#it would be nice to all show some support!!

[thatnerduknow98]

Being a superhero doesn’t pay.

I tried to find some full time jobs where I could sneak out to combat evil without my bosses noticing, but I simply have no talent outside being an ultimate flying ass kicker.

I tried to be a journalist like that tv show superhero, Clark Kent, but I’m not a good writer. I tried to be a photographer like Peter Parker from the viral social media video, but they all turned out blurry. I tried museum work like Diana Prince from the documentary, but they fired me upon accidentally cracking a 10,000 year old vase.

My parents supported me. They knew my identity and were proud of my volunteer work keeping the city safe. But they died in a tragic car crash, and unlike Bruce Wayne, my parents weren’t rich, didn’t own any companies, and left me with nothing.

I didn’t even get their house because it wasn’t paid off.

I’m really good at tracking things, so I tried my hand at being a park ranger, but I was so good at it my coworkers thought it was uncanny and began to suspect things. That wasn’t safe for me or for them so I told them I was moving to Canada and quit abruptly.

I started training to be a police officer with the hopes of becoming a detective, but it became very clear most of the PD was unintelligent and fearful, to put it nicely, and so it started becoming a conflict of interest with my superhero work because I had to beat the bad guy as a super and then work with the cops as a super to have him arrested, then manage them while detained while I undercover, and sometimes I let it slip that I knew things that were above my pay grade.

The lack of income became pretty overwhelming. Next thing I knew I was homeless, living in our city’s main park, under a bridge by the river. It was ironic - the same lady I saved last week while in tights spit on me without them when I asked for spare change.

I thought about letting the tights go and hanging up the cape. Most of these people I rescued didn’t deserve to be saved. My work was futile in many ways. Maybe if their superhero went away then they’d treat everyone more kindly.

But my heart wouldn’t let me. I watched a guy rob a woman and stepped in to stop him. I successfully kept him from hurting her, but I guess she thought I was intervening to steal her purse too and hit me with it. I huffed and pulled out my mask. She gasped and apologized.

I told her my identity needed to stay a secret but I was angry that she would treat me that way simply because I was homeless. She agreed, and said she actually worked for a church group that fed the homeless and had become so distraught at how rude many of them tended to be while she was feeding them, so she quit.

I said I felt the same way about being a superhero and wanted to quit too.

Now she’s the director of operations at a distribution center nearby. She said she had some openings on the shipping dock if I needed work and offered me a job. She also said their company partnered with a local apartment complex to provide workforce housing at a discounted rate to employees, so if I took that job I wouldn’t have to be homeless anymore.

I asked if she offered that to other homeless people and she said she did, but they often either didn’t want that job because it’s hard or weren’t able to do the job because of a disability. They’d end up evicted, which would hurt any future chances of getting an apartment. The self aware ones knew this and so they chose to stay homeless.

I accepted her offer, and they set me up with a third story apartment, specifically with rooftop access. The job itself was so hard, and I had no furniture in my studio for a while, but it was nice to be somewhere warm for once.

I decided to see how this would go.

You're a superhero. While in your suit, you're beloved by the city, but outside of it? You're a homeless man, unable to get a job nor pay rent because of your duties.

[thebubblesareevil]

Everyone forgot Danny

It started out slow, he would be in class and people wouldn’t notice him until he spoke up. His parents would ask what they wanted for dinner and would look confused when he answered.

Slowly but surely people forgot who Danny was entirely.

His records vanished along with his memory.

At first Danny was angry, then he thought it was funny, and then his parents started to lose interest in ghost hunting and then he got worried and went to see clockwork.

The ghosts remembered him, but the people of amity park could not remember Danny.

It was a defense mechanism, clockwork explained, areas with high concentrations of ectoplasm would infect anything living and cause it to not notice or even forget ectoplasmic entities.

This was to prevent anything from actively attacking the realms or looking into things too deeply and learning things their mind could not comprehend.

It happened to protect both the living and the dead.

There was no going back. If the ectoplasm were to be forcefully removed the citizens would all die within the year, their bodies unable to support them anymore.

So now Danny was faced with a choice.

Leave amity and find a place for himself in the world

Or

Stay in the infinite realms and take his rightful place on the throne.

Danny wasn’t ready to give up living, so he packed up everything he could, sealing away the rest his parents weapons in the ghost zone and locking up the lab.

He had some ghosts install a second basement so if anyone looked at the building plans nothing would be amiss, but no living creature would go through that portal again.

Danny travel from city to city, coast to coast. Until one day he was sitting on a dock and all hell broke loose.

A massive red tornado landed right in the middle of happy harbor.

Danny jumped into action, doing everything he could to get any and all civilians away from the tornado.

Insanely, there appeared to be a group of teenaged heroes around his age and younger.

Watching the team struggle, but eventually succeed was nostalgic. He knew they would learn, and who would it hurt if he stuck around for a bit to see where things lead?

So with the money he stole from vlad, he got himself an apartment and enrolled in school. He go a little help from technus to fake his records, but no mortal would be able to tell they were fake.

Up until school started, the teens would hang out around the beach. Danny watched from a distance and tried to figure out each of their powers.

He was pretty sure the red head was a speedster; clockwork loved to complain about them.

The big guy was definitely a superhuman. Strength at the minimum.

The red headed girl…was definitely not human. He didn’t even need to see her shift; no human teen would say “hello Megan” when referring to herself that often.

Blondie and Mr sunglasses definitely were skill based heroes

The only one he wasn’t sure about was tall dark and handsome. He showed some combat skills when he messed around with his friends. Maybe something water based? When he got in the water he stayed longer than most, but that was only when there was no other people near the group. So maybe he transformed in water? Danny wasn’t sure.

After school started, things were nice. He did well in his classes and his hero watching hobby was getting interesting. From what he could tell, superboy and the shifter were absolutely dancing around each other, it was actually kinda adorable.

He wasn’t sure what was going on with superboy, but he was definitely doing better getting acclimated to normal people; Danny suspected he was raised in a lab.

So time passed and things were nice. He was working hard and getting good grades, he had…friends. Totally, just because they only ever talked in class didn’t mean he had no friends.

Everything was good.

And then all the adults vanished. Danny didn’t know what was going on but he knew he had to help. So Danny got to work organizing the teens of happy harbor into some semblance of organization.

He rallied anyone with a license to collect kids around town after he Hotwired some buses. When the heroes arrive he tells them they have things handled there and to help other cities.

Eventually though (and I’m absolutely fucking with canon at this point) Billy batson shows up and is trying to make his way to mount Justice to get to the team only to run into a fucking eldrich horror.

Billy screams as soon as he sees Danny and Danny grabs him and throws him in an alley to confront him.

Danny then yells at the kid that if he wanted something then he didn’t need to yell and to please stop glowing.

Once they come to an understanding, Danny agrees to get Billy to mount Justice. He hot wires a motorcycle and Billy helps him break into the base.

It takes a bunch of convincing, but Danny reluctantly agrees to go in with him, but only because he wants to see their awesome gadgets and nothing else.

When confronted by the team of teens Billy struggles to prove who he is until wolf comes up and licks him.

Superboy (and Danny bursts out laughing when he learns that’s his actual hero name) and miss Martian both confront Billy about bringing Danny.

Billy refuses to explain on account of them really not having time right now. Danny meanwhile is looking over some of the reading they left up and suggests Billy try to transform.

After they get into contact and things are revealed to be caused by a group of sorcerers led by klarion.

After everything settles down, Batman confronts Danny who isn’t the least bit intimidated, instead saying he had a test coming up and needed to study.

Billy on the other hand decides he should convince Batman that Danny could be a valuable asset and proceeds to blackmail Danny into joining the team.

He ends up basically just helping out and dropping valuable but incredibly obscure bits of knowledge.

While Danny is really enjoying his time with the team, things come crashing down when vlad starts blackmailing him.

Obviously Danny doesn’t give into the blackmail because he thinks vlad is a fucking fruit loop but he constantly reminds Danny that he has way more ectoplasm the vlad does and it was only a matter of time before the heroes get infected and start forgetting him.

So Danny starts acting distant, hanging out less and less.

His friends are getting worried.

Kaldur tries to confront him but it only leads to Danny storming off and not returning to the base for a week.

