#i made art when i was 4 but that wasn't CONTENT. no one wanted to consume my fridge drawings except my mommy.

[ooc-themis-cattails]

"Call yourself an artist, not a content creator"

But I am old enough to remember before art was easy to share online. "Art" was something personal and awkward that you do for yourself in your sketchbook and never show anyone, except maybe your best friends who will politely listen. "Content creating" was a real professional job where you made things good enough to be interesting to others, who usually paid in some way to access it. "Content creation" makes me feel like I made something worthwhile, and "art" makes me feel like a 10 year old doodling scribbles on my notes. So YMMV.

[incognit0slut]

Right Kind of Wrong (6)

She never thought she would be involved in a murder investigation and encounter her one-night-stand again, the awkward guy who isn’t exactly that good in bed—Or is he? Offended by the sentiment, Spencer is determined to prove her wrong… But as he gets tangled with the beautiful stranger, he realizes there is more to her than what meets the eye.

Part summary: she is taken aback as the student becomes the master. wc: 4,3k

Series Warnings: 18+ explicit content (this part includes masturbation, forced orgasm, a little squirting, female and male oral), graphic details of murder

a/n: SMUT ALERT! If you like sexy stuff then you can just read this, but reading previous parts is better for context :)

Other parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

SPENCER HAD WITNESSED MANY THINGS THAT LEFT HIM IN A STATE OF WONDER. Certain books or poetry. Certain buildings, art, or places. Specific moments that left him in an overwhelming sense of awe. But no amount of experience could prepare him for the view right at this moment. It felt as if he wasn't worthy enough to marvel this splendor sight of a woman.

Was comparing her to a masterpiece of fine art too excessive? Although he couldn't help it, with the way she was sprawled along the couch with knees spread apart, she seemed to be all source of beauty and perfection. His eyes trailed across her glorious body; adorning every curve, every line, and every inch of her skin.

His body ached to touch her, to feel her hot skin underneath his fingertips, yet he wouldn’t dare himself to reach out. This was her moment, he realized. She was laid out in front of him on her own accord, wearing nothing but a coy smile and a certain spark in her eye. Who was he to interrupt a woman basking in her sensuality?

"So, is this some kind of a lesson?" He slowly asked after a moment, his tone provocative and full of meaning as he paused and licked his lips. "If you must know, I'm a very fast learner."

Her eyes were focused on his mouth, those plump lips now glistening slightly from where his tongue had just wet them. "A lesson, a show... you can think of it as anything you want." Then a taunting smile played on her lips. "I only need you to pay attention."

His gaze swept over her wet flesh, flushed and swollen, the slickness glistening from her core made every part of him swell. "You've had my full attention ever since I saw you that night. You're all I think about."

She felt herself crumbling at his confession. Her heart hammered against her chest, the charge behind his words spreading warmth throughout her body that had nothing to do with her arousal. "Don't say things like that, Dr. Reid."

"Why?"

Because I think I could fall for you.

She swallowed the thought away and focused her attention on this moment. Sex. That was what she should be thinking of, not the way her mind was going into a spiral of admiration that had nothing to do with physical attraction. Nothing else should matter when the man sitting a few feet away from her was looking at her as if she was his favorite meal.

"On second thought," she decided to say, her fingers slowly moving across her thigh. "Words are good."

When he didn't respond, she continued, her hand slipping between her legs. "Words can be an additional sense to stimulate the brain that goes beyond—" Her fingers softly pressed onto her clit. "—touch."

"That... is true," he softly agreed, his breathing more shallow as he watched her fingers moving in a circle motion. "The brain is the most receptive erogenous zones in the human body."

"Exactly. Now tell me what you're thinking."

There wasn't a moment of hesitation as he answered, "How beautiful you are."

She couldn't help the genuine smile forming in her mouth. "What else?”

She really was a sight. Chemicals suddenly flood his system, making his head pound and chest restrict, his blood entirely redirecting south. He gulped as she quickened the pace on her clit. "How I want to be the one touching you right now."

"Yeah?" She readjusted her position to spread her legs wider, wanting to give him a better look at her glistening flesh. "Tell me how you would touch me."

He could feel his body tightening with arousal. "With my hand."

She bit on her bottom lip, trying to hold her amused laughter. "I think that's already a given." Then she gently sped up the motion of her fingers, her voice coming out breathless as she whispered, "You can do better than that, Spencer."

There was an intense warmth that spread along his body. Hearing her call out his name as she pleasured herself gave him a certain control of the situation. It honestly felt exhilarating to be the reason of her arousal. He was the one she wanted. He was the one to have the privilege to behold her whimpering in desperation.

He then leaned forward, a new sense of power in his voice. "I want to run my hands all over you. I want to taste you." She hummed a response, eyes locking with his. "I want to see you writhing as I map your body with my tongue."

He noticed how receptive she became to his words, her body squirming as her fingers pressed onto her clit harder. He took it as an encouragement and kept on going.

"I want to put my head between your thighs. I want to be the one sucking on all that wetness." His tongue swiped along his bottom lip as his gaze traveled down the slickness dripping between her legs. "Look at how soaking wet you are, taking pleasure in my voice as you desperately play with yourself."

Y/n believed Spencer was a smart man. She also believed it when he said he was a fast learner, yet actually hearing his erotic suggestion while he watched her so earnestly drove her over the edge. Her other hand slid across her breast, pinching her aroused nipple as she continued the erratic movement of her fingers. Her eyelids dropped at the sensation traveling through her body.

"I want to make you feel good until you can't breathe," she heard him say, his voice growing more strained. "Until you can't see, until you can't think of anything else but the overwhelming pleasure I will give to you."

She whimpered out a desperate sigh. The snarl of pleasure that tore itself from his throat at her desperation was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. This glorious feeling of knowing she craved him, that she needed him as badly as he did was indescribable it gave him more power.

"I want to ruin you in the best way possible."

She inhaled sharply, time standing still for a moment. Her eyes then snapped open, landing on him splaying his hands over his knees. Her insides wrenched. Her chest was heaving as her fingers slowed down while she tried to register the refined yet filthy words coming out of his mouth. "Well, aren't you quite the poet."

She saw him shrug his shoulders with a bashful smile curling on his lips. "I read a lot."

A breathless laugh escaped her mouth. "Of course you do."

Then her eyes skimmed across his face, noticing the way his eyes glazed over her. His gaze was a slow pull, a gentle tug at the edge of her consciousness. It was evident in the way her body responded, her core alight with the fire he had been patiently building, throwing more fuel over it with each second that passed.

"You're so pretty," he gently spoke, raking his eyes along the span of her exposed body. Then he couldn't help himself as the next words slipped out of his mouth without much thought, "Put a finger inside yourself."

She tensed for a slight moment before she relaxed. "Giving me orders now?"

"I want to see how tight you are."

Her breath hitched at his words. There was a moment of silence as she slipped a finger into her entrance, her body quivering at the pressure. She moved it slowly, feeling the slickness of her walls clenching around her finger that she let out a moan.

"Add another finger. I know you can take it," he ordered, almost drooling at the sight in front of him. His gaze roamed her flesh, drinking in her naked body, the line of her neck, the peak of her breasts, the flare of her hips, the way she writhed with the pressure of her fingers, and her moan—god, the noises she made. It grew louder as he told her to go faster, her body quivering when he remarked that she was not fast enough.

"You can do better than that, Y/n."

She let out a loud gasp at the sound of her name, her back arching away from the couch, her eyes instantly locking with his. She felt so light-headed, so hot, so unbelievably wet. She started to come aware of everything. The feeling of her fingers digging into her soft flesh, continuously swirling against her heat, and the way his eyes soaked in her every movement. She could feel the weight of his stare and it was enough to throw her over the edge, her fingers moving at a quicker pace.

"Are you close?"

"Yes," she confirmed, her legs beginning to burn as she felt herself getting closer to the steady rhythm she had created with herself. Small whimpers slipped through her lips as she felt the familiar sensation tightening in the pit of her stomach, her mind already losing focus of her surroundings.

"Stop touching yourself."

His sudden voice pulled her back to reality, eyes narrowing in his direction. Somehow she managed to halt her movement as she watched him slowly rise from his seat, striding across the room with leisured yet determined steps. Then he positioned himself right in front of her, standing above her so that she had to tilt her head upward to see his face.

"I'm a man of my word." He slowly lowered himself, dropping down to his knees. A slow, sinful smile snuck its way along his lips as his hand grazed the satin span of her thigh. "I do want to ruin you."

She made a little noise, halfway between a sigh and a moan as a long finger brushed featherlight over her sex. Her fingers slowly slipped away as her eyes trained on him, watching the way he carefully slid a finger between her wetness, feeling his callused pad swipe along her slick folds. And when she thought she couldn't get more aroused than this, he proved her wrong by closing the distance, his mouth wrapped around her throbbing clit.

He grunted in delight as her slickness dampened his jaw.

"You taste so sweet," he murmured, and she felt the warm gust of his exhale into her heat. It made her walls flex just as his tongue dived inside her. She leaned back and writhed as he eagerly licked between her slit, wrapping his arms around her thighs, holding her in place as he devoured her hot flesh. She faintly looked down at him and found his eyes boring into hers, watching her intently as he wrapped his lips around her sweet spot and sucked every inch of her like a man starved.

She closed her eyes, her fingers tangling in his thick, untamed hair as she felt another wave of pleasure hit her. His tongue was pressed flat up against her, lapping at her eagerly before moving to twirl around her clit deliciously. She could feel her high approaching, thighs already trembling and he found that to be the perfect time to pull her in closer by the thighs, wrapping his arms securely around them to bring her core closer to his face.

Feeling her body shake, he wasted no time, tongue furiously licking against her and sliding the muscle in and out easily. His growl rumbled against her wetness as she spasmed, her face a mess of sweat and tears as he lapped up her folds, his tongue sliding into her and pressing on the walls. It didn't take long for her to moan out his name as the sensation struck her body, his hands firmly supported her convulsing body over his tongue to help ride out her high.

She pulled onto his hair with both of her hands, moving her hips against his face as he continued to groan and lick her through her climax. Utterly dazed and covered in a sheen of sweat with a pleasant tingling sensation traveling throughout her body, she watched as he slowly straightened himself, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her into a sitting position.

Then he didn't wait anymore longer as he buried his face in her chest, mouth circling onto her hard nipple. Shoulders tensing, she grabbed a handful of his hair. His tongue was lapping eagerly while his hands roamed her breasts greedily, trying to grab as much of her as he possibly could.

She was dizzy with feverish need, pulling him closer to her chest, getting herself drunk on the caresses against her skin. It wasn't until she felt fingers sliding into her pulsing, sensitive heat that she let out a desperate moan, louder than she intended to.

"Spencer," she whimpered, her body starting to shake again. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you pleasure," he murmured against her skin. Then he proceeded to prove his words by thrusting his fingers steadily into her while his thumb rubbed onto her clit. Her hips buckled while her hand fumbled everywhere in search of something to hold before gripping it along his wrist, a familiar yet stronger sensation pushing through her body for the second time.

This high was fast. It was consuming her so much that she could already feel the coil in her stomach, her mind going blank. She arched her back, instinctively shoving away a bit from him, but he moved closer, rocking his fingers in and out of her body at a more rapid pace, almost violently.

"That's it, I got you," he growled in a rich, rounded tone, slamming his fingers into her. "You can take it."

The pleasure suddenly exploded inside of her, sending her over the edge as she cried louder than before, the sensation sweeping her up into orgasmic bliss and leaving her panting heavily. The feeling was all-consuming, overwhelming in all the best ways. She let out a sob as he eased her through it, kissing her breasts while her thighs shook around his arm.

Her breathing slowed as she came back down to reality and she reached out her hand for him. There was a coy smile on his lips as he sat beside her, pulling her body into his arms as he gently hooked a hand under one of her legs, placing it on top of his thighs.

She might not be as smart as he was, but she could tell exactly what he had in mind.

"Spencer," she hissed, throwing him a pointed look. But her protest trembled as he gently kissed the corner of her lips, traveling along her jawline before he buried his head in the crook of her neck.

"I think you can give me another one."

A hiss of pleasure instantly flew out of her mouth as she felt him thrusting two fingers inside her swollen flesh. There was no mercy in his sudden movement this time, curling his digits inside her vigorously, the sensation had her legs shaking all over again. She could hear how drenched she was, the slick sound of him driving into her echoed around the room, followed by a harsh, loud sob ripping through her throat.

The heel of his palm pressed against her clit as he continued to curl his fingers inside her. Her thighs tightened around his hand, trying desperately to push him away from the overwhelming sensation. Her body was already shaking from the sheer number of times of pleasure, unsure that she could take much more.

"I-I can't—" She begged him, her fingers wrapping around his wrist, trying to pull his hand away but instead the vibrations began to ripple throughout her body. Her eyes rolled back as her mouth dropped open, no longer able to speak as a loud squeal left her lips, the sound distorted by the pleasure surging through her body. “P-Please. I can’t.”

"One more—just one last time."

She cried out and huffed breaths in her nose as his fingers curled and started to rock almost violently forward, swinging hard against a spot deep inside her. Her eyes went wide, feeling something entirely new, like nothing she had ever experienced before. "I-I can't, it's too much—fuck."

"That's it. Such a good girl." He growled, panting with exertion, using the strength of his whole arm to push in and out at a blistering speed. "You look so pretty like this."

"I-I'm going to make a mess—" A panic cry left her mouth, her whole body tensing. Her grip tightened around his forearm, reveling in the flex of his tendons as he rocked his fingers inside her violently.

"Then make a mess." He kissed the side of her neck. "Come on, make a mess for me."

He was forcing out filthy, squelching noises from her body and all she could do was lean into him, wordlessly panting needy noises. Then his thumb circled around her clit, pushing it up into her body so harshly she was gripping onto his arm for dear life. She couldn't take it anymore, her body shaking as the intensity rippled along her core.

And then it suddenly came to her—so intense, so violent, sweeping her away as she almost blacked out at the force of pleasure. She could hear his distinctive voice, triumphant, then turning into lavish praise as she screamed, focusing on a sudden pressure in her gut before a strong gush of liquid surged from her body. He watched her tremble and held her close to him as she screamed out his name, his fingers continuously circling her clit roughly.

Y/n had never felt a pleasure so intense until now. Her body was spasming, her legs were shaking, and her eyes were closed shut. She held onto him desperately and felt his heart beating under her palm as he kissed the side of her head, gently muttering praises as he helped her ride out the tide of pleasure convulsing in her blood. And when every drip of liquid escaped her body, she finally let out a sigh, her head falling against his shoulder.

The silence was calm after the wave, but his voice slowly filled her head with a hint of triumph. "So, did I do well?"

She was tired; utterly, delightfully tired. But she wasn't in the place to hear him gloat. Her eyes slightly trained on him, and hating the smug look on his face, she slowly turned her body towards him. She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling as she pressed her lips on his cheek, softly, barely even touching it, before she trailed her lips down his jawline, stopping on the crook of his neck.

"I.." He breathed out, his voice sounding strangled as she felt his grip on her hip. "What are you doing?"

"Just reciprocating your words." She then opened her mouth, her tongue slightly tasting his skin. "I want to ruin you too."

Her parted lips were hot against his skin, his eyes fluttering close as she softly sucked on the spot below his ear. He let out a soft whimper, melting into her touch. What was it about neck kisses that made them feel so good? Was it the tingles that ran down his spine through to the soles of his feet with every kiss? Was it the feeling of intimacy clouding his thoughts?

Y/n wasn't even fully recovered from the pleasure still strumming in her system but she found herself reaching over, sinking onto her knees in front of him. His eyes went wide momentarily. Realization hit him as he understood what she wanted, what she wanted to do to him, his eyes studying the determined look on her face.

"A-Are you sure?" He asked carefully, sliding a hand into her hair. "Because if you change your mind, I'm more than fine."

She dragged her eyes up to his body, lingering for a few seconds on the vest he was still clad in and caressing the blush dipping along his neck before settling on his face. "I think it's only fair. Besides," she muttered, giving him a sly smile, looking into the passion brimming in his eyes. "I really want to suck you."

He grunted at her words, leaning onto the couch as he watched her. She wanted to bask in the warmth of his gaze, the utter devotion in his eyes as she settled between his thighs. She leaned closer, raking her nails over the contours of his legs, the material of his pants rippling under her fingers.

Biting her lip, she slid one hand over his bulge. He let out a sharp breath, desperately whispering her name as she unbuttoned the belt around his waist. Her movements were slow, lingering the anticipation in his tensed muscles. And after fumbling with his belt, he finally helped her, pulling himself out of the confinement of his pants.

She sighed in satisfaction. God, he was beautiful. He was thick and solid, warm and long with a slight curve. Veins dance along his length and she traced a finger up to the flared head, before dipping her head, her lips following. The droplet of wetness on the tip looked too nice to be ignored and her head completely emptied as she leaned in and licked it up.

He grunted weakly, out of amusement or desire, she didn't know—maybe both. Humming, she wrapped one hand around him and stroked him slowly. A pause settled between them before she finally took him fully in her mouth. He was all salt-tinged mixed with something undeniably him, his taste bursting on her tongue. She kept swallowing him down, her jaw stretching wide as she struggled to get every inch of him inside her, wrapping her hand around what was left.

"Y/n," he groaned between ragged breaths as her mouth wrapped around the girth of his thickness. He had his hand buried deep in her hair, holding it up in his grip when she tightened her hold on him, squeezing him gently. The added stimulation made his eyes roll back, a masculine sound of pleasure resounding in his throat. "You're unbelievable."

The compliment and the urgency in his voice made her wonder how much she was able to make him lose control. She swirled her tongue around him, swallowing him back down as she give him a rough, firm pump. She hollowed her cheeks and greedily inhaled him. His smooth, warm length slid across her tongue and he hit the back of her throat. The vibrations traveled down, shooting through his veins and he almost came apart right there.

"Shit," he rasped out, tugging on her hair as his hips jerked up, and she gagged, rearing back off with a cough, eyes watering. "You're taking me so well."

She couldn't stop the proud smile forming on her face. She was the one who made him lose control—the one who could awaken the dumbstruck look in his eyes. Her mouth enclosed around him again and she repeated the movement, trailing down his cock with her tongue, hands twisting back and forth, lips sliding back down until she had every inch of him in her mouth. He took her head in a tender hold and slammed her face down, his hips flexing to meet her.

