#i wrote this in 5 hours

[blueskittlesart]

I noticed you into persona again and drew botw link in zelda what would their link and zelda perssona and outfit be like if they were in persona?

this was. an interesting exercise in character design if nothing else. not entirely vibing with the golden goddesses which is why i didnt color them fully & also i exclusively referenced p5 personas (& orpheus p3 purely because i remember that design). not entirely sure they're reading as game-accurate because i honestly don't pay much attention to the actual persona designs so i was really just focusing on silhouette and vibe lmfao. anyway if you're an artist and you ever feel like torturing yourself try designing a character or 5 based off the persona franchise

[heartorbit]

revstar emu save me

[seefasterdraws]

from the homumiko mines

[siphisket]

Get Spr(ule)onkd

[colacat53]

A Rundown of My Tessa Lives AU

It all starts at the Elliot Manor(of course) during the night of the Elliot and Frumptlebucket gala(N won't be here because he is still tied up outside on that tree, I'm pretty sure he only gets untied from that tree due to Uzi's interference and since this isn't Uzi looking into V and N's memories and is actually the true events of the gala there will be no appearance of darkXwolf17 to help him). When J and Tessa are confronted by V who is currently possessed by the Solver I think they will instead try to escape V instead of fighting her(since I think they only fight her in the first place to give N and darkXwolf17 time to get to the basement). They escape V and Tessa then attempts to stop Cyn from being silly. When Cyn possesses all the drones, J resists long enough to tell Tessa to run, Tessa listens and tries to get away before a Solver possessed J chases after her. Tessa manages go get outside before J catches up to her and J attacks her. I imagine Tessa grabbed the sword from J at some point so she tries to use it to defend herself against J. At some point during her escape, J manages to slash Tessa across the face with the fleshy eldritch claws gifted by Cyn. This causes Tessa to fall down a hill and into some bushes, leaving J to believe she is dead and so she returns to Cyn. (later when J comes to she she's the blood on her claws and is then convinced she killed Tessa)

Tessa stays hidden in that bush until everything is over and Cyn and her possessed drones leave the manor to go after the rest of earth. When JCJenson arrives Tessa comes out of the bush and tries to fight them with the sword she has and JCJENSON, upon seeing this terrified, injured girl with a sword take her in to patch her up and question her. Tessa at some point after getting patched up, reenters the manor and sees the results of Cyn's massacre(she also grabs the revolver she threw at Cyn)

Tessa allies with JCJENSON in order to stop Cyn and also get her drones back. Tessa grows up a bit and is trained by JCJENSON (on another planet besides Earth and Copper-9, presumably the planet where all the immortal dogs were moved to)

Enter Astronaut Tessa as she lands on Copper-9! Tessa explores Copper-9 for a bit before she gets attacked by a familiar face, a now Disassembly Drone J, who had mistaken Tessa in her astronaut suit as a drone that could be an easy meal for her. Upon hearing a surprised Tessa say "jaybird", a nickname Tessa had given her, J stops her attack in shock at the very much alive Tessa in front of her, who J had thought she had killed back at the manor. J apologizes(so much) to Tessa for what happened at the gala and Tessa forgives her, saying she knows that Cyn was controlling her(also this scene takes place during The Promening). Now that J and Tessa have been reunited they start working together and J takes Tessa to the door that Uzi's colony hides behind. When the two land, instead of Tessa beheading Reid with her sword I'm instead going to say that J attacked and ate him, much to Tessa's displeasure and Tessa asking "why the hell she did that" and J explaining that when Cyn turned J and the others into Disassembly Drones she made it so they had to consume oil to survive and Tessa then starts trying to fix that so J doesn't have to kill Worker Drones to survive. Eventually the two come across Doll who has been outside of the outpost since The Promening, trying to find a way to help stop the Absolute Solver. The three of them make their truce together on getting the keybug to get into the Cabin Fever Labs and all that goes the same with Doll taking the keybug and leaving when she sees that Tessa and J would be working with V.

I want to say the events of Dead End would go the exact same but at the same time I feel like the sentinels attacked Tessa in canon because it was actually Cyn so idk maybe the sentinels just attacked her because they hadn't seen humans in a while, idk.

someone already made a post on how Tessa being alive in Mass Destruction would play out so I'm just gonna say it plays out the same as that ( @ingulo-agualo for the au I'm talking about). I will however say that the reason Tessa disappeared after Doll confronted her was because she heard Cyn coming and fucking dipped because she knows she can't take on Cyn without the patch first and wasn't going to risk trying to help Doll get away in case Cyn possessed Doll(o7 Doll, you will be missed).

Once Cyn herself appears in Mass Destruction and tries to drag N and Uzi into the as J said "big scary hole thing" (also I imagine Cyn wouldn't look like how would as a normal drone since she wouldn't be able to wear a very much alive Tessa as a skinsuit and that she would instead look very eldritch and fucked up because I still think she looked really cool as Flesha) I feel like Tessa would freeze up in this moment in fear of Cyn because she remembers seeing the aftermath of the gala and I believe she was already afraid of Cyn during Home so I think seeing her again and also seeing how Cyn looks now would scare her quite a bit. Tessa only snaps out of this due to N grabbing her as he goes to take the spaceship from J.

Now time for Absolute End!!

So while Nori, Uzi, and N are all in space Tessa confronts Cyn alone, despite being afraid of her she knows she has to stop Cyn now or else Cyn will succeed in destroying Copper-9. Cyn easily wins against Tessa and is about to kill her

meanwhile, J, who was with Khan, Thad and Lizzy after N stole the spaceship from her and was trying to see what she could do about the gravity and weird tentacles Cyn was using to drag everything down when V and and sentinel buddy arrive. The two of them notice the scene of Cyn about to kill Tessa and J tells V to throw her at the two of them since due to the gravity J wouldn't be able to get to Tessa in time and so V throws J and J is able to save Tessa from Cyn. I imagine Cyn would try to possess J, like she did at the gala only for J to fight against it, where Cyn then decides to attack J, beheading her and trying to access her core. Tessa, not wanting J to be killed by Cyn, sneaks up on Cyn and attacks her with her sword, having learned her lesson from the gala on using the revolver. Tessa manages to hit Cyn a bit before Cyn fights back, using one of those big scythe/claws to attack her and send her flying into something nearby. This attack breaks Tessa's helmet and had Tessa not had this helmet on she would've died and at the best case scenario would've just been blinded and received a huge scar. (also I imagine that Tessa can survive without the spacesuit but in canon Cyn was using it as an excuse to have everyone believe she was Tessa since the human skeletons around Copper-9 don't wear helmets which makes me think it was probably fine for them to breathe and that the air wasn't toxic).

