#ig they can explain away the design changes by like

[fnaf-movie-countdown]

It seems a reliable leaker has “confirmed” the withereds will be game accurate instead of altered fnaf 1 designs!!

Again, this is a leak so take with a grain of salt <3

Source

[lightseoul]

cw. gn!reader, worker!reader, prohero!katsuki, aged-up (25), pining (again, if you look extra closely), a lot of cussing (are we still surprised)

masterlist | part 1 (although ig this makes sense on its own), part 3 (i didn't plan this), part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9

“What.”

It’s less of a question and more of a statement—a statement sputtered in the typically demanding way characteristic of the one and only Bakugou Katsuki.

The Bakugou Katsuki who happens to be your boss for a good (debatable) three and a half years now, who you also have to spend overtime with until who knows what time to discuss what’s become rocky employee relations in the Ground Riot agency.

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion or irrational annoyance—both, really—before you quickly school your expression into a neutral one. You riffle through the documents rather absentmindedly, avoiding his gaze before shooting back with: “What do you mean what?”

“I meant,” he leans back on his office chair that you know he singlehandedly picked out for its superior ergonomic design because he’s meticulous like that, “what the fuck is wrong with your face.”

“Excuse me?”

Your retort is laced with more indignant anger than intended, but at this point in the night, you cannot for the life of you bring yourself to care about your tone. It’s been a long day, and you weren’t about to let your stupid boss make fun of your appearance, of all things.

Bakugou probably senses the significant change in your demeanor, because his eyes widen in surprise ever so slightly before he sits up and opens his mouth to explain himself.

“You’ve been looking like you accidentally drank spoiled milk for the past hour and the shit aftertaste isn’t going away.” He haughtily shakes his head, and it takes everything in you not to jump him and choke your boss.

To your disdain, however, he continues.

“It’s either you spit it out or I’m going to have to force you to tell me what’s wrong.”

You gape at him. Whatever you expected him to say, it wasn’t that.

As quickly as you can, however, you attempt to regain your bearings and at least try to seem nonchalant, clearing your throat as unbothered as possible to top it all off. “Well, working overtime to iron out office squabbles isn’t exactly my idea of a relaxing Friday night, thank you very much.”

He scoffs. “Bullshit.”

You almost get whiplash from how quickly you look at him. His brazen rudeness—which, right now, is worse than usual which is saying something, mind you—renders you incapable of saying anything aside from another winded: “Excuse me?”

He rolls his eyes. “Miss me with that bullshit, dumbass.”

You feel yourself heat up in irritation. “I thought I told you to stop calling me dumbass.”

“You’d rather I call you princess?”

At that, you break eye contact despite yourself, choosing to stare at his forehead instead. It’s still unnerving—looking at any part of his body, really—but it’s better than looking at him squarely and witnessing the smirk you know has taken over his unfairly handsome features.

Your voice is small, to your chagrin, when you reply. “That’s actually a lot worse.”

The man dares to bark out a laugh.

You continue to metaphorically choke him in your head.

“Okay then, dumbass,” he emphasizes the nickname and you are about 99% sure a pained expression is dancing across your face because Bakugou is observing you with even more amusement before his features settle into a look of seriousness.

“As I was saying before you missed the point entirely—I highly doubt you’re this bothered because of fucking overtime,” he eyes you cautiously before pressing on. “Something’s wrong.”

You don’t know if it’s the exhaustion of the week filled with workplace conflict, or the crushing news you received this morning in the mail, or the very fact that Bakugou, despite his roughness and the annoyingly persistent way he’s been poking at your mood like it’s an itchy scab, is looking at you with genuine concern—but you end up doing it.

You give in.

You feel the tears welling up in your eyes before you even get the chance to deny them permission to, and at the sight of them Bakugou sits up even straighter in alarm—and you don’t know what comes over you because you start laughing so hard, your hand shoots up to your stomach in an attempt to keep it from cramping.

“Oi.”

The expression on his face is so unbelievably baffled that you only end up cackling to yourself more.

It takes a few more minutes before the sillies are fully flushed out of your system and really, it only took you a glance at Bakugou to realize you probably looked demented just now.

Feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, you quickly wipe away the tears in your eyes and muster enough courage to flash him a genuine smile.

To your delight, he flashes you one right back, albeit tentatively—one that is boyish and charming under the rather dim lights of his corner office.

Although he seemingly reboots to his default state because it’s immediately replaced by a frown and followed by: “You’re so weird, you know that?”

You snort and, before you can stop yourself: “Not as weird as my ex.”

At that, Bakugou’s entire countenance changes—he visibly stiffens in his seat and his eyebrows furrow in what you believe is confusion at the sudden mention of your past lover.

Bakugou says nothing, however, and so you take that as a sign to continue.

“Remember that meeting we had last March with Chef Asahi about our collaboration with his restaurant where I was late and you gave me shit for it? And when you asked I told you it was because I just got dumped over the phone?”

He gives you a curt nod, lips tight.

“Well,” you chuckle nervously, feeling embarrassed at your upcoming revelation, “I just found out that that ex is getting married in two months, and I’m invited.”

Neither of you says anything for the next—what feels like—hour.

Until Bakugou takes a sharp inhale, leans forward on his desk, and stares you down straight in the eyes: “I’ll do it.”

“What?”

He scowls at you like you’ve got a pea for a brain. “Don’t make me say it twice, dumbass.”

You frown at his hostility, your own bewilderment chipping away at your already thinning patience. “You’re not saying anything.”

Bakugou sighs, and he looks like what he is about to say next physically pains him.

“I’ll be your fucking date to the wedding.”

tagging. @kitthepurplepotato @chelbyisbord @lovra974 @katsukis1wife @brunnetteiwik

special shoutout to @he3v4n for reading the prequel to this and following thereafter--inadvertently making me check out past writing and get inspired to write this <3

[halfnekoslair]

My dolls)

Photo by ig @gray_valet

Hi guys) The package with the previous mouse group order arrived in the US. The rest does not depend on me. So I'm making a post to show everything I can offer. Shipping from Russia is quite expensive, starts from about 70 USD for EMS, which I usually use. So it makes more sense for foreigners if someone organizes a group order to share the shipping cost. This has already been done twice. And I believe there is a discord group about this. But I will give you approximate numbers: This is about 70 USD for up to 1 kilogram 90 USD for up to 2 kilograms and about 105 USD for up to 3 kilograms.

This post is going to be huge so I'll put the prices on top:

15cm mouse. 73 usd for standard colour. +7 usd for extra colour.

25cm turtle. 230 usd.

28 cm 1/6 boy doll. 110 usd for Eirwyn 120 for character heads cause of their hair/ear parts.

MSD Eirwyn. 180 usd.

Speaking of group orders I would prefer not to go above 1000 USD in one box because I don't trust US Customs one bit. And if something bad is destined to happen - I would prefer it not to be a terribly large amount of money.

I can change the prices over time. I most likely will. I'm just groping for a while. The difference in price is more due to the amount of manual work I have to put into the doll than to the size. Turtles are far and away the most complex. And human dolls are less time-consuming. If I make a few and feel that it is more difficult or easier than I thought - I will change the prices. As you can see, so far I have only sold mice.

So what do I offer?

I'm obviously offering mice.

This is around life size mouse doll. Almost 15 cm standing tall and including ears.

I use ABS-like photopolymer resin for these dolls. Because it is easier to work with and looks more polyurethane-like. Mice have a lot of small delicate parts that would be harder to make look good with a harder resin. So it's a tradeoff. I prefer aesthetics over durability. I am not saying that ABS-like resin is too brittle. Many people use this type of resin for dolls. Especially small ones. I am just explaining why I use different types of resin for different dolls. I might consider printing a mouse with the tough resin I use for my larger dolls but that would cost more because it would take more time to post-process.

The colors "from the can" are gray and white. I can also print beige and chocolate at any time. Because these are the most basic colors and I can cut the leftovers. (Beige and chocolate may differ slightly from time to time because I due them myself. White and gray are constant.)

I can mix any color (green, purple). But there must be 2 or more mice of this color in the order. Otherwise it will be counted as an extra color because I will have a lot of leftovers that I will not be able to use.

There is also an option to add pink paws or tail or both. If the doll has 2 colors in it, it is counted as an extra color.

2. Turtles.

Photo by ig @gray_valet

Yes, I finally decided to try and start selling them.

They are 1/6 size. About 25 cm. A little shorter than Barbie. But wide and heavy.

There are 4 sculpts. Each of which has an individual head and some differences in the body.

Officially I name the sculpts by numbers, not by character names. but I think the characters are pretty obvious.

So #1 (Leo)) He's my princess >W< Lol. Sorry. This sculpt is quite beefy. But has the most delicate face and front shell of them all for my taste.

№2 (Raph)

This one the widest and most monstrous of them all. He was actually designed to be a little shorter than the first one, but he refused and ended up the same height.

№3 (Don) He is a little taller and thinner than the others. I tried to make him more human in proportions and face.

№4 (Mike) He's the baby of the group. I still wonder if I made him too small. But I like him as is.

Each of them has 3 faces on magnets. Neutral, angry and happy.

For turtle dolls I use a tough resin. Because they are actually big, even though they are short. And they have quite a strong elastic tension. It's a little less pretty than the ABS-like. But it's really tough. I have a video of me throwing it on the pavement.

Turtles have 3 colors. For the skin, plastron and shell. You can send me a picture and I will try to dye the resin as close as I can.

I will add 2 pairs of the chosen color eyes and 1 pair of white to the doll.

I can also print basic katanas and sais in a size suitable for the doll. In a random color.

3. 1/6 youth doll.

This body is about 28cm and is sculpted to represent a teenage boy in a Barbie-proportioned world.

This can go with my original Eirwin head and resin hair

Or an anime head with a hairstyle representing a character from the Genshin Impact game.

(Keep in mind that 1/6 of the sculpts has sculpted eyelashes) At the moment I have

Tighnari with magnetic ears (It's my friend's doll)))

and Cyno

Lol I even made his hair articulated.

