#it's one of those spotted house geckos I think

[yaekiss]

came back to my laptop after I showered to find a lizard chilling on the keyboard.

[ghostandsoap]

Cards and Communication

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Simon “Ghost” Riley x Fem! “Gecko” Reader (Ft. Soap, Gaz, and Price) Tags: Soap being Soap. Kinda jealous Ghost. Slightly aggressive Ghost? Price eating up all the drama.  Word Count: 5.3k “I…I really want to talk to you,”

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Alejandro’s safe house had been an absolute blessing. 

It wasn’t much to look at. In many ways, it was almost nothing to look at. The structure was well outdated and parts of the building were nearly ready to disintegrate. The outside was overrun with untamed weeds growing in the area around the house, and some of them had even begun to venture up the sides. 

 It was no movie star mansion, but it would do. If you were being completely honest, you found the safe house rather endearing. It wasn’t often that you were graced with a safe place to stay and call “home” while you were on a mission. 

There were times where you could go days (or even weeks, if it was really bad) without anywhere to crash in those periods of waiting to move into action. Alejandro had provided a safe zone and a home base for the remainder of the team’s time in Mexico. That was something that everybody appreciated. 

The inside was a tad more appealing than the outside, but not by much. The innards of the house were pretty beat up as well. The furniture inside was worn and washed out, some pieces even falling apart. The wooden floorboards squeaked and creaked, and a few of them had become loose from their not-so secured position. 

Soap, Ghost, and yourself had been the first ones to arrive, Gaz and Price were scheduled to be there later, so the three of you got the first look at the place. The sun was close to setting when you arrived, and the sky was already dotted with speckles of stars. 

The most fortunate part was that all the windows and doors were intact, which offered great relief from the weather of the world outside. However, that didn’t stop the outside temperature from creeping in, and Soap had immediately commented on the house’s chilly nature.

“Fuck. It’s freezin’ in here,'' Soap hissed. “Gonna get a fire going, Lt.” 

“Affirmative. Need a hand?” Ghost offered as Soap kneeled to inspect the fireplace in the living area.

“I don’t think so. You and Gecko can go ahead and get first dibs on where you wanna set up your stuff.” Soap politely declined.

Ghost released his backpack and all of his gear into a pile on the floor at his feet. It was no wonder that Ghost stayed in such flawless shape. All of his gear put together must’ve weighed a ton and lugging all of that stuff around was a workout in and of itself. 

“Actually I’m going to scope out the perimeter before it gets dark.” Ghost remarked.

That was typical Ghost behavior. On the off chance that you were able to score a safe house or some kind of temporary base, Ghost always checked to make sure that it really was safe.

“Alejandro swore this place was secure, and no one followed us, Ghost.” You piped up, turning to the colossal man preparing to exit the house. 

Ghost’s stare into your eyes was lingering. He knew that your words were a reassurance rather than a criticism. It was even more typical for you to attempt to keep Ghost from getting stressed. But Ghost believed that there was no such thing as being too careful. 

“I know. I just want to be sure.” Ghost replied. 

“Okay. Do you need help?” You offered, a certain sparkle gleaming in your pupils as you asked.

Ghost noticed that glimmer. It was the same one that shined in your eyes every time you wanted to do something with him. It was also the one that made his heart revel in the fact that he had someone who cared about him enough to want to do such menial tasks with him. Of course he wanted to say yes. He always wanted you with him – but if there was some kind of external threat waiting for him outside, he didn’t want to take that risk of you getting hurt too. 

“No, I can handle it. Go ahead and pick a spot. Take a load off, G.” 

With that, Ghost disappeared outside, armed and ready for any potential unwanted visitors. A quiet sigh escaped your chest as you closed the door behind him, a slight twinge of disappointment pecking at you. It passed quickly though when you turned around and saw Soap peering at you through squinted eyes.

“What?”  

“Nothin’…” Soap squeaked as he scrambled to return to assembling the fire.  

“No – what is it, Soap? Why are you looking at me like that?” You demanded, your hands landing on your hips as you glared at your sergeant.

“It’s nothin’ really, it’s just…he called you ‘G’ again.” Soap pointed out, tossing the last log into the fireplace.

There was a roll of anxiety over your stomach. This wasn’t the first time that someone had questioned you on Ghost’s demeanor when it came to you. It had gotten easier to dismiss over time, but if Soap was noticing it – then you and Ghost had gotten really sloppy when it came to hiding it.

“Yeah? Lieutenant calls me G sometimes.” You shrugged, refusing to let the knowingness show on your face.

“Sure, but…he’s the only one who calls you that,” Soap returned, turning to look at you. “I’m pretty sure he’d shoot me if I even tried to call you G.” 

“Oh, come on, Soap. You’re a nut,” You groaned with a grin. “I highly doubt Ghost takes it that seriously. You should try it sometime.” 

Soap only hummed with uncertainty, but a beaming smile appeared on his features when the fireplace erupted into flames of orange and red. A rush of heat flushed through the living room, and it made you realize just how cold you were. Who knew that Mexico could get this chilly?

Your hands ran up and down your arms, rubbing through the material of your jacket and long sleeved shirt underneath to create some extra warmth.  

“Here,” Soap moved over to allow you to get closer. “I’ll share with you this time.” Soap joked.

You gratefully accepted the empty space in front of the fire, kneeling down next to Soap in front of the flames. The house would be warm in no time, as long as there was someone to tend to it. About the time that you and Soap were fully warmed up, the front door of the safe house opened to reveal Ghost once more. Based on the fact that he wasn’t frantically running to cover, it was reasonable to assume that the coast was clear. The sky had gone fully dark now, and the night hours had officially started.

“Good call, Johnny. It’s warmer than when I walked in the first time,” Ghost kicked the door closed with his foot. “Check all the windows and doors to be sure that they’re closed. Don’t want any heat gettin’ out.”

“Sure thing, L.T.” Soap rose to his feet and scurried off to check the rest of the house.

Once Soap was gone and out of earshot, you turned to Ghost. 

“Didn’t you check the windows and doors when you scoped the house?” You asked. 

“Yeah, but he doesn’t know that.” Ghost grinned under his mask.

You laughed at that, and Ghost used it as an invitation to join you by the fire for a moment. He’d been on his feet all day, and he needed a moment. 

A moment alone with you.

“Are you warm enough?” Ghost whispered in your ear, his voice sounding like more of a coherent rumble more than anything.

“Yeah, I’m warm.” You replied, voice just as quiet as his.

“Good,” He pressed a swift kiss to the crown of your head. “Did you get your stuff put somewhere?”

“No. Didn’t have a chance to.”

“There’s one bedroom in the back,” Ghost suggested. “The bedroom is bigger.”

“I mean, I don’t particularly need the space,” You snorted. “Give the bedroom to Price.”

“He won’t do that. He always likes to hang out near the door,” Ghost bantered. “How about you take the bed and the rest of us can camp out in here?” 

“The bed might be better for you. It’ll keep you from being so stiff in the morning,” You countered. Ghost’s large frame was a constant victim of sleeping on the floor, and it never boded well for him the next day. “You’re taller.”

“Mm. You’re prettier,” He raised his balaclava just enough for a fast, real kiss. “Take the bedroom. Please? For me?”

“Alright,” You rose from the floor, collecting your pack and smaller belongings that you had dropped by the front door when you had entered. “Be right back.”

Ghost watched you traverse to the back of the house to mark the bedroom as yours. A shudder and an exhale of air fluttered from his lungs. For a moment, albeit he knew it would be brief, he felt relaxed. The house was secure, the team was safe…you were safe.

He could take a breather and collect himself over the course of the next few days to follow. He was no good to Force 141 if he was all strung out with himself and unorganized. Ghost was learning how to be just as skilled and good at his job as he always had been, while simultaneously making sure that you were happy and taken care of. This safe house was a life saver for literal and metaphorical reasons. He was grateful to have it.

And for now, the lieutenant could rest.

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Sleeping never came easy for any of you when you were in the midst of completing a mission. When there was too much at stake and danger always on the horizon, a good night of decent slumber was hard to come by. Nights like this usually consisted of everybody spreading out and staying up until they had even the slightest urge to fall asleep. Ghost usually stayed on watch, considering he didn’t sleep much to begin with. 

This meant long night hours with hardly anything entertaining to do. The first night at the safe house was no exception. 

Gaz and Price showed up at the safe house well after the sun had gone down. They were cold, weary, and in need of a minute to decompress. Their arrival sparked enough conversation to last an hour or so. Price filled you, Soap, and Ghost in on what to expect in the next few days to come. You talked strategy and theorized on what could go wrong, but also what could go right if things worked out. The plan was explained and understood, and everyone was on the same page.

The initial buzz of excitement for having a legit place to hole up had worn off. Now the boredom had set in. The five of you had run out of things to talk about that weren’t work related, and you could only talk shop so much before it grew old. 

It was around 1:00 a.m. when everyone had hit burnout. Ghost was sitting on the battered sofa by the window closest to the front door, keeping a watchful eye out for anything or anyone that might appear outside. He had discarded his outer skull mask an half an hour before, but the infamous balaclava was clad to his face as usual.

Price was sunken as far as he could go into the armchair next to the sofa, cradling his left boot in his hand and inspecting the newly formed hole in the side of it. Of the five of you, he was the closest to feeling any kind of desire to get some sleep.

You accompanied Gaz in front of the fire, sitting on the floor as he prodded the logs to keep the fire burning. Soap was roaming around, scrounging for any kind of morsel of entertainment. No one said anything, and the only noises were the crackling of the flames and Soap’s rummaging through cabinets and drawers. Surely there had to be something to do here. Even if Alejandro intended for it to be an emergency safe house, someone had to have left something behind at some point.

“Ah! I hit the jackpot!” Soap shrieked from the small kitchen that was adjacent to the living room. He came barreling back in with a laugh, a small cardboard box in his hands. The box was ripped in places, and there was no way to really know what it was. “Anybody up for a game of cards?”

“Me!” You gasped.

“I’m in,” Gaz nodded. “Price? Ghost?”

 “The only card game I play is poker.” Price responded, which was his way of saying no considering there weren’t any chips or real items to bet with.

“I’m on watch.” Ghost mumbled, never once looking away from the window he was seated next to.

Soap was hardly listening as he joined you and Gaz in front of the fire, the three of you making a halfway triangle. This would keep you occupied for at least a little while. There were plenty of card games to play to keep you busy.

“Let’s start easy. How about Go Fish?” Soap questioned.

“Sure. Hopefully all the cards are in there.” Gaz remarked.

Soap slid the deck out of the box, his hands thumbing through the stack. The cards had definitely been sitting around for a while because they smelled of stale paper, and they didn’t look to be in the most pristine shape. Regardless, Soap shuffled the deck and dealt five cards each. You were sitting across from Soap on the left, meaning you were the starting player.

“Soap. Got any twos?” 

The Scotsman glanced over his cards, squinting at the numbers that had either faded or been rubbed off completely.

“Nah. Go fish.” He smirked.

There was a light grumble from your chest as you plucked a new card from the draw pile, adding it to your already hefty hand.

“Any queens, Gaz?” Soap asked.

“Nope.” Gaz sighed.

The banter back and forth continued until the end of the first round, where Gaz was the winner. It was a simple and rather bland way to kill time, but it definitely beat staring into the fire for the rest of the night. Price listened to and watched the game being played in front of him. He watched the three of you argue over Soap’s “adjustments” to the rules and listened to you giggle every time Soap nearly rage quit.

Ghost was listening to bits and pieces, picking up a comment here and there – and really only tuning in when your voice and laughter registered in his mind. For the most part, he was more focused on keeping his attention on watching through the window. 

Or at least, that was his focus until something very peculiar graced his ears.

“You have any sevens, G?” Soap asked, and you nearly passed out.

Ghost nearly gave himself whiplash with how fast he turned to look. His eyes were wide as he stared at his best pal. His cheeks were running red, and he couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming sting of annoyance in his chest. 

Gaz and Price sucked all the air out of the room and spit it right back out. Price’s eyes were trained on Ghost with a bit of a smirk, waiting for a reaction. Gaz avoided eye contact with anyone in the room – only boring a hole into the card that was in the middle of his hand.

Now, an outsider might say that you set Soap up for this rocky encounter that was about to ensue. After all, you had quite literally told him to call you the very special nickname that was generally reserved for Ghost. Ghost was the only one allowed to get creative with your call sign – it was an unspoken rule amongst the 141. It was common knowledge that you were Gecko and Gecko only to everybody except Ghost.

In your defense, that rule was lost on you…and also you didn’t actually expect Soap to try it.

But you would’ve been a fool not to notice how tense the room became after Soap’s test run of your Ghost-only-nickname. Based on the way that Ghost’s shocked stare had turned into more of a glare, you were pretty confident in saying that he wasn’t happy. 

“Sevens?” You cleared your throat with a meek tone. “Yeah, I have a seven.” 

You shoved your hand forward that was holding the 7 of spades, but Soap was hardly paying attention, because he could feel the searing stare of his lieutenant on the back of his head. Soap said had a silent appreciation for the fact that he was sitting with his back towards Ghost. Soap had regretted saying it as fast as he had said it. 

It felt wrong. It felt straight up illegal even uttering what he had said. Soap felt like Ghost could kick his ass all over the street, and he wouldn’t even have the right to stop him. 

“That’s Gecko to you, Soap.” Ghost nearly boomed.

So much for being sneaky. If Soap hadn’t caught on before to what was going on between you and Ghost, he definitely had a better idea now. At least it wasn’t a mistake he’d make twice. 

“Right. Uhm…” Soap chuckled nervously. “Sorry, L.T.”

“Sorry is not an answer,” Ghost went on, and suddenly the fire didn’t seem so warm anymore compared to the heat he was spitting out. “I don’t want to have this conversation again, Sergeant.”

“Understood. Won’t happen again, Lieutenant.” Soap gulped. 