J, whose head had finished regenerating, sees the state of Tessa and uses the opportunity of Cyn not focusing on her to take Uzi's "bite me" literally and bite Cyn, as well as attacking Cyn with her tail, throwing Cyn into the hole. J then runs over to Tessa to check if she's okay, frantically asking if she's okay and removing the helmet, to which she then sees the scar on Tessa's face that J had given her when possessed at the manor. Upon seeing it, J apologizes again for what happened at the manor, Tessa stopping her and saying it's okay and that she forgave her. Tessa then comments on how J saving her from Cyn was pretty reckless but also how it was impressive that J resisted being possessed which leads to J saying she did it because she loved Tessa, that she had been in love with her since they were at the manor and that she would've rather died than let Cyn possess her again and have her hurt the person she loved. Tessa would return J's feelings, saying something like "Aww, Jaybird, I love you too" and also saying how she saved J from Cyn because she also cared about her. The two of them kiss(yay!) with J unfortunately getting a taste of Tessa's blood in that kiss because Tessa is bleeding from an open wound across her face that Cyn had caused(from the big scythe/claw thing) which kind of ruins it because ew she did not want to taste that. Also everything with N and Uzi's confrontation against Cyn, the "Callback Ping" scene, and Cyn chasing after V had been happening during this and when J and Tessa recover from their little moment they come just in time for the Uzi, N, and V vs Cyn fight and the two of them provide some support during the fight, with Tessa using her revolver and J also using the guns she has, J not physically joining the fight to stay by Tessa's side to protect her and to also help Tessa stay up because being sent into a wall really hurt.

After Cyn's defeat, Tessa and J live within the outpost, just like N and V. The two of them living together. I also assume N is probably living with Uzi with V either also living with them or living with Lizzy(Vizzy is also canon in this au)

also Tessa did get another scar on her face as a result of that fight with Cyn so her face is now even more scarred up but she is still silly and whimsical

[ghostpajamas]

damocles ; sword perspective

uncropped + detail closeups

[clockwayswrites]

Maybe a little more Neon Adjuration

Jason watched Dick leave. The metal door banged against the lock and swung open again a few inches. It was like the whole frame had been warped and the door didn’t quite fit anymore. The door was just out of alignment, just like this whole damn town. “He can’t see them.” Danny set the part he had been fiddling with aside and leaned back onto the edge of the workbench. The sliver of light from the open door cut perfectly across his face, tinting one eye green as Danny focused on Jason. The gaze felt almost burning. “No, he can’t.” “But you can.” “Yes.” “And I can.” “Yes.” Jason had to glance away, to look anywhere but at Danny and his calm, steady gaze. “Ask, Jay.” He didn’t want to. “Ask.” He couldn’t. He had to. “Are you dead?”

[felix-lupin]

In Coraline, there’s a recurring theme with names and identity, and I personally don't think it's talked about enough. 

(As a note, this is dealing largely with the book, not the movie, although there are some hints of this theme in the movie as well)

Coraline’s neighbors constantly get her name wrong, calling her “Caroline” and not “Coraline”, to which she persistently corrects them. Despite her attempts, they never get it right, until chapter 10, in which Mr Bobo (Mr Bobinsky) finally gets it right.

"It's Coraline, Mister Bobo," said Coraline. "Not Caroline. Coraline." "Coraline," said Mr Bobo, repeating her name to himself with wonderment and respect. "Very good, Coraline."

It should be noted that, until this chapter, Coraline did not know Mr Bobo’s name either. In fact, it had never even occurred to her that he had a name. Up until then, she had just been thinking of him as “the crazy old man upstairs”, not as a person with a name. This moment, with her learning his name and him getting her name right, is a moment of genuine understanding and connection between the two, humanizing them both to each other.

Coraline’s other neighbors get her name wrong, which is representative of them not listening when she says anything, really, such as her telling Miss Spink and Forcible that her parents are missing and them literally not even acknowledging it at all??

"How are your dear mother and father?" asked Miss Spink. "Missing," said Coraline. "I haven't seen either of them since yesterday. I'm on my own. I think I've probably become a single child family." "Tell your mother that we found the Glasgow Empire press clippings we were telling her about. She seemed very interested when Miriam mentioned them to her." "She's vanished under mysterious circumstances," said Coraline, "and I believe my father has as well." "I'm afraid we'll be out all day tomorrow, Caroline lovely," said Miss Forcible. "We'll be staying with April's niece in Royal Tunbridge Wells."

Mr Bobo gets her name right after being corrected (only after being corrected alongside her using his name, mind you, showcasing her making an effort to listen to and understand him as well), which is representative of him actually making an attempt to listen and understand her. This point is further illustrated by a conversation Coraline had with the Other Mr Bobo in chapter 10.

As Coraline entered he began to talk. "Nothing's changed, little girl," he said, his voice sounding like the noise dry leaves make as they rustle across a pavement. "And what if you do everything you swore you would? What then? Nothing's changed. You'll go home. You'll be bored. You'll be ignored. No one will listen to you, not really listen to you. You're too clever and too quiet for them to understand. They don't even get your name right."

He equates those in the real world not getting Coraline’s name right with them not listening to her, and fundamentally not understanding who she is. So, somebody getting her name right, then, shows them actually listening to her, and being willing to understand who she is.

The mice in the real world know more than they should be able to know, and they also get Coraline’s name right.