No one knows how to help him, until Robin hacks into sports masters laptop and finds a file on Danny and what exactly they could use to emotionally cripple him if he ever joined the fight.

It also had data that none of them could understand but they were certain Danny could.

Kaldur is volunteered as tribute as the one to talk to Danny and fic him the file. When he reads it he breaks down in kaldurs arms because it showed that he didn’t release enough ecto to infect them.

They wouldn’t forget him.

So the next time the team leaves for a mission and they have intel that vlad would be there, he sneaks aboard the ship.

They’re nearly there when he finally reveals himself but no matter what any of them say he refuses to stay on the ship.

He only agrees to keep his distance so long as plasmius never shows his face.

Unfortunately for the villains, he does, and Danny shows all the villains present exactly why vlad was getting the big bucks for keeping Danny off the playing field.

[women-in-ssports]

Sidelines and Spotlights

In this high school AU, Azzi, the star soccer player, and Paige, the standout on the basketball team, have always existed in separate worlds—until a teammate’s crush sparks an unexpected deal. If the soccer team shows up to support basketball, the favor must be returned. What starts as a simple agreement quickly turns into something more as Paige and Azzi find themselves drawn together in ways neither expected. But with growing tensions on and off the court, they’ll have to decide if their connection is just part of the game—or something worth fighting for.

Chapter 2 | Friday Night Lights

3k ish wrds

Sliding into the passenger seat of Caroline’s car, Azzi was still buzzing from everything that had just happened. What had started as a casual decision to attend a basketball game—mostly because KK and Gabe had asked—had somehow ended with not one, but two girls blatantly flirting with her. And now, on top of all that, there were going to be even more people at the soccer game tomorrow. She could hardly wrap her head around it.

Her thoughts were cut off as Caroline turned the key, and the radio blasted to life. “Sorry,” Caroline muttered, quickly reaching for the knob to turn down the volume. Azzi barely registered it before she felt Caroline’s gaze on her.

“So,” Caroline started, a teasing lilt in her voice, “how exactly did you walk out of that game with two girlfriends?”

Azzi groaned, leaning her head back against the seat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Care.”

Caroline scoffed. “Az, come on. Piper was practically batting her eyelashes at you, and Paige—” she smirked, “—Paige was ready to stake her claim mid-game.”

Azzi shook her head. “They were just being nice,” she insisted. “And Paige—she’s just… well, she has school spirit. Being a good team captain, supporting our team.”

Caroline snorted. “Yeah. Sure.”

⸻

Paige had been nervous all day, second-guessing her plan for the game. The basketball team had decided to make posters for the soccer team, and naturally, she had chosen to make one for Azzi. But that wasn’t all—she had also come up with the idea to make a shirt with a giant “35” on it, something she could pull over her hoodie since it would be cold at the game. The only problem? Paige was much better at sports than arts and crafts.

That’s where Kayla came in. Since she was in art class, Paige had enlisted her help. Paige had tried to contribute, but after the third time she used too much glue and cut the “3” so poorly that it looked more like an open rectangle with a small line, Kayla had all but banned her from helping.

Kayla swatted Paige’s hand away again. “Stop it! You’re going to ruin it.”

“It just has to be visible from far away—it’s a soccer game,” Paige argued.

Kayla rolled her eyes. “I know how soccer games work, Paige. Unlike you, I’ve actually been going to them this year.”

She had a point. Kayla had made friends across different sports teams and always made an effort to support them.

Paige groaned.

“Why are you so jittery about this shirt anyway?” Kayla pressed.

“I’m not,” Paige said quickly, avoiding eye contact.

“Sure,” Kayla said, smirking. “Whatever you say.”

Paige huffed but gave in. “Fine. Just finish it and give it to KK after our math class, okay?”

“Got it.”

Paige mumbled a quick “thanks” before leaving the art room.

Finally, with Paige out of her hair, Kayla could focus on salvaging whatever mess she had made of the number 35.

Azzi was barely making it through her classes, her mind completely preoccupied with the game that night. As soon as the bell for seventh period rang, she started heading toward the exit—only to hear Caroline call out her name from down the hall.

“Azzi! Wait up!”

Azzi turned just as Caroline caught up to her. “Wanna grab some food?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Azzi said, grateful for the distraction.

Since they had a game that night, Coach Pinoe had let the team out early during 7th period, giving them the perfect excuse to relax before the big match.

Back at Caroline’s house, Azzi, Trinity, and Mal sat around the dinner table as the smell of home-cooked food filled the air. Caroline’s mom walked over, setting plates in front of them with a warm smile.

“Thank you, Mrs. Ducharme!” the girls chimed in unison.

“Of course, girls,” she replied. “Can’t wait to see y’all win tonight!”

Azzi grinned, the pre-game nerves settling just a little. She was ready.

As the team made their way to the sideline to begin warm-ups, Casey’s eyes instinctively drifted toward the bleachers.

“What is she doing here?” Addy mumbled behind her, voice laced with suspicion.

Casey exhaled, shifting uncomfortably. “I honestly don’t know,” she admitted, throwing Addy an apologetic glance.

“Sure you don’t,” Addy muttered, rolling her eyes before turning away to join another line.

Despite herself, Casey stole another glance toward the stands. And there she was—dressed casually in athletic gear, her hair pulled back in a low, messy blonde bun that somehow still looked effortless.

Something stirred deep in Casey’s chest. Was it regret? Or something else entirely?

She wasn’t sure.

What she did know was that her ex never came to a game when they were together. So why now? Why tonight?

On the other end of the field, Azzi led her line through stretches, laser-focused on the game ahead. She was so locked in that she completely missed how packed the bleachers had become—not just with the usual crowd, or the basketball team but others.

Rose was right. Where the girls’ basketball team went, others were sure to follow.

Caroline nudged Trinity, nodding toward the stands. “Look at Aubrey,” she whispered.

Trinity followed her gaze and immediately felt heat rise to her cheeks. There, bundled up against the freezing air, was Aubrey—waving a “Trin for the Win” poster back and forth like her life depended on it.

Trinity blushed and gave a small wave in return.

“Well, that’s cute,” Azzi teased, leaning toward Caroline as they worked through their static stretches.

“If you think that’s cute,” Caroline smirked, “look what blondie did for you.”

Trying to play it cool, Azzi took a quick glance toward the crowd, searching for the blonde. She didn’t have to look far.

There, front and center, Paige stood proudly in an oversized shirt pulled over her hoodie with a bold #35 printed across the front. But what really got Azzi was the sign she held high above her head, scrawled in big, unmistakable letters:

“Fudd Around and Find Out.”

Azzi couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up.

KK sat down beside Paige, nudging her softly. “Do you see her?” she asked, her tone laced with warning.

“Yeah,” Paige murmured, her eyes locked on the field. “She looks great,” she added, almost to herself.

KK nudged her again, more insistently this time. “No—her,” she said, tilting her head toward the opposing team.

Paige followed her gaze, and when her eyes landed on Casey, she froze.

Nika, overhearing the conversation, leaned in. “I didn’t know she went to that school?”

“She moved,” Paige said flatly, still staring.

“I see why,” Nika muttered under her breath.

On the field, warm-ups were wrapping up, and the team had started their first footwork drills. As Addy jogged over to find a partner, she hesitated before turning to Casey.

“Sorry,” Addy said quietly as Casey tossed her the ball. She hit it back, watching Casey’s expression carefully.

“I really don’t know why she’s here,” Casey muttered.

“You swear you haven’t talked to her?” Addy asked.

“No, I haven’t,” Casey said quickly—though if she were being honest, she’d thought about it. More than once.

Addy sighed. “I don’t even know why you’re so upset. I’m dating you, aren’t I?” Casey shot back, a little sharper than intended.

Addy exhaled, clearly tired of the conversation. “Yeah.”

“Then?” Casey challenged, eyes narrowing.

Addy didn’t have an answer. Instead, she just mumbled, “Sorry,” and focused back on the drill, though the tension between them lingered.

“Did you know she moved to this school?” Nika asked.

“Nope,” Paige replied. “But it makes sense.”

Her gaze drifted toward Addy.