The low wet sounds of her gagging meld with his gravelly broken moans were so erotic. She glanced up at him, brow-raising mischievously as she moved her head in a rapid motion. He panted another hoarse sigh out, his chest heaving as he inhaled a lung full of desperately needed air, hips jolting upward.

"I can't hold any longer," he whispered hoarsely.

He was on the edge of his release, she could feel him pulsing in her mouth. The mixture of intimacy and pleasure overwhelmed his body, and instead of pulling away, she only grew more aggressive in her attempt, sucking harder and tongue pressing firmer. Her efforts were rewarded by the hot ropes of liquid hitting her throat. His head was starting to spin, stars danced behind his eyes as he felt her swallow everything he had to give, save for the small dribble past her lips as she unraveled her mouth around his shaft.

She smiled up at him, enjoying the way he was leaning back after his bliss, and despite how heavy his body felt, he used a thumb to wipe away the line of liquid on her mouth. "I think we both are very much ruined."

She let him pull her up, settling himself on top of his thighs. His wide hands engulfed her face before he brought her down to him, capturing her lips in a soft, searing kiss. He kissed her with every ounce of power he had. Kissed her as he had daydreamed about so many times. He kissed her as he had never kissed anyone before, and it was messy and rough and probably looked horrific from a different point of view, but it felt right.

Then he pulled away, yet kept his hold on her. She carefully resigned herself, feeling completely in the moment with him, her eyes lost in his lingering gaze as she scanned over his features. His eyes appeared darker in this light of the room and angle, but she could still see the softness of them.

He suddenly reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The unexpected action had her freeze above him. It awfully felt too intimate, but on the other hand, it felt... somewhat peaceful. Calming. Serene.

And at that moment, she suddenly became aware of their surroundings, of what had took place. The way she was naked and perched on his lap. The way he was mostly fully clothed. The way they were trying to catch their breath.

Then her knee grazed against the deadly weapon still attached to his hip and she jerked, becoming aware of who he was, who she was supposed to be. This unexpected turn of events was already a slight curve in the dynamic between an authority and somebody who was involved in a case.

An unsettling feeling suddenly weighed in her gut as she studied his face, pushing and pulling her consciousness as if she was stepping into a pit of regret… into something that was unforeseeable—into something that wasn't going to end well.

>> NEXT PART

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[phopollo]

Could we also get back stories for Electra and the components and their families?

Love your art❣️❣️❣️

Hoo boy, okay, time to avoid putting off this answer akdbskdje

None of them have like.... "simple" backstories, but talking about the electrics and their backstories in the cartooniverse is definitely the most complicated, because they all tie back to Electra and/or Purse and Krupp. So! I'll start with them!

Another big long post, im so sorry akfnskd

Purse & Krupp

Even though I'm talking about them together, Purse & Krupp didn't know each other or even about each other's existences before being hired to work together. Purse had participated in some shadier money management activities, most of which was under the table work. Trying to get out of that, he applied for a job with a large and well known company and production line, seeking a personal money manager/accountant, legal advisor, and PR rep. Not all the same job for the same person, for the new face of the company. But Purse, feeling cheeky, applied for all three job positions. And then proceeded to land all three of them. Krupp, meanwhile, wasn't anything or anyone special or of note. As an armaments truck, he'd worked part time with public security and part time shuttling things said public security needed back and forth. He was simply looking for a raise, and seeing that this big large company was looking for personal security for the new face of the company, applied, not expecting to get the job. Purse and Krupp met perhaps a week before they met Electra and were given an opportunity to bsck out, as they were still in production when they were hired. Neither Purse or Krupp really processed what their new boss not even being fully built yet meant outside of "Oh, they might be a little naive." (Welcome to fatherhood you two!)

Electra

Electra was factory built specifically for and by the mentioned company that Purse and Krupp were hired by. They had been powered on for perhaps three hours before immediately being shoved in to Purse and Krupp's arms, and then in to their new job. Their entire purpose was to be a pretty face and be convincing for people to want to do business with their company. They didn't work on a line, and they didn't race. Occasionally, they did something more akin to shows, but... never anything that gave them that thrill they'd been seeking. After about 2 years, they made a convincing enough argument to their company to be allowed to participate in a single race-- a decision that the company would later regret, because they'd continue to make arguements to keep entering in races, which they'd always win. Another two years later (so roughly 4 years old total), Electra decided to break off from their parent company to go out on their own in a solo career for racing, having felt so drawn to and called by it. They took Purse and Krupp with them when they did, leaving their company to have to scramble for a new face and employees all over again. Here's some bonus babylectra & their gay dads loyal employees content (both while company owned and on their own)

Wrench

I say this so affectionately, Wrench was a freaky little girl. She was surrogate built for her demolition truck parents, and grew up literally right next to a scrap yard, where she would very happily go play as a kid. She really really liked to take things apart and try to figure out how they worked. Her parents, being demolition trucks who's jobs were also to take things apart, were supportive if not a little concerned by how methodical she was by it, but hey, they guess she's taking an interest in the fsmily business? But one day, while doing her thing and taking scraps apart, she broke her finger and needed to be taken to see a repair truck. And that totally blew her mind. Being able to put things back together?? Oh she NEEDED to be able to do that. She HAD to know how things worked AND be able to make them work. So! Wrench started doing her research to become a repair truck immediately (much to her parents concerned support), despite being far too young to actually begin training. By the time she actually got to her repair training, she was extremely knowledgeable (and morbid-) about diesel and steam engines, as there was so much information out in the world about them. But she was fascinated by the lack of information she could find on electric engines-- so new, constantly changing.... there weren't any experts in her or any of her neighboring yards. So of course, she decided that thats what she wanted to specialize in for repairs, despite not many electric engines passing through her station. (The scrap yard became her best friend during this time.) It was difficult after she became a fully certified repair truck though, due to that lack of electrics passing through her yard and not having the heart to apply for a transfer. She wasn't taken seriously, and frequently wasn't fetched for the few electrics that did need repairs, as the other repair trucks frequently just went ahead and fixed whatever little problem it was-- screw needing tightening, plating reaplications, etc etc. One day, she was called out to one of her neighboring stations though, as there had been a crash on the tracks involving an electric engine-- Electra. When she arrived, rather than just fixing whatever problem was caused by the crash, she also identified and fixed long standing problems they didn't even know they'd had, most of which caused by non electric specialized repair trucks assuming they could fix something minor. She was offered a job as their personal repair truck before she even finished her work that day. Here's a little baby Wrench just starting her repair training & Wrench the day she was hired. She became the first component they'd actually chosen for themself.

Volta

Volta grew up in a bit of a smaller, more conservative yard. The old school traditional freight and coach roles and presentations were more prevelant. So of course, when Volta, as a freight car, started expressing and experimenting with self expression that was viewed as traditionally "more coach-like," caring more for his hair and getting interested in makeup and fashion, he wasn't exactly popular with his peers. Considered too coach-like to get on with the freight, and the coaches unable to see past him being freight and get along. It was rough for the little dude, turning him a bit jaded and snarky at a young age, just out of tje need tor a defense mechanism. It never stopped him, but the constant isolation and judgement did beat him down quite a bit as he made it to adulthood. Meeting Electra, Purse, Krupp, and Wrench was pure coincidence. They were simply passing through a station that was part of his work route at the same time that he was. And he was absolutely enamored with them. They were the first rolling stock he'd seen who's expression of self was so similar to his, how could be not stare? Purse was the one to approach Volta. He wanted to know what shade and brand he used for his eye makeup, and if he thought it would work for Electra. Volta, trying desperately to be more interesting and keep these people talking to him, cracked a joke that they'd have to pay him for a consultation. To his shock, Purse agreed and asked him about prices and appointment times. When Electra & co actually showed up for the consultation, he absolutely faked it until he made it and they were happy with the result. He felt so normal for the first time ever talking to them, that when Electra & co went to leave, he extremely impulsively asked for a job. It was mortifying-- the most embarassing desperate moment of his entire life. Especially when Electra said no. But a moment of weakness and desperation, because several months later Electra returned to offer him a job, looking for a stylist and knowing he was interested. Bonus of of course, baby Volta & Volta the day he was hired

Joule

You know the saying "it takes a village?" Replace "village" eith "circus," and say hello to literally Joule. She wae built as an animal car in a circus train, and while even though not everyone was technically her family, that didn't matter because they all behaved like her family. It was generally an extremely positive environment to grow up in. The obvious downsides to being a performer from a young age and having such a large family of course reared their heads, but generally speaking, she wouldn't say she had a bad childhood. She was working and participating in acts before she hit double digits, but... well there wasn't exactly a lack of animal cars, and in her early teen years began to feel like it wouldn't really matter of she were there or not. She isn't really sure what sparked her interest-- perhaps it was just being different from what she was used to-- but she eventually took interest in the art of fire eating. Researching in to that took her down the road of pyrotechnics, and before she knew it, Joule was converting in to a dynamite truck and switching acts. And she loved it. She loved it for a really long time. She still does, actually, but... well. After awhile, it just made her... tired. Being in front of an audience like that was tiring. After shows, she'd always immediately go check and lock and undo everything that if anything went wrong could make everything brust into flames, and by the time she was done, most of the guests who'd stay to chat were already gone or on their way out. Never talking to anyone but her family and doing the same things every day was just... exhausting. Which is why when she returned from her checks after a show one day and found some massihe blue freak and their entourage waiting to talk to her specifically, who hadn't spoken to anyone else, it was extreme pleasantly surprising. More so when they'd ask her challenging questions about her job and hypotheticals about how she'd do something. And even more so when they'd keep coming back. She'd begun to find the most exciting part about performing was trying to spot them in the crowd and speaking with them afterwards, even if the conversations quickly derailed. It hadn't taken long for her to learn that this massive blue freak was a racer-- Electra-- but it took quite awhile for her schedule to line up to go watch them the way they'd kept coming to see her. It was only fair, wasn't it? But when Joule showed up, the atmosphere was so.... familiar, and yet.... different. It was exciting. And the race was exciting. The idea of going that fast was so alluring. She knew she'd want to get more involved in the racing scene. And watching Electra race? They were so cool and hot and powerful, and-- just-- woah. They lived like this? They just went to different places, and they didn't have a set routine when they performed? Extremely enticing. And when Electra saw her in the crowd and waved to her? And then immediately approached her after winning? Insane. It made Joule feel more seen than she had in her entire life. She didn't hesitate in the slightest when they offered her a job. And as per usual, bonus baby Joule & Joule the day she was hired

Killerwatt

Killerwatt's story doesn't actually begin with him-- he doesn't actually show up until late. It actually starts about 2 years before he's built, when Purse and Krupp start to disagree with some of the choices Electra had been making. At first, they kept their mouths shut. It wasn't frequent. They weren't decisions that were big deals. But the more time went on, the bigger deals they were, and eventually, they couldn't keep their mouths shut about it. It started to get bad, with frequent argurments and disagreements, and tension hanging over everyone. Now, with Electra as their own company, their own business, they began to wonder if they really needed Purse and Krupp. They had long since learned to mange their own bank accounts and the legalities of things, and Volta and Joule had honestly taken up most of the social media managing that Purse was supposed to be doing. And fans were respectful-- there hadn't been any threats made other than with fellow racers, of which, Electra could easily handle themself. What was Krupp even doing? But-- sentimentality kept them from firing them. About five months prior to Killerwatt's building, Electra finally decided and told Purse and Krupp that they wouldn't be renewing their contracts. And when asked if they were being replaced, grew extremely concerned that Electra didn't plan to at least replace Krupp. The only reason Electra thought he wasn't doing anything was because he was good enough at his job that the security details never reached them. Purse and Krupp were so undeniably attached to Electra after almost 10 years together, and they were extremely nervous about leaving them with no protection. So the two of them formed a plan. About two weeks before their contracts ended, having waited and timed things as last second as they could so Electra wouldn't notice until after they were gone and it was too late, and while it was still legal due to some fun loopholes Purse found, the two of them pushed through a commission order to a factory. A commission... specifically for a security truck for a Electra. And their plan worked. Electra got the email two weeks after Purse and Krupp left that their security truck would be ready in about a week, and did they want to come choose from the batch themself, or have one randomly selected and sent out to them? (They learned a very hard lesson to check their bank account more frequently that day.) So Electra, after tweaking out over Purse and Krupp spending their money, and on a security truck that they did not want, decided that-- well they wouldn't let this all be a total waste. And it wouldn't be fair for someone to be built to do something and not even have the chance to, they'd offer the smallest timedrame contract they could. So they showed up about two days after the batch had been finished and had time to be told what to expect, as almost all factory built rolling stock get. And... well, none of them really stood out. They were all so well trained in security already that there really wasn't anything that made any of them stand out, and, honestly, Electra was on the verge of just hiring whichever one they thought would clean up best and look good next to the rest of the components. But-- hold on, I actually have a visual for this moment

And I fear then both of their faces were sealed in that moment. Electra had to have this one. He was the only one looking at and following them. And-- well even if he wouldn't be doing much of anything, how could they possibly hire a security truck who wouldn't keep their eyes on them and their safety?? It's now been 3 years, and Electra has since learned his name is Killerwatt, and this was the best hiring decision they could have ever made. Bonus Babywatt doodle, of course, just to show off his pretty curls better

[galedekarios]

gale as a professor at blackstaff academy

i have to say that at first i wasn't too sold on the (then still fanon) idea of a professor ending because of gale's own prior anecdote about being irked by his previous students and their inadequacies.

i thought it might not be a good fit for him as far as professions go.

but reading the epilogue files, i have come around on it.

i think it's just one more way in which he's really grown into himself, become content with who he was in the past, the mistakes he made and what he has learned from them, and the person he wants to be in the future:

Player: You? A teacher? I'd hardly say you set the best example for impressionable young wizards... Gale: I think it makes perfect sense. devnote: Surprised you wouldn't recognise this, a tiny bit offended you don't trust him to do this Gale: Who better to warn of the perils of misusing magic than someone who was once only a wayward sneeze away from destroying a mid-sized settlement? devnote: playing up to his past a bit, you can imagine this is how he acts with his students Tara the Tressym: Don't remind me of those terrible times, Mr Dekarios. My blood pressure has only just recovered.

a few more cute banters & things we learn about gale and his new teaching position:

tara swipes at students who fall asleep in gale's classes, which he himself doesn't mind. he, too, slept through some of them (like his calishite lessons):

Player: Perhaps that's a good thing. I'm sure they're far better students than I was... Gale: Ah, so you still remember our little lesson? devnote: A little bit bashful, it was a vulnerable moment for him Gale: 'Teaching' you was hardly an effort at all. Not like my present cohort of apprentices. devnote: Complimentary, pulling the thought back to the teaching element after getting lost in the memory of the moment Gale: They try their best, of course - when they can manage to stay awake. devnote: Not upset by this - he slept through his fair share of classes as a student Tara the Tressym: The cheek of them! Nothing a well-placed swipe from Tara can't fix, though.

2. gale offered to teach more subjects than illusion via simulacra:

Player: Only a professor? With your expertise, I'd have thought you could teach every kind of magic going... Gale: I did offer, as a matter of fact. devnote: Secretly glad the player thinks so highly of him Gale: However, the Blackstaff insisted I couldn't teach every subject, nor could the simulacra of myself I offered to create for that purpose. devnote: Reluctantly accepts that this was the right decision Gale: So, I've settled for teaching the art of illusion. Magic to confound the senses, to render the impossible into reality, and to allow expression of that most magical attribute of all - imagination. devnote: Selling it a bit - he wants to make sure you appreciate how cool this is

3. gale has told his students about the player's adventures and will invite a player to be a guest lecturer:

Player: I found the love of my life. I'd say I'm pretty happy. Gale: And I couldn't be happier for you. A fitting reward for the sacrifices you made in getting here. Gale: I've told my students plenty of tales about our escapades. You're something of a hero to them, you know. Gale: I'd be delighted to introduce you to my current cohort - as a guest lecturer, perhaps? I'm sure they'd have plenty of questions for you. Player: It would be my pleasure. Gale: Excellent. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist the allure of sharing your expertise. Gale: Of course you'll be most welcome to stay with me in my tower- Tara the Tressym: Ahem. Gale: My apologies, Tara. That would be our tower.

4. his students find him somewhat intimidating due to his backstory with mystra and the orb:

Gale: Well, that was quite lovely. I'm glad you're as pleased to see me as I am you. Gale: I have to say, I'm quite grateful to just be 'Gale' for the evening. Gale: I fear my students find me somewhat intimidating, due to my erm, explosive former reputation. I seem to put the fear of the gods into them. devnote: He plays up to his reputations a bit, so he isn't overly surprised Gale: Or the fear of Mystra, to be more specific. Gale: I surrendered the Crown of Karsus to her, as I told you I would. And in return, she cured me of the orb at last. Gale: Even now, I struggle to put the feeling into words. It was like exhaling for the first time, after holding my breath for so very long. Gale: Of course, I haven't clarified with my students that the orb is no longer a threat. The legend of my explosive capabilities is an excellent means of controlling a classroom. Too good, if anything.

5. he wants to teach his students that there is fun in studying magic:

Gale: I spend most of my time trying to convince them how much fun the study of magic can be, but it'd be easier to crack a smile on an intellect devourer than some of my pupils... devnote: Despairing a little, doesn't understand why they aren't all as passionate as he was Player: Or on a mind flayer, perhaps... Gale: Smiling may no longer come easy to you, but I've seen how your tentacles twitch at my jokes. Even the ones I'm not entirely certain I was trying to make... devnote: Last sentence a tiny bit self-conscious, aware that people sometimes find him ridiculous. Gale: Still, I hoped my students might be a little more open to the playful side of such magic.

anyhow, i hope this was insightful to someone! 🖤

[bittersweetcreep]

Conception Part 1 Red Luna!Darling x Yandere! Damian

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Final

Summery: Damain was taking Luna out on a nice dinner date. She thought this date would be like their many other dates, but being drugged was a first.

WARNING: Being Drugged, Slight Minipulation, Unprotected Sex, Sexual Content, Intentionally Conceiving a Child

Author's Note: Things to know before reading. Luna and Damian are both young adults in this time period. Luna wasn't educated on sex or that sex is used for reproduction. Also, a reminder that Luna is a mute who communicates through sign language and morse code. I'll use °theses° when she's "speaking."