You didn’t like the tone that Ghost was taking with Soap. You understood Ghost wanting to have something to himself when it came to you, but you’d be damned if you allowed him to get aggressive with his best friend like that. It wasn’t in your best interest to pick a fight about it right at this moment, but it was definitely a conversation that needed to be had. 

You gave Ghost a look. A look that was very annoyed and a look that read “what hell is your problem?” Ghost knew that look, and he didn’t like the way it sank his stomach.

The next hour to follow was rather quiet. 

Price was barely holding it together. Even though the room was incredibly uneasy, he found this situation exceedingly funny, and the burning red in his cheeks as he withheld his laughter was evidence of that. Every few minutes, a stifled chuckle would sound from him – which only made the tension worse. 

Gaz was too afraid to say anything. He tried his best to pay attention to the game of Go Fish once the three of you continued. He had debated on making a joke to at least try to ease the room, but he feared that no response to it would make this unbearable. 

Ghost’s mood had gone sour. He was irritated for the most part that Soap had said that, a little hurt that you were so okay with it. He returned to watching the window and was about one pout away from straight up sulking. 

In the back of his mind, Ghost understood that it really wasn’t that big of a deal. 

So what that Soap called you the name that only Ghost used? It wasn’t like Ghost had ever explicitly said that the name was only for his own use. Soap really hadn’t done anything wrong. Soap hadn’t done it with any intentions that weren’t innocent. Ghost knew that.

Ghost didn’t get much to himself. It had been like that his entire life. There hadn’t been many things that Ghost felt like he could really call his own. You were your own person, of course. You were as independent as could be and Ghost didn’t see you as anything less than the most wonderful, loving person on the planet.  

But Ghost would even admit that there was this part of himself that was so unbelievably happy that you were his. Happiness was something that was foreign to him for the longest time. It was something he didn’t understand as well as most people probably did. He had the seed for it, and it was well watered. But you were the sunshine that really allowed it to grow and blossom into something beautiful for him.

He didn’t like the thought of something or someone else getting in the way of that. There was nothing that he adored and cared for more. In a lot of ways, his harsh overreaction had been a defense mechanism, something that he was very familiar with.

Ghost knew that was something he needed to work on. Building a stronger sense of trust would prove beneficial to both of you. He didn’t want to ruin this just because he flipped out over every little thing. He needed to find a balance – a healthy one. 

Ghost’s busy mind traffic was cleared when he heard Gaz finally speak up, despite his previous hesitance.

“As much as I’d love to keep playing, I think I need to get some shut eye.” Gaz mumbled, returning his cards to the pile. 

“Not a bad idea, Gaz. Think I’m going to turn in for the night myself,” Price announced, rising from the chair with a groan. “Need to switch out, Ghost?”

Truthfully, he didn’t. Ghost could stay on watch all night without getting tired. But Price’s hard glance was a hint to Ghost that he needed to swap and take the opportunity to have a chat with you. 

“Sure, Captain.” Ghost shifted, standing from the window and fully extending his massive frame. 

“Alright then. Soap, you’re up.” 

Soap was quick to clean up the cards, shoving them back into the box and into his pocket. He was keeping them on him just in case. At least he could play Solitaire in the base of the window when he got bored. He practically rocketed to his feet, taking Ghost’s former position on the sofa to keep an eye on things.  

Ghost felt a pit in his gut when he realized that you had retreated to the bedroom without a word. That was a telltale sign that you weren’t very happy with him. Ghost shoved his hands into his pockets, dragging his heavy boots across the creaky floorboards to get to the closed bedroom door.  

He debated even knocking at all. Odds were that you would probably be a little easier to talk to in the morning…but Ghost didn’t like the thought of leaving this unresolved for the remainder of the night. 

“Hey, Gecko?” He called, and his voice nearly cracked. “Can we talk? Please…?”

There wasn’t a response, so he knew you were ignoring him.

“I…I really want to talk to you,” He tried again, a bit softer and quieter this time. “Please, baby?”

There was a quick moment of quiet on the other side, and then a reply.

“Okay.” 

He felt a jolt of relief, and he turned the brass knob to allow himself in. You were standing at the foot of the full sized bed, removing all of the items out of your pack to no doubt rearrange the contents as you always did when you had a spare moment. 

The room was fairly dark. There wasn’t much to it. There was a bed, dresser, and one bedside table on the left side. The battered curtains were drawn, and the full moon outside was the only source of light spilling into the bedroom. 

Ghost wasn’t sure what to say, but he wasn’t surprised when you hardly waited for him to come up with something. 

“That was uncalled for.” You started.

He swallowed hard, his head lowering as he shifted his feet,

“I know.”  

“He didn’t mean anything by it.” You went on.

“I know.” 

“He’s your best friend. You can’t just talk to him like that.”

“I know,” He repeated. “I’m sorry.”

His timid and meek apology brought a ping of sympathy to your chest. It was that same feeling of sympathy that plagued you any time you knew that he was aware that he had done something out of line. He took accountability and responsibility for his action and his words…and he knew when it was time to make things right. 

All at once, you were reminded of why he reacted to certain things the way that he did. 

All you could imagine was a young, tiny Simon Riley – a defenseless and teary eyed kid who was scared to death of every person in his life that was supposed to love him. He was once a little kid who was terrified of making anybody in his life angry (even over the small things) because of the consequences and emotional misery that always followed. 

Now, he was a grown and scarred man who shut down every time that he made a mistake. No one was harder on Ghost than Ghost himself.

He never wanted you to be angry with him. He never wanted anyone that he cared about to be angry with him over something that he did or said. Simon didn’t handle fights well. The two of you had only fallen into a real argument a couple of times. It was never anything permanently altering, and it was surely never enough to make either of you resentful of the other. If there was a way to resolve a situation without fighting, that was the route he always took.

“Simon…” You took a breath, keeping a level tone when you turned to look at him. “Why did that make you so upset?”

“I didn’t like him calling you that,” He answered, eyes trained on the tips of his boots that were as worn as could be. “It’s just…I like calling you that.”

“Did it bother you because Soap said it?” You went on.

“I don’t like the idea of anyone saying it.” Ghost admitted.

Ghost closed the door behind him considering that this conversation was just getting started. He didn’t want any of the rest of the team eavesdropping. 

“Okay, sure. But it isn’t that serious. It’s just a name, Simon.” You pleaded with him.

“It’s not just a name. It’s my name for you.” He stressed.

“So just because you came up with it, you get to yell at Soap for saying it?” 

“No, love. I don’t know what I’m trying to tell you,” He huffed. “I didn’t like it because I like having you to myself.” 

His wording was specific. You caught this, and it was just enough to let you take the invitation to transition to the real reason for all of this. 

“You…you always have me to yourself,” You said, a brow raised. “I’m nobody’s but yours. You know that.”

Simon was disappointed in himself more than anything. He had made a lot of progress when it came to himself. He worked hard to better himself mentally and emotionally to be the best person to you that he possibly could be. He was grateful that you were willing to work with him on a lot of things. He liked your support in helping him through some of the challenges. But every progress journey had its slip ups. Those moments of insecurity and doubt that would always set him back a step.

“I know,” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck through the fabric of his balaclava. “I guess I just had a moment.”

He was beating himself up over an issue that was far bigger than the fact that he had gotten out of line with his best friend. It was a battle that he had been fighting since long before he had ever been blessed with the chance to merely even lay eyes on you. It pained you to see him so hard on himself, especially when you had seen the progress he had made for yourself.

“Come here.” You stretched out a gentle hand, a sign of comfort and reassurance. 

It was an invitation that he always accepted, and one that he was always thankful for. He slipped his hand into yours, its size was always laughable with how it made yours look so petite. The skin of his palm was calloused as always as he held your hand in his. He towered over you from where you were now sitting on the edge of the mattress, the springs making a rickety noise as you sat down. 

He looked into those eyes of yours. The very same ones that he had gotten lost in the first time he had a real chat with you. They were pools of love, swimming with adoration and care for a world that was otherwise doomed. 

He had seen stars of joy dance over your irises on many occasions. He had seen your pupils dilate in an angry rage when things didn’t go as planned on a critical mission. He had seen rivers of tears fill their space and stream down your cheeks in moments of hurt and despair. He’d witnessed all the stories that your eyes could tell, and some of them were stories he was ecstatic to be a part of.

“Simon. It makes sense how you feel. I understand what you’re saying,” You spoke to him sweetly and smoothly. “But you can’t lash out like that when you feel that way. That’s not fair.”

“I know,” He said for what felt like the millionth time. “Just let my head get the best of me.”

“It happens. It’s okay. But I think you owe Soap an apology in the morning…or, well, whenever we get up again.” You suggested, noting aloud that it was indeed already technically the morning. 

He nodded. Soap wasn’t one to hold grudges – not against his pals anyway.

“Alright. I’ll talk to Soap.” He agreed.

You stood from the bed, your chest pressed against his sternum as you looked up at the giant of a man. 

“I’m yours. Completely and totally yours,” You smiled, and he felt every neuron in his body combust. “And I’m proud of you.”

He never understood it. How could someone like you be so wrapped up in someone like him? Not that he complained, of course. Here you were, praising him for doing nothing more than calmly working through his emotions and communicating his problem. He felt like that really should’ve been the bare minimum, but he supposed that if it was important to you, then it was important to him.

His free hand came to cup your face, his hand nearly engulfing the right half of your face. His thumb dragged across the apple of your cheek, which was his silent sign for you to do the honors. Your fingertips slipped under his balaclava just enough to raise it above his lips that were just begging to be kissed. He softened when you kissed him, as he always did. 

He loved nothing more than sharing moments like this with you. The ones that reminded him that one little fight wasn’t enough to destroy what you had. Those moments of conflict really were necessary for a relationship to grow. And with time, he’d learn to be more comfortable with that. 

He exhaled when you pulled away, returning his mask to its correct position on his face. 

“I’m going to get some sleep,” You told him. “Want to stick around and get some actual decent sleep?”

“You take the bed. My feet are gonna hang off the end I’m afraid.” He chuckled.

The bed was rather short. Tall people problems. 

“You sure?” You asked one more time.

“Yeah. Think I’m going to go talk to Soap now since he’s on watch.” Simon said. 

Another beaming smile spread on your face. He couldn’t help but grin a little too. 

“Okay, Ghosty.” 

Ghosty. That was a new one. He nearly melted all over again.

“Goodnight, my love. Call me if you need me, yeah?”

You nodded as he exited, your heart swelling with love for him in a way that grew stronger and stronger each day.

“Goodnight.”

[scary-monsters]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @crown-of-winterthorne, thank you friend!!! 🧡🧡🫶🏻

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 33 total! i've got 8 for jjba, 25 for haikyuu

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 473,497 🤯🤯🤯

3. What fandoms do you write for? currently only jjba, i don't anticipate anything else for a long time since my major interests tend to last for years

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? unsurprisingly they're all ushiten 😭 i won't link them but: "i'm a house with no windows" (200k friends-to-lovers), "shuffle" (fake dating/only one bed tropes), "fascinating facts about geckos" (high school teachers au), "on display" (nsfw oneshot), and "morning routine" (my very first fic ever posted :')) aw)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? i try to!!!! sometimes i get really behind (like i am right now ugh) and that's either because i'm busy or i can't properly put my gratitude into words 😔 but i think i get to most of them eventually. i don't really reply to the ushiten ones anymore, but they still mean a lot to me.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i.. don't think i have any?? i love writing angst but i really cannot handle sad endings.. i'm a sappy little romance-obsessed fool, i fear i'm incapable of anything but sweet and fulfilling endings

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? i mean it's gotta be "i'm a house with no windows".... they literally grew up together and got married and then visited their hometown as middle-aged men.. i don't know if i can out-do that. but if we're talking jjba then probably my most recent diego fic, "ritz to the rubble"

8. Do you get hate on fics? i have before LMAO, nothing too horrible but honestly i just shrug it off. i like my writing and i know lots of other people do too so i can't be bothered

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? ummmmmm yes.. i write a lot of it HFDSKLHGKLS.. i won't detail that here bc this isn't a nsfw blog but my ao3 speaks for itself.

10. Do you write crossovers? nope! the idea hasn't ever even crossed my mind

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? i feel like.. i remember someone telling me that one of my ushiten fics was on wattpad at one point but i never saw it myself and that was years ago so ??? MAYBE?? i truly don't know

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? i couldn't find evidence of it but i remember someone requesting to translate a fic of mine to chinese?? and i had no problem with it but AGAIN LOL these things happened in like 2016 or 2017 so it's been a hot minute and my memory is garbage

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? not really, i attempted to collab with a couple friends in the past but it really didn't work out very well.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? diego and me (im kidding. kind of.), i mean currently it's dinopants and dinoballs. i love diejoni as well but the other two reeeeaaally hit that sweet spot for me. i like ushiten in a way that's like... aww.. those were my boys and now they're grown up and moved out ?? they are cute but they aren't My Guys anymore

15. What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? UGH I HAD a dinopants university au that i started over a year ago but i ended up using one of the previously written scenes for my recent fic so i doubt i'd ever finish the original one. for the most part i finish what i start, though.

16. What are your writing strengths? DIALOGUE !!! at least to me, anyway. i think i'm really good at getting into a character's head and analyzing them and how they'd handle social situations, which is funny bc i have trash social skills. i fucking love character analysis in general

17. What are your writing weaknesses? i think i tend to overuse words sometimes... maybe lean too heavily into dialogue.. i'm always always always trying to get better, so in a way i think i look at everything as a weakness that i'm constantly working to improve

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? i've tossed in little fragments of Italian when i write gyro but other than that i don't think i'd personally do it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? realistically? naruto 💀 my original old-ass clunky desktop had several word docs of deidara fic, i'm like 99% sure. too bad limewire and heaps of viruses killed the damn thing

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? atm i think it's gotta be extra hot, well stirred, light foam :')) i was so iffy about it while writing but i think it's such a perfect balance of funny and sexy and i'm quite proud of it. it would make sense to say a fic from a while ago but i don't like my writing from back then.. i just think i've gotten so so so much better

IM TAGGINGGG @reclusiverisottonero @swallowed-teeth @hammerofspace @penny-lane-123 @phvntom-limbs but no pressure, lovingly patting y'all on the head regardless 🧡

[anon-of-the-void]

Meeting the MutantCity! family part 1 1/2

Meeting Leo (well, technically she has met him at dinner but getting to know him-) was... refreshing. She was sent out to give the red eared slider his hoodie back. Raph felt like red suited her but she was not ready to give up her comfort purple hoodie, so he settled for red shorts and one of Don's hoodies that shrunk in the wash some time ago. They liked it so Raph was happy.