"The message is this. Don't go through the door." He paused. "Does that mean anything to you?" "No," said Coraline. The old man shrugged. "They are funny, the mice. They get things wrong. They got your name wrong, you know. They kept saying Coraline. Not Caroline. Not Caroline at all."

They seem to know about the other world, somehow, on some level, and the dangers it presents. Them getting her name right represents them knowing more than they should know, more than they are told. Animals in general seem to have this type of quality in Coraline, actually.

The cat does not have a name. It says so in chapter 4, that cats do not need names. It says that this is because cats know who they are. But humans need names, because they do not.

"Please. What's your name?" Coraline asked the cat. "Look, I'm Coraline. OK?" The cat yawned softly, carefully, revealing a mouth and tongue of astounding pinkness. "Cats don't have names," it said. "No?" said Coraline. "No," said the cat. "Now, you people have names. That's because you don't know who you are. We know who we are, so we don't need names."

The cat shook its head. "No," it said. "I'm not the other anything. I'm me." It tipped its head on one side; green eyes glinted. "You people are spread all over the place. Cats, on the other hand, keep ourselves together. If you see what I mean."

This shows that, in humans, names are connected to our identities and who we are. Names are used to individualize and distinguish ourselves from each other. But cats do not need names to recognize each other, or be recognized.

"Oh. It's you," she said to the black cat. "See?" said the cat. "It wasn't so hard recognising me, was it? Even without names."

With or without names, it is still the same cat.

During the Other Miss Spink and Forcible’s performance, in chapter 4, they begin quoting Shakespeare. The specific quotes that they use are interesting to me when looked at under this lens of the importance of names, especially Miss Forcible’s.

"What's in a name?" asked Miss Forcible. "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

"I know not how to tell thee who I am," said Miss Spink to Miss Forcible.

Now, of course, this is just them quoting Shakespeare. But. Why these quotes specifically? They’re at the very least notable when discussing Coraline’s recurring theme of names. Especially the quote about the rose. It makes me think of what the cat said earlier, about how cats are sure of who they are so they don’t need names, about how Coraline didn’t need the cat’s name to be able to recognize it for who/what it was.

But, of course, this does not apply for humans. We need our names to be able to know ourselves, to be able to tell others who they are.

In chapter 6, Coraline wakes up and is disoriented. This disorientation is compared to the feeling one might experience upon being suddenly pulled out of a daydream. In this comparison, forgetting one’s name is equated with forgetting who one is and where one is.

Sometimes Coraline would forget who she was while she was daydreaming that she was exploring the Arctic, or the Amazon rainforest, or darkest Africa, and it was not until someone tapped her on the shoulder or said her name that Coraline would come back from a million miles away with a start, and all in the fraction of a second have to remember who she was, and what her name was, and that she was even there at all. Now there was the sun on her face, and she was Coraline Jones. Yes.

The ghost children have also forgotten their names, and with it most of who they were. In chapter 7, when Coraline is locked behind the mirror in the Other World, one of the ghost children says that names are the first things that one forgets after death.

"Who are you?" whispered Coraline. "Names, names, names," said another voice, all faraway and lost. "The names are the first thing to go, after the breath has gone, and the beating of the heart. We keep our memories longer than our names. I still keep pictures in my mind of my governess on some May morning, carrying my hoop and stick, and the morning sun behind her, and all the tulips bobbing in the breeze. But I have forgotten the name of my governess, and of the tulips too." "I don't think tulips have names," said Coraline. "They're just tulips." "Perhaps," said the voice sadly. "But I have always thought that these tulips must have had names. They were red, and orange-and-red, and red-and-orange-and-yellow, like the embers in the nursery fire of a winter's evening. I remember them."

The ghost children may have their memories, but they have largely forgotten who they were. They may remember their tulips, and certain strong memories, but there is very, very little left of them, and they have forgotten who they once were, they have forgotten their names.

"That is why we could not leave here, when we died. She kept us, and she fed on us, until now we're nothing left of ourselves, only snakeskins and spider-husks. Find our secret hearts, young mistress."

"She will take your life and all you are and all you care'st for, and she will leave you with nothing but mist and fog. She'll take your joy. And one day you'll awake and your heart and soul will have gone. A husk you'll be, a wisp you'll be, and a thing no more than a dream on waking, or a memory of something forgotten."

The Other Mother stole their hearts and their souls and their selves. She stole who they were away from them, their identities and names and the names of those they loved, leaving nothing in her wake.

The same ghost that talked about the tulips and the names of the tulips struggles to answer when Coraline asks their gender, as well, and when they do eventually give an answer they seem somewhat unsure of it, as shown by the word choice of “perhaps” and “I believe”

"A boy, perhaps, then," continued the one whose hand she was holding. "I believe I was once a boy." And it glowed a little more brightly in the darkness of the room behind the mirror.

(I personally take this quote, specifically it "glow[ing] a little more brightly" after coming to this conclusion, to mean either that the ghost is happy at realizing that he was once a boy, or even to mean that he has become somewhat more tangible upon this realization; upon remembering something about his self, and his identity.)

As an aside, it's noteworthy to me that we never learn the Other Mother’s true name. She is simply “The Other Mother” and “The Beldam.” Never is an actual name applied to her, only titles. We do not truly know who, or what, she is. Beings without names are shrouded in mystery (or should i say mist-ery). The ghost children are benevolent mysterious beings, the cat is an ambivalent-leaning-helpful mysterious being, and the other mother is a distinctly malevolent mysterious being.

"Who are you?" asked Coraline. "I'm your other mother," said the woman.

"She?" "The one who says she's your other mother," said the cat. "What is she?" asked Coraline. The cat did not answer, just padded through the pale mist beside Coraline.

But in conclusion, names in Coraline are extremely important. I’m sure there’s probably more that I'm missing, and feel free to add onto this, but basically—

People need names to know and remember who they are, and forgetting one’s name is the first step to losing the rest of who one is. Names humanize a person; with a name, they are less shrouded in mystery, more clear.