Standing in front of the mirror was a young woman with long (h/c) hair that reached past her tailbone, (e/c) eyes scanned over her outfit. She was wearing a black sparkling halter neck mini dress with an innerside boob window with chains. Long black gloves covered her arms while thigh-high pantyhose adorned her legs, and to pull it together, she wore a pair of black sparkling open toe heels. Luna didn't bother to put on makeup (mostly because she doesn't know how to), so with one last look in the mirror, she walked out of her living quarters and up the elevator.

Opening the doors to her 'home', she was greeted by Damian, who was wearing a black tuxedo leaning on a limousine. Walking into the raven-haired man's arms, she great him with a kiss, which he deepened as he placed a hand on her hip and the other behind her head. Patting on the man's broad chest in a pattern that's coded °Have you waited long?°. Breaking the kiss, Damian replied with a wolfish smile, "If waiting long means I get to see you dress like this, then I'll gladly wait for you as long as it takes." With one more peck, the Wayne opened the door for his girl, once inside the limousine they took off.

Arriving at their destination, their chauffeur opened the door for them. Damian was the first to step out and offer his hand, which Luna took. They were greeted by a young man with brown eyes and curly hair with freckles wearing a server uniform. "Greetings, we've been expecting you. I'll be your host for this evening, now if you'll kindly follow me I'll show you two to your table." He escorted them to a private room where he took their orders.

After finishing their food (and dessert), they just talked/signed to one another. The topic? Art supplies, specifically Luna's interest in trying out graphite sticks and pencils. °I'm just trying it out Damian, there's no need for you to buy me a whole graphite kit. You just got me that charcoal set.° all he did was give her that wolfish smile she loves with a hungry look in his eyes that always made her knees weak. Feeling herself slowly starting submitting to his command, she tried one last time to stand her ground.

°I'm really grateful for the gifts truly, but there's no need for you to buy me things that I can easily pay for myself.° she thought of all the times he would pay for her charcoal art supplies, buy her more sketch books when she used her's up, paying for all of their dates too and declineing her many offers of paying or even splitting the bill. But paying for all of her groceries and utilities is something he shouldn't be burdened with. °I have a stable income, and it's not your responsibility to take care of me.° "But you are my responsibility. It's my job to take care of you, on and off the battlefield." He reached over to take the (h/c)'s hand, giving it a light squeeze. "I love you, Luna. I want to take care of you. I want to spoil you every day, so please trust me to take care of you. Trust me to provide everything you need so you don't have to worry about anything."

Seeing his coy and heartwarming smile with that passion filled gaze made her heart flutter. She truly loves this man, this man who lets her sit on his lap to draw while he silently watches. The man who taught her how to use a sword in combat, the man who has her back when going on missions together, the man who bandages her wounds after fighting a criminal. He's the man she loves more than anything else, and she knows Damian loves her too.

The ravenette couldn't help the smile that crept on his face when he saw Luna's adorable lovestruck expression that she's unknowingly wearing. 'So fucking cute.'

Lightly rubbing his hand with her thumb, she finally submitted to his charms °I'm no match for you.° the moment was ruined when their waiter came in carrying a tray that had a pink wine bottle and two wine glasses. This annoyed Damian, but he held his tongue. "I hope you two are enjoying your evening tonight, my i Interest you in pink moscato rose wine?" °I've never had wine before. From what I can tell, wine is usually bitter, no?° with a customer service smile, the waiter reassured her. "Yes it is, but Pink Moscato is a deep, luscious wine known for its signature sweetness and fruity flavor. It typically tastes sweet and can taste similar to apple or grape juice. it can be served with the dessert course of a meal."

(E/c) eyes lit up when the word 'sweet' was mentioned, and as the waiter continues talking about the wine, Luna listened intently hanging on every word he said "Would you like some?" Nodding her head enthusiastically, the waiter placed both glasses on the table, opening the bottle he tilt it towards her glass, and a translucent gold liquid began to fill her glass.

°I hope this isn't too much to ask, but my I know the brand of the wine?° the waiter's eyebrows knit together, his smile a little strain. With a nervous chuckle, he showed the label on the bottle to her which read 'Sweet Bitch Moscato Rose'. Confused she look towards Damian °What does bitch mean?°

Their poor waiter looked mortified while Damian brushed out in laughter. Once his laughter died down, he reassured the (h/c). "Nothing you need to worry about." He received the cutest confused puppy dog look ever. She did the head tilt and everything too! Deciding to drop it, Luna turned her focus to her glass of wine (their waiter made a break for it when attention wasn't on him) picking it up she took a tiny sip. A sweet and fruity flavor took over her taste buds just as the waiter said.

She continues to sip from her wine glass with a satisfied smile, really liking the taste of the wine. 'Sweet Bitch Moscato Rose huh? I should buy a bottle for myself sometime.' "Don't even think about it. I'm the one who's going to buy you a bottle." Luna's surprise was clear on her face, Damian told her with a cheeky smile."I know you too well to not know the expression you're wearing. It's the same expression you make when eating sweets."

She blushed at the thought of him watching her eat without her knowledge. In an attempt to cover her blush, she chugged the rest of her wine. Setting her glass back on the table, she noticed a strange throbbing in between her legs.

Her body instantly started heating up. She felt tingly all over, clenching her chest where her heart would be. She could feel it pounding like crazy. A clear wet fluid dripped from between her legs, soaking her panties and inner thighs, as well as getting all over her seat.

Leaning down, she rested her head on her arm. Her mind was staring to fog up, and her brain became scattered. Questions raced throughout the (h/c)'s head. 'What was happening to her body? Why is she getting wet? How is she getting wet? What was in that drink?'

It was a real treat seeing Luna's usual calm and composed demeanor turn into something erotic. Her pupils were dilated, her cheeks were flushed, and she was shaking and panting heavily, too. Damian's lips curled upward into a feral smile, ready to devour her. He felt his own arousal, causing his pant to tighten around him.

With a weak hand, Luna grabbed her spoon and started to tap it on the table. °Damian, what kind of drug did you give me?° 'Clever girl.' Damian, though, with a cocky smile. "You catch on quick, my dear Luna." Weakly, she sat up in an attempt to show no weakness in front of him. °what purpose is there for drugging me?°

Getting out of his chair, he made his way over to Luna, picking her up bridal style. Damain replied with a simple "You'll see." Then carried her out to the limo. Their chauffeur opened the door for them, getting in the ravenette place Luna on his lap.

The (h/c) heard the sound of the driver's door opening and closing, then the sound of the limousine starting up. Next then she knew they were taking off. Luna tried to look out of the driver's windshield window in the hopes of searching for familiar surroundings, but her view was cut off by a black tinted window rolling up, blocking her view.

Damain grabbed her by the chin, turning her attention towards him. "Keep your eyes on me, dollface." Feeling his hand snake in between her legs he began to rub her clit through her panties. She gasped, she couldn't believe he's touching her there! But the way his touching her feels so damn good. 'Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop, don't stop, please don't stop Damian!'

Luna has become a maoning mess with her tongue hanging out while making lewd sounds as best she can. Throughout all of this, she didn't take her eyes off of Damian. He loved it.

Damian shoved his tongue in her mouth and began to explore it. He slides his tongue over her teeth and then teases her tongue. Luna responded back by teasing his tongue, too. their tongues began to twirl around one another. Luna gasped when he pinched her clit and gave it a little twist. The (h/c) was drowning in her own lust to the point she forgot they were in a limousine and barely noticed it stopped.

Fighting through her foggy haze, Luna pulled away from Damian's lips. A string of saliva was the only thing connecting them. Catching her breath, she quickly composed herself as best she could and began to sign. °I should get out. Thank you for tonig-° she yelped when he pinched her clit again interrupting her "Who said I was dropping you off at home?" He moved her so she was straddling him Luna felt something hard pressing up against her cunt and for some reason feeling how large it is made her body produce more slick.

The door was open by their chauffeur, who stepped aside as Damian got out of the limousine, all while never letting go of Luna once. Turning her head to see they were at a nice luxury hotel, (e/c) eyes looked at the large glowing sign that read Red Royalty Love Hotel. Before she could even ask him what they were doing there, Damain carried her into the hotel, passing the front desk and straight into one of the rooms.

The room's walls were painted a crimson red with a black tile floor and a large white rug. In the middle of the room was a large round bed with red sliding chiffon curtains. The pillows and bed coverings are pure white, and the bed itself was covered in red rose pestle. The only source of light was the million of candles scattered around the room.

Using his foot, Damain kicked the door close and moved forward towards the bed. Gently sitting Luna on the bed, he gave her a deep passion kiss. "I'm going to make love to you." She gave him this pure look of innocent confusion as she signed °Make love? What do you mean?° If Damian didn't know any better, he would have assumed she was teasing, but he knew she genuinely didn't know what sex was, but not for long.

"Love making or sex is an activity two people who love each other do to express their love for one another." Giving her another passion kiss, he continued. "You do love me, right Luna?"

°Yes you mean everything to me, and if you want to have sex we can. Anywhere anytime. Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it to the best of my abilities.° giving a dark smile to the (h/c) Damain stood up straight and started to unbuckle his pants, once undone his cock sprang out to stand tall and proud.

Looking at him Damian was about 7 inches and is pretty girthy with a large cockhead, you can notice a few veins popping out as well as pre cum leaking from the tip.

"Luna, this is my cock. We're gonna need it to have sex." With a curious look, Luna began to inspect the part of Damian she's never seen. She placed her hand on his thigh for support while she used the palm of her free hand to slowly slide up from the base of his cock all the way up to his tip letting her fingernails glide across his shaft.

This action earned her a deep groan from Damian and the words "Fuuuck baby~, If you use your nails like that, I mean just cum on ya~." Looking up at him then down to his cock Luna realized touching him there brings him pleasure. 'Cum... if I pleasure him he'll cum. Whatever cumming is he wants it.' Seeing his face filled with pleasure Luna now know what she needs to do 'I'm going to make him cum. But how?'

Not knowing what to do or where to start, she looked up towards Damian with this lost and pitiful expression that screams help me. 'Poor thing' gently stroking her head, he gave her a soft smile. "Aww, my poor baby girl~. Here's a tip, use your hand to strock it." Looking back down, Luna wrapped her hand around his shaft and did what he said.

Damain started to moan and groan, loving how soft her hand felt around his dick. "Yesss~, just like that baby. Keep going, keep going, up and down up and down, that's it. God damn your hand is soft.~" This reaction encouraged Luna to keep going. Filled with confidence, she continued to stroke him.

While stroking, Luna paid close attention to Damian. Listening to his moans and looking at the expressions he would make to find out what pleased him the most. The (h/c) notice the veins on his cock are quite sensitive and everytime she touched them Damian would spew out curses while his cock twitch with arousal.

Focusing on those sensitive veins, she continues to strock him, making sure to glide her hand across every vein. Feeling the pulsing of his veins and the twitching of his cock underneath her touch make her pussy wet with arousal and it seems she wasn't the only one. Her fingers were drenched in precum, and when she pulled her hand away, there were many strings of sticky precum connecting her fingers to Damian's cock.

Without thinking, she placed her lips on his dick giving it a kiss, then started to leave a trail of kisses starting from the base and trailing her way up to his tip. Then she trailed her tongue up his shaft by once again, starting from the base. Damian's eyes were rolled in the back of his head in pure bliss, his body consumed by pleasure. Without warning, Luna put his dick in her mouth deep-throating him in one fluent motion, stopping right at the base, which caused Damian to let out a long, drawn-out moan.

Without stopping for a second Luna started to suck his cock. While sucking him off Luna felt him getting harder inside her mouth. Precum filled her mouth. "Fuck Luna-! I'm gonna fucking-! Cum!" 'He's cumming!' Determine to make him cum she picked up the pace sucking him faster. Suddenly, Damian roughly grabbed the (h/c)'s head, pushing her to take all of him in while her mouth filled with what she assumed was his cum.

Not knowing what to do with his cum Luna swallowed it all. Pulling away from his cock she took a minute to catch her breath but that didn't last long as Damian pushed her on her back and spread her legs. "Your turn Luna~"

He pulled her panties off, but before Damian could get a good look at her clit Luna quickly covered herself with one hand while she quietly signed with the other one in a panicked frenzy. °What are you doing!?° Giving her a reassuring smile, Damian explains,"You made me cum it's only right if you cum too." °I can cum too?° leaning forward he gave Luna a reassuring kiss "Yes you can and when you cum you'll feel really good. So don't you worry, just lay back and I'll take care of you."

Relaxing her muscles, Luna lay down on her back, resting her head on one of the pillows. She moved her hand away, exposing herself to Damain. Spreading her legs apart he started by giving her pussy a little kiss earning a small gasp for Luna, spreading her lips he used his tongue to make slow, broad licks, widening his tongue as much as possible.

Luna couldn't stop her whimpering from escaping her lips, but how could she be quiet when she's feeling this hot tickling sensation coming from her cunt, it just feels so good. 'Did Damian feel like this when I was pleasing him?'

Moving up, he began sucking and licking her clitoris. Letting out a loud mewl, Luna thought, 'That's sensitive!' He continued to play with her bud. Damian then pushed his middle finger inside of her cunt , causing Luna to gasp loudly. It was a foreign feeling to have something inside of her, a foreign and pleasurable feeling.

The ravenette added a second finger inside of Luna, causing her to whimper. In an effort to loosen her up, he moved his fingers in a scissoring motion. Feeling her insides being spread apart made Luna shake like crazy. At first, he pumped his finger in a slow and gentle pace, but he picked up the pace when he felt her walls clinching around his fingers. Thrusting his fingers at a hard and rough pace, he noticed Luna began to shake while panting heavily. "Come on baby, cum for me."

With a long, drawn-out whine, Luna came. A milky white liquid oozing from her pussy dirting the bedsheets. Damian began to lap up her cum, once satisfied he began to take off the rest of his and Luna's clothes throwing them to the side.

Lining his dick up with the (h/c)'s entrance, Luna signed, °Will it fit?° "Yes, but once I put it in, I'll give you a moment to settle. My cock isn't exactly the size of my fingers." Giving the ravenette a nod Luna mental prepared herself but when she felt Damian's cock going inside of her her mental preparation was thrown out the window. 'So deep.'

Like he promised, Damian gave her a moment to settle. Although all he wanted to do was to start fucking her 'She's so fucking tight!' Wrapping her arms around his neck, Luna gave him a kiss. When she pulled away, she nodded her head, giving him the ok. Damian tried to hold himself back from fucking her like an animal by forcing himself to thrust slowly. Luna was grateful for the slow pace, but soon, she wanted something faster, something rougher.

Placing her hand on Damian's back, she patted it in a coded pattern °Faster, harder.° Roughly grabbing her legs, he pushed them to her head, folding her into a mating press. Then he started to ram his cock inside of her furiously thrusting downwards into her pussy. Damian loves the way how her pussy keeps clinches around his cock and how it sucks him in deeper inside of her fighting to keep him in when he pulls out for another thrust.

It wasn't long until Damian came inside of Luna filling her up with his cum. He thrusted a few more times, shoving his semen inside her cervix. When Damian pulled out, he moved both of them under the covers. Pulling the (h/c) into his arms, he gave her forehead a kiss. "Get some rest. I'll take you home in the morning." Before she closed her eyes, Luna signed one last thing. °I love you, Damian.° "I love you too, Luna."

After Luna fell asleep, Damian began rubbing her stomach, thinking of when and where they'll have sex next. 'Just until I know she's pregnant.. maybe.'

[cotl-flower-crown]

My experience with Fang

My story in all of this is not that important, it's mostly just a petty drama between me and Fang. Please aim your support towards @catatombi and others mentioned in the original doc in their post: https://www.tumblr.com/catatombi/756286505510666240?source=share

I suppose since I'm somewhat involved in this and the other side seems to misinterpret my issue with fang, I feel compelled to explain myself. It might be a bit jumbled up, because I'm writing this in the middle of the night and I'm a bit sleepy.

cw: mentions of self harm and suicide

So me and Fanged met in a discord server that we were both in for a while. We and a few other wonderful individuals were hanging out, loving each other's art, talking and other stuff. We weren't exactly close, but we enjoyed each other's company.

One day I decided to share a story I wrote for my beloved Red District au (aka Gang au) which included an abuse scene between Grinder and Lambert. I have represented the two before as them having at least a sexual relationship (to be honest I do not remember if I ever depicted them as specifically romantic, I may have, but I cannot tell) and at the time I was toying with the idea of dipping into the dark side of the pairing. I was not trying to make it look like it was an romantic act (which that's what romanticizing means by the way), it was a scene straight up from a thriller. I left appropriate content warnings above the story. Fang saw them and read the story knowing that it would make him upset, he told us as much (sadly I do not have the screenshot to prove it, I don't know if that server still exists tbh). I felt really bad for him afterwards and it made me question myself. He later on appeared in my pms and from my perspective insinuated that I romanticize abuse, which I do not believe I did. The pms in question: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zYN84ZT1xIAsxrQ8WvdwSlwUviT7InoB I admit it's not the best look to draw nsfw art of an abusive couple, though I would like to make it clear, the dive into the dark side begun after I was already made those drawings, I did not made them with the potential abuse in mind. With the story, I was just experimenting with how realistic can this relationship become. The au had barely any debt at the time and I wanted to make something deep. I was never really given an opportunity to elaborate on that. At the moment of the pms, I was scared for Fang, because he reacted very strongly to that story and I was worried for him and ended up backing out completely from the direction I wanted to take. Him telling me that he had 4 panic attacks over my story didn't help in the slightest. It just made me want to agree with him more, so he would feel more comfortable. I don't want to hang this over his head, because in the end it was my decision to change things in my au to fit his preferences. It could be a lot darker than what I have now, but what I have now is also good, you know. However, I'm not sure how else to describe it, but I wish I was told at the moment "hey, it's ok, you don't have to feel compelled to change YOUR story to fit MY preferences, because it's not my story, it's yours and if I'm not comfortable with this, then I shouldn't get involved". But he didn't, instead he encouraged me to keep it "clean", because he thinks that Grinder is hot and therefore he can't be an abuser apparently (sarcasm). So... whoops. It's not something that breaks a friendship tbh. I just want to let everyone know that I wasn't romanticizing abuse, because Fang's friend in their responce insinuate that I do. I don't. It was Fang who implied it. I don't romanticize abuse, I don't condone it, I despise it. But at the same time I'm not gonna say that abuse doesn't have the highs that make the victim stay by his abuser. It can be about money, it can be about security, it can be about sex and romance too. Back then for Lambert it was for all of those reasons. It was because when there were no bad days, there were the good days, great days even. Days that would make him question his own sanity, make him think that "this isn't so bad" before reality hit him in the face with a crash. Sometimes I wish I could tell that story instead of the misunderstood cat boy and a wolf in sheep's clothing. The thing is that I wasn't doing anything wrong and Fang made me think I did. I guess it happens sometimes and I don't really hate him for it, tho I wish he didn't pm me that night. I hope he gets help he desperately needs and avoids the spaces that make him uncomfortable if he can.

