#i kinda want to play with like a lot more body language between them which the camera doesnt allow as we have it

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

rewatching 13s era for me is not so much diminishing returns as it is something opposite and eviler...............increasing losses? increasing losses

[starkeysprincess]

friends with benefits ༉ೀ

pairing: bsf!rafe x reader word count: 1.5k warnings: oral (f receiving), fingering, daddy kink, unprotected sex, pull-out method (that needs it's own warning tbh), praise, 18+ minors dni a/n: req from nonnie, "please write some bsf!rafe smut, they are like childhood bsf but started becoming friends with benefits as they got older" +i had a vision so this is (kinda) a sequel to dry humping bsf!rafe

main m.list ⟡ taglist

You and Rafe have known each other since you were kids because your parents were friends. Your parents used to talk about how great it would be if they lived next door to each other. One day, an opportunity appeared when the neighbor next door to the Cameron's decided to sell their house. Of course, your parents were quick to jump and make an offer on the house and that's how you landed living next door to Rafe Cameron, your childhood best friend.

You guys constantly hung out, practically glued to the hip. The two of you would often go to parties together and occasionally go for rides on Rafe’s bike, and he was almost over at your house nearly every day. As frequently as the two of you hung out, there was one tradition both of you favored the most. That tradition involves swimming and ending the night with a movie marathon, which you are currently doing.

Merely just a little over a month ago, he helped give you your first orgasm, simply by sitting on his lap and dry-humping him like you were in heat. Ever since that day anytime you needed relief, Rafe was there to help, whether with his fingers or mouth.

You weren’t sure what to label what the two of you had going on, especially when you would attempt to return the favor by either giving him a handjob or sucking him off, to which, he’d turn you down, telling you that he doesn’t want anything in return.

Well, you guess you could label it as friends with benefits, except the only one benefitting from it would be you. At least, that’s what you thought, but the truth is, Rafe was benefitting a lot from it, he loved nothing more than pleasing you, making you feel good till you’re reduced to nothing but a whining mess. 

Both of you were sprawled out on your bed, a random movie playing as his arm was wrapped around your waist, your back flushed against his chest. Throughout the entire day, your pussy has been throbbing, aching for any sort of relief. This caused you to be squirming around, pressing your thighs together, all while huffing from being sexually frustrated. 

Rafe grew accustomed to your body language, specifically when you were horny. Unsurprisingly, he immediately picked up on how you were acting, but, you weren’t exactly subtle with the way you were grinding your ass against him. You can feel the tent in his pants poking against your ass as he lets out a low groan, “Jesus, are you that fuckin’ desperate that you can’t stop squirming around?”.

You mutter under your breath, causing him to reach around, squishing your cheeks as he turns your head to face him, “Either use that pretty mouth of yours or you can keep huffin’ and puffin’, princess”. 

You groan before letting out a small ‘yes’ in response, to which, he snorts, “Yes? Yes what?”. You push your bottom lip out, “Yes, I’m that desperate…I need to cum”. A small smirk appears on his face, “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”.

You roll your eyes at his cockiness as he pushes you to lay on your back, hands moving up and down the sides of your waist. His hands move lower to pat your thigh, signaling for you to lift your hips and once you do, he’s tugging at your shorts, tossing them to the side. 

He parts your thighs, spreading them wide before moving to slot himself between them. “Shit, would you look at that? You’re fuckin’ soaked through your panties” he groans to himself, his eyes fixated on the mess that’s pooled in your panties. 

He’s planting kisses along your inner thighs, making his way towards your clothed cunt. Rafe’s fingers found their way to the waistband of your panties, hooking themselves under before sliding them off of you, revealing your glistening folds. “Can never get over how pretty your pussy is” he mutters to himself, leaning forward to lick a strip against your folds. He hooks both of his arms under your thighs, pulling you closer till his face is buried against your slick cunt. 

You can feel him grinning to himself when you let out a squeal as his tongue delves deep inside you. His grip tightens on your thighs, pinning them down, and his tongue eagerly moves in and out of you as you grind your cunt against his mouth. “S-shit, Rafe” you whine, hands tugging at the roots of his hair, earning a groan from him. His tongue moves to flick against your pulsing clit and you moan when his lips wrap around your clit, sucking lightly. 

He unwraps one arm from under your thigh, hand moving between your legs and his thick middle and ring finger prodding at your hole before sliding in, knuckles deep inside of you. His fingers pump in and out of you while his tongue swirls and flicks at your clit. The combination of his fingers and his tongue on you, have you crying out in pleasure, your back arching off the mattress.

You’re grinding against his mouth and fingers, desperately and selfishly needing more than what he’s giving you but it’s not enough. “Fuck, Rafe…please, I need you” you whine, making him pull his mouth off your clit, looking up at you, “You have me, princess”. 

“S’not enough” you whimper, “Need more…I need your cock inside of me. Please, daddy”. Rafe’s cock twitches in his shorts, his eyes darken the second you call him ‘daddy’ and he’s sliding his fingers out of you, sucking his arousal-coated fingers as he moves away from between your legs. He stands up, swiftly pulling his shorts and boxers down, kicking them somewhere before climbing back onto your bed. His lips attach to your neck, sucking bruises into your flesh while his palms push your thighs flat against the mattress, holding them down. 

He pulls away from your neck, admiring the marks starting to form. He wraps his hand around his shaft, teasingly sliding his cock up and down your folds, “Need me stuffed inside of you that bad? Beg for it. Beg for daddy’s cock, princess”. You writhe under him when he repeatedly taps the head of his cock on your clit, causing you to whine and plead. Tears are practically welling in your eyes from how much you need him, your pussy aching for him, and only him. 

“Don’t worry, princess, daddy’s gonna give you exactly what you’re needy for” he coos, you gasp when you feel him sliding his thick cock into you, stretching your cunt the more he sinks inside of you. “Shit, you’re so fuckin’ tight” he grunts, slowly thrusting in and out of you, “Would’ve fucked you sooner if I knew your pussy feels like heaven”.

His large hand snakes up your body to wrap around your throat as he starts fucking you harder. Your hand moves to rest on his hand that’s wrapped around your throat, squeezing it to urge him to tighten his grip on your neck. He squeezes your neck firmly, groaning when your walls flutter around him, encouraging him to snap his hips into yours harder. “Oh fuck…just like that” you mewl and he leans down, pressing his lips to yours, “Doing so good f’me, princess”. 

“You feel so good wrapped around me” he moans into your mouth, “Takin’ me so well like I knew you would”. His free hand grabs at your thigh, hooking it around his waist, allowing him to fuck into you at a deeper angle. He breaks the kiss to watch your face contort in pleasure, your eyes fluttering shut, to which he lightly taps your face, “Keep your eyes on me. Show daddy who’s makin’ you feel good, yeah?”.

You wrap your other leg around his waist, making him thrust into you deeper than before. “Y-yes daddy” you can’t help but whine, the tip of his cock repetitively hitting your sweet spot. He releases his hold on your neck, slipping his hand between the two of you, his thumb finding your clit, rubbing steady circles. Your hands wrap around him, nails scraping against his muscular back. You’re a whimpering mess, eyes glued to his and he can see the fucked-out expression on your face as you struggle to keep your eyes on him. 

His thumb circles your clit faster and he quickens his thrusts, his hips snapping against yours harshly as he feels you clamping down on him, signaling that you’re close. “Gonna cum f’me, princess?” he growls, “C’mon, let me know how good I’m fuckin’ you, cream all over daddy’s cock”. 

Your legs tremble as they tighten around his waist, eyes rolling to the back of your skull, crying out his name as you throw your head back against the plush pillows. Your orgasm triggers his own, his thrusts becoming sloppy before he’s pulling out and you’re quick to wrap your small hand around him, giving his length a few pumps. Grunts and moans leave his mouth as he comes, thick ropes of cum painting your stomach white. 

The two of you are a panting mess and he watches as you use your fingers to swipe and collect some of his cum, bringing it to your mouth. You hold eye contact with him, licking his cum off your fingers, humming at the taste of him. 

“Look so fuckin’ pretty covered in my cum” Rafe groans, “But your pussy would look better filled with it”. 

tagging: @oceandriveab @babygorewhore @bunnycrush @drudyslut @xxbimbobunnyxx @rafesthroatbaby @nemesyaaa @ihe4rttwd @rylie-m @hallecarey1 @slumnit @strawberrydolly333 @chimindity @starkeyisthelastname @rafescurtainbangz @ijustwanttoreadlols @stoned-writer @redhead1180 @eddieslut69 @eternalbuckley @kisses4angel @hyperfixationgirl @emilysuperswag @heartsforvin @sturnioloshacker @flvredcas @rafeinterlude @starkeysheart @thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles @fae-of-prey @amandabbbbb @rafecameroninterlude @sabrina-carpenter-stan-account @spid6y @zyafics @spacexdrago @honeybunniesoobin @juniebugg @espressomunson

[brucewaynehater101]

Hello I have an idea for Tim.

What if he got those game screens pop up whenever he's doing some side missions or quests. And after that he'll get some cool and valuable stuff like: cool weapons with superpowers that are not from his world, advantages of gaining more information than the whole hero community, etc..

The Batfam probably thought that he was doing those missions because he was bored and wanted to relieve some stress, which is kinda true but whenever he does these quests he also makes a lot of allies from across the planets and helps him through it while also being part of the "Tim protector squad".

Also the screen will always congratulate him and give him some praise, plus the screen can also help Tim by upgrading his stuff or watching him from any danger and giving him a warning to be careful. Just a guy with his screen, what could go wrong? Hahah-

But. The screen can also give him some weird quest like "protect your loved one from [Redacted]" which confuses Tim but the screen doesn't have any power only providing him so who's the one controlling the screen???

Anyway these are just silly thoughts that I want to give :333

Heck yeah! I love exploring unusual/non-typical powers.

I really really want to develop this some more, so let's set up a power!

My favorite genre of games is horror. The fighting styles, gameplay, concepts, stick layouts, and all of that can be drastically different between games [at least Tim isn't stuck with game powers where he can't fight back]. Because of that, the end goal may be impossible to reach and thus changes to a new objective.

Here is an example of where this happened with Tim:

Convince Dick Grayson to become Robin Become Robin

Tim's thoughts and feelings can affect the missions he's given. He will never be given an objective he would not do (e.g. Kill Alfred). Not completing any task (side or main) can have consequences. Main ones have drastic outcomes that he can only somewhat control if he attempts them.

Upon completion, he gets points and rewards. His rewards are anything from new skills, connections, weapons, resources, etc.

His points can be used either in the "shop" or for his skill tree (Tim desperately wishes it was a "pay to play" game so he can get more points).

The shop has weapons, elixirs (one of which is Lazarus water), one use spells, maps, information/clues, outfits with effects, armor, etc.

His skill tree has three main branches: Body, Mind, and Soul.

For Body, he can enhance any of his characteristics to the upper limits of humans: eye sight, health, stamina, strength, sense of smell, etc. His points can also lower the difficulty or time needed to learn a very specific skill (ex. spending 5 points to decrease time needed to learn how to wield a pistol).

For Mind, he can hasten his thinking speed, create defenses against multiple mental attacks (including emotional manipulation and telepathy), decrease the mental energy required per tasks, decrease time spent learning languages/information, etc.

For Soul, this includes abilities to protect himself from magical/whatever interference, increase charm, increase ability to understand/read others' emotions, etc.

If he sounds OP, worry not! Tim suffers from never having enough points (he learned the hard way that he also needs to keep an amount saved up in case he suddenly needs to buy a tool or skill to save his or someone else's life.). There's so much he can buy, but there are only so many hours to complete side missions

Tim's least favorite quest was when he was chilling alone with his Zesti and suddenly got the notification:

Run

Jason's a jerk for scaring the shit out of Tim like that at TT

[stormins]

jjk headcanons 🔞

this post contains mild nsfw headcanons about satosugu (goge) and shokohime (just shoko's) and how they found out they were gay + the preferences I personally think they have.

DISCLAIMER: Written 'cause I'm bored, if you disagree w my takes, just scroll. I'm not engaging in top/bottom discourse.

english is not my first language so bear w me, okay.

satosugu (goge)

I'll start with them since they have my entire soul and heart on a chokehold right now

Satoru thought he was straight all his life, being born and raised in a conservative clan, he was taught he'll have to look for a suitable wife once he comes out of age, if he didn't, then he'll have to marry out of convenience to a noblewoman from another prestigious jujutsu clan; chosen by the Gojo elders. So, he automatically believed there was only one option to choose from, women.

Also, he didn't give a damn about romance, since he was entirely focused on perfecting his abilities at the time.

Then he turned 16 and met Geto Suguru, immediately finding him interesting; Suguru's pretty black hair, soothing voice, unusual bangs... bangs, bangs, bangs. Gojo liked his style and personality a lot, he kept Gojo on check and rapidly become his equal. They trained together, ate together and played videogames together. Gojo loved being surrounded by someone as strong as him, even being scolded by Suguru was kinda fun instead of annoying, so without noticing, Suguru became Satoru’s first best friend and crush ever.

He thought he only admired Suguru a lot at first though, that was, until he had a wet dream starring no other than his best friend in it.

In his dream, they were kissing profusely and touching each other in a warm embrace, entangled in his bed without a care for the world. It was a pleasant dream, Suguru touching Satoru's abs and chest, ass and cock, exploring his body; coy, foxy eyes staring at Satoru, which made him harder than he's ever been. Satoru never thought about touching another man's cock but found himself very happy to explore Suguru's dick. In his dream, Satoru jerked him off and even put him in his mouth, that morning, Satoru woke up with a very painful hard on and a lot of questions in his head.

Gojo never told Suguru about his dream and attraction for him, instead, Satoru set on a “I’m very gay but I don’t care about coming out” mindset, which was surprisingly easy to live with.

Their friendship only grew from that point, Satoru teased and flirted with Suguru, it became a casual bro thing between the two, sometimes Suguru flirted back too--which always led to Satoru's heart jumping so hard it made him choke.

Two years later, he found gay porn, his eyes were glued to it at first, this new discovery was both very arousing and life changing. Then a question popped in his mind, was he a top or a bottom? Or a switch? He entertained the idea for a while, staring at the ceiling, thinking what gets his dick harder, being fucked or fucking someone...? He didn't get the answer right away.

That was until a very hot afternoon, when the sun was ablaze and they planned to a friendly outdoor sparring, he witnessed something that radicalized him: Suguru in tight shorts.

Tiny, tight, black shorts.

He never knew Suguru hid all that.