The intensity of their conversation didn’t last long as Aubrey jumped up from her seat, yelling, “Come on, let’s go, Panthers!” The entire student section behind them erupted into cheers.

As the pregame clock ticked down, the crowd settled into their seats.

The game had been a battle, just as it always was against Saint Ambrose. But tonight, something felt different to Azzi. She couldn’t quite place it, but one of the opposing players—#23—seemed determined to make her night miserable. No matter where Azzi moved, she was right there, bodying her off the ball, clipping her heels, and committing just enough fouls to frustrate her without drawing too much attention from the ref.

With fifteen minutes left in the first half, Saint Ambrose finally broke through. A missed switch from Rose left their #12 with a breakaway down the left flank. As Azzi scrambled to close the gap, #3 cut inside at the top of the 18 and, with a quick touch, sent a shot skimming just under Caroline’s outstretched arm. The ball hit the back of the net, and the away crowd erupted.

Azzi clenched her fists, biting the inside of her cheek. She hated this feeling—knowing they had been just a second too slow, just a step behind. As she jogged back to the center circle, she caught sight of Paige in the stands. Their eyes met, just for a second, and something in Paige’s expression—frustration? Determination?—sent a jolt through her.

At halftime, Coach Pinoe wasn’t subtle about her disappointment. She urged them to tighten up the midfield, move the ball quicker, and finish their chances. And when they stepped back onto the field for the second half, the shift was immediate. The team was sharper, more aggressive.

Then, after a well-placed punt from Caroline and a perfectly timed flick from Azzi, Trinity broke free of the defensive line. She took one touch past the last defender and slotted the ball just past the keeper’s right hand.

Azzi sprinted toward Trinity, leaping into her arms as pure adrenaline rushed through her. “Thank you for the assist!” she breathed, catching her with ease.

“Anything for you,” Azzi teased, adding a playful wink.

Rose jogged up beside them, smirking. “Careful, Az,” she said, tilting her head toward the stands. “Looks like you’ve got some competition.”

Following Rose’s gaze, Azzi spotted Aubrey in the crowd, practically bouncing with excitement, waving her sign in the air. The three girls burst into laughter as Trinity pointed toward the stands, just in time to see Aubrey send a heart gesture their way.

As the final minutes of regulation ticked away, the game became a war of attrition. Azzi, playing as the 8, was everywhere—breaking up plays, pushing the attack, and controlling the midfield.

And then it happened.

Azzi took her first touch into the box, heart pounding—only for #23 to come barreling in, reckless and late. Before Azzi could react, she felt her feet swept out from under her.

The whistle blew, sharp and immediate. The stadium erupted.

Paige saw everything. She didn’t yell, didn’t move—she just sat there, jaw clenched, staring at the field. Her heart pounded. What the hell was Casey doing?

Azzi lay on the ground, struggling to catch her breath. Before she could fully process what had happened, a sharp shove caught her attention.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” #3 snapped, pushing #23 back before immediately crouching down to help Azzi up.

Casey stood frozen, eyes flicking toward the stands. Paige. She saw her. She saw all of it.

The ref reached into his pocket. Red. Casey didn’t argue. She just turned and walked off the field, jaw tight.

Azzi, still dazed, accepted Caroline’s hand as she reached for her. “That was… weird.”

“What was?” Caroline asked, glancing between Azzi and the scene unfolding in front of them.

Azzi shook her head. “All of it.”

Shaking off the pain, she stepped up to the penalty spot. One deep breath, then a perfectly placed strike to the bottom right corner.

Goal.

The crowd exploded. Azzi sprinted toward her teammates, arms outstretched, her name echoing through the stands.

2-1. Game over.

And in the stands, Paige exhaled, heart still racing.

“That was great, ladies!” Coach Pinoe called out as the team gathered around for their post-game huddle. “Caroline, way to be a brick wall in goal! And Trin, Azzi—clutch goals. You two saved us tonight.”

The girls grinned, exchanging exhausted but triumphant glances as Coach continued. “Now, go celebrate with your families and friends. I’ll see you all at school on Monday. Let’s break!”

“One, two, three—Panthers!” they shouted in unison before jogging toward the benches.

Azzi shifted slightly, instinctively looking toward the stands where her family usually waited. But they were out of town for her brother’s tournament, and with her staying at Caroline’s for the weekend, she followed alongside her instead.

As they crossed the field, Azzi’s mind drifted—not just toward the game but to Paige. She caught a glimpse of her lingering near the stands, but before she could process it, Mrs. Ducharme’s warm voice pulled her back.

“You ladies did great!” Mrs. Ducharme said, wrapping both girls in a hug. She pulled back slightly, her gaze landing on Azzi. “Are you okay? That was a hard hit out there.”

Azzi shrugged, offering a small smile. “Just soccer,” she said lightly. “Took a big hit, but I’m good now.”

Mrs. Ducharme studied her for a moment before stepping back. “Alright, be home by 12:30, okay?”

Azzi and Caroline froze, exchanging a look—an entire conversation passing between them in silence. 12:30? Mrs. Ducharme never let them stay out this late.

Before she could change her mind, Caroline quickly replied, “Thanks, Mom!”

With one last quick hug, the two jogged over to the remaining crowd near the student section. Most of the stands had cleared out, only a few stragglers left—including the basketball team, still hanging around.

As they made their way closer to the crowd, Paige was the first to reach them. Her eyes, laced with concern, flickered toward Azzi. She hesitated, unsure if she should ask the question lingering on her mind— Was Azzi okay? The hit had been brutal, and worst of all, Paige knew it was her fault.

As they reached the crowd, Paige was the first to step forward, her eyes flickering with concern. She hesitated for only a second before reaching out, pulling Caroline into a quick hug before turning to Azzi.

“Hey, you good after that hit?” Paige asked, her voice careful but casual.

Azzi shrugged, offering an easy smile. “Yeah, nothing I couldn’t handle. I’m just glad we won.”

“Me too,” Trinity chimed in, appearing beside them with Aubrey’s arm draped lazily over her shoulders.

“Speaking of the game,” Aubrey said, turning her attention to Caroline, “you were incredible out there.”

Caroline laughed softly. “Thanks,” she replied.

As the conversation continued, shifting between plays and highlights from the game, KK and Nika made their way over. Without warning, KK pulled Azzi into an excited hug, practically bouncing as she congratulated her.

Just then, KK’s phone buzzed with an incoming message from Gabe. She glanced down at the screen and smirked. “Looks like there’s gonna be a party tonight.”

Paige perked up, looking over at her. “Cool, I’m down.”

Aubrey turned to Trinity. “You all coming?”

Trinity, ever the tease, responded nonchalantly, “We might go after dinner with the team.”

Rose snorted, shaking her head. They all knew Trinity was just playing hard to get.

“Cool,” KK said, nodding. “I’ll text you the address, Azzi.” With that, she spun on her heel and headed toward the parking lot.

As the soccer girls grabbed their bags and started moving toward the locker room, Paige reached out, gently catching Azzi’s hand and stopping her in her tracks.

“If you end up coming to the party—or want to—let me know. I could come get you.” Paige’s voice was steady, but there was something behind her eyes, something lingering.

Azzi tilted her head slightly, looking up through her lashes. She could have just said yes, could have given a simple answer. But where was the fun in that?

“I don’t have your number, Paige,” she said instead, letting the words hang between them. “And I’m staying with Caroline this weekend, so we have her car.”

Paige blinked, momentarily thrown off, but quickly recovered. “Well,” she said, stepping forward just enough to close the space between them, “as for you staying with Caroline, I have a big enough car for both of you. And as for the number…” She pulled out her phone, holding it out toward Azzi. “We can fix that right now. If you want to give me yours.”

Azzi hesitated for just a second, meeting Paige’s eyes—but she didn’t take the phone. Instead, she smirked, stepping back.

“I’ll see you at the party, Paige,” she said, turning on her heel toward the locker room. Then, just as she disappeared from view, she threw a teasing “Maybe” over her shoulder.

Paige let out a slow breath, bringing her phone back to her side. She should have been annoyed, maybe even frustrated. But instead, a smile crept onto her face as she watched Azzi walk away.

As Caroline reversed her packed car out of the parking lot, the conversation inside was a mix of indecision and excitement.