What really broke off out friendship was the situation on Itaku. I was following him there because I thought of him as a friend and he makes lovely artwork. I knew that he made gore artwort, but I don't hate gore, so the fact that he was drawing it in general wasn't an issue. One day I scroll through the feed and BOOM, a graphic piece "assaults" my eyes. Made me squirm a little. Very well made artwork, but fuck, I sure wish I could consent to that view. There was very clearly no content warning, because if there was, I would be allowed to make a choice on whether or not I want to see gore. So I leave him a friendly comment, something like "Nice artwork, wish there was a content warning tho" and I thought that would be it. But instead it turned into a debate that ended with him blocking me on Itaku. The debate in question can be read here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1z0rC4gxUOzfI_qUu9BRcThOufc_uF9np I was confused and angry when I learned about it, because I ended the discussion with "agreeing to disagree" and yet he still blocked me. And admittedly in the petty glory I decided to block him back on all my social medias. I wanted to unblock him the next day, once my emotions cool down, and propose a compromise. Anyway, I log on to see that Fang left me a message in the one place I forgot to block him at that left a poor taste in my mouth and made me think "this man is full of shit and I don't want to deal with him". He tried to love-bomb me at first, specifically mentions that he wants to be unblocked on my nsfw account, doesn't really mention the other places, really showing where his priorities lay. Then he tries to excuse himself, saying that the PSA he made wasn't about me, but it appeared directly after our debate, how am I supposed to not take that as vague posting? So that was the first lie. He then mentions my art again, saying that he's gonna miss it, not me, a friend, tho I guess, I feel very valued by that, thanks (sarcasm). He makes excuses again, he "warns" me that there are a lot of medias does the same thing he does, including cotl itself, which isn't true, because most do actually have content warnings these days, including cotl. Besides, semi-realistic gore and cartoony gore don't exactly hit the same way. So that's another attempt to deflect. He then talks about how he doesn't know what he did wrong, which I straight up just don't believe him. I didn't know about the vents yet, but most of the conclusions could be deduced from the discussion itself.

Refearing to the vent posts now (they're in the link above) I never told him to censor his art. Itaku has an option to put a content warning, which basically covers up the piece with "warning" written on top and the reasons that the author can add manually. Clearly the tags are not enough, so why not use that? The only reason why Fang wouldn't want to use that tool that he was given, is that it would most likely lower his views. The line "I'm not going to de-boost my content" confirms it. I did not want to block the whole gore tag because I don't hate gore, it doesn't give me PTSD or anything, and it can be cool and beautiful when done right. Gore tag includes a lot of variety and blocking it ALL would feel like a waste. But also if your art makes me - someone who can take the blood and guts pretty well - imagine some random person, who cannot take the gore and has no idea about blocking the tags, stumbling onto your art and being met with an image of a bloody spinal cord. If there is a tool that allows you to warn your viewers that "hey, this one is a bit graphic", if I click on it anyway, that's on me. It's my choice to view it and I can't blame Fang for it. Fang, by refusing to put up a content warning, strips me and other viewers of that choice. A tag is not gonna fix it. I'm sure that those who wanted to follow Fanged for his other artwort, would appreciate the content warning as well. I said as much in the comments. Looking at it from the other side, remember that story I wrote about earlier? What if I decided not to put up content warnings? Bet Fang wouldn't be very happy about it either. So it's fine for ME to get disturbed without my consent, but when it's Fang that sees something graphic by his own volition, then he's allowed to be upset and come to me with a critique? But when I do it, then I get hit with a block? Very classy. The killjoy thing is so stupid, self-depricating humor is a thing and I was aware that my comment might be taken as less than fun, so I was trying to make a joke about it, to break the tension. It wasn't supposed to be hostile in any way. He complains that I don't appreciate him bringing his panic attacks into the discussion which are not related to the topic. If that's not guilt-tripping then what is it? Also the tweet does confirm that he blocked me because he got mad about it. So yeah, sure, PSA not being about me, my ass.

What I took from all this is that Fang wants everyone to respect his boundaries, but he's not gonna respect boundaries of others for his own gains and he will try to deflect blame, because he can't handle criticism. I don't need that toxicity in my life, so I just kept him blocked. One would assume that's what he would want as well, since he blocked me first. The nerve taken to try and wiggle his way into my graces for my nsfw doodles baffles me. I didn't hate him though, not being able to take criticism is not really an evil quality. But I tried to get through to him in the most polite way I could manage and he didn't take it. If that's too much then I can't do better unless I say "You're right and I'm wrong". If I can't express my true thoughts without him taking it as a threat to his safe space, then I'm not going to sacrifice mine for him.

And that was it for me for a while. I wasn't going to talk about this situation at all, unless asked, and people did ask. Because guess what, Fang can say all he wants about how his vent account is private, but that's bullshit. If people can see it, then it's not REALLY private. If you want to have a private space to vent, get yourself a diary. The internet is not a private space, no matter how private you try to make it. But yeah, I learned that Fang was talking shit about me, which was funny at first, until a few months later I learned from Cata about what he did to them and the others. I learned that I was one of the people he cut himself for. He cut himself. Because of this. I can be snarky and passive aggressive all around through this post, but I cannot laugh this off. This is not healthy. This isn't something to laugh about or ignore. It's not about me, it's about what Cata and the others had to go through. Learning about the self harming thing didn't feel good at all and I can only imagine how they felt through out his abuse.

Even now I don't want to hate him. That's not to say that I don't think he's not dangerous. If you've read Catatombi's call out, you know about the suicide pacts, pushing boundaries and just hurting people around him in general. He's definitelly a danger to himself as well as the people he surrounds himself with. But even then, I can get mad and sad about it, but I can't really hate him. This callout is not to hate on him, but warn others against his destructive behavior. In the end what he really needs is to get off the internet, get proffessional help and touch grass. I'm not sure whether or not Fang is actually taking steps to take care of his issues, I really do hope that he does and I cheer him on for it, even if we can't be friends anymore.

And for those who ended up being his victims, even if it wasn't intentional, I hope they can find their peace as well. That is all I really want in the end.

Now excuse me, it's almost 5 am and I need sleep. Goodnight.

[morkitten]

I'm sorry Dimps

(art by virtanderson)

I just replayed Sonic Rush Adventure…. it's fun!! The last time I played it was back when it first released... Why didn't I ever revisit this game before? I remembered being a bit disappointed with Rush on a revisit (still a good game but there's just a lot of deathpits and the bosses get mean) and I remembered Rush Adventure being similar but with a lot of grinding that tired me out back then. But now replaying it, it's got really cool bosses (some of the best and most interesting of the whole series!), the stages are a bit easy but fun, the (several!) seafaring vehicles are cool, and it really doesn't have as much grinding or mindless sea charting as I thought it had. Plus it has this relentless blue skies sea adventure energy to it that's just so much fun. I love going back to my little island after every level, I love seeing it upgrade and become more populated and more full of fun stuff.

It's clear Sonic Rush Adventure was Dimps' biggest Sonic project and it's a shame they never got to make another original Sonic title after this, bc they were seriously getting better at every iteration… I'm sorry I was on the Dimps hate bandwagon because I was so hurt by Sonic 4. I didn't have the context that the game was supposed to be a phone game by a smaller team that then got hastily re-branded and given more budget. I was just so sick of everyone eating up the aggressive SoA advertising and I got nothing when I was proven right.

But I also wasn't comfortable with the narrative that emerged a bit after Sonic 4's release that Dimps was the source of all evil, despite agreeing with the level design criticisms, it's obvious even back in the Advance games they love the games & characters, and the shortcomings of their games come from an impulse to try to make them harder and longer. But honestly, it's a problem I sympathize with! It's difficult to figure out how to add difficulty to a Sonic game because these games aren't really supposed to be hard, and it's difficult to add longevity in some other way because designing Sonic levels and creating all the assets for them is relatively a lot of effort compared to other 2D platformers. Sonic levels need to look flashy and elaborate but also they go by really fast AND they have a bunch of alternate paths, so they also need to be really big. And it's not like Dimps were given amazing budgets anyway. So Dimps would often come to this conclusion of "let's add more and more stuff that will kill you outright as the game goes further in" to add that needed friction, and it gets especially bad and mean on the Advance games with stuff that you can't see coming up. This ramp-up of one-hit kill hazards as the game goes on is still there on the Rush games, but Rush Adventure especially gets more and more comfortable with the idea that Sonic levels should be on the breezier side, possibly because all of the extra content put them at ease that it wasn't going to be a game that would be easily beaten in a couple of hours.

Despite being Dimps' best and most full-featured Sonic game to date, Sonic Rush Adventure really didn't sell well. It came out in 2007 so maybe it was a victim of Sonic 2006's infamy. Maybe the title made people confused as to what it was (Sonic Rush? I already have that game!), who knows. It really does feel like they were gearing up for a third original Rush game, I feel like they wanted Marine to be a character that would develop. this is part of why people find her annoying - she's a kid who isn't yet a hero, her character is that she fucks up and is ahead of herself. she learns a bit but isn't there yet. there's an obvious follow-up to this that didn't happen. It's retroactively cruel how the ending to Rush Adventure makes you feel for Marine saying goodbye to Sonic and Tails and wanting to see them again, and then it never came to be! I'm just left with a sniffling Marine and the knowledge that it never happened!!

And I know that "Sonic Colors DS is a third Rush game made by Dimps!". It is but it isn't. Maybe if Rush Adventure did well, SEGA would have given Dimps a bigger budget (or at least similar budget to Rush Adventure) and let them do an original game rather than a tie-in. But Rush Adventure's low sales apparently meant Dimps was relegated to Tie-In Hell, instead of being given more reigns to do what they want. I'm sorry Dimps! I'm sorry I didn't defend you, I'm sorry I was part of the hate bandwagon against you because I had my feelings hurt! I really, truly appreciate what you've done for Sonic, even if some of your decisions on these games were very frustrating (have you tried getting all the Chaos Emeralds in the Advance games? have you tried unlocking Amy in Advance 2?), there was a ton of labor of love in your games regardless. Thank you ;__;7

[that-ari-blogger]

Who's In Charge Here? (Ready For This)

Hazbin Hotel’s plot centres around Charlie’s quest to redeem the residents of Hell and protect them from a heavenly genocide.

The phrasing of that is important. The story is about Charlie’s quest to redeem others. The agency is on Charlie, rather than the citizens of hell.

A large part of that is Charlie’s understanding of what redemption actually is. Is it a generalized “be more like heaven”? Or is it something more specific?

Every part of Hazbin Hotel and it’s sibling series Helluva Boss revolves around individuality. The art style is dynamic as anything, the musical numbers are diverse by nature, and the extras… the extras steal the show.

Hell doesn’t learn from Charlie, Charlie learns from Hell. Or does she?

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (Hazbin Hotel)

CONTENT WARNING: (Hazbin Hotel)

The song begins in 6/4 time in the key of B flat majour. It’s optimistic and pseudo-spoken in tonality. But to hell with that, because at 1 minute 20 on the dot, the ensemble comes in.

Alastor has just offered the cannibals angel flesh as a reward, and the song immediately shifts in tone. Speeding up slightly and changing keys to G Majour. All while the cannibals are adlibbing and someone who’s name I do not know makes the legendary decision to say the following, and you bet your arse I’m putting this in quotes.

“Namamamam”

What this does is simple, it takes the agency from Charlie and gives it to the citizens of hell. The song is no longer about her, and frankly neither is the musical at this point, it is about what she represents and the themes at play.

We have had the revelation of the genocide happening in a month, we have had Vaggie’s betrayal, and Charlie has put all of her plans on a hold because she thinks she isn’t worthy. This ain’t about her and her drama now. There are lives at stake.

This is reassuring and stable. Every word is an octave chord, that is, two of the same note an octave apart. Each section is a rising melody that starts on B and rises to E minour \ G. It is repetitive with the first half containing two mostly identical runs upwards, while the second half dips slightly to reflect the threat of which it speaks, before resolving back up with a hopeful tone.

As a disclaimer, I am far from an expert in music theory. That’s why I am writing this blog. I want to learn. So correct me if I am wrong please. I am using this transcription to guide myself.

This starts the same as previously but then twists with an upwards inflection. The sharpening of teeth chord swaps out its central E for a C, becoming C5 \ G or G sus 4 (again, I’m not an expert, I don’t know the difference between these two names, so I’m putting both of them in and hoping someone will please explain it to me). This is like a bow being drawn back, building up kinetic energy that is released in the final two notes for A5 (E sus 4 \ A) and G \ B.

Now, trying to name all of these chords made my nose bleed, but I had a reason for that other than to make myself look like an eejit.

Ready For This is a song built on chords. You don’t have to know their names to know that the sections of a song that are sung by a choir rely on the interplay between different voices. It’s less about the technical knowledge, though that is still important, and more the density of sound.

I do appreciate this guy pointing at his teeth when he said he would sharpen them. I wasn't sure what he meant at first, but then he pointed, and I am now up to speed. He means teeth. See? He's pointing at them.

This part of the song makes you feel supported because of the contours of the music, but also because of how many parts there are. You feel like you are being lifted up by that crowd.

Charlie is gathering an army damn it. Susan may be the symbol of Cannibal Town’s alignment, but Cannibal Town itself is a symbol of its power.

I highlight this whole section because of it’s rhythm. This is written with an iambic metre. That is, one note slightly longer than the other. Shakespeare wrote in iambic pentameter.

This evokes a marching band or an old timey war song, intended to be easy to sing. Shakespeare utilised the rhythm to make dialogue sound more natural, and “of the common man.”

This was a form of propaganda, not just using music to draw people into signing up for near certain death, but also the subtle messaging of how the songs were written. If anyone could sing it, then it could become an earworm and sit with its audience, pestering them until they join the army.

I find it morbidly entertaining that Charlie begins the song with all of the distractions usually promised by recruitment songs - Camaraderie, travel, adventure – and the cannibals are instead enchanted by the promise of murder. In Hell, that nonsense doesn’t stand.

Charlie's dissonant perspective is brought back for a moment as she argues with the ensemble.

“That’s a little violent, can we tone it down?”

“Oh, don’t be put of by their snarlin’ that’s enthusiasm, darlin!”

“Eh, they just seem a little murder right now.”

“Don’t worry, honey, that’s their thing.”

Charlie. I don’t want to be a pedant, so forgive me for pointing out the inconvenience. But, you are aware this is a war, right? Violence is kind of the point.

Yes, cannibalism is generally considered a foe par in modern society, but that’s sadism. Charlie is complaining about her side being too into violence and murder… in a war.

I have seen discussion of this song as lesser liked at the start because the rhythm is off and frustrating to follow. I agree about that being the case, but that is the point. Notice the time signature when Charlie tries to argue:

It’s in 4/4, notably different from the 3/4 of the verse and the 6/4 of the chorus. Whereas the other two signatures merge together pretty seamlessly, Charlie has to stumble over herself to get the words out here.

This is the same time signature as Charlie’s recruitment jaunt, and that is the section of the song that is cited the most as being off kilter.

It’s supposed to be.

There is a fundamental disconnect between what Charlie wants and what she needs. You are all going to die if you don’t get over yourself and take Hell as it is. Work with what you have, not what you wish for.

Queerness is a spectrum. From "scheming for world domination" to "no thoughts, head empty." I am sitting comfortably at both ends of the spectrum.

Charlie changes her tone and time signature over the course of the song and it works, she is accepted into the cannibal ranks as a leader. Alastor and Rosie imply that this is their guidance swaying her and, according to Alastor, corrupting her. However, and this is really important, he is wrong.

The two of them converse in 6/4, the same rhythm and tune as the verse earlier, signifying their connection to it. But Charlie doesn’t join the ensemble, it joins her.

I maintain that Alastor has actually been pretty decent to Charlie. Like, he keeps saying he is manipulating her behind her back, and he makes a deal that he promises will be a problem in the future, but he never actually does anything in the present to her. Obviously, this will change when that future comes to pass, but for now, he's just supportive. Is he just bad at being evil? Is that what's going on?

Here is how the song starts:

As mentioned above, it’s in 6/4, and judging by the conversation this section has between Charlie and Susan, it’s connecting.

Susan is almost trying to help Charlie here by translating what she is saying into terms the Cannibals will get. You have a dream; we have dreams too. They need the connection.

A few bars later, we get the eponymous motif.

There is a lot I can take apart here in just the lyrics. It’s an admission of weakness, of being new to this, but its also the acknowledgement that said weakness doesn’t matter right now. Hell needs a leader and Charlie is in a position to be that leader.

I am not Christian, but I grew up in a very Christian landscape. As such, the idea of leading from the front, specifically in the context of a show set in Hell, calls to mind the image of the shepherd who leads the flock rather than the sheepdog who chases it.

Leadership in this style is not unique to Christianity, I want to be clear, but it is a fundamental part of that faith, at least in my understanding. And again, in this context, it felt important to mention. But in this context, it is the daughter of the king of hell who assumes that role of a shepherd, rather than the son of the king of heaven.

The second time the motif comes up, once again Charlie is singing alone, but it’s the moment after everything has gone to plan. Rosie has told Charlie to relax with the criticism and take the help when it’s offered, and Charlie sings her motif again.

Up until this point, it has been a question of what can be done for each side. This section is Charlie’s connection to the cannibals on a human level. It is the moment when they understand her.

“For the first time in my life,

maybe I can be ready for this.

I can be the marshal leading the parade.

I can come into my own, and I think I’ve always known.

My destiny could never be postponed.

When Adam brings the battle here

I must appear like I’m ready for this.”

Once again, I notice some awfully specific word choice here.