Suguru looked delicious, long, thick legs and an ass so fat Satoru wanted Suguru to sit on his face to suffocate in it. Suguru also had a pretty snatched waist, his body had a special harmony, it was muscles and curves that sent Satoru's mind on a spiral. Suguru's high ponytail did nothing to ease Satoru's internal gay turmoil too, his neck was all sweaty and that white t-shirt he was wearing was very much see through; pink pretty nipples on plain sight.

And Satoru had seen Suguru wearing only a towel before, but he never paid special attention to him until now that he had become some sort of simp, if Suguru asked him to bark, he'd bark and roll over, so as the dog he is now—he saw more skin and had a neuron activation moment.

He wanted to manhandle Suguru and sit him on his lap to kiss and lick him all over, then Satoru would fuck him while griping that slutty waist and fat ass, yeah, there was his answer; he was born to pound some ass, more specifically--Suguru's ass.

It did happen of course, as time went by, Suguru ended up confessing and Satoru will never forget that day, the loveliest day ever--their first time was sloppy and messy but it was fun, Suguru turned out to be a pillow princess when cumdrunk and a power bottom on special nights, it was so hot.

Suguru never had an issue with labeling himself, he always knew he was gay but of course that wasn't public knowledge since he was born and raised in the countryside--but that never stopped him from accepting himself for who he was and what he liked.

So when he moved to Tokyo, he felt more free and accepted, he didn't date anyone though, but he felt more at peace on a big city with more open minded people all around.

When he met Satoru, Suguru was dumbstruck. His white hair and vibrant blue eyes, he was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Of course he kept on a collected face that day, he wasn't going to crumble right away.

What surprised him about Satoru was his personality, he seemed all serious when they were introduced, after that, they didn't get along that well--fights broke now and then, Satoru was bratty as fuck and Suguru valued order and good manners a lot. Despite that, the more time they spent together, the more they showed their true colors and started caring for each other.

Suguru learned they matched their personalities really well, when he let the curtain of correctness down, he behaved as goofy as Satoru did--they both liked pranks, wacky jokes, playing videogames until midnight and escaping from class to go to the arcade.

He never showed Satoru how flustered and nervous he felt to Satoru's teasing when they were just friends, that one time Satoru put an arm around him and gave him a kiss on his cheek, Suguru faked annoyance. That one time Satoru pushed his messy bangs behind his ears, he shoved Satoru's hand away.

But alone and locked in his room Suguru blushed and smiled thinking about it, that´s when Suguru knew he had developed a hopeless crush on Satoru before becoming best friends.

When they were officially inseparable, he felt like teasing back and flirting too, it was so fun because he could mask his advances as friendly behavior, sometimes it made him a bit sad though, but he learned to live with it as time went by.

They went on missions together all the time and spend summer, winter and spring together. Rides on bicycles, they went to Okinawa once, they also went to karaoke together, sometimes even Shoko joined them...

Suguru felt his crush developing into love when their second spring as best friends hit Tokyo, and Satoru insisted on even spending more time together outdoors, whether it was taking a long strolls together to enjoy the weather or share popsicles or spar, that spring was the best season of his life.

Of course not everything was cutesy and pure, he also wanted Satoru to fuck him stupid. He often thought how good it’d be to have Satoru inside him, Satoru’s large, pretty hands all over him, on his waist, on his ass, on his neck… He knew he was a bottom when he played with himself there years ago and busted a nut so hard he passed out. It was laughable how he simply blacked out to a hard orgasm, but it happened, so ever since then he has fantasied about Satoru doing it to him rather than his own fingers.

Time passed and Suguru couldn't keep his feelings to himself anymore, so he bashfully asked Satoru out one day. Satoru was blushing and giggling the entire 'date' and that's when he had a boost of confidence and simply confessed, Satoru hugged and kissed him so hard they had to move it to their rooms, where they messed around and fucked for hours.

They immediately started dating after, no one was surprised, and four years later (in an alternative universe where gege is a kind person) they got married and adopted Megumi, Tsumiki, Mimiko and Nanako.

They are happy gays in my universe, okay?

shokohime

so, they're my favorite lesbians ever but sadly we don't have lots of crumbs about them so this is like... 100% made up lore by me (when i catch you, gege)

Shoko has had multiple people, men and women, confessing to her and never really caring about them at all, just declining one after another--she thought love wasn't for her, she wasn't interest in it, they only thing she cared about was fooling around, hanging out with her friends, just living in general, a classy carefree life.

Even Gojo and Geto were surprised she never accepted any dates at all, they once questioned her about being a lesbian since she only had expressed her profound love for female idols, but she doubted about being one, she did reject some girls before so... maybe it was just pure fanatism and nothing that actually labeled her.

But then she met Utahime, it was insane how clingy Utahime was and how Shoko never felt annoyed by her, she'd let Utahime give her bone-crushing hugs all the time and never stopped her, they even shared cigarette breaks when Utahime agreed on escaping from class. It was a nice friend at first, until Shoko felt like her company was all she needed and looked forward to after class.

It wasn't a revelation but much more like something that just happened, they forgot an umbrella one day, having gone to walk around the forest near jujutsu high and the rain surprised both of them. Utahime was distressed, her white miko was all soaked and dirty and Shoko felt really bad about it. They walked back to the school and suddenly found themselves running, it was fun and exhilarating. They started laughing all loud and competing on who's faster and shit until Shoko needed to rest against a tree, Utahime stopped and stayed next to her in a second.

Utahime's face was so red and her smile was wide and just perfect, Shoko couldn't help herself and kissed her. They ended up making out messily in the rain. Shoko pushed Utahime against a tree, bumping her lower body against her, both a panting mess and completely lost in the feeling. That's when Shoko knew both things: that she was indeed a lesbian, and that if she didn't eat Utahime out at that very moment, she'd die. So she did, Utahime's tears merged with the rain, moaning loudly and that was the beginning of their relationship (and their exhibitionism kink LMFAO)

They kept it a secret for a while, not telling anyone about it until they graduated and Utahime was offered a position as a teacher in Kyoto. Shoko was really sad, watching her leave broke her, the dorms where suddenly so empty. Utahime insisted on not breaking up despite the distance, Shoko agreed even if she felt stressed about it, she learned she needed Utahime's bone-crushing hugs to have a good day.

Years passed and Gojo found out about it a night when they went out to drink. Gojo had fought with Geto and vented about it, which lead and gave Shoko the will to confess to his friend that she had been dating Utahime all this time. Gojo was shocked but not surprised, Utahime wasn't the best person when it came to hide her feelings after all.

Gojo offered to help, (in exchange of Shoko talking and convincing Geto to forgive Gojo) being a clan leader of an important jujutsu family, in a blink of an eye he had Utahime and her students moving a whole season to Tokyo so they could compete in a friendly tournament. It worked and Shoko passed all the time with her beloved, she was the clingier one now.

In this universe, they also got married and went on double dates with Gojo and Geto, bowling, KFC, karaoke, you name it.

My gays lived happily ever after :,)

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[lowkeyrobin]

James Hook x gn!Bill Cipher!reader :D

I don't know if you understand the character I'm referring to, but it would be a reader with the powers of Bill Cipher and the same sadistic and carefree attitude that caught Hook's attention

xoxo ᰔᩚ

okay I can definitely try, but I can't promise this is good. I haven't watched gravity falls since like elementary school and I wasn't even that much of a fan so I had to use a lot of Google, so sorry if this is ooc ; thanks for requesting, hope you enjoy! ; also I saw that he has immortality so I wanted to play on that a bit bc music influenced me to do it lol ; also this essentially has no plot and is just some dumb rambling

JAMES HOOK ; cipher

summary ; a post-bridget going evil apocalypse au thing where you're super op, somehow died, and are now sifting up a plan with hook

warnings ; language, death, blood, kinda gore (?), stitching together body parts, reader is kind of a sociopath

disclaimers ; set post-bridget turning into QOH, aka the timeline where red and chloe didn't go back (completely just a oneshot this isn't what I think entirely happened)

word count ; 1.1k

masterlist

You had died at the hands of Bridget, now the Queen of Hearts, a tyrant.

She took control of Wonderland, and nearly all of what what would eventually become Auradon.

Bridget's happy-go-lucky personality and princess pink aesthetic had mutated. She'd turned only into the Queen of Hearts, a woman barely even out of her teenage years, angry and cruel, her signature pink becoming red. Everything red. No more happiness or joy. She wouldn't be the laughing stock now.

She beheaded you just as quickly as she'd gotten her hands on you. Her year-long reign above Wonderland commanding her Queen.

Your friends had gone into hiding, now realizing what they'd created. A tyrant, a murderous monster.

But, she'd forgotten that you were immortal, among many things.

Yes, you were essentially dead for days, your friends having been carrying around your body, waiting and waiting for you to snap back to reality. Maleficent had stitched your head back to your body, knowing your regeneration took a hell of a long time.

Immortality was like Klaus Hargreeves, something you hadn't mastered. You had to walk the terrains of whatever middle world existed between Heaven and Hell, the Devil and God themselves rejecting you for all eternity.

Outside Merlin's Academy rained soldiers from maroon clouds.

They lay dead flowers for the torn apart, you, at your feet, knowing one of these days you'd wake up. One of them you would. They'd just have to hope. You could end this.

Maleficent stands before you, spellbook in hand. Hook, Morgie, Uliana and Hades stand behind her, watching closely.

"Let it rain until it floods, let the sun breathe life once more, reborn. Dead flowers for the torn apart, laid at the grave to heal a broken heart"

The group stands silent, waiting for anything to happen. Then, the stitches melt into your skin, fusing your body together. You gasp, awakening suddenly, choking up blood and air. James rushes to your aid, hand on your shoulder, trying to help you breathe.

Maleficent shuts her book, stuffing it in her bag.

As you regain your voice, thankfully rather quickly, you look up at your friends.

"How long was I dead?"

Hades looks across the other's faces before answering. "Over a month."

Your jaw slacks, looking to the others for confirmation, which you receive. You'd never been dead that long. But then again, you'd never been beheaded. It'd only felt like an hour or two for your soul.

"You know who did this to you, right?" Uliana asks you.

You nod.

"Together, we can force her back down into Wonderland. We can not let her take over everything."

"Give me a few days. That sounded cringe as fuck" You groan, cracking your bones. "Plus, the magic doesn't work if I'm still practically dead"

"I've got frozen waffles-"

"Get a toaster. And a couple more boxes of those"

"On it!"

"Couldn't you just rewrite the laws of the universe or something?"

You sigh, "It doesn't work like that. If I do that, it'll screw us all over, not just Bridget. If you want me to laser her head off or something, I can, but I'm not gonna get myself killed again or any of you for that matter."

James softly smiles beside you, his eyes locked to the ground. "You can shapeshift, right?"

You nod. "Must I go over everything I can do? I'm not a master at anything, but..."

James nods.

"Uhm..." You count on your fingers as you list your abilities. "Regeneration, takes a long time when it's major. Reality warping, telekinesis, strength, dream manipulation, durability, immortality, time manipulation, range, speed, duplication, invisibility, intelligence, laser eyes, omnipresence, shapeshifting, soul removal, and stamina."

Your friends share awkward stares, slowly looking back at you.

"Look," You continue. "I doubt I'm the first person she wants to see. I tortured her the most out of all of us, I practically killed her over and over again for enjoyment, which is kind of sick, but it's funny"

Hades blinks. "Not very funny now that she's trying to take over the world"

Maleficent slaps his arm, hushing him.

"Anyways," you continue. "This is my battle. I'm not letting you guys die, nor am I sitting back to watch it happen. This is between me and her. I will cut her head off over and over until the end of time if I have to."

James shares a look with you, quickly placing himself on board with whatever your plan would be. Uliana, Morgie, Maleficent, and Hades decide to listen to you, not wanting to die. They retreat to their hideout in the academy, wishing you luck.

You turn back to look at James, silently questioning why he was still here.

"Do you have a plan?" He asks.

You shrug. "Go with the flow, I guess"

He nods slowly. "Where are we going?"

"Closer to Wonderland, I guess. I'd expect her to be locked up in her ugly castle"

"Wait, couldn't you reverse time-"

"I'd reverse it back to the day you were born and kill you before you got to exist if I tried."

Over the past few days, Hook had one hundred percent grown more infatuated with you. He already had been before, hypnotized by your power and personality. He wished he could have you.

Realistically, it would never happen. You were trillions of years old, stuck inside a teenage body.

You sit beside a fire, warming your hands, the pirate at your side.

"Why did you stay with me?" You ask out of the blue. "You could die"

He shrugs. "I'd willingly die by your side if it meant I'd be helping you. I'd do anything for you"

You furrow your eyebrows. "You sound like your brain became mush under a love spell"

He chuckles. "No. I'm infatuated with you. Really. Might as well know before I probably die"

"Huh?"

"You're actually so smart, and powerful, and sadistic, but it's so likable. Something draws me to you, more than any treasure could. Like, I genuinely see the stars in your eyes like they're every memory you've ever had. You're literally a God and I'm just some pirate"

"You're not just some pirate, you're the captain of the seas. That's a hard accomplishment" You reply. "Give yourself some credit"

He sighs. "I need you. I need you to not die to take Bridget down. So don't. She doesn't even have any serious magic, she has strength and no morality, which... you do too, but my point is, don't let her properly kill you again. Because if this ever ends, I want to spend every moment with you until I die"

You blink, slightly surprised at his ramblings.

"I couldn't live a few decades with you to live trillions more without you, James." You whisper, gaze locked onto the flame in front of you.

"That's fine," he replies.

You look to him, knowing he wasn't finished talking. He always had another word to say.

"Just please don't leave me. If you die again, I can't save you this time."

[invinciblerodent]

About the altered animations in Astarion's first romance scene

I already knew that there's something of a precedent for large updates to change camera angles and facial animations around a little bit, so, on a lark, I loaded in my save from before the first romance scene in my current, Astarionmance playthrough, just to see and compare it to my recorded version, see if there's been any changes since then.

Well... honestly? My feeling is that the two scenes are pretty much only roughly comparable to each other at this point. Like not to be dramatic, but it's kind of almost a case study in how much body language can alter the perception and interpretation of the same dialogue.

In the version of this that I got originally in my game (on october 21st so in patch 3, through high approval, quite a bit before the party), the short conversation before leaving the main campsite has him wearing sort of a... heavy, darkly suggestive, almost predatory expression. He looks, overall, very serious: head pitched strategically forward so he's both leaning towards- and looking at the PC through his lashes (maybe crowding them a little bit, stepping into their space), his eyes are more narrow and provocative, and he's not wearing even a hint of a smile. I think it makes it very clear what the intent here is: to present Desire™, and show a façade that suggests his impending performance of the "ooh, the sexy vampire is now going to steal you away to have his wicked way with you" fantasy.