Aden held the neatly folded garment to her chest, eyes restlessly scanning the doors they passed in search of the sign Raph had mentioned before he sat down to finish up an order for a wedding dress. Just when she spotted the sign reading '#1 Champion', the door it decorated swung open.

"Oh kid, come to see the greatest warrior of all time?", the terrapin posed, leaning against his door frame with a smug look.

"Actually, I came to return your hoodie." (-slapping the smug look off of his face but luckily, he was wearing a smaller smug look underneath.)

"Oh yeah, of course you were doing just that, no other reason. It is pretty comfy, ain't it?", he smiled to cover his slightly brused ego.

" 's alright.", she agreed lazily. Remembering Michael-Angelo's tellings of his brothers, Aden learned to not give him too much praise in any regard. Leo gave her a playful stern look as he took his piece of clothing back. Taking note of the relaxed hum of the atmosphere in the house, Lee mentally scrambled for an idea to connect with the new addition to the family. He just had to know more about her situation and the Kraang. The fear of this threat returning would not let him sleep even four decades after they had won.

"Uh I- eh. You got a moment?", he began, trying to buy time.

"I think so, why?", she offered, cutting his time to think short by answering his question with her own simple one. A moment of silence went by.

"Well?"

Dropping his shoulders, Leo removed himself from his door frame to offer a way into his room. "Ugh, screw it. Wanna play some games? Assuming you have those in your world as well."

"We do. Uncle Don has built many things to keep the colonies at a modern post-apocalyptic standard. He made a console compatible with whatever games people brought from earth. He re-designed S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. to be an all present AI and support everyone once he would be gone. He even made prototype robots of you guys to transfer the latest update of your consciousness into those to keep SaHea safe and your family together even in death. Unfortunately, there is not enough scrap metal to maintain the robots in pristine condition so S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. powered them down for now. Building a society from the ground up is quite a challenge so games were reserved for special days where the whole community would come together and play. Do you have community games here?", Aden asked, her gloomy mood lifting with every encounter.

"We do. We should play Mario Party tomorrow night. I bet you will enjoy that one a lot. The outcome is impossible to predict when you don't know the rules.", Leo mused, a grin spreading on his aged face.

"You seriously would not tell me the rules?!", the yokai feigned hurt, trying their hardest not to break character.

"I mean, we can play for it. If you win, I tell you everything you want to know; I win, you have to answer me any question I have truthfully." Leo gave a slight bow as he gestured for them to enter.

"Deal!"

"Pfff- You're gonna lose."

"Who says that? I might be really good at games.", Aden tried to argue.

"There can only be one champion and let me tell ya, tried losing once, wasn't for me. By the way, what was you name again?"

"Le gasp! Fine, wanna know my name, beat me in the game."

"Ohooo rhymes, now we're talking. Should I call you Lizard for now? Nah. Firce gecko? Nope. Simsala-mander with the portal pebble- magic!", amusement lacing every word of his.

"What the- Leo!"

"What? I deliver peak comedy with every order. I mean there is a reason my delivery service booms."

"Yeah I highly doubt that."

Needless to say, Dr. Delecate Touch had a blast waking them up.

Meeting the MutantCity! family pt.1

Meeting Donnie was a shock to both, first and foremost. After Aden's portal opened right over Don's table where he was working on a potion, the yokai crashed right into his table, breaking it (it was government funded, Don's take on a table would not have budged an inch).

Startled he managed to jump back, but lost the grip on his potion as remaining balance and keeping his undevided attention on the intruder was far more important.

With a huff, Aden rolled off of what remained from the once perfectly fine table.

"Ugh, I really need to learn how to work that thing...", Aden mumbled, still out of breath from the sudden impact.

Donnie had regained his composure and approached the yokai cautiously, his work long forgotten.

"Who are you and how did you open this portal?", the soft shell turtle inquired in a stern voice.

Finally taking in their surroundings, Aden realized she was in the lab of no other than a younger Donatello look-alike.

"Uncle Don?", she asked in disbelief.

"Uncle?! What do you mean 'Uncle Don'? You must be mistaken. Maybe a concussion? The fall was pretty hefty-"

"Is your name Donatello Hamato?", Aden asked in a more certain tone, confident that her head was fine.

Unsure about what to make of this situation, Donnie nodded his head yes.

"What year is it and what planet are we on?"

"It is Tuesday, May 3rd, 2066 on earth. Now could you -I dunno- fill me in on the details so I don't look like some dummy dum dum in my very own significantly underpaid government funded research lab. You know, just an idea-"

Being cut off again, Don'd rather kick the yokai out but curiosity was eating away at him rapidly.

"Did you fight in the Kraang invasion?"

"As a matter of fact, we did. It was traumatizing sure, but we won and maybe single handedly changed the entire world's view of mutants and yokai. Now would you explain yourself?!", the genius pressed, kneeling before the young yokai and holding onto their shoulders with his insect-shell arms. His intense stare stressed the importance of the details to him.

"I think I just travelled to another dimension...", they mumbled moreso to herself.

They just stared at each other for about 3 awkward seconds, faces blank trying to process it all.

"For science's sake, child, I need answers!"

"Ok! Ok, geez just give me a second." Aden got up, making the turtle fall back and land on his butt, spider arms letting go of the familiar purple hoodie.

Sitting on the ground, Donnie was turned around to face the fire salamander who now stood before him with arms extended, wildy gesturing to help him visualize just what happened in her reality.

"So, to keep it simple, there was a Kraang invasion in 2022 on earth, your family fought but ultimately, the resistance failed. The aliens wanted revenge so they enslaved everyone on this planet and introduced a 'holiday' where they'd go on a killing spree. Eventually, you escaped in a space ship and found an earth-like planet you made your new home. The mystic warrior powers within you grew stronger and served as a protective shield around the planet. More people found your planet and lived together in harmony. So did my family. One by one you grew too old to keep the planet safe and each one of you entered a freezer thingy you had invented for that purpose alone. I come from the year 2107 from our new home planet SaHea where at last, Michael-Angelo joined you in your eternal sleep to protect our home. I am here to stop the Kraang from attacking SaHea. I can't do it alone. I took this gem the young Donatello found. It is filled with portal magic according to your AI's records. I used it to find people that could help put an end to the aliens. The fact that it not only sent  me to another place in another time but a whole other reality-"

"... incredible."

"Wait, you said you have defeated the Kraang before! You could do it again! Oh I am so releaved I found you!"

But when Aden's eyes fell on the turtle still sittig on the ground, her happieness was short lived. "Y-you would help me, right? You wouldn't just leave us to die, would you?"

Donnie turned away. He hated those ugly feelings, the bad emotions. Swallowing the lump that has formed in his throat, he looked back at them. Eyes glossed over just thinking about what he had just heard.

"Look, kid, we did defeat the Kraang but-but we were lucky. We are old now. Not to mention what would happen when we met ourselves in another reality. The fact Casey Junior did not throw our reality out of balance was lucky enough but then again he did not exist in our reality at that time and with the course of it, he never would have. We can't help you and I hope other me's will say the same thing."

Tears stung in her eyes. She has only heard stories of the brothers. Who knew Michael-Angelo was sugar coating his genius brother's words in the story times. Or was it the raging hurt what losing hope felt like? Whatever the case might have been, they decided, they didn't like Donatello very much but he was also her only link connecting them and the new world they stumbled into.

Donnie dropped his lab coat over the yokai's shoulders just like he has seen in Raph's sappy rom-coms when the girl was in distress.

"Come on, kid, I am  sure my brothers would love to meet you. Be prepared for at least three heroic speeches and too many terrible puns from Leo, Mikey's home-cooked meals that will melt away your worries and a new outfit made by Raph. And a shower. You look rough and you smell aweful." With that conclusion, Don left a meter between them during the walk home.

Maybe he was right, nobody would put their happy life on the line when their alternative versions were already practically out of the picture and they had no bonds with whoever was part of that doomed world. After all, it was not their own to worry about.  Now, Aden just felt guilty.

Meeting big guy Raph was a blessing to Donnie's nostrils.

On their walk, Don had already filled the family in on the details and asked them to prepare a warm but not overwhelming welcome.

On entering the small yet cozy corner house on a vacant little side street in the heart of New York City, the smell of pizza gyoza and jasmine tea hugged them like a soft blanket.

"We are home! Pops, get off of that TV, those ads do your heart no good."

Around the corner, a round head with an orange bandana peeked out. Aden just froze in her step, staring at her former care taker's younger self. Dinner is ready in 30. Raph is prepping a bath for you, just up the stairs and left. I'm Mikey, by the way but I am sure you know that already."

Aden nodded her head while whispering an introduction. Don gave her a gentle push towards the stairs.

Once she reached the top, she turned her head to the left and was met with a giant spiky shell of a snapping turtle with the tail wagging happily.

"Raphael Hamato?", they asked timidly, feeling a bit out of place intruding on their life like that.

"Oh, you must be the kid from another dimension! Just call me Raph. I was not sure what you liked so I just prepped a bunch of my favourite bath salts and stuff. Looking at you, Leo's hoodie might be a bit big. But we can fix that after dinner. Uh, you know how to work a bath tub? (He was not sure if she even knew what a bath tub was. Did they have them where she comes from?)"

"I do. We did have them at home too.", Aden informed him, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Ah, good. Just checking. Leave your dirty stuff by the washer and no need to rush. When you are done, join us for dinner?"

And with that he left her standing in front of the open bathroom door. Watching him leave, Aden had wanted to thank him but just couldn't get a word out.

With a bummed outlook on life at the moment, the slamander yokai ran themselves a bath and sank into the warm bubbly water. It smelled like citrus and flowers.

Aden came down to what they assumed was the kitchen and a joyful mess of the four brothers, three women, a man, an old yokai and an old rat. When they were noticed, standing there, buried by Leo's hoodie, the banter quieted down significantly. "Ah just in time!", Mikey cheered at the sight of them. "Help me lay the table, dear?", the old yokai inquired as he placed a good amount of plates in her arms. "Follow me."

At the dinner table, it was obvious everyone held back on questions so Aden decided to take the initiative and thank them for everything.

"Not a problem, really."

"This is the most exciting thing happening in a while, I tell you."

...

"So, Aden, what do you think about finally meeting the Leonardo Hama-"

"Nardo, seriously."

"Dude, you can't just jump on that topic like that!"

"Leo, they have just escaped a second Kraang attack. We are heros unable to help her, be sensible for once."

"No, really, it is alright. The aliens were my standard tuesday for years. It is nothing new and; I am sorry, Donatello, for my reaction. You are right. It is dangerous and I should have known."

"You couldn't have, since other me has already left before your arrival. Although, I have a proposition. We take our time figuring out together how your gem stone works since time seems to be of no importance in your case and y-" "You be part of our little family for the time being!"

Aden jumped up, waving her arms in the air in panic.

"No, I couldn't ask that of you! I am forever grateful for everything already I could never-"

"WE INSIST!", everyone encouraged in union.

After everything was cleaned up, Raph invited her to his walk-in dresser to take measurements for a more fitting look (and because Leo wanted his favourite hoodie back for a sleepover planned later that week at his boyfriend's place).

"Wow those designs are really pretty!"

"Oh uh, thank you! Would you like to help me make your clothes?"

"I'd like that. Thank you, Raph!", Aden beamed at him.

"I mean we are technically family in another reality, so don't mention it. Anyway, what color were we thinking?"

"Surprise me."

[noszkass]

ashley tempest winthrope.

thirty six. defense attorney. jai courtney.

“You're supposed to grow out of your horridness, aren't you? I don't think I ever grew out of mine. Sometimes I think it's still inside me, like something nasty I swallowed, that got stuck...”

content warning: mentions toxic, co-dependent relationships; abuse; death of a peer/family member (via murder).

dominant traits. logical, charismatic, gentleman, stoic, focused, patient, selectively affectionate, charming, observant, cautious, possessive, unpredictable, self-preserving, forceful, obsessive, demanding, melancholic, aggressive, irritable, distrusting, unrelenting, loyal, easily jealous, less hair-trigger more berserk button, no-nonsense, quick thinking, dishonest.

fictional parallels. elijah mikaelson (the originals); geralt of rivia (the witcher); henry winter (the secret history); pope cody (animal kingdom); richie gecko (fdtd the series).

○ born into the winthorpe family; known for their successful generational family law practice, as councilmen from neighboring townships, and good for nothin' criminals who latched onto the teat of a community that's long-since given up on them like leaches─depending on what side of miriam's well it is you live in. ashley's particular branch is the former. estate house in rosebush hill drive, debutant turned matron belle mother who just can't seem to find her way around or out of other people's business (including, if not almost invariably, that of all three of her children), and a certain amount of respectability he was brought up to live by.

○ on the surface ashley winthorpe is a deliciously handsome man. wealthy and put together. takes pride in his appearance and family name. he's also well-mannered and polite, and thoughtful in such infinitesimal ways that you never really think much of until after the fact. and there is something so very not right about him. he has a kind smile that never quite reaches the edges of his eyes and though it doesn't necessarily look disingenuous, there's something about it that doesn't exactly leave you with a sense of ease. like an unfamiliar gesture that's been practiced over and over, so many times that it's lost meaning. like it takes the muscles in his face a moment to pull before they settle in the correct spots. he'll have a conversation with you and while at times it seems he's looking right through you, others will have his attention so intensely undivided it feels as if you've been bared naked and left in a cold room. like you've just been caught lying about something and he knows. somehow, he's known all along. because he listens intently when you speak to him and you suspect somehow he never forgets a single thing he's heard.