I also tried to put a Barbie head on this body and it wasn't terrible)

I print these dolls with tough resin as well. Even though they are small they aren't very detailed so it's just nice to have a little more durability.

I can try to dye the color you want. But I can't promise 100% accuracy because one is the pictures on the screen and the other is the resin and pigments. And also I do not recommend dark skin colors. because this resin is very thick and it can reject the pigment while printing. With dark colors it can lead to a slight difference of the color between parts in one doll.

And last but not least...

4. MSD Eirwyn.

The MSD version of this sculpt has some differences from the 1/6 version. It has a wider neck, smaller eyes, and no sculpted eyelashes.

Eirvin is 45cm tall and is adjusted to fit into my company MSD doll group. (Photos with Dollzone and Resinsoul)

10mm eyes, 55mm feet. The only non-standard part of him is his butt. It's quite wide for a MSD) But I like the silhouette.

I print my dolls with full infill so it weighs the same as the cast doll.

Obviously I'm printing such a big doll with tough resin. And with such a size of parts I'm mostly calm for this doll. My cat has already given it a couple of test falls from the table.

For color - I also do not recommend dark here. For large parts and almost 10 hours of printing it can give a big difference in color.

I don't mind answering questions and taking additional photos if needed.

Congratulations) You survived my longest post.

[withonly-sweetheart]

Threads of Carmine Red

They split your heart into two and the sticky sweet threads that hang between them only bring you closer to your doom. Can you every truly choose your fate? Or will it always be in their silky hands...?

a/n: ok erm so uh like well uh <- thats it. bye! characters are more expanded on in the endings because i cant do shit for shit. i fear.

heh now its time for credits

@candlekiss - MARI WHY'D YOU INSPIRE LIKE ALL OF THESE <3 but it was ur study of the scrapped character design of re8 ada that inspired this wildly massively changed sequence of events. LOVE YOU EITHER WAY POOKIE <3

@pxs-onthehunt - sorry for tagging you but your ada vampire art actually had me tweaking so hard... its kinda what inspired ada's personality throughout this... uh... thank you for your service <3

@vampiricgf <- kita tysm for helping with the atmosphere im still mindblown how your small piece of advice came SUCH a long way and i hope i've conveyed this right (probably havent sigh)

@eyesofsix - ur uhm aeon vampire art... harshi sent that to me because she was freaking out over it and i saw it and also freaked out and we danced in a freaking out circle together. your art is bringing people closer (together). <- stop the freaky jokes need to stop. BUT

(psst. if i didnt mention u in this one artist moots TRUST you're definitely in one of the other three.)

tw: descriptions of blood? ig? idfk something like that and then idek what this is man you just gotta read it ig (can you tell im off today THE OPPS HAVE WON SADLY)

wc: 2.2k

You don’t know where you’re going, but you do know that her eyes are following you. Tracking you, searing your back with their presence, origin unknown. You can confirm it is indeed a “her” watching you when that sultry voice finally appears from the shadows.

“Are you lost, little girl?” she muses, confident in a way you can’t quite explain. You try your best to be bold and lift your chin, surveying your surroundings in an unfavorable attempt to find her. “Ah, you won’t see me unless I want you to.”

“Do you know where I am?” you demand. “Can you get me out of here?”

“Ouch.” You can imagine a pout, yet no face to place it with. A simple expression with no master behind it, crimson lips twisted down. “Leaving so soon?”

“Yes,” you grit out. “I need to get back. Where the hell am I?”

“Can’t you tell?”

You glare out into the retreating light that only seems to twitch from your grasp as you near. A fretful game of tag that’ll never end, you fear. With a frown puckering your eyebrows, you glance upward, yet no flash of lightning comes through the night-ridden windows, useless in your pursuit. Only a flash of white-hot fear that surges through your blood.

A door creaks open somewhere to your left. You know better than to trust mysterious voices from the dark, but guidance is scarce in a place like this. At least you assume your location to be applicable to those terms, foolishly, perhaps.

“Go ahead,” she coaxes softly. “I’m simply helping you.”

Perhaps if there were light, you could’ve seen that she was trailing you the entire time, never more than a few steps away, itching to get her hands on you yet shoving that instinct into a box in her mind, a box known as patience.

You might’ve also noticed the pointed edges of her teeth when she grins as you stupidly stumble into the door, feeling around for the knob, and she waits with her hands clasped behind her back before you trip past something into the room.

And you miss her silently closing the door behind you.

There’s light in this room, thankfully, a dim light that only sparks to life after you take another few steps. A lantern tosses shadows in your face, painting the room in dramatic proportions, making the small area seem larger than life.

“Hello?” you call out, timidly. “Is anyone there?”

You shut your mouth immediately as soon as there’s yet another high pitched squeal from the floorboards, unable to support your weight as well as you’d like, and something splinters behind you. 

Spinning around to find nothing there throws you off balance, and you manage to get your foot stuck in the broken wood. You make the mistake of reaching down, kneeling and pawing at your foot, which leaves you with minor scratches on your now free foot.

It comes with the cost of blood welling up, tears of your skin gushing from a painful gash that somehow goes unnoticed in the first few seconds of shock before you scream. Then you slam your uninjured hand back over your mouth, trying not to scowl at yourself, biting at the knuckle in a silly attempt to cancel out the pain.

It doesn’t work. If anything, it seems your efforts have all been in vain. A weak kick is delivered to your neck, and you sway to the side lightly. There’s an unimpressed growl from behind you, just before something strikes the same area at least ten times harder, and your vision goes dark, fading from your sideways slant of the room.

<><><><>

“Stop moving,” a voice hums in your ear. It seems too sudden for you, jerking back to life like a monster, flailing and thrashing your limbs. You’re bound with something, rope, maybe, but the state of panic sends adrenaline rushing to your head.

“It’s like she does the opposite of whatever you say,” that same sultry voice remarks, albeit from a distance, which doesn’t scare you as much as the presence looming over your shoulder.

“Relax,” it muses, too quiet to determine whether it’s male or female, too subtle to know the differences. Your calf burns, as if your wound has magically gotten larger, spreading over the expanse of bare skin where your pants are rolled up.

You blink and still at the feather light touch of calloused fingertips tracing up your arm, drawing the silhouette of your body, yet the feeling is almost… otherworldly.

“What…” you sputter, an unwelcome shudder rippling through your body. “What are you?”

“What are you,” the woman combats, “if not a creature of Earth?”

They remain pure voices, the harmony of male and female in perfect vocals that may as well be songs themselves, yet the pure chill of fear thrums alongside your searing blood, at every subtle touch unwillingly placed onto your skin.

“Just let me go, please,” you plead, just short of convincing. A string inside you unravels, tugging you back towards them, an unprecedented attraction that could try to coil back up, spin back into a shape in your body, but it reaches for them.

You imagine a well trimmed finger, sharp nails glinting in the darkness, source of light unknown, curling around that thread, a leash for a disobedient dog.

“Aren’t you just that?” she muses. “A sweet little puppy? A human plaything for the society that has existed long before you were even a thought in your ancestors’ flimsy minds. They were no smarter than you, it seems.”

You nod in compliance, feeling yourself slip further and further away, stretching your legs in an attempt to swim through the murky liquid you feel yourself sinking into, trying to reach for the glowing spool, the source of all your turmoil, but it fades within the violent waves.

“She will suffice,” another voice huffs out, the one with the ghastly touch. “Prepare her.”

“Why should it be me?” she scoffs. “You’ve gotten your hands dirty, do it yourself.”

Uh oh. Looks like Mom and Dad are fighting.

<><><><>

The next time you find yourself, it takes what seems like hours to trudge through the inky, vast darkness threatening to swallow you whole. But you see your soul sparkling, woven in as gems of memories within the thin line, glowing so intensely you fear you might burn yourself upon touching it.

But your fingers graze the raised material and you immediately sit upright, eyes blown open as you force yourself to take steady breaths, trying to readjust to the feeling of being in control of your own body.

What had really happened back there? She was the puppeteer to your mindless actions, unable to change the course of events from your glass bubble, restricting your air, trying to erase all evidence of you. You wonder who the mysterious, sultry woman is.

“Thank you.” The same voice calls out, this time from the only patch of darkness available in the well-lit room, morning sun casting warmth onto your cheek as you crane your neck up to catch a glance of the woman.

Narrow eyes peer back at you, and the light in the room shifts quickly enough for you to acknowledge her eerily pale skin, tinted lips the only pop of color in her otherwise drab outfit, a black cloak with crimson accents splashed here and there.

Only when she drops from the ceiling do you realize that they aren’t accents at all. Splotches of dried blood, you see more closely as she approaches, and you scramble back on the mattress you’ve been placed on, only to have your back meet the wall in a most unpleasant manner.

“Don’t worry,” she says with a chuckle. “I won’t hurt you.”

You resist the urge to furrow your eyebrows, fearing that she might take it as a sign of disrespect and pounce. How often do you see vampires? Trick question, the answer is never. You’re not prepared in the slightest, yet you can’t deny the awe that quickly fills you.

Awe at her appearance. If you hadn’t seen the blood, you wouldn’t have even begun to suspect she’s a blood sucking demon, and even now you find yourself doubting the very idea. How could someone so nice be evil?

“I… apologize if I came off strange earlier,” she says with a smile that curves her teeth, and you fight to discern her teeth from her fangs, almost undetectable if you weren’t hanging off your seat and biting your nails in anticipation of them. “You must understand our hesitations to accept a new member.”

“A… new… member?” You test out each word slower than the last, and you feel like you’re back in primary school with a teacher, bless her, patient enough to guide you through it.

“It’s been millennia since a human has met our qualifications. When Leon scouted you, I knew-”

“Leon?” you interrupt. Irritation sparks in her eyes, previously warm, melted honey freezing up quickly. “He’s the guy who was following me here!”

“Yes, but-”

“And he was the one who tied me up!” you say with a gasp. “So who are you?”

