#i dunno something else here that's maybe clever

[onthewaytosomewhere]

hey hey hey peeps!!! it's a sunday and i have sentences!!

from the fic I posted Saturday evening - a wonderful lil firstprince fic with a side of Alex and Pip platonic soulmates, an alive Arthur Fox (bcuz I wanted to and an alive Arthur makes for better Fox kids), and all told from Pip's POV (i really luv this one - maybe some of y'all will too) - souls are not bound by simple explanations

so some words from it

But on one of these trips, Philip notices something—something subtle yet unmistakable—an unspoken connection between Alex and Henry. At first, he chalks it up to camaraderie. Henry has always been good with people when he chooses to be, even if he prefers to fade into the background. But over time, Philip begins to see it for what it is—something deeper, something neither Alex nor Henry seems fully aware of yet. It starts small. A lingering glance from Alex across the dinner table whenever Henry speaks, a flicker of interest in his eyes that Philip hadn’t noticed before. Then there are the smiles—Alex’s wide and full of warmth, Henry’s rare but genuine, a hint of softness that Philip can’t remember seeing directed at anyone else. Henry, usually reserved and guarded to a fault, seems oddly at ease around Alex, as though the armor he wears so carefully has begun to crack in Alex’s presence. The realization truly takes hold one afternoon at a charity polo match Alex happens to be in London for. Philip watches from a distance as Alex and Henry talk near the sidelines, their laughter carrying faintly over the hum of the crowd. The conversation looks casual, but there’s an undeniable intimacy in the way they lean toward each other, voices dropping to murmurs only the other can hear. It’s not just friendliness—it’s magnetic, the kind of pull that draws two people together without either fully realizing it.

open tag for anyone who wants to play along and whoever i missed in the bunch of tags beneath the cut (in my defiense it's just now barely sunday and i spend half the day in the car and the other half watching college football so ... yeah i prolly missed someone and i'm sorry for that 💚

okay tag ur it (in a no-pressure all that jazz way) @adreamareads @anincompletelist @bitbybitwrites @blueeyedgrlwrites @cactusdragon517

@catdadacd @caterpills @cha-melodius @cricketnationrise @dragonflylady77

@dreamtigress @duchessdepolignaca03 @emmalostinwonderland @england-would-fall @everwitch-magiks

@firenati0n @firstprincehornyramblings @firstsprinces @forever-fixating @getmehighonmagic

@girlwonder-writes @heysweetheart-writes @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @iboatedhere @inell

@inexplicablymine @itsmaybitheway @jmagnabo92 @judasofsuburbia @kiwiana-writes

@littlemisskittentoes @lizzie-bennetdarcy @mikibwrites @myheartalivewrites @ninzied

@nocoastposts @orchidscript @piratefalls @porcelainmortal @priincebutt

@royal-chandler @seths-rogens @softboynick @sophie1973 @sparklepocalypse

@stellarmeadow @strwbrryagcd @suseagull04 @tailsbeth-writes @taste-thewaste

@thedramasummer @theprinceandagcd @thinkof-england @typicalopposite @thesleepyskipper

@thighzp @tinyarmedtrex @zwiazdziarka

@stratocumulusperlucidus @basil-bird @eusuntgratie @bigassbowlingballhead

[tinfoil-jones]

Gravity Falls: For Your Own Good, Ch. 10

Summary: A few years after moving to Gravity Falls and having his lab built, Stanford Pines happens upon his estranged twin brother, Stanley. He mentally prepared himself to be suffocated by his brothers neediness all over again - what he wasn't prepared for was Stanley walking right past him like he didn't even notice him.

Rating: M for language, violence, and adult implications

Preface: Dialogue only, but some actions will be annotated for clarity. Cross-Posted on AO3 Here

WARNING: This is a long chapter

First - Prev - Next

Ch.10

“Do you remember how you came to Gravity Falls in the first place?”

“I was just passing by.”

“Yes, but this town is isolated, and you have no means of transportation.”

“Trainhopping, I was hiding on a train for two days I think, maybe three? Decided to jump off here.”

“Do you know why you decided to do that here, and not anywhere else?”

“...”

“Stan?”

“It’s funny, specs - a couple months back, I’d already been with my pal Rick for a while, right? Just one heist, escapade, or criminal venture after another, for seven months straight. And it was great while it lasted, but then he asked me if I wanted to stay with him in another dim- someplace far away. And I wanted to, ya know? There’s always been this itch in the back of my mind that I wanted to go around the world on some grand adventure, and he was offering that to me on a silver platter. But I told him no.”

“And why was that, Stan?”

“...It’s stupid.”

“I wouldn’t call any of your reasoning stupid, I’m not here to judge you.”

“...I always wanted to go on an adventure- but something was missing. It’s like- I dunno if it’s intuition or some spiritual mumbo jumbo, it’s like I’m looking for something. But I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

“Do you have an idea what it could be?”

“A part of… me? I’m missing something. Not just my memories- but something else. I think I might have made a promise, I just… don’t remember what it was, or who I promised to. I guess I’ve been drifting around trying to find it.”

“And you felt it was in Gravity Falls?”

“I don’t… I don’t know. There’s something weird here… I just wanted to check this place out, is all.”

“I see. What did you say your relationship with this Rick was like?”

“You don’t need to be jealous, F. We were just friends. Okay, maybe we were kind of an item for a week at most, but that guy isn’t just self-destructive; he’s like a train that wrecks onto a freeway, he can never just destroy himself, he has to wreck the people around him too and create an absolute shit show. Even I have a limit with that shit.”

“You really need to stop putting yourself down like that, Stan. You only ever seem to say negative things about yourself, it ain’t good for you.”

“There isn’t anything good to say, stretch.”

“Don’t sell yourself one egg short of a basket, now. Y’know, your-. Uh, Stanford was telling me that you’re quite clever. He used a trick to get you down here in the first place, but he also said that he wouldn’t be able to trick you again.”

“I should have seen his fake-out coming… I’ll give it to him, it was a good one. But I’m not going to underestimate him, because crazy like his should never be underestimated. What’s he up to anyways? He went to that room that’s always locked.”

“That’s his private study. I believe he goes there when he wants to be alone.”

“...Didn’t he live by himself? Why did he already have that?”

“Can’t say, maybe it’s a quiet and calm space for him.”

(...)

“HE HAS RISEN BABY GIRL.”

“Bill, please stop calling me that. It’s unprofessional.”

“Come on Sixer, at least let the Goo Goo Dolls soundtrack play.”

“The what?”

“Ooop! My bad, it’s not 1998 or 2024 yet. How can I help you today, Fordsy? You haven’t called me in a few weeks.”

“There’s a mindscape I need to access.”

“Oh boy, it’s not usually you who wants to poke around other humans' brains, always prattling on about ethics and consent. What’s the occasion?”

“...You know everything I know when we’re in the mindscape, you already know the answer.”

“Yes, but I still want you to say it out loud. Clearly and concisely, so your dialogue can be read on screen.”

“... I need to get into the mind of my brother, Stanley. He has amnesia, and our leading theory is that it’s due to psychological trauma. But he has been through so much trauma we’re having trouble isolating the definitive event that would have started this.”

“And why wouldn’t he just share that with his beloved twin brother?”

“He does not remember me.”

“Oooh, then he is just like you! Isn't it just precious when twins are twinning?”

“I never forgot about him.”

“Oh Sixer… You might as well have.”

“Just take me to his mind, Cipher… Please.”

“Anything for you, baby boy!”

SNAP

(...)

“So your memories are only clear to a certain point?”

“Yeah. Rick found me wandering around the woods in a ‘catatonic state’, and snapped me out of it. Everything before that… I can remember being on the street, I can remember all the stuff I did, maybe out to a decade? But there’s a lot of holes, lotsa different names I used. And before the streets? Nothing.”

“And when did Rick find you in the woods?”

“What month is it?”

“June.”

“Last May - so about 13 months?”

(...)