○ there's no mistaking his booming voice, jarring, even at a whisper sending shockwaves through your core that has you on high alert. even when it's soft and lulling (in an attempt to offer comfort or catching him melt into the woman he's declared the love of his goddamn life from the corner of your eye through the crack in his office door), there's something threatening that looms. less like hard blunt force and more like a living, breathing fog that blankets you with strong arms, settles deep into your gut, coils itself around your innards, and wrings you dry. the confusing part? you know, without a doubt, he would protect you with no hesitation and ask for nothing in return. and, most of the time, you'd be right. because ashley winthorpe is a good man. no matter how your instincts thrash, screaming at you otherwise.

plot hooks.

i apologize, some of these are all very specific to a singular plot and i could've just included them in a legit request 😬🙃

○ sandbox love never dies. a very specific and imperfect friend group cast in the roles of bastard, bleeding heart, damaged, golden, grim, ingénue, temptress, and wild card. they've been together since any of them can remember. spent their whole lives dreaming about trying to get out of miriam's well, but instead only found tragedies that bind them to each other. tragedies, usually, of their own making. you'll be able to read a little more about these characters in the sandbox love request, which i promise is coming!! there is a doc in the works with more information + a plot server, so expect to be part of those things if you take one of these babes!

○ his secretary. in the past he's helped her out with something legally and she's kind of in his debt, though he insists time and time again she owes him nothing of the sort. i figured it'd be something along the lines of strong holding an ex-boyfriend or husband who wouldn't leave her alone (making her miserable, or something like refusing to pay child support he'd been ordered to pay, dragging her name through the mud, etc. general nuisances to nip in the bud/bad behavior in need of correcting before they became worse as they usually do. you get the idea), because that's notoriously right up his alley. likely using non-legal means to get there; intimidation is sort of his thing. and while he may not be the type of boss or co-worker who meets you for drinks after you clock out, he does have an affection for every single one of his employees and seeing as how she works with him the most, she'd be near the top of that list. maybe she was intimidated by him in the beginning and now she knows he's not everything he appears to be. and they have an understanding.

○ the weight of his guilt. [cw: murder. this will come much later in the plot!] the winthorpes are a family on two very extremes of a type of people. [the bastard] is his cousin on his father's side, a wayward little sister who got knocked up by someone unbefitting of the family and then marrying someone worse by their standards when the father got himself put away over an affair or something just as unbecoming. ashley was always raised closely with [the bastard], his father's hope to sway the boy of many wasted talents to the right side of the family, to make something of himself. but he's a product of his lineage. and only ever finds situations for ash to get him out of. eventually, [the bastard] who he will murder, cold and bloody and bury at the base of an old oak tree will disappear. and ashley's guilt will cause him to reach out. as far as anyone knew, they were the best of friends. always together (even if that relationship was practically handwrought by his father, and he had little-to-no patience for his cousin's antics). it'll be only natural that he come by every now and again to check on them, show care, help fix up things around the house that [the bastard] would have if he were still around. because it'll ultimately be ash's fault he's gone. partially. [the bastard] will deserve what he gets and no one who'll know will be able to convince him anything otherwise, but his family didn't deserve the fallout that came after. maybe a parent or sibling or someone [the bastard] claimed to love while making his way through the female population of miriam's well.

○ the other two winthrope children. they're expected to be upstanding citizens to combat the trash reputation the other winthrope side creates. father is one of a long line of lawyers (with a main practice just outside of town, ashley's secondary office in mw because he prefers it here) and mother is a homemaker whose extracurriculars might as well be solid, paying jobs. they have three children together; ashley (being the oldest son), a daughter magnolia (and the only girl -- taken by sage), and the youngest son, credence (who is very likely expected to join the family business, like ashley). i don't expect anyone to make the parents even though that would be incredible? but they all still have rooms at their home in rosebush hill drive to use at their leisure. it wouldn't at all be out of the question that some of the children still live there -- especially the daughter if she's unwed. they're very old fashioned southern that way. they do these big family events where everyone is expected to participate, go on vacations and holidays together, and church on sundays regardless of your personal beliefs on the matter (that you had very well better keep to yourself if they don't align, ashley has learned). their grandfather also lives in the family house after losing grandma a few years back.

[kabira]

07 | trust issues

pairing — spider-man!vernon x ofc

featuring — joshua, yeji (itzy), felix (skz), yangyang (nct)

word count — 3k

genres — spider-man au, marvel au, fluff, action, angst, humor

warnings — violence

go to fic masterlist | main masterlist

Vernon swung over the busy street that led towards Central Park, disgruntled by the surprise subunit. Nova flew alongside him, just a few feet before him—he could probably fly a lot faster, but Vernon knew he was flying this close to him purposefully, letting him know that Nova would always be faster than Spider-Man.

God, the little things about this kid irritated him even more than the big stuff.

He spotted Shocker through the trees, the lining of his suit glinting like gold in the afternoon sunlight. The villain raised his gauntlets and slammed them into the ground with a yell, making it vibrate with the frequency of his sonic blasts. Vernon flipped in mid-air, perching on the branch of a tree out of his blast radius.

“So what’s the sitch?” Yangyang asked, hovering next to him, and Vernon cast a glance around. Terrorizing civilians seemed like a bit of a stretch since there weren’t really many civilians around, and those that were had managed to find a place that was protected from the blasts. The cops had been driven back by the blasts, and the few shots they took were easily deflected by the energy discharges.

The ground shook with every hit, but since Shocker was on hard-packed earth instead of concrete, most of the force was absorbed. The terrain was cracked in places, deep trenches left in the dry ground from the explosions. The few people in the area had been driven up the bridge, but Vernon didn’t like their chances—Shocker might not have intended to hurt them, but he was getting dangerously close. One misdirected blast was all it would take to topple the side holding up the bridge.

“Stay out of range of the vibro-shock gauntlets,” Vernon told him. It wasn’t the kind of crime that required their immediate, undivided attention, since Shocker didn’t seem to be doing any real damage, but who knew how long that mood would last? “They might look easy to dodge, but they’re actually pretty deadly and have a large discharge radius, so steer clear of them. Try to stay off the ground.”

“And the takedown?” Even though he wasn’t happy about being stuck with Nova on this mission, Vernon was still pleased to see that at least the guy was listening to him.

“I’ll web him up, hang him upside down from a tree or something,” Vernon replied. “You should fly up there first, distract him so I can get up close.”

“Why do that when I can just take him out with one blast?” Nova muttered, and Vernon shot him a dark look. “But I don’t want to get back to school that early, so we’ll do it your way. This guy sure looks like he could use some fun.”

Vernon pursed his lips, not feeling so sure. He wanted to say that it wasn’t like Shocker to behave so erratically, but that would probably just make him sound like an idiot—how was anyone supposed to know what normal behavior was for a criminal?

“Go,” he breathed, and Nova shot from his side like a rocket—a human rocket, as he often liked to describe himself. He was on Shocker in a second, zipping around him like an annoying, oversized fly, getting all up in his personal space and confusing him. Shocker’s face was covered, hiding his expressions, but from the rigid lines of his body Vernon could tell the guy was getting pissed. He took his chance, diving off the branch and executing a low swing worthy of Tarzan, kicking Shocker in the chest with both feet and sending him flying into a tree behind, which cracked and splintered under the blunt force.

“Oh, Herman, Herman,” he tutted, as Shocker righted himself with an angered yell. Vernon moved with the speed and grace of a—well, a spider, dodging a powerful blast from his gauntlets by executing a perfect helical flip. “Haven’t you learned the hard way that fighting back is only going to make it hurt worse?”

“Spider-Man!” Shocker yelled, booting up his gauntlets, which glowed like lamplights from the charge.

“Yes, of course, who else would it be?” he asked, webbing the overhead branches and pulling himself up to avoid the incoming blasts. “Did you really think I was going to leave you here all by yourself?”

“If you’re so smart, you should have known to stay out of my way!” Shocker said, sending a concentrated blast his way. Vernon rolled out of the way, coming up in a crouch.

“I didn’t say I was smart, you did,” he said, flipping back onto his feet. “What’s gotten into you, Herman? I didn’t take you to be the terrorizing type.” He avoided another blast by leaning far right. “Why are you doing this? For funsies?”

He had succeeded in drawing Shocker away from the bridge, but the clearing was too small for Shocker’s blast radius. Vernon couldn’t contain him within the safe zone for long. “Nova!” he yelled. “Get the civilians out of the way! I’ll handle this guy.”

Nova jerked his head into a nod, flying towards the bridge to evacuate the trapped people. Vernon’s spider sense tingled, but he was too late to react—a blast caught him in the chest, sending him flying into the underbrush. He coughed out the air in his lungs, and pushed himself to his feet. Ow, ow, ow.

“You should know better,” Shocker said. His gauntlets glowed again, and Vernon’s eyes widened under the mask as he raised them both towards him, the light as blinding as direct headlights.

Nova swooped in out of the air, snatching Shocker up like a bird snatching up a worm (or maybe that was a bad analogy).

“Boring!” Nova yelled, carrying Shocker higher up in the air, preparing for a good old drop to let gravity do the rest of the work. Shocker twisted, jamming his fists towards the boy’s chest and sending a shockwave through him. Nova cried out in surprise, going flying through the air in the opposite direction and ending up dropping Shocker, who righted himself by aiming a blast towards the ground at the right angle, giving himself enough of a boost to be able to land on his feet.

Not too helpful, though, because before he had a chance to celebrate the little victory, Spider-Man was upon him, webbing his fists to his chests in a cross like an empty-handed mummy, if wearing highly enhanced vibro-shock gauntlets counted as being empty-handed. Vernon webbed the nearest tree trunk, pulling himself and the incapacitated Shocker along with him by jerking at his webstrings.

“It isn’t like you to behave this way,” he said, pulling himself up to a branch. He webbed Shocker’s body, turning him in the air with the torsion of each pull, until he had him all wrapped up like a caterpillar like a cocoon, leaving only his head out. Vernon lowered himself upside-down to face the man, cocking his head inquisitively. “Aw, come on, you can tell me. I can keep a secret.”

“You’re blind, Spider-Man,” Shocker spat.

Nova reappeared next to him, scowling under the mask. “Come on, web-head,” he said. “Leave the information-extraction to the experts. Bad guys never tattle.”

“Oh, you don’t know about us,” Vernon said, shaking his head. “We go way back.” He leaned closer to Shocker. “Don’t we, Herman?” He chuckled. “Remember the first time I stopped you from robbing a bank? Good times, good times.”

Instead of answering, Shocker thrashed around in the web trap, which was pointless, of course. Vernon sighed, dropping to the ground upright, and looked up at the dangling man who was now writhing like fish bait on a hook.

“Guess you’re not in the mood to talk,” he said, keeping the note of disappointment in his voice. “Maybe the Big House will fix that for you.”

“The Big House?” Nova scoffed. “This guy barely belongs in a regular prison. How long did the fight take? Ten minutes?” He shook his head. “Are all your villains this lame?”

Vernon shot him a look that he obviously couldn’t see through his mask. “You haven’t seen a single good one yet,” he said. “My villains are dangerous.”

“Oh, yeah?” Nova barked out a laugh. “Like that one guy with a huge hot glue gun? What was his name, Trapman?”

“Trapster.”

Nova snorted. “Yeah. Real dangerous.”

Vernon rolled his eyes. “I’d like to see you handle being stuck to a wall with the same disgusting gunk that’s leaked down your pants,” he said. “It’s not always so much about danger as it is about being able to handle the grossness.”

Nova grinned, obviously not believing him. “Whatever you say.”

“I’m not messing around,” he said seriously. “Can you imagine doing a stakeout mission in the sewer, waiting for a truck-sized human-lizard hybrid to come out? Not everyone has that kind of patience and tolerance.”

“Yeah, because they don’t need to have it,” Nova said. “My villains aren’t geckos.”

Vernon gave up, waiting for the authorities to arrive and pick Shocker up instead of gracing him with an answer. Shocker had gone limp, but remained silent as stone. Vernon regarded him contemplatively, still unconvinced by the tough intimidation act.

Something was definitely up.

At the end of the team’s usual briefing in the Helicarrier that day, Vernon pulled Nick Fury aside. “Uh, Agent Fury, sir?” he asked in a low voice, casting a precarious glance at his teammates, who were in the middle of leaving. Yeji, last in the line, looked back at him questioningly, but he shook his head minutely. She raised an eyebrow, but left. “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” the agent said, in the process of shutting down the holographic display system. He looked up when Vernon didn’t answer. “What is it, Spider-Man?”

“This might sound like a stupid question,” he started hesitantly, “but do you know if Norman Osborn is secure?”

Fury gave him a searching look, movements slowing somewhat as he took in the question. “Of course,” he said. “Norman Osborn is nice and locked-up in the Raft.”

“And he hasn’t shown any…Goblin-y tendencies?”

Fury’s curious look intensified. “Not so far, no,” he said. “Look, kid, I’m only telling you this because you put him in there and deserve to know what’s happened to him, but I can’t release any sensitive details about his capture. Just enough that you can sleep tight at night knowing he isn’t breaking out anytime soon.”

“Thanks,” Vernon said half-heartedly. “But I just wanted to know if the OZ levels in his blood were—normal.”

“That’s what his scheduled test runs say,” he replied. “Parker, you don’t need to worry about him anymore. If there are any abnormalities, S.H.I.E.L.D. will take care of them. Rest easy.”

“And if he gets out?”

“Long shot.” Fury leaned against the table, frowning at him. “Kid, is there something you want to tell me?”

Vernon hesitated, thinking back to the Shocker incident. Herman Schultz’s behavior showed all the symptoms of a man under threat from a higher authority, and the last time he’d seen that happen was under Norman Osborn. Any irregularities were to be reported, since the city had only come back to normal recently after repeated attacks from multiple supervillains, but Vernon wasn’t sure if deviant behavior from a low-level criminal counted.

Plus, Fury had only just begun to hand him bigger responsibilities, and he didn’t want to destroy all that buildup by giving him a false lead as a result of Goblin-induced paranoia.