“It looks like you’re more interested in talking than listening.” The woman - or should you say vampire? -  curls her lip and you can’t tell if it’s in distaste or carefully placed amusement. It feels like you’re tiptoeing on ice, cracks reverberating through the room, devastating enough to bring the entire building down.

“Sorry.”

“Hm.” She lifts her nose, somewhat haughtily. “You’re quite gullible, aren’t you?”

“Better fix that soon, ma’am,” a voice replied sarcastically from the doorway. Ada shifts her figure so you can see who, but of course, their identity becomes quickly hidden with the light playing on their face, shadows from their cloak hood dapping the planes of their face.

“I’d think twice about talking down to me, Leon,” she replies suavely, a smile coaxing her lips into emotion. “She already knows.”

You swear you can hear his teeth gnash against each other. “That was my job, Ada.”

“Your one job,” she teases, eyes flitting down to you with a subtle wink before turning to face him with an all too important look, “and I beat you to it.”

“Ada,” you test out quietly. Even the name sounds foreign, a medley of arcane qualities and inscrutable judgment. 

"Tell me then," Leon says in a low voice, stepping further into the room. You press back into the plush mattress, sensing the tension mounting between them. "What exactly have you told our guest?" 

"Only that which she deserves to know," Ada replies coyly.

"Which is?"

She levels him an unimpressed stare. "Patience. All will be explained in due time." 

Leon shoots you a glance, lips thin. "How have you found our hospitality so far? Comfortable?"

You nod hesitantly, eyeing the door behind him. "Very kind of you all, though the circumstances of my arrival were... unconventional."

Ada offers a soft chuckle. "Leon lacks finesse, perhaps true. But fear not - harm will not come to you here." Her reassurance does little to do any of its intended purpose. Part of you longs to trust her gentle words and curious gaze, yet Leon's wariness makes you wonder what other truths lie beneath the surface. 

"I understand you must have questions," Ada continues. "Please, ask what you will. An open exchange benefits us all."

You hesitate, darting knowing looks between them. Leon's intense glare conveys he wishes to avoid certain subjects.

"If I may... what exactly are you going to do to me?"

Ada’s enigmatic smile vanishes. Leon scoffs.

“I thought you informed her of her purpose, Ada,” he says, her name coming out of his mouth laced with venom, the same that swirls through your mind as their gazes bore into your mind.

And for the first time since you’ve seen him, Leon grins.

“You are going to become one of us.”

You blink, the words becoming garbled with all the background noise fresh in your mind, coarse tongue lead weight in your mouth, running your teeth over chapped lips.

“And now, we play a little game,” Ada says, although reluctantly, as if suddenly her eagerness has been replaced with the grim truth. “You must pick.”

“Pick… what?”

“One of us,” Leon says, stepping forward. “One of us will grant you freedom; you’ll wake up safe in your home, with no recollection of this incident.”

“Yet the other will lead you to our cause, the same fate that befell us.” Ada’s face has gone stony, giving no hints of which path she leads. “You will join us. This is less of a game, and more a test of your judgment. Choose wisely.”

They unfurl their hands like broken angels, reaching down from you in an inverted version of heaven, more reaching up from hell, but you can’t say that, now can you? Neither of them are trustworthy enough, so you quickly make a decision. 

And you reach for…

ADA?

or

LEON?

[hahskeleton]

wowee

just a lil sketch for their designs ^

Sooooooo I’m in the process of slowly making a new au… BUT I won’t write anything for it because I must focus on the harpy au!! I’ll just draw stuff for this one ig :)

Welcome to the making of the Jack Shepherd AU! (I don’t have a better name rn so we’re going off of who the main protagonist is modeled after)

I always wanted to have like a detective au or a policing au one day, so here’s my addition to the list of them that already exist! (kind of (both sets of protagonists have their own little illegal things happening))

Basically one day I was watching a video on YouTube about a dude from late 1600s to early 1700s named Jack Shepherd, who was a notorious criminal and escape artist in London. The reader will be modeled after Jack and will likely use the label “rogue” or “crook” (ex: you ask a question about them like “what is the rogue’s favorite color” or smth)

Sun and Moon in this story are modeled after a man named Jonathan Wild, who was technically the city’s main crime watch dude, but he also had a con to get lots of money. I’ll explain it later.

Eventually, the rogue comes along and suddenly Sun and Moon are practically obsessed with capturing them so they can put them behind bars, or perhaps hang them in front of a crowd. But, they’re also known for being extremely good at escaping prisons and all that, so you can imagine how all of that goes.

This AU is based off of a real even in life, but I’m changing up the story and the characters a little bit so yk if you know who I’m talking about then you basically have a majority of the plot in your hands already.

As for Eclipse………. Jack Shepherd basically ran away with a little lady friend of his named Elizabeth Lion, but in this case the rogue with run off with their little not lady friend named Eclipse. (He disappears and then comes back half way through the story)

Questions, ideas, and theories are welcome in the ask box, if you have them speak up please!

[foulfeast]

Deeply embarrassed to ask this, but I looked away about a month back and clearly missed something important; who is Pluto?

OH GOSH DONT WORRY! :] i havent added any info on them yet in my pinned either, i really need to. I actually just explained this to a friend on discord so ill just copy it w some small corrections. Heres the babygirl themself:

Tjey are a sorcerer in a world where like... magic is more treated as a science, just one that has for years been near impossible to control, replicate etc- incredibly unpredictable and ENDLESSLY complex. IT IS a collection of different energies that we dont have in our world, comparable to things like gravity, electricity, magnetism... idk what yet but i am working on it 🫡 ive been putting a bunch of finnshit in there so i think smth will at least be based on singing spells, so maybe some kind of a force similiar to vibrational energy? Vibration is smth that exists but a form of it that can change the physical aspects of smth or call to the physical elements/nature of smth- singing the ground into a swamp etc

And there is like a lot of lore starting to form about differemt eras of how people approached it - in short Pluto "grew up" on a version where people made an attempt to control it. They slid into a more modern thinking of "moving with it, communicating with it"- however, that is a bit surface level, and they still in actions do seek to control it.

They live in an old church like building- basically an old hospital, now a "town witches" home. Old people still come by to get help with things - so do some younger people who have exhausted other routes

(To be clear- it doesnt always work. Because of the whole unpredictability thing.)

However like... the last 30 yesrs people have moved more towards "modern scientific diciplines" like electricity, whixh is far easier to control

Magic is more powerful but only when successful

Modern sciences and old ones are NOT COMPLETELY SEPERATE! Magic could be ccompared to just electricity, igs just an exra energy in this world (there are different forms of it)

Like medicine & chemistry is closer to old sciences than the use of electricity

Pluto is a smooth charming motherfucker. Huge control freak and saviour complex, but they hide it well. Genuinely well meaning!!! A good person but deeply needy and it makes them capable of causing damage.

This is a lot of... me looking at nostalgia and how things were never fairytales, but there was still a sense of fancy to things when i was a kid - and in recent years it has made somewhat of a return, but i sometimes worry that that kind of nostalgia and openness can also be a way to regress. And then looping back to - how its also important to understand and parse past in a way that helps us learn from it, and take the good parts while mutilating the bad parts into a better shape, no matter how it hurts.

It is about time but "My Moon", a character whose design i need to fuck around with also brings an element of toxic codependency, where Pluto gets to act their chivalrous games and know things and guide someone and My Moon gets to stop growing and developing on their own as they get to always be saved.

So i guess thats still about time... two people who the time will pass by

Not as like, h8ing on tradition, on god, im someone who loves history and seeking answers in it. But like as an exploration of some of my experiences w wanting to regress to this state of helplessness and certainty of what has already passed. Maybe makes no sense :] ill work on explaining it better.

Allthough I wil say,if i ever do some full project w pluto, it will be more wholesome, at least on surface! There is a lot of love in their life.

[shiraishi--kanade]

Can you explain your thought process about liking An?? Or is that like an opposites attract thing for you? /gen /not neg

This is such an interesting question but thank god for the tone indicators because for a moment there I thought I was genuinely being attacked for liking An Shiraishi. Sorry I'm going to An Shiraishi jail /j

On a more serious note... I guess I kind of just do like her. I think her writing is decently good if massively underappreciated - she's not a masterpiece of a character as I'd consider some other PJSK guys to be (namely Ena, Mafuyu, Emu and Rui) and the writers tripped over their own leg more than once with her with some arcs still being... In a kind of limbo with her now, but she has decent depth to her. An tackles the topics of insecurity in her own skills and also berates herself for feeling a certain way, very consistently, she is often self-deprecating and has her self-esteem knocked down more and more as the plot goes on - it's fun to watch her show all of this while also being by every outsider's admission one of the most lively, determined, easy-going, friendly and competent characters.

What goes on inside An's head and what she actually shows outwardly are often completely different things, and she is reserved and and secretive in some circumstances while also being open and communicative in others - it's just... Fascinating, combined with all the issues above. And we know that in most cases it's not even about necessarily being secretively by nature, An is just absolutely the kind of person to put off resolving the problem until she literally can't anymore. Which isn't a unique thing in pjsk, and there are many more characters that like just putting the whole thing aside for the moment because they don't want to deal with Feelings and Vulnerability (from the top of my head: Rui, Mizuki, Touya, partially Saki?) or are just so convicted they can't change anything by opening up to people anyway so they don't (Emu, early Honami ig?), but it takes an An Shiraishi to know her only way forward lied into confronting her feelings & the reason behind them & openly acknowledge that and then actively avoid doing so, for months, because she was scared, while also hating on herself for being scared. And I think that's like. Really cool because of the Anhane role reversal. Like you would never expect to see An in that position when you read main story of early vbs events. How interesting is that?

There's also themes community & family & trust & rivalry & loneliness and isolation with her; just like... A lot. Most of it isn't shown directly, but she is a lot.

An is a character best seen in the contrast with other and she really shines with VBS to be honest. I don't think you can tear An away from her backstory and relationships with people in her life and still have a solid character because she is defined by her life circumstances, which is right up my alley of "oooh I'm gonna blorbo this guy badly".