“Okay Fordsy he hasn’t made a deal with me so we can’t go too deep, or his mental defenses are just gonna shove us out.”

“Bill, I already know that, why are you explaining it to me?”

“You know; doesn’t mean they know. Unless this is a re-read. In which case; welcome back. Glad you loved or hated it the first time.”

“You are… Beyond comprehension, Bill Cipher.”

“That’s what you love about me though.”

“You have my begrudging, professional respect.”

“From your aspec ass, that’s practically love.”

“Aspe-”

“Oooh! Lookie here, a memory door opened up. He must be opening up to someone right now. Let's barge in haphazardly.”

(...)

“Okay Stan, this might be difficult. But if you ever feel distressed, let me know and we can try grounding techniques okay?’

“You got it, F.”

“Now close your eyes, think back to when you and Rick parted ways.”

(...)

“Sanchez?! How does Stan know-.”

“You know this hilarious crossover character? I already know the answer, but for no particular reason I need you to tell me out loud how you know him.”

“His wife Diane was part one of my PhD programs. She was always so bright and pleasant, but her husband was a nightmare when she brought him around. He was always saying that school wasn’t for smart people, and rubbed his inventions and intelligence in our face.”

“And how is she these days?”

“She passed away from a garage fire a few years ago, her and her little girl. I almost sent him a condolences, but he was such an unpleasant asshole I could not make myself do so.”

“Come on Stan- think about it! You, me, Bird Person, Squanchy-  sci-fi adventures, drugs, bitches. Whattaya say? Let’s ditch this dimension, there isn’t anything for us here anymore.”

“Dimension-?”

“Shh, Fordsy, just let it play out.”

“I… I can’t Rick.”

“Why not?”

“There’s… something here.”

“Did you remember something?”

“I don’t remember who, but I think I’m looking for someone.”

“Stanny-Boy, we’ve been through this before. No one knows you, everywhere we’ve been, ‘cept for the fake names. You should just cut your losses.”

“Wherever we go, we go together.”

“What was that-?”

“Just the distorted voice of his subconscious. It’s probably not important.”

“I’m sorry. But there’s a piece of me missing, and I think it’s still here in this dimension somewhere.”

“You know your credits don’t have monetary value here.”

“I know.”

“And I can’t leave you a space cruiser. You’ll have to walk or steal a car.”

“Either is fine. I’ve done it before.”

“Stan… Are you sure?”

“Here. Take all my credits, you’ll get more out of it than me.”

“You want your dusters back?”

“Trade me.”

“Wait, you don’t want your transdimensional watch anymore?”

“If the pigs catch me, I don’t need them asking too many questions.”

“You know that doesn’t just give you dimensional coordinates and time zones, right? There’s a pulse wave in it that can shatter force fields.”

“Pft, what are the chances I’d ever need that?”

“Ooof, he really fumbled the bag there.”

“My muse, please.”

*Rick takes the watch and gives Stan a pair of brass knuckles*

“Thanks Rick… Hey, it was nice while it lasted.”

“Hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“I hope you find that bastard, Prime. Give him the hell he deserves.”

“...Stan?”

“Yeah?”

“Fuck you.”

“I’ll miss you too, pal.”

(...)

“Alright, how are you feeling Stan?”

“So far so good.”

“Okay, now let’s go further back. You said your first clear memory is when you met him, let’s go back to that.”

“I was in the back of his shi- iiitty car, I felt like I’d just smoked an entire carton of cigarettes, but in a bad way..”

(...)

“It just- stopped?”

“He’s remembering something else. Just look for another door.”

“Here we go.”

“Wha- where…?”

“Oh hey you’re awake.”

“-’re, you?”

“You’re one tough son of a bitch, y’know? Most of the people I tase end up dead, but you just passed out.”

“You… tased me? Are you a cop?”

“Hell no. I tased you because you attacked me in the woods. Damn near ripped my head off.”

“The woods..?”

“You were wandering around in a catatonic state, can’t tell you how long.”

“A what state?”

“This isn’t going anywhere. Can you tell me your name?”

“It’s…? I... Malone. Wait. It’s- Stan.”

“Stan Malone huh? My name’s Rick Sanchez.”

(...)

“Stan keep your eyes closed. I want you to try to remember what happened before this.”

“Alright…”

“What’s something you can remember? Something you saw, felt, heard?”

“My chest felt really tight…”

(...)

“What is this?”

“Ahh. A pit memory. This is something his brain wants to forget, but can’t permanently delete.”

“So it is a repressed memory?”

“Yes. He’s trying to think about it… but unconsciously, he really doesn’t want to.”

“What happens if we jump in?”

“Sixer, where's your sense of adventure? If it gets too dangerous I’ll just pull us out.”

“Do you swear?”

“Just gimme the word.”

“Which word?”

“Let’s go with ‘defenestrate’ this time.”

‘W̷̷H̷̷Y̷ ̷I̷̷S̷̷N̷'̷T̷ ̷I̷̷T̷ ̷W̷̷O̷̷R̷̷K̷̷I̷̷N̷̷G̷?! ̷W̷̷H̷̷Y̷-?’

S̷̷C̷̷R̷̷E̷̷E̷̷C̷̷H̷

‘̷C̷̷a̷̷n̷’̷t̷-’  

‘̷t̷̷r̷̷a̷̷p̷̷p̷̷e̷̷d̷’  

‘̷c̷̷a̷̷n̷’̷t̷ ̷b̷̷r̷̷e̷̷a̷̷t̷̷h̷̷e̷-’

*brief flash of a pile of burnt paper ash in Stan’s hands, which are shaking*

“We can’t stay here Fordsy, he’s closing up again.”

“Just one more second-!”

“Might as well, it’s [--- ---- ------ - ---].”

“[--- ---] going to die here. Stan[--- -------- -----], if you don’t [---- - ---- ---- --] in the next minute you will die.”

“That voice-?”

“We’re leaving now, Sixer! DEFENESTRATE!”

SNAP

(...)

“Stan? Stan calm down-! It’s okay! Remember where you are.”

“C-Can’t breathe-”

“Yes you can, just breathe with me. In- out. In- out. Just like that. There we go.”

“I’m sorry Fiddleford, I can’t do it. I can’t. I can’t. ”

To be continued…

[allwormdiet]

Interlude 1

Time to meet the parent.

Scion is so fucking weird. Like even being spoiled on what his deal is, what a fucking wild introduction to the world's first superhero. Absolutely buckwild. Naked golden man just floating above the ocean looking depressed. What a way for the world to be changed forever.

Cancer and suicide are both hard things to grapple with, and they're both things that have rocked my family and loved ones. This, I dunno, incidental fucking gesture just feels so. I don't know what to call it, it just feels. Makes me feel. Whatever.

Again, just, that's gotta be so fucking weird for a superhero to just suddenly exist. No way people jumped to superhero first obviously, might as well have been the Second Coming for all anyone would know, but still. I want to know what it is that makes Scion act like a hero when his ultimate desires for Earth are. Pretty unheroic? Maybe there'll be an answer for that, and presumably it's more subtle in the long-term than just immediately going apeshit, but it's still a mystery to me, so I'm left with the speculation.

Feel like I've heard the name Vikare before but fuck me if I can remember the context. Setting that aside, there's something, I dunno, telling? In that the first capes were superheroes, that the villains came after. Even in a world that's as shit as this one, the first instinct people had when they realized they had actual for-real superpowers was to do good. That's honestly a bit less cynical than I was expecting.

It is interesting that the honeymoon period for heroes lasted not even half a decade, that's longer than I'd have expected. And I think this is the first time we hear the word parahuman, which is fun. "Para-" meaning alongside or distinct, they're not superhuman, they're not inherently better, they're just. Different kinds of human. That's a clever pick.

Whatever else can be said about Danny Hebert (and we are getting to whatever else can be said about Danny Hebert, gimme a minute), this is a really really really good way to immediately get us in his head and on his side. When someone isn't where you expect them to be, when it's the middle of the night and they're not in the house like they ought to, that's fucking terrifying. For a parent to realize their child has disappeared, I cannot even imagine.