Knowing somebody's name helps one connect to and better understand that person; it is the first step in getting to know them and see them as a full person, the transition from “the crazy man upstairs” to “Mr Bobo”. Names, to people at least, are one of the fundamental building blocks of who we are.

[tumble-witch]

TW light suggestion of body horror. No descriptions though!

Creatomachia

Bunnix shows up in Marinette's bedroom when it's already dark outside.

Marinette knows what the older heroine is about to ask the second she hears the burrow open. When Bunnix greets her, Marinette is hyperventilating. Instead of exchanging pleasantries, she asks:

- Is it... him again?

Bunnix has a grim expression on her face, yet shakes her head. Marinette exhales. She has another question.

- Is it something I did?

- No. I'm sorry I'm asking this from you again. I'm sorry there will be no answers yet.

- It's okay. I am ready.

At first Ladybug thinks she is on another planet. Another dimension, even. There are cloud fractals in the sky. There is a street light growing out of another one, growing out of another one, growing out of another one... Trees are huge and have so many leaves they are almost a solid green mass. Some buildings are so tall they go way past the clouds in a curvy line. It reminds her of the Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale her mom used to read her before bed.

The roads branch out like blood vessels, getting smaller with each separation, ending in dead ends near the buildings or growing vertically on top of the walls.

The whole city almost looks like it could move at any second. It almost looks alive.

As Ladybug progresses through the streets (if she can even call them that), she finally realizes where the people are.

At least, what's left of them.

Infinite growth apparently works on humans, too. She never thought she'd be so thankful to see somebody not move.

The silence makes her ears ring. Everything is quiet, except for some mechanical sounds the structures make, not really meant to support their own weight in this new form.

Then, she hears laughter.

A girl with hair so long she's not sure where it ends is frantically pacing around the roof, her body movements jittery and odd. As the camera of the heroine's yo-yo focuses on the akuma, helping seek out where the cursed butterfly is hiding, Ladybug realizes the dress this girl is wearing is not grey.

It's is covered in trillions of colourful tiny dots of different shapes and sizes. They seem jittery too, as if trying to move, but some force is making them stay together. This feels like standing up after lying down for too long. Looking at the pattern for too long makes her head hurt

Ladybug continues hiding. She takes her time looking for clues. At this point she's not really sure if the girl is actually laughing or this is a weird hysterical cry. Sometimes the akuma starts muttering under her nose, too quiet to make out most of the words. Ladybug is pretty sure she heard the girl say "I can fix this" a few times though. She shifts to hear the words better.

The akuma turns around

This is the hardest she's ever fought. Chat Blanc feels like child's play now.

While the villain almost looks out of breath, long hair going everywhere, Ladybug is still barely able to keep up.

The air is too dense with oxygen.

The girl has a yo-yo as a weapon, in a cruel twist of irony. And she's damn good with it. Yet, she clearly hesitates in using the thing, saving it as a last resort to escape.

Ladybug tries to reason with the akumatized victim.

- Wait! Please, let me help you!

- You don't understand, - the girl looks around frantically, - I have to fix this! I need to fix this!

Villain's grey yo-yo starts to glow white and she throws it at a fire hydrant, making it grow another one on top.

The akuma was inside the earring. Ladybug was hit by the yo-yo. She doesn't have the time to think as she casts Miraculous cure, just before her brain registered the pain fully.

She'll remember the way it looked when she closes her eyes though.

The streets go back to normal. Her body is normal. Ladybug turns around and meets the eyes of

herself

Marinette sits on the ground, horrified. But before Ladybug can talk to her Bunnix appears and she has to go.

Bunnix doesn't say anything as they walk through the burrow, but she's pretty sure the older heroine is holding her shoulder softer than ever before.

They didn't change anything. They didn't fix anything after they came back, no scoldings, no erasing her name from anywhere, nothing. Marinette is growing more paranoid at every turn, expecting to get akumatized. Her conflict avoidance is at all times high. She's withdrawing from her friends.

Nobody is near when Hawkmoth himself shows up in the middle of the night and she has to transform. He senses her distress immediately.

This is just too easy.

The butterfly lands in her earring just as she started to call for a last effort Lucky Charm.

"Creatomachia, this is Hawkmoth. You are overwhelmed with every problem creating a million smaller ones. Things seem to stack on top of each other and just never end. I'll give you the power to fix everything. In return, you will give me your and Chat Noir's miraculous."

For a split second, everything is white.

[gorchards]

Love Lines - Yuta Okkotsu x Reader pt.2

word count: 3,349

a/n: here's part two! super excited about this one actually :3 cannot believe it is a mere 3,349 words... I thought it would for sure beat part one, but I was wrong! also note that Y/N has a little thing with Choso but tis a mere flashback thing... I'm sorry to the Choso lovers because as much as I love him I had to pick someone...

You paced back and forth in your dorm as you waited for your phone to ding.

A text from Yuta was what you were waiting for, and was what you had been waiting for for the last 43 hours.

“Y/N, turn that thing off already.”

You looked up from your phone, to see your friend Nobara sitting on your bed, eating your chips. Of course, with an eyebrow raised in your direction.

“You know I’m right. You’ve basically jumped five feet into the air at every little noise that things made. Can’t be healthy for you.” She said between bites.

“You wouldn’t understand, Nobara…” You whined, dramatically leaning on your desk and pretending to feel faint.

“I’m not your mom! Don’t say it like that!!” She huffed, sticking her tongue out at you. “I just don’t get how you could get worked up over some boy.”

Yuji chimed into the conversation from his spot on your roomates' bean bag. “I mean, I know why you’re freaking out but… Y/N, it’s Yuta! You guys were friends for like, forever! And he was always pretty chill from what I remember… I’m sure it’s not gonna be weird or anything.” He said.

Nobara gave him a raised brow as well. 

“I’m not… I’m not worried it’s going to be weird.” You replied. 

“Then what is it?” He asked.

