#it makes him a special level of unhinged

[pianokantzart]

It'll always be the funniest thing to me that the king of ghosts is pretty much an emotionally compromised teenaged girl with phenomenal cosmic power.

[evilminji]

Okay but? We of the DPxDC? Are COMPLETELY Sleeping on DPXBNHA?

And not even for the Main Plot Shenanigans!

Just?? It has ALL of DC's super powers? But MORE OF THEM. And like 80% of the population has um! Danny can?? Finally achieve his DREAM of being???

JUST SOME DUDE™!

Yeah, he's in Japan. That's a bit of a learning curve. And YEAH, there was a cataclysmic war like a few centuries back that sorta... fucked everybody up. No one wants to talk about it. There may be mass graves and Never Forget memorials. But?

On the SURFACE!

This place seems utopian!

No ghost hunters! Advanced technology! Robust social services*!

Wait... what was that asterisk? What do you mean "corrupt shadowy government organizations"? What do you MEAN "Immortal Supervillians"? NO SPACE PROGRAM!?!? AaaaaAAAAAAAAAAH?!?!? I'M IN HELL!!! This is ACTUALLY THE BAD PLACE, THIS IS HELL, OH GOD NOOOOOOO-!!!!!!

Cause see?

There are SO MANY REASONS he'd end up there?

Think about it! Wish that he lived somewhere his weird biology wouldn't exclude him from becoming an astronaut? In Quirks having Bnha Japan EVERYBODY has weird biology! Y'ain't special! You could TOTALLY be an astronaut!..... if we HAD those! We do not. Shut down that program during the Quirk Wars and never really started it again. (And somewhere, Desiree LAUGHS)

Or MAYBE? Things are getting a little hot on the ground? Bit TOO spicy. The Family Fenton and Friends have fallen back, behind the barely holding shields. Not even the Mansons considerable political maneuvering could stop the inevitably of human fear and blind unthinking hatred. Money can't buy everything, in the end. There is only ONE(1) way out.

Through the Zone.

Plan: Strangers In A Strange World is a go.

They're all Limnal enough to fake it. Sam with her plants. Tucker with his technology and persuasion. Jazz with her limited empathy. Their parents with their... well, weirdness. And with a touch of ghostly assisted meddling? Well, they've always BEEN there! Haven't they?

And that's not to MENTION the random 4 year olds with no control! JUST coming into their powers! With all those big emotions in tiny bodies? Startling events and tantrums? Villian attacks? What could THEY possibly hope to do to control or guide that fresh new power? It does what it does and the rest of us are just along for the ride!

If Danny happens to be minding his business and gets accidentally kidnapped by a VERY distraught 4 year old? Well, that's hardly the KIDS fault, now is it? They're FOUR! That is basically a toddler! Tiny child! They are upset, confused, and didn't mean to do ANYTHING. He's a hero. And Heros don't blame little kids from accidents, no matter HOW stressed it makes them.

No, the curse like a sailor INSIDE their head. Like an ADULT.

Just? Imagine~☆

The slow transition from *starry eyed shoujo sparkles* "This is SO COOL~!" to "huh, that's... kinda weird. And Sus. Weird Sus. Maybe nothing... oh! A distraction!" To "okay, this KEEPS happening, that was shady. You all saw that right? You realize that's not NORMAL, right? That that's fucked up? Not cool?" To "oh god, oh God, OH GOD! I'm in HELL! This is actually HELL! I'm trapped in HELL!!! WHAT THE FUC-"

Like? This kid LOVES space. LOVES the stars. And this is one of the few Superhero Cannon that SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS that IN CANNON? Thanks to Quirks? As in Superpowers? That VERY THING got fuckin SCRAPPED. Gutted. Consigned to be a relic of the past so they could all focus on punching each other Real Good.

He would weep BLOOD. Chew the WALLS. The LEVEL of unhinged this child would unleash? Not as Danny Phantom... but as DANNY J. FENTON? Beautiful. Vaguely psychotic. Definitely doing the Fenton Name proud. God, the NOISE HE WOULD MAKE would be inhuman and yet somehow? Come entirely from his human half.

They👏 Would👏 Hear👏 BOSS👏 MUSIC👏

I don't even know if he'd CARE about the main characters. They'd be tangential at best. The man would be in a one man war with I-Island over their lack of space program and hoarding of scientific progress. Probably living out of an abandoned building or forgotten subway station. Just? The MOST bedraggled, feral genius to ever haunt Japan.

As opposed to the REFINED feral genius. Who is Nedzu.

I bet Danny stands outside his school at one AM waving his scientific papers at a camera and YELLS. Like a deranged lunatic. Mismatched slippers and a "haven't slept in a week" crazed glint in his eyes.

He's Nedzu's new best friend. They GET each other.

And, yes, Nedzu COULD let him in... but it's faster to just let him yell and read the papers through the camera. Who CARES if they both seem insane! Let's shout about advanced physics and engineering at 1 am! Over the speakers!!! Oh? You need to physically SHOW me the notes? Well I COULD unlock the gates... OR just wait for you to finish scrambling up the walls like a feral Racoon, to then throw yourself OVER them.

Either, Or.

I'm just SAYING! We are SLEEPING on this! There is so, SO much fun to be had! Danny breaks rules and minds! His outrage over injustice and the complete lack of SPACE! His protection instincts going BUCK FUCKIN WILD. The INDESCRIBABLE hate boner he would have for Mr. "Lemme just rip parts of your soul out so I can collect your powers like pokemon cards" AfO.

There? Is SO MUCH, guys. SO MUCH!

@hdgnj @the-witchhunter @babbling-babull @hypewinter @nerdpoe @lolottes @dcxdpdabbles @mutable-manifestation

[daydreams-after-dark]

Scientist Chan part 3 of ∞

SMUT WARNING // MDNI ⚠️ scientist!Chan (Chris) x test subject fem!reader (with special guest Prof. Lee Minho)

↳ Scientist Chan Masterlist ↳ tag list : open

Scientist Christopher is conducting sex experiments on you. Join him as he tests your limits, bringing in his colleagues along the way, holding presentations and demonstrations. This is unhinged and wild, and will contain a lot of adult only content. Please check content warnings on each instalment.

In part 1, Chris introduced sexual intercourse into the experiment, which was a success.

In part 2, he explored your reaction to various sexual positions, and introduced anal penetration while on a video call with Professor Lee Minho

Unhinged level 🤡🤡🤡🤡

Part 3 Summary: Professor Lee Minho visits to assist with the experiment of double penetration.

A/n: I’m back with another scientist experiment. Although I’m starting to think it might not be a legit experiment 😵‍💫 I hope you enjoy this instalment… I’m nervous 🫣

CW: where do I start? 😵‍💫 cum eating, vaginal and anal penetration (dildos and penises), forced orgasms, cream pie, rough sex, scientific (not really) situation, videotaping sexual acts, double pen, squirting, oral sex (m and f rec), restraints (strapping down onto bed, ball gag), stretch kink, size kink, I hope I haven’t forgotten anything.

———

"You wanted to see me, Chris?" you say as you enter his office-slash-experiment room.

He looks up from his notes and gives you a tired smile. "Yes," he taps the couch beside him, gesturing you to take a seat.

Wordlessly, you sit down beside him.

"Now, tomorrow Professor Lee will be visiting." he begins. You shift in the seat. You're nervous, but excited about what is going to happen.

"I wanted to reassure you that all the regular rules will still be in place. You have your safeword and gestures, and we will ensure we don't push you too far before you're ready." he looks you in the eye. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You know that, yes?"

You nod. "Yes, Chris. I know. I understand. But... how are you feeling about this? Sharing your experiment with someone? Letting another researcher touch your test subject?"

Chris looks up at the ceiling and sighs. "I've been really looking forward to it. But to be completely honest with you I'm also nervous. So far it's just been you and me." he reaches out to hold your hand. "I'm not sure how I am going to go with sharing. But at the same time, we need other's to know about our experiments."

You nod in agreement. "So," you slide onto your knees on the floor in front of him. "Tell me what I should expect of tomorrow's activities." you purr, reaching for his belt. This isn't experiment time, so you're free to do whatever you feel like. Right now, you want to ease Chris's tension.

"Well," he says shakily, watching you slowly unclasp his belt and then pop the button on his trousers. "We'll set up the cameras. All angles this time. Professor Lee will...ngh...fuck...arrive." You free his semi hard cock from the confines of his trousers. "He'll be bringing some devices...god...your mouth...so warm...He wants you restrained while he inspects you and prepares you for his cock...yeah, like that...good girl..."

You take him into your mouth as far as you can, while stroking the remainder of his length with your hand.

"The goal...ngh...for you to take two cocks...fuck... so good..."

You take your time pleasuring Chris, making him feel good. You love the sounds he makes when you give him head. You love when he surrenders to you, letting you do whatever you want to him.

You take him even deeper into your mouth. You know he loves the feeling of being lodged in your throat.

“Ngh…I’m fucking close, Babygirl. Gonna..”

You sit back on your knees and open your mouth wide as he stands and strokes himself, painting your tongue in his thick white cum. He reaches down and closes your mouth.

"Swallow." he says softly. You do, then open your mouth to show him you’ve swallowed everything he’s given you.

"Good girl."

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

"Good afternoon, Chris. Good to see you." Professor Lee is handsome, and you relax slightly when you see him. He’s young, like Chris, with almond shaped eyes and dark brown hair.

"This must be your lovely test subject. Pleased to meet you young lady." He shakes your hand. "It's nice to finally put a face to the pussy." he smirks. "Shall we set everything up?" he turns to Chris.

The two men waste no time setting up the lighting and the cameras around the examination bed. They fashion an overhead camera to capture everything from a birds-eye view, another camera that will capture your facial expressions, a few that will film everything going on below the waist, and a hand held camera for close ups.