And yeah, not far behind Danny being terrified for his daughter is this complicated tangle of longing-anger-guilt for his wife. His wife whose death has absolutely nothing to do with the lack of a cellphone I'm sure.

And I'll be the first to admit I was a lot like Taylor back in high school, although I had a friend group and the bullying was a fraction of a fraction of what she's dealing with. My wildest nights were spent in a too-hot garage drinking novelty sodas and playing RPGs with the world's crappiest Dungeon Master. But I'm distracting myself.

"I hope that my daughter's only source of catharsis hasn't gotten her kidnapped or raped or murdered in this godawful city in the middle of the night" is such a horrifying thought to have to grapple with. God.

Speaking of horror.

I know about the thing with the locker, and God what a nightmare. Like, obviously, number one victim here is Taylor, and it is a testament of immense moral character that she didn't kill anybody for that torture, but Danny takes silver in the aftermath. His daughter has been tortured, and nobody will punish wrongdoers, nobody will even say who it was. Taylor won't even say who it was.

Anger and futility juxtaposed again. Danny rages for his daughter but it's fruitless except for a settlement to cover the hospital stay, so all he can do is wait and hope that something changes for the better.

This is actually something I've always wondered about. Taylor goes to such extreme lengths to not tell Danny about her life, and I've never fully understood why. Like the cape stuff I get, or at least mostly get, but Taylor doesn't open up to him about the bullying in anything I've ever seen or heard, and I don't know what's stopping her. It hurts both of them in the end.

And here's Danny's failure, right? He doesn't commit. He's letting Taylor lie to him, he's letting Taylor think she's getting away with lying. That's... kinda useless.

Honestly the fucked up thing is that Taylor's already got that anger in her, Danny worries about hurting her and he's not WRONG to worry about that, but to some extent she's already got that same kind of smoldering emotion as he does.

And the fact that he's tried so goddamn hard to protect her from his anger, the fact that she's caught the edges of it anyway even if it's never been targeted at her, that's just so goddamn sad. The Hebert family makes me sad.

Current Thoughts

The thought I can't get out of my head is that Danny doesn't want to confront Taylor because he doesn't want to chase her away, doesn't want her to feel unsafe with him, but like. One day she's going to leave anyway, drifting apart from him as their lives grow so much more different from each other, and what she's going to remember is that he never tried to keep her by his side, that he gave up on trying to fight for her. And that's worse. That's so much worse.

[nuhackearney]

Fic: At A Loss

For @romanthereigns and anyone else feeling a little blue over LA's loss tonight. I said I wouldn't go here, but here we are...(aka, LA Knight x Reader)

You get people drinks, you pick up towels, you watch over equipment...yeah, you're pretty much a go-fer, but you adore your job! You get to travel, meet interesting people and you work for one of the most entertaining businesses in the world - the WWE!

Sure, the superstars don't know your name and you're not famous or anything, but you're an important cog in a big machine and you know your worth.

...you also know you have a helpless, stupid, unbelievably bad crush on LA Knight.

...yeah.

You're into him.

Too bad that, just like everyone else in the biz, he'll never notice you. Hell, he doesn't even know you exist.

Or so you think.

You're on hand for Crown Jewel. The energy is high, the activity chaotic. You've never dashed around so much in your life! Water bottle for Sami Zayn here, a boom for a member of camera crew there, and so on and so on.

You manage to catch snippets of different matches, but as a whole it's hard to keep up. Right until the very end. The end where the Bloodline yet again interferes and yet again help Roman score the win.

...which means LA lost.

It's a sobering realization. You were really rooting for him - even aside from your ridiculous one sided crush - you were hoping for someone to finally dethrone the Tribal Chief.

But, yet again, disappointed.

Poor LA, you think, but you know better. He's a big strong guy, he'll bounce back, no skin off his nose. He's the Megastar, everyone says his name and everyone knows it's his game. He'll be fine.

Again, or so you think.

Until, very very late into the evening, as you go to clean up one of the messy break rooms and you come across him. It makes your breath bottle in your throat, the sight of him sitting on one of the cafeteria tables, his head in his hands.

He's fully dressed now - brown leather jacket, 'Yeah' shirt, jeans, and boots. A totally different look from what he wore to the ring tonight. He must hear you come in, because he lifts his head to turn and look at you.

You clear your throat and offer a weak wave, even as you manage a near toneless, "I'll, ah-? Come back later..."

The plan is to stealthily back out, but he sits up straight and gestures to you, "Naw, naw - come on over, y/n."

His voice is loud, but more somber than you've heard it before and he? He said your name? You carefully ease further into the room and walk towards him, your fingers sort of nervously playing with one another as you get closer, "Um? You know my name?"

"Sure. I've seen you at lots of shows. They call your name all the time for shit. Ice packs, sandwiches, hairspray - there anything they don't have you fetch?"

You shake your head because he's not wrong. Again, you know your role. Maybe that's what he needs? Your go-fer skills? And you're about to ask if you can get him something when he asks quietly, "Think you can get me a second shot?"

This makes you seize up, "What do you mean?"

He lets out a huff, "Guess you didn't see me lose out there."

You don't know what to say.

He does, "Oh yeah, a big ol' 'L'. Granted, Roman's boys stuck in their noses again - Solo making a stink at the front, Jimmy in the back, but the end results just the same."

You've never seen him so serious before, so-? Well, melancholy is the first word that comes to mind, and the thought twists your heart into knots. You want to reassure him. Say something cool or clever, but your tongue is numb as he runs one hand over his five o'clock grizzled chin, "I dunno. Maybe I've been fooling myself. Fooling everybody."

"That's not true!" You blurt it out so quickly you almost don't realize you're the one who said it. But then his blue eyes swing to you and it's like a laser slicing you in half, that intense focus of his.

You clear your throat and feel your cheeks heat even as you keep your eyes averted when you talk, "You're-? You're the real deal. I know it. I feel it."

You know he's still looking at you and you feel a little sick and your heart is beating double time but you press on, "Yes, you didn't take the gold this time, but everyone is still behind you. Everybody is still saying your name, chanting for you - you're a superstar, you're a champion!"

"Yeah?" And he asks his normally rowdy catchphrase in a wry, teasing way that only makes the heat in your cheeks worse and god, this is torture. Does he know you have a crush on him?!? Is he possibly teasing you to death?

Being on the business end of one of his BFT's would be kinder...

"Yeah." You cough into one hand so that you can try and subtly rub away some of the heat from your skin, "So, y'know - you'll win. Get the gold you deserve. It's only a matter of time."

"Matter of time, huh?"

You nod and finally risk looking at him. He looks deep in thought and it's almost as if you can read his mind, "I-? I know you have been waiting for a long time already. But... it's going to happen. I promise."

There's a beat of silence between you and then, out of nowhere, he throws back his head and laughs. It's a happy sound and attractive laugh lines appear under his eyes as he reaches out a hand to you and ruffles your hair.

Such a simple and silly action shouldn't be so stimulating, yet here you are, practically melting under it as he rubs warmly and gently at your scalp, "You know what, y/n? You're right. It IS going to happen. YEAH."

The last is said loudly and with his classic jovial tone as he withdraws his hand and he stands up to get down to your level, albeit he still towers over you, "Not only 'cause you promised me, but because I promised myself! I just needed the reminder!"

"Oh!" You offer weakly, breathlessly, "Uh, good! Glad I could help!"

Your next plan is to turn and scurry away because you're sure that's what he wants, because that's what everyone wants after you've helped, but he freezes you with a, "Now wait a minute, you ain't leaving, are ya?"

Your eyes go wide with confusion even as he offers you the kind of saucy grin you've only seen from afar, "'Cause I could still use your help."

"Y-you could?"