Comparing this to the latest version (as of the 4th of december, so shortly after patch 5, which from the patch notes I'm guessing is likely what brought these alterations on), it's... very strangely different.

I had not altered my settings, or the shots in any way (beyond cropping and resizing), the lighting just... seems to have been brightened. But, the most obvious change is that his entire body language is sort of... tipped more back and away from the PC now. His brows and eyes are a lot softer and more open, rounded, more like they appear later on in the confession scene, and he's smiling this.... kind of cordial, unsettlingly friendly smile, that seems (at least in retrospect) very obviously fake and plastered on. I think he's selling the illusion of the rakish debaucher, the dashing scoundrel about to rock your world, a lot less convincingly this time around.

Even though the voicelines have not been altered in a way I can detect, his face is saying something completely different, and it recontextualizes a lot of things for me.

[Also in addition, him breaking character momentarily ("I do mean sex, to be clear") now does also lose a bit of its humor for me. Just because this new way, there isn't as large a gap between the capital letter Performance, and the little side note he gives himself in the middle of it. Now it's somehow... less theatrical overall, and so the aside is less like he knows he sounds unnatural and his real self is peeking out from behind the lines, and veers a twinge more towards "in case you're dense and didn't actually notice that I'm seducing you, I'll dumb it down for you".]

Even as he's waiting for the response in that silly "ta-dah!" pose, his face is very different: instead of that sort of blank, "haughtily and hauntingly sexy", determined kind of look, he's now gazing at the PC with what (in motion at least) looks to me like it's kinda... going rapidly back and forth between almost a pained/unsure look, and... a thinly veiled disgust, maybe?

Like, that's... that's straight-up a grimace, man, I don't want anyone I'm considering sleeping with to be looking at me like that.

Within the scene itself that follows, the animation appears unchanged (or at least not changed significantly enough for me to notice without playing them literally side by side), but the following conversation in the morning is... also a bit odd, and has been edited heavily?

In my original recording, he seems to be making sure to look at the PC more, though only over his shoulder, and his features are harder, more severe again, as it is in line with the conversation before. The whole little exchange, before the arcana check and before it'd segue into talking about Cazador more directily, ends on a bit of an eyeroll and a hidden smile that can be construed as conspiratory, or just a bit sly and self-satisfied.

This kinda straddles the line between "hehe, you're caught in my web now" and "hehe, I'm SO good at sex"- the former being closer to what he's likely thinking, and the latter being one of the more obvious ways the PC can interpret that look. A+ on that, no notes.

But now, (first of all the lighting is overall much less warm, the whole scene looks cool and less afterglow-y) he doesn't really turn to face the PC, not even over his shoulder. This keeps his expressions concealed from them, but open to the player, which is an interesting choice, and his expressions are, again, a lot more in line with those from later scenes, when the relationship is well underway: it's less openly performative, and more just a... a sad, unguarded, almost forlorn, private look. My guy looks like he is speedrunning through all his emotions over the span of like 10 seconds here-

-and lands notably on this kind of unsettling shot, of this expression that's, while somewhat similar to the old one for the line "I didn't want to go too far" (that the PC can halfway see), is both more exaggerated, and kept entirely to himself:

I for one find this one a little.... creepy and cartoonish, tbh???? Which, I guess while it's in line with the whole "I'm such an evil mastermind, they've fallen right into my honeypot" way of thinking he is supposed to have in this precise moment, it, uh.

Listen, it just conjures in my mind a violently clear image of Robbie Rotten from Lazytown. Because it's just such an "I'm clearly being a villainous villain with a nefarious scheme and agendas aplenty" expression, he's all but twirling his mustache, and the fact that it's turned right to the player's face rather than being only hinted at for both person and character, makes it look... pretty heavy-handed. Which I guess is more indicative of this man having a charisma score of a whopping 10, but it takes away from the subtlety of the entire exchange, and kind of creates a rift between what the player, and what the PC can know/suspect.

Overall, these new animations look... very different, bit more like they're trying to drive the point all the way home? Now there seems to be a big neon sign that says "HE IS NOT DOING THIS FOR PLEASURE" over his head, rather than letting your figure things out for yourself later on.

Needless to say, I.... personally prefer the old version of this scene over this new one, lol.

(...... One final, mildly notable change I noticed is that they seem to have taken out the little moan they had my character make as he bit into her neck? In my old recording, there was a tiny, barely audible little "a-aah!", and that's just.... not there now. I'm not sure what that's about, if it's a bug or a feature, and I don't know if they had it for other player voices or not, but prior to now, they did go pretty hard into how getting bitten is, to many, quite pleasurable, so downplaying that now comes off as a tiny bit odd to me.)

(I do like how her tits look less squashed though. They perked my girl's girls up a little bit, which is kinda nice lol.)

Editing to say this: it seems like these animations are the same as the goblin party ones, only... in the daylight? Which, it could be a bug of some sorts. I reloaded it once and it was the same once more, but... it could be that my save is kinda weird there for some reason. Idk. Turning reblogs off because it could just be a bug.

[hxhhasmysoul]

I found it strange how certain fans don’t apparently see the romantic undertone and chemistry between Gon and Killua, but yet still see can Killua as being gay.

Do you think it’s possible that those fans infantilize Gon by not viewing Gon being capable to understand romantic feelings?

Despite the fact that Gon is technically more experienced with those type of relationships compared to Killua…

I think you’re right, some fans do infantilize Gon a lot (or demonise him). But there is more to why he’s not perceived as gay or why his feelings are not so well noticed.

The most obvious as to why they don’t want to see Gon’s quite obvious feelings towards Killua is the expectation of Gon being straight just by virtue of being a shounen manga protagonist. Those guys do not engage in romance usually, and if they do it’s very much in the background or played for laughs. There will just be “and they were all straight” time skip ending. 

Based on my observations of the two fandoms I’m a part of, there are a lot of fans who come into stories with preconceived notions of what the story will be. If it’s a shounen the mc will have certain traits, his storyline will have certain beats and they will just ignore anything that deviates from these expectations. (Or get very upset that the story is not meeting those expectations)

Killua can be gay, because he’s not the main character and those are allowed more range by the fandom at large. Like there will be people who expect Killua to be Gon’s rival and get confused that he isn’t, but generally the fandom is more tolerant of Killua not fitting that character trope.

And Killua fits into several western gay stereotypes ( I don’t know enough about Japanese gay stereotypes to say he fits those too). 

His body language sometimes slightly veers into what is deemed stereotypically feminine. 

He has more distinct outfits than Gon in the anime. In the manga Gon has more outfits, including a dress-up game that Togashi drew as extras, which includes a dress for Gon, which I at least treat as a canon outfit that Gon has. Which makes Gon not really gender conforming 100% of the time, which in our current societal norms makes him seem queer. But most fans never read the manga, or just skimmed through it.

Killua likes sweets which according to gender stereotypes is a girly preference. In Japan this kind of stereotype can be seen that sweets are for kids and girls, but also in the western so called manosphere you can find people claiming that a real man should never order a dessert. I wouldn’t claim that we never see Gon eating sweets in canon, because I’ve never cared enough to keep track of it, but Killua’s obsession with Chocorobos is so prominent it’s a meme.

And the reader is treated to Killua explicitly waxing poetic about Gon in his head. It’s kinda hard to miss.

_____________

In addition to Gon not performing queer stereotypes as much as Killua does, there just is prejudice against the kind of person Gon is. And here comes the full on infantilization. 

I kind of hate writing this kind of stuff, attaching diagnosis to characters that officially have none. There are aspects to Gon that can lean into interpreting him as neurodivergent. He has moments of hyperfocus when he becomes blind to the world outside, he sometimes has problems regulating his emotions, he can get single minded, he’s prone to risk taking, has issues with self worth and depression.

Like many neurodivergent people he’s not good when it comes to school learning, school is just not compatible with the neurodiverse. 

But people (including some not self aware neurodiverse people) will judge you on your intelligence and maturity if you don’t excel in that environment. With Gon it’s extra annoying, because he proves over and over again how smart he is. 

Also Gon has hobbies and shows excitement about them. To a large subset of society that just means you’re a child, like for some reason the mark of maturity is being tepid and not invested in anything but making money and having a nuclear family. Gon still is literally a child, so his excitement is excusable, but it also makes him see much less mature than Killua who’s already trying to perform moderation in showing excitement about things, he doesn’t always manage, but he’s more reserved, above it all. He’s already self-policing his levels of excitement. 

And because a lot of people in the fandom are young, these biases are just something that have been ingrained into them by the culture, their family and school and they never paused to actually realise that they actually have these opinions and how fucked up they are, because these opinions just feel like duh, like this is obviously how it should be.

And since we don’t get that much of Gon’s inner voice, it’s easy to get tricked into thinking that unlike Killua, Gon doesn’t have a rich inner life, that he doesn’t have all these thoughts constantly running through his head. He’s just this silly kid who sees a bug and suddenly the excitement of that is just 100% percent of his inner life. 

As a silly child Gon’s incapable of romantic feelings, especially gay feelings. Because as we know gay feelings are for older people. Which strongly feeds into the bias that neurodivergent people are generally immature and like should their supposed love lives (or gender identity) even be treated seriously let alone acknowledged?

I personally don’t think that Gon is that much more experienced than Killua when it comes to romance. Like Gon thinks he knows how to throw a date but it’s clear he’s much more interested in the whole planning and preparing a date then being romantic with a person. It feels that his attitude towards “dating” is a little naive and confused, which makes sense because he is a kid. That doesn’t mean he’s incapable of deep love, it’s just that he needs to gain more life experience, actually try to be in a romantic relationship, not just have deep feelings for his friend that they never talk about XD So like I think his experience in romance and dating should only be measured once he tries to take on a date someone he actually would like to date. And not organise play pretend dates for his aunt or as entertainment for some tourist ladies for whom it’s an a funny attraction to indulge a little sheltered boy who things that taking them, complete strangers he’ll never see again his life, on a guided tour of the island and giving them flowers constitutes a proper date. Especially in the context of Gon’s date with Palm.*

_____________

Gon’s love is stated in dialogue and not in his inner monologue, it’s in the way he acts towards Killua, how he repeatedly says that he wants to be with Killua, how much Killua’s safety matters to him. Because of that it’s more missable, it just flows with the scene. It’s not as explicit as Killua’s stream of consciousness. We don’t know what Gon’s stream of consciousness looks like, we don’t know how much of his conscious thought is occupied by him just explicitly thinking about Killua. Because of that the people, who want to see Gon as just a shounen protag, will assume that there are no such thoughts in Gon’s head. Or even more likely, never bother to consider what might be going on in Gon’s head because it’s not something they generally do. And because of the stupid date with Palm gag, they will feel more assured in their assumption that Gon's straight. Because of how Togashi frames it, Gon's clear discomfort with Palm's bahaviour and his complete interest in her as a potential crush are obscured. 

-

-

-

-

_____________

* Dates with older ladies and Palm tangent, le sigh. 

Generally Togashi really doesn’t stick the landing when it comes pedophilia. 

First of all, it’s pretty clear Togashi did no research on it, just defaulted to stereotypes about it. 

There’s Hisoka who kinda embodies the harmful stereotype that links samesex attraction and gender non conforming presentation with pedophilia. And leans into the stranger danger stereotype. In reality creepy strangers like Hisoka are statistically less likely to anything more than passive creepers who stare at kids and have pedophilic scenarios in their heads, because most active paedophiles are people who are in some way close to the child. Unless there is child trafficking going on, or child prostitution. Of course someone so powerful like Hisoka could just use violence or money to get access to children but this is going into speculation about what Hisoka could potentially do outside of what the text gives us. It’s not unreasonable speculation but I don’t think Togashi thought that deeply about it. I just think he went by the stereotype and used the hints of paedophilia as an extra quick association to add to Hisoka’s general super creepy vibe. And I’m saying hints, because Togashi really strives to have plausible deniability here. He always tries to mix in Hisoka’s obsession with strong opponents into the scenes that without that would clearly read as pedophilic. But with that obsession in the mix, it lets some people contest the pedophilic reading, claim that Hisoka’s boner is about Gon’s power growing. I think Togashi muddies the waters on purpose to keep the whole thing less serious.  

Some people in the fandom interpret Illumi as a paedophile. Him being one is more in line with what rl statistics would suggest. He has an extremely creepy obsession with Killua, has means to control Killua and is very chill with Hisoka having paedophilic interests. And while I think it’s a reading that makes perfect sense, it is an interpretation. Even if Togashi wanted Illumi to read that way, he still put in enough plausible deniability that many people will just think that interpreting Illumi as a paedophile is reaching.  

So now we come to Palm and Gon “dating” older women.

What I think Togashi went for with the older women on Whale Island is to give the reader the image that Gon’s dates were akin to kids throwing tea parties for their toys and/or family members. Especially the mention of him going on dates with Mito makes it more plausible that it was what Togashi intended. Just a kid play pretending to do adult things. Cute, naive, innocuous. And also knowing it’s just role playing. Because most kids know that they are playing, that serving tiny toy teacups to their family members is just pretending to serve tea. They are usually old enough to separate their imagination from reality. 

We know that Gon is aware that the date he organises for Palm is pretend. He does not like Palm that way, he does not want to be in a relationship with her and he is trying to let her down easy by taking her on a pretend date. He probably thought it was a good idea because he likely got good feedback from the older women he used to “take on dates”. Likely those women had fun like adults have fun during the fake tea parties. Everyone knows it’s just role playing a scenario for fun. 

I don’t think that we’re supposed to think that those women were creepers who believed those dates were real. Because the whole shitty joke is that both Palm and Killua think that it’s real when Gon is perfectly aware that it isn’t. 

Gon has enough self-awareness that he knows he doesn’t have feelings for Palm and that he’d like her not to have feelings for him. But he’s also scared of her because she’s an extremely  strong nen user and she’s shown to be unstable in a violent way. So he chooses to play into her delusion to get himself out of the situation and not hurt her feelings. Because of his lack of like experience it backfires, because he likely had never met a person like her. He doesn’t know that there is no way not to hurt her feelings at that point, that she’s not a rational actor. 

In this Gon both shows that he has emotional maturity in line with his age and certain gaps in understanding the world also in line with his age. 