"Put this around your neck." Chris slid a microphone around your neck. The only thing you were wearing.

You catch a glimpse of Professor Lee unpacking his devices and see him retrieve two large dildos. One was extremely long and clear, with the entire length covered in ridges. The other was extra thick and also very long.

You glance at Chris to see an unhinged expression on his face, and it makes you want to be a good little test subject for them.

"Okay, lay down. Professor Lee needs to do his own inspections and tests before we begin." Chris pats the bed.

You do as instructed, laying down flat on the bed, while Chris explains to Lee that the end section of the examination table can be detached and removed for ease of access.

"Okay, open your legs for me and hold them up." Professor Lee instructs, and he removes the end of the bed. He sits himself on the swivel stool that Chris often uses, and takes in the sight before him.

He sucks in a breath between his teeth. "It's the most beautiful pussy I've ever seen." he swallows hard. He pushes down on the underside of your thighs with the palms of his hands, and uses his thumbs to spread your labia. You try not to moan.

He runs a thumb up your slit and lifts the hood of your clitoris. "Everything is perfect." he mumbles.

He grabs his camera to take a few photos of your pussy, then sets it down.

He turns to Chris. "I need to try something. Pass me one of your vibrators." he stretches out his hand impatiently, and Chris hands it to him.

He turns it in to the highest setting but he doesn't touch you with it. Instead, he just spreads your lips open and waits.

"Chris. You need to be filming this. If what you say you've noticed is correct we should be seeing...Yes...Yes, there it is. See the arousal oozing out of her!" he says excitedly.

You know what they're talking about. As soon as the vibrator had been turned on, your cunt was clenching. Your breath had quickened, and you desperately felt the need to be filled.

"She's aroused by just the sound. Let's see if she'll climax."

Both men watch you intently as you feel an orgasm building. Your mind can’t help but imagine them fucking you with the vibrator. Better yet, one of them fucking you with their cock while pressing the vibrator to your clit.

"She's close." Chris states as you start to writhe on the bed and grind your hips against nothing.

"Please...need to come." you whimper.

"Come for us. Nobody's stopping you." Lee says.

"C-can't...need more..." you cry.

"Come for us or else we'll abandon the experiment." he growls.

"Oh...fuck...ngh..." Your back arches off the bed as you sob through the most frustrating orgasm of your life.

"Yes... good girl." Lee praises, and releases his hands. "Did you take note of the timing etc?"

Chris nods. "Yes. Now for the restraints. Y/n, this next experiment is to monitor your body's reaction to being stimulated whilst under a captive situation. We'll be strapping you down to the bed." He explains as the two scientists fix a strap across your chest and abdomen, with your arms tucked into your sides, so that you can't lift off the bed.

Your legs are tied up into the standard stirrups you have used before, so you're spread open wide.

Finally, a ball gag is secured in your mouth, then another, small strap secures your head to the bed. You're not sure why you need a microphone at this point, but figure they want to capture any sound you make, whether it's muffled or not.

You can't move or speak, but a little buzzer is placed in your hand if you want to stop anything that is happening to you.

The scientists work silently. You're not sure what they are doing until finally you feel something press against your ass. You assume its a dildo covered in cold lube, and you silently gasp when you feel it breach your rim. A thumb rubs your clit gently as the dildo pushes in a tiny bit further. They don't rush, taking their time to insert the dildo bit by bit. From what you can tell, it's the ribbed dildo, and your eyes roll into the back of your head just imagining it penetrating you.

Deeper and deeper you feel the dildo filling you, and tears prickle your eyes. How much more are they going to push inside? You moan and try to move against the restraints.

"You have your buzzer if you need." Chris reassures you. "You're doing so well. This is the deepest you've ever taken anything. It's longer than my cock."

"Just a little more." Lee states as he gives the dildo one last push. "There we go."

It's so deep you're not sure if this is even safe anymore, but your worry turns to pleasure as soon as you feel a warm, wet mouth on your pussy. A tongue swirls around your vaginal opening and then licks at your clit. You're sure its Professor Lee, and when he growls against you know for sure.

As he laps at your pussy hungrily, his tongue reaching for the depths of your cunt, you start to sob. This is going to be too much. You're not going to survive this experiment. You're already reduced to a quivering mess and they've barely started.

Lee tugs on the dildo, allowing it to slip out part way, then pushes it back inside you. Once, twice, and you're fucking coming all over his face. Who is this man?

Lee laps up your arousal, mumbling at the taste and how hard it's making him, then his mouth is gone.

It's so hard to breath with your mouth gagged like this, trying to get as much oxygen through your nose as possible. You've barely recovered from your orgasm when you feel another device, this time at your vagina. The thick dildo.

"She's so tight from her orgasms it's hard to push in." Lee comments.

"That happens, you just need to put some force behind it." Chris advises.

"hmmmmm!" You push against the restraints again, as you're stretched open with the dildo.

"Shh... Babygirl. We wouldn't have pushed so hard if we didn't think you could take it." soothes Chris, stroking your thigh.

You relax slightly at his touch and Lee is able to push the dildo in a little further.

He gives you some time for your body to adjust, and then starts to fuck you gently with both dildos.

You're so full, so stretched. The dildos are so deep inside you. But as Lee fucks you with them slowly and relentlessly, you feel the pleasure building once more.

"Get right in with the camera, Chris. We need to document this in as much detail as possible. Note her quivering legs. She'll almost at her limit. Do you think you've prepared her well enough for both our cocks?"

A moment’s silence passes.

"She's ready." Chris announces.

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

Chris is lying on his back on the examination bed. He’s fully naked, so nothing can obstruct the view of what is about to unfold. "You need to straddle me." he gestures for you to climb on top. "We're just going to start with one cock, that's it, slide down on it...yes..." he says with a strained voice.

Professor Lee stands at the foot of the bed, stroking his cock as he watches you ride Chris. "She swallows you up perfectly." he states as he grabs your hips and guides you up and down Chan's cock.

"Her cunt's moulded to the shape of my cock, that's why." he puffs.

"Hmm, well when I'm done, her ass will be moulded to the shape of mine." he presses the tip of his lubricated cock to your ass.

The ball gag has been removed now and you're free to make all the noise you want. You're already whimpering from the anticipation of being fucked by two men at once.

You're held still as Lee presses himself into you. "Good girl. Good girl. Relax for me. That's it. You're opening up. Mmm...tight little ass, stretching so well." he hisses.

You nestle your head in the crook Chris's neck. His strong arms hold you close against him.

You’re an absolute puddle of a mess. Your body is weak and pliable, and you’re mumbling incoherently between sobs. All you can think about is how aroused you are, and how incredible it feels to be experimented on like this.

You grip Chris’s arms as Lee very slowly inches his way into your ass.

“We’ve got you.” Chris reassures you. “So good taking two of us. Tell us, how does it feel?”

“It…it’s so much. I’m so full. You’re gonna split me in two…please…” you whimper.

“Please what? Talk to us.” He strokes your hair affectionately.

“Please…fuck me…love the…stretch…don’t stop fucking me.” you try to push back against the cocks, making Lee growl enthusiastically.

He grips your hips, and does his best to move faster and thrust deeper. It’s not as vigourous as it would be if it was just his cock, and you wonder what it might feel like if he wasn’t restricted by Chan inside you. Then you wonder what it might feel like if they both fucked the same hole.

“Harder… make me come!” You can’t help yourself. You want to be completely wrecked by the end of this.

“She likes it rough, perhaps?” Ponders Lee. “Maybe we should do a separate experiment exploring her pain tolerance. Kim Seungmin’s specialty.”

The two scientist’s do their best to fuck you hard, but they are slowed down by how tight the fit is. Nevertheless, all three of you are on the verge of climaxing, and it doesn’t take long for Chris to empty himself inside you with a long deep growl.

With a flick of a button, Lee lowers the bed, adjusting the height, as he guides you off Chris’s cock so you’re kneeling on the bed. You think your legs are going to give way, but the professor is strong, holding you up with ease.

“You want it harder, hmm? Well brace yourself, kitten.” He slams into your ass, over and over.

“I’ll get a specimen jar ready, she might squirt.” Chris says excitedly as he slips out from under you.

He holds a jar nearby as Lee continues to fuck your brains out. The slapping sound of skin on skin is nothing short of brutal, and you’re practically screaming from the impact.

“Fuck! Fuck! Coming!!!!” You sob as your orgasm hits, and as predicted, you squirt all over the bed.

“Got some.” States Chris.

But the thrusting hasn’t ceased. If anything, Professor Lee has lost his mind chasing his own orgasm, relentlessly pounding into you.

“Fuck!” He moans and comes deep inside your ass, emptying every last drop inside your warmth.

————-

You’re cleaned up and allowed to dress, as the scientists furiously jot down notes of their observations while it’s still fresh.

Then you’re sat down for a debrief and to report your experience of the experiment. The men take down everything you say, as well as record your responses on camera.

After much discussion between Chris and Professor Lee, they decide you are ready for two new experiments.

“We believe you’re ready for double vaginal penetration.” Chris advises.

“And also to explore pain and degradation with Dr Seungmin.”

“How do you feel about that, Babygirl?”

@channieandhisgoonsquad @noellllslut @itsseohannbin @weareapackofstrays @kangnina @3rachasdomesticbanana @palindrome969 @xxkissesforchanniexx @chuuchuu1224 @fun-fanfics @wolfennracha @rhonnie23 @jisunglyricist @strayywayy @lurking-coconut @bethanysnow @bubblebisk @openthevale @rylea08 @doyunkang @jabmastersupriseee @stephanieeeyang @comicnerd557 @stellasays45 @shltsnglggles @grandma143 @armystay89 @stays-mya @frozenpeasworld @still-a-stray

[wanderloveshater]

Two smart guys with 80’s tech can only do so much. It took them years to make the portal, one that breaks down everytime it activates.