Tl;dr:

I just like her writing tbh. She's fun to toss around, but it's also definitely contributed by Jiena's voice acting and her generally nice design. I wouldn't like her as much if not both of these factors.

As for the opposites attract: I do generally tend to like extremely skilled characters that struggle with finding someone at their level regardless of if they share that genki girl personality, so I don't think it's that. I really like shounen guys. Can you tell.

That said if An Shiraishi was real I'd Not want to be near her lol. I'm an extreme introvert that generally doesn't like interacting with people and I feel like her presence alone would be overwhelming.

[sanest-bsd-delegate]

Freaks

Oneshot - Where your life changed when you met him Akutagawa x  reader Requests are open. Honestly, I wrote this for fun, I am just dumping oneshots :3

"Don't kill me" that was the first thing you had told him. He was a runaway boy, who showed up blooded and beaten up at your lawn, still ready to fight despite the fact he would fall if you touched him.

You might have helped him heal back to health by stealing food from your own house, something you couldn't very call your own. You were sent to live with your relatives, the only people who were alive in your bloodline those people who never cared about your existence and had made living almost seem insignificant.

The boy you met, never told you his name, and yet you helped him.

"Just help me run away from everyone" You said, as you saw the boy turning his back to you, to the journey he never completed.

"And why would I help someone who I barely know?" He replied harshly, ready to move on before you held him back, holding his thin and fragile hands, "I need a place to stay" you whispered, as you didn't once look back and dragged him along, with a bag in your hand.

"I don't need your help" Was the first thing he said as you both joined Port Mafia under a man named Dazai Osamu, which later you learned was the mentor of your only friend, Akutagawa

You were under the wing of another Port mafia member, named Chuuya Nakahara, who was well, a way better mentor then Dazai.

"Y/N L/N what was the reason of joining port mafia?" The person beside you asked, his name was Oda Sakunosuke, a member of the port mafia with a kill count of 0, and a person Dazai respected.

"Where I can cover up my face" You replied with almost with a sighed, as your mind flashbacked to all memories you tried to depress.

"Don't cry" Akutagawa told, as you both were on a mission to demolish a gang who had interfaced with the work of Mafia. You were injured badly, and it hurt a lot. Your ability was not as matched as Akutagawa's.

I am just a freak!

I am just a freak!

I am just a freak!

I am just a freak!

Akutagawa had helped you in the past, you were forever in debt with him, your life, soul and body to protect him and only him.

And as if almost, through his emotionless and ruthless behavior, you felt an emotion... and it was

Love.

"My head is filled with parasites" You told Akutagawa, as you both sat down while you explained him your ability.

"Black holes cover up my eyes" You told, "And then everything just vanishes from the sight, I am blinded using it" You sighed.

He only nodded his head in your answer as he stood up to walk away. Slowly, you walked up to him, and engulfed in a hug, something you only did when you felt low.

He felt uneasy, because it was not everyday someone gave him affection. It was not like he deserved. Emotions were a waste of time and energy, something he dropped a long ago. But you, you made him revive emotions, and it was the emotions that made him regret sometimes, but he was nothing but a dog to the mafia, a killing machine designed perfectly by the man he hated the most.

"I dream of you almost every night" You wishpered, hoping he didnt hear your dreams, as you clinged onto him close, the distance between you being nothing but a mere contact of two bodies.

"Hopefully, I won't wake up this time" you said, this time louder, as your head rested on him, your hands around his body as you hugged him tight.

"I won't wake up this time!"

Akutagawa knew times were hard on you, and for the first time in very while he returned the hug. the phase was something he got to mean a lot ago, and it was the only thing that you would communicate with him.

"I won't wake up this time!" He replied back this time, almost a little softly, hugging you back.

'I won't wake up this time!' you said to yourself as you and Akutagawa hugged in middle of nowhere, just two runaway kids, in each other's arms and you wished you could stay like that forever.

I don't know guys enjoy ig

[doodles-with-noodles]

*I hiss and scamper up a tree and throw rocks with my questions painted on them through your window*

Songs you associate with any of your characters? You know like the thing where you listen to a song and make up an animatic in your head?

What's everyone's favourite colour?

What do the museum archives people do in their free time?

Are any of your characters scared of storms? For no reason in particular.

Opinions on tea? (From the characters) (I mean you can say yours too if you want)

Are there any other metaphors?

What would happen if the main character(s) from all your stories met each other?

Is there anyone in specific the mind burglars are working for or is it just, like, highest bidder?

Similarly, what happens to the stolen memories? Do the victims still have them? How difficult is it do steal a memory? What makes one memory different from the one that happens after it? How many can you steal at once? (This one is like 5 questions badly concealed in a way too small trenchcoat)

Cats?

Alas!

AHHHHHH anyways

Some have more soundtrack feel but:

Jules: Mayonaka no Door/ stay with me, Charlie: Murder on the dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Malik: Good-old-fashioned lover boy by Queen

Ed: Got my mind set on you by George Harrison, Anthony: Rocket Man by Elton John, Norna: You’re my best friend by Queen, Cecil: Long Away also by Queen, Maura: Killer Queen ALSO BY Queen, Roscoe: Don’t bring me down by ELO

Mathildis: Rowing, Cavendish Lab, Collapsing Inwards and A Spacetime Singularity by Jóhann Jóhannsson. All have a very nice science feel and kinda follow in the tone how Mathildis changes I think.

Treeve: Restless by Abel Korzeniowski and The Moon Will Sing by the Crane Wives

They both also have a song together ig? which is Your Blood by Aurora

The Kilmoores have I‘m Dying Mother, Cian has a more soundtracky song named QKThr by Aphex Twin which I think kinda fits (although it sounds a little more peaceful) because it sounds kinda disjointed and heavy. I had a really weird thought recently where I thought that sound design from Cian’s pov like in cinematic format would sound super neat.

2. I don’t know everyone‘s. I think Norna likes orange, Cecil blue, Ed purple, Jules like a burgundy red and Mathildis green.

3. They live in a city so. city stuff I guess. But they also hang out with each other and go pet animals at a shelter. Stuff I‘d like to do ig. They also listen to music a lot?

4. Malik maybe because he can’t hear that well when it’s stormy. It’s a little scary to him.

5. Tea‘s good with milk and honey (mine). The museum archive guys are indifferent. Roscoe is trying to push tea because it’s a little less strong than coffee that has his team all jittery (looking at Norna and Cecil). The science guys drink it if they want to be fancy. The Kilmoores drink tea like, all the time even if in crisis it’s only little ugly dried leaves. Maybe with a shot in it or smth.

6. Huh, idk honestly. The mind burglars have kinda this thing about how abuse (even if only emotionally) fucks you up. The museum archives look a lot at death and grief. Baldur‘s death is how people were manipulated and trained by politics during the war and what that leads to. Kilmoore is about how the war fucks people up directly. Yanno.

7. They‘d probably be confused as hell and try to stick together. Especially Cecil, Mathildis and Cian would be puzzled as hell at each other because weren’t they in different situations, they’d probably think the same. Roscoe wouldn’t like Treeve probably. Ed would try to explain communism to the Baldur’s death and the Kilmoore guys which is a bad idea because they’re alternate universe wartime people.

8. The highest bidder. They be doing it for the cash. Usually it’s corporate shitheads.

9. „Steal“ is more like „we remember the information and submit it.” There’s also overwriting, where you alter a memory to influence a person, but if done wrong, it can cause the person’s sense of self to deravel. Victims do still have them. Complete removal is impossible.

It’s difficult as heck, not only do you have to get past the person’s brain and manipulate them without noticing, you also sometimes come across some pretty fucked up shit in their minds and have to get through to get deeper, and you have to go deep a lot of times. A lot of times you need to keep the person unaware and make them feel as if they’re still conscious, which is why you need a team to tweak stuff. It’s not like you’re rifling through records; it’s like you’re in a place. Steal at once is difficult- the distinction between individual memories is not black and white, and as you go through you see and “steal” a lot of stuff. Fun fact: Cecil has trouble with his memories deraveling later in the story. Say Yipeee to traumatizing slow memory loss!

10. Cats are great. Most of them probably lovee cats.

[carlzy-berryz]

I decided to split the post into two and focus on Hazel here an the koopalings on the next one!

This is mostly lore about Hazel and a bit of info about her family!!

So in a post before, I mentioned how she was really good at fire breathing and I think Bowser would be really impressed by it because koopas who aren't royalty usually aren't that good at it!!This is also a reason why Bowser wanted her on his side, I guess he saw some potential.. he doesn't do that often...

...but on the other hand.... she's not great at using magic, especially since she's just starting out with it.. I'd like to imagine that Kamek is her teacher (he also taught the koopalings) but he can be pretty harsh sometimes.. Which is why she'd rather practice with Lud as he's more calm in situations like that..

I'll put the rest under the cut, so it's not too long!! And to not bore people XD

I also wanted to explain how her pendant works since it's kinda a main part of her character design..

So like I said in the pic, its main gimmick is that it glows when she's in danger.. this happens a lot in my au (and in a comic I've been planning for a while hmmm?) But yeah, she's always thought it was pretty when it glows.. ig she also wonders why bad things always happen after..XD

It's also made of a special type of ruby (it's magical) one shard was given to each of her ancestors (her mothers side) and its been passed down for generations...

Some stuff about her parents...

Hazel's mother (Hailey) passed away when Hazel was very young (around 3-ish) her death had something to do with Bowser's troopas, but nobody ever found out what actually happened... Hazel rarely thinks about her mother, since she didn't really know her for very long, however, she does still miss her from time to time...

Her death affected Hazel's father in a very different way though... When Hailey died, he changed... he grew very overprotective of Hazel, making her promise to always be by his side.. and that was okay... until her teenage years, when she wished to be more independent, this broke him, he was terrified something would happen to her... Hazel, on the other hand, while she loved her father, she didn't like how controlling he was sometimes... (even if she knew he only did it because he didn't want to lose her too) So she began to sneak out while he was sleeping... that's when she started to love walking, she would walk for hours, it helped her forget her problems (that's how she walked into Bowsers territory that time)

But... if her father found out she was even interacting with Bowser, he would be LIVID!! (He holds a grudge against him because of what happened to Hailey....)

