding past Draco’s shoulder. “Some bloke staring you down hard, Malfoy.”

Draco looks excitedly behind him, but what Hermione takes more notice of is the way Harry’s face falls a little. She can’t help but wonder if he even realises it’s happened. She’s almost certain he’s aware of his feelings for Draco even though he still hasn’t said anything to her (and she’s been waiting months now, the effort of holding her tongue growing only more difficult by the day, and she knows Ron’s always seconds away from shouting at him) but she doesn’t think he knows how obvious he is. Draco doesn’t seem to know either, but she thinks that’s because Draco feels exactly the same way. She’d have called them morons, but she remembers too well how long it had taken her and Ron.

“What the fuck, Weasley,” Draco hisses, turning back around with a scowl that makes Ron laugh and Harry perk up again a little bit. “He looks like he hasn’t washed his hair in weeks.”

“Now, now,” says Ron, “mustn’t judge books by their greasy covers.”

“Then you go shag him if you think he’s so fit.”

“Maybe I will,” Ron says airily, as if he really is considering it, and Hermione can’t help chuckling and kissing his cheek. Then his expression changes to one of wicked amusement, which makes all of them look round to see the bloke coming their way. Hermione glances at Harry to find that — oh yes, he looks flustered and vaguely upset.

“Hullo,” says the greasy bloke to Draco as he comes up beside him at their table. He’s really not terrible-looking, but if she’s learned anything about Draco in the last couple years it’s that his standards amount to models and Harry Potter, so this man has almost no chance.

“Hello,” Draco drawls, reminding her fiercely of his younger self at Hogwarts. “I’m not interested.”

“Right little narcissistic bugger, aren’t you?” the man says. And now, finally, he’s begun to look as revolting to Hermione as he’d done initially to Draco — a repellent personality can do that. “Maybe I just wanted to come and have a chat.”

“Then why aren’t you looking at any of the rest of us?” Ron asks, sounding halfway between amused still and a little put off.

“Can you leave, please?” Draco interjects, cringing away from the man encroaching slowly on his personal space. And suddenly, as he looks on the verge of antagonising Draco further, he shifts his feet and slips, landing right on his bum with a yell of surprise. All four of them get to their feet to see, but there doesn’t seem to be any liquid or even slimy food for him to have tripped on.

“The fuck ...?” the man says, getting back to his feet. But when he moved towards Draco, he only slips again, on absolutely nothing at all. Something clicks and Hermione looks at Harry: he seems as confused as anyone else (if obviously pleased).

She looks at Ron then, who catches her eye and lifts his brows like he’s thinking the same thing.

Draco’s suitor gets up once more and steadies himself, looking a bit dazed. Some deep animal instinct seems to tell him to stop trying, and with a wary glance at Draco he finally leaves.

“Well that was a bit of a fucking scene,” says Harry. Draco, coming out of his own startled daze, laughs.

“Yeah,” Ron says sarcastically, “wonder what could’ve possibly happened.”

*

“I really thought it was going to rain,” Draco mopes where he’s standing at the window. It’s grey outside but it definitely doesn’t look like rain and Draco appears so upset about it that Hermione actually feels badly, even though she’s quite glad for the clear weather. 

“Just shut the curtains,” Ron suggests from his place on the floor. He’s sorting through Harry’s collection of VHS tapes, trying to decide on a good Halloween movie. Not that he’s ever seen any of them, and Hermione suspects he’ll end up choosing whichever cover he likes best.

“It’s not the same!” Draco wails. “The thunder and lightning is all part of it, you uncultured pillock! The atmosphere is all wrong.”

“It’ll be just as good when we shut off all the lights and draw the curtains,” she assures him, but it doesn’t remove the look of disappointment from his face. It’s a pouty sort of thing that echoes the brattiness of his youth; she imagines a five-or-six-year-old Draco giving his parents similar looks when he wasn’t getting what he wanted.

 At that moment the front door opens and Harry walks in carrying two grocery bags, one of which contains alcohol, which Hermione can tell by the way the plastic is bulging around the cans.

“The fuck are you all doing here?” he says by way of greeting.

“You said eight o’clock, fuckhead,” Ron tells him without looking up. “But it’s fine, I’ve had time to pick a film and Malfoy’s had time to moan about the weather.”

“What’s wrong with the weather?”

“I wanted a storm!”

At that exact moment, a flash of lightning lights up the sky behind Harry where he hasn’t even closed the door yet. Seconds later a downpour begins, and then there’s a rolling crash of thunder.

Hermione’s eyes widen and once more she finds Ron’s gaze, who looks about as shocked as she feels. Draco, meanwhile, has his hands over his mouth and looks like a child on Christmas morning.