For Commander Peepers? He can make a portal in a quarter of that time that’s stable.

It wouldn’t break down and would be able to control the excess energy that emits from it.

Peepers is the perfect pawn for Bill. Socially outcast with a crippling insecurity about his height, the desire to be praised and hold power over others, painfully lonely with a brilliant mind- he mirrors Ford in this way. I believe one of the WOY crew members emphasized him being different from the watchdogs.

It’s so easy for Bill; what do we have here? A smart guy who builds evil planet-destroying devices? Handling complex machinery?

He’s got a high IQ- misguided by his adoration for his stupid leader. The need for approval is crippling. So what can we do? Our little song and dance-

Bill’s experience speaks for itself. It would take very little effort, no questioning or anything- kind of boring, really.

Oh and Peepers has just been WAITING for someone to realize his true potential!

It’s all the same with Ford. He wants to feel special. The way Peepers would cling, claw, ride the high of the teensy bit of praise Hater gave him months ago…it makes Bill laugh. Such a sucker. A mathematically talented genius with more weaknesses than anyone can count.

So here we are, Peepers wants power. He wants respect. He wants to be seen. Bill promises Peepers a sense of social validation- to be adored- and eventually feared by his peers, and in extension, the galaxy. In return, Bill wants a portal- instead of spinning it as a “gateway for infinite knowledge of the universe” he can actually be a little more truthful. He’ll tell Peepers it can be used as an unstoppable weapon of destruction, better than what Major Threat had, better than what Lord Dominator had. The Peepers empire- I mean- The Hater empire would conquer the galaxy. Bill can come into this plane and they’ll rule everyone, side by side, Muse by Painter.

It’s a win win! Come on Peepers! Take the deal! When was the last time you played chess with someone that was actually smart enough to compete against you?

Infatuation: We saw how easy it was for Ford to be a Cipherholic. For many others to be. Peepers would unfortunately fall for his flattery. Under the assumption that Peepers is in love with Hater- (idolization if you wish) this prevents him from fully going evil, betraying everyone at once, I think.

But Peepers does get a little tired here and there putting up with Hater’s stupidity. Everyone’s stupidity, actually.

But Bill?

Bill has a lot of knowledge of the universe and intelligence.

Peepers would feel so intellectually stimulated by their conversations- likely about quantum theories, astrophysics, how stupid everyone is. There’s one thing Peepers has going on instead of Ford. Ford isn’t directly malicious or evil (besides the revenge fantasies), but Peepers is. He’d find Bill’s sadistic humor to be funnier than Ford ever did. Bill likes that.

Planting these seeds in Peeper’s brain- like the portal- Peepers would reach worship levels faster than Ford.

“I want to feel tall.”

“I’ll make you feel tall.”

Possession: This one is funny to think about, Bill’s unhinged behavior is exponential. He uses his charisma to gain social approval with the watchdogs and Hater’s favor in Peepers’ body. He probably wouldn’t have to complete all the calculations that Ford needed help with- really the possession is just so Peepers is more likable.

Bill’s feelings: Peepers was the easiest pawn to entrance. Bill finds this rather boring. There’s nothing to sink his teeth into- nothing to tear. Just a hollow puppet. He isn’t weird enough for Bill to enjoy, he seems rather logical and put together. Sure he’s shorter than everyone but was he born with any extra features that makes him an anomaly? But he’s certainly the most efficient puppet, so he’s gotta keep that going.

Peepers would also catch Fiddleford and Ford’s mistakes with the portal’s code.

Sort of like, “Oh haha, whoever did this code is so stupid, have they considered their calculations would blow up the entire room?!”

Bill being Bill, filled with bitterness, would agree in tandem at first. “Haha YEAH my last guy wasn’t up to par!”

Before uh, Peepers gets carried away and Bill’s own complicated feelings about Ford arise.

“Seriously, have you seen this derivative answer?! A traffic cone could have done better-”

“That’s enough”

Ford: I don’t have a set story/timeline for these two in mind, but I would like to imagine Ford’s reaction. Being unable to stop the vicious cycle repeat chokes him. Warning Peepers and all, oh don’t fall for it, he’ll betray you, promise you a galaxy, yadda yadda…

But Peepers only hears that last part.

“My own galaxy…?”

“Yes, he’ll make you ‘one of them’ and promise ultimate power with no law or restrictions- everything you could dream of- but DO NOT fall for it!”

Peepers falls for it. Or rather embarasses himself- Bill does not care for Peepers in this way. He’d never offer this unless it was for gain, so what does Peepers do? Throw himself to Bill and the Henchmaniacs- pleading to be a part of them. All that results from that is being laughed out of the room. Doesn’t help that he's the shortest.

Peepers doesn’t fit in with the watchdogs, or even the crazy weirdos/freaks.

He is truly alone.

[inchidentally]

went truly unhinged and wrote an entire fic summary of mafia!carcar @__@ special thanks to the good ppl over at the carcar discord <3

as usual I worked google's p*ssy tired to put together the details so pls ignore/handwave anything erroneous

Okay, so for regional specifications let’s say that Carlos has worked for years to be vouched for in the mafia. He’s actually a spy and in an extremely dangerous position - he was plucked from law school in Spain to be trained up in the intelligence agency and was assigned to Sicily due to his fluency in Italian. So even though he’s only 26, he’s already highly skilled and has been living and working full-time as a secret agent and translator - as well as liaison for the mafia - in Sicily for years already.

Oscar is fresh off his A-levels and touring Italy with lofty dreams of becoming a race engineer for Ferrari but assuming he’ll end up back in the UK in some bland office where he’ll hope to make enough money to go to F1 races - and maybe one day take his rightful place on that pit wall.

Palermo is at the very end of his trip before he flies back to London and he books a tour of the Norman Palace. He’s enjoying the fusion of cultures in the art and architecture, totally unaware that his name had been noticed by one of the palace’s administration when he’d bought the ticket a week before. An untraceable number of emails and messages had brought his existence to the attention of mafiosi who had until that moment assumed that particular royal line had died out. 

They immediately scour what little exists of Oscar in the public domain and the even less available through government authorities (the boy is barely out of childhood and has done nothing of note except leaving his homeland to attend school in the UK and hasn’t even gotten so much as a speeding ticket). His social media however reveals a hunch that young Oscar is not unaffected by handsome men, possibly with a penchant for Spanish men in particular, and that he is an ardent Ferrari fanboy. A hastily put-together plot to snare the boy into the mafia by establishing him in his rightful royal position has all the promise of strengthening the mafia control of the region. 

Meanwhile, many consiglieri have long been suspicious of Carlos and see this as an opportunity for him to commit his oath for good - or to see him and the Oscar boy easily disposed of if the Spaniard was discovered to be a rat. They will install Carlos as a translator for Ferrari and he will then claim that he is also on holiday in Palermo when he “bumps into” Oscar at the palace. As they are marveling at the Palatine Chapel’s interior and Carlos is using Ferrari and himself to work every charm at his disposal, a royal scholar with ties to the mafia will approach and inform them of his suspicion that Oscar is of royal descent. He will then ask them back to the University of Palermo to confirm his suspicions (which had of course already been confirmed). By that point, Oscar will have been successfully wooed by both Carlos and the promise of taking his rightful place as a prince, so that the mafia can insinuate themselves into his life and eventually his reign.

Only Carlos’ training can prevent his dismay from being revealed to his bosses as the plan is described to him, but he’s horrified at dragging some poor, unwitting kid into all the danger and ruthlessness of organized crime. He decides to defy his bosses back at the intelligence agency and play the long game of making Oscar his husband and strategizing at every turn to keep the boy alive and hopefully at some point extricate him back to his normal life - or at least into a witness protection program. Anything else would certainly risk Oscar’s life and even if Carlos hadn’t become fond of the kid from a distance, he still wouldn’t sacrifice him for a shorter route to cutting off an entire arm of organized crime.

The plan proceeds as expected, with Oscar dazzled and blushing over Carlos’ attentions and the royal scholar having approached them. It all suddenly goes awry when an overzealous nephew of a mafiosi - fresh off a 12-hour drug bender - infiltrates operations, taking Oscar hostage in the chapel and insisting that the government immediately recognize Oscar as royalty and that the church marry them there in the chapel. He then turns the gun to dispatch an unarmed Carlos, only to be knocked unconscious by Oscar wielding an antique censer. 

The royal scholar - Andrea Stella - is a good man who now speaks urgently to Carlos in a peculiar coded language (they both have on wires) informing him that he knows of the mafia’s plans and that he too wants to see Oscar kept safe. Oscar surprises them by not only understanding the code but speaking it back - albeit brokenly - to them. The code is known only within the Ferrari elite and sounds identical to everyday Italian but with a sequenced pattern that carries a second meaning to every other word, something that amateur cryptography genius Oscar picks up on remarkably quickly.

Which is how Oscar learns that his claim to royal status is fully valid, his entanglement with the mafia is very real, but worst of all is that Carlos’ romantic interest in him was all a lie (or so he assumes).

The police and media attention that the hostage situation attracts results in the mafia’s plans proceeding as expected, except for all three men pivotal to their machinations being in cahoots to foil them. Oscar is granted status as a prince but without anointing or coronation by the church due to him taking Carlos for a husband. They are installed in a part of the palace now closed off to the public and begin their work ingratiating Oscar with said public and even winning them over to the idea of him being married to another man (Carlos not being Italian ends up being the biggest hurdle for them to get over). Oscar’s youth, beauty, shyness and sweet giggle work unexpected wonders, as does the promise of a return to all the regal romance of a pre-unified Italy while not actually returning to those times politically. 