I also designed him too, he's pretty basic and looks similar to Hazel..

Oh!! And his name is Burtram (Ik it's kinda silly but it's an inside joke I have with a friend XD)

Here's some common info about him..

He's kind of a snob.. he's really rich and owns a wine business, he has multiple locations back in Cloud Kingdom (where they used to live before they moved to the border of Darkland for convenience) like I said above he HATES Bowser, since he was involved with Haileys death, and idk if he'll find out about Hazel "working" for him but, God, I wouldn't want to imagine.... Anyways that's about all I have on her family for now..

I'll design her mother sometime in the future ^^

Au stuff part 1/2 ill post the next one in a bit ^^

[we-pay-for-everything]

I'm rewatching Nancy Drew season 1 and I have so many thoughts (surprise, surprise!).

Now that I'm paying attention, Lucy does indeed look pregnant.

Carson is insane this season. He read his daughter's texts?? Fucking creepy.

Idk what the fuck is wrong with Nancy. Suspecting your dad of murder, even if he's shady, is hardcore.

Nick and Nancy were not a great match. He was insecure about Owen and between Nancy being super closed off and prioritizing Lucy's death over Tiffany's, they were never going to last.

I know everyone thought that Nancy was just being stubborn and putting everyone at risk because of her obsession with Lucy, and they had every right to, but she's not to blame for them almost getting killed at that fancy auction party. Nick was acting partially out of jealousy and because George convinced him to, George was acting on her feelings for Nick, Bess wanted to go to a glamorous party and steal stuff, and Ace was being Ace (he wanted to get info for the Chief and also help his friends Ig). Their plan was terrible and they had no right to act like it was Nancy's fault it failed. She told them not to do it and she didn't even know what they were planning. George accused Nancy like it was her fault. I genuinely hate saying this about a woman, but she's really annoying. I hate that she and Nancy are my least favorite characters.

Lisbeth is a weird character. Her storyline didn't have a proper conclusion, and why would an undercover agent ask someone out? And introduce them to her parents?? Her parents lived in the town where she was working undercover? Was she born there lmao. Bess is better with her current girlfriend, though I prefer Odette!

Laura is another weird character. She feels pretty unnecessary.

Bess doesn't make much sense. I know they explained why she went around calling herself a Marvin, but in that small town no one ever called her out on it, really? And did she steal all her designer clothes lmao.

Nancy has a very complicated personality. When she figured out Ace was working for the Chief, he wanted to tell her what he had learned about Laura but she just looked at him in disdain and said "Why should I trust you?". Like, give him a chance? Even if he's lying, his lies might be useful to you. Get off your high horse. That was OOC too, because Nancy usually listens to people when she confronts them. She doesn't just walk away.

Owen has been ruined for me. Now that I know the show's MO, it's hard to care about him. The show doesn't know what to do with its characters. They're all discarded as soon as the season is over.

This season is way worse than I remembered it lmao.

It's amazing how you can get so attached to shows you have a million complaints about.

I've been noticing some Nace parallels: they both suspected their partner of murdering Tiffany, they both discovered a life changing secret (this one is a bit of a reach, but Nancy being adopted and Ace finding out he had a brother, and what those secrets did to their respective families, counts as a parallel), they dated siblings lmao, and they are both great at uncovering stuff (detective and hacker).

Victoria is pretty cool. I wish she showed up more.

Anyway, I'll keep you guys posted on my rewatch! I'm sure I'll have lots more to complain about haha.

[beepyscircus]

Big-ish infodump on Caustic rn because I surprisingly haven’t talked about him surrounding my AU/ kind of rewrite of Apex??

(With some doodles ig)

So this whole thing started out with me just not liking the Medusa arc that much or the mole arc and then I looked into it some more and realized Caustic is horrible representation for ASPD, I’m in no means an expert, but I know being a violent murderer isn’t exactly one of the symptoms 💀

Then I just- hated his relationships throughout the game

So much unnecessary drama between him and the others that could’ve been either avoided or resolved completely, and I’m aware the fact is that it’s drama, but it’s bad drama, imo at least, and I wanted to revamp Crypto and his relationship especially since I’m tired of tropes with transracial siblings not getting along and the fact that many poc, understandably, felt like it was racist, and I’m not even gonna blame them because it feels like that sometimes, I want their relationship to stay complicated but I don’t want them to completely hate each other. I feel like they’d be kind of awkward for the most part I just want the fuckers to be relatively happy and all respawn is doing is making me mildly uncomfortable with every update about them.

Besides that, I’m working on why/how he becomes involved into death and such to even kill people in the first place, but other than that he’s almost completely developed

He’s still killed people he just kind of stopped I have no idea how to explain it rn he is a very complex and weird guy alright-

He still experiments on people, though it’s mostly bodies, kind of like how it’s- I think is hinted at during the mole arc??? I can’t tell what was happening in that comic tbh I just think it’s an interesting idea for him to get his stuff from shady places and shit, I still have to catch up on the older chapters because I joined right in the middle of the shitstorm

I’m also trying to develop his relationship with other legends that isn’t just hatred

For example he’s friends with Wraith kind of, (it gets shaky after his fight with Wattson which still happens because I’m not trying to make him a complete good guy or smthn), Bloodhound, Gibraltar, Fuse, and Mirage. (Pathfinder too but he’s friends with everyone so), he ranges from liking the company of these guys to tolerating them, but it’s never always completely the same, because ya know sometimes friends have bad days and that’s fine. I want it to fluctuate because again I’m not like- trying to make him perfect.

I feel like everyone else is either neutral, indifferent, or just weary of him.

I also redesigned him because erm

It’s fun

I actually took most of his design aspects for my AU from one of his beta designs (I literally tried my best to add the specific one I’m talking about but Tumblr literally kept breaking on me)

Because I think it looks very pretty to me

If you look at some of my older posts of him you can actually see me doing this for a while now

Because I have.

I’ve been working on this for- I wanna say 3 years?? Maybe more idk.

I might post some of my older Caustic character stuff when I was first getting into it but some of it comes off as….uhhhh-

Very biased.

Don’t get me wrong I still am it’s just more apparent in my older stuff, I wanna try getting away from that in my AU because uh I don’t like it so-

Anyway

I like re-writing characters it’s a big hobby of mine when smthn about them irks me personally, you can like canon Caustic btw I do too, this is just smthn I mostly do for fun anyway

Most of the stuff I’ve changed about Caustic have all just been personal headcanons (example being he is a trans man) or things that I felt like would make the story more interesting than what they were initially doing (his dad dying of the same cancer he has), I’m not gonna ramble and put them all here but I’m thinking of making separate posts about them or probably rough comics-

Maybe even fan fictions if I’m feeling brave enough, because I have a few.

[gbfmi1]

an unstrcuctured rant about a gamedev (programming in general ig) pet peeve of mine: "Only doing what it says in the title"

every tutorial for, say, "how to make a platformer" literally, only covers "how to make a platformer" and doesn't spend a single second explaining project organization or design patterns. Meaning, as soon as you try to expand on it you'll run into awful things like code duplication, bloated functions, and the dreaded

coupling.

because the tutorial-maker didn't bother structuring the code architecture well. What good is a tutorial, then, if you have to re-do everything you just learned how to do?

(pictured: Program architecture that uses design patterns, vs Ball of Mud Spaghetti Monolith. Which would you rather debug?)

on a broader topic, I don't know how most people program without design patterns? you have to practice driving and read a driver's manual before you can get a license, right? then why in the software world is progress expected to be made through trial and error of *repeatedly crashing* cars? Put another way, most professional artists don't just hack away at a canvas, they learn from other artists, use references, and study art. (of course, there's a value to outsider artists, but "outsider programmers" is something i'd rather not deal with.)

of course trial and error is an essential unavoidable part of programming, but this is just expecting people to learn project management by gut intuition instead of well-established rules that have been around for decades.

it's crazy to me that design patterns are talked about in the tone of "industry trade secret they DONT want you to know!" instead of like, *rule 2 of programming*. good programming practices should be drilled into students' heads right after they learn the fundamentals.

(oh you wanted to change the variable of an object? you fucking fool. you fucking amateur. clown.)

the reason it irritates me in gamedev specifically is because i have to do a bit of car crashing of my own instead of the tutorial-maker just saying "oh yeah you're gonna want to have Player be different from Entities"

this might all seem petty, but this saves hours (days even) on projects, and more than a few chunks of hair ripped out from stress. in conclusion, EXTRACT YOUR METHODS PLEASE I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THIS IS TRYING TO DO

[empiressmpheadcanon]

My return as fox anon was not in a blaze of corrupted!Gem glory as I had assumed it would be, but instead my brain taking a discussion on Gem having trauma over sleep potions and turning it into... this

so yeah... I would say to enjoy but that is a relative term so instead try not to cry too hard ig? /hj

ALSO KNOWN AS FOX ANON RAMBLES WAY TOO MUCH ABOUT POTION BOTTLE DESIGN AND SLEEP POTIONS APPARENTLY I AM COMING BACK AFTER WRITING I GOT SO SIDETRACKED LOL

Splash potion bottles are designed very specifically. There's a reason that no reputable merchant will sell or buy them in any other type, quality issues aside. The way they shatter is designed to go downwards and out, keeping the glass close to the ground and away from more sensitive areas. It also shatters into a powder so fine that you won't get chunks of glass in your leg, it'll still hurt like a bitch if you stick your hand into it, but everything about them is designed for maximum safety.

Those regulations don't exist on the black market when you're buying illegal sleep potions.

Sleep potions aren't nice, they're not something you could give to an insomniac or a child who won't settle down. They're sharp and terrifying, and being asleep under them isn't much better.