"Sure." He eyes you up and down, "I need somebody to go out and eat with me tonight. Need somebody to test my kavorka on. Make sure it's still working."

It is, trust me! Almost pops out of your mouth immediately, but this time you manage to hold the words back, instead giving him a demur, "Alright."

"There we go." He throws one arm around your shoulders and gives you a little squeeze, "Hey, stick with me, kid and I promise you, you'll get what you deserve!"

While you're positive that he thinks you deserve a better job or pay or something along those lines, you honestly hope that you get what you want more than what you deserve.

Hell, you're actually getting what you want right now.

A night out with LA Knight?

YEAH.

[bleucaesura]

STOLITZØ - MOMENTS

***Blitzø is still in the hospital for this bit. Post “I love you”s.***

“Hey… Loony?”

“Yeah?” Loona didn’t look up from scrolling on her phone.

“Totally weird question… But um…” Blitzø cleared his throat. “Did anyone ELSE visit me?”

He felt bad breaking the comfortable silence they’d been sharing. But he’d been stewing over this weird feeling for a while and he just needed to know.

“What do you mean?” Loona raised an eyebrow and peeked up from her phone.

“I mean like…” Blitzø averted his gaze and scratched his cheek. “Other than you guys? The M&Ms, Fizz and Oz, Stolas…”

Loona uncrossed her ankles, swung her legs off the bed and sat up.

“Ah…” She put her phone face down on the bed and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

Maybe I don’t wanna know the answer…

“So?” He said sheepishly.

“Uh…” Loona sat up straight and began absentmindedly smoothing out the sheets on the bed in front of her. “Yeah, actually.”

Blitzø’s stomach did a weird flip.

“…Who?” He swallowed hard.

“Well.” Loona paused. “I thought it was really weird. But Tex asked if I’d make sure the room was empty for like twenty minutes, so that Verosika could stop by… I thought he was shitting me… But no. She came.”

Blitzø felt like he was hearing her through a tunnel.

F*ck. How the f*ck did I know that?

Loona peeked over at Blitzø.

“I hope that’s ok?”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah.” He said offhandedly. Blitzø felt weirdly numb, unsure what to say. “I mean I still have all my parts so she clearly didn’t do any damage, ha ha.”

“Mmm. Why’d you ask?” Loona raised an eyebrow.

“Huh? Oh…” Blitzø stammered, caught off guard. “I dunno. I feel like I had this weird dream that she visited.”

“Huh.” Loona picked up her phone and settled back into her chair and started scrolling. “That IS weird.”

***

“I’m going to get us all something to eat.” Stolas stood and squeezed Blitzø’s hand. “I’ll be right back.”

Blitzø watched Stolas swish out the door and smiled to himself.

Once he was sure Stolas was gone he turned to Loona and Octavia.

“Could I ask you girls a favour?”

Loona and Octavia looked up at Blitzø from their phones, eyebrows raised.

“I want you to find me something if you can. Probably at that weird store you both like so much.”

They both looked at him, confused.

“With the dead animals?”

“Stylish Occult,” they said in unison.

“Whatever,” he waved it off. “Here’s what I’d like you to get for me, if you can….”

***

Blitzø woke later to the sound of an incoming message. He reached over and groggily unlocked his phone.

He rubbed his eyes and blinked away the blurriness of sleep to find a message from Verosika. More accurately, a message of photos.

He opened the message.

The first photo was of a creepy plush jackalope, dressed up to look like Blitzø. Little jacket, boots and gloves.

Excellent craftsmanship. Five stars. Great job girls.

A little note was tied around its neck: “Hi! My name is Blitzo! Please mutilate me! I deserve it!”

Nice. Nice.

The next one showed the Blitzalope stabbed through with a carving knife.

Deserved.

The next had it rammed in a large pile of shit - which Blitzø assumed was more than likely horse shit.

Mhmm… Yup. Very apropos.

Another had the Blitzalope squished under the tire of Verosika’s pink pussy-wagon.

Clever.

And in the last photo you could see Verosika’s hand flipping the Blitzalope the bird, while the plush was being pissed on by a queef on the sidewalk.

HA! Classic.

Blitzø smiled to himself

He was startled when he saw a speech bubble pop up with those three little dots.

Oh f*ck… What’s she gunna say…

He closed his eyes and braced himself for the worst.

His phone pinged.

“More useful than you ever were.”

Blitzø smiled and chuckled to himself.

I’m glad you like it, Rosi… You’ll get a proper apology one of these days... I promise.

*****

[vodika-vibes]

What if I tell you midnight in spring with topaz love... and the 1st clone that has come to your mind as read this? (Like a freebie, maybe? 👉👈)

Midnight Love

Summary: Colt isn’t used to not being on Kamino. But when he agrees to visit your homeworld with you, you insist on showing him your favorite part of your planet.

Pairing: Commander Colt x Reader

Word Count: 557

Warnings: None

Prompt: Topaz - Affectionate Love

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: I chose Colt. Why? I dunno, I have him on the brain for some reason, so I'm happy to have the chance to write him!

“Cyare,” Colt sounds tired, though he seems more than happy to keep up with you, hand fingers threaded with your own as you lead him down the winding paths of the forest behind your family home, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see~” You reply in a sing-song voice, throwing a fond smile over your shoulder at him, “You’ll like it, I promise.”

“You wanna know what I really like? Sleep. Especially when you’re pressed right against me with your legs tangled with mine like you can’t get close enough.” Colt counters.

“Aww, you’re sweet.” You stop walking just long enough to press yourself into his arms and press your lips against his, “I really like that too, especially since no one will yell at us for it here.”

He frowns, “Cyar-” Colt’s cut off when you lightly press your finger against his lips.

“I promise you’ll like it, Colt. Trust me?”

His severe gaze softens and he gently pulls your finger away from his lips, only to press a light, lingering kiss against your knuckles, “Cyare, I’d follow you into hell if you asked.”

You smile at him, all soft and warm and loving, “Well, it’s nothing quite that dramatic, Colt.” You lightly trail your fingers against his jaw, momentarily distracted from your destination as you remembered that this handsome man chose you.

He chuckles and leans in to brush his lips against yours, “You’re getting distracted again, beautiful.”

“You dazzle me,” You say honestly.

“Dazzle, hm?” He kisses you again and again, “Not enough to convince you to let me sleep.” He teases.

You giggle, “It’s not much further, I promise.”

“Very well then, lead the way.”

You take his hand one more time, and lead him a little further down the path, and then off the beaten path. You lead him under a fallen tree and around a large boulder, and then you stop on the edge of a field, “Here. Look!”

Colt follows where you're pointing, and he pauses. There, at the edge of the field, is a small herd of glowing…something. They almost look like deer, aside from the fact that there’s something almost ethereal about them.

“They can only be found at midnight at this time of year,” You say as you wrap your arms around him, “And they’re largely a secret from the rest of the galaxy. Aren’t they pretty?”

Colt stares at them for a moment, and then turns his attention to you, a small grin playing on his lips, “They’re alright.”

“Just alright?” You ask, stunned.

“Mm, well, when compared to you-”

Your face burns, and you press your hands over your cheeks, “I’m just a normal person, though-”

“Stunning. Resplendent even.” Colt lists, as he backs you against a tree, “And you, you clever little thing, managed to get us somewhere totally private. And away from your family.” He folds his arms over your head, pressing into your space.

“Well…that is an unintended benefit, I suppose.” You admit as you look up at him.

Colt chuckles and leans in to press his lips against yours, “Suddenly, cyar’ika, I’m not tired anymore. Won’t you help exhaust me?”

You giggle softly, shyly almost, and look up at him from under lowered lashes, “I’d love to.”

And then his lips are heavy against yours, and nothing else matters at that moment.

[clavissionary-position]

The Secret Language of Tigers

A Mini-Analysis of how Chev and Gilbert Speak

I love how both Chev and Gil do the whole *speaking in vague terms* followed by a question like "you understand my meaning, don't you?" or a meaningful smile + "..............ね?"