Carlos and Oscar have a tense private relationship because Oscar is nursing a wounded heart as well as a stubborn attraction and love for Carlos - while Carlos feels ashamed of having tried to seduce Oscar for duplicitous purposes and is also struggling with an intense attraction and growing affection for him. Andrea is the architect of their whole counter-strategy and is both the heart and the brains: the brains because he has lain in wait for decades for the right opportunity to destroy the mafia’s power, but also the heart because he sees Oscar as a son and can also see the misunderstandings going on between Oscar and Carlos.

Oscar is a complete surprise package in having an iron-clad poker face and an uncanny ability to remain calm even as his life is turned upside down that rivals seasoned operatives. He even manages to dupe his own family when they visit for the wedding. When Carlos asks how he can so easily lie to them about it all, Oscar levels him with “I could do anything just to keep them safe.” To which Carlos replies that he knows what Oscar means and raises Oscar’s hand to kiss over the ring he now wears as prince. Then he kisses Oscar at one of the highest points of the palace with Mount Etna visible in the distance.

They begin an all-consuming sexual affair that they both privately claim is beneficial to confirming their relationship to the mafia while conveniently remaining in denial of their real feelings. Carlos pours all of his into kissing every inch of Oscar’s pale skin until he’s pink all over, and Oscar puts all his aching heart into taking Carlos down his throat just out of view of the public or forcing Carlos to handle meetings while Oscar is crouched between his ankles. A few lowly messengers of the mafiosi bring back stories of hearing the prince’s cries punctuated with the banging of furniture against palace walls. Carlos can’t keep his hands off his pretty husband either in public or private conclave with “officials” who are really mafiosi under different titles. 

Meanwhile, Oscar is still presumed by the mafia to be none the wiser about the criminal element of his reign and does such sleek work with his angelic face and adorably unassuming attitude that any lingering discussion of dispatching him is immediately shut down.

Which makes it all the more shocking four years later when a sudden mass assassination frames half the criminal element for the death of the other half and throws the whole of the syndicate in chaos that dissolves their control entirely. The ensuing months see Oscar, Carlos and Andrea sequestered - along with their court - inside the palace which is shut to the public amid fears of another hostage situation, while arrests and investigations take place. 

Tensions across the city are high in the wake of the ensuing widely publicized trials and Oscar insists that a public appearance from him outside the palace would reassure and distract the public - and that it would solidify his position as more than seemingly ceremonial. The palace officials agree to the plan but as they are deciding on the security detail, Carlos realizes his presence alongside Oscar has not been mentioned. 

Later that night in their bedchamber, Carlos raises his concern and states that he will be accompanying his husband during his appearance. Oscar attempts to shut him down by stating that Carlos would only represent a greater threat by seeming to taunt the mafia and encourage retribution. 

They argue until Oscar calmly pulls rank, to which Carlos responds by kissing him fiercely and forcing him onto the bed. They desperately make love and fall asleep in each other’s arms. 

The next morning, Carlos awakens in their room alone and with the sun at a suspicious slant through the windows. He realizes Oscar has stolen Carlos’ phone from its usual place by the bed to ensure that he slept in - clearly hoping Carlos would sleep through Oscar’s public appearance entirely. He realizes the little beast had baited him into fucking him so thoroughly that Carlos was exhausted and woke late.

He pulls on clothes and tears down the stairs to the courtyard with just enough time to compose himself and stand beside one of the guards. Oscar is stood out in front with the selected media in a semi-circle and an enormous crowd at barriers set further out, many of whom were calling out affection and support for their prince. He does not see that Carlos has joined them and proceeds with his speech.

Carlos spots the gun at the same time as the guard next to him, but it is aimed at Oscar and not himself. 

As Etna smokes and rumbles in what will be called a mild yet deadly eruption in the distance, two shots are fired after Carlos and the guard wrap their bodies around Oscar and force him to safety. The remaining guards - and a few members of the public - detain the gunman (none too gently) and Carlos and Oscar are bundled back to their rooms and the guards take up position outside.

Inside their bedchamber, Oscar frantically paws at Carlos, wildly suspecting that he’s been shot and doesn’t realize it. He tugs Carlos’ jacket and shirt off and gives a heartbreaking cry of relief when he doesn’t see a single mark on his husband’s body.

Oscar breaks down at last, releasing four years of stress and anxiety in a gust of tears and collapsing in Carlos’ arms. He pours out how he had contrived the mass assassination plan mere months after his life was altered forever in the Palatine Chapel - how he brought Andrea into it to help him with things like the details and movements of mafia members, members who would be willing to work against the family and the risk to innocents, even down to developing a seemingly arbitrary fascination with volcanology so that he could be made aware of Etna’s activity far enough in advance to take the admittedly wild final gambit of disposing the remaining members by having them conveniently perish in Etna’s next eruption. He realized that while conspiring half the local mafia against the larger organization would result in a certain amount of mutually assured destruction, as well as concealing forever Oscar’s role in it, he would have some stragglers to deal with who could regroup in retribution. A suggestion was therefore sent down via Oscar’s court officials to the police loyal to the palace, and then to remaining criminals-at-large (also those with the bloodiest histories in the mafia) of escaping arrest by scaling the crater during a period of high activity and therefore remaining undetected by officials, guides and the public. Their treacherous expedition was promised to take them to the other side of the volcano and then to the coast where boats and new identities would take them from their troubles. 

Oscar had reasoned that if Etna hadn’t taken them then their desire for escaping arrest would scatter them and effectively extinguish their power hopefully forever. Andrea had marveled at Oscar’s command over strategizing the whole plan mostly by himself and said that Ferrari would mourn missing out on hiring him if they knew what he was capable of.

Carlos cradles Oscar on the carpet, kissing his sweat-cold brow and begging to know why Oscar didn’t include Carlos in the plan? Does he still not trust him after all this time? Because if so then he wishes the bullet had found him and put an end to playing husband to the man he loves but who will never love him in return.

Oscar looks up into his eyes with a face full of wonder and brings a hand up to lovingly stroke Carlos’ cheek. Because he kept Carlos out of it precisely so that he wouldn’t do anything stupid like sacrifice himself and ruin Oscar’s hopes that when his plan was finished, perhaps they could start over and he could make Carlos love him the way he loves Carlos.

For the first time, they kiss knowing their love is mutual. And while they realize their positions will always involve some element of danger and their lives will never be “normal”, they admit that they’d never choose any other life if it meant not being together.

ENDITO!

[three-realms-archive]

Unhinged™

(inspired by this post by @leniisreallycool. the pure madness of obey me is the reason why I typically write chaotically-comedic slice-of-life scenarios; because i can honestly write these guys doing the stupidest things and argue that it might as well be canon, these dorks. anime canon, tho. the anime is just another beast of its own to the game ahahaha.)

(so while this may not be anime canon-level obey me content, i hope it comes close. if they’ve actually done any of these and i just haven’t experienced it in-game yet, let me know! it only proves my point.)

There was a time when Solomon brought an extremely-long baguette everywhere with him, insisting it was his magic wand. Even as the days turned to weeks, and the bread crust turned to mould, Solomon would still carry it around everywhere; unbothered by the rancid smell and waving it like a idol group light-stick whenever he spoke an incantation. Then, one day, he showed up at RAD with sandwiches to share. Sandwiches… with suspiciously green and white bread. Turns out, this whole thing was Solomon’s interpretation of dry-aging.

Belphegor and Asmodeus have an ongoing vlog series on Deviltube called ‘Beauty Sleep’. They go somewhere trendy, find some inappropriate place for Belphie to sleep, and Asmo takes some #aesthetic shots whilst timing how long Belphie can nap before being kicked out. It’s incredibly popular and sometimes features cameos from the exchange students and the other Avatars of Sin. Once, a subscriber milestone came with a special surprise: a live-streamed episode of Beauty Sleep in the Demon Lord’s Castle! They never got caught, because Diavolo was busy watching the livestream in his room - too invested to realise it was his own house.

The dining table in the main room of the House of Lamentation has its own fandom on the DevilNet. There are multiple fansites speculating the exact materials used to make it; the exact number of fasteners it uses; and, most especially, its exact length. There are posts, blogs and entire DevilTube deep-dive videos centred around the mystery of how long the table is. This is because, in every piece of media involving the table, it appears a different length despite the decorations and location remaining the same. What the Devildom doesn't know is that the table was made retractable shortly after MC arrived in the Devildom. It was a custom job, done solely so that the table could be used as a runway for a makeshift fashion show (Asmo and Mammon's idea) the brothers held with human world clothes one time MC was feeling homesick.

Once, for a whole month, Mammon dedicated himself to creating a new currency. For the first week, he was an absolute menace, stealing metal objects (like small screws or unused kitchen utensils) around the house to melt down and form into coins of his own design. Beel cried for five days over the lack of cutlery and Asmo kept shrieking whenever he realised he’d had another piece of jewellery had been stolen from him. The rest of the month was spent attempting to rope people into investing; then failing; then celebrating because he had so much of his money to himself; and finally crying because none of it would be accepted at stores.

When he had first gotten into reading books, Satan started a website called ‘Ampbook’ where demons could upload personal writing projects, as well as comment on and share them, too. It’s now incredibly popular, especially amongst younger demons, and is well-known for romance. Well. Much to Satan’s chagrin, it was actually better-known for romance… and fanfiction. He’s constantly torn between allowing his beloved site users their freedom of expression, or immediately taking down any fanfics shipping MC with any of his other brothers. He’s also faked MC x Satan as the most trending tag, permanently.

The height of Beel’s appreciation for Leviathan was shortly after MC’s arrival into the Devildom. They had introduced Levi to an anime centred around four students in a high school swimming team; including a protagonist who Beel thought had a dubiously-intimate love of water. Regardless, Levi tried out for the RAD swimming team - got in and won a bunch of gold medals - and then proceeded to quit the team after a new, different anime he had been waiting for came out. All in the span of a week. To Levi's disdain, Beel brings this up at least once a month: by parading a handmade display of Levi's medals and a framed photo of his older brother in a swimsuit around RAD, showing it off to everyone who asked. And everybody asked. Maybe not so much for the medals.