It's like you're drowning, being pulled under ice cold waves and not being able to break through again, no matter how hard you struggle. But you can't sink to the bottom because your terror is keeping you moving, keeping you kicking for the surface.

But then finally, finally, you manage to break through. You take big gulps of air and relax slightly, floating with the current, until you realise it's taking you over a waterfall. You try to swim away but it's too strong, and you're falling, falling, falling-

And then you wake up.

So yeah, not a pleasant experience. That alone would have been enough to give Gem enough trauma to last a lifetime, but in one particular universe, something plays out differently.

The glass shatters and goes flying, and just before Gem is pulled into unconsciousness she screams, clutching at her face.

And then the world goes dark.

When she wakes again it's to half her face covered with itchy bandages, and it's blocking her vision. She goes to remove them, knowing she'll be able to take much better stock of her surroundings with more than just the one eye, but Sausage yells at her to stop.

He explains that when the bottle shattered glass flew everywhere and... her eye got hit.

He halfheartedly questions her for info on the egg but just lets her and Scott go when she doesn't give up any. He apologises as she walks past.

She doesn't respond.

Scott has to help her leave, as she keeps bumping into things on the way out. She tries to fly home on her own but he firmly tells her no and carries her, knowing that she would crash otherwise. He messages Fwhip once they get to the Cliffs and no words are exchanged between the pair, Fwhip just giving him a nod of thanks before rushing to his sister, not even noticing the rustle of wings as he leaves. He just holds Gem as she cries and tries to comfort her the best he can.

There are a lot of changes, for everyone. Gem has to learn how to move with less depth perception, how to take care of the wound, how to deal with the feeling of the fabric from her eyepatch on her face all the time.

Everyone has to learn how to not approach from her blind side, lest they get attacked by a paranoid Gem, how to make noise when they approach so she knows they're coming.

Sausage, once he's uncorrupted, has to learn how to live with the guilt of what he's done, even if Gem doesn't blame him.

(Fwhip does. The WRA alliance has never been the same since.)

But it's not all bad.

There are the moments when Gem pretends not to notice the hand embroidered eyepatches Fwhip slips in. It would be sweet, if they weren't all Grimlands propaganda. It makes him laugh when she wears them though, so she fixes the patch proclaiming "grimlandz rulez!" on her face with a smile.

There are the moments when Gem truly lets herself relax, not worrying about watching out for her blind side or trying to listen for every little noise. When she's with Fwhip and Pearl, and surprisingly Scott, and she trusts them enough to lower her guard.

It's a struggle, but it is something they all slowly get used to, and everyone supports Gem every step of the way.

SO YEAH UHH BRAIN CAME UP WITH THIS OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE LMAO

like a third of this is just me rambling about weird technical stuff like sleep potions and how bottles break so just ignore that if you want or something kajshd

ok words are failing me bye now!

-🦊

GAH THIS IS REALLY GOOD AAAAA

sorry im just !!!!! this is just really great

gem w an eye patch, ;-; ,,,, wra brainrot v v strong and sad

[judyhopps934-mt-zd]

Thoughts on Lies

Warning: Spoilers! And possibly having your heart torn into pieces. Other than that, have fun!

We open up with Marinette figuring out the recipes for the power ups as the new guardian.

I am disappointed that she still has not stopped oogooling over Adrien when he appeared on the news. Especially since she was allegedly with Luka by then. (I'll explain what I mean in just a minute)

Adrien was tired after the day he had as Adrien, which is a contrast of what Marinette believes his life is like. But being Chat Noir is the highlight of his day...

...only to not see Ladybug show up for patrols. And we see that it was all due to her figuring out the powerups.

Also, the patrols are a thing in cannon and I am still not over it after "Truth".

Chat Noir hoping for an akumatization so he can escape his civilian life radiated the same energy as Alya asking for akumatizations to interview the temporary heroes on her IG post. I get it, but still! We do not have people in danger for our needs.

Plagg being the one who announces any voice messages for Chat and asking for cheese through the feature on the Chat Phone brings me a whole other level of life.

Also, the whole milk thing at Le Grand Paris bar counter. It was hilarious, but also very sad. He really missed his m'lady

He ends the patrol after he saw Kagami training with her mom. And the smiles on his face! *Cries in Marichat and Ladynoir*

Plagg is the one that encourages Adrien to move on from Adrien, just like he applauded him from doing so in Loveater.

Kagami apparently said that fencing lessons are scheduled an hour in advance and Adrien (with that goofy grin on his face) knew what was up!

Both Ms. Tsurugi and Gabriel are very pissed at one another for the schedule change. That's hilarious, although everything comes at a price.

The parallels! Kagami is apparently learning Russian at her mother's request. Truly is a reflection of Adrien, civilian life wise.

Kagami? Lying???? The hell???? Who are you and what have you done to Kagami????? (Why am I surprised, y'all did this in Desperada)

She lies to their parents and the teacher to be in the art room with Adrien. I get it, teenage rebellion after being under an uninvolved parent, but still!

I like how the writers gave Kagami another dimension by saying she loves art, but her mom does not like her passion for drawing.

To Kagami's mom: WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR DAUGHTER IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH???!!! HER DRAWINGS BELONG IN A MUSEUM!

Also, art reflecting the truth? Hmmm.....

Since people like mentioning that Marinette has a thing for people with absent parents after "Truth", I will now say that Adrien has a thing for people who are great at drawing. I do not take criticism.

Kagami is hinting that Adrien's civilian life is not his true self (thank you for understanding him!)...

...but also says that being a "clown" (it was the Chat pose) is also not who he really is. The fandom would disagree with you. Although that brings up the question of whether both personalities merge to form who he really is and cannot be seen completely by anyone in any part of his life. But he is more like Chat Noir regardless.

Also, I want to see Adrien and Kagami spend more time together prior to this episode to see why she was not pleased with him being a clown if that's who he truly is, because her repositioning him against the wall made me feel like she is trying to place Adrien into a mold that reflects the image she might have created in her mind. (I don't know, this was just the first thought that came in my mind.)

They almost kiss, with Adrien being taken into shock (not terrified as we thought) until the alarm saying they have fencing lessons starting interrupts them and Adrien runs out, not before BLUSHING LIKE HELLO?!?!?

This is what I referred to in my second point and confirms what everyone was saying about this episode: this is "Truth", but through Adrien's perspective. Finally, an Adrien-centered episode!!!

To continue, every time Adrien and Kagami are together or were about to kiss, a sentimonster appears, with Ladybug trying to do something about it. Just like Lukanette, just like Adrigami: being a superhero affects your love life as a civilian.

Chat being thrown off the roof by accident and being rescued will never get old or less funny lol.

Montages continues up until the boat scene, where Adrien missed the intro to the performance, but I will never get over the fact as to how Adrien made it there before Marinette. It is beyond me.

Kagami not letting Adrien stay for 5 more minutes. Hmm...

Their cute moment together was what will lead to the demise of Adrigami as Kagami noticed he dropped the infamous lucky charm bracelet. *le gasp!

Why *le gasp*? Because 1) I fear it symbolizes that something will happen to Adrienette or that Adrien has forgotten about her, and 2) Wait until later.

Kagami revealed she lied so she can spend more time with Adrien alone, lying about leaving rehearsal earlier, lying about the fencing lessons rescheduling, and who else knows what else so she can be with him.

She tells him she loves him. But Adrien notices Ladybug and an Akuma. Oh boy, he wasn't able to give her any attention.

Because he left towards the direction of the boat (and said he left something there), Kagami used that to conclude it had something to do with Marinette. Oh boy.

Either I missed an entire scene about Ladybug knowing ShadowMoth's name, or we were not supposed to know how they know until this episode. It feels out of place to me, but oh well.

"I..am...AN INCREDIBLE SWIMMER!" still cracks me up even when I know how important it was in protecting her secret identity.

Happy Birthday Prince Ali!

Apparently, Kagami lied that her mom was in charge of watching over Adrien (or maybe not? I can't tell at this point.)

Yep, Kagami believes that Adrien is going after Marinette and probably resents them both if her facial expression says anything

We get to see that Ladynoir moment from "Truth"!! I love these two and their banter.

Adrienette stans, not much has changed. Adrien was concerned that he lost the Lucky Charm bracelet, for real. But said again because he though he would be clear of the lie since he thought he had it on him.

Kagami confronts him with it. AND THIS IS HIS SHOCKED FACE SCENE FROM THE TRAILER!!!

Thinking that she lies to get out of being with her, she leaves. With the bracelet. The leaving part is understandable, especially because she does not know about him being Chat Noir or what entails him to do. But why take the bracelet???

Adrien is also saddened by what happened. He also liked her.

We've never seen that part of city hall. Well designed in my opinion.

She was the akuma in City Hall with the glowing sphere! We were right!!!

Adrien feels guilty, though it is not really his fault. He has a duty to Paris!

Why is the music sounding different in French.

Jagged Stone. How do I feel about you after learning you purposefully abandoned Luka and apparently Juleka? Also, what's with the song??? (Rhetorical question. Do not answer)

We were wrong about Kagami's power: it paralyzes people who lie, not kill everything in its path.

Jagged, you abandoned your children. And you apparently lied about your age?!?!?! Both episodes show something about Jagged Stone that make him seem like an awful person on the inside.

Ladybug, how do you know about Lies's powers?!?!? There is a hole in the plot here! Unless there were other paralyzed civilians that gave her power a dead giveaway.

Chat Noir, if you lie as a civilian for whatever reason, of course Ladybug will too, since as a civilian, you need to lie to keep your secret identity a secret. Same rules apply to Ladybug, especially as the guardian.

The Lucky Charm is a drone, not a camera like I thought. How the hell did I get into an ivy if I can't tell the difference?!?!

Chat Noir pretending to lie is funny. It might also be his peppy attitude to lying. Also, his funnier version of ShadowMoth's name.

Ladybug finds the akumatized object and gasps. I wonder if its only a eureka moment or also the fact that she recognizes the bracelet, especially if its custom made.