Charlie is still focused on herself. This isn’t a complete story, her development as a character will continue into another season at least. As such, she is still self centred and focused on the philosophical angle of everything. When Adam arrives, she will appear ready. She hasn’t internalized the fact that she should actually be ready. Or at least, she hasn’t internalized that looking like something and acting like something are different things that can go together, but don’t always.

Which is a prescient thing to unpack.

The Ready For This motif comes around for a third time, and here we have my final piece of proof. Charlie doesn’t sing, those around her do. She has inspired them. She has had to change how she acted, sure, but they met her in the middle.

If anything, Charlie is singing background vocals. They part for her to voice the following:

“It is time to take a stand!

It is time to lend a hand!”

But here, she is part of the crowd, offering her perspective when the chance becomes apparent rather than forcing her way through.

Most obviously, the use of enjambment here gives this a rising sense of momentum. That is, each musical phrase begins a note early to hook you and keep you moving.

Also, "we cannot take it anymore". Violence is the tool of the oppressor, but it's also that of the oppressed. It is one of the few options that is always available, and it is where people will turn to when they have no other choice. Empires historically have tried to keep a facade of available diplomacy to keep their subjects compliant. But when it becomes clear that is a farse, those empires never last much longer.

But also, Rosie.

That is an insane note to be able to hit repeatedly, and I’m not just saying that because I sing bass. Rosie’s notes are really high.

That actually contrasts Alastor a bit. They are both schemers, allegedly, and Alastor has spent the entirety of the musical so far grifting off everyone else’s notes. Even in Stayed Gone and Hell’s Greatest Dad, he changes very little. But here, he falls in with the crowd. He doesn’t have anything new to say at all.

It's also notable that Rosie was the one who acknowledged that the ensemble was singing Charlie's song. She is aware of the situation, and her advice to Alastor isn't that he is succeeding at manipulating Charlie, it's that she's going to win, and he should probably stick around her.

Which makes me wonder, does Alastor actually have any power? As in, over Charlie. Is he as good of a manipulator as he makes everyone thinks? He talks a big game but then falls in line with Charlie just like everyone else. Is he special? Is he Machiavellian or is he just a little goober, as scared and spiraling as everyone else, powerless except for a smile.

Final Thoughts

For some reason, Rosie was the character I gravitated towards in this musical. Not just in an “I like the character” kind of way. When I sing along to this song in the car, I sing along to Rosie’s line.

Which is weird and difficult, considering, as has been stated, I sing bass.

Those who know me personally will know that I gravitate towards the mentour that rocks up out of nowhere in the story and offers advice whether you like it or not, so my preference isn’t a surprise, but she also has an umbrella and a cool hat, so what was I supposed to do?

Next week, we reach our penultimate post with the reprise of More Than Anything and discuss what a reprise even does for a story. Stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[miharuki]

𝔉𝔞𝔫𝔣𝔦𝔠𝔱𝔬𝔟𝔢𝔯 day 4

𝖄𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖑𝖐𝖊𝖗

No one ever noticed his presence. He was invisible, part of the background in any setting, always quiet, always observing. To everyone around, he was just another face in the crowd, someone without significance. But to him, there was only one thing that mattered — you. From the moment your eyes met for the first time, something inside him changed. A spark that quickly grew into an uncontrollable flame.

At first, he only watched from a distance. He knew where you studied, where you worked, the places you frequented. Every detail of your day was etched in his mind like a perfect work of art. It was almost as if he were watching a movie, where you were the protagonist and he, the silent observer. You never noticed him, but he was always there, in the shadows, making sure no one else dared to get too close to you.

The routine became the foundation of his obsession. In the morning, he followed you to the café where you always ordered the same coffee, the one he knew exactly what it was, though you never realized someone was watching you with such intensity. In the afternoons, he knew where you liked to sit and read or where you did your shopping. Every step you took was under his constant surveillance. And at night… well, at night he was closer than you could ever imagine.

He began leaving small signs of his presence, testing your reactions. A letter with no signature left on your desk, a flower mysteriously tucked into your bag, even an enigmatic message on your phone from an unknown number: "I know what makes you smile." His heart raced wildly as he imagined how you would react to these small provocations. Fear? Curiosity? He wanted you to think of him, to start wondering who could be so close, so silent, yet so present.

But that wasn't enough.

One day, he followed you to your home — as he did every night — but this time, something inside him snapped. He could no longer be content with just watching. He needed to be closer, to feel the warmth of your presence. Silently, he waited until the lights in your house went out. The night was his cloak, and he knew how to move unnoticed. He passed by the windows, breathing softly, until he found a small opening, where he could watch you sleeping peacefully. Your serene face, your hair spread across the pillow… it was almost too much for him to bear.

There, outside the window, he whispered quietly to himself, almost like a promise: "Soon, you'll notice me. Soon, you'll understand that I’m the only one who can protect you."

Gradually, he began to invade your life in more intrusive ways. He changed his tactics, without you ever realizing. That stranger who accidentally bumped into you on the street, that shy unknown person who greeted you at the café… it was him, always him. He studied your every move, every smile you gave to another person, and it made him furious. How could you smile at others? How did you not see that no one else was worthy of your time but him?

On a cold night, as you were walking home, you had the unsettling feeling of being watched. You glanced around but saw nothing — only empty streets and the distant hum of the city. But he was there. He was always there. Following your steps, making sure you arrived safely. And when you closed the door behind you, he remained outside, his eyes fixed on the lit window. A cold smile spread across his face.

You would never be alone. He would make sure of that.

Masterlist Fanfictober

[slylock-syl]

Hey Syllll! Long time, no chat! I just wanted to get this off my chest before i go ham trying to figure out what i wanna commission from you soon.

I have been reading Undersource for years now, and i think we've both come a long way since then! God, that feels weird to say, i'm not even old enough to drink yet lmao. But! I am old enough to spend my money responsibly now, which is nuts given that my responsible spending is now aimed at getting art of my blorbos LOL.

You've grown as an artist so much since i first started reading- i think that was around... the pirate arc? Not sure! But i do remember the early days of me having discord, during the EKD server category era. But anyways, i know the way you drew our favorite skeletons was different back then, and it's all gotten so much smoother in that time. You're also (at least seemingly) taking way better care of yourself! You've set boundaries, you've set more time for yourself and not the blog, and you're still happily chugging along, after all these years. Not to mention you're working on this side story now, which i'm fairly certain you've been looking forward to for a while.

How's that sleeping though? Do you still have the sleep cycle of an austalian? Can't say i'm any better, im slowly becoming nocturnal again lol. Some things NEVER change.

Anyways. All this to say: im really proud to have been part of this little community for so long. To see the comic and its artist come so far. Even if im not a diehard fan anymore, im glad i can still take a little time every weekend to realize "OH, U/S shoulda updated!" and run over here. Thanks for giving me a good starting point of community on this god damned hellsite.

(Here's to sleepy 5 am "you're great" asks LMAO)

sjksdhLKSDJFHG THIS IS SUCH A SWEET MESSAGE OMG-

Hi Azzy! :D I'm glad you still like my work even after all this time! Thank you for sticking around! :D

I have been taking better care of myself these days! I'm (only sometimes begrudgingly XD) going on daily walks (Pikmin Bloom is really helping with that, I love Pikmin they're so cute), and made some new friends! When I first started this blog I was convinced I had to constantly/frequently produce content, and I time went on I slowly realized that wasn't really viable, so I slowly trimmed down the workloads for better manageability, I'd say it's helped a lot! Even if it may not look like it sometimes XD

There was a point before I adjusted my work schedule where I figured out that I may have been riding a creative burnout for a long while, as when I looked back it felt like my work had begun to visually stagnate. I think at the time I was cramming working on the comic update across only 3 or 4 days (Wednesday/Thursday to Saturday mornings, sometimes down to the wire), with several hours of just constant work (plus any distractions and 3 daily asks) because I was procrastinating so badly X'D I'm still recovering from the visual stagnation, but I'm definitely trying to experiment where I can! I may not be the best at it but I hope I'm improving at least ksjdghLSDGH My current schedule is MUCH more spaced out and much more manageable, spanning Sunday to Friday and broken down into stages for each day, and Saturdays are my designated day off~

As for the side story, it's one I've had around for quite a while and have been excited to finally show off! There were a few people who were interested in it when it was first teased, though I've no idea if they're still around, if they are I hope they're enjoying the story so far as well! 💜

Oddly enough my sleep schedule is no longer on Cthulhu Standard Time SKSDJGHDLG We had a TON of construction going on in the house the past few months and it was way too awkward to sleep with a bunch of strangers either being in or near my room, as well as making a LOT of noise sjkdhgLKSDJG There was a brief section of time where I'd actually go to bed at a "normal" time and get up at like, 9 or 10 am X'D Though it's slowly sneaking it's way into afternoons to 3 or 4 AM after I feed the kitties, kinda like my old college schedule XD

Thank you again for liking my work and sticking around! I really appreciate it!! :D

I may not be anywhere near whatever my "peak" was a few years ago, but I'm still happy to keep going for those who still come around! 💜

[mariequitecontrary]

2024 TF Reverse Mini Bang Memories Part 1

With the @tf-bigbang discord server closing today, I thought I'd share just a few of my favorite memories during my first community fandom event :)

Not to be dramatic, but this event changed the trajectory of my part in the transformers community for the better. It felt like I was at a 4 month long summer camp! I had so much fun talking to everyone and making so many precious, precious friends that I truly hope to stay in touch with.

So buckle in and grab some boba or your preferred drink of choice, because this is going to be long and sentimental.

A Welcoming Start

I joined at the beginning of April, due to someone reposting the Big Bang's twitter post about how writers were still welcome to join. I thought, "Only 5k word requirement over the course of a few months? Yeah sure. I can do that." Little did I know I'd actually committed to writing a fic almost 5 times that length

The vibes in the discord server started out with a bang (heh). Everyone was immediately kind and welcoming to one another. It was an immediate safe space to be excited, let loose and show our freak XD I loved how ferally affectionate we were with bringing new friends into the fold.

A sketch by @nepetacataria-art perfectly shows this I think XD

The Support and Love Shared

The sheer amount of love, comradery, and support shared with one another was astounding. Almost 200 writers and artists shared tips and tricks and offered advice and encouragement to each other! It was unreal and I learned so much. It truly encouraged me to improve in my craft and even inspired me to want to learn how to draw again!

Oh, and the RECS everyone shared!!! Everyone shared so many fics and art pieces that I am now obsessed with! I have been blessed with a LOT of quality, amazing content that I never would have seen otherwise! My tbr list grew from large to neverending haha <3

Teasing the Artists Before Match Ups

I'm ngl, I had WAY too much fun once the sketches were released to the writers and the secret-authors-corner channel was made. We all OBSESSED over all of the art and fangirled over each one! But we also talked, and talked, and talked. And dropping out of context messages into the public channels for the artists to see was too much fun!

Talking Transformers

IT WAS THE BEST THING EVEERRRRRR!!!!! WOWOWOWOWOW! I loved raving about characters and lore, both canon and fanon! Even when I wasn't a part of the conversation, just lurking and reading what people talked about whether it was AUs, comics, shows, character breakdowns, brainstorming ideas...it was all so cool and so fun. Everyone is so creative and thinking about the sheer amount of fun we all had makes me tear up.

Like, SO MANY plot bunnies were made with everyone! Myself included! Sometimes people would just say a random ass thing and then five others would hop on, riffing against each other and developing that little idea into something concrete and so so JUICY.

Two out of many MANY conversations that I personally loved were the video games x transformers ideas and talking tentacles and transformers in the nsfw channel XD

Writers Panicking, As We Do

It was all in fun, but it was very entertaining and validating to be in a space where we can all stress about our writing, our fics, and approaching deadlines.

The mods clearly enjoyed adding endless fuel to the fire and (lovingly) watched us all scream and run around in a fiery chaotic panic over every little thing.

Streaming

I didn't get to join many, but it was always so cool watching artists draw! I also had a lot of fun streaming Hades 2 with a few friends with it was first released :)

Team 0 - A King Julien Starscream Fic

It all started when Writer's Choice Period began...and the example inspired many of us writers to obsess over this...I'll let the screenshots tell you XD

A King Julien Starscream fic just WORKS and you can't tell me otherwise! @mendely's sketch REALLY sold it to me as a thing that's GOTTA happen.

Madagascar AU FTW

AND THEN THE MODS MADE IT A THING THING

@useless19's king julienscream puppet owns my soul and their little vid is possibly the finest piece of silent cinema I've ever watched in my entire life. I was ENRAPTURED.

@sxpaiscia's art KILLS ME. PUTS MY HEART IN A CHOKEHOLD. Julienscream lives in my head rent free and 50% of it is imagined with their art in mind.

The sad end to the story is...the Team 0's fic wasn't completed within the time requirements to be posted with the rest of the Mini Bang's fics :( Do we still plan on continuing and finishing it? HELL YEAH WE ARE!

To Be Continued...

Did you know that there is a limit to the amount of images you can share in one post? SMH.

Link to Part 2!

[erithel]

Hello erithel!! I'm very embarrassed to ask this... but I really want to read your fics on AO3 and for some reason I don't understand, it won't let me...

Basically, when I click where theoretically the fic should open, for some reason only the summary appears and not the chapters or the text, and other times reading on AO3 it hasn't happened to me... What I mean is, do you know the reason and if there would be any other way to read your fics elsewhere if it doesn't work for me on AO3 since I really want to read them especially after reading your comics 😅😅😄😄

I don't know if it would be too much to ask if you could put a link or something...

(I feel super embarrassed to ask you this really...)

By the way, your art is seriously awesome, probably many people tell you but I wasn't into klance and thanks to your art I got into it jsjs"

I send you a image of my problem:

Huh. First of all don't feel embarrassed. Technical issues happen and you should always feel welcome to ask question if there's confusion.

Secondly I really appreciate your kind words about my work, and the fact that you are interested in reading my fics!

The unfortunate part is that I have never had anyone experience this issue before (or at least none who have let me know), so I am afraid to say I don't have a for sure solution for you. :(

What I can say is that -

#1, I have not restricted my fics, so they should be available for anyone to read.

#2, unfortunately the only other place where the chapters show up are on my patreon and that doesn't include all of the fics just the more recent ones.

#3, as far as I know ao3 doesn't have any kind of control over who can view what. I only recently was made aware that instagram was restricting some of my comic posts from minors, but again I don't think ao3 has anything like that (and I have no idea how old you are lol). That being said, the fic "Broken Things" you used as the example does have one of the major content warnings on it, and I know you can filter out certain ratings/subjects/content, so that might be something to check.

#4, the only kind of solution I can think of is having you try just clearing your cache/cookies. I know I've had to do that to get ao3 to load a few times, and maybe that might help? It is weird that you are able to see some of it but not the whole thing.

I am very, very not tech savvy so there might be a simple solution to this issue. If anyone else knows about this and especially knows how to fix it, please leave a comment!

I am so sorry you're having an issue with this, and I am even more sorry I can't give you a good answer on how to solve it. If nothing works, you might just need to reach out to ao3 support, although I'm not sure how quickly they respond.

[thelongestway]

Yeah, this chapter is why I wanted to get more pre-writing done, haha! Getting all the timelines and such straight hasn't been easy, even with the help of A LOT of people (both early readers and folks in my writing spaces). But then again - it's not really easy for the characters, either! As the old adage goes, if you're having trouble figuring something out - write about the trouble. :P

Chapter 4: Picnic

After about three hours, the meeting had devolved from "highly formal three-way exchange of information" to "a bunch of humans, two constructs and one audio-and-visual only, feed cut (just in case) drone slumped on every available chair, couch and surface, surrounded by half-empty vessels containing vitamin-enriched beverages and staring at the screen where they watched footage and ART made diagrams." Several big circles contained the largest points of contention. The first read: ALIENS vs ANTARCTICA. The second: ORGANIC COMPONENT -> WORMHOLE SPEED? The third, most recently introduced: DEFINITION OF LIFE.

"You know that the discussion has gone completely sideways when that last one appears," Ratthi said to Dandelion, hanging his head back from the couch he was lying on feet up. She just nodded, two of her metallic arms entwined in a very human gesture.

"I'm just saying!" Iceblink exclaimed from where she was spread out on the floor, "I believe you about Perihelion being entirely non-organic, you've got zero reason to lie to us at this point! But on a theoretical level it's just bonkers. I was completely convinced it was like SecUnit when I worked with its data!"

"The fact that I am non-organic does not mean I am not alive," ART said.

"Peri," Seth groaned, "Let's not start round three. Please."

"Especially because this isn't actually getting us any closer to what we should be doing about the situation," Reed said, lifting kes head from having dropped it on kes arms in order to glare at Iceblink. "Let's try to boil this back down to the facts. Again. Haze, would you kindly?"

Haze cleared their throat and read off their communicator.

"An unknown organic component was installed on top of Perihelion's wormhole drive, which temporarily made it capable of going through wormholes at speeds matching the Tenacious' best. This organic technology originated from what PUMNT and Preservation designate as alien remnants, and also--thank you, Three, for that last addition--was apparently sourced from something the colonists called a Vault."

Thiago looked up from his linguistic puzzles for a moment. (He was the only one who looked remotely happy about the situation, having perked up significantly after hearing the Trellians speak. Now he had sequestered himself in a corner with an audio recorder and worked on formalizing their dialects).

"Capital V-Vault?"

That question seemed to catch Haze off-guard. They stuttered, and captain Reed said, "Yes, capital V-Vault. Go on, Haze."

"Ahem! Yes, this is important, because if it's a capital V-Vault, then it's the same designation the Hylaran materials port had! So that's one more point in favor of Antarctica, and not in favor of aliens."

"I don't know about that," Dandelion muttered. "At this point I am expecting for the Spider Queen to have had a secret representative office in Antarctica. Why did we ever think aliens would be politically easier?.."

"Aliens make everything harder," Martyn said seriously. He was holding Reed's communicator and poking at the data which Haze had uploaded. "But back to the subject at hand… The Breakoff virus does look remarkably like what we've been analyzing forward and back for the last month. But if it's human-originated, then I don't understand. What was the point?"

"We never found that out," Haze said. "I'm no historian, but if I remember correctly, pre-Breakoff communication was getting erratic. Antarctica itself wasn't doing well. And then, without warning, one of our next shipments made Mama go…" They swallowed. "She did grab people who were close to her. And change them. Until she was shut down for good. As was the Antarctican port."