[redphlox]

No matter how bnha ends, I'm grateful that I became invested because it brought me joy, and it gifted me the euphoric experience of getting to know one of my favorite characters ever: Touya Todoroki, Dabi. I will always love him, and he will always have a special place in my heart. Nothing can change that or take that away from me. Shouto, too. The soba brothers are eternal to me.

It's so typical of me to be drawn to the mysterious, cold, brooding characters, haha. Shouto and Dabi immediately captured my attention when I first watched/read bnha with @fox-conscious. I took a break from following the series for a few years until November 2020, when I casually logged into Tumblr after months of not checking and saw chapter 290 Dabi's Dance leaks. It must have been fate. Suddenly, I was fully immersed in the manga again, excited that the obvious familial connection between my two favorites was officially confirmed. This reveal reignited my excitement and gave me something to focus on and look forward to during a challenging first semester in grad school, when I was on the cusp of realizing I needed professional help for my eating disorder.

To deal with the stress and have fun, I turned to reading and writing meta, and trying to make friends to share the experience with. That's the most important thing that has come from following this series... I've met so many incredible people who mean a lot to me:

@haleigh-sloth has become a really dear and close friend of mine. We met because of this manga and bonded over crepes, breakfast foods, pasta or ramen dinners, shopping at the mall, swimming in the river, walking her dogs, sleepovers, traveling, and road trips because of our shared love of the characters and story. We are basically the same person and constantly say the same things at the same time. Through the ups and downs of school, work, moving, and even now, we've always had each other's backs and shared countless moments of laughter and ugly cackling because we can't take shit seriously, ever. She's one of my best friends for life and I can't imagine NOT having her around!

@todomitoukei was one of the first friends I made in this fandom. I can always count on her to make the funniest jokes I've ever heard, especially during a completely serious conversation, and I'm astounded how smart, quick-witted, and talented she is. Truly an inspiration. I always look forward to seeing notifications that she messaged me because she brightens my day <3

I've had the great pleasure of meeting and hugging @hamliet TWICE! She has a generous heart and an inviting, calm aura. Her kindness and intelligence are remarkable. I genuinely enjoy discussing all sorts of topics with her, both silly and serious: life, hopes and dreams, fears and daily struggles, funny memes, reading and writing. I also love seeing her pet photos and can't wait to meet them in the future.

@transhawks is truly my most insane friend, and I say that lovingly and in the most ironic way because he's level-headed, creative, articulate, and self-aware. I'm always learning from him. I can talk to him for hours and never run out of things to say, and I always look forward to his insightful commentary about anything and everything.

And of course, I'm grateful for all the discord shenanigans with my friends: watching the anime together, voice calls, memes, sharing ideas, etc. @chocolate-biscuit who always pops into the chat with funny one-liners that leave me cackling for days when they flash in my head randomly, @bootlickerhawks who is the bestest horse person ever and I get excited to see on my dash, @helga-grinduil who is the saltiest and funniest person on this hellsite and also happens to make the best bnhaedits in this entire fandom, @jecook who is one of the sweetest people I've ever met and can't wait to read fix-it fics from, @mettywiththenotes who sends cute dog pictures and makes the most hilarious memes. Together we are all unhinged, and I love it. Despite living in different time zones, different counties, we've all create a fun space to cohabitate, and I think that's really cool and beautiful.

Hmm. Looks like the real treasure was the friends I made along the way, and the shared trauma of having our favorite characters mishandled by their creator was worth it. Can't wait to keep writing fics, making memes, and making new friends like @shortstrawberryshake because of this manga. And, I can't wait to keep loving Touya and Shouto Todoroki, of course <3

[the-bofurin-digest]

Choji Tomiyama Casual Headcanons

Casual Headcanons

~ ADHD king (projecting here) and I live that for him. Unmedicated, unhinged, and ready to tackle 5 tasks at once while finishing absolutely none of them until the mood hits again 3 weeks later. uses Togame as his body double. ~ Was THE anime/manga kid in middle school. Absolutely a Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Gundam Fan. Appreciates classics though (YuYu Hakusho is his nightcap) ~ Went through a power rangers phase, but really rocked into it during power rangers dino thunder The yellow ranger was his favorite in all versions ~ Sleepwalks and will adamentally deny it if Togame brings it up. He's a sound sleeper what do you mean you had to stop him from stepping off the balcony level of the Ori when he was taking his nap? YOU must be the one dreaming. ~ 70s and 80s action movies are what hits his happy buttons. The cheesier the special effects, the better. ~ Collects random things (crow brain). His favorites being hot wheels, CD cases, and writing pens from random establishments he visits

Dating Headcanons

~ He would be the one to make the first move, but after that he becomes so shy and insecure with you. He has you, but he will feel like its never enough. Constant reassurance and patience will be needed ~ Love Language when receiving love: for him I am torn. On one hand, I can see him being all over getting words of affirmation from his partner. It gives his brain fuzzy feelings and he likes that. On the other hand, Quality time with his partner would mean the world to him. Doing things together, going out, spending every moment possible tending the relationship would also make him a happy little clam. ~ Love Language when giving love: Gift giving. It would never be anything big most of the time. A small cute plush keychain here or your favorite candy bar while he was checking out at the corner store. Little things that remind him of you, but to Tomiyama they are a big deal. Acts of service would be another. He would do anything you ask without hesitation. ~ A date with Tomiyama would be filled with fun and laughter. Think something like an amusement park, arcade, or one of those trampoline places where you can Velcro yourself to the wall! (Togame low-key begs you to leave Tomiyama up there for an hour or two so he can get a nap.) By the end of it, your face will hurt from smiling and laughing so much. ~ Loves when you wear his oversized t-shirts he leaves you. Makes him feel like he is giving you a hug even when he is not there! ~ He's not great at it, but he really tries to listen to his partner, whether its a mundane retelling of their day or trying to discuss an issue they are having. Tomiyama feels very out of his comfort zone in a committed and safe relationship and it takes a lot of time for him to understand when something is serious, even if it isn't a big deal to him. ~ Only person he shares his snacks with besides Togame.

[m-for-musings]

The question: can a 1,65m drow safely bear 2m wood elf's twins?

User @horizonstride made a (good) point here:

Now the seeds of doubt were planted, and gnawed at me. So I did what any weirdo normal person would do, and asked other D&D nerds about it.

The arguments were great. My idea (the most stupid one, of course) was to cast Enlarge on the mother during labor for an easier birth. However, a friend pointed out that the babies, while inside the mother, "would fall under ‘anything they are wearing or carrying.’ Like when we say someone is 'carrying' a baby during pregnancy. Also, I need this to be true, or Reduce has terrifying consequences."

And that’s a very good point. I’m sold.

A more unhinged bold friend suggested they could Dimension Door the babies out, but this is self-targeted and the babies can't cast spells (yet).

Another one, more prone to the game's technicalities, added: "If we consider the damage from childbirth as concussive damage, and the babies count as improvised weapons, each baby would deal 1d4 damage per turn. Since there are twins, the drow would have to endure 2d4 damage per turn during labor. Considering the drow’s initial stats, she has a CON score of 14, giving her a +2 to any CON saving throws she might be doing during labor. As a paladin, she also has the Lay on Hands ability, which heals hp equal her paladin level x5, Aura of Vitality letting her heal 2d6 as a bonus action, and Death Ward in case anything goes wrong. So, yeah, she could endure it with relative ease for about 10-15 turns, maybe more depending on the dice."

(Note: I ABSOLUTELY LOST MY SHIT AT "AND THE BABIES COUNT AS IMPROVISED WEAPONS")

Another friend then asked: "Considering that the average time to give birth to twins is 13.5 minutes, and each D&D turn lasts 6 seconds, that would be 135 turns. Do the babies deal damage every turn, only on their turn, or only on the mother’s turn?"

(At that moment, we were like:)

After further debate, we reasoned that they would deal damage only on the mother’s turn, as she would be actively making the effort to push them out.

But we were ignoring an important factor: the wood elf is a druid specialized in healing magic. So, we added him to the initiative, since he would most likely assist the mother during labor. This could grant the mother a +4 CON bonus with the Bear’s Endurance (from the Enhance Ability spell), and with Stoneskin, she would only take half the damage.

That said, only 1/4 of the 135 turns would be the mother’s. Therefore, she’d endure 2d4 + her STR modifier of (halved) damage for about 33 turns. She would be protected by Stoneskin and Bear’s Endurance, as well as powerful paladin abilities like Aura of Vitality (regaining 2d6 HP with a bonus action) and the Death Ward spell.

There would also be plenty of healing spells from both sides, ensuring that it would be a safe childbirth. They have at their disposal: Aid, Cure Wounds, Healing Word, Healing Spirit, Mass Cure Wounds, and Heal.

Final verdict: It is, in fact, safe for a 1.65m drow to bear the twins of a 2m wood elf. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. :D

[longitudinalwaveme]

How to Distinguish the Mirror Masters

So on Reddit, I saw a post that asked how the two Mirror Masters should be distinguished from one another if they were to be used in the same story. Here's what I came up with:

Sam Scudder, the first Mirror Master, is flamboyant, dramatic, and vain. He loves fame and is always angling for it, and his crimes are frequently centered on getting as much attention as possible.  He almost views himself as the lead actor in a movie series about him; he's always trying to come up with interesting stories about himself and trying on variations of his basic Mirror Master role---pretending to be a superhero, taking a self-help course as a regular guy, turning his enemy into a genie in a bottle, live-action role-playing as a cowboy, and even once casting himself as a romantic lead. While he likes money and really likes stealing fancy mirrors for his extensive collection, ultimately fame is most important to him.