Brutally honest people does not exist (we have all lied at some point, even Kagami who is usually brutally honest with people), but animals can't lie.

Fang being involved in destroying the akuma is cool.

This is the moment that we dreaded so much, yet knew was coming: CHAT NOIR DIES!

JK! He actually is paralyzed by truth because he jumped into the glowing orb. We were right that this is an anguishing scene to watch, but we're wrong about the part that he's killed. Yet, he still unnecessarily sacrificed himself and caused Ladybug to be angst about it.

WHAT IS UP WITH CHAT NOIR BEING HAPPY ABOUT SACRIFICING HIMSELF?!?!? AND DO NOT SAY ITS BECAUSE HE TRUSTS LADYBUG!

Yes Ladybug. Chat is crazy. And also crazy for you. And you are right about the crazy unconscious part. My Ladynoir heart!

ShadowMoth almost won until Fang bit off the charm bracelet. Thanks Fang!

Chat backing away from Fang licking him is a mood.

My favorite Ladynoir moment of the evening: Ladybug telling Chat to stop sacrificing himself and Chat saying she likes her adorable angry face. Her smirk afterwards.. And then their pound it.

But no seriously Chat. You need to stop doing that to Ladybug. She cannot take it anymore

Plagg said that even if Adrien loves someone else, he is likely to go back to Ladybug. Just like he goes back to Camembert. Seriously, despite his cheese analogies, he gives great wisdom.

Not Kagami almost beating up Adrien during his fencing lessons. And Mr. D'Angercourt notices this too as he stopped Kagami's final blow.

Also, isn't it illegal in fencing to push people? Oh boy.

And there's the Adrigami breakup scene: Adrien telling Kagami that he enjoys their time together and Kagami knowing their is sincerity in him. It is sort of unclear who actually ended things when Adrien asks if they could still be friends, but Kagami ends it all by saying that she will let him know once she can face him again. Ouch.

Adrien is hurt and stares at the lucky charm bracelet with what looks like sadness. Once again ouch.

Like Lukanette, I want to see Adrien and Kagami be happy together at least until halfway through this season. The issue is that it will hurt them more in the end.

Also, I noticed the difference between Luka and Kagami when ending their respective relationships. It hurt them both, but Kagami was more forward about it and Luka was somewhat passive. It could be based on what they know about their now exes (Luka knew that Marinette had feelings for Adrien and was not secretive about it even when they were together if the truths her friends said and the opening scene to this episode reflect this, whereas Kagami only has a suspicion and Adrien does not say anything regarding to it.

Also, I really did not like how the breakup on this end resulted in. While more realistic for a lot of people, it did not help that it involved Kagami as there are people who will go after Kagami after watching this episode, and I believe that the writers know this. Kagami is a good person who has a different response to the trust issues and lack of communication, as well as lies in their relationship. Not saying its a perfect one, but an understandable one. In conclusion, don't trash Kagami, especially if you saw this coming.

I take back what I said before; this is my favorite Ladynoir scene. I want to hug them both because they have to lie and keep secrets from everyone, even have some secrets between themselves! But at least they can trust each other! Excuse me while I cry over how much we are being fed. Also, the fact that they broke up with their respective partners makes this both heartwarming and heart breaking.

Overall, this episode is just as good as Lies! It is the first fully Adrien-centered episode, which makes this a first and already exciting. While I did not like how their breakup was handled, it was realistic and showed that honesty and communication are important. Also, can my children be happy together for longer than an episode??? I swear, their pain hurts me.

But at least Ladybug and Chat Noir have each other's company to get them through. May us Ladynoir stans continue to be fed!

[whump-town]

As Long As It's You

Chapter One

Summary: Boston AU which predates the show in which Hotch and Morgan are together when Gideon's decisions with Adrian Bale change the course of their lives.

Warning: typical violence and bomb stuff

Pairing: Hotchgan/Mortch

The air conditioning in the room rages through the August heat, Boston has nothing on Quantico humidity but the air is still dense. Uncomfortably thick and showing no reprieve in the days since they arrived. On top of the sheets, the thin comforter underneath his sweaty body, Derek looks up at the spackled ceiling. The room’s too poorly lit to see it well but the whirling patterns are still there, easy to track in their simplicity. The shower runs in the background. The bad water pressure and too hot water working to wear down Aaron’s edges, leave him in his bare-bones. Sleepy and compliantly ready for bed.

“Oh Aaron,” Derek sighs. He props himself up on his elbow, his face eaten by a smile he feels no control over. Wet hair standing in crossed, leaning patterns Aaron steps out of the bathroom. He’s wearing his favorite pajama pants, the one’s he packs on every long case away. An old worn cable knit sweater pulled down over his hands. “It’s too hot for that.” Derek sits up, shaking his head affectionately. Aaron’s cold natured but the room is too hot for that sweater.

Yawning, sweater-covered hand coming held over his mouth, Aaron trudges to the bed. Feet scuffing across the cheap worn carpet, he pays Derek no mind. Their physical differences are so apparent in this little room. Derek’s abs hard and flexed with his arms stretched up above his head, a toned leg thrown over the side of the bed. Foot dangling just above the carpet. Aaron is worn and scarred in places where Derek is hard and smooth. He’s marked and scuffed across his stomach, scars scattered over his skin. And Derek sees right through him. To the self-conscious fool underneath the layers of clothes he puts between them.

Aaron’s rolled over onto his side, back facing Derek. He’s attempting and failing to settle down. The comforter is miserable and the bed much too small for two grown men. Especially with the amount of distance Aaron’s attempted to put between them. He flinches when Derek’s hand comes to his back, slowly creeping up under his sweater until warm fingers spreading out over his skin. Derek’s palm over his stomach, holding him together. Attempting to pull Aaron into Derek’s skin, meld them into one person. “Is this okay?” Derek asks.

Aaron nods, the tears in his eyes slipping down to the pillow.

“For breakfast,” Derek mumbles, “we should get waffles.” He yawns, pressing closer until his chest is against Aaron’s back. “Mmm and bacon,” he whispers, dreamily. His stomach growls and Aaron laughs a deep chuckle. Derek squeezes him, kissing the back of his neck. “What are you laughing at? I’m basically wasting away! I’m starving.” Wet hair against his forehead, Derek presses his face into Aaron’s neck. Squeezing him tight, holding him to his chest so he can’t get away. Worm away like he sometimes does in the middle of the night.

With a yawn, Aaron taps Derek’s hand and turns around until he’s facing Derek. He scoots down until he can fit his head under Derek’s chin, presses his face against Derek’s chest. Crinkling his nose he mumbles, “your breath stinks.”

Derek huffs, “you are so mean to me, Agent Hotchner.” His hand comes down to tilt Aaron’s head up, Dere kisses Aaron’s forehead, then his nose. Smirking when Aaron tries to worm away from this too. He turns himself into a koala, throws a leg over Aaron’s hips, and pins his arms to his chest. Aaron fights it, always does, but he secretly loves it. Being held that close. “So terribly mean,” Derek whispers.

Aaron falls asleep first, the anxious feeling he’s grown to be quite accustomed to stifled by how tightly Derek holds him. It’s easier to sleep with someone else. He’d never asked for this particular treatment, had always assumed he was actually more of a hands-off kind of partner. In a lot of ways, he is but not in this one. He’s not asleep though when Derek kisses his cheek, his warm palm dragging up his back. Coming to rest against his cheek, thumb brushing against his lip. Aaron smiles, Derek smiles back catching the edge of his lips in a kiss.

It’s not surprising Derek never moves in the night. Aaron wakes up on his stomach, lifts his head up out of where he’s wedged his face between Derek’s shoulder and the pillow. Out of the warmth. He looks over his shoulder, frowns at how far his squirming has caused his sweater to ride up his back. He really doesn’t sleep all that calmly but that doesn’t explain everything. Especially not Derek’s hand resting against his ass, above his boxers but in his pants.

Aaron’s mastered the art of crawling out of Derek’s arms but the pants situation is not something he’s equipped for. Derek groans when he moves, unhappy to be shifted in his sleep but he stays asleep. Aaron gets dressed in the dark, his slacks making soft swishing noises as his legs slide into the designated holes.

“Aaron,” Derek whispers. The bedsheets make a soft swishing sound as Derek moves his hand along the sheets, making another discontent groaning sound. He rolls over, squints into the darkness until he can see Aaron moving around. “What’re you doing?” He rubs his eyes, sits up. “Babe, it’s early. Why are you up?”

Stifling a yawn with the back of his hand Aaron stumbles over to the bed. He trips on Derek’s pants, his disregarded clothing leaving a trail of tripping hazards for him to break his neck on. “I was gonna go to the hospital? Get the reports that Gideon was talking about. I have to get a jump on them because Gideon thinks there might be something in them we can use to build the profile.”

Derek hums, laying back down. He waves Aaron over, “lay back down.” He yawns, pulling the comforter back and leaving Aaron plenty of room to do just that. “Come on,” he whines. “Fifteen minutes, you don’t even need to go just yet.”

Aaron wants to disagree, to keep going on about his morning, but Derek reaches over and snags his hand. Tangles their fingers, pulls him closer. “Fine,” Aaron whispers. “Until you fall asleep.” He lays down where Derek was, immediately warmed by the heat Derek’s body left seeped into the covers. Derek attaches himself to Aaron’s back, pushes his face into Aaron’s back, and falls back to sleep. Like it’s nothing.

It’s much harder to get out of bed this time.

He shuts the door behind him softly, fighting the lock thudding back into place. As childish as it must look, he eases past Gideon’s door. Knows that if he’s found out Jason will chase him back to the room, he won’t find Aaron’s early start to the day ambitious but rather foolish. They’re all exhausted, they need to sleep. They’ve been in Boston for four intense days, split out across the city watching three different victims fall prey to a bomber. Derek’s breaking his back profiling bomb fragments, angry that he can’t provide the final answers they need in the profile. In whatever dark room he’s afforded, Aaron closes himself off with the case files. Looks over Derek’s notes and relays information about the victims to Jason.