“Nope, just wondering,” he replied, pressing his lips into what he hoped was a believable smile. “You know, one of those things.”

The man gave him an unconvinced look, but let it go. Vernon turned back and exited the briefing room as casually as he could. The doors slid shut behind him as he stepped into the hallway, plunging him in a dimmed lighting. He exhaled, mind buzzing with thoughts.

“Norman Osborn, huh?”

Vernon turned, finding Felix leaning against the wall next to the door. He straightened as Vernon faced him. “Don’t tell me you honestly expected him to believe you,” he said, talking about Fury. “No person asks about their supervillains unless they’re worried about a comeback. What did you see?”

Vernon sighed, realizing there was no point in trying to hide his doubts from Felix. “Nothing substantial,” he answered, starting to walk down the corridor. Felix followed him. “Just some everyday robber acting out.”

“That Shocker guy you and Nova turned in today?” Felix asked, and Vernon nodded. “Why?”

“Scaring civilians for no reason…it’s just not like him,” Vernon said. “He does what he does for money, not just to strike fear into people’s hearts. Well, I guess that’s an added bonus at times,” he added, “but doing that without making money along the way doesn’t seem like something he would do.”

“So you think he was hired to take you out.”

“Not exactly…” Vernon turned the mask over in his hands, thinking. It was hard to put into words, but the sense of oncoming danger was there, like a very general, very muted version of his spider sense. The problem was, he didn’t know how to explain that to Felix. Not everyone understood how it worked. “He seemed kind of reluctant to kill me, too.”

Felix gave him an amused look. “You’re upset because a villain gave you the brush-off?”

“Very funny,” he said, but his heart wasn’t in it. “I kept thinking that was being threatened or something. Now, what for, I couldn’t say, but—”

“I get it. It’s like intuition,” Felix said, and Vernon nodded. “What does that have to do with Norman Osborn?”

“If you’ve seen him in his Goblin form, you’ve probably noticed that he can be very threatening,” he said. “But he couldn’t be behind this, because he’s in a maximum-security prison with zero contact with the outside world.”

“But you think he is.”

“I can’t think of anyone else who’d want to do this, since he’s been the only one who’s ever operated in this particular way. But I guess there’s no shortage of people who want to kill me.”

“So he’s tried to get small-time criminals to kill Spider-Man before,” Felix said. “Doesn’t sound to me like a good judge of strength.”

“To kill Vernon Parker, actually,” Vernon corrected. “He kind of…knows my identity.”

Felix frowned. “He unmasked you?”

Vernon stopped close to the end of the corridor, glancing back to see if there was anyone around, but the place was empty. Fury had probably taken a left. “Do you know how I became Spider-Man?” he asked Felix.

“Didn’t you get bitten by a radioactive spider?”

“It was an Oscorp experiment, bonding OZ to spider DNA,” Vernon said. “One of the test spiders escaped while I was touring the facility with my class, and bit me. The enhanced spider DNA bonded with mine, giving me powers. Except here’s the thing—Norman Osborn knew.”

“He did?”

“Him, and a couple of other scientists working on the OZ formula,” he said. “Figured it out by taking a sample of my blood while I was on watch in the hospital. He took the same formula and bonded it to his own DNA to enhance himself, but it messed with his brain.” Vernon studied a tiny web in the corner of the ceiling. Spiders, even up here in a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier hundreds of feet in the air. “He told me all of this just moments before accidentally killing Harry. Turned himself in when he realized what he had done.”

“Oh.” There was a short, awkward pause. Felix came to stand beside him, following his gaze up to the tiny spiderweb in the corner. “I’m sorry.”

Vernon shook his head, turning away from the web. “It wasn’t your fault.”

They stood in silence for a few moments before Felix spoke up again. “Tell you what,” he said, making Vernon raise his eyebrows. “I’ll ask Yeji to look up both Shocker and that Rhino guy in the S.H.I.E.L.D. database. We’ll go over his record later, see if he has anything to do with Norman Osborn. If something comes up, we’ll report it to Fury. You don’t have that spider intuition for nothing.”

Vernon cracked a smile. “You mean my spider sense.”

“Same difference.” Felix smiled back, but it dropped from his face just as quickly. “Hey, I almost forgot to ask—did you tell that Joshua guy who you are?”

Vernon winced, sheepishly massaging the back of his neck. “Maybe,” he said, then added hastily, “But I was going to tell you soon.”

“Never mind that,” Felix muttered. “He figured out our identities already.”

“He told you that?” he asked, trying his hardest to suppress a smile.

“I’m pretty sure there’s some kind of protocol about it,” Felix said, “but I’m not sure. Plus, it’s one of those things you gotta deal with yourself, you know? I’m not great with the whole secret identity thing because Iceman is a public figure, but not that I’m some kind of undercover agent—” He shivered, which was a bit ironic, because Iceman and all. “You know being out could get me killed, right?”

“Because of your supervillains?”

“No, because mutant-haters.” He gave Vernon a meaningful look. “Like that girl Liz Allan in History.”

“Nah, that one’s all bark no bite,” Vernon said. “Besides, Josh isn’t going to tell anybody. He kept my Spider-Man secret for a year and still going strong.”

Felix looked at him curiously. “You trust him that much?”

“I’ve known him for years,” the brunet answered confidently. “I’d trust him with my life.”

“Well, if that’s what you think,” Felix said, “then that’s good enough for me.”

[smolthealmighty]

Spinaraki Week Level 2 Day 1: Chase

Give Myself To You

When Spinner had the idea to visit his hometown and show off his old hideaways to Tomura, he thought it would be romantic. He could turn these sad places where he went to cry into secluded havens where he could spend some quality alone time with the love of his life, and do something he's wanted to do since their third date. He was not expecting a neon orange pickup truck to interrupt the date by hurtling towards them at high speed.