In some ways, Sam kind of parallels Barry insofar as they both seem to kind of living out childhood fantasies (Barry is a huge comic book nerd and idolized the Jay Garrick Flash, while Sam was explicitly stated to be a huge fan of cowboy movies in the issue where he disguised himself as an Old West outlaw for a bit.) I think if I was writing the character, I would make this connection a bit more explicit, and have Sam also be a fan of the Golden Age heroes, with the Mirror Master persona being a twisted mirror image of his childhood heroes. 

One side effect of this is the fact that Sam doesn't have any real personal hatred of Barry. He'll do the standard supervillainous death traps and the like, but on some level he enjoys having the Flash around. After all, the Mirror Master looks much cooler fighting the Flash than he would effortlessly avoiding the police.

On the same tack, Scudder almost never endangers civilians, since doing that would interfere with his fantasy life as an over-the-top comic book supervillain. 

Sam is also the genius of the two Mirror Masters. He's the one who invented all the technology and discovered the Mirror Realm, and he's always coming up with new inventions. He's probably the most scientifically inclined of all the Rogues, but he specializes in reflections and advanced physics. I don't generally think of him as having had a lot of education, but he is extremely intelligent.

Scudder is something of a pretty boy; he's extraordinarily vain and spends an inordinate amount of time fixing his perfect hair and looking at himself in the mirror.

Sam is also superstitious (he seems to fervently believe that breaking mirrors is bad luck, which is unfortunate given his gimmick) and can't swim. He's also a chain smoker; he goes through four cigarettes every hour. 

Evan McCulloch chases anonymity as much as Scudder chases fame. After his traumatic childhood and his role in the death of his parents, he wants to be anyone BUT Evan McCulloch, and the Mirror Master is a convenient role for him to disappear into. He doesn't really want to establish himself as separate from Scudder (though his accent and somewhat burlier physique make it somewhat inevitable that most people don't mistake the two of them). In a sense, being the Mirror Master is an escape hatch for him...just as his cocaine addiction is.  

 Evan is a deeply weird individual on many levels. He has a strange sense of humor and a strange moral compass, and he seems to take some enjoyment out of how much he unsettles other people. When interacting with heroes, he's generally quite chipper and genial, something that stands in stark contrast to the lengths he's willing to go to in order to get what he wants. He bears no malice towards the heroes he fights, but he also has very little restraint in fighting them.

Evan is far more dangerous, brutal, and unhinged than Scudder; he was, after all, a hit man prior to becoming the Mirror Master. He also uses the Mirror Realm far more effectively than Scudder does, partially because he's less worried about the potential risks involved in spending time in such a bizarre reality, and partially due to a natural aptitude for navigating it. He is not an inventor, and indeed struggles to understand and repair the technology he uses, but he is more than competent in wielding it.   

Evan does have something of a sentimental streak. He always sends a portion of his ill-gotten gains to the orphanage where he was raised, and he refuses to kill children (Grant Morrison, who created the character, established early on that Evan had a policy against killing women and children, and it's always been a little frustrating that most subsequent writers have abandoned it). But making the mistake of assuming that his sentimentality makes him any less dangerous might very well be the death of you, since Evan has no compunctions about killing generally.   

Evan is exceptionally powerful; indeed, he's something of a Lovecraftian horror. He can go anywhere, attack anyone from anywhere at almost any time, and can launch those attacks without even having to leave the Mirror Realm himself. He's almost untouchable when he wants to be.  

Oh, and Evan is Scottish. He's very, very Scottish (more specifically, Glaswegian), and he takes great amusement from the fact that the Americans around him often have no idea what he's saying.

In terms of physically distinguishing the two, I would have Evan be a bit more built than Sam. He also has much messier hair when the cowl is off, and has freckles and a gap between his two front teeth, which Sam does not possess. Both have brown hair and brown eyes, but Evan's hair has a reddish tinge to it and his eyes are more hazel, whereas Sam's hair and eyes are more pure brown. Finally, I would have them be mirror images of each other in terms of handedness, with Scudder being left-handed and McCulloch being right-handed. 

I would also have Scudder be quite a bit older than McCulloch, with Scudder being 41 to 45 years old and McCulloch being 26 to 33. 

Also, importantly, the primary distinguishing trait between the two is not that Sam is boring. For some reason, there's this common idea in the wider Flash fandom that McCulloch is the only Mirror Master to really have a personality, but that's actually pretty far from the case. Prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths, Sam was probably the most dynamic and interesting of all the Flash's villains, and he was also very popular, as illustrated by the fact that he appeared more often than any other costumed villain, as well as the fan response he got in the letter columns of the day.

For example, in Flash vol. 1 #130 (published in 1962), someone wrote in with the results of a poll they took in their neighborhood:

And in this very long letter from Flash vol. 1 #174 (published in 1967), the writer identifies Mirror Master as his favorite Flash villain:

Granted, Sam doesn't have the depth or complexity of the characters who either survived into or were created in the modern era (since he was dead for almost all of it), but he definitely had a character, and he was a lot of fun.

And then they brought him back in the New 52 and he really WAS boring. But that wasn't because classic Sam had no personality to work with, it's because the writers made him a less interesting version of the Top, and then made him Evan-in-all-but-name-and-accent.

And while we're on the subject of badly-written Mirror Masters, it's very frustrating that DC brought Evan out of his decade-long limbo only to apparently shunt him back into limbo about a year later---especially since it's really, really clear that Evan is the Mirror Master most writers actually want to write about.

It honestly feels like DC thinks that the ideal Mirror Master is the hybrid version. They want the Mirror Master to have Evan's eldritch horror powers and general human disaster personality, but since Evan's Glasgow accent is hard to write and the details of how he got the Mirror Technology require them to acknowledge that there are two Mirror Masters, they use Sam's civilian identity because he isn't Scottish and invented the gear himself. As someone who's a fan of both Mirror Masters, this is very frustrating.

Thanks to @gorogues for the scans.

[total-drama-brainrot]

Total Drama Psycho Noah AU, when Noah became Chris' Assistant, both Chris and Chef eventually learn how INSANE Noah truly is and how great Noah is at hiding it... As a lowkey psycho himself, Chris thinks that it's awesome... Noah would sometimes give Chris deadly ideas for the show! 😈

See, Chris himself literally states that he's fond of Scary Girl/Lauren in the reboot because she's so unhinged. Given that he's a bit (read: a lot) of a sadistic sociopath (/pos), it's pretty much a given that he'd have a weird sort of appreciation for characters who can keep up with his more dangerous tendencies; just look at how many cameos Izzy makes in seasons she's not even supposed to be a part of! And how many times Izzy manages to re-enter the competitions she's already been voted out from!

He's definitely got a bias towards the more psychotically-inclined characters.

So of course he'd think that psycho!Noah is awesome.

He'd be fully aware of just how insane Noah is, and how eerily good he is at masking such, just by proxy of being the show's host.

Remember, Noah spends the majority of his confessional time straight up mocking and taunting the audience with what he could potentially do, given his skillsets and lack of integrity, and his and Izzy's scheming is hidden from the contestants but the two of them are diligent enough to ensure that the cameras can pick up on their crazed ramblings and plots- it's good content, after all. So pretty much everyone on the production team knows that Noah's missing a few screws, and is very much so an 'accident' waiting to happen.

Not that he'd ever intentionally hurt anyone. It's still Noah, after all, and he's far more inclined towards psychological warfare than anything physical. Noah's got more self-control than his confessionals would let on, but he finds a twisted sense of amusement in threatening the viewers with his 'instability' and portraying himself as a wolf in sheep's clothing. In the same vein, he's not entirely morally bereft, or particularly violent (certain incidents non-withstanding), but his commitment/indulgence in the whole 'unhinged psychopath' display often overrides his better judgement. It's just so fun to let loose and go wild, sometimes.

(He's far more susceptible to violence when it's 'justifiable'. Duncan's a bully and a thug, and he's the one to physically accost Noah first, so he gets bitten. The Ripper is supposedly a murderer, trying to manhandle and kidnap Noah, so he gets his hand privileges revoked by means of two broken forearms. The whole 'painting the knife red' talk was a bluff on Noah's part, he was playing it up for the camera knowing that Owen would intervene- something to keep the audience on their toes, and something to add validity to his confessional threats.)

Maybe that's the reason they (Chris and Chef) take him on as a personal assistant in the first place? Given that p!Noah spends the majority of him time during Island secretly plotting and scheming with Izzy to cause as much chaos as possible, or intentionally being as unnerving towards the audience in his confessionals for his own amusement, whilst ensuring that the other competitors were none-the-wiser to his true nature (save for Duncan, eventually, in the TDDDDI special), he's the perfect candidate for someone who can keep up with Chris' wilder ideas whilst also maintaining a level of professionalism needed for showbusiness.

Because he can mask his less palatable tendencies, and he can do so proficiently and consistently enough to keep the people he's essentially trapped with fooled for ~8 weeks. That's an impressive, telling display of just how cunning and capable p!Noah is.

Though I imagine a lot of his assistantship would be Chris full-on enabling the real Noah, by tasking him with challenge preparation and encouraging him to make the challenges more deadly ambitious. It's like enrichment for the both of them; Chris gets to watch chaos unfold under his guidance, and Noah gets to actively cause chaos without having to consider the social/tactical drawbacks.

It also has the added bonus of giving both Noah and Chris an outlet for their manic energy that's relatively harmless, as opposed to letting Noah stew under his mask of indifference until he really does snap and inadvertently or intentionally hurt someone.

Note my use of the word 'ambitious' there, because that's pretty much the main defining difference between canon Noah and p!Noah (despite the obvious). p!Noah has goals and ambitions, something regular Noah lacks entirely, and these goals are to wreak as much havoc as he can undetected.

Luckily, that motivation coincide with Chris' goal of hosting an exciting show. He wants to broadcast drama, tension, and thrills to the viewing world- what's more thrilling than the perpetual threat of a crazy person finally snapping and ditching the façade? Letting said crazy person run wild with ideas that impact the whole show!