They’re stuck.

At five, Derek wakes up alone. It’s not unusual.

He’s halfway down the stairs when he hears Gideon come out of his room. Derek looks over his shoulder, nods his head in acknowledgment to Gideon, and keeps walking. Neither have to say a thing to know where Aaron is. “Will you be joining us for breakfast?” Derek asks. He fails to keep his tone even, to not sound annoyed by Aaron sneaking off so early in the morning. It’s not healthy and if he’d been more awake he’d have stopped him. Aaron’s answer is no but he dancing around the answer enough to make it sound like a yes, Derek just isn’t stupid enough to fall for that anymore. “Here,” Derek shrugs it off. It’s too early for a fight. “Gideon wants to talk to you.”

He has blueberry pancakes because they’re doing a physically demanding job and living on an empty stomach isn’t healthy. No matter how Aaron dances around it. Gideon hangs up the call, Derek simply holding up his hand and shaking his head when Gideon tries to let him have the last word. He doesn’t want to talk to Aaron right now. He’s still bitter about his own four a.m. wake-up call and too hungry to make it through a conversation with him without snapping. And that’s not what either needs right now.

“He’s been distance lately,” Gideon says into his tea.

Derek grunts and keeps his head in his pancakes, doesn’t want to encourage the conversation.

“You going to be okay?”

Gideon knows but… Aaron and Derek aren’t sure about how much or to what extent. They know that he sees right through them and that’s a dangerous thing but he says nothing. Aaron dispels Derek’s fear with practiced words, a profile he’s been building since he met Gideon. He’s been watching how what little trusted information Aaron gives him blows over. What he reacts to and what he doesn’t. He’s only actually a little certain that Gideon won’t have them hung and tried for their crimes. Leave them for dead. Worse, outed to the entire government.

“I’m not sure,” Derek mumbles. He’s looking down into pancakes, picking one up with his fork and examining how pathetic and unappetizing it looks. “I think four more days in this city is going to kill him.” He drops his fork, runs his hands over his head, and just sits like that for a moment. This relationship and this silent moment go against everything he’s ever taught himself. Not to trust men, especially ones in power, but Gideon… When Aaron shuts a door like this Gideon has the flourish to pick the lock.

“Mmm,” Gideon agrees. He sets his mug down, wipes his mouth with a napkin, and clears his throat. “Well, I guess, we better get to work.”

Work pays in migraines.

Aaron comes back with reports upon reports. The receptionist offers them coffee when they step in -- she has a thing for Derek, which they all ignore in favor of her bringing them the freshest coffee -- she beams a smile at Derek and motions to Aaron sitting in the press conference room they’ve been given to work in. “He’s been here all morning, he’s like a robot.” Derek takes her coffee and doesn’t exchange the flirting like he has been, though it’s the unspoken payment for her coffee.

Gideon winks, patting her shoulder and expressing his gratitude for the coffee. “He is,” Gideon agrees, “that’s why we keep him around.” He laughs even he doesn’t find it that funny. He busies himself outside of the room they’ve been working in none-stop since they got here. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Derek wake Aaron up, purposely distancing themselves so the outside world doesn’t see. To hide how badly Derek wants to wipe the file’s imprint on Aaron’s cheek away with his sleeve. He gives them enough time to settle things and he steps into the room, clearing his throat. “Well, it seems since Hotch has such a jump on us this morning, why don’t you tell us what you’ve found?”

Hotch looks up at Derek but stands, clearing his throat. He has to move his shirt around, sleeping on paperwork has worn down his charm and carefully curated look. “I was looking at the -- the metal rods Derek found in the bombs--” his trembling hands hunt through the files. Searching for the pictures that Derek took but he ends up making a mess, the papers too thin for his uncoordinated hands. Derek pushes him away, takes over the mission and finds the prize before Aaron can start stuttering through his findings again. “I thought they made it seem like all that matters is the bombs. Not the victims, that explains why there isn’t a type, in the victimology. He’ll kill anyone because it’s about the bombs, not the victims. It’s about the rush, the fire, and the control.”

Derek nods, he’s not so sure that’s what the metal rods are there for. It’s maximum carnage for a great distance, over-kill for one soul person. To him, it just sounds like Aaron isn’t sleeping enough.

Gideon seems to agree but he’s pleasantly forgiving. Aaron’s worked hard for the last four days carrying more than his share of the profile. “It’s good, that’s good.” With a nod, he shifts the focus to Derek. “I think I’m going to split us up today. Send Derek to look at the bombs again. There has to be something we’re missing there.” Gideon steps to leave the room but turns back, “keep looking into the rod thing, Hotch. I think you’re on to something.”

With two light slaps to the doorframe, Gideon disappears back into the station. To the whirs and light conversation being had by the officers. Where Aaron knew Derek would eventually abandon him too as well. Disappearing into the uniforms easily, not returning until lunch or dinner. Coming back to reprimand him about whatever meal he’s missed or how he didn’t call Derek back. But for just a second Derek keeps his hand on Aaron’s shoulder, soaks in all the physical proximity he can before he has to step away. Turn themselves into different people, with different motives.

“I love you,” Derek whispers, stepping away from Aaron. “Please, please get lunch with Gideon. Do not sit in this room all day. You need to get some sun.” He hesitates to leave the room completely, wants to stay here just a little longer. Bask in Aaron’s proximity before he has to go sit in front of his own reports all day, looking at pictures of charred bodies and analyzing bomb fragments. “We should take a day when this is over. Go to the beach, drink vodka out of a watermelon on the sand.”

Aaron’s head has already gone back to his hands, fingers seeping through his dark hair. “I don’t like the sand,” he mumbles. It’s childish, it’s picking a fight where there doesn’t need to be one. He doesn’t like the sand but he does like the beach. How happy that it makes Derek and even dragging chairs and an umbrella down to the water. Letting Derek pull him into the waves and falling asleep hours later with skin warmed by the sun, Derek’s arms holding him down, and the residual rocking of phantom waves easing him to sleep. It sounds… amazing but he’s just in the mood to be an asshole.

“Think about it,” Derek asks, “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

He does think about it. He wants to spend hours in the car with Derek, listening to his music shift in styles and decades the farther they get away from Quantico, Virginia. To feel the residual ache of a nap he takes in the car, neck bent awkwardly to rest his head against the window and Derek’s hand on the inside of his thigh. To be awakened by the sun on his face, the heat of it good against his chilled skin. To go on long walks along the boardwalk, taking bites out of the greasy food Derek loves, and to hold his hand when it gets dark enough. To initiate contact only when the night swells his chest with bravery, daring anyone to say anything when the buzz of alcohol in his veins fills him with liquid courage. Just the sun and the beach and Derek.

But there isn’t a break in the case.

Only a hostage.

A forty-seven-year-old white man, the bomb held in his shaking hands. His front porch is too small for most of the officers so they have to regroup, come up with a proper plan. The hostage won’t last much longer in the heat. Adrenaline and humidity will do him in. They’re fighting two clocks. They need Derek here but he’s halfway to Virginia, consulting with Gideon in angry shouts as the two feverishly disagree with the plan they’re making. Derek doesn’t trust Bale to tell them what they need, Gideon thinks he’s a coward, he’ll cave.

“I’ll do it,” Aaron interrupts. He’s wearing his vest, already hooked up. If Gideon mans the negotiations, tries to get Bale to tell them what to cut he can handle getting closer to the bomb. Being their man in the field, the filter between what Gideon says and making sure what Derek says gets done. It would be far more helpful to just have Derek doing it, someone here who understands everything. Aaron knows about bombs… he learned about them as a cadet but he knows enough. To help. To get this handled.

“No,” Derek says and Gideon nods his head, “go. Keep your radio on 4, I don’t want anyone else out there.”

Aaron nods, all he needs to say is done. His vest agitates the skin under his arms but as he pulls the straps in tight it stifles the anxiety hammering through his bones. It’s comforting, it’s dangerous.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Aaron looks up, knows he’s the only person that can hear Derek through his earpiece but he still freezes a little. Glances over at Gideon now bowed back over his preciously set up desk, on the phone with Bale and trying to find some way to make this disastrous situation end without more death. Under his breath, he answers Derek, “my job. Someone needs to be out there. You’re not here. So it has to be me.” He looks down at himself, vest pulled down to meet his belt. Zipper up. Radio properly fed to his ear. “Are you ready?” Aaron asks, clenching his fists tight. Calm, he needs to be calm.

“Aaron, please be careful.”

There isn’t actually much that he can do. He’s a mid-point, a place wedged between phone calls. A voice to be drowned into the mix of others, not as important as Gideon’s sharp no non-sense negotiating. He’s a body in the sea, a calm voice. “Eric,” he offers calmly, “just hold still for us. We’ll get you out of here.” The poor man’s hands are showing no signs of steadying out. The bomb explosive element is mercury -- perhaps it’s not the explosive element but Derek was telling him about all this while they were laying in bed, Derek’s fingers scratching at his scalp so no he wasn’t paying enough attention. Mercury, though, is very unsteady, and the way the bombs are made the mercury is unstable. It’s going to tilt over and… boom.

“Agent Hotchner,” a bomb squad agent steps forward. “I’m going to approach the bomb now. Agent Gideon and Agent Morgan have spoken to Bale, he’s helping them.”

Aaron nods steps out of the way. “Eric, this man is going to help you, okay? Just keep steady, alright?”

It’s agonizingly slow. Aaron stays close, he’s only allowed at the bottom of the porch. Eric standing right by the door to the house. He says what he has to, what he’s trained to. It’s not that hard, he trusts Derek and he trusts Gideon. No matter how his gut twists. How at the back of his mind he’s reminded that he thinks this is all end-game, it ends in a bang. How seven federal agents would make the best ending, a great story for a bad guy.

“Eric,” the bomb squad agent says. “I’m going to disarm the bomb now--”

Seven hundred miles away and Derek Morgan feels that bomb shatter his world.