In which Spinner's old bullies want to run him over with their truck, Tomura wants to beat the shit out of them for daring to try, and Spinner just wants to pop the question.

~~~~~

This was not how this date was supposed go. Spinner just wanted to show his boyfriend around his hometown, give him a tour of all the isolated spots he would hide away in before he eventually shut himself up inside the Iguchi house. It was gonna be a nice romantic getaway, where the places he associated with some of his worst memories could be re-contextualized as he turned them into secluded little havens where he could woo his boyfriend –and eventually propose to him– in peace.

There they were, sitting together at the edge of the forest that semi-surrounded the town, watching the sun start to set over the hilly meadow that lay below them. Tomura was fully relaxed for once, leaning heavily on his boyfriend as he reminisced about the utter disaster that was the one time they tried to go clubbing, while Spinner was mustering up his courage and fidgeting with the rings in his jacket’s pocket. Just as he turned to face Tomura and was about to start the speech he had been revising in his mind since –admittedly– their third date, he saw the unmistakable neon orange pickup truck that belonged to Spinner’s worst nightmares, Nōtarin, Iyaga, and Rase, speeding in the background. And the truck was gunning straight for them!

“Oh no.”

“Hm, what do you mean ‘oh no’?” asked Tomura, who also uttered an “oh no” once Spinner pointed towards the truck that was now only a hundred meters away. With reflexes that were still etched into his bones after years of dealing with the trio, Spinner clutched his boyfriend close and launched the both of them down the hill in a barrel roll, barely missing the thick tires of the truck as it blew past them.

“What the hell was that shit?” yelled Tomura, as Spinner shot up, grabbed his hand, and lead them towards one of the few trees that dotted the meadow.

“Those are the assholes I told you about, the ones who always went after me. One of them must’ve seen me and recognized me, and now they’re picking back up from where we last left off!”

“You last left off with them trying to turn you into roadkill?!”

As they ducked into the hollow, a chorus of brash voices with heavy country accents boomed across the meadow.

“Shuichi, you purse designer’s wet dream! Why don’t you let us mount your lizard head to the wall like the hunting trophy you are!”

“Nōtarin, I saw someone with him, hey gecko geek, do you mind if we mount your friend too?”

“Damn Iyaga, keep it in your pants. Though to be fair, compared to talon-hands you’d probably be a better fit!”

At this point Tomura was already struggling against Spinner to march out of the hollow and wreak vengeance. “C’mon Spinner, I’ll mount their heads on our base’s wall!”

“Would you just gimme a sec to cool down a bit?!” Tomura relented and stopped squirming, letting Spinner hold him as he tried to stop trembling.

“Ugh, I swear, they always know how to get under my skin. And I really thought I’d be over them by now.”

Tomura turned to face Spinner and squeezed him back, taking his boyfriend’s scaly beak and pressing it into his scarred neck. “You’ll be alright. You’re just a little stuck, I’m right here if you need a push you know.”

Spinner sighed as he nuzzled the curve of Tomura’s shoulder. “I know I’m not the pinnacle of dating material but damn, people can have different tastes.”

Tomura snorted, “Oh please, as if those hillbilly bitches know anything about ‘good taste’. If your loyalty and empathy for empty husks like me aren’t enough to prove ‘em wrong, then you having the muscles to be able to wield a giant ‘fuck you’ sword should’ve done the job. The fact they can’t see any of that just shows that their IQ scores are all in the negatives.”

Looking up and seeing Tomura’s self-assured smile, the smile graced his face whenever he was so sure that he was right, knowing that he truly believed that his boyfriend was really all that, melted Spinner’s heart into a puddle of goo.

“Marry me.”

Maybe melted it a little too much.

“Huh?”

Realizing what just came out of his mouth, Spinner blushed violently and tried to start some damage control. “Uh shoot I mean um-”

“Hey Nōtarin, let’s ram into that tree! I think I hear them over there!”

Hearing that brought Spinner back to his senses, and he dragged Tomura out of the hollow, Nōtarin swerving just enough to only nick one of the headlights off the truck before resuming the chase.

“Son of a bitch, I had it all planned out and I messed it up!”

“Had what planned out?” asked Tomura, still in a whirl from what he was pretty sure he heard Spinner blurt just seconds ago.

“You know what, it’s fine, I’ll just do it on the fly. Follow me!”

They booked it across the meadow, Spinner weaving them around the hidden hills and valleys camouflaged beneath the waist-high grass. The truck kept slowly gaining on them, but the constant bangs and thumps of the truck bouncing against the uneven ground and the arguing between the driver and his passengers betrayed how little the tormentors knew about the terrain.

“Dammit, stay still you lizard-fuck!”

“Nah, let him keep running. Makes the chase more exciting!”

“Maybe if you’d gotten your driver’s license, you’d actually be able to hit him Nōtarin!”

“Fuck off Rase!”

Jumping over a particularly thick mud puddle, Spinner finally began the speech that had been previously interrupted.

“I’m sure you already know that I fell for you pretty fast-”

“Understatement of the year, but I’m not one to talk.”

The neon orange paint was splattered with mud, with the new coat of brown getting bigger as the wheels spun, sluggishly making its way through the puddle.

Spinner laughed breathlessly as he continued, “-yeah, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able put how much the love you gave me in return means to me into words. I couldn’t do it even if the ocean was made of ink and the earth was paper, it just wouldn’t be enough.”

“Shuichi…”

“And, well, since I can’t use words, I thought I’d show my devotion with some kind of gift, but I don’t really have much to give you except myself. Still, I’ll give that to you for the rest of my life if you want it.”

By this point they had stopped just a few feet in front of a moss-covered boulder, one that blended in with the green grass and was in the direct pathway of the truck that continued driving towards them at top speed.

Ignoring the oncoming truck, Spinner took Tomura’s other hand into his own, and softly asked, “Tomura, will you marry me?”

The truck hit the rock, skyrocketing up and over the couple. The screams of the driver and his passengers fell on deaf ears as Tomura gazed into bright, cherry-petal eyes and answered the proposal:

“You’re more than enough for me, you’re more than I could ever dream of asking for. Of course I’ll marry you.”

Not even a moment after he accepted, a loud crash echoed across the meadow as the truck collided with the ground, flipping over as it did so. The bullies were quick to exit the wreck and make their way towards the still lovestruck duo to attack them. It was a farce from the start, the newly established fiancés barely paying them any attention as they began to brawl.

“Look at you all smiley and shit,” said Tomura as he kicked Rase across the field.

“Why wouldn’t I be all smiles? I’m gonna get to marry to the love of my life! You should see your face right now, looks like your smile’s gonna split your face in two with how big it is!” exclaimed Spinner, dodging Nōtarin’s sluggish punches with ease.

“Touché, fiancé. I bet you’ve already got a plan for everything that comes next, you gooey romantic.”

“Well, I was thinking we could have a small ceremony, just us and the league. Nothing too fancy, we’d just do the vows, ring exchange, ‘I do’s’, and sealing it with a kiss, all within fifteen minutes tops. That way we can splurge on the reception, the best music-” Nōtarin screamed as his arm was sliced by Spinner’s hunting knife.

“-the most delicious food and drinks-” Nōtarin gurgled as the knife ran through his neck.

“-and a cake so big that’ll make everyone sick. We’d just have to grab someone to officiate the thing and make it official.”

“We can get Giran to do it, he’s got just enough connections that he could make it happen.” Iyaga howled as his chest caved in.

“And for the honeymoon, I was thinking about taking a joyride on the coastline. We could stock up the van and make stops at all the beaches, and maybe get rid of a few heroes along the way if we’re up for it.”

“That sounds good to me, I’m certainly looking forward to having some fun alone time to ourselves!” Tomura cried happily, as Rase joined Iyaga in the pile of dust that lay at his feet.

~

By the time they came down from the high of the fight, the sun was dipping below the tree line, Tomura and Spinner sprawled out next to each other on the bloodstained earth.

“Ah shit,” said Tomura, “I just realized that there goes my future date idea of murdering your hometown bullies.”

Spinner chuckled at his fiancé’s annoyed tone, “That’s okay, we only murdered a couple of them. Next time we can take down the town leaders who encouraged everything, make a day out of it.”

“Hmm, alright, but I’m planning it. It’s only fair.”

Satisfied, Spinner let out a sigh before suddenly sitting up. “Oh right, I gotcha these,” he said as he pulled the rings out of his pocket.

“It’s just a pair of those plastic rings from the arcade we went to a while back, but I figure we’re not gonna wear these for too long because they’re just engagement rings. We can rob a jewelry store together to pick out the wedding rings.”

“Sounds perfect,” said Tomura, as they each took turns slipping the rings onto each other’s fingers. Taking a second to let the presence of a ring on his finger sink in, Tomura smiled and said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful that Re-Destro only snapped off my first three fingers.”

“Well, that’s one way to say you’re happy to be engaged,” Spinner joked.

“Hm. Then I’ll say it more romantically, just for you.” This time, it was Tomura who took Spinner’s hands into his own as he spoke his piece:

“Shuichi, you are one thing in this world that I could never hate, and the only person I will ever promise myself to. I’ll do whatever it takes to give you the life you want to live. I love you, and I’ll continue to love you until the stars grow cold, and even after that.”

If that speech hadn’t already swept Spinner off his feet, then the deep kiss Tomura initiated sent his heart skyward with how much it fluttered. When they both came down to earth, they went about flipping the thoroughly beat-up truck right side up, and as the last rays of sunlight disappeared beneath the horizon, the newly engaged couple drove off into the ink and lavender sky.

[beware-of-you-98]

henry’s dragon (jj x emily)

there’s a lot of reptile talk and i’m only slightly sorry about it

It's not that they hadn't been expecting the question; after all, a pet had been on his most recent wish-list to Santa Claus. It wasn't that they didn't think Henry was irresponsible: he got fantastic grades in school, kept up with his sports and helped out enough around the house. He was even the one that took up most of the chores when it came to Sergio (he insisted). Really, there was no doubt in their minds that their son wouldn't take responsibility in taking care of another animal.

But it was too soon, and neither Emily or JJ wanted to start a habit of buying an animal on such short notice without instilling some kind of boundaries.

First and foremost, since everyone at the house had busy schedules, the new pet couldn't be something that require attention 24/7.

No mammals or birds—nothing that would be affected by significant spending some time alone.

Since the boys time was split between two houses, the animal had to be something that either JJ or Emily could easily take care of in Henry's absence.

No spiders or bugs and it had to fit in an enclosure that they capped off at 50 gallons—hey, they had to draw the line somewhere.

After months and months of researching, Henry finally decided between either a corn snake (only if it was on frozen thawed mice), a crested gecko, or a leopard gecko. Last week for his eleventh birthday, JJ and Emily had surprised him with a twenty gallon tank that would house either animal of his choice quite comfortably for a while and several necessities like a heating pad and a basking light and bulb.

To top everything off, Spencer and Penelope had surprised the boy with tickets to a reptile show that was taking place the following weekend so he could go and pick out his new pet.

(Whatever Henry decided to get, he could also get the appropriate hides, water bowls and supplements with the money his grandparents had given him.

Emily and JJ collectively agreed to pay for the animal as an additional birthday gift.)

They had both been immediately thrown out of their element when they walked into the convention center lobby and found people crowded around the hundreds upon hundreds of tables full of different animals.

"Look, momma, a dinosaur!"

Emily peers up briefly to follow the direction Michael is pointing in with a fond grin, an amused chuckle escaping her mouth as her gaze lands on the clear acrylic tank with a colorful lizard basking under a heat lamp. The blue sharpie on the tank advertises the species in quick-scrawled handwriting: "Uromastyx". Right below the name lists the price in smaller, more legible numbers: "$225".

She hums, giving Michael's ankles a gentle squeeze as she adjusts her hold to keep him from toppling off her shoulders or over her head. The lizard's face can really only be described as dinosaur like, face round and snout short and stubby with tiny black eyes that reflect the light from the bulb above. The animal's scales are mostly bright blue and green, bright yellow and orange spots stamped down the spine, visually leading to a long tail covered in stubbed spikes.

"It does look like a dinosaur, doesn't it?" she agrees with another chuckle, turning her head and resting her hand on Henry's shoulder when he comes bounding up to join them at the table, JJ not too far behind. "What do you think, Hen? You want to adopt a dinosaur?"

Henry pushes his glasses up his nose, eyes lighting up in excitement as he catches a glimpse of the lizard. "An ornate Uromastyx, cool!" he exclaims before turning back towards his mothers. "Did you know they have basking spots of up to 135°?"

A brief pause as he thinks, head tilting up to look at the ceiling. He scrunches his nose and giggles when JJ playfully sticks her tongue out at him.

"And they're mostly herbivores!" he adds as soon as he remembers.

JJ gives his shoulder a loving squeeze before glancing over at the tank. "It is a pretty lizard," she admits.

"It's too expensive," Henry shrugs, not too affected by the fact he probably would be leaving without the Uromastyx. "And I didn't research them enough. Besides, he would out grow the tank I have at home and I don't have the right things for him," he reasons.

A young woman working the booth shoots the family a polite smile before walking over. "Hey, there! Can I help you guys with anything?"

"No, thank you," Henry declines politely. "We're just looking!"

"Interested in Uros?" the woman asks Henry in attempts at conversation.

"They're neat!" he nods enthusiastically. "But not really for beginners."

The woman smiles, looking impressed. "From what I overheard, someone did their research." She glances up at Emily and JJ, politely offering her hand. "I'm Courtney," she introduces herself.

"Jennifer," JJ replies, shaking Courtney's hand with her practiced "liaison" smile, grazing her free hand in Henry's hair as she briefly introduces him, "Henry," before resting it on Emily's side. "My wife, Emily, and Michael."

"Hi," is Michael's shy greeting, lifting his hand before resting his chin on top of Emily's head as the brunette shakes Courtney's hand.

"Pleasure meeting you. First time here?" Courtney guesses with a knowing smile.

"Uh-huh!" Henry nods.

"Neither of us never been to one of these before," JJ explains. "We're not really sure where we're going."

Courtney nods in understanding, reaching under the table and pulling out a small stack of maps with the vendors and tables located on it. "This should help you guys out!"

Emily takes one of the maps, flipping i over and scanning the schedule on the back before giving the woman a grateful smile. "Thank you!"

"Not a problem at all," Courtney assures. "These can get a bit overwhelming the first time around. What are you guys looking for?"

"Geckos!" Henry supplies. "Or corn snakes."

"You'll find plenty of those around here," Courtney smiles at him before leaning in towards the family and muttering softly, "Between you and me, don't buy from that guy." She points to a vendor on the map.

"Bad rap?" JJ assumes.

"Sells sick, over priced animals," Courtney confirms just as softly. "Best vendors for geckos usually sell here..." She points to another space on the map. "And this group right here," She uses her pointer finger to gesture to a few vendors a few tables down. "Sell snakes that only eat frozen thawed, if that's something you're looking for."

JJ lets out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you so much."

Courtney shakes her head and holds up her palms with a warm smile. "Hey, not a problem at all. Just wanted to give you guys a heads up." She hands Henry one of the business cards and a sticker from the table. "You get some more experience with reptiles and ever want to get a Uromastyx, you know where to find us."

"Thank you!"

"You folks enjoy the show!" Courtney waves them away, giving them all warm smiles before heading off down the table to greet another person at the table.

"This place is awesome!" Henry exclaims, spreading out his arms to gesture around the room, eyes shining with glee.

JJ tears her gaze away from a massive Burmese python spotted like a cow, smiling down at the child and nodding in agreement. "It's something else."

"I'll say," Emily murmurs, turning the map in her hands with a small frown, bringing it closer to her face to make sure she's reading correctly. "Hey, Hen, what are "hots"?" She peers down at him, stopping briefly when they come across a table covered in plastic containers sealed shut with red electrical tape. One look at a container holding a white diamond back rattlesnake and she lets out a silent "oh" in realization. "These must be hots."

"Whoa!" Henry gasps in wonder, but stays back where he is. "Cool!"

JJ rests a hand on his shoulder, peering over him at the hundreds of venomous reptiles displayed on the table. A part of her is honestly surprised with how easily someone could come here and purchase some of the deadliest animals on earth. She personally doesn't see the appeal, but hey, to each their own.

"Am I crazy..." Emily leans in towards JJ's face and murmurs. "Or are some of these things kind of adorable?" she continues, discreetly pointing to a container labeled "gaboon viber".

The snake itself is gorgeous, short, stocky body curled over in a "C" shape. Bright orange, yellow and brown diamonds line down the serpent's back. The eyes are positioned almost directly on top of its head, one looking towards the right and the other facing the complete opposite direction. The goofy eyes, along with the chubby cheeks (most likely swollen with the venom glands) and a small horn at the tip of its nose make the snake look like a funny cartoon character.

"No, they're definitely cute," JJ easily agrees, finding another snake in a clear container with black electrical tape. The lid labels the snake inside as a "plains hognose". This snake has the same chubby cheeks as the viper and a little upturned snout, with eyes JJ can really only describe as "puppy like". "In a weird way."

"Moms, can I get a cobra?"

Glaring playfully at Henry, who points to a white monocled cobra with a shit eating grin on his face, JJ smirks, "You most certainly can not get a cobra!" 