Not too wild, though.

Meanwhile, I imagine that Chef is the one to play peacekeeper between this dynamic duo and the rest of the production team, since he pretty much acts as a pseudo-caretaker/minder for Chris in canon anyway. The 'Voice of Reason', if you will, and someone hardy enough to actually confront the two should they take things too far.

[gabelew]

I updated my Zora lineup from 2021 with the new TotK characters (and added the AoC guys too while I was at it).

To my knowledge these are all the named NPCs across the three games who use the generic adult male Zora model. I liked the idea of giving them more personality and trying to figure out unique features, all while staying faithful to the model (so no accessories, body modification etc).

female NPCs | elders and kids | unique characters

More details on each character (all 14) under the cut:

Ahrt Secro and Ettu are the merchants that exist only as character portraits, but I decided to count them as individual NPCs regardless. I made an exception in "no accessories" rule for Ahrt Secro here, because of his... unconventional name (and him living in Goponga instead of the Domain); he's justified in not following their fashion standards. Ettu's only character trait iirc is that he dislikes plants. Which make up most of his stock. Rip.

Kayden is the oldest non-elder Zora guy (140ish?), calm, responsible, etc. He's an another accessory exception, with the little belt attachment. He's married and it's the "zora armor" he got from Kodah. I like to imagine that non-royal Zora women also propose with "armor", just bit more budget friendly - a single accessory or a piece of jewelry.

Capelo has basically no personality, his only few lines point to him being older and somewhat responsible. So I put him here and made him... idk, look big and serious.

Bazz! He's perfectly average when it comes to height and looks, but visibly more buff than most Zora guys. Also on the older side.

Rivan's whole thing is being Very Tall and Very Pretty. In my canon he's basically the most handsome guy in the Domain, with his long fins, smooth features and warm brown colored scales.

Ledo is like, the most average guy you've ever seen. He looks younger than he is but has no special features otherwise. Surprisingly level headed. Not very fit (for Zora standards).

Tie is another one of the new undercharacterized TotK guards, his only thing being that he complains about being out of shape. I think I like his design the least, but come on, I had nothing to work with here.

Numien, the only new guy who actually had more than two lines, all of them making him the most annoying prick in my eyes. He's just... too enthusiastic and eager to praise his superiors. I like to imagine Bazz despises him for being such a kissass (Bazz is canonically pretty judgemental) but can't do much about it. The guy is competent enough to be put in charge of the Lookout Landing squad after all. Anyway, I did my best to make him look at least a bit unhinged.

Fronk, the only man in the domain whose eyebags could compete with Bazz's, courtesy of his airhead wife Mei. He's also wearing the "zora armor" she gave him.

Resco wins the prize for least characterization. His only single trait is that he admires Gaddison. That's it. So I made him try to emulate her energy in his lineup pose.

Cleff, the shopkeeper with crab obsession. One of the prettier younger guys, although the crab thing is not working in his favor. The last one of fully adult guys in the lineup (around 90ish).

Gruve is, amusingly, the one sole unemployed Zora guy. His occupation is therefore officially, A Problem. He's very much the tall lanky teenager type.

And Tottika, another tall lanky teenager (70ish), but this time with a job. It's not canon, but he's commonly considered a twin brother of Torfeau and I quite like this idea. He's not the smartest but tries his best.

That's it, thanks for reading if you did! Next up are the ladies, which I have sketched out but not colored yet. Also I'm still pondering if I want to do elders and kids, just for the sake of having all the Zora properly catalogued...

[thetarttfuldickhead]

I often wonder about how and when the team learns about Roy and Jamie’s special training arrangement. In 3x04, Roy and Jamie are just getting started; in 3x05 they’re not keeping it a secret but who knows what they team is or isn’t picking up; in 3x06 everyone is obviously aware of their new and predictably unhinged deal.

There’s a lot of ways the revelation can play out and I’m in love with all of them, but my favourite version (tonight, at least) has one of the other players just stumbling on some candid posted on the site formerly known as Twitter a few days after Zava’s left for his avocado farm. Roy having Jamie pull his bike is a little too late for this grand reveal, but I crave that same level of insanity; say it’s Jamie doing push-ups in the middle of the Richmond Green with Roy standing next to him and keeping a foot on his back, or some such.

“Guys, have you seen this?” Sasha might ask, rushing into the dressing room with his phone held high.

They haven’t. They’re all suitably awed/astounded/alarmed.

“Did Jamie piss Roy off again?” Colin wonders aloud, leading to a smattering of yeah, must have and nah, Jamie’s been minding himself, hasn’t he? and says here the chick who posted it sees them every morning there’s more pictures look and the discussion runs loud and agitated with no clear consensus, and then Jamie walks in, and they immediately swarm him, like the fuck is going on here, bruv?

“Uh, yeah, Roy’s been coaching me, hasn’t he? Like, privately.” Jamie’s doing a fair job of playing it cool, like it’s no big deal, like it’s just a thing, no particular reason for it. It’s nice to be the focus of the team’s attention once more, but he suspects they wouldn’t be best impressed if they realised it’s all to make him better than Zava ever was. (Which is bullshit, really, because Zava’s a right knob, yeah, and he fucked them over too, like properly.)

“He can’t actually force you to do that shit, can he?” Jeff asks, his silly brow furrowed in concern, and he’s sounding just a little uncertain, because he knows that technically he’s right, but this is Roy they’re talking about and… who the fuck knows what Roy can or can’t do, really?

“Yeah, mate, you should talk to the gaffer,” someone else chimes in, and there’s nods and yeah, Ted’ll say something, right, he’ll sort Roy out and stop him from torturing Jamie further.

Jamie waves their concern away. “No, lads, listen, I want him to do it,” he tells them. “It’s to make me better, right?” It’s already working, too; he can feel it, his endurance building, his strenght growing. He’s better than he’s ever been, and he’s only getting started.

The team contemplates that for a few moments, in hushed silence. “Man,” Van Damme eventually offers, “you couldn’t pay me to do that shit.”

“Yeah, well,” Jamie says, with a wink and a smirk, “no one’s offering to pay you, mate.”

And that’s that, really. The teams murmurs and shrugs and moves on. Just Roy and Jamie doing Roy and Jamie stuff, innit?

(Roy steps into the coaches' office, and Beard looks up from his book. “What?” Roy asks, because he knows all of Beard’s completely blank faces, and knows this one for the pointed interest it is. “You and Jamie, huh”? Beard asks. “Yeah, well,” is all Roy says, but Beard nods because yeah, that makes perfect sense actually.)

[kingstoken]

I've been sick for the past week, so I been binging Doctor Who again. To everyone who said that I would love Twelve you were right!

I have to admit I didn't like him at first. At first he is a little darker, a little colder, and really lost, but he goes on a great character progression over his three seasons.

First of all, his relationship with Clara is so interesting and complicated. He glomps right onto to her, more intensely then I think with almost any other companion that I've seen so far. He has this enormous fear of losing her, especially in the first season. Which does make sense considering how lost he feels, but again I think this is the first time I've seen this dynamic play out.

Previous companions really push the Doctor to be better, Donna does it for Ten, Amy does it for Eleven, but it's different with Clara. There are moments where she does remind the Doctor to be a more caring person, but the feeling I got was more like the Doctor was pulling Clara down to his level more often then not, and often to Clara's determinant.

I do think a third companion could have been helpful some times, someone to provide a different, more rational perspective at times, because the Doctor and Clara were often in this intense feedback loop bubble, especially in the second season.

Clara's ending was heartbreaking and lovely at the same time, and I'm so glad he got his memories back of her at the very end, because she deserved to be remembered.

Secondly, I love Bill Potts! She was so refreshingly normal. After a couple of companions that were extra super special, the impossible girl, Amy saving the universe with her imagine alone, etc, it was so refreshing to have a companion who was just a normal everyday person. I loved her friendship with the Doctor, it just felt so sweet and chill, not that things are ever really all that chill with the Doctor, but that is the term that comes to mind. Also, Nardole was hilarious! I loved that he really wasn't afraid to call the Doctor out on his bullshit.

Lastly, Missy. I loved Missy to bits, the best version of the Master so far for me. I loved her when she was unhinged, and when she was trying to change. My only compliant is I wish we had gotten more of her. More of her being unhinged and more of her and the Doctor trying to work out things between them. They had part of one episode near the end where Missy was going to try and do a good mission on her own with the Doctor as her guide in her ear, and God I would have loved a full episode or episodes of that. And yes, I ship it! I ship it like crazy. I love a friends-to-enemies-to-allies-to-maybe friends again-to lovers. I'm so sad the Doctor will never know that she chose him in the end.

I'm probably missing a lot, but overall I loved Twelve and his companions, and his Master.

I'm probably going to take a long break before I start Thirteen's run. I just need to sit with what I've seen for a bit.

[aeithalian]

brought to you by walker scobell's correct opinions

okay so this is super unhinged but I've held this opinion for a long time and I was reminded of it when Walker Scobell adressed it in an interview and I need to yell it from the rooftops - Percy Jackson would absolutely kick ass in a fight against Harry Potter. And I say this as a lifelong fan of both series (who obviously knows which author is better).

But it's more nuanced than that. Because apparently I can't be normal about things.

Here's the thing: Percy and Harry both serve completely different purposes as the protagonists of their respective plots. Because Percy's special. Harry's not, at least in the ways that matter. Hence, Percy would absolutely kick ass.

Allow me to explain. We're in the great position here of both stories being set in the "main character has to go learn how to harness their power" archetype for both characters, (Percy at Camp Half-Blood and Harry at Hogwarts) so luckily, this also gives us a pretty good idea of how skilled they are in comparison to their peers.