"I hate to say this," Martyn squinted at Haze, then shook his head ruefully. "But from the moment I saw you, I thought there was something familiar about the way you were designed. One more point to pre-Rim genetic engineering traditions, I suppose."

"Maybe," Iris said, but then I stopped listening because ART poked me on our private channel. (I could have continued listening, but honestly, the humans were tired and mostly going in circles, so all I did was flash the 'humans need to take rest periods' sign on our screen, and paid most of my attention to ART).

By now ART had mostly cross-referenced the Trellians' virus data with its own via Iceblink's sacrificed terminal, and was 98% sure that the virus was not going to infect Dandelion. But that wasn't what it was working on primarily.

It was analyzing two potential resolution paths: (a), following the replacement schematic (because it had been right as usual: undergoing a complete drive replacement and wormhole navigation retraining would probably bring it back up to old baseline. It would just be long and very boring), and (b), potentially adding an organic component to its drive (ART saw at least three possible options, though it left them unspecified for now) or modifying its own programming to imitate one.

The organic options were relatively straightforward, if potentially creepy. (We had no idea what Dandelion did to herself to be a starship. ART had been pinging Dandelion for her organic component schematics for the last fifteen minutes, but she was ignoring it.) But that last one, I had no idea about. I sent ART a query.

The install on the explorer wasn't botched, ART said. The bot pilot was not complex enough, so replacing its subroutines destroyed it entirely. The same installation process did not destroy me.

That could take even longer than the refit, I said. If it's even possible.

I am a specialist in deep space research. And I learned about human emotions by watching media through your filters. Obviously, I can learn about wormhole jumps. But having an organic co-processor would be simpler, It sent another frustrated barrage of pings at Dandelion.

This time, she answered--aloud:

"Perihelion, do you want me to define 'quarantine' for you?"

"The contamination estimate is now below 0,3 percent." ART said. "I want to see your organic component."

The room became quiet instantly. Haze got up from where they were sitting and looked like they were about to begin an angry tirade at ART, but Dandelion raised an arm to stop her.

"Do you, now," she said, and my threat assessment jumped by 2 percent. "Very well. If SecUnit agrees to supervise a clean, feed cut drone of yours, then I have nothing against it. You may come back with us on the shuttle."

[afreakingdork]

Attempted Execute of Non-Executable Memory - Chapter 4

RotTMNT Michelangelo x Kendra

I'm totally off the floor by this stunning chapter art by @acidichcl

Rated: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings/Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Revenge, Falling In Love, Love, Romance, Dating, Aged-Up Mutant Ninja Turtles, Love Confessions, Human/Turtle Relationships (TMNT), Step-Parents, Neglect, First Kiss, First Generation Immigrant Kids, Acculturation, Loss/Removal of Cultural Identity, Prison Time

Synopsis: After hitting the lowest of lows, Kendra has carved out a simple life for herself. She’s content enough to live this way until opportunity walks through her place of employment in the form of an orange turtle mutant. She just needs to get close enough to him to plant a virus in his infuriating brother’s servers, but will she be infected long the way?

Also available on Ao3

First 🧡 Previous

“Is this better?” Mikey’s voice came through the phone line.

“Yeah.” Kendra glanced around where she was walking. “This will work.” 

While there was a certain level of touristy tidiness near the Museum Mile, there was also a ton of ongoing construction and foliage. It made for any number of places for a wacko to jump out and the hour certainly wasn’t helping. Kendra glanced up at the darkened sky as it no longer held its colored highlights.

The fading hues reminded her of her hair. 

She really needed to touch it up.

There was little time or money with Mikey’s constant appetite for these ludicrous dates.

Even when he paid for them, she inevitably had to spend funds of her own. 

“You good?” He spoke as if hearing her thoughts.

“Yeah, yeah. Just trying not to get mugged.”

Mikey audibly sucked air through his teeth. “Keep talking then. You're almost here, right?”

“You could at least apologize for making me walk alone. You’re a real piece of work.”

“Nah, we’ll see those soon.”

She rolled her eyes and checked the street before crossing.

“I needed to be here ahead of time. To… get our spot, yeah, that. Besides, we’ve been meeting at locations on purpose, haven’t we? Don’t you not want me to see where you live or something?”

“Yeah, well.” A few men were grouped up under some scaffolding and Kendra curved outward away from them. “What do you expect? Jury’s still out. You’re really pushing psycho territory with these weird plans of yours. I need to do what I need to to stay safe. ”

They didn’t look up at her.

She picked up the pace.

“No, that’s good! You should do that!”

“Then don’t complain.”

“I wasn’t. I’m accommodating.” He sounded more proud than perturbed. “I’m your safety net on the phone and we’re meeting at a real place this time! A totally normal date place! A museum date!”

“The Frick, yeah.” She glanced into the tree line of Central Park and hurried down the sidewalk. “I guess you get some non-murderer points for that if you’re counting.”

“I am not because I don’t have to worry about that.” Mikey’s voice hit a delay and she glimpsed him about a block away. 

He waved immediately and pulled his phone from his head.

She ended the call and heard him yell. “Since I’m not one!” 

By the time she reached him, her head had drifted toward the lit up exterior of the Henry Clay Frick House. “I didn’t know they started late nights.”

Mikey hummed and folded his hands on his hips to regard the building as well.

That wasn’t confirmation; Kendra’s lids lowered.

If Mikey got a chance to talk, he was going to take it and then some.

Something was wrong.

She took one breath before she scanned for the entry that led into this place.

She located the large double doors just off to the right.

They didn’t appear chained, but there was a comically small sign on a podium in front of them, presumably saying the opening hours.

Which she highly suspected it wasn't.  

She turned a slow menace toward him. 

“Michelangelo…”

Mikey was grinning plastic.

“It’s not open…?” She barely kept from hissing. “Is it?” 

“Maybe I needed to be here because I was totally watching the guard station and the spot I was saving was the one where their schedules lap!” Mikey quaked and awkwardly shuffled forward. “But think! The entire museum to ourselves! To look at in our time! How about that!?”

Kendra dug her nails into her palm beneath a fist.

There were so many things wrong. 

She started with one. “You thought it would be a good idea to take someone you just found out was a convicted felon to break into a museum full of priceless art?”

Mikey’s eyes widened and sat like two white beacons for a little too long.

When he blinked it was out of reddening pain and guilty recognition.

“When you put it like that…” He turned to her with an apology oozing off of him.

“Why do I put up with you?” She flexed her fingers.

The virus.

Ruining that which ruined her.

Perspective.

This wasn’t about Mikey’s incessant attitude.

She could stop all of this any time she liked.

She had seen enough to know he would respect at least that.

“I wonder sometimes.” He admitted with that painful amount of honesty he carried.

She sighed once.

Avoid crime.

Commit crime.

It seemed like an easy enough set of choices.

“Fuck it.” She caught his hand and pulled him further away from the entrance. “Dish. What do you know about the guards?”

He was immediately game and leaned into her for a huddle. “Who’s on duty. Guard rotations. Where security is. Blank spots in cameras. Turning off security. Turning on lights. Confusing the guards in the process.”

“You have that much of a plan?” She narrowed her gaze at him.

“I’ve been breaking into antique stores, museums, and auction houses since I was 14.” He grinned.

“Is that because of the mutant thing?”

“Kind of?” He thought for a moment before swiping over his person. “It also just depended on my sleep schedule which was reversed for a long time. The mutant thing was secret, then everybody knew, then we got weird notoriety? Everything’s kinda evened out in the last few years and we’ve gotten our rights secured.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah.”

“And you were serious about the whole being a ninja thing? I’m serious. If I get in trouble for this…!”

“You won’t.” He squeezed where she still had his hand. “You’re my top priority. I’ll throw myself under the bus if I need to. Heck, you can do that if you need to.”

She frowned and tapped her foot for a second. “You aren’t even sure about me.”

She removed herself from him before he could respond.

She could feel his eyes and was glad when he stayed silent.

He walked back up to her side and only shared how best to enter. They would be hopping a gate near one of the lawns and they headed in that direction. It meant passing those men under the scaffolding a second time and they took quiet notice of her new companion. They didn’t share words loud enough for her to hear, but Mikey was put into higher alert.

He cautiously scanned the street and seriousness soaked into his posture. It made him stand a little taller and nearly eradicated his dopey persona. For a moment she felt like she might be able to trust his plan, but she squashed the feeling as he slowed. There was no getting comfortable around this man and he did a quick spin to check all viewable points before ducking down. Once he was sturdy and knelt, he offered her a step with threaded fingers that would give her a boost.

“How are you with landings?”

“I’ve done the jet pack deal more than once.” Kendra slipped her foot into his hold.

“On three.” He counted out and then tossed her up like she was nothing.

The upward arc pulled her innards down before descent pushed them back up and she prepared for a roll. She touched down with a spin of her center of gravity and let the momentum carry her into a single tumble.

Mikey dropped down with only a hop and a squat behind her. 

She stood and dusted herself off. 

“You do parkour?” He wondered appreciatively. 

“I prefer tech to do my physical labor.” She rolled her neck as cover to twitch away from him. “What now?”

“Entrance to the side is open for guards to walk.” Mikey pointed and led with that ever roving eye he now had. “Stay right behind me. I’ll go slow.”

She gave a tight nod.

It felt strange.

They crept through some immaculately cut greenery with Mikey leading toward a walkway.

Kendra was supposed to take point.

Mikey held up a hold and seemed to see something she couldn’t.

Kendra was never one to follow orders.

He lowered his hand and crept forward while gluing himself to a wall.

Kendra was meant to lead.

Her back pressed to concrete and she almost thought she could see the dawdling figures of Jase and Jeremy following her.

She paused.

How many years would it be until she stopped seeing their ghosts?

They weren’t even dead.

She’d just seen Jason at her pak’s birthday dinner not that long ago.

They hadn’t spoken.

Not really.

Nothing beyond what was necessary to get the cake ready.

Perspective, she reminded herself.

She’d been a Purple Dragon for roughly 16% of her entire life.

That was nothing.

A pitiful number.

Who got stuck on that sort of percentage? 

Mikey touched a finger to hers.

She’d missed a signal.

She looked up and readied herself.

His face held concern.

She glared and tried to step past him.

“Wait…!” He hissed.

Her shoe tapped down on the path and it made a noise that echoed against the building.

A man’s gruff voice sounded a, “Huh?”

Mikey had her shoulders and was pulling her through a door.

He then steered her on her screeching soles several feet before scooping her up.

They bounced off several walls, before landing behind what appeared to be more greenery, although they were definitely indoors.

Kendra blinked up at a domed ceiling that was knit with metal grates.

“Okay… We’re in the courtyard and security is…” Mikey turned his head. “That means we need to-”

He mumbled and Kendra forced herself to be present.

She could treat this like a gig.

It was a mission.

She wanted to smack herself.

There was no past.

There was only present.

There was a scheme already happening.

Infiltrating this museum was part of it.

If she had to defer to Mikey, she could.

She deferred to her boss at the coffee shop.

Putting herself into that mindset, Kendra focused on her date.

Mikey had been drawing spirals to himself for the layout and slowed at her continued eye. “Uh… I’m hurrying. Sorry. I had a plan but-”

“Don’t rush and get me caught.” She gave a single encouraging nod.

“Right…” He accepted it and turned to speak his thoughts with her.

He did have the layout, but by distracting one of the guards, there was a possibility that all their movements had been shifted if they employed their walkie talkies. With three of them roaming, Mikey wasn’t sure where exactly they were and it would be easy to get bottlenecked in any number of the museum rooms if one of the guards happened to be there.

Kendra’s first thought was distraction, but she kept her mouth shut. There was a chance they could damage the property which would then leave evidence and their goal wasn’t just to get to one room. They were supposed to be enjoying this space for whatever reason. Mikey had gone on about the art for some reason, but Kendra hadn’t understood. It was mostly paintings by or of dead rich white dudes so it mattered little. Mikey seemed insistent as he always had and she guessed that had worked out so far.

There was a churning of static and the pair ducked down.

“I swear I heard an eagle.”

“An eagle? Really, Tony?” 

“Yeah!” The man did his best impersonation of a screech.

Mikey wrapped the whole of his hand over his face.

Night guards were forms of pure stupidity and Kendra rolled her eyes.

“We looked all over. No birds, man. Hugo’s in one of the far rooms.”

“Can we check again?”

“Bro, what?!”

“Just one more time? They’re predators!”

“Yeah, for fish!”

There was a beat of silence.

“Please…?”

“One more time!” There was a jingling.

“Thank you!” Two pairs of feet trailed off.

Mikey wiped down his face, shrugged, and signaled to the left.

Kendra stooped to follow and in quick succession they ran through a few rooms, a lobby, and then into security where Mikey blocked the door off behind them. “Weird, but whatever works!”

“You’re too ‘go with the flow’, you know that?” Kendra eyed the monitors and located the two guards arguing they had seen now outside with flashlights near where they had hopped the fence.

“Flexibility is good for a plan.” Mikey walked past her.

The screens turned over and there was a far lazier guard standing almost idly in an ornate room. “Is this an art museum or a history one?”

“Both.” Mikey searched over the panel.

“What do you need?” She stepped up, ready.

“Place to plug in.” Mikey held up a USB. “I need the cameras looped.”

A purple stick drive.

A purple stick drive with an obnoxious ‘D’ logo on it.

“No.”

Mikey’s hand lowered. “Uh…?”

“I’ll do it.”

“I don’t think…”

“I can!” She seethed and shoved him out of the way.

He stumbled, but didn’t fall.

“It just depends on how old the system is. It’s easy.” She clicked through the one computer monitor that was fixed.

“But Don already-”

Kendra banged her palms against the desk one single time.

Mikey silenced.

She continued clicking through to the system. “I can reflash the firmware. No need to upload a modified one. I just need…”

She looked around the desk.

A sticky note with the network and admin passwords was clearly stuck to a wall.

She snatched it with a click of her tongue and entered the information.

“The quintessential movie line: ‘I’m in.’” She swallowed bile at the joke.

As soon as she got access to the firmware, she wrote in the modified command. After that it only took entering a few necessary prompts before all the screened flickered. The loop had begun by the look of the static, but she waited to make sure the time signature was still ticking away correctly before allowing herself to sneer. 

There was still the issue of the guards stuck in two of the feeds. She tucked into the database to pull older footage and took a moment to delete the video of them entering. There was now no evidence of them having been there and she switched to finding suitable stock footage. She swapped the frozen guards with empty rooms and when all the feeds were satisfyingly stagnant, she turned to Mikey with an outstretched palm.

“See. Easy.”

“Cool, I guess…” Mikey rubbed his neck.

“What?” Her guard flew up.

He shook his head.

She stalled. 

He was clearly upset, but she couldn’t read how. 

It also didn’t make sense as to why. 

She had done what they needed.

She did it without any infuriating help.

She had been fast.

She got results.

Why complain?

She was about to demand what his problem was when a lone walkie talkie in the room clicked to life. “Uh… There’s… a guy here with four pizzas…?”

“That’s the next step in the plan! We gotta go!” Mikey flew to remove the barricade from the door.

“Pizza? Again?”

“Yes, pizza!” Mikey cleared a table and then set it up at the ready. “Everyone loves pizza!”

He shot out and gathered up the rolling chair at the computer and then a few folding ones that were propped against the wall and set a scene.

“Looks good!” Mikey turned to the walkie. “Take the bait… Come on…”

“The pizza?”

“Yes, the pizza!” Mikey responded a little more harshly then Kendra was used too.

She stood off to the side and the tense air between them was palpable.

She wasn’t used to this.

Not like this.

When this happened it was because others hated her with reason and she despised them in return for their insolence.

She couldn’t handle a standoff without reason.

Mikey didn’t even appear mad.

If anything, he looked agitated and betrayed.

Why?

It didn’t make sense.

“Another prank?” A voice came on the walkie talkie.

“Nah, it’s for you Hugo. There’s writing on the box too. ‘Happy Birthday.’” Another answered.

Mikey held his breath.

Kendra used all her willpower not to yell at him for such a stupid ploy.

“You guys remembered?” The voice that was presumably Hugo’s came in small and timid through the static.

Mikey willed the walkie talkie with his very being.

Silence beat on seconds like a drum.

Then there was a crackle.

“Yeah, man!”

“Of course we did! Totally!”

“Guys!!”

“It’s your birthday, dude!”

“I can’t believe you guys remembered! I know I dropped a few hints, but-!”

“We work together every night, how could we forget?!”

“Let’s take 15!”

“It’s the man’s birthday, that’s at least worth 30!”

“Heading back to security now!”

“Copy.”

“See you there.”

“Let’s go.” Mikey started to reach out, but turned it into a thrown thumb.

Another spurned movement.

For whatever reason, this man’s delicate feelings were hurt.

Kendra stared at his arm for a little too long.

“Kendra.”

Did she bruise his pathetic ego?

“Kendra.”

It wasn’t even his work.

“Kendra, they’re heading here. We gotta go.”

It was his brother’s.

“Kendra!” He snapped his fingers in front of her face.

She saw a customer do the same to her.

She saw an inmate do the same to her.

She saw a teacher do the same to her.

She slapped his hand away.

Mikey should have been the picture of offense.

He looked scared.

“Let’s go.” She moved her body to take a step before something held her back. “The lights. You said something about lights.”

It took Mikey a second. “Right.”

He returned to the panel and studied a few switches before he flicked one.

Nothing exact happened, but he then breezed past her without making any contact. “Got them. Let’s go.”

He opened the door and she shadowed him.

They just barely dodged the guards mingling in the hall.

The three men were now a joyous trio and their voices disappeared behind a closed door as Kendra and Mikey walked back out into the courtyard. He veered off to one side and she took in the space now that she could. A fountain was delicately cycling water in the center of the room and the space had the faint chill of humidity from it. The plants were snoozing dark leaves in rows around columns and benches. The skylight above had murky panels to keep direct sunlight at bay without trading natural light.

It probably had a stale white glow during the day.

At night it sat a shallow husk of itself.

“You didn’t have to push me.”

Kendra was slow to turn to him.

Mikey was rubbing the arm that she had shoved. “It didn’t hurt, but it sucks. It wasn’t nice.”

“I’m not nice.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to say.”

“Isn’t it? Funny how fast it turns. You say that me being mean is fun and refreshing right up until it isn’t, huh?”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Didn’t you!?”