Like, they both do it for different reasons. Chevalier uses double-speak and almost always has layers of meaning behind the things he says. Even though it would be so much easier if he'd just give critical information in a clear manner instead of being vague because the plot requires it :') Well that's not entirely true. It works for his tsundere character in a symbolic sense, and also functions as a way to test Emma. And he tests Emma a lot. Tests her and trains her, to be critical. In that sense, Chevalier is like the polar opposite of patronizing, often while using an ostensibly condescending comment as a vehicle for his hidden truths. Maybe I'm only impressed by this because I have only one brain cell, but whatevs. But sometimes I feel a vulnerability behind Chev's tests, as if yet another layer of truth underneath his double-speak is the unspoken question "can i trust you?", not just as a pawn or as Belle, but as one human to another? Something like that? I dunno. It's almost 3am and I'm speakin out me ass.

Gilbert likes to let others make (often incorrect) assumptions and come to their own conclusions by creating this illusion of veiled threats and malice. I'd liken Gilbert's little parlor trick as the narrative device horror writers use by never showing the monster on screen, because what the audience can imagine on their own is far more frightening. I think someone else made this point before, so credit to that person! But my beautiful magus strikes again 😌 Not that I'm saying he's incapable of making good on these perceived threats (we sure as hell know that's not true), but it's just such a clever way that he works smarter, not harder, as per the Official Gilbert Creed. Having a magician character be an illusionist on so many different levels is a feast for my lonely single brain cell. I'm sure there are other depths to explore with why Gilbert speaks as he does, but I'm still procrastinating on finishing his route (again, not out of lack of interest), so I'll tackle that prime cut later.

You are now leaving the unfiltered simp zone.

Other Ikepri suitors do this kind of (here's what i'm saying) (but here's what i'm meaning) thing too, of course, all for colorful reasons specific to them.

[maygrcnt]

okay so I’ve really been thinking about tommy calling buck evan (irrationally thinking about it idk why it’s bothering me) bc why are they doing that? there has to be a reason bc I’d say all his past love interests have called him buck with maybe the odd evan thrown in there when the moment is serious. and technically we don’t get to see tommy and buck’s first interaction on screen bc they’re already in the helicopter when we first see them. and I was thinking chim would’ve obviously introduced eddie and buck to tommy and I would guess he would’ve said “hey this is eddie and this is buck” since that’s what they go by. like he wouldn’t use their government names lool. and then through out the helicopter journey everyone only referred to buck as buck so tommy know’s everyone calls him buck. like at this point does he even know his real name? I would guess not since everyone’s calling him buck. and then I was thinking when buck called tommy to set up the tour he most definitely introduced himself as “buck” since again, everyone was referring to him as “buck” on the helicopter. UNLESS buck said “hey Tommy it’s Evan Buckley - buck from the helipcopter…” BUT even then, it just doesn’t make sense why he’s calling him evan. like when eddie comes to the hangar, eddie calls him “buck” but again, they make it a point to have tommy call him Evan even after that. and they do this all the way through out the episode even though everyone else is calling him buck in the same moments!!! so why is tommy insisting on using his government name?! like ik he called chim “howie” but that makes sense since tommy knew chim as howie but with buck, he met him as buck!!! not as evan !! AND he’s calling Eddie “Eddie” and not edmundo so it’s clearly not that he doesn’t like nicknames Lmao. AND also, I find it weird that buck doesn’t correct him? like I dunno I just feel like he would? he’s corrected his parents in the past and when chim called him evan that one time he was like ???? and again, I understand he’s a love interest but his past LI’s didn’t even call him evan like that yet they had tommy drop evan like 50 times and for what??? has to be something right? I’m trying to think what exactly is could be but my best guess is the name thing will come up on the date or at some point and buck will tell tommy the origin of “buck” and why he isn’t called evan commonly and then maybe tommy will switch to buck?? Or maybe buck with let him call him evan ??? Idk but yeah the Evan thing has been keeping me up at night LOL pls help

big fan of how you went on such a journey there and didnt come to a conclusion because relatble. heres where my head is at personally and stick with me because im gonna start in a strange place

so this show isnt a stranger to name symbolism, natalia literally means birth or rebirth. so buck dating the girl whos name means fresh start after he DIES makes sense, but in a sort of insane irony way i think the death of that relationship was actually supoosed to be the "rebirth" in a sense

and since hes being given this "clean slate" (to throw us back to the last breakup because bucktaylor breakup is literally one of my fav scenes ever) theyre starting us off in a territory we've never been in by showing us through the most prominent symbolism possible. this one seems different because it IS different, and heres one thing this LI is doing that no other LI did, just to prove it.

I do think the other effect of this choice though is that is DOES make us uncomfortable. thats not a name that gets thrown around lightly so to hear it roll off someones tongue like its an everyday occurance rightfully makes us a little apprehensive. I think it could be a clever storytelling technique so as to say this is something that seems looks and feels really good on the surface, but they are throwing in that one little element that provides us with a little unease so that we dont get too comfortable sitting here.

[bright-and-burning]

27, 41, 58 pleaseeeee!!

27. What area of writing do you feel strongest in?

ooooo. what even counts as an area 😭 me going to see if anyone else has answered this question to get an idea of the sample universe.... except the only thing i saw anyone say abt themselves was dialogue which i feel like i write Decently but it's not my Strongest thing? i certainly dont write a whole lot of it lol. sorry to this ask meme but as someone who's never taken any kind of formal creative writing course i need multiple choice here . uhhh went thru my ao3 inbox to see what ppl comment and i thiiink i tend to get comments on my characterization + visceral/tangible/something or other vibes... and i dunno if i would say characterization. so i feel like maybe im strongest at like, building an atmosphere? if that counts? making it chewy. which is now an official technical term; alert the unis.

41. Who’s your favorite character you’ve written?

i adore lando in the light between the lines SO MUCH. world's biggest chip on his shoulder (and reasonably so!) but also still so terribly full of soft fond bits in a world made of steel and talons. outgrew a space but also shrunk himself to it... anyways. i could talk abt him all day

58. Do you have a favorite piece of figurative language you’ve written?

well i didn't until now! i literally forget like every word i've written once i hit post, so i guess off the top of my head (aka the only thing i can remember rn) it's: "Lando’s gaze sharpens. Predatory, like she’s picking him apart. Rooting through his brain until she finds a new bruise to press on, leaving them herself if she can’t find any." from relax and catch the manic rhapsody? im sure there are clever-er bits in later fics, and definitely funnier stuff (cough. four lines later when oscar calls her a superconductor for sex and then comes his brains out). but that was one of the first times i'd had a like 'ooooo this is a good one' moment while writing, so it stands out in my mind!

from here

[sparrowlovesskittles]

Shadow spoilers under the cut

Review time!

Holy fuck it was SO GOOD.

THINGS I ENJOYED

THE FROG SCENE. My new favourite warriors moment. I need to draw Nightheart with a frog suckered onto his face. Incredible. Nightheart is such a silly goofy guy and I'm so glad he gets to do stupid things each book.

SPLASHTAIL!!!!!! This is a BIG one for me, and ohhhh he was so evil it was so GOOD. We really got to see his manipulative side come out here and I adored it

Splashtail rejecting Frostpaw because it would be weird to date an apprentice. It's a small thing, but it's nice to have a little bit of canon saying hey. Stop.

Frostpaw slowly realising something is Wrong in RiverClan, but still turning to Splashtail because he built up trust between them. It's so clever and dark

Harelight! I like the guy and I'm glad he gets a little bit of spotlight. It's also nice to see him telling Frostpaw that he can help her learn to disguise her pale coat, I feel like I haven't seen that mentioned in a while.

Cloverfoot mentioning how Mistystar decorated her den with shells and feathers!!

Frostpaw getting to girlboss a bit. It was nice! She knows what's right for her and you CANNOT change her mind!