And we also see that Killua treats Gon as intelligent and as mature as himself and with respect for Gon’s life experience because he takes Gon’s words about dating experience waay too seriously. Which is also in line with his age, kids that age can we waay too serious for their own good just because they are trying to perform more and more the societally accepted trappings of maturity. 

Why is the joke shitty? Because it’s misogynistic, sexist towards boys and again shows how Togashi didn’t do any fucking research on paedophilia. 

In real life we will have people claim that there is nothing wrong with adult women dating or even having sex with teen boys. That these boys should feel proud that they bagged a hottie, that if they complain if they feel bad or exploited they are not real men. That it’s not really pedophilia if an adult woman does that to a boy. It’s also sexist towards boys because it comes with the assumption that a real boy is horny all the time and of course straight. 

And the joke is only that Palm is crazy and she threatens Gon with violence into it. At least that the only issue male shounen fans both teenage and adult have with this. Palm is hot enough to be an obvious target of desire for Gon, a hottie to bag, but you know hahaha the best pussy is crazy, just saying hahaha. 

And of course we have the sexism of women only being concerned with relationships, and being crazy about that. And easily controllable by men they are attracted to. That it’s okay for Knov to exploit Palms mental state and her feelings for him. 

Togashi really shat the bed with this one. And the problem is that a lot of fans hate Palm for this, even more than Hisoka, because Togashi plays it for laughs, unlike with Hisoka. That the only issue presented with the scenario is that Palm is unhinged, otherwise the whole thing would’ve been cool. 

The misogyny in fandom is unreal. Because the thing is that if Palm’s story was framed properly the date would’ve been a far more nuanced thing. Yes, her forcing Gon to do it would’ve been creepy and horrible. But also it’d be clear that Palm wants to date Gon because he seems safe and controllable to her. Because she’s being abused and exploited by an adult man who uses her feelings to manipulate her. And she’s looking for a situation where she’d be more in control. She is both a victim and an abuser. And this is a very psychologically realistic situation. There isn’t a direct causation between being a victim of abuse and then becoming an abuser. Not all abusers used to be victims, not all victims become abusers. But there is a significant percentage of abusers that used to be victims. It’s something Togashi could’ve explored with Palm because it’s all there, in the text, but he chose not to. Instead he played her creepy behaviour with Gon for laughs, made her prostitute herself to make Knov happy, and fixed her mental issues through having her bodily autonomy violated… And I’m not sure he could’ve done it worse if he tried. Because the sad truth that this shitty Palm situation came from him not trying, him just defaulting to harmful cliches while writing her and calling it a day, likely not giving her story much thought at all.

[kailjoi]

So does Bryce like making her life more difficult. Because fing a clown really feels like a top 10 crash out moment 

I've told myself that I would try and doodle things for the asks about the girls, but holy shit this made me laugh so fucking hard I had to post it, so have some notes about Bryce giving into temptation [and them fucking]:

-

Initially, Joker's plan with Batman was a sex-appeal, femme fatale, kind of game in order to win him over/deal with him.

But after Joker figures out that Bryce is a women, she switches up her entire modus operandi. Now she's way more interested in Bryce herself, the obsession with the Batman, and the characteristic dance.

Now it's about the pain and the attention and the reactions from such a stoic hero. Things like trying to get Bryce to hit her harder, lots of taunting, egging her on to get her angry [which works, very well], and rambling, as Joker does.

For Bryce, Joker's behavior does a 180. This is a new Joker that she barely recognizes from before. There's way more fire now.

AND, there's suddenly a very willing outlet for her emotions and aggression who is actively inviting Bryce to take it all out on her.

-

Behaviorally, during their meetings and altercations, Joker is like, super fucking gross. She's lewd, she plays up the tension between them, she acts obscene, exaggerated moaning and reactions to the pain and quips about their relationship. She gets off to it all, in classic Joker fashion.

Bryce hadn't seen this shit before. Over multiple instances and interactions, Joker is acting as Bryce's literal emotional punching bag and one of the few people she's technically emotionally vulnerable to [in her own way].

Bryce discovers, to her despair, that while Joker is, in various ways, conventionally attractive, she's also attractive to Bryce. Unfortunately, she's attracted to Joker. She chooses to ignore it.

During this time Bryce is categorizing and collecting a bunch of small things in her detective brain. Things like Joker's micro-expressions, the differences in her vocalizations, her reactions to specific things [specific kinds of pain or touch, that definitely doesn't feed fantasies later], etc.

Bryce is tormented by her own uncontrollable thoughts and by Joker's unseriousness about it all.

-

It doesn't take all that long for Joker to figure out who exactly Bryce is [through voice and build and behavior and body language]. Bryce isn't exactly keeping up the full Batman shtick while she's frustrated and angry at Joker.

Eventually, as the tension, sexual and otherwise, between them builds, Bryce is getting tired, and overwhelmed by the want to touch. The long, lithe body wriggling underneath her while they fight has been prompting terrible thoughts and fantasies, and the tension eventually has to break.

It breaks at some point in a kiss, and Joker is not complaining.

There are definitely quite a few moments of thinking, shit what the fuck did I just do, and ignoring it and running away from it.

Joker though, just eggs it on. The dam is broken, and Joker thinks that Bryce's guilt and moral complex are absolutely hilarious. She's ecstatic about it all.

as for the sex itself, and some other tidbits:

Initially, Bryce is doing the majority of the touching. Making out and aggressive caressing won't translate much through the batsuit unless she lets it.

Joker eventually convinces Bryce to let go a little bit more in a more secluded environment. It's definitely a kind of "point of no return" conclusion that Bryce comes to.

Bryce has fantasies and dreams, bad ones. There's a lot of masturbating involved.

There are quite a few instances of hurried touching that doesn't resolve in orgasm, which just kinda heightens the tension between them in general.

They end up having lots of different places, nooks and crannies around the city that are almost a refuge, where they can fuck and definitely not be emotionally vulnerable about it at all.

There's some yearning for a kind of aftercare and tenderness for Bryce, especially as time goes on, that Joker will have absolutely no part of. This is an indulgence; it's a complicated bit with a satisfying process and a good punchline: Bryce being wrecked, emotionally and physically. It definitely does not involve Joker beginning to actually care, and then wanting and realizing that she might be able to be loved as a person.

-

They're both switches and pretty verse with each other. [Bryce is bisexual; Joker is, for all intents and purposes, a lesbian, but she doesn't really give a shit about labels. She's had purposeful sex with men and enjoyed it. Is she attracted to them? Not really.]

Bryce is very grabby; she needs to touch and hold with her hands. The gauntlets definitely came off a lot earlier than they probably should have.

When Bryce is receiving, she's doing so in ways that give her a lot of control [physically guiding with her hands, being in positions with control, like being physically on top or controlling Joker's movement, verbally making demands and giving commands, etc].

When Joker is receiving, she's very greedy and loud about it. Her insatiability is enthralling to Bryce, and the urge to touch and give is overwhelming. Joker is reactive under Bryce's hands, and Bryce has the urge to analyze it all.

[jasondeansgothwife]

lawlight fic rec list

so i’m gonna do a series of these, starting with my favorite death note ship! make sure to pay attention to all warnings on these fics. enjoy! if you have a ship you’d like me to make a rec list for, please just send me an ask! i don’t want to be obnoxious, and i’m not saying they’re good, but i (slackjawbitch on ao3) have some lawlight fics up!

♡ = a favorite of kitty’s

angst

♡ 1. i’m drowning; please save me: L looks at Yagami Light and drowns. There is no other way to put it. As the days pass and blend into weeks, L looks at Yagami Light sitting next to him, the harsh lines of his face creased and determined, and he swallows water.

L looks at Yagami Light and he cannot breathe.

great characterization, always makes me very emo, and is probably a pretty major influence on my writing. one shot. 1,817 words.

2. always waiting for you just to cut to the bone: And then, breaking through the pounding in his head he hears what would be the last words out of that wretched man’s lips.

“I love you.”

fic for teh death note drama (2016) canon! title is unfortunately from a t*ylor sw*ft song (/silly) but this fic is so good and sad.

3. Our Bodies, Possessed By Light: L. Lawliet is a gifted photographer who believes he has understood the light and its secrets. Light Yagami is a young, unstable and slightly crooked model. Together, they kill time.

modeling and photography au. make sure to read all teh tags and warnings for this one; there’s nothing gross, but some potentially triggering subjects for some people are in here. multi chapter. 81,218 words.

4. Hearts and Spades: Which would you choose? Love or death? RaitoL, slight AU.

short but sweet piece featuring that classic fanfiction dot net era vibe, an emo-ass playing card metaphor (/pos), and a recounting of l’s death scene that made me sad over him all over again (also /pos). and also light being obnoxious, but it’s death note, so that’s usually a given, lol. one shot. 1,801 words.

5. Not Quite Drowning: Sometimes Light ponders happiness. L/Light

a short lawlight and light character study. i like it a lot, and i don’t usually like light, so that should tell you something about how well i think it’s written! one shot. 424 words.

♡ 6. Water, water, water: In the bath, they forget they’re a detective and a suspect; they remove these identities along with their clothes, layer by layer until there are only the handcuffs left. And them; facing the other in the eerie calmness of their bathroom.

At least, it’s how Light sees it.

i really love this one! make sure to read teh tags, as eating disorders and drugs are mentioned, for example. angst with a happy ending! one shot. 3,504 words.

fluff

1. Silver Bells: Silver bells...silver bells...

They’ve made it. Everything is okay now, when they’re dancing in the candlelight.

really, really cute! i recommend it as a palate cleanser to make you feel better after reading a sad one, lol. one shot. 1,255 words.

♡ 2. New Year’s Eve: "I've seen fireworks before," he says. "This is... so much... more."

just a cute little new year’s eve lawlight fireworks show! this one is also from 2009 which is kinda cool to me, haha. i like this author’s descriptive language a lot. one shot. 507 words.

♡ 3. Do Gay Penguins Go to Hell?: Too many New Year snacks bring about a family discussion between L, Raito and their daughter about healthy diet, common sayings and nature of good and evil. And gay penguins, of course. AU

a really darling kid fic, based on teh stupid, homophobic controversy over that adorable kids’ book about teh gay penguin couple. one shot. 3,791 words.

4. A Feeling: It's LxLight fluff! This takes place after Light was confined and lost his memories, chained to L. : D SO YUS. SOME FLUFF FOR YAH D: Hope you leik it :D

very cute “l and light cuddle and kiss” fic, written by a scene kid in 2008, which is extra points with me! one shot. 1,006 words.

alright! i will add to this rec list as i find more fics, and i would love it if people would send in their favorite lawlight fics!

[last-sprout]

Last Sprout Dev Diary - Dec 20, 2024

Hello again, welcome to this week's dev diary! I finally (finally) got the upgrade system functional this week, which means that we're one-ish system away from the game loop being essentially complete! I'll briefly talk about the system itself, but as it exists it's pretty basic, so afterwards I'll write a bit about all the hidden things that crop up when you try to develop things like this.

Last week was a short one, if you want to read it you can do so here.

Faster, faster, until the thrill of speed outweighs the fear of death.

Getting Upgrades

On the surface a system like this is pretty simple. When you hold down the interact button, you slurp up all the xp in the area, and that increments a counter.

That counter is tracked by a Leveler script, which contains the formula to calculate level up thresholds. Once the value of the counter is higher than the value of the threshold, the Leveler invokes an event called OnLevelUp, and it sends its attached entity along to a UI that handles grabbing the upgrade cards, displaying them, listening for input, and then passing the mod back to the entity to apply it.

Because the upgrade ui doesn't need any knowledge about the game world, anything can say "hey I leveled up," and it will dole out the upgrades as needed.

We're basically done with this, right?

So why does it look kinda bad?

I don't think it's hard to see that a lot of parts in this clip are a little janky and awkward, right? I'm gonna take some time to break down everything that's gone into making it look like this, and how many tiny decisions are involved in relatively simple builds.

First of all, the text! There's obvious decisions: What font to use? we have a custom one that I think looks really cool, but it's missing a lot of unicode characters, which means that if we were to localize this to any language that uses another script, or even just diacritics, we'd need a second font for that, which means we need to find one with robust unicode support that matches the aesthetics. Plus, it needs to look good at the same size as the english text, or we need to make separate sizing and kerning settings. Also, there's no guarantee that the text will be particularly close to the same length in every language, so we need to be prepared for longer or shorter title bars.

How do we display the text? I opted for a teletype effect that plays after the animation ends, but I could also fade them in word-by-word or line-by-line. I could just have the text appear all at once, but you either need to find some way to hide the text in areas where the card animation is still see-through, or you need to drop it in after the animation, both of which have downsides. You also need to determine dynamic sizing - some upgrades have a lot more text than others - do you have the text auto-size? If so, what boundaries do you use? It looks weird when one card's body text is much larger or smaller than the others, so there's a limit on how much you can have the text resized. If the text gets too small, people playing in a window or on smaller screens will have trouble reading it!

Not to mention we probably want to have an option for accessibility that lets you switch out the font for a dyslexia-accessible one, so all the previous considerations apply there too. From a user interface perspective, the transition to leveling up is a little jarring - how does one smoothly switch between gameplay and leveling? When do you allow that trigger to happen? If you have it happen automatically you risk disrupting the player at a critical moment, if you have it function on button press you risk a player outright forgetting about levels, or dying with levels banked, both of which are feel-bads.

Behind the scenes, you also have to decide how to shuffle the upgrades, especially as they get weirder. If you have a rare upgrade that outright removes your ranged weapon, how do you make sure that ranged-exclusive upgrades don't appear in the pool anymore? To be honest, I could go on for a while still, but I think this gets the point across - everything in a game is complicated, and even if a player doesn't realize it, these decisions have a cumulative impact over the length of a 20-40 hour game. Even using really good tools like TextMeshPro still leave a ton of design decisions that a code package can't make for you. When it all comes together it's pretty incredible, but it requires an absolute ton of tiny tweaks and bugfixes in the meantime.

I felt like this needed one more gif to space out the text but I didn't have any ideas so here's Many Twiggs.

As per usual, feel free to send asks here or to @oneominousvalbatross, and thanks for reading this! There won't be a dev diary next week, we're taking some time off to avoid burning out after 6 months of grinding, but I'll be back in the new year to talk about cool visual effects!

[verybadatwriting]

Winged One 3

Summary: The rest of the First Avenger play out more or less the same as they would have without Reader.

Warnings: self blame, falling, broken bones, heights, plane crash, guns

Notes: Gefahr, nicht drücken= danger do not push

Gn!reader

Word count: 4,481

Cool air streamed across your face, arms, legs. Flying high up through the clouds, you could almost forget what was going on below. Almost. You dipped through and eventually caught a glimpse of the buildings below. Between the streets, soldiers streamed.