Emily reaches over and ruffles Henry's hair when he pouts in exaggeration. "Sorry, babe, your mom's the boss." She drops her voice a few octaves, smile light and teasing as she faux whispers, "Between me and you boys, I would have totally been okay with a cobra as long as you cleaned up after it."

JJ gently whacks Emily's side with the back of her hand, grinning when the brunette grabs her hand and links their fingers together. "Don't conspire with the kids to get venomous reptiles behind my back," she chides playfully.

"Busted, boys. No cobras," Emily sighs dramatically, her own smile wide when Michael giggles from above at her. "What a shame, too. I was going to name him Mr Sparkles."

"Mr Sparkles?!" Michael repeats incredulously between giggles.

"Yep, Mr Sparkles," Emily confirms firmly, grinning as they walk down the table and inspect more of the animals. "I was going to buy him a little leather jacket studded in rhinestones and everything."

"You're so weird!" Henry laughs, shaking his head before leaning into Emily, resting against her arm as they move.

"Proudly!" She grins, heart feeling so incredibly full with Henry leaning on her, Michael above on her shoulder and with JJ at her side. It felt right, so simple and so domestic to be like this. It's as if this was where she was meant to be all along. She feels even more content when JJ leans up and presses a soft kiss to her cheek as if to silently confess her own happiness.

It's perfect.

The family steadily makes their way down the rows and row of vendors, stopping every so often when specific animals catch their eye. There's a small vendor selling small exotic mammals that they spend a while at because the woman running the booth has a sugar glider on her shoulder. Michael and JJ are completely transfixed on the small animal, even more so when it decides to hop on top of JJ's head. She squeaks in surprise, while Emily and the boys laugh, the brunette quickly whipping out her phone to record a video to send to the team group chat later.

They stop at another vendor selling sulcata tortoises a few minutes later, the vendors allowing the boys to feed the giants a few leaves of romaine lettuce (another video recorded, but this time for Penelope because Emily and JJ know she would want to see as much of this as possible next girl's night).

It's nice to see how interactive some of the vendors are with the boys. Some allow them to pet certain display animals and talk to them about each one. Michael yelps in surprise when he pets a large tegu because the lizard flicks its tongue out lazily at the boy. Henry is a bit wary of a scaleless bearded dragon and corn snake, wrinkling his nose when he tentatively touches the animal with the vendor's approval.

("It looks like a ball sack," Emily whispers to JJ, eyeing the animal with as much distain as Henry. "It probably feels like one, too." Her own nose wrinkles at the thought, but a smile forms on her face when her wife laughs at her. "What? It's true! Probably!"

“Touch it and find out,” JJ challenges, laughing again when Emily shudders at the thought.

“Yeah, no thanks. I’ll pass.”)

They take plenty of pictures and videos of the boys, mostly standing back and letting the boys enjoy themselves. Though, the boys do convince their moms to participate in petting or holding certain animals. It doesn't take JJ much convincing to hold a tiny banana ball python (she thinks it's really pretty) and a pied ball python whose body consists of huge white spots (she refuses to believe it's real because what?!?) that just fit in her palm. Emily gets suckered into holding a massive carpet python with Henry, tensing only slightly when the snake flicks its tongue in her face.

Henry keeps an eye out for his perfect pet, regarding some of the corn snakes and crested geckos at some vendors with some interest, but moves on otherwise. It's not until they get to a table with a vendor selling leopard geckos that he really pays attention.

Henry looks at the animals in the tupperware containers, each shallow cylindrical container slotted perfectly in a custom black foam board. It made a lot of the animals' colors pop, especially the bright yellow, orange and white geckos in the middle of the board. The women note how Henry's gaze keeps going back to the row with several of these white and yellow geckos, obviously having peeked his interest the most. The last gecko in the row is a stunning bright orange, the tail thick and animal alert. The green marker on top of the lid lists the gecko as a "sub-adult tangerine 25% het temper $75" with the symbol off to the side listing it as a male.

Emily kneels down beside him, peeking between Henry and the gecko. “What are you thinking?”

“He’s pretty,” Henry says in awe. “His tail is thick and he looks really healthy.”

“You guys need any help?” the young man running the booth asks, coming up towards them from behind the table.

“Can I ask a few things about him?” Henry asks, carefully pointing out the orange gecko.

The young man replies with a warm smile, nodding. “Sure, go ahead.”

Emily holds her palms up in a peaceful gesture, letting Henry take the reigns. She stands up behind him, reaching out and grasping JJ’s hand when she comes up to her side with Michael on her opposite hip. “What’s happening? Did he find one?”

Emily smiles fondly at Henry, who’s asking simple, yet crucial, questions about the gecko with the vendor. “Yeah, I think so,” she replies quietly to her wife. “He really likes the orange one.”

The conversation seems to flow naturally between Henry and the vendor, the man periodically peering up at the women to engage them in the conversation about the animal, too. He asks Henry a few questions, nodding in approval when he replies with the information he learned while researching leopard geckos. “That guy right there is one of the friendliest geckos we’ve produced,” the guy adds, nodding to the orange gecko. “Really handleable and calm.”

With that confirmation, Henry turns his hopeful gaze up to his moms, silent question in his eyes.

“You guys can buy him and we’ll hold him back here if you need to pick up some more things or want to look around more so you’re not carrying him around all day,” the vendor assures.

JJ rests her hand on Henry’s shoulder. “This guy, huh?” she asks softly to confirm his choice, small smile on her face.

“I really like him,” Henry confirms with a nod.

“That settles it then,” Emily grins, slipping her wallet from her back pocket and handing over the cash for the animal, sealing the deal.

Henry beams as the man takes the cash, carefully sliding the gecko from the foam board and setting the container behind the table. Henry throws his arms excitedly around both women. “Thanks, moms! You guys are the best!”

Emily smooths her hand through his hair lovingly, smiling warmly as JJ bends and plants a kiss on his forehead.

“You guys can come back here and get him when you’re ready,” the vendor confirms for them, picking up a business card and handing it off to Henry. “If you guys have any more questions or if anything pops up, give us a call and we’ll help out, okay?”

“Thank you!” Henry says genuinely, clutching the card tightly with a grin before turning and tugging on his moms towards the back of the hall.

“Thank you so much,” JJ repeats towards the vendor, smiling warmly at him before allowing Henry to tug her towards the vendors selling supplies.

“See you soon!” the man calls out, waving to them before tending to another customer.

They look around at some more vendors, Henry stopping at a few to buy what he still needs for his new gecko along the way. Michael’s back down on the ground, following his older brother with the same enthusiasm. The two chatter amongst themselves excitedly. JJ and Emily fall in step behind them, watching on with fond smiles that never seem to leave their face even as they leave the convention hall with a new addition to the family in tow.

Emily looks back in the rear view mirror at the boys, smiling to herself as they lean their heads together to look at the gecko in the container secured on Henry’s lap. She turns when JJ leans over and presses a kiss to her shoulder, linking their free hands together in the space between the front seats, a comfortable silence falling between them. The drive home is filled with the excited chatter of their boys from the backseat, the distinct scent of the fast food they had quickly picked up for an easy dinner swarming the car.

It’s oddly comfortable in a way, Emily thinks to herself as the sun starts to set over the horizon. She’s never felt more at peace than she is right now, listening to the boys chatter in the background and feeling the warmth her wife provides as she leans her head on her shoulder.

It’s dark out by the time they get home, just ten minutes until the boys’ bedtime.

Henry and Michael immediately bound up to Henry’s room, the older boy setting the container down gently. He puts the small coleny of dubia roaches into a critter keeper with the food and gel water cubes before setting them off the side. Then, he begins to put the finishing touches to the tank, adding the hides and a small, shallow dish that he fills with calcium powder. Emily trails behind, helping out any way she could and taking the bottle of water JJ hands off to her from behind to cap off the water bowl.

The two women take a seat on Henry’s bed, watching the boys as Henry carefully lifts the container and sets it in the tank. He opens the lid and removes it from the tank, snapping the lid back in place. “We gotta let him come out on his own and get used to it before we pick him up,” he softly tells his younger brother, taking a step back from the tank and joining his moms on the bed. He climbs up between them, smushing himself at their sides and leaning against them. Emily hoists Michael up on her lap, planting a kiss on his head as they all watch the gecko slowly climb out of the container and begin to explore his new environment.

JJ plants a kiss on Henry’s head, reaching over and laying a hand comfortingly on Michael’s back as he leans tiredly against Emily. “What do you think?”

“I love him already,” Henry admits quietly, eyes following his new pet as he explores his tank.

“What are you gonna name him?” Emily wonders, rubbing Michael’s back soothingly to convince him to go to sleep.

“Mr Sparkles,” the toddler tiredly mumbles, cracking a smile at his own joke.

Henry giggles, sounding just as tired as his brother. He lets out a yawn, letting his head lean against JJ’s side. He brings up his hand, moving his glasses out of the way to rub his eye with the back of his hand. “Smaug,” he decides sleepily. “His name is Smaug.”

JJ reaches down, carefully removing his glasses and setting them on his desk before running her fingers soothingly through his hair. “I think that’s a perfect name,” she murmurs.

Her eyes flicker back to the tank, watching the gecko until she feels Henry’s full weight leaning into her. She turns to Emily, who silently confirms with a nod that both boys are asleep. She shifts Michael in her arms, pressing a kiss to his cheek and cradling the bak of his head as she stands. JJ slowly moves herself from the bed, managing to grab Henry in her arms to move him up towards his pillows. She flicks off his bedside lamp, blinking in surprise when the basking light to the gecko’s tank also goes dark before remembering that it’s on a timer. She leans down, pressing a soft kiss to Henry’s forehead and murmuring an “I love you” on his skin before moving for Emily to do the same.

They shuffle out to Michael’s room, JJ carefully and quietly shutting Henry’s door behind her. The routine is the same with Michael, laying him down in his bed, giving him a kiss goodnight and murmuring quiet “I love you”s on his skin before sneaking out and closing the door behind them.

JJ leans up, pressing a tired, soft kiss on Emily’s lips in the middle of the hallway, hoping to convey even the smallest amount of affection she holds for her wife with the simple gesture. Emily gently cups her face between her palms, melting into the gesture as she always does. “I love you,” she hums quietly on the blonde’s lips, smiling wide when she feels JJ smile against her.

“I love you. So much.”

[theapathetickat]

So I finally finished the Friends design set for my Soul Eater Kemono Friends AU. (for those who don't know: Friends in Kemono Friends are animal girls* created when an animal, living or dead, comes in contact with a volcanic substance known as Sandstar, and if eaten by a Cellian/Cerulean, they revert back to being an animal and their lives are "reset" to the point just before they became a Friend, losing all memories of that time. *Crona is still nonbinary in this AU since you know, they're capable of forming/voicing their own identity regardless of assigned labels

If this gets popular, I'll make a set 2 with more characters

Art by TheApatheticKat. Please do not repost or remove/edit caption

Before I list why I chose what species everyone was based on, here's the answer to a question I might get: "where's Blair/Kim/Jackie?" (There's already canon Friends for the domestic cat and the tanuki/raccoon dog, and it wouldn't be right to include Jackie wthout Kim. Actually, you know what, they're researchers and not Friends in this AU. Don't know where Blair goes yet)

Why I chose which species for which character: (note: I only chose species that didn't have canon Kemono Friends characters as of July 2020)

Maka - Domestic Rabbit: Partially because of that one manga panel where Crona hallucinated Maka with a rabbit's face, partially because from rabbit owners I follow, a Maka-like nature is way more common than you'd think. Though I was surprised there was no canon Friend for the domestic rabbit.

Crona - Fancy Rat (Lilac color): So I actually went through more species ideas for Crona's design than any other character. Mostly thinking about animals that were pink or purple in nature so I didn't have to mess with their hair too much, but those colors don't appear often (and unfortunately not in feline species at all). I had considered the Roseate Spoonbill, Galah, Web-footed gecko, Pine Grosbeak, Rusty-spotted cat, Kodkod, Black-footed cat, and the European Wildcat, but I ended up going with the fancy/domestic rat, specifically the lilac color variation. (it's actually warm gray and not truly lilac purple, but...) Because 1) I like rats, they are very cute like Crona; and 2) snake and rat symbolism with Medusa and Crona even though I have no idea how the heck I'd work that dynamic into a Kemono Friends AU considering the fluffy, G-rated nature of that series. 

Tsubaki - Kerama Deer: The Will of Nakatsukasa represented itself as a deer. I could have made her based on that, but as The Will of Nakatsukasa is original to Soul Eater's lore and is not a creature from real-world mythology like the canon mythical Friends, I went looking for an actual deer species native to Japan. The Sika deer was the only major one I could find, and it already had a canon Friend, but not all its subspecies did, so that's why I ended up choosing the subspecies known as the Kerama Deer.

Liz - Big Brown Bat: Since the Thompson sisters grew up in Brooklyn, I wanted to use two similar species that live at least somewhere in New York, as Friends of similar/related species in Kemono Friends regard each other as sisters (because aside from a few exceptions, there's only one Friend per species at any given time).

Patty - Little Brown Bat: I thought because of their common names that the big and little brown bats were related species. Turns out they're not even in the same genus, and I had already written the species names on the paper in pen so... oops. They're still sisters by KF logic anyway in this AU because I'm just gonna say so.

Medusa - Ursini Meadow Viper: She had to be a snake. Because her name was lifted from Greek mythology, I wanted to use a snake that lives in Greece, and because of her personality/canon actions, a venomous one was preferable. Luckily there was a snake out there that fit all that criteria. Also the symbolism with Medusa being a venomous snake while Crona being a rat... yeah.

Arachne - Black Widow: The vibes

Eruka - Australian Green Tree Frog: I was looking for a frog species that was a close match to what her frog form looks like in Soul Eater. The Australian Green Tree Frog is predominantly green, has the white underside, and some individuals have the dark facial spots, so it was a perfect fit! In trying to see what frog features are present on frog Friends, I scanned through the wiki to find the only frog Friends are the Keroro/Sgt.Frog crossover Friends, and they had no frog features on them, so I used Eruka's clothes to give her an extra bit of a frog motif.

Mizune - House Mouse: I don't think this one needs explanation

Azusa - Japanese Sparrowhawk: Azusa just has the vibe of a bird of prey to me, so I knew where to start. I also wanted to use a hawk or falcon that is not only Japanese but has enough black/otherwise dark areas that I wouldn't have to change her hair color that much.

Marie - Smooth Newt: Since her jast name (Mjolnir) derives from Norse mythology, I wanted to use an animal that lives in Scandinavia, specifically in/around Norway. And then I found out about the existence of the Smooth Newt. It has a range in Norway, has yellow and black in its color scheme like Marie does, and has an incredibly appealing name. Smooth Newt. (though I did want to use a sheep at one point, all the super fluffy ones were already taken)

Mira - Saharan Striped Polecat: This one was a bit trickier, as nothing really jumped out at me from the start, but because of her name and theming (Mira being close to Miira, the Japanese wourd for mummy, and her wearing bandages all over in combat), I wanted to choose a species that lived in or around Egypt (because that's the first country that comes to peoples minds when they think of mummies). The stripe pattern of the Saharan Striped Polecat also made it easy to incorporate her bandages and create a cohesive design that blended her original design in well.

[saltys-writings]

Got7 as Cats

Repost because the old one didn’t show in the tags!

More parts~

JB:

black and white kitty of average size

big and friendly amber eyes

has a completely white tail with only the tip being black

which looks super funny when he’s in his favourite sleeping place up on your wardrobe and the only thing you see of him is his tail slowly swaying from one side to the other or twitching if he has an exciting dream

likes sitting on your grandparents’ old record player while it’s playing, slowly spinning on top of the record and watching the world around him pass by slowly

gets fed up with it and jumps up as the tone arm keeps moving closer to the middle, preventing him from comfortably sitting on the black record

also likes sprawling out on pianos or rubbing his face against the guitar standing around in your room

in general he seems very drawn to everything that has to do with music

sleeps little compared to other cats

usually he’ll just laze around with his eyes half open, watching you whenever he can

he loves watching you do whatever and sometimes he’ll get up and after stretching thoroughly and yawning, he’ll silently walk over to you to bump his head against your chin or nose

actually he doesn’t care much about other humans or animals, but with you he’s more welcoming

trusts you a big deal, and you’re really the only person who he likes being petted or brushed by

usually when other people try to touch him he’ll just get up and walk away to find a more calm and silent place

hates kids and dogs (=anything that’s loud) a lot and will hide away where not even you can find him if there’s either of the two around

very behaved and doesn’t bite or scratch

doesn’t play much either, he’s really just more of a cat that will roam around in your place and give it that feel of “here lives a cat”

but if you want excitement out of your relationship with your cat he isn’t the one for you

Mark:

white and light brown kitty

super friendly