HER ENDING????? OH MY GOD I feel stupid but I did NOT see that coming I was so shocked it was like Curlfeather all over again LMAO. Why did they wait until she was right outside WindClan though. She'll be found and live. I highly doubt they'd kill off their best protagonist on book 3.

The trials! I know they were maybe a bit boring but I actually liked seeing them, AND seeing Berryheart get more and more pissed off throughout the book LMAO. Hilarious how they gave Nightheart a trial he basically already did last book (stealing from the twolegs)

Tigerstar hates socks

Berryheart. She's terrible. It's fun.

Sunbeam is still a pushover. Sure she stands up for herself a bit more now, but she usually chooses to back down in the face of conflict. I'm glad she's kept her personality after getting with Nightheart, which leads me to...

Sunbeam and Nightheart's relationship. I actually thought they were written okay for once. Sunbeam is not so sure about him at first (and is reasonably upset he publicly declared his love for her and decided to move in with her without consulting her first) but we actually get to see her come to appreciate him more. It's not the strongest romance obviously, but for warrior cats, the way it was handled in this book (not the other two) was actually not that bad, and I didn't mind that they stayed together in the end. I liked seeing them spend time together and I liked the way they described each other's personality traits. Sunbeam thinking Nightheart's confidence was attractive, and Nightheart thinking about how he'll miss her cleverness and courage more than anything else. I dunno, I felt pleasantly surprised.

Nightheart realising he was being unreasonable and coming to understand his family's reasons for acting the way they did, and especially the way he reconciled with Sparkpelt! They both got a chance to apologise and forgive each other (and themselves) and it was really nice to see.

Sunbeam saying Blazefire 'broke up' with her?? Warriors never uses this casual language for relationships, especially when they weren't even officially mates to begin with, it was kinda jarring to see but I liked it

THINGS I DID NOT ENJOY

Nightheart's sudden switch back to ThunderClan feels sudden and unearned. He was literally fighting with Sparkpelt and Finchlight earlier in the book and then at some point he realised he was wrong for that off screen. Also I was kind of unreasonably irritated that he failed his last task on purpose lmao

Frostpaw not telling anyone anything. Frostpaw please talk to people.

WHY DID EVERYONE FORGET ABOUT TREE??????? WHY ISN'T TREE MEDIATING??????????????

MIXED FEELINGS

Squirrelstar. While I'm happy Bramblestar is stepping down, I'm not jazzed about Squirrelstar. I like Squirrelflight, but she's been around a long time now and I want someone newer. To be honest, I'm basically waiting for the older characters to die out at this point, and if Squirrelflight's going to stick around for the next several arcs, she's going to become the next Mistystar.

Sunbeam moving to ThunderClan. While I predicted this would happen, and it's kind of fun for now, it means we now have two perspectives in ThunderClan AGAIN. I am begging warrior cats to let go of ThunderClan. Having two POV characters in the same overused clan is not as fun as they think it is. Also, Sunbeam saying 'Berryheart was right about everything' then immediately changing her mind was kinda disappointing. Let Sunbeam have a villain arc.

[tobiasdrake]

Well, that's it for the lab investigation. Not sure what else we can even look into. The crime scene in the hall should be just to our left, so maybe we can try and piece that together?

Oh, my dude! You came! I was starting to worry we'd have to conduct this whole investigation without you!

Not that it matters. We'll see you in the Mystery Labyrinth and you won't remember anything you learn here anyway.

He's lying. I'm sure of it. He's here about Shinigami. This is an opportunity for us to talk, away from prying ears, but I think he's having trouble working up the nerve to broach that subject.

Or he came here to slit my throat with that box cutter! Is this it? Is this Vivia's moment to strike? Can he strike as long as we're both ghosts?

Loaded question. He's said a few times that some truths are best left undiscovered. And we know he has it out for the Book of Death.

He's asking, in veiled terms, if we intend to condemn another soul to the Mystery Labyrinth. This is tense.

As always, Yuma is terrible at reading the tone of conversation. Just. The worst.

This feels like a momentous question. This feels heavy. Getting a whole-ass Matrix vibe from the fact that he's even asking this. I feel like this is going to have downstream implications for our entire understanding of the setting. Or something.

Kodaka likes to find some clever way to pull the rug out from under the audience in chapters 5 and 6. This feels like Vivia hinting at the rug-pull.

He's saying that you need to re-examine how you define "helping" people. Your insatiable quest for the truth has a body count attached to it. About half of whom didn't deserve what happened to them.

Is the truth worth all of this blood?

He is talking so hard around the central issue without coming right out and saying it.

He is definitely hinting at the inevitable rug-pull.

(What if we're all homunculi? I dunno, just spitballing.)

Aww, thanks, man. I think the world of you too. I broke a man's nose with the binder of a book for you.

Yeah, those bloodstains weren't already there when I got it. We're close enough pals that I feel comfortable copping to that.

He is talking about Shinigami. Yuma is so bad at reading the tone of conversations!

BOX CUTTER! YES. He was able to bring it with him into his ghost form! He's going to slit my throat and then report back to everyone that I mysteriously died while astral projecting. It is a mystery.

Oh. So. What, then? This is a purely symbolic gesture?

Okay but why tell me about it, though? If you're planning to wake up and stab me to death in the physical world, you could go do that without warning me first.

Ohhh, he's telling me because it's an empty threat. He's using the promise of it to try and coerce me into quitting this blood-drenched road I'm on. Gotcha.

Honestly, I feel Vivia in all of this. 8 lives have been claimed by the Book of Death in the short time we've been here, and he seems worried about apocalyptic potential arising from it. So far as he's concerned, this is the Secret of Kanai Ward right here, or at least close to it in destructive capability.

I know we're going to win out on this in the end. But I also feel confident that Vivia's position will be vindicated, and probably all of our buddy-pals will be killed in the process. We're going to win. But. Vivia's probably right at least to some degree.

Vivia shambles off down the hallway at a relative speed of tar. A brisk jogging pace could overtake him.

Is. Is that Yakou? Oh, shit, is Yakou here with us!? That. Would mean.

"We need to get out of here so that we can stabilize Yakou" is no longer on the priorities list.

Look at what you did, Vivia! I told you to stay with Yakou so you could cram his soul back into his body if something like this happens! This is on you, man!

T_T To be honest, I didn't think we were going to get him out alive. But I thought it'd at least take until the end of the chapter before he died. Maybe he'd regain consciousness to give us all one last pep talk where he finally gets to sound like a true leader after all.

...

Which. I guess. In a manner of speaking. Is exactly what happened just now. Huh.

[chosetherose]

I'm interested in whether there's going to be any more MVs for TTPD. IDK there's just something about Taylor and Post twinning with that outfit that Karlie was wearing in that picture of her and the boys in London with that telephone booth specifically in combination with Karlie using that song that had the lyrics "Or am I just wishing I could be like you? That the people would see me, too, as a poet and not just the muse" as the sound for that TikTok of hers from 12/6/23 that makes me wonder if there's going to be a MV for a TTPD song with a stand-in for Karlie if Post is just supposed to be a representation of True Taylor.

One of the other things that makes me wonder if Post is supposed to represent both the True Taylor and her muse is the willow MV even though your interpretation of the Forney MV makes perfect logical sense that I agree strongly with because imo there was a lot of details from the willow MV that suggested that Tae was supposed to represent both the real Taylor and Karlie as her muse, like Tae's name being Tae when Taylor's nickname is Tay but also Tae wearing a floral mask reminiscent of daieses in the coven scene of the MV where Tae had his right eye covered with the floral motif of the mask and his left eye visible when according to the Eye Theory Taylor's left eye in that one reputation picture is actually Karlie's and the whole, y'know, thread of gold tying Taylor and Tae to each other thing.

I dunno, I guess I just feel like Karlie letting us know about the song Brutus by The Buttress in a TikTok nearly two entire months in advance of Taylor announcing The Tortured Poets Department when the song has lyrics about Brutus wanting to be seen as a poet too and not just the muse is something more than simply just a wickedly clever Easter Egg foreshadowing TTPD and I'm not sure yet if it's supposed to have something to do with the Fortnight MV or something else for TTPD that hasn't happened yet.