“We should go to the party,” Mal suggested from the backseat.

“I don’t know…” Trinity countered, her voice uncertain.

“Trin, you know you want to go,” Caroline teased, shooting her a knowing look.

Trinity sighed. “I do, but… I don’t know.”

Azzi was just about to add her opinion when something outside the window caught her eye—a familiar blonde bun standing just outside the gate. Paige.

But that wasn’t what made her pause. It was the girl standing next to Paige.

#23.

They didn’t look exactly cozy, but they definitely knew each other. Before Azzi could process it, the girl leaned in, resting her head briefly on Paige’s shoulder. Paige didn’t hesitate—she wrapped her arms around her in a hug before stepping back, her expression unreadable.

Azzi’s gaze flicked to the side, catching Nika and KK lingering nearby, watching the interaction just as she was. Paige said something to the girl before turning to walk off with them, disappearing into the night.

Azzi exhaled, her grip tightening slightly on her seatbelt. Maybe she should have taken Paige’s number after all.

[scribz-ag24]

I've recently seen again a post talking about the Sableye and Dusknoir's relationship so i'd like to put my two cents in the discussion, for I love screaming into the void about PMD. (this isnt meant to discourage any other interpretations btw this is just my take on theirs and Dusknoir's relationship, bc I think they're very fun characters and I am very glad the game actually gives these minions a bit of relevance in se5).

Tbh I don't buy that Dusknoir treats the Sableye nicely, at least not out of kindness. I don't think he's a tyrant or inexplicably mean, of course, and I think his minions ADORE him, but i also believe that doesn't mean he's nice to them, sth that i consider meaningful for their character arcs.

Throughout the entire game he's exclusively giving them orders, in se5 he concocts a plan that involves thrashing them MULTIPLE times (he's lucky Grovyle isn't one to try and kill enemies in battle ig), and the cherry on top is that the first time we see him being fully genuine he does this:

(yes, he is in turmoil in here, but there's not a single thing implying that 1. this is an unusual response towards the sablye, 2. dusknoir feels bad for it at some point or is surprised at himself, 3. this has any impact in the sableye at all. You can argue these reactions happen off screen and we don't see them, they don't happen bc they have pressing matters to attend to or they happen after they return to life, and that's perfectly valid, but i'm sticking with what the game shows us, here.)

I must say, though, the fact that the Sableye, despite having been almost mindless pokémon up to now, STAND UP TO AND ATTACK Primal Dialga for their boss and even try to look after him despite him ordering them to check on Grovyle and Celebi first is SO important to me. they are goons to the bone and they love that scheming ghost so much.

My own view is that Dusknoir is generally polite to them (you wouldn't randomly break your own revolver or weapon without any reason, would you?), but is quicker to get mean with them than with people he doesn't know or he is seeking to manipulate. He doesn't care about their behaviour as long as they get the job done, which is why I think the anime thing of the Sableye climbing onto his shoulder isn't that remarkable, rather it's a very cute moment, one that is showing how they've been working together for long and how their size difference affects their interactions, but it is not necessarily conveying an affectionate bond (this is a bit random, but it reminds me of Disney's Jafar with Iago lmao. throw your pet sableye at your enemies so they mock them and then return to your shoulder). Additionally, Dusknoir letting the Sableye onto his shoulder is probably as close as we are gonna get to a villain turning around in his chair while petting a cat in PMD lol.

[this isn't meant to be a one-to-one comparison, it's just a detail i find cute and shows that this gesture can have multiple interpretations, with none being the only right one]

Leaving that aside, I hesitate to claim Dusknoir trusts his Sableye as allies, as Grovyle makes a point in the main story of how the Sableye (your Sableye, he says, as if objectifying them; not friends, but tools, weapons at Dusknoir's disposal) are lacking compared to the way hero/partner/grovyle support one another (power of friendship and hidden information babyyyy). The Sableye are used to Dusknoir's way of doing things, though, I'm sure. They know what happens when he's displeased, after all.

I think, most of all, the Sableye are meant to look disposable: they are 6 identical pokémon that almost act like a hivemind, and we are not supposed to think at all about how we may hurt them in battle any more than we do with the angry Manectric pack or random dungeon pokémon. This, I believe, is why the game has them stand up against Dialga and gives them unique dialogue at the end of se5. They're meant to show their inner shine, just as Dusknoir managed to do. They suddenly gain an individuality they had never shown while they were working to maintain the dark future.

Where they abandoned Dusknoir in the Old Ruins, now Grovyle has motivated them to look for their dignity and fight for a better world, and that starts with protecting their leader from Primal Dialga's rampage, and supporting his new objective and allies in their quest to save the future. In their own small way, they've also grown as characters throughout SE5.

I believe that, overall, Dusknoir saw the Sableye as tools, but thanks to their growth and clear care for him, there's a possibility he might start to see them (and by extension other pokémon) in a more genuine, less pragmatic / objectifying way in the future. Now that Dusknoir has the chance to live a fulfilling life, he may learn to care for others without surrounding himself by so many walls. If anything, I think their future is quite bright. Not that the Sableye would mind if he still thrashed them around, though lol, they're clearly not bothered much by it (special episode 0 had a great depiction of the sableye imo, you can check that romhack if you haven't yet).

In conclusion, look at these little guys who adore their can-get-mean-but-is-mostly-polite boss and probably have a body count but now are good, they're so cute:

[gordonengineswifenirmal]

A lot of times, Yeah. Not everything is inherently bad about them, but u learn real fast where u stand. A lot of folks swim with the fishes, jump off the bridge together into wtf insanity eejit land. Then, some of us go do our own things. Often, we’re the hated ones. The bridge jumpers will try to run after u n set fire to u because u do something that triggers them. Often, u don’t even know what ACTUALLY triggered them, n sometimes u didn’t voluntarily do something.

Honestly, there r a lot of ppl here that have great art talent, but draw some really wtf shite. Supper cringe. I was nice. I didn’t go up to their blogs n pick fights saying wtf r u doing? wtf is in ur mind? They even would ask stuff on the confessions blog (sometimes nsfw). A few of the folks didn’t like that I censored a word or two. No fights tho, until one day I got random message to the main blog (this one) filled with insults because I don’t support spammers. No one gave me a chance to explain meself. Everything was being taken out of context. They stalked me for stuff, used an image or two without permission to harass me. It just kept getting worse n worse.

N yet, I have friends here, and on discord who are wonderful people. We have great conversations. I can b friends with all ages, n I’m perfectly appropriate. I have a few minors in me discord who I protected when they harassed. I was harassed before because I protected them.

Some of the well known blogs here are supporting ppl who befriended actual paedophiles. Some of these blogs have extremely disturbing content on their blogs. I’ve had ppl who block me, or slandered me n then blocked me so I couldn’t have a rebuttal just because of lies they believe. It’s insane. They claim ‘oh she’s older and sexualises a kids show so she’s a paedo. - they’re doing the same thing they accuse me of. The only differences are that they’re younger, and dont care what bullshit they support, as long as they think it makes them look good. Newsflash - it doesn’t.

I’m not the least bit interested in people inappropriately. The one claimed I was inappropriate at museums and fan events because I joked about stuff with trains. I’ve never been kicked out of anything. This same person was at the unlikely fandom thing with me, met me in person. She knows full well I didn’t do anything wrong, but is making up shite to satisfy something. I’m not even sure what the exact motive is tbh.

We had stupid ppl in fandoms before, but eventually they’d go away. They’d b all know it alls n they’d go away. This is new. This is terrifying. Some folks I know actually witness the real disturbing stuff in other discords n report it to me. I’m glad that as toxic as the Thomas fandom is as a whole, there are still some good bits. That’s what I enjoy. Nice conversations, we can joke about stuff. That’s it. I dunnae if ppl r secretly hoping id want to do more inappropriate stuff, n thats why they r trying to egg me on or silence me ? I hope not. The very idea sickens me. I know they perceive me as a threat, not because I really am one, but because something about me strikes a nerve deep down. N they don’t want to confront that truth. This is what seems to drive a lot of drama in the fandom, n not only for me.