Hydra had taken a small town. A very, very small town. It was barely a cluster of buildings. There were fortifications strung up loosely between a few of them, but not super heavy-duty. A few soldiers were scattered about, on raised platforms standing watch. The others were milling around, moving boxes, giving orders.

None of them seemed to be in a hurry, good. 

Before they spotted you, you swooped back into the safety of the cloud cover and wheeled around. While flying back, you pulled out a small notepad, and jotted down troop numbers and defense placements. 

A few minutes later, you landed back at the Howling Commandos’ temporary camp. Unlike the base you’d just surveyed, this one was bustling with purpose and last-minute preparations. 

Bucky met up with you as you made your way to the command tent. 

“All’s in order?” He asked.

“Mhm,” you didn’t look up from the notepad. He peeked over your shoulder and smirked at the wobbly letters.

“You sure you’ve been practicing?”

True, your handwriting wasn’t the best, but in all fairness you’d only just started learning this script a few months ago.

“I’d like to see you try to write while flying,” you teased. “Oh wait, you can’t fly!”

“I'm actually impressed with how quickly you picked up English writing.”

“I'd say I have a pretty good teacher.”

The two of you kept up your banter the rest of the way. Like most times you spoke with him, you and Bucky used a mashup of English, German, and your people's language, which didn't have a name. Even if it once did, that knowledge was burned with the rest of the village.

Bucky tried. You knew he did. He was the only other living person who even knew any basic vocab in your language. He was your best shot at keeping it alive. And yet, every time he couldn't describe something, every time he didn't have the words and had to revert back to English, a little part of you broke. Sometimes you wished he didn’t even try. Then it would only be your fault that your language was dying. 

“It's looking good,” Bucky reported to the others. You were now standing underneath a tarp, huddled around a table strewn with maps, scribbled notes, and little figurines to plan the attack. 

It was going to be fairly simple, just storm in, overpower the Hydra forces, and take the  foothold they so kindly prepared for the Allies. You were used to this kinda mission, and it didn't scare you anymore. After learning that your wings were bulletproof, you actually felt rather confident.

The truck ride there was fine, a lot of loud conversations and a few jokes, nothing out of the ordinary. Everybody sobered up when y’all neared the launch point. 

“L’kan kwe nor’c,” Bucky called to you as he dismounted the truck. “Did I pronounce it right?”

“Yes, and good luck to you as well,” you replied in English, smiling at him. 

Now, you had to focus. Despite having bulletproof wings, both shielding you and making you easily recognizable, the Howling Commandos insisted you have armor and a uniform. Easier said than done. 

First issue, you were a teenager, not a grown man. The army uniforms didn’t allow for much variation in body type, and none accommodated wings. To get around some obvious issues, you altered the uniforms so that the shirt could be put on like an apron, but with a button up part covering your lower back, and a string tied behind your neck.

The cold was the only problem. Frostbite’s something you never wanted to get again. Especially not between your wings, which was so hard to reach. Instead of freezing that chunk of your back, you fastened a length of warm cloth over it, using four shiny metal clasps. 

The rest of your clothes were normal. Pants, gloves, hats, those would all fit just fine, if they had your size. You did remove anything causing unnecessary weight, and typically had your pockets sparsely filled. The army issued boots were too heavy to wear while flying, so you stuck to a lighter pair of shoes. They weren't as protective or warm, but they allowed you to fly for longer without tiring, and they didn't hurt to run in.

All that said, you were wearing the least amount of body armor Bucky would let you, and a heavily altered uniform. You carried a small gun in a holster on your hip, a knife and canteen on the opposite side. A couple of grenades and extra ammo cases were stashed in a bag slung over one shoulder. 

For most of the battle you'd stay in the clouds, cutting down just to take note of troop movements and maybe deal a little damage. Things were going well. The Howling Commandos had already taken two of the buildings, since Hydra had essentially abandoned all defenses and was scrambling to evacuate.

You dropped a grenade, prayed your aim was true, and swooped back up for a single breath above the clouds. A small explosion told you that it'd found its target. You savored another moment before you dropped back through. The dew stuck to your skin, making it feel even colder than it was. Still, you swooped around, picking off targets one after another.

The whole while, you were unaware that someone on the ground was tracking your every move, and now he'd figured out the pattern. As you cut through the clouds, he adjusted his aim, and fired. 

If this has been a normal gun, you would've been fine. Simply wrap your wings around yourself as a shield, perhaps free fall for a moment in hopes of avoiding it, then back to business as usual.

But this soldier had not fired a normal weapon. What sailed towards you unfurled as it flew. Within a second of it making contact, you found your wings bound. No matter how hard you tried, the thin cords wrapped around you wouldn't budge.

Hurtling towards the ground, you caught a glimpse of where you'd land, an empty clearing on top of a hill to the south of the battle.

You braced for impact and hit the ground hard. You felt your arm crack and snap beneath you, but luckily the fall’s adrenaline overpowered the pain. For now.

A moment passed before you regained your senses and continued struggling against the net. It was futile. Bound too tight for you to reach your knife, you'd simply be unable to cut your way out. 

Footsteps came running towards you, and you prepared to fight as best you could. To your surprise, the man dropped to his knees right beside you, and began slashing away at the ropes with a knife.

He has a sniper rifle slung across his back.

“Bucky?” You ask. “How did you get to me so fast?”

“You landed near my sniper's nest,” he replied without looking up from the net. He finally tore apart the last cord, and said “You've gotta hurry.”

“Hurry where?”

“Fly. Go! Get out of here.” He gestured vaguely to the sky.

That's when you noticed the Hydra soldiers closing in from every side.

“What? No!” You said, “I'm not leaving you here! I'll… I think I can lift you and get us both out of here.”

“No. We both know that's not possible,” he glanced at your arm, which was hanging at a strange angle by your side. “Especially with that arm.” 

The soldiers were a few yards away, approaching fast. They'd be here in a moment.

“Go!” Bucky yelled. He rarely raised his voice at you. You turned and fled into the sky. Behind you, you heard a few short orders barked in German, and the sound of a body hitting the snowy ground.

You swirled through the clouds, careening – you hoped – unpredictability. The last thing you wanted was to get caught again, and have Bucky die in vain.

Your heart felt like it was in your head, it was beating so loud. When you finally perched in the highest hidden branch of a tree, you found your balance was a bit off, and you nearly slipped off. The lid of your canteen slipped out of your shaking fingers, and landed somewhere far below.

Despite the increased risk of being discovered, you allowed yourself to cry. A few minutes of sobbing, albeit quietly, was enough time for someone to approach.

You fled before they saw you. The tree shook, shedding some of its snow onto whoever was below.

After the battle, Steve insisted that you at least put your arm in a sling before allowing you to lead him back to the clearing you'd nearly been captured in. It was empty, besides for a mush of slushy footprints, some blood, and a tiny shiny piece of metal. 

They'd taken his body.

The only thing left, the only way you knew he'd been here, was the delicately crafted leaf necklace that you'd given him on the first day of spring.

You picked it up, the silver metal dulled by now dried blood, still managing to glint faintly in the sunlight. You stared at it for a moment longer, then closed your fist around it.

Steve had seen the necklace, too. He knew what it meant. 

“Y/n,” he started, but before he could say anything more, you cut him off.

“It's fine. I've been through this before.” You turned to walk back to the now empty battlefield. “We’ve gotta wipe these bastards off the face of the earth.”

From then on, you were different. You took your meals in solitary, preferring a treetop to a dinner table. You barely knew these people, Bucky had been your only link. With him gone, killing those Snake Worshippers was your only goal. In an attempt to reconnect with you, Steve gave you a book, Oliver Twist. It was slow going, but most of the words made sense.

Before Bucky's death, you'd been hesitant to be the boots on the ground. It was partly due to some of the adaptations that came with your wings. To decrease the weight you had to carry, your bones had turned hollow, which led to fracturning more easily. 

Now, however, you fought hand to hand with a ferocity that put even Steve on edge, ignoring any splintering of bones.

Off the battlefield, you were constantly training. You pushed yourself further and further, getting stronger every day. Each night, you collapsed into your hammock – the tent held too many memories – and went out like a light.

In the mornings, you rose before the others, although that didn't matter, since you rarely interacted with them outside of tactical meetings anymore. Every waking moment was dedicated to training. Physically, you could lift more than ever before, fly for longer, and move faster. Your punches carried more weight than they'd used to. 

Mentally, you sharpened your skills as well. You'd taken to reading Steve's book during meals, or in the truck heading to or from battle.

Your English speaking skills stagnated, though. Fewer interactions meant fewer chances to practice. That was fine by you. No use keeping some random language spoken by people you would never see again after this war was over. It was comforting to know that you hadn't gotten too used to the new language, that you still held fast to the language you'd grown with.

The weeks flew by. The weather warmed. The icy spring finally melted into summer. Countless missions blended together. Kills, which you used to keep track of with a notch on a tree near camp, now numbered in the hundreds. If you'd carved all of them into the tree, it would look like a beaver attacked it.

Jaw set, eyes staring dead ahead, you sat in the truck, tucked in the corner. Your spine was so straight, rigid almost, that your posture was impeccable. Waves of quiet rage radiated off of you, and everyone seemed to know to stay away.

The plan was for the Commandos to raid yet another underground base and retrieve whatever “powerful device” Hydra had gotten its grubby claws on. Today, it was a ridiculously powerful source of energy, which Red Skull had harnessed for evil, as he usually did.

The truck had barely shuddered to a halt before the Commandos jumped out. They swarmed the building, going fast yet thorough, each move carefully practiced. You darted above, hoping to spot any targets. Instead, you saw something that made you zip back down to meet up with Steve.

“Captain,” you said. “Hydra’s abandoned everything else but a defensive position around the loading bay.”

Within minutes, the Howling Commandos broke through the door, just as Red Skull was scaling the ladder up into the most massive plane any of them had seen in their lives. The soldiers launched a spray of gunfire, but it was too late. The giant thrusters roared to life, letting out a burst of flame.

The plane turned to the left, towards the hangar exit.

Steve saw where it was heading, and battled his way through the remaining horde of Hydra soldiers. They were all armed with the glowing blue weapons you’d first seen what felt like so very long ago. Steve’s shield easily deflected the blows. 

Despite his superhuman strength and speed, the jet pulled further and further ahead of Steve.

Through the mayhem, you saw a black, open top car swerving so expertly that it could only be driven by Colonel Phillips. You sprinted after it, and ducked into the backseat next to Agent Carter.

“What in the–?” The colonel started to ask.

“Drive,” you cut him off.

“What do you think I’m doing?!” He sped up, engine growling, then came to an abrupt stop once he caught up with the now stationary Steve. 

“Get in!” He yelled. Immediately, Steve obeyed, and you were off again.

Faster and faster, Colonel Phillips pushed the engine to its limits and then some. By some miracle, you were gaining on the plane. But would it be enough? The light at the end of the runway, the opening to the outside world, grew infinitely closer each second. 

As though hearing your doubts, the colonel flipped the cover off of a large, red button, labeled “Gefahr, nicht drücken” and pressed it. Jets of flame propelled the car forward as Steve readied himself to jump. 

“Keep it steady!” He shouted.

“Wait!” Peggy interrupted. She grabbed the strap of the holster fastened across his chest, and pulled him in for a kiss.

“Go get him,” she said as they leaned apart. 

“I’m not kissing you,” Colonel Phillips added, glancing up from the road briefly.

Steve fastened his shield to his back, and carefully navigated around to the front bumper of the car. Though he tried to navigate between them, the colonel simply didn’t have enough room to avoid all the propellers. The spinning blades sparked as they striked against the shield and the hood of the car. Everyone in, or on, the car ducked as low as they could go until you were in the clear.

There. Only a moment away, twenty seconds at best, was the outdoors. The plane’s wheels began to lift off the ground; if Steve didn’t jump now, he’d never make it. He propelled himself forwards and upwards as hard as he could.

It wasn’t enough. His fingers grazed metal, but couldn’t find purchase. He started to fall, and in that split second, you made a decision.

Scrambling over both Peggy and the colonel’s seats, you ran across the hood, beating your wings as hard as you could, and you, too, jumped. With all the might in your body, you wrapped your arms around Steve and brought him just a little higher, so his hands could grasp the slick metal. The moment he had pulled himself up and gained his footing, he reached back for you, yanking you onto the wheel next to him. 

The ground below vanished, replaced with a thousand foot drop into an icy ravine. You could only hope that the colonel had swerved so as to avoid plummeting over the edge. You dared a glance backwards, and saw the car, a small black smudge against the white, snowy background. They were safe. 

Navigating through the pistons and gears, all the intricate yet massive machinery was surprisingly similar to weaving through tree branches. You led the way, seeing as you were familiar with navigating such high, complex spaces. You found a walkway, and ducked under the railing. 

Steve, the showoff he always was, placed both hands on the rail and swung himself over.

“You could’ve easily fit underneath,” you noted.

“Oh God…” Steve said, but not in reply to you. He was looking past you, at the rows and rows of single-pilot jets, with bombs large enough for a child to crawl inside. They were pitch black, with a red loop of paint and a series of symbols painted in clear white on all of them.

“Ch-eek-ag-oo?” You sounded out quietly. “What does that mean?”

“Chicago. These are all names of American cities. This one,” he pointed to the one nearest the walkway, “that’s where I grew up.”

Many pairs of feet rattled the walkway towards you. Hydra pilots, faces concealed and goggles on, sprinted towards their bomber jets. Steve hurled the first one over the railing, down into the machines below, while you lunged at the second one. One drew a knife out of thin air, and started towards Steve, but he didn’t make it very far. A few quick jabs, and the knife was in Steve’s hand. He hurled it with precision, stabbing another in the back as he ran.

The final one climbed on top of the bomb destined for Chicago in an attempt to escape. You quickly found a control panel, and released the hatch. The floor opened beneath both man and bomb, which quickly fell into the ocean miles below. 

The fight continued, more waves of Hydra went down to the launch bay. You two continued dispatching them as quickly as they came. That is, until a pilot managed to weasel his way past and into the cockpit of the bomb bound for New York.

Steve jumped on top of the jet, whaling on it with his shield. It made a dent, and perhaps he could have broken through, had another pilot not jumped on Steve from behind and knocked the shield out of his hand.

The floor beneath the jet opened up. The jet dropped, leaving Steve and the Hydra pilot to hang on for dear life. There was nothing you could do now besides hope he came back.