IDK I guess I feel like the whole "That the people would see me, too, as a poet and not just the muse" thing feels way too loaded to not have some sort of further relevance to an album called The Tortured Poets Department, I also think it's very possible that maybe it means that one of the TTPD songs that seem to be from Karlie's POV like the title track or The Alchemy might be getting an MV if it doesn't have anything to do with the Fortnight MV.

Lots of good connections here, Anon. Sounds like I need to watch the Willow video again - never thought of the things you mentioned.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Honestly I want Gregory, Freddy, Cassie, Roxy, Monty, and Chica to sit down and have a civilized discussion about what went down in the games and come to a consensus about their viewpoints. Logically Freddy learns that no the scams are not to get money for fixing the animatronics Casey's dad had to do it on his own time.

I would love if they could have an actual conversation but I feel like it would descend into someone shouting and screaming within like... ten minutes and I think the biggest offender would be Chica, mostly because Roxy and Monty are trying really hard and she's just. Not. She didn't think she'd have to try not to chew someone's head off, okay? She was unprepared! She got angrier than anticipated! Lmao rip Freddy probably. He's never seen Roxy and Monty being the ones to hold someone back before, normally it's those two that need holding back...

Oh but then again, Cassie is in the room. If Gregory and Cassie are both in the room, it would probably force the conversation to stay very tense, but not to the point they're yelling. This is probably a situation where they'd get Sunny, Moon and DJ to watch them while they have their conversation, ya know? Maybe Sunny is the mediator for those two in a separate conversation while the others have their own conversation elsewhere with DJ as the mediator...

Honestly, if you were gonna sit all the animatronics down to have a civil conversation about everything that happened, it would probably have to be after Freddy had managed to clear the air with everyone else on their own. All the parts would have to be given back I think and he'd have to put effort in to at least get everyone to give him a chance to explain, something that would be much easier for some to do than others. Would depend on how everyone feels and how much time has passed I think. Roxy would probably be the hardest to convince given she didn't like him anyway and Freddy doesn't know her well enough to really know where to start with her... And may not even want to make amends with her given their history.

Which now that I thnk about it, would impact at least a few of the others. If they're gonna work through this, Roxy's gonna have to be on board with it at least a little bit, so if he's made no attempts to talk to her well... yeah that's not gonna go great. It's no dog left behind here.

I love the idea that Freddy has put considerable thought into what all the questionable Fazbear business practices are for and jumped through so many optimistic mental hoops in order to come to the conclusion it was to keep them all in working order. Maybe that's just what the managers have told him over the years, maybe that's just how he interpreted the whole "more money means a more stable future" thing or whatever I dunno.

Though... Freddy seems to like the scam practices? He says Fazcams are usually confiscated in Gator Golf because they're only sold in Gator Golf and then goes on to say it's a very clever marketing plan. It just makes me wonder how many of these he doesn't think much deeper than "oh that's clever. I bet that gets a lot of money." over lmao

I went to check the voicelines on that one so I don't remember what my point was, but it'd be interesting if he assumed more money means more parts for maitenance despite being given no indication that's even remotely true

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 92

Chapter 92: “Fire Away”

I love how everyone is genuinely impressed (and maybe a bit scared) by Adam’s strength. Also, I know this may not be the best time to wonder about this with all the chaos of the battle going on, but did Emma or Ray never actually hear him mutter Norman’s number? Even when back at the shelter? Granted, the duo were out searching for the Seven Walls majority of the time, but still. Not even one of the other GF kids managed to catch him saying the number out loud? Eh whatever, I dunno why this thought is suddenly coming to me now of all times.

Who is the real beast here, the demon flying through the air or the young mad lad who managed to punch him all the way up there? The kids are totally speechless and ya can’t blame them. Seeing Leuvis get tossed around like a rag doll is quite the sight.

Even Leuvis is overwhelmed by Adam. Poor Palvus could’ve easily avoided this flight if the little guy just let go. Kinda funny how Violet had no idea where Adam came from or when he appeared at GP yet Leuvis figured it in just a couple minutes. Yeah Violet doesn’t know about Lambda (at least I don’t think Emma shared that specific info from the pen with everyone else yet, instead focusing on the battle preparations) but Leuvis can barely see with his blurry vision and that was enough for him to piece it together somehow. Hell, it might not even be due to Adam’s crazy strength or the Lambd mark on his chest, but the fact he’s muttering Norman’s number? And perhaps Leuvis think this is Norman instead? I dunno, I’m having many odd, pointless thoughts so far.. ain’t that fun.

Leuvis must’ve ate a cat at some point since he still managed to land on his feet after taking countless shots midair.

You know it’s a problem when you find the villains relatable.

Ah, here’s the panel of Ray reloading. And Leuvis saying “my dear” is definitely something I don’t remember?? Oh my, this dude could be such a gentleman in literally any other kind of scenario ahhaha.

A fair attempt I suppose but y’all already know how much he is relying on sound now ever since the first flash bomb! That’s how Leuvis managed to take out Pepe! Even Palvus learned from the first mistake and is shielding his own eyes!

Yuugo’s jaw-dropping shot causing some damage outside the panel.

Leuvis is so darn clever bro. All he’s doing is dodging to buy some time before his sight and wounds regenerate and yet he’s still causing the kids to slip up and remain cautious.

How he can still manage to send Adam flying into the building with so much force when he can barely see and with his arm completely busted?? Leuvis is incredible and I really should’ve kept this psycho in my top ten like I originally planned.

Favorite panel/moment:

Okay, all things considered with how beat up Leuvis currently is, it’s insane that he moved fast enough and dealt such a fatal strike to his prime target. On the flip side however, this hurts SO MUCH! AAHH our poor girl!! I was beyond speechless upon reaching this moment for the first time because I had literally no idea how Emma could recover from this. To make matters worse, I distinctly remember when I read these past few chapters one morning and said to myself, “eh, I’ll read one more before I start work,” and lo and behold, this just so happened to be the moment I had to leave off on! Probably the worst kind of cliffhanger.. I was filled with anxiety and my mind was literally racing all day until my lunch break where I could finally see if this precious girl was gonna be okay.

As terrifying and worrisome as this moment is, it’s still one I was looking forward to the most had season two been animated correctly. The shock value alone of seeing the main character be impaled would’ve definitely made all viewers, whether mange reader or anime-only, freak out (myself included. especially if they blasted her “63194” theme here!) Also, would’ve loved to hear all the panic in Ray’s scream.

[jujywrites]

jealous kiss + victorian au

it's finally fucking DONE ohmy dfghfgjghj *collapses*

Prompt from this here list. HBD bestie~

AO3

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***

Spite

Whistling carelessly, Neil nods to Rob in the hallway as he passes by, then goes into their shared room. He sits down at his desk, retrieves a pen and paper, the whistling shifting to a hum.

Behind him, the door slams shut.

Oh, yes. Rob wanted to talk to him about something. Neil turns to sit on his chair backwards and says, "You seem a little testy."

Rob stands near the doorway, arms crossed, face impassive. "Would you care to explain who the hell you think you are?"

Funny how a cold voice makes someone seem (even) bigger. If Neil were a lesser person, he'd be intimidated. As it is, he just gets up and crosses his arms too. "I dunno, Bob. I wouldn't want to knock down your predetermined idea of who I am."

"For god's sake, drop your insufferable know-it-all attitude for one goddamn second." Rob, glaring now, steps forward— well, stomps, actually. "What are you doing with Eva and Roxanne?!"

Neil's genuinely confused. "What am I—" What is Rob talking about? Maybe... "Our free time overlapped today, so we took a walk together. That's not a crime now, is it? Roxie and Eva are birds of a feather nowadays, or haven't you noticed?"