[starconstruction]

Stroke of Luck

Twice Sana x Male Reader (Smut)

Smut tags: face painting, mirror sex, backshots,

Word Count: 942

one of those days

The scene in front of you was so fucking hot, the Minatozaki Sana of Twice laid comfortably on her knees. Hands wrapped up in your trousers, grabbing big bunches of the fabric as her lips had brushed against your tip. Teasing the life out of you.

How did you get here? Well it was simply a matter of opportunity, being in the front row of the concert with a vip package had an unexpected benefit. Getting dragged away by some buff man, signing an NDA not that you would ever talk about this. Nobody else deserved to know how lucky you were.

Now you were on her hotel room, sat on a mahogany chair as your cock was serviced by the Japanese idol. Her pink tongue swirling around your cock head, dancing like she was still on the stage.

In a way she was, the hottest part of it all was the mirror. The sight making you a voyeur to the act being performed on your cock. She ditched any form of outfit, giving you an exposed view of her perfect body.

Her blonde hair laid scrapped over her broad shoulders, ruffled up from an intense make out session. Ass popped out for your pleasure, both holes exposed to your eyes. This angle made you even harder, beyond aroused as your wildest dreams became realised.

"Such a nice dick, I really was the luckiest this concert." She whispered against your shaft, so sensual with her movement.

"Fuck, err Sana... You are very good at this." Your voice broke away on the final syllable, hands latching onto her hair, roughly grabbing onto for support.

"Nayeon got stuck with a loser, Dahyun got a woman and Tzuyu's getting her ass pounded as we speak." She shared the girl's secrets like saliva, trickling down effortlessly and freely.

Her lips speared themselves around you, engulfing your cock in her wet heat. Focusing intently on your crotch, eyes burning right into your stomach. Looking up at you would have been a waste of effort, you were too busy looking at the mirror.

"Mmph, that's pretty good Sana. Give me a show though, rub that pussy for me." You commanded softly.

The performer in Sana awakened, her manicured hand found her folds. Rubbing them in delicate circles, flesh giving a slick coat to her slender digits.

"That's good, damn." You sputtered.

Her mouth didn't slow down either, sinfully slurping on her fan's cock with no regard for anything else. Feeling her hollowed cheeks press against the sides of your shaft. Very gently dragging her teeth across your base, the pleasure intoxicating.

She was a perfect idol, using her other hand on your base. Stroking up to her lips, creating a practiced suction on your throbbing meat.

"Sana, fuck.. Are you always such a whore for your fans?" You asked, demanding an answer. Lifting her off your cock, panting and defiled.

"Yes! This is one of my traditions..." She whimpered.

You grew insatiable. Desperate to get inside her warm body that looked oh so inviting.

"Sana, bend over this chair. Gonna fuck that tight pussy of yours." She nodded eagerly, giving one last kiss to your cock that elicited a spasm.

"Normally I would make you wear a condom, but fuck... Not wasting a cock this nice on some plastic" She said, her body moved elegantly onto the chair you sat moments prior, positioning yourself behind her.

Her eyes looked at you, pleading for your thick length in her preferably 5 minutes ago. But now would do,

Sana's face widened with a mix of shock and hunger as you pressed inside, a sweet pleasure lusciously contracting against your cock.

She was easily the best you've ever had, a divine privilege to even be in the same room. Let alone be inside her, she knew exactly how to pop your buttons. Mouth leaking her spit onto the hotel floor. Your reflection stood proudly over hers.

"God, this is such a tight cunt..." You moaned, grabbing onto her curvy hips. Pulling her cunt onto your cock, she fully wrapped around you now. Squeezing every inch of you, her pussy molded itself around your cock. The perfect sensation.

"Ah" . "Ugh". "That's good." Those words kept leaking out of Sana's mouth, like a broken recorder that was forced to repeat the same transmission.

The hotel reeked of the smell of sex, hopefully whatever employee had to clean this up was being paid.

Just seeing Sana get fucked in the reflection wasn't enough anymore, big spectacles deserve to be used to their fullest capacity. You were going to fuck her into the mirror.

Without unsheathing yourself you picked the idol up, surprisingly light as her body was moved to the mirror.

The mirror only focused on Sana, eyes wide with a pleasure as your cock sped up. Her tongue licked the glass, face pressed into the reflection as she relinquished all thoughts to you.

"Oh fuck, Y/N I'm gonna cum!" She screamed, loud sounds that anyone on the same floor would've heard, body going limp against the reflection. The obscene sight of her cumming her brain out pushed you forward to your orgasm, time slowing as you pulled out from her hungry body. Turning her around as you stroked yourself off, defiling her face with your cum, painting the blank canvas with a signature liquid.

She was dazed in pleasure turning around as the idol admired your handywork, trailing a finger as she sucked it clean. Gazing at you without words, an unspoken agreement as you took her to bed, getting ready to fuck until the sun came up.

Lucky guy you are.

[ilyasorokinn]

no matter what , matt rempe

note, the olympics were literally last year, but who cares? I'm finally getting to all my drafts. give me a round of applause. n e ways, we've all seen that video of that pole vaulter from the olympics running into the stands, so this is inspired by that, and also dansby swanson talking about mal pugh being in the olympics. i've officially hopped on the matt rempe train and i kinda like it lol pair, matt rempe x reader summary, matt rempe is just so proud of his girlfriend, the olympic gold medalist. warnings, none word count, 1647 words

(gif not mine)

"I thought it'd be bigger in person."

"Matt." You sighed, looking over at him, raising a brow.

"Seriously!" He insisted, "Didn't you think the Eiffel Tower would be bigger?" He gestured to the giant monument in front of you.

"Whatever." You rolled your eyes, "Let me get my customary Eiffel Tower picture, then I'll take one of you, and both of our mothers will be happy." You handed him your phone.

He returned your phone before standing in front of the tower, as still as a statue, "Matt." You sighed, dropping the phone exasperated, "You look like I'm holding you captive."

"You kind of are." He joked.

"Just smile." You narrowed your eyes at him, smiling when he smiled, albeit a rather forced-looking one, but it was still a smile, "See? That wasn't so hard." You patted him on the shoulder.

-

Regardless of where Matt was in the crowd, you could easily spot him in every race. It could have been the fact that he was loudly and proudly wearing a shirt with your face printed on it, or it could have been the fact that he was a giant.

Before each race, he made you promise to come over to wherever he was sitting so he could give you a little pep talk, the same way you would before each of his games. It was your ritual, and he made sure to keep the tradition alive.

"You got this!" He would tell you, "I'm so proud of you, regardless of the outcome of this game, you're still a gold medalist to me." He reached down, and you did your little handshake.

For the last race, you walked out onto the track and your eyes danced through the crowd. You spotted him easily. He was sporting a shirt with your name and number on it, and also holding a giant cutout of your head.

Your parents and siblings, as well as Matt's mom and sisters, were standing next to him, holding up posters of their own, clapping and cheering when you finally locked eyes with them. You made your way over to them, a smile on your face.

"You guys are hard to miss." You joked, hopping onto the railing that was holding the crowd back from running onto the track.

"We had to show our support." Alley smiled, hugging you and squeezing your hand.

"Thank you for being here." Once you had qualified for the last race, Janice booked flights and was on the first flight to Paris, not wanting to miss anything.

"Of course! We weren't gonna miss seeing this live." Steph hugged you next before you hugged your parents.

"We're so proud of you." Your mom whispered, her eyes getting teary as you pulled away and hugged your dad.

"Thanks, guys." You smiled, before turning to Matt, "Nice head." You joked.

"This is the biggest size they had." He looked almost disappointed.

"I'm sure they thought you were crazy enough." You smiled, pushing up and wrapping your arms around his neck, "I love you." You whispered into his ear.

"I love you, too." He wrapped his arms around your waist and said it into your ear, "Now, can't believe I'm saying this, but go kick some Canada butt." He joked.

"I will." You smiled proudly which made him roll his eyes.

"Never saying that again" He shook his head with a roll of his eyes.

After saying your goodbyes, you were immediately locked in. Everyone and everything around you wasn't there. The chattered of the other athletes, the music, you couldn't even hear Matt and your family cheering.

Your coach came over, grabbing you by the shoulders and looking you in the eyes, "This is your moment, you know that right?" You nodded, "All right, you've got this. I know you do." You nodded again, "Do your thing, superstar." She patted you on the back before making her way off to the side of the track.