You turned back to the fight, unsheathing your knife. You held it backwards, a trick you learned early on in hand to hand combat. If they’re expecting a slash from one angle, a different grip could be the difference between life and death. This hold allowed you to take out one man fairly easily, which gave you enough time to get to Steve’s shield. 

He’d needed it if he got back. If he didn’t… Why let perfectly good vibranium go to waste?

Fighting felt good. Letting out some of the anger that had built up for so long only made you more powerful. The minor bone breakages you sustained were easily ignored. Bones were fragile; if a few had to snap for you to win victory, so be it.

This is why, when Steve ‘expertly’ piloted the jet back into the bay, he found you waiting there, surrounded by the bodies of countless Hydra soldiers. 

“You dropped this,” you said, passing back his shield. He looked down at it. A red smear stained one edge, which he wiped off before motioning for you to follow him.

After winding through the corridors, you came to the control room. Steve opened the door slowly, cautiously, so as to not alert anyone inside. A great window took up most of the wall in front of you. It was segmented into squares, no more than a foot and a half wide each. Outside the familiar sight of clouds stretched out before you. 

Your view was obstructed by a few things. A large, permanent-looking chair sat before the windows and in the middle of the room there glowed a strange blue contraption. Obviously the powersource the Howling Commandos had been tasked with retrieving.

You and Steve entered further, cautiously, though the room appeared to be empty. You were right to be cautious, because not a second later, a man missing the skin from his face shot a giant blue laser gun at you from behind. Steve blocked it with ease, although the sheer power reverberated around the room for a moment afterwards.

“You don’t give up, do you?” Red Skull said.

“Nope!” Steve replied, charging at him head-on. After deflecting two more shots, he whacked the gun out of Red Skull’s hands. They traded punches for a bit, with Red Skull managing to disarm the Captain and knock him to the floor. You yanked the German off, sending him tumbling across the blue contraption, and handed Steve his shield back. 

Now the upper hand was back where it should have always been. Steve shoved, then snap kicked Red Skull so hard he went crashing into the control panel. The plane started to dive. Gravity seemed to reverse, throwing the three of you to the ceiling.

Red Skull managed to free himself from Steve, and scurried down a column, trying, and succeeding, to get back to the controls. The plane leveled out, and threw you and Steve back onto the floor. The landing wasn’t too hard, but still enough that you heard a crack against the floor.

“You could have the power of the gods!” Red Skull sauntered down from the controls, waving a small pistol. Despite its appearances, it packed quite a punch. One shot, perilously close to Steve’s head, bore a hole into the metal of the wall.

“Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations!” Red Skull continued, voice rising above even the howling winds ripping through the room. He fired again, once more too close for comfort.

“I have seen the future, Captain!” He yelled, firing off another shot. “There are no flags!”

“Not my future!” Steve yelled back, barely dodging another shot in time. He rolled across the floor, to where you and his shield were. He pulled it up in a pitiful attempt at protecting the both of you.

“You alright?” He asked.

“Mhm,” you grunted shortly, holding your side. “Broke something. Be fine.” 

“Good.” 

He flung his shield at Red Skull, slamming him into and partially through the blue apparatus. Power surged, whirling through the room. It almost looked like lightning. 

“What have you done?” Red Skull hissed, dragging himself to his unsteady feet once again. He reached out to a now exposed cube. 

“No…” He said, holding it up to his eyes. A few sparks leapt out, streaking towards the ceiling. A tapestry of color and dust appeared, stagnant, in the air above him. A column of flame grew from his palm, eating away at his flesh, his bone, spreading across every inch of his body as he screamed in agony. The fire grew into a spire of light, stretching into the tapestry and beyond forever, temporarily blinding you.

Suddenly, the light was gone. All that was left was a glowing blue cube. It burned through the metal grate beneath it, the metal floor beneath that, until it fell into the clouds below.

Steve crouched next to you.

“Can you walk?”

“Think so.” You only needed to grip his arm to raise yourself to your feet, after that you were good enough to walk unaided. It wasn’t pleasant. You suspected you’d broken a rib or two. 

“What do all these do?” You asked, examining the controls. 

Steve didn’t say anything for a moment. He started out the window. 

“Can you still fly?”

You tried lifting your wings, only to be met with a wave of pain, nausea, and overwhelming weariness all rolled into one.

“No, not in this state,” you shook your head, forcing yourself to breathe evenly. “And definitely not at this altitude.”

“I don’t see any way out of this,” he said, reaching for the radio. “Come in. This is Captain Rogers. Do you read me?”

“Captain Rogers, what is your–” Jim Morita started from the other side.

“Steve, is that you? Are you alright?” Peggy interrupted.

“Peggy! Schmidt’s dead.”

“What about the plane?”

“That’s a little bit tougher to explain.”

“Give me your coordinates, I’ll find you a safe landing site.”

“There's not gonna be a safe landing, but I can try to force it down.”

The line went dead, and for a split second Steve seemed to think they’d lost connection already.

“I’ll get Howard on the line,” Peggy suggested. “He’ll know what to do.”

“There’s not enough time,” Steve shook his head, even though she couldn’t see him. “This thing’s moving too fast and it’s heading to New York. I gotta put her in the water.”

“Please, don't do this,” Peggy asked, although it sounded like she already knew he would. “We have time. We can work it out.”

“Right now we’re in the middle of nowhere,” Steve said, looking over the radar. “If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice.” He took the cut out that he always kept close, a picture of Peggy, and placed it on the board. He started to lower the controls, dipping the plane down, down, down. You held onto his chair, sinking to the floor to avoid falling.

“Do you want to say anything?” Steve asked you.

“No.”

“Don’t you want to say goodbye?”

“I don't have anyone to say goodbye to,” you shrugged. He nodded in a sad, understanding way. 

“Peggy?” He said to the radio.

“I’m here.”

“I’m gonna need a rain check on that dance.”

“All right…” She hesitated. “A week, next Saturday, at the Stork Club.”

“You got it.”

“Eight o’clock on the dot,” her voice started to grow staticky around the edges. “Don’t you dare be late. Understood?”

“You know, I still don't know how to dance.”

“I’ll show you how. Just be there.” The signal cut out completely.

You replayed her words over and over again. Just be there. Hoping that wherever you went after this your dad was waiting. 

“Just be there,” you whispered as the plane hit and cold, cold water flooded in around you.

Tag list!

@arctrooper69

[britt-kageryuu]

A video uploaded to the VTurtles! Channel, titled 'Edited Until Dawn Play Through'

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

The video starts with Donnie, Mikey, and Leos models seated, in that order, on a couch, all dressed in color coded swim trunks, Hawaiian Shirts, and crocs. Shelldon in a bipedal body and River are seated on the arms rests. The game screen is above and to the left of them.

"Hey Balemates! Welcome to something a bit different! And if you didn't read the title, we're playing Until Dawn today!" Leo greets loudly, "We were originally going to stream this game, but them we hit a few snags. Stupid TOS, and Monetization based snags."

Donnie picks up from there, "Blue and I have played this before, and forgot that a number of elements are not really 'Family Friendly'. Like the very graphic death scenes, the 'bad language', the brief sexual implications and near nudity. So we have to prerecord this, and edit over a lot of the stuff that might trigger some TOS, or whatever." Donnie does air quotes, and sounds very exasperated and annoyed.

Mikey doesn't seem like he wants to be there, but is putting on a brave face, "And while I don't really like scary games, the Disaster Twins said there was a number of psychological elements to this game I might like. Though I think they just want me to be scared." He gives Donnie and Leo glares. The two are attempting to give innocent looks.

"Anyway, we are going for the Save Everyone route with Good Matt/Emily for a bit more difficulty, so this might take a while, and praying we don't mess up a QTE." Leo explains as he gets the game started.

~~~~

Mikey watches the opening scene in confusion, "What are they doing? Why play this kind of prank on their friend?"

"Because they're lead by a stereotypical mean girl who doesn't like the fact a female friend likes her boyfriend." Donnie answers in a deadpan tone.

Leo nods in agreement, "It's so hard to resist purposefully killing Emily, and annoying to get the full relationship end between her and Matt. Which we will also get for this run." He passes a notepad to Mikey, "Here's the route."

Mikey reads it over turning pages, and looking confused, "The butterfly effect stuff is kinda pretentious, and why is there a note that says 'Don't go that way you Dumb Dumb!', and nothing else for this one point?"

"Because Blue kept going the wrong way, and getting stuck in a bad end for one of the characters. Every! Time!" Donnie slightly glares at Leo.

"It's tough not to follow that direction!" Leo glares back at Donnie, "Are we getting the Death Totem again, or leaving it?"

"Leaving it. You collected it last time."

~~~~~

Mikey was clinging to Donnie during the entire part where Leo was playing Beth who's searching for Hannah in the woods. At least partly because Leo is purposefully going the opposite way to what Mikey is shouting.

Then when they get to the cliff scene, Mikey is freaked out by everything happening in the background, especially when they get to the cliff and the shadowy figure was approaching the girls. Then they fall, and it's time to choose.

Mikey is confused and panicked, "Why are those the choices?! Drop your sister, or let go?! Why?!"

Donnie very flatly answered, "It's not an actual choice."

"What?"

"Dropping Her."

"WHAT!?" Mikey watches as the scene plays, and Beth dies anyway. "What was the point of the choice if you kill both girls anyway?!"

"Moral pondery." "To mess with the player."

-------

The scene switches to a fancy looking office. Mikey had Leo pause so they didn't miss the dialogue.

"Is this a therapist office? One of the characters is in therapy?" He askes.

"Yup." "Affirmative."

"Is this why you wanted me to watch you play this game?"

"Yeah. Though these moments do effect minimal parts of the rest of the story." Leo answers.

"Okay. Continue please."

They, but mostly Mikey listen to the dialogue, "Really laying it on thick with the 'your choices will have a big impact' thing, huh? Also A gloved hand to hide who's in therapy, and how does this picture make me feel? This is kinda generic cliche therapy stuff!"

"And we're saying, happy, peaceful, yes, and scared. Right?" Leo asked Donnie.

"Yeah, those are theoretically the better choices for the scene." Donnie answers.

Then they watched the title sequence.

---------

"Isn't he the brother of the girls who died?"

"Yeah."

"He looks tired, and unhinged."

"Like Dee a week ago."

"L-Blue!"

"And now the first of probably many interesting edits!"

In the middle of Josh's final lines there was a set of deep chirps that sounded like Raph growling, and the subtitles were blurred.

--------

"These are some weird QTEs." Mikey says during the second part of the tutorial. Apparently!

"And the introduction to the 'Don't Move' events. And the totem collectables." Leo comments as he moves Sam to the next point, to meet Chris.

"Don't forget to Close the bag this time! Don't snoop. And don't shoot the Squirrel!" Donnie shouts at Leo.

"Yeah, yeah. I remember... you mess up a choice enough, and get yelled at about it forever." Leo muttered loud enough for the mic to pick up.

---------

"Mike's new girlfriend? What a title to have." Leo snarked.

"And quite the change, too." Mikey replied.

--------

"And this is likely why they broke up." 💙

"We need to keep these two is good standing for one of the good endings right?" 🧡

"Yes, disgusting isn't it?" 💜

--------

"How old is this game, and why are they using such dated slang?" Mikey askes.

"It was originally released in 2015, and while I can't remember these phrases being that popular then during that time, it's at least because of whoever wrote those lines." Donnie explains while Leo plays through the snowball fight.

"Wait! Do we need to kiss him, or can I just hit him with a snowball?" Leo asked after quickly pausing the game to grab the notes, and flip through them.

"Wait, why would this count towards the ending? It doesn't seem like that big of a choice." Mikey asked in confusion.

"Because the game devs really wanted to make you feel like every little choice could lead to a bad end, for sometimes the most stupid reasons. They said in frustration." Donnie replied with an annoyed tone to his voice.

Mikey looks even more confused, "What happened to make you this annoyed?" He asked while looking back and forth between his brothers.

Leo looks up from the Notes with an odd look, "Like I said. You make one supposedly wrong choice, and you get yelled at forever." He then goes through with the choice and continues the scene.

Mikey looked at the timer on the recording real quick, "How have we already spent an hour on this game? And how long is it?" He asked with a slight raise in his voice.

"If we keep a good pace. It should take about 7 hours, but it might be longer if we have to keep checking the notes." Donnie replies in exasperation. "Speaking of we're going to cut the recording here for the first episode at least!"

Leo goes to the title screen, and then joins in. "So stay tuned, and thanks for basking in the warmth of our presence."

"See you next time Balemates!" They all say at once waving bye to the camera. Then the screen then switches to the end card.

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

Masterpost

I decided to stop before the second therapy scene. It made sense, and really that is roughly 40 minutes into the game!!! Longer if you stop to go over notes, and judge if they are actually the right choices to make.

[daphdarling]

Heyyy can I get a mha match up pleaseeee

I'm Poppy, 5'3/160cm, 46kg, have darkish brown curly hair that goes past my shoulders, green eyes and an elbow scar I think is pretty cool. I'm AFAB (she/they) and fem presenting though I'm not sure what my actual gender identity is. My preferred style is kinda cutesy and I have a lot of dungarees/pinafores. I'm also bisexual with no strong preference.

I'm a March Aries (on the Pisces cusp) and ISFP. I'm autistic and have ADHD, bouncing and rocking and hair twirling are my favourite ways to stim. In new/unfamiliar social settings I can get a bit anxious so tend to be on the quieter side which means making friends is a little tricky. As soon as I do know the person though I'm more outgoing. I'm quite clever and got 9s (high A*) without revising for it in the creative/essay subjects. But I can also be unmotivated when it comes to things I'm not hyperfixated on (like my maths and science grades, which I didn't do bad in, but could've done better) and I might procrastinate until the last minute. I can be stubborn in arguments and debates (and have an accidental tendency to get loud), it's very useful when I'm right but not when I'm wrong, though this stubborness mostly comes from my strong sense of justice and fairness. I am generally very polite, kind and funny (I can use sarcasm myself but can be bad at recognising when other people are using it). When I'm hyperfixated on something, it's all I think about and want to talk about it all the time.

I'm a bit insecure about my body since I'm flat. I also have a small appetite and genuinely forget to eat and drink because my body doesn't feel hunger and thirst like other people do (being a picky eater doesn't help). I'm pretty good at managing sensory stimuli but when I get overstimulated, I tend to 'shut down', feel very warm, and need a lot of quiet time to calm down again. I also have a stammer so sometimes trip over my words which I either find very funny or very frustrating depending on the day.