Percy, over the span of the series, and even in the first book alone, excels above his peers. He's the child of the second most powerful god in the pantheon, he's given a prophecy and a quest almost immediately upon arriving at camp (a privilege other campers have to wait years for), and at the point we've reached in the canon books, is one of the most powerful demigods ever. Like, his power level is compared to that of a minor god, he's a respected leader, and he beat the god of war in single combat at age 12 based on (mostly) skill alone.

But Harry, in comparison to his peers? Painfully average in most regards. Every single life-threatening situation he was in throughout the entire series required some fluke of nature/magic for him to get out alive. As a baby? Only survived by some ancient magical loophole. Book 1? Use of aforementioned magical loophole. Book 2? Sure, he saved the day but he also almost died, but didn't because Dumbledore sent... a bird. Book 3? Harry's mastery of the Patronus charm is one of maybe three exceptions to this rule in the entire series. Books 4, 5, and 7? Magic loophole!!!! And let's be real - Dumbledore saved Harry's ass multiple times in the book 6 climax, but I'll let the bygones be bygones and not question Dumbledore's methods. My point being: Harry sucks at most things. But, you know, at least he's self-aware about it.

Now before anybody comes screaming to me, I know that Harry's not dumb as a rock, or anything. Yes, he's good at DADA, I am aware, thank you. But let's be real - if the aforementioned magical loophole didn't exist, Harry would not have survived a good 80% of his altercations in the series, considering the aforementioned magical loophole literally only works against one person. To be real, he also wouldn't be in those life-threatening altercations to begin with.

FURTHERMORE. They both fall into the "Chosen One" archetype, right? But here's the thing: Percy is powerful in his own right, and being the chosen one isn't what makes him powerful. Harry, on the other hand, is powerful because he's the chosen one, because of all the mysticism built around an arguably average person of middling talent. He's only special because of the whole "[Voldemort] will mark him as his equal" thing from the prophecy.

Even if you assume that an average demigod and an average wizard hold about the same power levels (which, honestly, I don't think you can say, but for the sake of the argument, that's what we're going to go with), the pure fact of the matter is that Percy is like a Dumbledore-level demigod, and Harry is a Michael Yew-level wizard. (Who is Michael Yew, you may ask? To which I say: exactly.)

Are you catching my drift? Percy kicks ass against Harry because he's more powerful. It's as simple as that.

But allow me to extrapolate further, because I fear that some may take this to mean that Harry is a bad protagonist. He's not, he just serves a different narrative purpose as a character. Imagine if you were to swap Percy and Harry into each others' stories:

Harry would probably die in the first PJO book. As an untrained wizard with at most, one year at Hogwarts under his belt, he'd probably die in the initial fight against the Minotaur. Done deal. Sure, you could take it a step further and assume that he does carry good problem-solving skills in moments of high stress, so maybe he could have made it out of that fight alive, but he's probably toast from that moment on. My main point is that Percy's skills that get him through his first quest are inherent. He doesn't necessarily have to practice to have heightened battle senses, water powers, and sensitivity to the Mist, all things that helped him survive. Harry simply does not have those things, and as a wizard of about the same age, doesn't have the skill set to match those powers with his own magical abilities. And by the end of the series, assuming Harry doesn't die immediately, the last book is one long, big battle, and Harry's one-on-one combat skills aren't necessarily bad, but if I have a hard time remembering how many times Harry was in a duel against a fully trained wizard and won in his own right, what makes you think he could beat ultra-powerful Titans like Percy did?

As for Percy - Put him in the climax moment of the first HP book against Quirrell. Harry survived that moment by using the aforementioned magical loophole, but Percy would have probably chopped Quirrell's head off within the first five minutes. No biggie. No moment in the first three books comes to mind as a situation that would have given Percy a ton of trouble at around the same age. And the fact that I think that Percy would definitely give Voldemort a run for his money in a one-on-one duel in the second half of the series should really say something.

Again, that's not to say that Harry's a bad protagonist. I think that their respective power levels serve their respective plots well! Imagine how boring the PJO series would be if Percy wasn't powerful enough to go head-to-head with Titans, or how boring the HP series would be if Harry had no problems beating Voldemort ever.

It's also interesting when you consider the implications of what being the Chosen One means in their respective universes. Percy knows he's the Chosen One, and he's actually more offended when Rachel suggests that he's not the hero of the prophecy, rather Luke is. Harry, on the other hand, has a hard time believing he's the Chosen One, because he knows just how generally unremarkable he is aside from the fact that he keeps surviving against all odds. Percy is the typical Chosen One, Harry is not.

And that gets even more interesting when you consider how they interact with their peers once their "Chosen One status" becomes common knowledge. Percy, who spends most of his time on quests, doesn't interact with his peers much on-page (meaning we don't see him go through everyday life like we see in the HP series), but that aside, he's generally well-respected. People are in awe of him. People know who he is, and have decided that he is deserving of his claims to fame and power. Harry, on the other hand, is generally not respected to the same degree, and people have a hard time believing him when he tells them about his close calls with death. Adults, specifically, find his stories unbelievable, because to them, he's untrained and not significantly powerful. And you know what? They're completely right.

I tend to also see that manifest a lot in their personalities. Percy, as the Chosen One, tends to struggle a lot with the fact that there are a lot of expectations placed upon him. People come to him for help all the time, and the gods tend to take him for granted, so he ends up with this very 'leave me alone let me live my life in peace' kind of thing going on. Harry, on the other hand, struggles in the different way of, as I said before, never being believed, and while he also struggles a lot with expectations, has this issue that he doesn't, nor will he ever, live up to them because that's not who he is (insert rant here about why Harry becoming an Auror was so out of character, and why he should have become the DADA professor instead, kindly fu JKR). Harry isn't some overpowered godling, he's just some random kid, placed well enough in society that Voldemort took an unhealthy interest in him.

I'm getting off track here. But my point stands: while both Percy and Harry serve the Chosen One protagonist archetype, they are inherently different characters and serve different purposes. Harry is atypical, and doesn't succeed in his own rights as much as you'd predict from a YA protagonist, regardless of the fact that he's got an über-powerful failsafe button. Percy, on the other hand, is a much more cliche example of a main character, being overpowered and wildly successful with barebones training.

Now, this is not me saying that PJO is a cliche YA story. I would never say that, because Rick Riordan is a masterful writer who still incorporates Percy's struggles as a person into a world where he's considered extremely powerful (meaning he's not a Mary Sue). That, and the fact that Percy isn't actually the 'hero of the prophecy', but the main villain is, is what should disprove that statement in a split second.

All is is basically saying that, while Percy would absolutely whoop ass against Harry, that does not mean that Harry is a bad character. Harry is, I think, the only kind of character that could fit well enough in the HP series for it to be considered a fulfilling story (insert rant here about how the final fight in movie 8 is stupid and Harry could have never held his own in a duel against Voldemort for that long, and completely missed the point of the finale of book 7 and it's been pissing me off for years).

Anyways, yeah, point made, come yell at me if you think I'm wrong, but I don't think I'm wrong.

More (mostly TOA) rants here if you want them.

[caustinen]

I'd love a follow up on the security scare Hollywood!AU Clegan experienced....Does Bucky cancel all press and social media activity? Hire a military level security team? Want to move to the country? I can imagine he'd go in to overprotective mode.....

And does Gale recover ok? Is he left with any trauma/fear? :(

thank you for this ask anon!! i love protective tropes <3 (continuation to this drabble)

to start off with, i think it would definitely make bucky step back from the media for a while. he’d go completely silent on insta for a few weeks and while he’s contractually bound to do some press for his upcoming movie, it’s clear he’s much more serious and avoids talking about his relationship (partly because he does not want to comment on the incident at all, just put it all behind them) and compared to his usual endeavor this is very noticeable, making the journalists also careful not to ask him about it reflexivly.

as for extra security, i think he’d go a bit overboard and unhinged with it before gale forces him to take it back a notch. gale is shaken up after it but gets over it much more quickly, reasoning they both got through it completely fine, and he just wants to go on business-as-usual to the extent that it’s possible; he doesn’t wanna live in constant fear because of one bad experience after he works through the first shock (i mentioned gale also having a tough childhood in this au somewhere and i could maybe even write something about him only realizing some emotional locks and seeking therapy year into his relationship with bucky, so he would maybe have some mental tools for dealing with trauma already!). the first he notices some fridge/military level bulky dudes following them everywhere they go he actually has some flashbacks to the attack, just about to get anxious, before he realizes these must be guards hired by bucky. they have a small fight about it and eventually bucky begrudgingly agrees to let some of them go, but for his side of the compromise both he and gale take a self-defense class, and gale has to allow him to take him away for a bit for some pampering. gale rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically as bucky packs their bags with a driven attention but he doesn’t hide how much he likes to have a moment of peace with his fiancé in the midst of the media circus when bucky takes him to wisconsin for the weekend and barely lets him out the bed, bringing him breakfast on a tray and kissing all of his sweet spots over and over to make sure he’s really okay.

slowly bucky gets over the scare and loosens up to the extent he starts posting and raving about gale on his social medias again, but he’s more careful with drawing boundaries with fan encounters and pays special attention with talking honestly about his life and doing his best to disillusion the image of himself as anything other than a normal guy trying to have a relatively normal life. the extra security stays on their payroll but it becomes more background operations than surrounding them in all public places. for gale this was a first properly bad experience with “fame” but surprisingly it doesn’t affect him as much as one would expect since he was struggling with just the media attention anyway, and the attack doesn’t seem too far removed from that in the end since nothing bad actually happened and he’s just getting used to having his privacy challenged anyway. he worried for bucky tho, but in a weird way it also brings them closer together as he starts to realize these new symptoms of fame that bucky has been dealing with on his side for years already. all in all, he’s a bit jumpy and untrusting with crowds for some time after, but once his main goal becomes soothing john he quite quickly gets almost back to his normal self <3

hope this was to your liking, sorry it took so long!! i would love to write some protective/worried moments more in detail