You got into your place in your lane, stretching one last time and trying to keep your mind clear of any distractions. You bent down, touched your toes, and waited for the final instructions to get into place.

"Runners, take your mark." The race official stated, and everyone followed his instructions, "Set..." You waited, and when you heard the gunfire, you jumped up and started running as fast as you could.

You ignored every runner around you, only focusing on getting to the other end. The noise and cheers from the crowd sounded distant in your ears as your feet pounded against the ground.

You didn't know how close anyone was behind you, but all you knew and all you cared about was the one runner in front of you. You pushed and pumped your legs fast and faster, as fast as they could go.

You passed the other girl, knowing in the back of your mind that you couldn't stop that pace. You kept going, running, attempting to keep your breathing the same, not wanting to mess anything up.

And after, what felt like a million years, the glorious banner was right there, in front of you. You ran right through it, and instantly, felt a wave of relief and glory fall on your shoulders. Suddenly, you could hear the crowd again as you fell to your knees, covering your face as your shoulders shook with sobs.

Once you gathered yourself a little, you jumped right up, and ran all the way over to the stands, jumping up onto the railing and practically jumping into Matt's open arms.

"You did it!" He cheered, his own shoulders shaking as he cried along with you.

"I did it!" You repeated back. Your family and his family all patted you on the back, cheering and clapping for you.

The entire time you were running, Matt felt like his heart was gonna beat out of his chest. Of course, he was nervous, but he wouldn't admit it to you. You had enough on your shoulders, and he didn't want to add any more pressure. Even if you hadn't won anything, he would still be proud of you.

"That's it, Y/L/N, that's it, Y/L/N!" He was shouting the whole time, cheering even louder when you passed the other girl, "There you go!" He shouted, high-fiving your dad.

When he watched you cross the line and run through the banner, your dad had to physically hold him back from hopping the barrier that was holding spectators and fans back. Other than your parents, he was cheering the loudest for you.

"I'm so proud of you, baby!" He shouted, pulling away so he could look into your eyes. You were both smiling so big, your face started to hurt. He wiped your tears, before pulling you back in for another hug.

During the medal ceremony, Matt shed even more tears, wiping his eyes as they placed the medal around your neck. He cried even harder when the Star Spangled Banner started playing, more than he had ever cried during the song before.

"Y/N..." You felt like you were on cloud 9 and were honestly confused as to how you were still standing up straight, "A bit of a rough start, but what a comeback." The interviewer boasted.

"Thank you." You smiled.

"This is your first gold medal, and I can try to imagine how it feels. Did you ever think you would get here?"

"I did. I knew it." You nodded, "Ever since I was little, you can ask my sister, she would always have to race against me. I knew, since I was a kid, I would be here. I just couldn't have imagined being a gold medalist." It still felt funny coming out of your mouth.

"Well, congratulations, Y/N. What a win!" The interviewer couldn't help but smile along with you.

"Thank you." You couldn't stop smiling

-

Well into October, Matt was still riding the high. Right after the win, there were posts from everyone, from players to wives to coaches to reporters, all of them congratulating you on your win, and posting Matt's reaction.

He wore your shirt every chance he could in media or even walking into the rink. He was so beyond proud of you and wanted everyone to know it.

He, of course, knew the questions he was going to get during media were going to be related to you in some way shape, or form. After all, you were an Olympic Gold Medalist.

"Matt, I think many other people in here are just wondering, what was it like watching Y/N cross that finish line?" At the mention of your name, Matt immediately started smiling, and he couldn't stop.

"The feelings I felt are indescribable. Proud is an understatement. At that moment, I almost felt like I blocked everything else, and just watching her, I can't even tell you how proud I am of her."

"Even if she had lost, it wouldn't have mattered to me because she was always a winner in my eyes. But now the whole world knows it. I'm just honored to have been by her side." The entire time, the smile didn't fall from his face.

Matt got home later that day, announcing himself as he did, "In the living room!" You called back.

He left his stuff in the entryway before making his way into the living room. He smiled when he saw you, bending down and kissing your head, "How was your morning?"

"Not too bad," You shrugged, a smirk on your face.

"What?" He raised a brow.

"Nothing." You shook your head, "Just saw a little interview of you."

"Did you, now?" He questioned, "What was I talking about in this interview?"

"Me." You beamed, reaching over and cupping his cheek, "You kinda love me, don't you?"

"Just a little." He joked.

"I kinda do, too." You smiled, leaning in.

-

my taglist: @lam-ila @criminallysuperhamilfan13 @2manytabsopen @kolsmikaelson @bowen-power @kidlnthedark @boqvistsbabe @sc87 @iwantahockeyhimbo @cixrosie @mitch-slap

add yourself to my taglist!

[skullchicken]

Today I had a conversation with a guy publishing a free RPG magazine. The magazine was written by humans but had AI pictures. Since he had gotten pushback for it and I am an artist, he asked me what I thought he should do.

"everyone criticizes but when I ask them what to do instead, they get silent."

I suggest he print it without pictures. He didn't like that answer. After all, you can't just make a magazine without pictures (you can, of course). I said he would not expect the printer to print it for free either, right?

"but we offer it for free! The printed version costs as much as it costs us to print, we don't make any money from it."

Okay. It needs pictures. And artists are too pricey. I suggested pixabay or any other repository of free pictures. I also said that you can license illustrations instead of commissioning them for much cheaper. But he considered that still too pricey with how many pictures he wanted in his free magazine.

He suggested offering exposure for the work an illustrator does, that they would put an exposé of an artist into the magazine who provided the illustrations. I said that exposure doesn't help much because you are unlikely to get commissions from that and that artists in fantasy and sci-fi get paid peanuts to begin with, but that it was a nice idea regardless, it could work.

Finally I landed on "you are writing for free. There are many artists in the ttrpg community. There might be some willing to support you if they like your stuff. Don't view them as if they are outside of your community. Maybe just find them and make them part of your team." (I even showed him one such magazine I had worked on where the Illustrator was a volunteer. Of course that was "only" like 5 black and white illustrations, not the 20 high gloss colorful pictures he was looking for.)

He thanked me for my input.

And I'm still sitting here with a pit in my stomach because honestly? It felt like I had to justify my existence. How am I supposed to compete with zero cost? Is suggesting using stock illustrations even better? Yes every party consented to it but illustrators are still competing with zero cost.

I think what it came down for me is not even the price/compensation (because it is a free magazine, they are never going to be a client), it's how... anti social it all is. How the art isn't valued. I almost wanted to ask him "why stop there? Why are your words so precious? Don't they take too long to write as well for a free magazine? Why not generate them, too?"

They might not get money, but they get attention, they get social capital if they get successful. They get to be authors of their words.

I think the reason it felt so degrading to me is because it's a question of whose work is "allowed" to be replaced.

[william-t-sickofyourshit]

This was a very pleasant weekend. William truly got to rest. Cynthia and Albert basically forbid him and Sebastian to do anything around the house. Albert was cooking, taking care of Sebastian’s cats and plants, and Cynthia was cleaning and sewing the lovely scarves. And William just got to snuggle with Sebastian to keep him warm. They also all chatted, played games, watched TV, just had a nice, normal family time. William really needed this. This whole situation was starting to take a toll on him not only mentally, but also physically. He was very tired and was neglecting himself. But now, he got some proper rest, and when Monday came he actually went to work with new energy. Thank God.

Also, this week was William’s birthday. He completely forgot. His friends were planning something for him, and he had no idea. He just had other concerns on his mind right now. Next week Sebastian had another round of chemo, and that occupied William’s head completely. 

He also was toying with an idea lately. He saw how much Sebastian struggled with the loss of his hair. Despite William reassuring him and showing him just as much love and affection as always, he could tell that Sebastian felt ugly and just… not like himself. It was hard on him. And William was considering doing something that would… show his support.

For I have sinned...

The principal cleared his throat, eyes scanning the notes that he had wrote down before this meeting. It already lasted an hour, and the teachers gathered in the faculty room were becoming restless and bored. But indeed there were some things to discuss, with the concert that the senior class was supposed to perform at the end of the semester, and with recent staff changes. 