“I guess I said something about intrigue, but I exclusively said I didn’t think you were mean!”

“Well, surprise!” She threw out her arms. “Here it is! The real Kendra! You’ve finally opened your eyes.”

“That’s mean!” Mikey tossed his arms similarly, but at her.

“Yes! We just confirmed that, you dunce!”

“No!” Mikey stormed up to her. “It’s mean to you. You’re being mean to yourself.”

“No, I’m not.” She held up an arm to dismiss him. “I’m being real. Welcome to reality.”

“Then where do you keep going?”

She turned on him.

“Because it’s a different reality than mine and each time you’re gone you come back hating yourself more.”

She swung that same arm up, ready to strike.

He stood there staring straight into her eyes.

She reared in warning. “What do you want? You want me to? You want that excuse? That out so you can leave your poor charity case?!”

“What? No! You can keep making up lines for me, but that won’t make them true! I don’t think that! I never have! I know you know that! I’m not saying I know what’s going on! I’m not trying to fix it! I don’t even know if you’re hurt, but I do know that you’re hurting. I’m… I’m…” He grew quieter.

“You what?” She didn’t bring down her arm.

Mikey itched his cheek. “I can’t do anything about before, but I’m here. Right now. We can do this again and again. The conversation, I mean. Shoving me though? That’s a line. You can hit me when I egg you on. Those are love taps. Those are fun, but what you did earlier wasn’t out of anything other than anger and you took that out on me. I’m not going to let you.”

Her fingers twitched.

“I’m not trying to break down your walls.” He took a few wandering steps away with his thoughts. “I mean, have I thought about how cool it would be to get through to you? Sure! Mostly because it would be nice for you to trust me, but I’m not trying to rush the process. I’m not trying to be a wrecking ball. If I’m rushing that’s because that’s how I am in general. I’m trying to give you space!”

He swung his leg wide to return to her and she lowered her arm.

“I am really not eating much humble pie with this explanation, huh? I sound like some nice guy jerk off.” 

“A little.”

“I’m over explaining! At least, that’s what I’m trying to do. I’ve been misunderstood a lot and it’s a reflex…” He heaved a big breath. “I’m sorry for talking too much, but I’m not sorry for saying what you did was mean. That’s the gist.”

“I got that.”

He attempted to talk again, but shoved a silencing fist against his lips.

She tapped her thumb to each of her nails one at a time to process in a way that felt like clicking keys.

When she reached the eighth one she felt a certain amount of settled. 

“You’re interested in me because you have some weird sense that we’re alike. Is that right?”

Mikey moved his fist only a little. “Pretty much. You’re also interesting, like in general.”

“What about the parts where we’re different?”

“I don’t have a problem with it…?.” Mikey shrugged his limb away. “I sort of chase feelings. I was never really into examining why.”

“Isn’t it enough that I want to go out with you?”

“Woah…” His hands came up. “I didn’t ask for you to-”

“But it’s there! You need to know because it’s making you self conscious and that is feeding my doubt.”

The way his head bobbed said she was right.

“I need to give you some kind of reason why!”

“Don’t… force yourself?” he grimaced.

She shook her head. “I don’t-”

But, she did.

She did every single day.

She forced herself to do everything beneath her.

To do her job.

To use her decade-old phone.

To keep from overclocking her ancient laptop because it would explode.

Even now.

Even this.

It had gotten easier.

The owner’s praises helped at work.

The bibi’s food helped her wallet.

Not cussing her landlord out helped her get her shower drain cleared.

Since when had the line become so blurry?

It was less that she forced herself these days and more that she saw the exchange.

There was point A to B.

She had to do something to get something in exchange.

Long gone were the days she could coil others around her fingers.

These dates were a perfect example of that.

Mikey wasn’t dumb enough to let her in.

She had to play the part of the date.

She had to show her actual interest.

He could tell otherwise.

He was able to tell right now.

His earnest nature wasn’t just central to him.

It was his viewpoint.

He saw everyone else through that same lens when he looked.

He was looking at her.

Even now.

Even while she did this.

“I don’t like that we’re alike.” She started.

His head tilted ever so slightly.

She guessed that was confusing.

She was supposed to be saying what she liked about him.

He also frustrated her to no end. “But… I do.”

His lips parted.

“I don’t like admitting that! It’s soft! I don’t like soft! I’m not soft! I’m a hardened criminal!”

Mikey softened with understanding.

“You’re doing it again!” She lit with embarrassed flames. “Stop that! With your face! You’re too squishy! Soft! I hate that! You were handsome when you were serious!”

She clapped a hand over her mouth.

Mikey’s smile spread like wildfire.

“When was I serious!?” He had stars in his eyes.

“Never!”

“I was! You said!” He bounced toward her. “You think I’m hot!”

“Never!!” He was a fly for her to swat at.

She hit him directly in the face and jarred for it.

He seemed unaffected and caught her wrist gently.

He removed it and looked at her with bright eyes.

“Sorry…” She mumbled out.

“I think I get it.”

“What?” Her wariness returned in droves.

“You’re like… Oh what’s that Japanese concept? They mash like cool-cute…?”

“You think I’m cool-cute?” She deadpanned.

“No, you’re like, hot and cold? Oh, wait, that’s a thing in English.”

He wasn’t wrong, but she still soured.

“In Japanese, it’s like a homomatopoeia...”

“Onomatopoeia or Homonym?” Her head shook with confusion. “Which one?!”

He saved her off.

“Micheal!”

“Tsun… Tsun…”

“Do I need to hit you again?”

“No.” He shook her hand where he still had it cuffed. “Oh! That’s it!”

“What?!”

“Tsundere!”

“Tsun-!” She yanked her hand from him. “Don’t you put your anime crap on me!!”

His eyes immediately thinned out into smarmy lines. “You know it’s an anime thing!”

“So!?” She smashed a hand into his face to cover it. “Watching anime as a kid is normal! They’re cartoons!”

“But do kids get that particular concept?”

“Are you teasing me or not!?” She smeared her palm over his beak.

It tipped him backwards and he easily bent with a surprising amount of core strength. “Bit of both!”

“You’re not getting to dere!” She chased him to find the limit.

He laughed into bending further.

“This is not a romantic comedy!!” She shoved far enough onto him that she went up on her tiptoes.

“It’s not? Could have fooled me!” He slung an arm around her waist to steady her.

“I will wipe that stupid smile-!”

“Miss my manly features!?” His brow ridge wiggled.

Kendra screamed and shoved both her hands into his face.

Mikey’s laughter exploded between bouts of suffocation.

“There! That is someone talking! I told you!”

They both froze.

“The guards!” Kendra dropped to a bitter whisper.

“Yeah, stuck footage isn’t going to cover us screaming.” Mikey returned a sheepish grin.

She didn’t miss the way he took part of the blame.

Footsteps pounded down a hall signaling the guards were getting closer.

Kendra fumbled to move only to realize she was fully off the ground and on Mikey’s chest. “Down! We gotta go!”

“Or… hold on?” He sent her a look that dared her to trust him.

He had gotten them away from the guards in an instant before.

She prepared herself for the head rush in a countdown from three.

“Do it!”

Instead of immediate movement, he bent further back.

Farther than his shell should allow.

Kendra’s eyes widened as her gaze hit the floor, but his arm was a safety bar around her.

She felt one of his legs come up behind her and it was a move she felt she had seen on some kind of stage.

Everything then sped up because in a perfect arch, Mikey’s leg swept over his head and she was turned upside down. She was then immediately righted and still pulled to his chest when his gaze shot out. His head jarred left and right as if tracking a thrown ball before he dug into his person. He came away with a shuriken and tossed it in a wayward way. The weapon clinked with several bounces that he had seemingly mapped out and some soft sounds leaked out from what had to be the lobby.

Before Kendra could process how, she was flung out from him in a way she could only recognize as a dance move which was cemented as he reeled her back. His face was all confidence as he twisted her again, but this time took on a new style. The first move had been a warning of what was to come and she was swung out of the way. Through his legs and then tossed up into the air over some plants, he was immediately there to catch her and twirled her straight down to the floor. He covered her, keeping his body weight chaste and sent his attention out at the ready.

“Run if I pop out. Same door should be open where we came in.”

He was going to do just as he said.

He was going to take full blame so she wouldn’t get caught.

She stared up at his grave features from where she was laying on the ground.

The pale light of the courtyard almost carved a chisel out of his softened cheeks.

“Over… What? What is that?”

“Is that the radio?”

“What the hell?”

“This wasn’t what I heard!”

“It’s so loud!”

“You kidding me?!”

“It was a scream! Like a phantom, bro!”

“A phantom!?”

“Phantoms and eagles, huh?”

“I’m not kidding!!”

“I bet this was your bird too!”

“We were in here! We were just here and didn’t hear anything! This radio wasn’t on!”

“Yes, we did! We went searching because you heard something! Sound bounces in the courtyard, stupid!”

“It’s not acoustically tuned!”

“You don’t even know what that means!”

“I do! I took choir!”

“Yeah, 15 years ago!”

“Fuck you!”

“Fuck you!”

“Why don’t we-!”

Footsteps came clear through the columns to signal the guards were in the same room.

Mikey flexed his elbows where he was holding himself up at the ready.

“Fuck you!”

“Fuck you!”

“Fuck you!”

“Fuck you!”

“BOTH OF YOU FUCK EACH OTHER AND SHUT UP!!!” The man in this room screamed.

Kendra grabbed Mikey’s biceps.

He nodded for her to wait and his gaze hadn’t moved from where it was glued to the bushes.

There was a tense moment of silence.

Breathing felt too loud so Kendra held her breath.

The soft sounds of the radio obviously echoed from the lobby and into this room.

“It’s the fucking radio! What did I say!?” The man stormed back to where he’d come from.

The others continued to bicker through one room and far down another until their voices couldn’t be heard anymore.

Mikey blew out a breath. “Okay… Maybe the pizza thing didn’t work.”

“Did you hit the radio with your dumb ninja knife?”

“Yes.” Mikey swept down to her. “I came here the other day to case the joint and the front desk guy was listening to it then.”

“And you knew it was that idiot’s birthday?”

“That’s why it had to be tonight.”

“There were so many ways your stupid plan could have gone wrong!”

“But a quiet nighttime museum date? Just the two of us? Think of how romantic it could have been if it worked! Plus, the back-up was always my million dollar smile.” Mikey did a pushup with one arm so he could tuck his chin into his purlicue and flash her a huge grin.

She grabbed that hand and yanked.

It threw him off balance and he flailed as he tipped down into her.

She came up just enough to meet him in a kiss.

It locked all his muscles and he went perfectly rigid.

It was a breath of fresh air relief in the face of all her irritation.

A pinprick to the balloon of her anger.

A whistling release of pressure.

She pulled away with an actual smack before shoving him off.

He fell over in a heap.

“We’re leaving this dump.” She stood and went straight for the exit.

She heard Mikey scramble after her.

“No apologies. Date’s not over.” She told him when she caught the door.

She opened it for him and he slipped by with growing understanding.

“There’s a place I want to eat near here. That’s it.”

“Sure.” He passed her to the fence and got in position to help her over.

“Catch me.” She told him as she stomped her foot into his hand.

“Gladly.”

She soared much higher and this time it was exhilaration.

Mikey appeared beneath her and plucked her out of the air.

She was lowered to the ground in yet another dance move. “Where’d you learn all this?”

“Took ballet as a kid.” He made sure her feet were flat before letting go.

She grabbed his hand to pull him the direction she wanted. “That wasn’t just ballet.”

He followed after. “Good eye. It was ballet, salsa, tango, merengue, swing, and a bit of freeform jazz dance.”

“You didn’t take those as a kid.”

“Nope, most were as an adult. I got into helping at the community center and picked it up while I was stacking chairs. Always with the chairs, I swear. I hate them.”

“Explains how you set that guard’s party table up fast.” She checked the street for both of them as Mikey was blindly following her tether.

“They say a smile is its own reward, but getting to take all the classes for free was pretty great.”

She flicked a wry glance back at him. “It’s a community center. Shouldn’t the classes be free?”

“Right! They are for kids! Adults have to pay!”

“Annoying.”

“Yes!”

“I had group at one.”

“Part of your parole?”

“Bingo.” A few more people were popping up.

“How was that?”

They came to a crosswalk and she pretended to think.

Mikey stood dutifully aside and adjusted their hand hold so their fingers were entwined.

When she checked in on him for the move, he purposefully looked away like he was examining pedestrians.

She rolled her eyes. “It was a lot of chairs.”

Mikey chuffed his attention back to her.

“And whining.”

“I bet.”

“You wouldn’t call it that.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” He agreed. “What kinda food?”

“Sandwiches. It’s 24 hours or something, had a pretentious name, and looks like a flower shop.”

Mikey pondered.

“You can’t know the owners.”

“Maybe don’t say ‘can’t’ until I’m sure.”

“Ugh! How do you know so many people? Don’t you get tired of the blah blah talking all the time!”

“Really?” The light changed and it was his turn to send her sarcasm as he now led.

“Just because you talk others’ ears off, doesn’t mean you want to hear it.”

“I want to hear you.”

“That’s different.”

“Is it?” He shot her a heated look.

She ignored it. “It is. Now tell me how you stand randos.”

“Okay so sometimes they go on a little too much about themselves and it gets boring.” Mikey admitted like it was a weight off his chest.

Kendra let the sentence breathe because it seemed to need the air.

Mikey returned to himself after taking a breath. “I don’t think I’ve told anyone that.”

“You didn’t even hesitate.”

“We have banter. Have you noticed? Like we can go back and forth really fast?”

“I guess.” She hadn’t thought about it.

“I prefer that. It feels like you can keep up with me.”

“You’re surprisingly self-centered. It’s like you can’t talk about anything without relating it to yourself.”

He hummed. “It has more to do with craving a connection to others. It’s sympathy and compassion that leads us to wanting to commiserate. I try not to raise the bar because the point is sharing joy or grief.” 

She eyed him. 

“Sounded a little too intelligent, hm?”

A grunt popped out of her. 

“I know you don’t think I’m very smart. I’m not trying to argue; just saying I noticed.”

“You still take offense.”

“Oh, for sure. I love impressing people to shut them up!”

“That why you were going for breathless and all that other crap?”

“You took my kiss so maybe I’m salty about it.”

“Oh no! The girl you’ve been out on a few dates with kissed you!” Kendra put on fake horror.

“The girl I like kissed me, actually!” He corrected with a pointed finger.

Her lips made a noise when she closed them abruptly.

“See?” Mikey spun around her to block her path. “Impressed!”

She pulled her hand from his.

“And with honesty too!?” Mikey feigned his own surprised expression. “Your description was good.”

She didn’t let understanding blossom on her features and instead turned to predictably find the deli she picked out ready with an open door beside them. “I told you I wanted to eat here.”

She entered first and he followed after. Ordering took a few minutes at most and they were soon outside with crinkling paper. The flowers at the entrance put out a light scent and mixed with the aroma of fresh bread. Kendra inhaled deeply as she peeled back her paper for a teeth wide bite. She was saving what was left of her lipstick.

Mikey was already halfway down his sub and swallowed hard to speak again.

“What’s your favorite anime?”

She pursed her lip and almost smiled. “Dragon Ball.”

“A classic!” Mikey chirped.

“We could only pick through pre-made designs for our jackets. School budget if we wanted satin and the color.”

“Huh?”

“Purple Dragons.” Kendra stared into the ingredients piled between bread.

“What’s that?” Mikey spoke through another mouthful since he apparently couldn’t wait.

She looked at him.

He chewed and met her gaze openly.

He didn’t know.

A strange part of her liked that.

She didn’t. “A tech club I started in high school. The name of my group.”

“Oh yeah, Washington Irving High School’s mascot.”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“Wait, are you saying your dragon was Shenron?!”

“I mean the colors were wrong!” She huffed.

“You were stuck with school colors.” Mikey shrugged. “I’sh still cool!”

“I guess. I liked his red eyes. He was all powerful, but wouldn’t do shit until you went through his trial.”

“Collecting the dragon balls.” Mikey nodded.

“Yeah…” She widened her jaw to take another bite. “You had to earn it.” 

She could feel him watching.

“Knock it off. I’m eating.” She sent him a glare.

“Your lipstick.”

“What about it? It’s not on you.” She addressed him with a slight turn of her body.

“Dragon tech genius…”

She narrowed her eyes to parse out where he was going.

“The color.” He pointed to his own mouth. “It’s Bulma, isn’t it?”

Her face flooded with heat and she felt her back snap straight.

Mikey zeroed in on her embarrassment. “Oh, you really like her!”

“She’s whiny!”

“I bet you modeled your whole thing on her when you were young!”

“Mikey!”

“I was into Krillin myself. I would spend hours trying to do the Destructo Disc.”

Her irritation halted. “How old?”

“Tiny, like five.”

“You can throw fireballs now.”

“Isn’t it funny how those things work out?” Mikey gleamed a knowing grin at her.

She scoffed at him and finally ate more of her food.

“You’re way hotter than milf Bulma, by the way.”

“Boy!” She threw up her bread to toss at him.

“Don’t waste good food!” He gasped.

“I bet you’ll lose your hair and go bald just like your hero!”

“Stop!” Mikey immediately broke into distress. “Too real!”

“What!? Why!?”

“Uh…” He strung out the phrase before launching into an absurd tale about time travel and the Krang.

Kendra was just inclined enough to believe it.