You bit your lip. You weren’t 100% sure why you were so nervous, but you tried your best to explain anyway. “… What if it’s… like… just not right? What if it just doesn’t make sense anymore, I mean… It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. He’s moved on with his life and so have I… I’m not sure it would make sense to try again… uhm, try and be friends again. I mean there’s a reason we separated the first time and-“

“This again.”

Megumi’s cool voice cut through the air. You looked up to see him closing the front door and locking it behind him completely silently. It would have been creepy, had you not been so used to it by now.

He began looking directly at you with his eternally judging eyes as he situated himself in your own beanbag chair.

“Megumi! They were sorting their feelings out!” Yuji scolded, poking his cheek.

“Yeah, Megumi!! Don’t interrupt them!” Nobara chided, sending him a little glare.

He fought against the urge to roll his eyes. (And failed.) “I just don’t understand why they must make it so complicated.”

“I’m not making it complicated, it just is complicated!” You argued.

Megumi pinched the bridge of his nose. “You want to see him again?”

“Yes…”

“And he wants to see you?”

“Well, yes, but-“

“But what? That’s all there is to it.” He said.

“No it’s not I- I don’t even know how he’s doing emotionally! What if… What if nothing has changed from before? I mean, our identities were so intertwined that when he-“

“Didn’t you just say that he had moved on with his life.” Megumi deadpanned.

“Well, yes…”

“Y/N. You are way overcomplicating this.”

“I am not!!”

“Are too. If you both want to be friends again, and you both have changed, why are you so scared? It’s worth a shot, right?”

“I…”

“That was rhetorical. You need to answer that for yourself, not me.”

For a brief moment, you found yourself falling silent.

Why were you so nervous? It was just Yuta after all.

Perhaps, because it had been so long? After all, you had very little idea of what he had been up to in your time apart. 

What if you had nothing in common anymore?

What if he changed more than you knew?

What if you had completely incompatible schedules?

What if his new friends didn’t like you, and drove you apart again?

… But then again, you already knew that you two could still keep up a fun conversation together thanks to your little encounter at the coffee shop. You had seen all the little things that hadn’t changed about him after all this time. You knew deep down that he would move heaven and earth to see you again. You knew he still considered you his best friend.

Those worries weren’t true at all. Just anxious thoughts that gnawed at you. Things you told yourself over the years to convince yourself that it wouldn’t be right to follow your heart right back to him in any capacity. Things that were louder than ever before.

… If you were being completely honest with yourself… Maybe it was because you knew you still had feelings for him. Even after all this time.

And if that was true there was a possibility that eventually, that could drive you two apart no matter how hard you tried to fight against it. These feelings you had ran deep. That care that you felt for him might breach, extend, and pressure your mental state and drive you apart… the same way it had the first time. 

You snapped out of your thoughts at the sound of Nobara breaking the silence.

“Megumi, you’re totally oversimplifying things.” She said, rolling her eyes. “It’s like you’ve got a heart of stone or something.” 

Megumi shrugged. “I’m just putting it into context. It’s not healthy for them to stew like that with their thoughts like that. I’m sure you agree.” He replied pointedly.

Yuji pondered for a minute on what he said. “I mean, he’s like… still their ex. It’s gonna feel weird because of that. Like it’s natural for them to want to think about it a little bit m-“

“Yuji, you said it wouldn’t be weird!!!” You whined, starting to pout a little bit.

He panicked slightly. “I meant weird, like complicated! Not weird like weird bad!”

“Yuji!” You groaned.

“Y/N!” He mimicked.

You glared at him.

“Oh. Uh. Sorry.” He scratched the back of his head. He lowered his head in apology, a guilty pout and eyes that looked at you like a four-week-old puppy who had just chewed up your nice shoes.

“You are forgiven.” You sighed. “But still. You guys aren’t helping at all! What am I supposed to say if he texts?”

“Tell him when you’re free.” Megumi stated.

You groaned, holding your head in your hands. “Megumi!”

He shook his head at you. “I’ve done all I can do for you. At least try to keep it down while I’m studying.” 

He started to move back across the room to his desk when the universe finally decided to answer your most secret prayer. Ding.

Immediately, all three of them turned to see you scrambling to pick up your phone. On bated breath, they waited to hear what it was.

“… It’s him!”

Yuji jumped up to read over your shoulder. “What’s it say? What’s it say?”

You began to read it aloud. “He said: ‘Hey Y/N, it’s Yuta, smiley face!”

Nobara looked puzzled. “Why did he do that? You obviously know it’s him. Couldn’t he have come up with a better opener?”

You bit your lip. “Well, actually, I only gave him my number…”

Nobara blinked in disbelief. “You can’t be serious right-”

Yuji shushed her. “He’s typing!”

Nobara and Megumi slowly inched their way over to have a look at your phone as well.

“I know it’s still finals season, but let me know when you have a little extra time. Mine is over this Friday, when is yours?”

“Why is he putting the ball in your court?” Nobara asked, nose scrunching up.

“I mean. What else is he supposed to say?” Yuji asked.

“According to Megumi?” Nobara then flattened her voice a comical amount. “Y/N, there’s a new coffee shop opening up this Saturday. We should go. ”

Yuji blinked. “But that’s not like him at all, from what I remember! And totally inconsiderate…”

Megumi hummed, causing Yuji to jump a little. “But it would get the point across in the simplest way.”

Yuji shook his head. “I think if he wants to ask them out he should be-“

“It’s NOT a date!” You interjected. You wished it could be, though. “I don’t even know what he wants to do!”

“Well, you should respond! Don’t leave him on delivered!” Yuji exclaimed.

Nobara shook her head. “I think they should wait. He made them wait two days for a response.

Megumi pinched his forehead. “Can you stop. Your mind games are going to give him the wrong idea.”

“Shuuut up Fushiguro! It’s not ‘mind games’- That’s just stupid! It’s just what would be fair!” She argued back.

Yuji ignored them, shaking your shoulder. “Oh, oh! Maybe you could put in a little smiley face? That might get him to loosen up!”