William glanced down at his watch, sighing softly. His class was starting in 15 minutes, so at least, whether the meeting will be done soon or not, he will get to excuse himself. He looked out of the window, his mind wandering. Principal’s voice turned into white noise in the background. It was a pleasant day, late summer. But William was looking forward to a slightly cooler weather. Wearing all black could really be bothersome at times. 

“And lastly, I am pleased to announce that we have finally found replacement for the violin teacher. Dear Mr Tanaka, may he rest in peace, was with us for so many years that I’ve been concerned we won’t be able to find someone as good as to fill this position.” the principal spoke. “But Mr… Michaelis, was highly recommended to me, and he indeed has impressive references. He will be starting this week, so please welcome him warmly once he will arrive. Ah yes… about that. He will arrive today at noon, I need someone to pick him up from the train station and bring over for the tour around the school. Any volunteers?” 

William was barely listening, and definitely not paying much attention. He glanced at his watch again, and saw that it was time to leave, as his class was about to start. He raised his hand to excuse himself, and little did he know, he just volunteered.

“Father William! Excellent!” the principal exclaimed. “Just don’t be late, the train arrives at noon.”

“Train…?” William questioned, raising his brow. He had a feeling he was missing something…

***

Right after the meeting, William had to run for the class, so he had little time to clarify what exactly he had volunteered for. He was a piano teacher in this Music Academy, but also he served as a priest in local church. Well respected, and rather liked. So when he later found out it was about the new violin teacher, he didn’t refuse. Who, other than himself, would be a better choice to introduce a newcome to their community?

So even though he raised his hand by accident, he accepted this fate.

After classes, at noon, William took a taxi and drove to the train station, to pick up their new teacher. Wearing black trousers, and a black shirt with a thin tie, was absolutely dreadful in this weather, so William quickly found shelter under the roof of the station platform, that provided some shade.

The train had just arrived. William had no idea how Mr Michaelis looked like, but he figured he will just look for someone carrying a violin case with them. 

He was in for a bit surprise.

@crazyvik97

[animalsalvationassociation]

Octonauts Redesigns …

Part 3: Captain Barnacles

[ DO NOT REPOST, ALL ART & CONCEPTS WERE MADE BY ME ]

Digital Illustration Time: 5hrs 38min

✨ Old Design ✨

Barnacles Headcanons ( 1 & 2 )

I PROCRASTINATED ON THIS MAN SO HARD!!!

I was so nervous about drawing Barnacles that I literally shut down any time I thought about it. But dang I am so glad I was able to do it today. AND it didn’t take me 7 hours like the other two!!!! SO THATS KINDA NICE!!! 👍

[ Headcanons Ahead ]

I believe I mentioned a little about Barnacles and his family but I have a strong headcanon that they are tied to this world’s version of the Inuit/Inuk tribes. Unfortunately due to changing times Barnacles and Bianca grew up in a household that had a hard time accepting their culture and it wasn’t for lack of trying.

I did so much research for this man (I kid you not it took me an ENTIRE day just to find the same answer 40 different times) just so I could be accurate to his culture. However when it comes to Kakiniit (Tattoos) only women are able to receive them. For the most part they are a sign of womanhood, grief, family, life trials/changes, and so on.

It has only become a modern concept that men are able to receive the blessing of getting their kakiniit. There was a quote that’s stuck with me from one of the documentaries I listened and it was something along the lines of, “If getting them in the chair (to tattoo) will help them talk about their struggles, then we feel it’s more important to help them rather than closely follow with tradition (but still hold respect for those traditions). We want to help our people by allowing them the space to be safe and allow them to be at peace through the trials of their life.”

(This is mostly by memory but that was basically the gist of it I watched too many documentaries to be able to pinpoint which one it actually was)

Ofc you’ll notice that Barnacles’ tattoo doesn’t look anything like the styles of kakiniit and that’s on purpose. In fact it more resembles something you’d get if you were in the military/navy/etc, or it at least has those vibes. And that’s because it is. Barns got his tattoo right after he received the role of Captain of the Adelaide. He’s always been open minded about getting one based on his culture, but I think a part of him is hesitant. Modern society has pushed away and shunned a lot his people’s traditions to the point where many of them were forgotten.

I’m still trying to decide how I want to do it but I at least want Barnacles and Bianca to accept their culture within the story. I think it would add a nice touch of character development to everything and would show how beautiful accepting who you are really is. There are some other things I want to add as well but I feel they should come later so it feels genuine, instead of slapping something together and calling it a day.

My main goal for the A.S.A. is to show how beautiful family and lineage can be. This whole show focuses on animals evolving to the constant changing of their environments. So why not show the same for our characters?

Anyways thanks for making it to the end of my rant, I’ve been so nervous about this redesign because I mean—it’s Barnacles what can I say? He speaks for himself! (Ugh I love him so very much)

@calamaroo thanks for the support wifey~

Kwazii / Peso / Dashi / Tweak / Shellington / Inkling / Vegimals

[ This is a Octonauts AU, in no way is this canon to the OG storyline. ]

[givelightningherharem]

IN CASE YOU GUYS DIDNT KNOW, THERE IS GOING TO BE A SPECIAL MUSIC LIVESTREAM HELD FOR FINAL FANTASY XIII’S ANNIVERSARY!!! IT WOULD BE GREAT TO ALL GO AND SHOW SOME SUPPORT WHILE ALSO VIBE TO SOME OF FFXIII’S BEAUTIFUL SOUNDTRACK!!!!

LINK TO THE STREAM!! NOTE THAT IT WILL BE UNARCHIVED SO IF YOU MISS IT YOU WONT BE ABLE TO SEE IT AGAIN UNLESS THEY MAYBE DECIDE TO REBROADCAST IT!!

[snixx]

multishipping is a superpower you neeeeeeeeeeed to have when you love getting into shitty gay media with found family because OF course they're going to make an incest map of all the characters and your otp will almost definitely not be endgame. of course they're going to pair the main guy and girl together as endgame just because. and I mean you COULD be a hater about it and curse the writers and throw a four year long fit but it's so much more fun when you just make your peace with the fact that this was always going to happen and pretend everyone is in a happy little polycule as they go through 18575879 different pairings you know aren't going to last because fandom and just the experience of being a fan is so much more fun that way!!!

[kanansdume]

Thank-you lol, I appreciate the faith. In fairness, it wouldn't be that hard to make a better show than the Ahsoka show, it was complete and utter trash from concept to execution.

That being said, I don't know that I would've completely removed her "Anakin issues" as the core of the Ahsoka show. As much as Ahsoka seems to come to the conclusion that she can't save Anakin at the end of Rebels, you could make an EASY argument that she hasn't really made her peace with that and that her history with him and what it MEANS for her that Anakin made these choices would still burden her. Rebels never really focused on it a lot because Ahsoka's not the main character of Rebels, it quite simply isn't her story, and I'd even to some degree say that she got TOO MUCH focus in Rebels (her struggle with the truth about Anakin has next to no real connection with or impact on the true main characters of the story, and it barely even parallels what they're going through until this moment in season 4).

The Ahsoka show made several fatal errors in how it handled this, though, some structural and some thematic. The main structural issue is simply that it got made into the "middle part" of some sort of overarching Mandoverse storyline that never should've existed in the first place, AND got included in the Rebels "Search for Ezra" plot that was likely should've focused more on Sabine than on Ahsoka (and we'll set aside for this post just how badly this show butchered poor Sabine since it isn't relevant to this discussion but OH BOY). Both of these things make it near impossible to truly focus in on Ahsoka's relationship with Anakin in a way that matters or makes sense.

Ahsoka's show SHOULD'VE probably been set some time between Rebels season 4 (or even theoretically Rebels season 2 since that's when Ahsoka actually comes back to) and the epilogue bit with Sabine. Show us HOW Ahsoka grew from that person who's still sort-of lost and defeated and stunned at the revelation of what Anakin became to the wise shaman in white she seems to have become in the epilogue. Show us how she even got off of Malachor in the first place, what kind of crazy bullshit did she have to do to escape the Sith planet, and how did the time she had to have spent on there impact her? Her show should've been an ENTIRELY new story with all new characters for her to interact with and learn from (I MIGHT have made an exception for someone like Barriss whose narrative at this point would kind-of revolve around her betrayal of Ahsoka anyway, and this could tie in quite nicely to what Ahsoka's going through).