My hobbies include singing (classical/opera and musical theatre), acting (only in school performances since I'm too shy to join a theatre group), and playing gacha games like genshin and honkai star rail. I never spend money on them though. I also like to swim, read, write, and teach people about what I'm learning in my A Levels (I'm doing drama, english literature, philosophy and sociology). Jellyfish and cats (have a black cat myself) are my favourite animals, pinky-orange is my favourite colour, and I love greek food (I'm half Greek) and steak and ale pie. I don't like fizzy drinks, the feeling of jewellery, or getting wet. My winter coat and my teddy bear called Bedtime Bear are my comfort items.

The love language I like to receive is acts of service. I like to give gifts (I'm generous when spending on others but stingy when spending on myself, I have really strong self control with money 😭) and quality time in return. Physical affection is good sometimes, especially since I'm naturally cold to the touch and get cold very easily so it would warm me up

THANK YOUUUU!! ♡♡

HAVE A GREAT DAY :D

YOUR MATCHUPS ARE…

TOBIO KAGEYAMA

Personality Match:

Kageyama shares your stubbornness, especially when it comes to a sense of right and wrong. He has a bit of a blunt exterior but, like you, can be deeply thoughtful and passionate when it comes to things that matter to him. His more introverted side might make him somewhat reserved at first, but once he opens up (just like you do), you’d find that he has a lot more warmth than people expect. The balance between his quiet moments and intense focus on what he loves (volleyball) would match well with your creativity and need for a deep connection. You both might even find yourselves hyperfixating on certain things, but you'd also be understanding of each other's space when overstimulated.

Romantic Connection:

Kageyama doesn’t always express his emotions openly, but he does care deeply in his own way. He’d be supportive of your passions and interests (like singing, acting, and your studies), even if he doesn't know how to express it at first. You’d appreciate that he’s straightforward, and he would come to respect your space when needed, understanding your need for quiet moments. In return, his more caring side would come out through actions, which would align with your love language of acts of service.

Hobbies and Activities:

You both appreciate things you can focus deeply on, and while Kageyama’s main focus is volleyball, you could support each other’s individual passions. You’d likely spend time singing or acting together in a laid-back environment, where his quiet side would balance out your more outgoing moments once you’re comfortable with each other. Maybe you'd both enjoy quiet, creative time — you reading or writing while he practices volleyball or helps you learn new techniques to be more creative.

Looks and Vibes:

Kageyama has a clean, no-nonsense appearance, with his spiky hair and intense gaze. His vibe is intense yet quiet, which would blend well with your gentle, creative aesthetic. You’d complement each other well in terms of looks, both having a bit of an "unassuming" appearance at first, but with a lot of personality beneath the surface.

Final Thoughts:

Kageyama would appreciate your thoughtful and creative nature, while you'd respect his discipline and drive. You both tend to keep to yourselves at first, but once comfortable, you’d share an understanding that doesn’t require too many words. You’d be a great emotional grounding for each other.

AND

SHOTO TODOROKI!!!

Personality Match:

Shoto shares your introspective and reserved side. Like you, he’s a bit quiet in new situations, but once he’s comfortable, he’s open and caring. He has his own struggles with understanding his emotions, something that you’d both empathize with. Shoto’s also a bit stubborn, especially when it comes to his sense of justice (he’d definitely respect your strong morals), and your shared introspection would lead to some great, deep conversations. He’s a bit of a perfectionist like you, but he’s also someone who values real connections once he trusts someone, which I think you’d both build together.

Romantic Connection:

Shoto’s quiet affection would pair well with your love language of quality time and acts of service. He’s not one for grand gestures, but his actions (like helping you with a school project or making sure you’re comfortable) would speak volumes. His warmth would complement your cold touch, and you’d likely enjoy spending time together in peaceful environments, maybe cooking Greek food or just reading in comfortable silence. He might be a bit unsure of how to handle your stimming or sensory overload, but he’s understanding and would take care to respect your boundaries.

Hobbies and Activities:

You and Shoto would likely enjoy quiet, calming activities together — reading, watching shows, or engaging in deep discussions. Shoto might even introduce you to some activities he enjoys, like training (though he may tone it down for you), while you could get him to enjoy more artsy things like singing or attending a school play. You’d also both enjoy moments of solitude, making sure you’re each taking care of your mental health.

Looks and Vibes:

Shoto’s cool, collected exterior matches your cutesy yet thoughtful aesthetic, though you two would stand out in different ways. He has a calm demeanor, with his half-red, half-white hair and piercing eyes, which would contrast nicely with your curly brown hair and softer style. You’d both have an understated kind of charm, neither of you needing to be loud to be noticed.

Final Thoughts:

Todoroki would deeply respect your creative side and emotional depth. He would be an emotionally stable and understanding partner who’d appreciate your intelligence, kindness, and quirky interests. Like Kageyama, he’s a bit reserved at first, but with time, he’d open up and be a rock-solid support for you.

[obsidiancreates]

One Undead To Another (Chapter 6)

(Trigger warnings: drinking as self-medication is briefly mentioned/shown, more mentions of Shawn's neck wound being Very Bad, blood drinking, murder.)

“I’m starving.”

Something about Shawn’s voice makes all three other inhabitants of the car freeze.

There’s a desperation to it, but something else, too. Some underlaying quality that feels wrong, the way the air in the house was Choked with Nothing and the way seeing Shawn bloodied and motionless and devoid of life was inconcievable and the way that-

That-

The car is silent until Lassiter speaks up. “How’s his neck, Guster?”

“I cleaned it up, but-” Gus glances over, and his entire stomach leaps into his throat. It’s horrible, it’s mangled, and it’s Shawn. “Oh my god, I can’t look at it-”

“Do not throw up in this vehicle!” Gus wants to argue that Lassie and Jules are the ones getting vampire ashes and rotten blood all over the seats, but he’s too busy gagging. He tries to look at Shawn just out of the corner of his eye- Shawn is slumped in his seat. He looks like he should be breathing raggedly. He’s not breathing at all.

“Carlton, that’s not the priority right now!” Jules twists in her seat to look back at Shawn and Gus, and when Shawn laughs- quiet and raspy and in a way Gus would almost describe as rapturous, she softens.

And then the ghost, the ghost- Gus can’t handle the ghosts. Sitting in the seat between him and Shawn is Shawn’s grandma, which is freaky enough, but now Shawn’s grandpa is here too sitting inside the passenger seat and probably phasing a little into Jules as well and both ghosts are holding Shawn’s hands looking at him like he’s the dead loved one.

… He kind of is. Gus doesn’t want to think about that. The thought won’t leave him alone.

The ghost of Shawn’s grandpa, right after Shawn laughs, says in an almost scolding tone, “Didn’t your grandmother tell you to stop that kinda thinking?”

Gus wishes he’d been paying attention to the conversation Shawn had been having with his grandma before- or maybe it’s better he didn’t. He hopes he doesn’t know what Shawn was thinking, because his theory is-

Too much. Too much to handle right now.

The car is silent as Shawn talks in weak mumbles to his grandfather, as they start to play a game, as Shawn’s body language goes from limp and tired to limp and relaxed. It’s only then, when he seems completely disconnected from everything, that Lassiter once again breaks the silence.

“I’m driving to the hospital.”

“Carlton, he’s– he’s not–”

“He’s hurt.”

“Hospital can’t help him now, Detective.”

Lassiter, Jules, and Gus all scream in unison as Mary Lightly pops out of the dashboard like it’s a Whack-A-Mole game. Lassiter nearly swerves right off the road, Jules having to reach right through Mary’s head to yank the wheel back the other way at the last second!

Mary is unphased- mentally. Physically, he’s phasing through quite a lot. “You saw what was down there, Detective. You know what happened to him.”

Lassiter grips the steering wheel so tight Gus could swear he hears something crack- a knuckle or a car part, it’s intimidating either way. “He needs medical attention.”

“He needs a coffin.” Mary’s ghost angles his head to look at Shawn, but gets a stern and upset glare from Shawn’s Grandma instead. “That was insensitive. It’s true though. He’s going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow…”

“Can it, Lightly,” Lassiter growls, looking a little green. “Unless you want to tell us what the hell happened in there I don’t want to hear a word.”

“You know what happened down there.”

“No, we really don’t. Mary, please tell us what Shawn was onto, why they had him tied up, why any of this happened!” Jules is pleading, but demanding- she’ll get her answers nicely, or she’ll get them unpleasantly, but either way she will get them. “Why did they do this to him?”

Mary looks at her, and nods once. “Because–” Mary looks Gus in the eyes. “-- he’s psychic.”

Gus closes his eyes. He remembers his lamaze breathing. He prays to god it’ll keep his heart and brain from exploding.

“They needed a psychic because of us. This.” Mary raises a see-through hand out of the air conditioner control knobs and gestures at himself and the other two ghosts. “Spirits congregate around psychics and other undead do not… like our presence. Though they didn’t expect quiet as explosive an ordeal as what went down.”

“What, they knew you’d be there and just didn’t plan for it? Bull.” Lassiter grips onto the story, the ability to poke holes, the ability to be skeptical and analytical and distracted.

“Exactly, Detective. Most psychics don’t do what Shawn does. Most spirits feel neutral at best towards those they follow. But Shawn… he actually uses his gifts to get justice. He’s haunted by fondness more than anything else.”

“They were all repaying him for solving their murders.” Jules’s voice is soft.

“He’s a favorite among the lingering dead. Psychics aren’t just people who can see futures, pasts, or spirits, Detectives. Shawn is one of the living connected to the world of the dead… or he was. This… upset the balance.” Mary gestures at Shawn’s whole body. Shawn himself is still completely disconnected– staring with unblinking, wrong-colored eyes, mumbling nonsense stories to his encouraging grandparents.

“And it let you all into the world?” Jules twists to look back at Shawn again. “Is this permanent?”

“No. In fact I’d say we have…” Mary licks his thumb and sticks it out, looking around at seemingly nothing before nodding to himself. “The rest of this car ride to stick around. Then it’ll be back to the invisible overlapping planes, giving Shawn snippets, and leaving what gets through to him up to the universe’s whims. Be patient with him after this, Detectives. His abilities are going to be… like a whole new experience.”

For a while no-one has anything to say. Mary stays risen out of the dashboard, just watching them all.

“... Is he going to be… Shawn? When this is all over?” Gus knows his voice doesn’t actually sound like when he was a child, but that’s what he hears. He hears himself, young and confused and scared, asking if his best friend is going to be okay.

“Of course he will, which means it’ll be a mixed bag. You know that, Gus.”

Jules swallows. “But will he be different? Himself, but… different? I mean, in the movies it always–”

“Exatrabates the worst traits, makes a spawn a manipulative mess, drains away all self-control in the internal battle for their eternal soul?” Mary finishes for her. “There’s not many former vampires among us, Detectives, so I can’t say for sure what will happen to him. Even the dead don’t know everything.”

“Right. Right. … So we should approach this with… caution. I know, we were going to already, but–”

Shawn’s head makes a thunk sound as it falls down from the glass onto the plastic interior of the door. Gus sits up and starts to reach over, heart pounding as images of Shawn lifeless and pale on the floor of a horrible basement flash to the forefront of his mind-

Shawn’s Grandma grabs his hand before he touches Shawn. “He’s just asleep dear. Best not to touch him yet. Just in case.” She pats Gus’s hand comfortingly. “Let him rest.”

“He usually snores.” Gus’s voice clogs in his throat, coming out thick and hard to understand. Shawn isn’t snoring now. He’s silent. Nothing moves, or makes the faintest hint of noise, or shows life. Because there is no life.

Shawn’s Grandma rubs his hand again. “I know. It… it’ll be difficult to get used to.” 

More silence.

“... One the bright side, he was bitten by daywalkers,” Mary says just as they turn onto the street of Shawn’s latest apartment. 

“Now’s not the time for puns,” Lassiter growls.

“I agree, did I make one?”

“Actually, I think Shawn’ll find it pretty funny. I’ll tell him… when he wakes up,” Gus says.

Because Shawn, Shawn, has to wake up. It has to be him, he has to, because if he doesn’t or if-if something else does–

He just… has to.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ghosts fade away entirely moments after Lassiter parks. Shawn’s face twists in his sleep for a moment, confused, as he reaches out restlessly to find the now-missing hands on his.

He gets Gus and Lassie hefting him up by his shoulders and legs instead, somehow staying asleep through the ordeal of getting him inside his apartment and dropping him onto his bed. He lays splayed out, arms and legs staying wherever they fell as Lassie and Gus heaved and tossed him. He’s still ashen, and still, and silent. 

He looks like a corpse.

“Excuse me a second.” Gus runs into the bathroom and lets loose little more than bile. He retches until he can’t, and then some more, and by the time he stumbles out Shawn has shifted and is now cradling a pillow to his chest. Lassie and Jules stand over the bed, whispering harshly to each other.

“-- give him a chance! Mary said–”

“That he doesn’t know, O’Hara.” Lassiter swallows thickly. “I don’t like it either.”

“You’ve been talking about shooting him for four years.”

“I don’t mean it! Not lethally, anyway. Usually. … Only half the time.”

“Oh, hell no.” Gus puts himself between the detectives and the bed. “You two are not debating staking Shawn while I was throwing up!”

“No, we are not.” Jules levels Lassiter with a glare. 

“Yes, we are.”

“You just risked your life to save him, now you wanna kill him?! You’re messed up, Lassie.”

“I don’t want to kill him! But look at him, Guster!”

Gus looks. He sees Shawn, hurt and vulnerable and tired.

“Look at his teeth.”

Shawn’s mouth is slightly parted in sleep, even though no breaths are drawn or exhaled. Gus doesn’t want to see them. He doesn’t want to, but they’re unmissable. Peeking out from the corners of his mouth, sharp and gleaming and dangerous.

He knew they’d be there- he knew what was happening, he was even told outright, but somehow seeing the fangs makes it hit all over again like it’s a surprise and this whole night- no, these just past couple of hours are too much, too much, too much and he collapses.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“He’s Shawn!”

“He could kill someone.”

“He could always kill someone, anyone can kill someone!”

“O’Hara–”

“We did not go through all of that to not even give him a chance to prove he’s capable of staying himself.”

“What if he ends up like them, O’Hara? That’ll be on us.”

“Oh my god, Carlton, that is the most selfish-”

“Not because of that, O’Hara, because we let it happen! Those other ones almost drove us to declaring three murders a cold case.”

“But Shawn caught them! He saw through it!”

“And now he’s also a bloodsucking demon spawn!”