The three began to discuss what you should do with much enthusiasm- or, in Megumi’s case, a mild interest in your personal life, with a side of being completely convinced that he was right. Slowly you began to tune out the sound of their voices as they threw out suggestions.

Really, what should you do?

In truth, there would be no objectively right or wrong answer. You could respond now, or later, and the world would keep turning and time would keep passing just as it always had. You wished that for a moment it would, so you could sit and puzzle out your thoughts and feelings without interruption. But even when time felt most like it should have stopped, the day you had shut him out of your life, it still didn’t. It was overwhelming, the many possibilities of what you could do. 

The three chattered on in your ear as you repeatedly wrote up and deleted potential messages in your notes app.

You tried to think. It had been so long since you had asked yourself this. But if it had been Yuta here beside you, instead of your three beloved friends, what would he have said to ease you? How would he have suggested you respond in a situation like this?

You did remember one such instance.

~

You had dated people before Yuta. Quite a few, in fact. But in truth, you had always felt rather uncomfortable sharing when you were in a relationship with him. At the time you had believed that it had been because you weren’t that serious with them… but you had come to realize that it was because you felt very differently about Yuta than you did your other friends. Even, differently than these people you had dated.

A couple of years before you started dating, you had found yourself in a bit of a situation with Choso Itadori. A boy who was in the same grade as Yuta, and was Yuji’s older brother.

Subtly, he had been flirting with you. Not directly, which wasn’t your style. But he was cute, and he was nice… fiercely loyal, but a tad socially inept. He helped with your homework when you were studying with Yuji, and he engaged you in fun conversation despite the chaos of the Itadori household. You thought he could be a good match for you. It made sense, didn’t it?

Of course, you had gone to Yuji for advice! That was only right. It made the most sense. But ultimately, when Choso had texted you, and you alone, asking you out for ice cream… you found yourself texting Yuta in a panicked frenzy. And within a few minutes he showed up at your door with a bag of popcorn and a very concerned expression.

The two of you had sat down on the floor of your room as you verbally puzzled over what you could do. There were so many options. Leave him waiting, so as to appear a little cooler? You were just Yuji’s friend after all- what if Choso found you childish? Or maybe it would be better to respond now! But then again, what would you say, and how would you say it? Perhaps you throw a heart emoji in there?

Yuta had listened intently, with an uncharacteristically pensive expression. He looked like he wanted to say something, but would insist that you get out all your thoughts on the table before he would tell you what it was. And so on you ranted, tangled up in the many what-ifs of what Yuta perceived to be a fairly straightforward situation. 

After about thirty minutes, you let out a loud sigh. “... I don’t know, Yuu… What should I say? What do you think?”

Yuta bit his lip. “Y/N I…” He paused, biting his lip. Pensive, and very deep in thought.

Yuta had told you later on what he had wanted to say at that moment. That he had wanted to tell you how he really felt about you. Not just that, but about the situation you were in, and especially how he felt about Choso at that moment. 

He was so, so jealous of Choso. His thoughts had flashed to moments where Yuta felt he was too far close and far too comfortable around you. And you didn’t suspect anything until he had started flirting with you. But Yuta knew. Of course, he knew. And when Choso had doodled your name in his notebook or whispered gushy things to his deskmate about how cute you looked today, Yuta was in the chair behind him packing his jealousy into boxes and storing them away as far back in his mind as he could. 

But he also knew that before his feelings for you (and his jealousy around Choso), came your friendship. He cared more about the bond you two shared, and he wanted to remain in your life no matter what. He had never ever wanted to risk losing you. He wanted you to be comfortable and in love with life. If that meant you didn’t feel the same about him… he would stay by your side regardless. How he felt about you, to him, was deeper than romantic or platonic attractions. He loved you in every sense of the word. He would do anything if it meant you would be happy.

“Y/N, I think… Well, what do you want to do?” He asked.

You paused. “Well… I’m not sure. That’s why I’m asking you. What do you think should I do?” You explained.

It was very common for you two to have this discussion back then.

And, as always, he had responded: “Hmm… I think… you should do what you want to do.” You groaned in frustration. “Yuta!”

“Sorry, sorry… I just mean… well, do you like him? You know, like, enough to share ice cream?” He asked.

“Hm… I don’t know about share. But I wouldn’t mind going to get some with him.” 

Yuta nodded, tense. “I… see.” He cleared his throat. “Well… do you… I don’t know… Would you…” He struggled to get the words out. “Would you… want to go on a date with him? Like, a date, date. To get ice cream.”

You tilted your head slightly in amusement. “I guess?”

“Y/N! You guess??” He gasped. He grabbed your shoulders. “You shouldn’t go out with a guy you guess you like! You should be with someone who… who makes you feel loved. Like… you know how you feel about him.” He said, as he slowly and anxiously let go of your shoulders.

You chuckled a little, shaking your head. “I mean, yeah! Duh! But how will I know how I feel about them if I don’t go out with them first?”

“I think you can get some idea after a little while…” He grumbled.

You turned your attention back to your phone, pondering Yuta’s question. What did you want to do, really?

You liked Choso, you knew. But… you also knew that you were coming up with a million reasons to stall. Was that your subconscious way of saying no?

Then again, it was kind of this way with everything you did. For some reason, you were paralyzed at the thought of somehow making a wrong choice. Sometimes that prevented you from making any choice at all, and you would blow whatever way the wind would take you.

… But if you really like-liked him, wouldn’t you be jumping at the chance to go out with him? Wouldn’t this override the overwhelming thoughts? Wouldn’t this be exciting, rather than… a strange feeling of neutrality toward it all? He was cute, and he was nice… but you found that the thought of him taking you out, versus the thought that you would just stay home that weekend didn’t make you feel one way or another.

It was then that you had made your choice. As you looked up at Yuta, a new possibility popped into your brain.

“... Say, Yuta! My parents just bought a gallon of ice cream, and I heard there was this spooky movie that just came out! Maybe we can go watch it when it gets dark? And then we could make use of that popcorn too…  We could make a sleepover out of this!” You offered, suddenly finding yourself grinning ear to ear.