(Check out behind the scenes for this fic and more on my Patreon. You can follow me there, here, or the tag #AENEMfic for updates)

My stomach hurty but I still appreciate my betas @tmntxthings  @thepinkpanther83 and @unrestrainedhotsoup

[irldiancie]

All Kagehina “proof” I know of

Ok i wasnt gonna post this but ive been told by a friend to explain why some might ship Kagehina so... try me. i dont exactly ship this myself but lets just say im a pro when it comes to this topic also it's not as bad as i thought it was there are worse ships idk why i was a hater also i lowkey got some of this from shipping wiki but most of it i knew already, plus NOT ALL OF THIS IS NECESSARILY REFERENCES TO THE SHIP it kinda just adds on to it anyways lets just get into it

ok so starting with common knowledge i think everyone knows that Hinata is the protagonist followed with Kageyama being the deuteragonist, they get the most screen time together and are pretty much paired MOST of the series, we get a lot of content with them together while also getting content of them on their own, they're known as the "freak duo," the "greatest teammates" and like 100 other names they've been called I've seen a lot of people intemperate their relationship wrong, I've seen a few say Kageyama was downright "abusive" to Hinata which I think is a little farfetched, but to each their own! They genuinely do care for each other and it shows, even at the end of the manga you can tell how far their relationship has come, even if they consider themselves rivals, they are without a doubt still friends Now a lot of people have said "well they're not gay they're just friends", while this is true, it has been referenced/implied officially in many places, including manga panels and english dubs, so while it isn't canon there is a few cute things about it which we know are official which is why I'm sharing this, I myself know it isn't canon, plus I didn't really make this to prove anything it was kinda for fun sorry if that made little to no sense but I'll start getting into more interesting stuff 1. at the tip of the iceberg we have the fact they're in so much official art together

theres like a 1000 more of these btw theyre often put near eachother even in official arts not based off them

I have like 1k more of these but i have more proof than this but i think you get my point some of this is probably promo art but that's also considered official art so 2. moving on i think another known one is that Ukai calls them lovebirds ONE TIME in English dub and I have no idea who approved that but I think it's funny and obviously this probably meant nothing but take it as you want video of it here 3. this is kinda randomly thrown in but the fact that they also trust eachother, they've mentioned it a couple times but I think it's nice to know 4. i dont remember when this was or what chapter or something but kageyamas grandfather said "somebody even better will come for you", which just happened to be Hinata of course 5. ALSO after that whole fight scene back in season two, Hinata says this

he didnt really consider kageyama as a friend, but he considered him a partner which i believe is more important to hinata. teammates/partners were always something Hinata wanted, as before he went to Karasuno, he didn't feel like his friends in Junior high were necessarily teammates. Meaning he valued Kageyama more because he was his partner.

(credits to triananero for these images) and when him and Kageyama started working together, they most definitely were perfect together, as they balanced each-other out, which made them become an unstoppable duo or whatever they called them 6. the fact that they have matching jersey numbers 9 and 10 moving on to less canon stuff, there is a light novel of Haikyuu called Haikyū!! Shōsetsuban!! which probably isnt close to canon but Furudate was a part of it even though it wasn't written by him, so it's at least somewhat official 7. anyway according to shipping wiki there is a chapter where Kageyama feels "fluttery feelings at the bottom of his stomach" when Hinata texts him, it's on volume 8 chapter 1, I REALLY WANTED TO SHOW YOU GUYS BUT I COULDNT FIND IT ANYWHERE ONLINE. i searched countless tumblr posts and websites but i could only find chapter five and chapter three so im fully convinced this is lost media LMAOOOO 8. also in Haikyū!! Shōsetsuban!! apparently there's a part where Hinata daydreams about him and Kageyama eating under cherry blossom trees i just found that cute AS MUCH AS I WANNA SHOW YOU GUYS I LITERALLY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING OF THIS LIGHT NOVEL ANYWHERE i just know it's real, if I ever get my hands on it which I doubt, I'll share proof it exists btw AND THIS IS REALLY RANDOM AND SOMEONE WANTED ME TO INCLUDE THIS BUT 9. Basically there was a ad for deodorant a couple years back, collabing with Haikyuu, where you could buy deodorants to “smell like them” or whatever, some shippers believe it’s a Kagehina reference as they also advertised Kageyama and Hinatas scents together as some like matching couple thing

and then there's this

And I think I've said enough, there's way more you can find out about this ship, but I hope with this post you've learned something new or whatever... I MIGHT MAKE THIS A SERIES should i do kenhina next or kuroken ANYWAYS DISCLAIMER I didnt look too much into most of these things but I can gaurentee this stuff is true also this was just for fun and not serious but i hope you liked my little post!

[grievedifferent]

CHRIS 4 JOSH? let's talk about it ... and let's be honest.

read more for length only, it's all pretty sfw and non-triggering content.

speaking with otter first and foremost, here are her thoughts on the matter:

for context, she has a degree in video game art & design, so she knows the entire pipeline for how video games were and are made currently. she actually graduated like right around when UD came out, so this is perfect because she also helped me understand some of the modeling and why the original game is just honestly more fluid in mechanics versus the remake, so i've been giving the remake a pass in a lot of big ways and just sort of accepting everything else as is in conjunction with the original game (and in our case, the 2013 prototype).

basically, she said it originally looked like this is what likely happened: a texture artist was given permission to do a heart, someone else or that same artist put in CHRIS + JOSH and basically whoever was in charge of them (i have no names for this) likely said "you absolutely cannot confirm a fan ship, it's not happening" which is why it became CHRIS 4 JOSH. otter was explaining how the 4 looks a little off like it wasn't there originally but more of something to replace what was underneath. like a 4 covering a +.

still likely meant to be a joke, maybe it could go so far as to that texture artist shipping it, but either way, it was never going to make it into the official game as a way to be interpreted as josh and chris are canon. i know the app contradicts one major thing for chris and ash because the game itself literally confirms they both like each other in various scenes and context clues and all of that content we get in-game for them.

based on my own time being in school for video games, this makes a lot of sense. i might not have finished, but i did learn this lol. so, what she's saying is pretty on point. that's how companies are, even if it's "supermassive" ... they are working under sony.

so, does it mean anything? not really. i know this was probably huge for the other side of the UD fandom (i see it being two sides: rpc and non-rpc, which can be similar but are generally very different ... in-between those spaces are typically the fanfic writers and then the sub-genre of reader insert fanfic writers if that makes sense? anyways). but it really means nothing.

it's just a little easter egg. if we want to look into it at all? it was likely done by chris (otherwise it would say josh 4 chris if it was from josh), and also ... i know this sounds probably so lame, but that's just how guys are. they act like that, especially if you're super comfortable with a long-term friend. people have probably wondered about it based on how close and jokey they can act, they don't seem like the type to "shy away" from any sort of intimacy, especially for a joke, and idk, they're just like that? that's pretty normal.

HOWEVER ... where this gets even more interesting for me is this part: bringing in the 2011-2013 prototype, the game that was being pumped out for demos and such before supermassive did an entire rehaul of the original 2010 game (so, this is not london studio's project anymore, it hasn't been for a while, and their original iteration actually had hannah and josh as a couple named hannah and clayton).

why is this interesting? i've mentioned before several things about that prototype specifically: a) mike and chris never changed from design to actor, they were always solid (so it's weird to not even consider using their old voice banks for new content for the 2024 remake but okay??), b) this had originally intended (all the way back to london studio) to really be a "couples game" that "couples play together", giving the controller back and forth, and c) the fact that sam clearly liked josh in the original iteration, josh did not feel the same, but he had basically the same relationship with chris, who seemed to still like ash and vice versa, but josh also had a pretty high energy by comparison both in general to rami's josh and also to specifically chris in comparison to (that verison of) sam.

let's dig into 'c' a bit more. the sam and josh problem. it's not really a "problem" but i think there's somewhat of a general misunderstanding as to what their relationship is realistically like based on their connections and affiliations over what is sort of "expected of them".

here's what we know for facts:

sam and josh know each other, we can maybe assume from childhood or middle school era, but long enough for sam to be considered hannah's best friend.

which brings me to my next point: sam is hannah's best friend, not josh's. not even "hannah and beth's best friend". she is hannah's best friend. this is josh's little sister's best friend. i have to reiterate this because i see this huge sort of blackhole when it comes to this fact about sam and hannah. this is literally sam's entire tagline! even the game sort of forgets that sometimes? sam actually somewhat harshly criticizes hannah in her bedroom, something that is only open to sam and no one else. i'm not sure where this idea that sam is there for josh when she should be there for hannah. you can also tell sam and josh weren't that close over that year because she needs chris to confirm that a) this entire getting back together is a good idea and b) if josh is doing okay. if they were close, wouldn't she know? also, josh wasn't that close to anyone besides seemingly chris? which sort of makes sense but even he only lets chris see certain sides of himself. so, they aren't as close as people i think mistake them to be.

they were supposed to have something one-sided in the prototype before the finalized release. in the protoype, sam likes josh, but josh seems to not reciprocate. it's heavily hinted at when she flirts with him in the scene at the lodge door, which is very different but also somewhat the same as the version we get.

the finalized verison of sam (ie "hayden-sam") doesn't seem to have a crush on josh ("rami-josh") ... at least, from what i can tell. i think she actually feels somewhat uncomfortable around him, if we're being honest. maybe not before the prank, we can see they are comfortable together briefly in the new snapshots on the camera, but after? definitely so. this makes sense. they are somewhat avoiding each other. why would she go back there? both hannah and beth are dead, leaving josh.

finally: josh is hannah's older brother, thus acts as an older brother to the group ... sam included. this is literally in josh's characterization.

so, delving into probably headcanon territory here, and i'm not even going into my own sam headcanons ... basically, i think sam sees josh as an older brother and josh sees sam as a little sister figure. ik ik it's boring.

hear me out here: i think this was done simply because there are so many couples in the game already, which is so funny because it was supposed to be a couple's game but then got changed to a sort of "play alone or pass the controller".

now? UD is meant to be played either on your own or between multiple people, you can assign one person to each person you're playing with or just split the cast up the way otter and i do. it's more liberal and intentional to be that way versus its original intention. think about it: when you really start actually playing, there are two for sure couples, one maybe "will they won't they", and then two that aren't dating. that does feel more realistic just in general in a friend group, doesn't it? people date each other, break up, bring new members in, etc, but not everyone always dates everyone all the time.

also, i think just blanketed, supermassive wasn't even considering that likely at least one of those characters is probably gay or bisexual. until dawn is only so deep because it can only go so deep, and if they were going to go deep? it was going down the mental illness rabbit hole along with the background story they were trying to flesh together coupled with the mo-cap technology they were working with.

also, not to be that person, but life is strange came out in 2013 and kind of nailed it, right? they had their own set of issues they tackled incredibly well, whereas it doesn't really fit into UD. UD is about being a true "classic horror" story with the heavy use of intentional character tropes. so, give UD some grace here, i'd say.

cause let's get real for a second: there were so many last-minute changes while holding onto the threads of what they wanted. some stuff from the prototype for example is pretty shot-for-shot or word-for-word and some is super different. like ... im sorry, but the wolves aren't in the prototype (just as an example), so you can see how fast they decided to put those in because those wolves are literally broken animals.

back to sam and josh: taking my own headcanons aside, i don't think it's impossible to headcanon sam having a crush on josh at any point in her life that she knew him pre-UD. it's not uncommon, of course. he's classic older brother, he's fun, he's cute, he's friendly, and he's always around. again, while i think at least narratively they took that aspect of sam's character out when they cast hayden (she gives a much different, honestly better vibe for sam from the original actress, whereas ashley is like the same ngl), there is something to be said about not saying anything, i suppose. i just don't see it as something that was meant to be noticed, if that makes sense. not that it's not fitting? i guess?

but it's how josh feels, more the position he's in, that i sort of get caught up in why i'm sometimes hesitant with outright sam/josh with no plotting beforehand (as if it's canon). josh is the older brother. for him, there's sort of some lines he feels he isn't supposed to cross, trust he isn't supposed to break, and just sort of general boundaries? like, age isn't necessarily his factor here, it's literally how they met and how they know each other. it would be likely hurtful to hannah, probably awkward? i imagine?

so, is josh willing to cross his sister's comfort like that? yes, he lies to her ... about his mental health. it's never implied anywhere else that josh lies to hannah or beth about anything else. also, we can argue it's the parents hiding it from his sister's, wanting them to have a certain view of their brother.

then, post-death, we know there's a huge change in their relationship. josh and sam become distant, as i've discussed above.

with a lot of plotting and specifics, i could do it. just blanketed? or like ... how i see these characters without anyone else's interpretations in consideration? like just playing the game as is without even considering rpc? i don't see it.

so, what about josh and chris then? i'm not going to lie, i've only even recently come around to the idea, and even that comes off to me as still one-sided if it were ever even considered. likely? it would have been chris like ash, ash like chris, josh maybe likes chris? but that's so pushing it to assume supermassive would imply, though it's actually more sound for inferences in the prototype.

the chemistry josh and chris have is very natural. we can give that partially to the actors, of course, and partially to the writing. they have known each other a long time, and i've talked about it above how that's just how these types of guys are sometimes. they're just comfortable with each other.

so, even i'm just writing general headcanons without taking anyone else's specific interpretation in mind? i see it like this:

josh and chris? best friends from childhood.

chris and ash? the intended "will they / won't they" of the game.

josh and sam? older brother figure to younger sister figure (ie the friendship that can form with this type of bond, but likely nothing else).

but josh flirts with sam, remember? he infers he'd help her with the bath. he also calls mike and jess pornstars, says he wants to get friendly with ashley in the snow (and calls her a sleeper hit), etc. he's pretty mouthy about that sort of thing. it's just how he is. i guarantee if that were jessica in the bath, he'd say the same thing, and might even be more persistent about it (given that jessica is more playful than sam in that regard). however, were that emily in the bath? not a chance, he probably wouldn't have said anything tbh. i also write sam as a lesbian.

okay, so this is all "canon and great" and everything ... but what about me? what are my personal ships?

i can see so many with josh. i think that he's probably more gay than straight. he sees himself as open-minded.

does he lean more towards men or women? privately: sexually and romantically speaking, men. socially: women.

i have it that he chooses the "women make me uncomfortable" option when i play. i think this makes sense for josh.

why do women make him uncomfortable, but he socially pursues them? is he actually attracted to women? what is his sexuality for real? so, why women: it's socially understandable and acceptable. it's what he's relied on since puberty / actively encouraged to pursue since dating was on the table. he's with such a "bro" crowd — and so bro-coded both in being written that way narratively speaking while also just self-imposing that sort of role to himself ... while also naturally filling that role. his sexuality with labels: bisexual with a heavier male leaning preference, would be considered more demisexual when it comes to women. he is attracted to men romantically and sexually, and he is attracted to women, but there has to be a relationship fostered for it to be more romantic than sexual. i think he's fooled around with girls, but never had penetrative sex with them. he's likely never been with a guy, as he's very closeted, despite this being his active preference. women intimidate josh and make him uncomfortable.

further on him being more closeted despite being in the industry: josh has his family's reputation to consider. the world doesn't always agree that being bisexual is natural and non-offensive. he would be outright just called and labeled gay (which isn't entirely inaccurate but is not accurate). it could hurt his family. this isn't 2024, this is the 2010s, and yes it was getting "big" in the way we see acceptance now, but it wasn't so seen. people were (and still are) hiding. think of it like this: if josh has to hide his mental illness the way he does, he's likely having to hide his sexuality.

i think that's why the traits we do see in josh are so exacerbated because he has to stifle so much of himself down that the parts he's allowed to express become the loudest to hear.

all of that to get us here: my ships for josh.

personally? again, no other interpretations are considered necessarily, just ships i like based on various things from simply aesthetics to actual connections i can see them having.

what about chris/josh? honestly? i never even considered it until recently, and now that i have, it seems more obviously (if anything) one-sided by josh (the giver) to chris (the receiver). i don't think chris has ever consciously thought about it. josh (probably) has. as a default, however, i write them as bros. i do genuinely love their friendship. that being said, i do like it as a ship. i don't write my main plotlines with that in mind, though.

quickly: if anything, i think chris is the most compatible for josh (and vice versa). there is a lot of game evidence to support this, but that's for its own post.

josh/ashley -> this had always been my previous top ship for josh, but as more context becomes available via the remake and data mining the game, my opinions have swayed a bit, but i will always love joshley. it's a demi thing with them, i think. i also think josh is kind of jealous of ashley's relationship with chris (chapter 2 is called jealousy, and yes, that refers to the matt-mike-em-jess stuff but could be inferred to the trio), yet actively supports his bro, so doesn't really "get in the way". in fact, he encourages it.

josh/ashley/chris -> i see this as mostly ashley dating both chris and josh, maybe josh having some feelings for chris? from there, it's open-ended, but it's mostly "ashley has two boyfriends", and i am here for that. i love her.

additionally, i do ship chris/ashley. i like that josh is actively trying to get them together, and i think while it's for "nefarious reasons" or whatever you want to say when we see it in-game, josh is acting as a direct reflection to how he always has been ... so we can assume he's always been trying to get chris to make the move on ash.

josh/jess -> this is primarily aesthetically speaking, i think they just would look good together? opposites attract? pre-prank of hannah, it's definitely that ... opposites attract. he's not really her type, lbr, but she's probably his type in the way she's pretty ... but she is also intimidating to him. it's funny because, ultimately, that sort of confession to mike that jess gives about her insecurities would be very understood by josh (and actually matt, who i see as insecure), and i like all three of those boys with jess. yes, i hold jess accountable for the prank, but just character traits and such? i can see some vibes here. also! a lot of my fondness for this ship probably comes from post!verse stuff, like retribution, etc. honestly, i just like these two together not even romantically? i just want to see more of them interacting idk josh and jess are very contrasting characters that could go really well or horribly wrong together. also, i just have to say that i feel like there was some genuine interest when jess suggested that josh might be flirting with her and mike (jokingly) asked to basically have a threesome together, like she was kind of into it ngl.

why none of the other UD boys with josh? like mike and matt? we don't really see too much matt and josh unfortunately. i'm also a huge matt/jess shipper idk but i just don't see matt and josh being compatible, and i also write matt ... and i also write matt as straight, so. there's that aspect. but generally? i don't see it.

so, no em and josh? i literally do not have enough canonically to go by to even say what their default dynamic is like! they never talk!! like ever. so ... once i can establish with an emily writer what that is, i'd be more down to clown.

i can't with mike, either. i love mike btw, literally no shade to him, i don't think josh is the right fit for mike either by any means. mike is great at "handling" josh at his worst in a crisis (kind of? idk it depends sort of on the choices you make, but i get his vibe, i do get it) to get him from points a to b, but that's about it. mike also just comes off as very straight (to me).

all of that to say this: i generally write things as they are from the game unless there's a pretty good clue, inference, or some sort of thread i can unravel to make something make sense. it has to make sense for me, i'm just that type of person.

but ... with the right chemistry, plotting, and a bit of time? anything can happen. just because i default see something one way doesn't mean that i cannot be convinced otherwise ... or still hold that belief for the game itself but write enough development that i love something else in an rp sense. i'm a very "this is game, this is rp" and then from there, i take from the game to make the rp experience more game-like. does that make sense? did any of this make sense?