"It's not simply today! Roxie has this look when she speaks to me about you, has for a week now. You're sweet on Eva all the damn time— don't start with me," Rob says when Neil tries to get a word in, "you two aren't nearly as subtle as you think you are— but then you send Roxie, I mean Roxanne, flowers? What the devil are you trying to pull, Watts?"

"Oh," Neil says. Then a smug slow grin as he realizes. "Oh. You aren't on your usual holier-than-thou tear. You're legitimately angry at me about this. Well," he scoffs and shrugs, arms raised, "it's not my fault you aren't clever enough to understand the intricacies of our relationship. Ironic, given you've been observing all three of us for as long as you have. Some might call that creepy."

He would have continued to pontificate except, in a viper-quick movement, Rob swoops forward and gets him pinned to the wall, arm barring his escape. Neil is abruptly and fully winded, a wheeze scraping from his throat.

"I'm not clever?" Staring Neil down point blank, Rob's fury is obvious. "Anyone with eyes can see you're leading them both on. You'll get your ego boost and then leave broken hearts in your wake."

Neil has a reply to that, but with Rob's arm pressing against his throat, he can't get words out. It's not like that.

"And when that happens, you... we'll all..." Rob shakes his head and holds Neil's gaze again. "You know as well as I do how often all our paths cross, so don't make me out to be some kind of stalker," Rob growls, pressing harder. "You little weasel."

Lava surges through Neil's veins. He blinks and he's on the floor, on top of Robert, sending blocked and unblocked punches to his face. "Son of a bitch. Say that to me again!!"

(Eva and Roxanne care for him, and each other, and he cares for them, how could Rob possibly think—)

How they got here flashes through Neil's mind in milliseconds during the euphoria of a landed hit, during the shock of Rob surging up and tackling him to the floor:

Hurt became anger became painful fury; he broke free of Rob's hold in a rush of strength and flatout bull-rushed him, Rob's surprise turning him into an easily moved object.

Hello, unstoppable force. Neil just stares, breathing hard. Anger is cooling into something else, something he can't name and isn't sure he wants.

Robert seems just as conflicted. There's nothing to read on his face and the fire in his eyes has dimmed, yet Neil feels the turmoil, can almost touch it like a length of rope between them.

But that isn't what he's touching. His hands are against Rob's shoulders with no tension to push him away, only resting. He feels vulnerable in a bottomless way. Only speaking can pull him back from the unnameable brink.

His words, his trusty weapons, have deserted him.

Rob leans closer, and Neil falls into the gap he closes between their lips.

He's both drowning and overwhelmed by oxygen, and he groans, hands twisting into Rob's jacket, his mouth opening to Rob's tongue.

This isn't supposed to happen. It's supposed to be wrong. But Neil's always been selective about rules.

That's his last coherent thought before movement and touch overtake him. Firstly, he can breathe again. "Oh, god—!"

Because Rob broke the kiss to put one hand on Neil's chest and the other down his pants, into his underwear.

A panting laugh escapes him. Had Rob thought he'd be stopped? His own erection is obvious and Neil has a feral need to return the favor, but he can't seem to move anything besides his hips against Rob's hand. "Ah, ah...!" One hand reaches out blindly and he groans, half in frustration, still unable to speak. He's so close already it's embarrassing. Rob's hand is hot and gentle and he needs to touch Rob back—

"It was going to be Roxie. I always thought that." Rob speaks so quietly that maybe it's to himself, even though he's looking at Neil with a different fire in his eyes now. "For so long, I've wanted... but then..." He sits back, kneels up, hands moving to his slacks.

Neil sits up almost fast enough to get dizzy, hands joining Rob's to pull his pants and boxes down. He reaches for Rob's dick, grasping, squeezing, and his own throbs when Rob shudders and grunts.

"Neil. You're just— you're so..."

He's pure instinct, and need. And what he needs, apparently, is for Rob to push him to the floor again and ruck up his shirt, because he doesn't fight back. What he needs is to get his own pants out of the way, and somehow he manages it in between touching Rob. Rob's hand settles below his clumsily stroking one, and his body presses against Neil's.

Then his hand gets around Neil's dick too, and it presses against Rob's.

The motion is too much. Neil gasps out a string of curses that alone would be plenty to get him the switch for the umpteenth time. "Oh, god, oh my god...!"

Someone's being pretty loud. Neil realizes it's him when Rob kisses him hard again, tongue searching.

He moans with abandon into Rob's mouth, feverishly rocking up against Rob's hand and dick and his own hand, over and over. Please, please, fuck—

His climax is so strong he might have screamed if not for his mouth against Rob's. He hears Rob gasping, a shivering moan, feels sticky warmth over his skin. He bucks repeatedly, maybe whimpering. He's never felt this good.

Then all at once the aftershocks shake him and Rob's mouth parts from his and Neil inhales like he half-drowned. But Rob stays over him, against him. Neil's free hand is gripping his shoulder so hard it takes several seconds for his fingers to loosen. For some reason, he doesn't move his hand.

They breathe together. Neil wonders why he doesn't want to leave his body.

"Ah, damn," Rob mutters presently. He sits up, dislodging Neil's hand, then stumbles to his feet and moves to his bedstand, whipping out a handkerchief from the drawer with one hand and attempting to pull his pants back on with the other.

Neil watches him move away and back to him. He's too soft, cleaning him and Neil up. "Guess you'll have to burn that," Neil says, putting the snark into his voice since he's too tired to smirk.

Rob grunts. He folds the used hankie into itself, then gets a clean one from the drawer, wraps it around the folded one, and stuffs the ball into the laundry bag in the corner.

Speaking is the key that allows Neil to move, too: getting off the floor, straightening his clothes. He straightens Rob's shirt while he's at it, distantly marveling at the lack of internal screaming; Rob gapes, mouth hanging.

He leans down fast to kiss him, but somehow Neil's prepared this time and meets him. No tongue, yet this kiss burns hotter than the others.

When it ends, Rob says, with absolutely no bite, "You're infuriating." Then he turns and walks for the door.

Something possess Neil to ask where he's going.

Rob looks back at him, hand on the doorknob. "I'm taking a walk."

Neil's left staring at the closed door, the image of Rob's back imprinted on him.

After a moment, he turns for his desk. He picks up the pen and paper from the floor and puts them back. He sits down, pulling the chair in, and takes hold of the pen.

In the end, he rests his head in his arms and staring at the wall, a hundred half-finished thoughts vying for attention.

[eternalstretchofmuses]

☭ - Golden Monkey vs Aurora? I dunno if we want to pretend the cerulean hunters know danmaku or how you'd like to do it, but this combination sounded interesting.

BGM: ♪The Disaster of Passion♪ (... I can't think of anything else right now, so I'm keeping this. I don't think a fight between these two would be serious, either. Aurora isn't serious...) Battle intro:

"A monkey, eh~? I'm still adamant that foxes are the smartest! How about I prove that to you~? Shouldn't take long, bweheheh~!"

Half HP:

"HEY!!! Watch where you're swinging that staff! It actually kinda hurts!"

Low HP:

"I thought I told you to watch it! If you don't stop, I'll have to resort to cheap tricks..."

Victory:

"Heh...~! That doesn't surprise me. I guess you owe me something now... do you have any food on you~?"

Defeat:

"Ow, ow ow! Okay, I yield! Maybe monkeys are stronger than foxes, at least! Maybe..."

Tie:

"This fight is like Libra: pretty balanced. We should probably quit while we're ahead... for now~"

Assist:

"HEY, OVENNUPPI!! I could use a little monkey business over here!"

Taunt:

"Hey, BANANA BRAIN! I'm over heeere~! Can you see me~? Did I shine a bit too brightly~?"

Reacting to Taunt:

"OI!!! I'll make sure to bite you real hard for that!!!"

Perfect Victory:

"Just as I thought, monkies aren't that clever~! You couldn't even get my superior tails dirty! Maybe I'll let this pass if you get me something to drink..."