“Oh- Sure! Of course! But uhm… What about this Choso thing?” He had asked.

You shrugged, jumping to your feet. “Eh… it can wait.” You said with a chuckle, offering him your hand. “Right now I want to make use of my Yuta time!”

A warm smile washed over his face as he took your hand. “Alright. If that’s what you want.”

~

You snapped out of your memories very suddenly at the feeling of Yuji shaking you once more.

“Oh! Oh! I know! Y/N there’s this AWESOME amusement park that’s not too far from here! Megumi and I took Nobara and this girl she liked there and-”

“Absolutely not. That place is cursed!” Nobara proclaimed. 

“It isn’t cursed just because you dropped a corndog on her skirt. Really, you should have been more careful. I don’t think I would text you back either if you owed me dry-cleaning money.”

“Why you LITTLE-” Nobara was likely about to chew his head off, but your interruption saved him

“I know what I’m going to do.” A subtle softness laced your tone, and you found yourself smiling a little bit.

“Ohhhh what what what!” Yuji pestered, excitedly watching as you typed your response into your messenger app.

“My finals are over next week on Wednesday. There’s this ice cream spot near my campus that’s really cheap, and really good! Maybe we could both bring a friend? :)”

Megumi rolled his eyes. “If you want it to be a date why would you invite him to bring someone else.” He replied flatly.

“Have you ever considered, Fushiguro, that they’re trying to make him more comfortable?” He was about to reply, but Nobara stopped him completely. “NO, you haven’t! Don’t even try to lie!!” 

It was a little funny if you were honest. Nobara held a grudge like a vice, but when it came down to it, she cared deeply for all three of you. It seemed today though, you were her favorite, though.

While the two of them were distracted, Yuuji coyly poked your shoulder. “Sooooo… You’re bringing me, right? Besties for resties? Don’t you think I’ll be a good wingman for you?”

Of course, this immediately stopped Nobara from chastizing Megumi. She butted back in. “As if! You know nothing about romance anymore, you’re with Megumi now!”

Megumi shook his head. “You two would cause too many distractions. They’re obviously bringing me.

You let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. Just what had you gotten yourself into?

You supposed, though, that it was too late to turn back now. You suddenly felt incredibly grateful for Yuta’s patient nature.

Whoever you decided to bring, you would have to make sure they would keep you from flying off into your many what-ifs while you were with Yuta. You had to stay grounded as much as you possibly could.

Because you knew now, more than ever before, that you never wanted to leave Yuta Okkotsu behind ever again. 

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[ghoulodont]

Full Sour

Mushy May 2024 — late night snacks. Dewdrop tries something new.

Relationship: Raindrop Characters: Dewdrop, Rain Words: 1045

Mushy May prompts by @forlorn-crows

Read below or on AO3

Somehow, it’s the unexpected stillness of the bus, the absence of the usual rattle of highway travel, that pulls Rain from his half-sleep in his bunk. He turns on his phone screen and peeks at it, one eye closed against the brightness — it’s past three in the morning. He has almost convinced himself to just roll over and wait for sleep to claim him fully when he hears the telltale rustling of someone else getting out of their bunk.

When he slides his privacy curtain partway open, just a few inches to one side, he makes inadvertent eye contact with Dewdrop — the source of the noise, now stood in the aisle between the rows of bunks. Dew doesn’t say anything, just tips his head to the side as if he’s asking a question. Then he turns and walks out of view, in the direction of the front lounge.

Suddenly, sleep is far away. Rain crawls out of his bunk.

Dew is waiting just outside the bus. The nighttime air is cool and scented with gasoline and exhaust. A truly formidable rest area building looms at the end of the parking lot — the kind with restaurants and shops, a glowing retail oasis. The light from it, and from the tall, spindly light poles, like metal palm trees, accentuates the structure of Dew’s face — brow, nose, cheekbones.

“Were you going to go inside?” Rain asks him.

Dew shrugs, hands in his pockets. “I don’t know, just stretching my legs, I guess.”

Rain nods. Then, after a pause, “We could go walk around in there?”

Dew shrugs again.

If Dew won’t make a decision, Rain will. He starts walking towards the building and Dew follows without missing a beat.

Inside is a dining area surrounded by fast food restaurants, all shuttered for the night, and one convenience store. Rain has found himself growing a soft spot for this kind of place — not the food court, but this particular type of store found along the highway peddling souvenir nonsense, magnets in the shape of states, shirts with local landmarks. The location changes, but the items stay the same — swap out one state for another. It’s comforting in a way, a reminder that you’re always somewhere.

Dew wanders off at some point between the novelty shot glasses and the miniature teddy bears. Once Rain has had his fill of overpriced knickknacks, he takes a detour through the candy aisle to pick up a bag of sour gummy worms — the ones Dew always says are “not even sour” — before meeting back up with him.

On the other side of the store, Dew is standing in front of an open refrigerator case, lit by its fluorescent glow. As Rain gets closer, he watches as he picks up an enormous pickle, entombed in its own brine in a clear plastic pouch, and flips it around to read the back of the package.

He looks up as Rain approaches him. “Aren’t you curious about these?”

Rain wrinkles his nose involuntarily. “No?”

“But you like pickles.”

He does like pickles, generally, yes. “Yeah, but not pickles in a… plastic bag.”

Dew frowns at him.

“I mean, I probably wouldn’t eat anything from this case.” Rain scans the shelves. His gaze lands on an unappealing plastic cup of anemic melon chunks.

“Whatever. I want to try it,” Dew says. “You getting anything else?”

Rain looks down at the bag of gummy worms in his hand. He shakes his head.

Dew leads the way to the checkout counter. Soon, their meager haul is paid for and they’re heading back to the bus.

Once they’re in the front lounge, Dew stops in his tracks and begins to tear the plastic at the top of the pickle pouch.

“You’re actually going to eat that? Or is it some kind of joke?” Rain watches as Dew finishes tearing the pouch open and pulls the pickle halfway out of its packaging. The way he holds it wrapped in its own torn skin is reminiscent of some sort of corrupted banana.