For the first time since his magic had begun picking up on Draco’s wishes and granting them of seemingly its own accord, Hermione sees Harry look suspicious. He peers behind him at the storm suddenly raging outside his house before slowly closing the door. When he turns back he looks directly at Hermione, who looks away quickly.

They set up the food Harry had gotten — all kinds of Halloween-themed sweets — and once everyone has their drinks (“Make mine,” Draco tells Harry, “you do it best”) and is comfortable on the two sofas in the room (Harry and Draco are, as usual, as close to each other as they can get without actually touching) they start the movie: The Thing, which Harry swears is one of the greatest horror films of all time.

Funny thing is, an hour and a half into it she looks over and, with a jolt, realises the two of them are kissing half-covered beneath a blanket. She elbows Ron, who positively beams when he notices.

“Fucking finally, dear sweet Merlin,” he whispers, the sound muffled by the continued rain and thunder. “I nearly hit him upside the head when he made it rain, are you fucking kidding me?”

“Shh!” Hermione hisses, though she’s smiling. “They’ll hear you. We’ll rag him about it tomorrow.”

A soft sound of laughter comes from the other sofa that Hermione identifies as Draco’s, and when she risks another peek after a moment she sees that Harry has a hand on Draco’s jaw, and that he’s smiling.

[interact-if]

Day 2 of Pride Month interviews! You know them, you love them…. give it up for Ames!

Ames, author of Attollo and Metamorphosis

Pride Month Featured Authors

“…and it was a singular, terrible thought, which burrowed itself into your mind like an engorged maggot. This was not a man nor a monster. This was a concept, an ideology, a terrible myth, which had personified itself to stand before you now.You were, to put it simply, screwed.”

After several years of radio silence, you receive a message from your younger sibling that carries a strange sense of urgency to it. Either out of familial concern or boredom, you embark on a journey from your residence to your sibling’s apartment in New Hampshire to see what’s going on and, hopefully, be home before the weekend.

Too bad it’s never so simple.

Demo: Attollo, Metamorphosis (TBA)

Tags: cybernoir, thriller

(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!)

Q1: Tell us a little bit about your project(s)!

Attollo is a cyber-noir horror set in a walled city off the coast of the Atlantic that’s been a victim of a nuclear disaster. After several years of radio silence, you receive a message from your younger sibling that carries a strange sense of urgency to it. Either out of familial concern or boredom, you embark on a journey from your residence to your sibling’s apartment in New Hampshire to see what’s going on and, hopefully, be home before the weekend. Too bad it’s never so simple. Attollo is a 17+ game that deals with heavy topics and a lot of moral questioning; from cults to corrupt government, it has no shortage of monsters in the dark—both metaphorical and literal.

Metamorphosis is a crime/horror story based in the world of crime scene cleanup, where there are three simple steps: Get the call, clean the scene, and don’t ask too many questions. These are the rules that you live by under the employment of Noctua’s Crime Scene Services, and you credit them for keeping you alive.

However, after a routine house call brings forth nightmares of memories that are not your own, you find yourself pulled deeper into Noctua—a city of both monster and man—in a bid to find out the truth behind the murder of Deirdre Callow, and better yet, how her memories came to be yours. Your job mandates that you don’t dig too deep—but could this finally be the exception?

Metamorphosis is 18+ and will have explicit content; follow the last moments of a stranger to find out not only who took her life, but how this connects to the underbelly that Noctua works so hard to hide.

Q2: Why interactive fiction? What drew you to the medium?

Lmaoo, oh man. I think it really all began last summer when I first found examples of interactive fiction. I don’t even remember how I came across it, it might’ve been that I saw it mentioned in a post or I saw it as a tag on Itch.io, but at some point, last summer I began to investigate it more. I think what really drew me in was the ability for the player to control the narrative; it was like playing an old RPG, but modernized, and the fact that I could see a story unfold that was influenced by my decisions was so fascinating to me. Not to mention that IF allows so much more character depth than regular novels, in my opinion.

I’m 99% sure my first exposure to interactive fiction was through the game Crème de la Crème (a fantastic game, by the way) and I just enjoyed it so much that I went haywire for the genre. Then Temple of the Endless Night came out (another fantastic game that I’m looking forward to!), and that was really the turning point for inspiring me to give it a go. Now, almost a year later, here I am working on my own two games!

Q3: Are your characters influenced by your identity? How?

My bisexuality doesn’t have much of a major influence on the game, but I do think it contributed to the way that I view and write relationships. I figured out my sexuality around high school (I kissed a girl in high school and found out I liked it just as much as when I kissed a boy) and since then I’ve been very involved in the LGBTQ+ community of both my hometown and uni town.