The main THEMATIC issue with the Ahsoka show is that she decides at the end of it that none of the bad things Anakin did actually even mattered, because he did them "for love," and it was "meant to be," and she just sets all of that aside to remember him as a "good" master and basically nothing else. This is, PERHAPS, something of a bad faith interpretation of what the show was trying to get across, but... I don't think I'm that far off honestly. It barely even acknowledges the things Anakin did, they barely say anything bad about Anakin at all (the worst ever said about him in this show was Ahsoka saying he was "more dangerous than anyone knew" which is super fucking vague) while constantly eviscerating the Jedi for being weak or failures or elitist assholes who didn't understand anything about how the world or the Force truly worked. Sabine's choice to help set Thrawn free just so she can get Ezra back isn't actually condemned as the selfish thing it actually is, and it's AHSOKA who has to apologize to SABINE for not supporting her later, and Ezra himself is never even allowed to have an opinion on it at all. Given all of the obvious parallels between Sabine's story and Anakin's in this show, it's pretty clear what the show is trying to tell us about Anakin and his choices to me.

But PERSONALLY, I'd have had Ahsoka come closer to the conclusion we saw in the Kenobi show. Some of this depends on where in the timeline you choose to set the narrative. If it's pre-ROTJ still and she doesn't know Anakin's dead yet, she has to just accept that Anakin's evil and chosen to remain that way and there's nothing she can do to change that. She can choose to still remember him fondly and recognize that he'd once been a good person that she loved WHILE ALSO acknowledging he made some unforgivable choices that she can't condone. If it's post-ROTJ, then she has to accept both that Anakin chose to be an evil person AND that he was capable of being saved, but NOT BY HER. Like, consider how that knowledge impacts Ahsoka, Ahsoka who looks at Ezra trying so hard to save a master who sacrificed himself to save others, and realizes that her master is equally incapable of being saved but for the opposite reasons, and then having to hear that Anakin DID change in the end, that he COULD be saved, but he just wouldn't have done it for Ahsoka. And she just has to accept that because he's dead now. There's no changing the choices he made, but even if she chooses to remember the person he once was fondly, I don't think she'd ever truly be able to forgive that he refused to come back for her.

I wanted Ahsoka to LET GO of Anakin, I wanted her to recognize that he left her behind and, as much of an impact as that relationship had on her, she's spent most of her life WITHOUT HIM and that he is not the person who defines who she is now or who she'll be later. I wanted Ahsoka to recognize that Anakin never truly cared about her as much as she cared about him and that she had to just leave him behind in her past. Maybe he was a good master once, maybe some of the things he taught her were still worthwhile, but she's learned so many things since then that have proven to be more helpful and she learned so much from other Jedi both before him and after him that will ultimately allow her to find balance in a way he never did. I wanted Ahsoka to finally BREAK FREE of Anakin. But the Ahsoka show chose instead to yoke her to him instead, to define her by her relationship to him above and beyond literally any other relationships she might have had or will have in the future. Ahsoka deserved better than that, and I'll never forgive this show for doing this to her.

(And then in a second season you could've like brought in the whole concept of her taking on a Padawan and focused in on the whole "child soldier" thing and how spending years at war has impacted her and what that means about what she can pass on to a student, but the primary important relationship in this season would've been REX, and the student FOR DAMN SURE wouldn't have been fucking Sabine Wren. And only once ALL OF THIS was done would I have accepted a Search for Ezra narrative that wasn't even truly ABOUT Ahsoka at all, but about Sabine herself and about discovering this new galaxy.)

I really liked how Ahsoka’s hypocrisy in how she handles the battle with Anakin is later dealt with to give her actual growth in the World Between Worlds episode of season four.

Initially, we have Ahsoka telling off Hera in the season one finale for going after Kanan despite the risk to her crew, naming the message Ezra had sent out as part of the reason why they all needed to LIVE, as symbols of hope. She tells Hera that she has to let Kanan go, leave him for dead, so the rest of the Ghost crew can survive. Of course, Hera ultimately dismisses this and they go save Kanan and Ahsoka ends up showing up to save them all because now that they’ve made this choice, the Rebellion can’t just let them all die and is willing to put in the work to rescue them and bring them into the wider Rebellion.

But it ends up feeling like Ahsoka was just spouting empty platitudes at Hera that she doesn’t necessarily believe or follow herself. She’s following in her Master’s footsteps of using the tried and true “do as I say, not as I do” method of teaching. Because she spends all of season two trying desperately to deny the fact she discovers in the beginning of the season about Anakin having become a Sith. And in the end, she chooses to let herself die with him rather than leave Anakin behind and save herself along with Kanan and Ezra. She has a chance, she COULD escape Anakin, but she chooses not to. Because the guilt she feels for having left the Order (and therefore Anakin) and the part that may or may not have played in Anakin’s choices later are eating at her and consuming her. She lets her attachment to Anakin get the better of her and in doing so, she robs the Rebellion of her skills, her assets, her support. She robs Kanan and Ezra of another Jedi to connect to and seek guidance from.

When Ezra saves her, he just sort-of grabs her from behind, she seems to have no real idea he’s even there until she’s through the portal with him. And while she’s not upset with him for what he’s done, she just seems to refocus on the problem at hand and the mystery literally surrounding them.

Up until they find the portal leading to Kanan’s final moments, and she sees Ezra desperately wanting to save him, too. She sees Ezra consumed in that grief over the loss of his Master, unable to see what she can see from a more objective position. That Kanan made his choice, a choice that saved them all, and Ezra’s desire to save Kanan and remove him from this moment like he did her would go against what Kanan’s sacrifice had been for. It would disrespect everything Kanan had chosen to do in that moment.

And she sees, finally, through having to stop Ezra from saving Kanan, that she can’t save Anakin either.

Because Anakin might have been kind once. He might have cared about people once.

But now, he’s just someone who tried to kill her. Now, he’s a Sith Lord hell bent on terrorizing the galaxy and the Jedi. She can’t save him. Before, she reacted to knowing that by deciding that if she couldn’t save him, then she’d die with him, just to prove that she wouldn’t leave him. Now, she promises Ezra that, even though she has to go back through the portal to her own timeline, she’ll find him. She’s not just going to let herself die with Anakin, she’s not going to let her grief consume her, and she’s going to reconnect with a fellow Jedi who is now, so far as either of them know, completely alone in the galaxy.

I love how watching Ezra overcome his own grief, work past his own selfish desire to save Kanan and recognize why he can’t, accept the choices Kanan made even if he doesn’t like them, allows Ahsoka to accept the truth about Anakin and overcome her own guilt in order to move forward from it. She finally understands the real meaning behind why the Jedi forbade attachments, just like we see Kanan learning the true meaning behind Jedi teachings as HE teaches them to Ezra earlier in the show.

[ilovewaltstrickler]

Ok, so I met Merlin… not sure I like this guy. Not living up to my expectations so far

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

ok i should really be focusing on other stuff rn so i'm not gonna go down the rabbit hole of checking this but like. the whole butcher confrontation, daniel is referred to as arthur's father, right. arthur's fully ready to beg for his life, to put his own on the line for him. daniel is like, completely fine with all of the murder, no i'm sure you had your reasons i know you're a good man. and then it's over and they hug and daniel tries very hard to impart life advice that probably won't stick, it's all very sweet.

anyway fridge thought about that. that definitely looks like two people who have been close for years, right. so that's what everyone present probably assumes, right. like, noel and oscar, or whoever, have no fucking idea how fraught their relationship has been. that would be such a wild fucking discovery. what do you mean earlier that same day was your second conversation in like a decade (the other one was at a funeral.) yknow, the conversation that got cut short bc daniel got fucking shot. how did you speedrun from mutual grudge holding to TAKE ME INSTEAD in the span of like, a few hours. and it's like, well, first you have to understand that family is kind of a complicated issue for us both, on account of basically everyone else we've ever loved is Fucking Dead, so,

[em-b-sides]

I think about that tiktok trend where you like paint your partners eye color on your nails or make a bracelet or something with the color a lot actually