“I’m going to eat it right now.” Dew sits down on the couch, leaning back lazily. He pats the seat next to him.

Rain sits. He might as well see what’s going to happen.

Dew brings the pickle up to his face. He sniffs it. He takes a bite and chews thoughtfully.

“Could be crunchier,” is his verdict.

Rain’s face pulls into a concerned frown.

“Want some?” Dew offers. He extends the pickle out towards Rain. The inside of it is vibrantly yellow-green, the same color as the brine in the bag, the toxic pickle embalming fluid it’s been sitting in.

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not, it’s good.” Dew takes another bite, a bigger one this time, then holds the pickle out again.

Some little piece of Rain wonders if it really would taste good. Looking at Dew’s face, his very sincere expression, brows raised slightly, makes his brain short circuit.

Rain sniffs the pickle. It smells like vinegar and a hint of plastic, or something chemical. He briefly wonders what formaldehyde smells like. He takes a small bite.

Before he can process what’s going on, he suddenly is holding an unchewed bite of pickle in his cupped hand. He shivers involuntarily, his whole body unexpectedly wracked by every known flavor packed into a piece of limp cucumber.

“Why is it spicy?” is the first thing he thinks to say. It comes out a forceful, hissed whisper.

“Because— What did you think ‘hot pickle’ was going to mean?”

“I don’t know! I didn’t know pickles could be spicy!” Rain blinks hard and sniffles wetly.

Dew turns the pickle package around to look at the front of it, then flips it back around again and shows it to Rain. He points to a small decal that reads “Hot & Spicy Flavor”.

“I— Okay, well, I didn’t read that part,” Rain squeaks.

Dew shushes him, eyes flicking toward the bunk area. Then he leans back against the sofa and takes another bite from his pickle.

“Are you seriously going to eat all of that?”

“Yeah, look, zero calories.” He shows the back of the package this time, where the nutrition facts are.

“That’s not what I was worried about.”

Dew shrugs and takes another bite.

[phoenixtakaramono]

ELDRITCH BILLY/ HOMELANDER THREADFIC

SUMMARY: I've written werewolf!Butcher/ vampire!Homelander threadfics before. Here's another 🔞 butchlander monsterfucking AU, this time with Billy essentially being a powerful eldritch god that Homelander wants to fuck.

CW: tentacle sex, oviposition (body horror if you squint but not really)

(The rest of the threadfic can be read here!)

If you don’t have a Twitter account, I have screenshotted the rest of the spicy half below the line break:

Q&A

You mentioned a couple times that a thread in Homelander's mind snapped. What does that mean? It's typical Lovecraftian eldritch mythos where if you gaze upon their true form, you lose your sanity. It's subtle foreshadowing of Homelander becoming more and more insane in Billy's presence. What’s the mucous-like substance the tendrils secrete? It’s like an aphrodisiac; I wanted to be funny and pay homage to the tentacle h3ntai p0rn tropes out there. It's my first try with this trope so please go easy on me, haha. What happened at the end? They destroy the world, plain and simple. This AU is short and to the point but the idea is that Billy provides revenge on Homelander's childhood tormentors. (All those scientists? Slaughtered or driven mad.) Even with Billy's offer to ruin everything, despite HL’s pettiness, there's still a shred of humanity inside HL that didn't want to see everyone dead (his logic: how can he be a god when there's nobody left to worship him?). With him being conditioned to depend on Vought and the corporation subliminally advertising himself as “earth’s mightiest defender,” HL charitably grants Vought “one last chance.” …But subconsciously he’s looking for a reason, any justification, any excuse to bury this rotten planet that’s been nothing but cruel to him (in his opinion). He’s waiting to be disappointed for the last time. He just needs that one final push to finally forsake humanity—because now it’s not his fault, you see? You did this. You guys have no one to blame but yourselves for dooming the rest of this world. (This is how, in his psyche, he avoids taking responsibility. Because he has “justification” on his side.) Whether it be Vought’s board of directors, his fans or sycophants, the constant paparazzi and public scrutiny, etc, it’s inevitable someone will piss him off the deep end. I wanted a somewhat nihilistic lovecraftian ambiguous ending and leave it up to readers’ interpretation, but you are free to imagine after Butcher's rampage and after returning earth to void, he takes Homelander who's carrying their eggs back to his realm. And they raise their half-Supe, half-eldritch terrors happily. I HCed Billy originally wanted to fill Homelander with a thousand eggs, but the human colon can only take so much. Most of the eggs end up duds and need to be pushed out/ pulled out (which, y'know, can also be fun *wink wink nudge nudge* I can't say HL didn't enjoy that—a lot), and they ended up with only a couple surviving clutch. The children can adopt a human form (with tentacles) like their papa (inheriting both parents' features) or revert to their true monstrous forms.

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

[syndrossi]

I don't know how I made the US east coast to west coast transition after returning from my work trip, which is general IN FAVOR of better sleeping habits, and somehow settled into even worse patterns.

[alicornze7]

Chicken Rags cuz’ a certain moot really likes chickens

(it’s an au concept design idea lol)

[rotyolk]

нoiнoiнoiнoi-san

[sexynetra]

SIX SENTENCE SUNDAY

Remembered my beloved @thecollectionsof wrote the worlds best hanahaki fic and remembered that I've wanted to write one since they published that masterpiece............ and here we are

~~~~~~

Marcia brushed past her into the lobby before twirling on her heels to face Anetra again, brown eyes glimmering like topaz under the dim fluorescent lights. “Picture Beyoncé. Then picture Megan Thee Stallion. Then combine those images. This woman was like–a hundred times hotter than that.” Marcia was gesticulating wildly with her free hand as she spoke. Normally, Anetra would find her dramatics endearing, would be teasing her for being incapable of speaking without her whole body getting involved. Instead, she felt frozen, the glimmer in her stomach suddenly starting to feel a lot more insidious.

“That feels sacrilegious to say,” Anetra spoke after a moment, trying to recover.