They’ve been going in circles, over and over. Gus passing out didn’t stop them, just paused the argument long enough to make sure he didn’t hit his head and then pick it right back up. 

And Juliet knows. She knows why her partner is saying all of this, even when he doesn’t want to, she knows he doesn’t want to say it. But he’s right. If Shawn wakes up, and it’s his face but not him, what can they do? He was already a whirlwind, a force of nature in plaid shirts and jeans, and unstoppable force and immovable object meshed into one. What would he be without a sense of morality? What could he do?

… But it’s Shawn. He has fangs and skin colder than ice and no heartbeat but he’s also cuddling a pillow, and mumbling Gus’s name in his sleep, and he was laughing in the car and it’s him.

“Fine.” Juliet looks around and finds a broken bit of a fence among Shawn’s seemingly entirely random collection of belongings. She shoves it into Lassiter’s hands. “Do it, then.”

He’s visibly taken aback by the sudden change. “Are you serious?”

“Are you?”

They stand in that impasse for a moment, staring each other in the eyes, Lassiter’s hesitant and unsure and Juliet’s hardened and blazing– those red-eyed bloodsuckers could only wish for a glare like hers.

“Alright.” Lassiter squares his shoulders, then shakes them, then rolls them. He clears his throat, and raises the “stake”. He steps closer to the bed, over Gus’s unconscious body, and just above Shawn.

Juliet’s heart pounds.

Lassiter stands over Shawn, The dim lights, in deperate need of replacing, glint off of the fresh fangs in the corners of his mouth. He mumbles something unintelligible in his sleep, lips drawing back to show them in full. His eyes flutter open for just a second, bright red and–

And glazed, unfocused. He reaches out for something, and doesn’t find it, and his face crumples. His eyes shut again, and for the first time since Lassiter laid eyes on him in that basement Shawn draws breath- just to heave a sigh and fall back into breathless sleep, clutching the pillow closer to his body.

Lassiter stands there, holding a stake above Shawn, trying to see the danger here– the fangs and eyes and bloodless skin. He tries to summon up some of the fury, the irritation, the desperate pleas to the universe to just remove Spencer from his life already. It’s usually available in spades, when Shawn is running around like an idiot and making stupid declarations just to undermine him and cracking jokes at the worst times and encouraging Lassiter to go down completely untrodden paths of nonsensical hunches and trying to give him credit to The Chief and helping him primp for a date and–

And–

“... Dammit.” Lassiter lowers his arm, and then chucks the broken fence into a pile of other random stuff. “Damn it to hell!”

Juliet lets out a breath she’d been holding since Shawn opened his eyes, putting her hand on her partner’s shoulder. “We’ll see what the situation is first,” she says softly. “And I have no doubt Shawn will be his usual self when he wakes up. He always is.”

“... You’re probably right.” Lassiter looks down and kicks Gus lightly in the thigh, waking him up. “Spencer’s too much of a stubborn ass to let anything change him anyway. Even death.”

Gus groans and sits up. “That was the weirdest dream…” He looks up at Lassiter and Jules, and then at Shawn on the bed, and the blood drains out of his face. “Oh my god. It wasn’t a dream.”

Jules helps Gus stand back up. “Not a dream, but, Carlton and I came to an agreement. We’re going to make sure Shawn is fine before we do anything rash.”

“Oh. Good, ‘cause, I would’ve hated having to whoop Lassie’s ass.”

“Please. You couldn’t even beat me in a thumb-wrestling contest, much less and actual fight.”

“I could too.”

“You and Spencer fight like toddlers. Even before all this he was a biter, that’s the lowest move available to a grown man.”

“No, the lowest move is a knee to the- you know.”

He and Lassiter both wince just thinking about it. Jules rolls her eyes, and looks at Shawn. “So are we just… waiting for him to wake up now?”

“Seems like it.” 

There’s a beat of silence.

“I’m seeing if he has any whiskey.” Lassiter walks out into Shawn’s “kitchen”- if it could be called that. This particular apartment used to be a small yoga studio, which means lots of open space and nowhere for a stove. The fridge is barely even a minifridge, and all it has is half a leftover burrito. Instead of cabinets there are plastic tubs, and they’re mostly full of non-perishable junky snacks.

“Great. As if tonight isn’t the biggest reason to get drunk I’ve had in my entire life, including my separation.”

“I think he’s going to be out for a while,” Jules sighs, coming into the “kitchen” as well. “Gus even pretended to use his hair gel and he still stayed asleep.”

Lassiter looks at the door. “... I think we need to go to a bar.”

“A bar? Carlton, we’re covered in ash and blood and Shawn could wake up any time.”

“I know, O’Hara. I just–” Lassiter brings a hand up to smooth his hair, and it’s shaking. “Could use a drink.”

“... Yeah. I could too.” Jules sighs. “But we can’t just leave Gus here. I know I said… but he was mumbling about being starving before…”

“And even if Guster gets away…”

“... But I can’t even imagine that. Can you? Shawn just… attacking someone?”

“O’Hara, before tonight I didn’t even believe Spencer was psychic.”

“Right. … Still, it seems genuinely impossible that could ever happen. Shawn just doesn’t…”

“... It does seem pretty impossible. Spencer and Dangerous don’t even feel like apart of the same language when put together.”

“Right?”

“... What if we put a cross in front of his door? To hold him inside?”

“... Actually…”

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gus would have bet his entire 401K on the certainty he’d never go to a bar with Lassie and Jules without Shawn before tonight. And he almost hadn’t, until Shawn rolled over and Gus caught sight of his neck again and had another fit of gagging and crying that ended with Jules helping him nurse a cup of warm tap water while Lassiter tried and failed to find non-stale crackers.

So now he’s nibbling at peanuts, drinking more heavily than he has since he got married in a sweater vest with a goat as his best man, and trying to forget that he saw his friend dead on the ground less than four hours ago.

He’s not succeeding at it yet, and it looks like Lassie and Jules aren’t either- so another round of shots are called for, and maybe this time it’ll be enough to make his hands stop shaking.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SMASH!

The sound of breaking glass doesn’t get him up. Nor does the unsubtle hiss of pain, or the thump of clumsy boots against the ground.

The smell of blood is what makes him open his eyes. Not quite awake, though- not really. He’s in a haze, and he’s dreaming, and he’s hungry.

“Stupid window,” he hears a voice mutter. “Wh- since when is this- aw hell, how outdated is my small businesses map? There’s nothing worth more than fifty bucks in here.”

He’s not sure when he got up- isn’t that the most disorienting part of dreams? Things just Happen, and there’s no trackable reasoning for it. One second he was on the bed, the next he’s crouched low in his doorway, out of immediate eyeline, just like it was drilled into him to do…

“Does this heap at least have band-aids somewhere? Sss, ah, crap. Right through my glove, this is- ah, shit, if anyone’s home I’m toast. … Nah, nah, someone woulda woken up by now.”

It doesn’t smell quite as good as… actually, he’s not sure what he’s comparing the smell to. Is he comparing? This is a weird dream. His stomach hurts. His mouth hurts just as bad. When he takes a deep breath, he can taste iron in the air. The breath holds in his chest. Doesn’t he usually have to breath out? His chest doesn’t hurt though. It doesn’t matter anyway. How hasn’t this wannabe burglar noticed him? He’s practically getting a piggyback ride from the man.

Bum-bum. Bum-bum. Bum-bum.

It’s still missing something. He doesn’t know what. But it’s still good.

“Not a single band-aid, who lives like thi- mmmph!”

Warm. It’s warm, tangy, a little sweet. It coats his throat like a pineapple smoothie after hours of pouring over a stubborn case without a break. Dry, cracked, raw- it all goes away, smoothed over as it flows down his throat. His neck starts to hurt less- had it been hurting the whole time? His stomach was. It’s finally calming down. He bites harder. What is he biting? He doesn’t know. What a weird dream. It’s all gone so, so soon. He drops something. Something big hits the floor. He turns his cloudy vision away and stumbles back to bed. He collapses onto it, grabbing a pillow and curling loosely around it. He’d woken up feeling cold, stiff, but now he sinks into his mattress. The breath finally leaves his lungs, a deep sigh, as he drifts back into a more restful sleep than he ever had in his life.

[lady-of-endless]

Hello! I hope you're doing well. May I please request a romantic matchup for One Piece?

My pronouns are she/her and I prefer men.

Personality: Leo, INFJ, 1w9, HP house Ravenclaw. Making an effort to understand myself and others is important to me, so that leads to long periods of pondering my actions, as well as others’. I love having me time, though I enjoy being with those close to me from time to time. I'm very supportive, encouraging, reserved, clumsy, easily flustered, athletic, conscientious, witty and sarcastic. Though I unintentionally come across as intimidating, I'm rather gentle and caring. I'm pretty stoic and some misinterpret it as being emotionless (I honestly just want the best for everyone). I rarely lose my cool. I’m adventurous and have completed a dream of mine–living/working in a country that doesn’t speak my native language. I actively search for things to be thankful for to remind myself that there's a lot of beauty in the world, and I'm glad to experience it. I adore challenging myself both intellectually and physically. I am happiest when seeking out information, reason, and understanding. I’m really kinda superstitious…

I work as a foreign language teacher, so my job requires me to have patience, be understanding, be able to think on my feet, and be creative. I'm incredibly determind, which helps push me through difficult days. I strongly encourage those I teach to speak their minds and have open discussions.

My love languages are definitely acts of service and words of affirmation. I don't dislike physical affection when it's from my s/o, but I don't tend to seek it out. Quality time is fine, especially when we're just doing our own thing but sitting near each other. I will always appreciate gifts but hate feeling like I owe others.

Likes and Dislikes: I love discussing topcs that revolve around enigmas. It's not as important to have others agree with me as it is to explore the unknown with them. I like practicing the languages I know, biology, demonology, genealogy, reading, museums, Victorian history, singing, alternative rock and metal music, and exploring my surroundings. Cats and rodents are top tier pets. A large portion of what I read/watch relates to the occult. I dislike storms, large bodies of water, and people who always turn disagreements into arguments.

Hobbies: Writing horror stories, DnD, reading, singing, listening to music, playing the piano, dancing, watching horror movies, drawing, and yoga. As an avid horror fan, animated movies are for sure a guilty pleasure of mine.

Appearance: long wavy auburn hair and my eyes are more of a honey brown. I always wear round glasses. I'm pale with freckles on my cheeks and nose. 5’9, lean, more of an hourglass shape and have a bit of muscle. I mostly wear black and white, but also lilac :) My asthetic is a mix between grunge and dark academia.

I hope this wasn't too painfully long! 💜💜

Author's Note: Thank you for your request! Please dont apologize for the long description, it's helpful and very enjoyable. Hope you'll like it!

I ship you with... Mihawk!

(lovely gif is not mine, please show appreciation to the OP)

- Your ambitious personality draws him in, thinking of how beneficial is to collaborate with someone as ambitious and capable as him. Not to mention your ability to not lose your cool.

- He's feelings go from doubt, to fascination, to respect and then to attraction. He also takes time to understand himself and his feelings so it will definitely be a slow burn.

- He likes that you take time to ponder and then act. Whenever he sees you deep in thought he can't help it but wonder what's going on in that pretty mind of yours.

- Please be a little sarcastic with him too, he'll secretly like that.

- The fact that you try to find the beautiful things in life is something that he wants to learn from you but won't admit. You'll see him try though.

- Unintentionally intimidating looking? You two would look like such a power couple, oh my. Also your grunge and dark academia aesthetic goes so damn well with his aesthetic.

- He thinks that you are a magnificent woman. As days go on and he discovers more about you, you slowly become his muse.

- Because he knows just how determined, analytical and creative you are, he'll probably propose you to come with him to Cross Guild meetings. You'll be a fine addition and a great advisor. (this also gets him the chance to show you off)

- I think that even some of your likes and hobbies will perfectly match his. So perfectly that Mihawk is a bit doubtful at first. He's a bit confused, he always thought that his likes were a bit well, unique.

- Will love to spend a late night talking with you about enigmas and the occult over a glass of wine.

- He will ask you if you could play the piano for him after he had a long day. You may not notice but he looks the most enamoured when you're playing the piano for him.

- Oh and expect reading dates. He takes pride in his library so that's where you two would spend most of the time together.

- He takes note of your dislikes. During stormy weather, Mihawk will invite you next to him to keep you warm. He will start reading to you so that you'll hear his voice instead of the wind and the thunders from outside. He hates it when disagreements turn into arguments as well, so expect him to always come to you and discuss calmly whatever disagreement you two might have.

- Dear, to me you sound like the perfect match for Mihawk, I have nothing else to say.

[potekosblog]

Do you feel there is any potential for SoulXCrona from the "canon" stuff, or is it more just "Maka likes them both, so they better get along too"

AH YES THANKS FOR ASKING THIS

So okay soul and Crona (or Crona with literally any other outside Maka) barely have a proper interaction, It's unfortunate because I believe that Crona has great potential to become friends with everyone in Maka's friend groups.

My personal list of Crona comfort/friendship level: Maka (duh), Soul, Thompson sister, Tsubaki, Kidd, and Black⭐star.

That said I do think Crona and Soul get along well. Ahahah I'm more toward Maka and Soul not getting along especially before Crona came along with the relationship, I especially like the idea cuz when you read the manga the two are getting more cooperative for having one goal of finding Crona. It's always good to see Crona get a win or two, they deserve it after everything they've been through!

Also, a silly art to get the idea which I haven't properly posted on Tumblr oops (it's college AU but the point is getting across)

I just also think Soul and Crona have a lot of similarities which makes it funnier to me.

In my mind Soul is kinda a broody and mysterious there first interaction between Maka and Soul was Soul playing dark-ass piano music and saying "This is me btw" wtf that's so funny to me and it works?!? Okay, piano man. Crona is also moody and mysterious but leans more toward the "people think I'm spooky" energy to me. (Idk I think it's funny Maka has a type)

Additionally, silly note soul and Crona use their body as a human shield as their love language via Soul blocking Crona's attacks and Crona blocking Medusa (anime) and blocking the embodiment of fear! (Manga) It's not a proper love language but close enough.

Not saying Maka wouldn't do the same is just Soul and Crona shielding have more relevance to the plot and instantly change everything within the three characters and I think that's super interesting!

This might be controversial but; Emo, Goth, and Punk

Like the music genre itself, the other can't exist without the influence of the Punk movement. Artists always cross-influence each other and there is a lot of overlap between the three but it is what makes music interesting yunno? also, people tend to confuse emo and goth together (they are different I swear).

(It's 8am while I'm writing this I would come back and edit shit, I just want to answer this question so bad 💀)