I think this involvement, like being able to hear about other people’s experiences and share my own, has made me feel a lot more comfortable writing some of the characters in the game. Although Attollo and Metamorphosis both don’t focus heavily on relationships (both have murder in them, which I feel is a bit more pressing), I do keep the option for any RO’s to be romanced by anyone, regardless of gender or preference, because that’s simply what I’ve become so attuned to. In terms of side characters relationships as well, I think my involvement and my own experiences have allowed me to write far more diverse relationships than I might have, and I think that this has also allowed a more fulfilling experience for players when reading through.

I also have incorporated some struggles that I’ve faced before because of my identity into the games. For example, I and a few others have faced issues with religion due to who we are, and I incorporate this into both games. Dreamwalker, Pariah, and Sysba from Attollo all have shadows of this experience in their character origins, and Ilali and Ariston from Metamorphosis has a major point involving identity and beliefs. Both games also have undertows of ostracization and division between groups, which is also something I’ve experienced in the past. Being able to grapple these moments and control them via a narrative has been eye opening for both myself and others involved, and I’m hoping it can be a learning experience for the readers as well.

Q4: What would you like to see more of in LGBT+ fiction?

I think, now, the amount of progress in LGBTQ+ fiction is expanding at a wonderful rate. There are so many interactive fictions with options to select sexuality, select gender, select beliefs, etc. However, despite this expansion, there’s still a good deal of backlash against some aspects of LGBTQ+ fiction.

For example, as a bisexual woman who has dated men, I know there are some individuals who may not consider me a part of the LGBTQ+ because of this aspect. Not only is this incredibly disheartening, but it’s a viewpoint that I think should be educated against, and fiction is a fantastic pathway to do this. Another example I can think of is a friend of mine who identifies as asexual but is sex-neutral rather than sex-repulsed. Most people can’t believe her when she says this, and she often faces backlash for this declaration as well. This is another thing that I think that, with exposure through a medium such as fiction, can be worked on.

What I’m trying to say here is that I think LGBTQ+ fiction can be a brilliantly educational platform—if used right. Although it already teaches so much with what it has, I think having that representation of different subgroups of sexuality, of their experiences and beliefs, so people can become aware and knowledgeable of these options, is something I’d like to see more of.

Q5: What or who are some of your biggest inspirations?

Oh man, I struggled to list off inspirations because I know I have some, but as soon as someone asks me who they are my brain just goes ‘brrrrrr’ LMAO.

In terms of the games that I write and the worlds that I build, I think David Lynch and Robert Chambers are probably the two that I somehow incorporate. Attollo and Metamorphosis both have a lot of surrealist horror, which are what these two really specialized in. Shirley Jackson is also another person who inspired me a lot when it came to the writing and creation of Attollo, especially the intrapersonal relationships between the characters.

In terms of life, this is something else I really struggle to answer. I don’t really have celebrity inspirations or anything like that, but I do get inspired by my close friends and sister a lot. Seeing them go through the struggles that they face and absolutely thrive really drives me to push through my own struggles. They’re the strongest, most brilliant group of people that I know, and I consider myself incredibly fortunate that I can be a part of their lives. Not only that, but we also all collectively encourage each other to push further and to chase our dreams (as cheesy as that is LMAO) and that’s something that I think is another stroke of good fortune. I struck gold when I met them, and they’re some of the biggest inspirations in my life.

Q6: What’s a super vague spoiler for your current project?

For Attollo, I’d say ‘Home is where the heart is.’ For Metamorphosis, to quote John Berendt, ‘Always stick around for one more drink.’

Q7: Lastly, what advice would you give to your readers?

What advice would I give to you all? Oh my, I’m not exactly a wise woman here, but I’ll do my best to give you something lmaooo. I think what I really want you to walk away with, from both my stories and this interview, is that if you’re passionate about something, then share it with the world. Don’t let anyone deter your passion.

I remember listening to this painter once who commented to his friend how he ‘really liked painting’, and his friend’s first response was ‘but are you good at it?’. He then compared this to the scenario of walking; would you say, ‘but are you good at it?’ to someone who said, ‘I really like walking’? No, because it simply wouldn’t make sense, and it doesn’t make sense to say that to anyone who’s doing something out of passion.

To put it simply—if you love something, then don’t let anyone take that passion from you. I began writing these stories because I’m passionate about Attollo and Metamorphosis; I love each character, each bit of lore, and I share it with you because I want you all to enjoy it as well. Am I the best writer? God, no. Does everyone like what I write? Definitely not. But will I let this stop me from writing, from enjoying what I’m doing? Never, and I want you to do the same.

Explore your passions, embrace your passions, and let what makes you happy continue to do so