also super sleepy

will direct 110% of his attention to you for the 2 hours he’s awake each day

remembers pretty quickly when you get home each day and his inner clock wakes him up just before you do

so when you turn the key in the doorlock he’ll come running immediately, meowing loudly to greet you

he’ll follow you around for a while and walk right in front and in between your feet

and if you don’t pet him he’ll get REALLY whiny and will spread out on your stuff as soon as you’re trying to do literally anything

likes offering you his soft white belly to pet and will usually let you touch it without problems

eats nothing but chicken (and bread)

whenever you have bread on the table, on a counter, or in any other place in your house he can reach, he will sit down next to it and start licking it until it has this really soaked spot full of cat saliva

but even when he does this you can’t really get mad at him because he’ll just turn around and look at you with his big friendly green eyes and start purring

tends to react very strongly to being petted on his back and especially on his lower back where the tail starts

always pushes his whole body into your hand when you touch him there and the tip of his tail will bend forwards to signal that he loves this and please keep petting right there

very sociable around humans, but also likes hanging out with other animals

in general he’s very curious about everything and will watch other cats, dogs, birds, small animals like hamsters or bunnies, and even horses with great interest

really just gets along well with literally anyone and everyone - no matter if human or animal - loves him

Jackson:

tabby with a striped pattern

even as a cat he is lowkey ripped has a strong build

only fights other cats as a form of play though

usually when he gets seriously pissed he’ll just hiss and arch his back and then backwards tiptoe the shit out of there

loves to be carried around on your shoulders

he’ll really get cranky if you don’t let him up there for a while

also loves sitting there while you do stuff like cooking, studying, watching TV, etc.

never interferes with your activities though and just watches with great interest

loves playing with anything but his toys

especially strings and other long and dangly objects of any kind are dangerous with him

he WILL try to catch and kill that thing, even if it is already very much dead

give him a piece of yarn and he’ll be occupied for

...about 5 minutes - who am I kidding?

has to be played with actively or he’ll get bored and start taking your home apart

so you better tire him out everyday before you go to sleep or you won’t recognize your place when you wake up the next morning

whenever he uses his litter box, chances are you’ll find litter up to five meters away from the box

that doesn’t mean he isn’t clean, he’s just... not very fast with cleaning himself

so instead of making sure all the litter gets off his fur right where his box is, he’ll shake it off over time while walking elsewhere

don’t let him out or he’ll break into other people’s homes and try to steal their food

he once got himself locked in a basement for a whole night and only got back out because his meows were so loud that they woke up the neighbours

a family also once returned him to you, with their two daughters crying because they totally wanted to keep the kitty

in the end you had to promise them to let them come visit him once every two weeks

the upside is that they always bring along catfood and you have to spend a little less money on that

Jinyoung:

ginger cat

has a scar on his nose that another cat rightfully gave him when he was growing up

is - in short - a real jerk of a cat

also MOOD SWINGS

will be the cuddliest uwu bundle of fur ever one second, and then the most furious monster you ever saw the next

HATES other cats

really, he despises them

will usually sit next to them, appearing calm and just watching them, and then out of the blue punch them square in the face

you think he’s still salty that he got that scar on his nose years ago

the type to pee into your shoes for no reason

or throw up in the microwave if you forget to close it

really, whenever you take something out of the microwave or put something in you need to do so fast, because by the time you’re done chances are he’s already standing next to you, glaring up at the microwave with all the hate in his eyes he can muster

keeps staring when you turn it on and will get ready to jump as soon as it gives the signal that it’s done

usually he’ll just jump for it when you open it, so you have to keep him from reaching it by blocking the way with your arm (which he will of course hold onto with his claws)

loses interest when it’s closed and it becomes apparent you’re not using it anymore anytime soon

what does he have against the microwave anyway...?

likes sunbaths a lot

surprisingly also likes water - it hasn’t been just one or two times you had to throw him out of the bathtub when you were getting ready to take a nice relaxing bath after a tough day at work or school

doesn’t like being touched much, but if you’ve lived with him for long enough he will permit you to give his back two or three quick strokes once a day

also likes going out to hunt and will usually bring a small mouse or a tiny gecko back home and offer it to you as a sign of his acceptance of your existence

Youngjae:

long haired kitty with chubby cheeks

giant paws that look like he could seriously hurt you with them, but in reality they’re just really soft

will use his claws for playing excessively though

likes lazing around and playing on the floor the most

usually very careful not to hurt you, but he can get a little too into playing and end up scratching you if you don’t pay attention

likes being scratched behind his ears and under his chin a lot but won’t hesitate to bite if you even think about getting near his fluffy belly

tends to have a lot of mats there though, and those can get quite uncomfy for him, which will in turn irritate him and when he’s in a bad mood he’ll bite you if you’re just standing next to him

so you’ll have to let him bite you one way or the other aksjflksa

you don’t realize just how huge his mouth is until he’s all comfy in a sunny spot at your place and lets out a big yawn, showing off his teeth and pink kitty tongue

sleeps literally anywhere

sprawls out on the floor in the most inconvenient place ever and won’t move for a solid five hours so you have to step over him all the time, because he will definitely not wake up from this nap anytime soon

your bed is a very beloved sleeping place of his as well, especially your pillow, because it smells so nicely like you uwu

he’s usually awake and roaming your place during the night, but will sneak into your bedroom and curl up next to your pillow when it’s almost time for you to get up

will never loudly beg for food ever

instead he’ll just stare up at you and follow you around, bumping into your legs over and over again until you feed him

not picky about food, but loves fish a lot

please don’t give him catnip unless you want a hyperactive hairy high and snappy cat scattering the catnip all over your place kasfjlkas

BamBam:

thin, elegant cat with veryveryvery short, light-colored fur and amber eyes

you put a collar with a golden nametag on him after you got him

you thought he’d hate it and try to get rid of it like most other cats, but turns out he loves it

loves being looked at and will puff out his chest on purpose when people are watching him

kinda gets along with other cats, though they will usually avoid him mostly and he won’t make much of an effort to approach them either

it’s all about coexistence in apathy lol

only eats gourmet food (might be because you never really tried feeding him... you know... normal cat food...)

doesn’t go out much, but time and time again he likes venturing outside to take a short walk through your garden

but will return back inside soon because the many toys and the huge cat tree you bought him are more interesting to him

plus they’re familiar so he can really relax there

likes being petted especially on his head and loves scratches behind his big ears

likes sitting in inconvenient places - like on the box the mailman only just brought and you took your eyes off of for a second to lock the door, or the pack of take-out sushi you just bought, or your new shoes that you wanted to wear to tonight’s party

at least he can’t get hair on any of it

speaking of sushi, he loves watching you eat that and then look at you with half closed eyes, putting a paw on your arm to signal that he wants to try some

will start kneading your arm and purring loudly if you don’t give him any

tried smelling the pickled ginger that comes with it once and almost threw up on the floor as a reaction

but he’s also still Bambam, so sometimes, in the middle of the night when you’re still up you will find him lying in a corner of the living room in an impossible position with his body twisted in ways you didn’t know a cat could move, and derping at you with his tongue hanging out of his mouth sideways and one of his eyes being half open while he snores loudly yes he sleeps like this

Yugyeom:

grey little kitty that looks big because of his relatively long fur

blue eyes since birth that everyone loves him for

they also help him fool people into thinking he’s a cat you’d totally wanna own

honestly though, if you don’t have a bunch of extra time on your hands you really don’t want to own him

needs so much attention

acts like he’s dying every time you have to leave home and you can hear his cries even after closing the door behind you

is also overjoyed and will start climbing your legs to make sure you’re never leaving again after you come back (even if you were just away for like a minute to get the mail)

you really need to train him a lot to be able to stay away for a longer amount of time

whenever you’re home you always have this feeling in your gut that you’re being watched

turn around and chances are you’ll find him sitting on some surface across the room, watching you intently

comes running up to you for pets and cuddles at least ten times a day

the upside of this is that he will never ever feel overstimulated and lash out at you for petting him too much

the downside is that you can barely do stuff because chances are if he isn’t watching you, he’ll be in the way, sprawling all over your things and your arms and then still expect you to be able to pet him

you can often come to an agreement though, having him doze off in your lap and petting him with one hand, so you can at least use the other hand to do things

if you take your second hand away for a while he’ll gently put his paw on it to signal that you should keep petting him

loud

so damn loud

will meow and whine and cry all day every day if he isn’t getting enough attention

also has a crippling fear of the vet

whenever you have to take him there you need to hold him the whole time, or he’d just nyoom out of there and hide somewhere narrow where neither you nor the vet nor his assistance nor any other human being can reach him

sometimes in the middle of the night he will meow in front of your bedroom door because he wants cuddles right now

better let him in or he’ll start scratching your door and you’ll have marks all over it by morning

[pinkpsychic]

Jingle Bells, Reptiles Smell

little birthday fic written by me to @kaymcgivemeacall, my favorite person in the world to talk to about frogs and all that jazz. And just everything. I love you always! And I can’t wait to meet you and we can hold a frog together one day💚 (or gecko wink wink). Happy birthday Sam!

——————————————————————————

Round cheeks of a troublesome twelve year old blew against the glass of the lit up tank, eyes scanning the colorful fish as he made farting noises. They swam around oblivious, mostly scurrying further away when the boy’s clammy hands tapped on the tank too hard. The blue haired cashier in the background simply rolled her eyes as if he were a simple fly buzzing around the store. She looked like she wasn’t getting paid enough for the disturbance that was the Tozier boy.

“Richie that’s disgusting! Do you know how many people have been touching that fucking glass and now you’re putting your mouth all over it? And what are you trying to do - entertain them? They’re fish!” The probably sweet (but fed up with her job and capitalism) cashier lady put an earbud in from her ipod as the screechy voice of Eddie appeared. Messy black curls bounced lightly on his head as Richie turned around with a grin, addressing the brunette behind him.

“I put my mouth all over your mom.”

“Oh real fucking funny. I’ve never heard that one before -”

The other losers were wandering the pet store with curiosity, tuning out the two bickering boys as always. Bill, Ben and Beverly were playing with a small kitten’s paws as she swatted at them playfully. Mike was on a mission to look at prices of dog food (and scanning over all the ingredients because dogs deserved the best). Stan was eyeing a greenish yellow bird in its cage once he was done rolling his eyes at Richie and Eddie’s antics. (He swore they made a scene in any damn place they went). The bird cocked its head with interest at him, and it caused his mouth to curl up with a softness. “Aren’t you a pretty thing, huh?” It blinked at him and he simply took that as a, thank you. Oh how he loved birds.

The plan of the day was that - Maggie and Wentworth Tozier would take all of the kids to the pet store to browse (and mainly because their son Richie begged that he wanted a pet for Christmas and would die of loneliness if he didn’t get one), and later on they would all be having a sleepover at the Tozier household. It took a while to convince Sonia Kaspbrak that, no Eddie wouldn’t contract some sort of disease from any of the animals. Eventually she let her son go and Maggie and Went drove them all together to the store.

“You’re not getting a spider Richard! Lord knows what would happen if that thing got loose in my house-” Maggie in the car previously. “

“But mom I would be the coolest bitch in school!” Richie.

“DON’T SAY THAT WORD.” Maggie.

They all made it to the store in one piece, hence the screaming by the fish tanks and everything.

Richie grabbed the short boy’s hand once he stopped hissing at him, attention no longer on the fish but rather to adventure further down the isles. All kinds of things presented themselves. Guinea pigs, ferrets, reptiles of sorts. After some mumbling from Eddie and Richie scanning all the pets excitedly, the black haired Tozier boy blinked before zooming his eyesight in on a certain little guy. Tucked away along the back of the store was its cage, a warm light overhead its home and a water bowl next to him. He had pretty spots and a very extravagant tail (Richie thought). Its tongue was peeking out as it stared directly at the boy.

He was in love.

“Why don’t you pick a cat or something? That way it can run away from you if you’re acting stupid around the house-” Eddie snickered, oblivious to the lack of response until Richie physically pushed his eyesight towards the cage. The brunette cursed about the sweaty hand on his skin before his eyes gaze caught up, and he shut up. They both blinked at the creature.

It was a leopard gecko.

The two stared a bit in awe, Richie especially enamored by the gecko’s appearance and how cool he looked. Radiant. Eddie thought about how - the creature was just as weird and interesting as, well, Richie. It was meant to be perhaps.

“Well,” Eddie started with a dumb grin as he gazed at those beady eyes. “He’s a lot more quiet than your trashmouth. I think that balances things out.” Richie’s face was beaming. It seemed he had found his new friend to take home. Leopard gecko, Eddie approved.

After a lot of convincing and promises that, “I’ll clean his cage mom! I swear I will! And I’ll take care of him good! How can you say no to that tongue?”, Maggie and Went were swiping their card at the register as the rest prepared to take Richie’s new buddy home. All of the losers bounced around him excitedly. In the car ride home they all shouted out possible names (one being Def Leppard which wasn’t approved), back and forth until the ultimate winner was -

Spike. Named by Richie, inspired from The Land Before Time.

He came to adore Spike, Eddie right behind him. One night a few weeks later, the brunette remembers Richie calling the little gecko their “son,” to which he blushed a cute shade of pink. Beverly Marsh would create little hats for Spike, Stan would let him crawl up his chest quietly as he read books, and the others would make it a tradition to poke their tongue out at him every time they came.

And when Richie and Eddie would curl up and rest against each other reading superhero comics, eyes drooping every so often - Spike would lay between them on the blanket, oblivious to the world. The snow would rage on outside with harsh winds as they all cuddled up together.

And it was the perfect family. 🦎

End

——————————————————————————

[darkestwolfx]

Home on the Range - Re-Review #47

Just a quick note to say, I know I am super behind on replying to everyone! I will aim to go and do that now! Thank you all so so much though, I really do appreciate it. Hopefully work will slow down in a bit and I can be a little more active here.

Anyhow, let’s move onto how awesome this little house is!

Of course International Rescue have a training zone. The Gecko Gloves sound pretty useful as well. Gordon could have done with them in ‘Weather or Not’.

“Maybe I should take the lead for a change?”

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Hey- What are you doing? That’s not what I had in mind!”

“Me next!”

Of course they’re the sort of brother’s that work together to throw each other around. That little look between Scott and Virgil was priceless. They really are a dream team.

“MAX, go and shake things up a little bit.”

Key word there MAX being “little”, not deathly. Seriously, you nearly took out three brothers!

“I can’t! He’s out of control!”

And that is the harbinger of doom for this episode.

Virgil saving Scott like a good brother.

And I love how Gordon somehow managed to make it all the way to the top!

Also, maneuver 17? We haven’t heard of it before, but they know what it means, and good for it too or we might have been spending a full twenty-two minutes looking at this wall of death.

“What a lovely place! I can see why you come here every year.”

“Nice hof your Father, to build this little ‘ome haway from ‘ome.”

A perfect sentence to give to Parker.

“Actually the Ranch belonged to the boys Mother. It’s been in her family for generations.”

A hint of Lucille! How lovely.

You know when you turn the TV on and you’re sorely disappointed? Yeah, Gordon was the epitome of that!

“Uhh, it’s her again! How many times do they have to play this thing?”

Her being Kat Cavanough - reporter from ‘Falling Skies’.

And more hints of Lucille!

“Do you remember when Mom used to take us all horseback riding?”

“Especially when Gordon was facing the wrong way. I think there’s a picture here somewhere.”

“I don’t really have much to add to the conversation.”

This is such a sweet moment! Of course Alan is younger and doesn’t have the same memories. Must be hard though, to be surrounded by brother’s who can have a conversation you can’t join in with.

Alan going out to watch Shadows take off was adorable! I mean, this episode really felt like they were trying to push Kayo and Alan, but then... I don’t really know what happened with TAG love interest story lines, save Penelope and Gordon.

“Sherbet, wait here and... guard FAB One.”

I love how the guarding idea was an afterthought, but Bertie takes it seriously! Parker and Lady Penelope having hard hats as well was genius.

“Seems hare hintruder ‘as vanished hinto thin hair.”

And sit on a rock Parker... anyone else getting flashbacks to ‘Tunnels of Time’? Just don’t touch anything, Parker. Although he did help them to find Kat! Really, what was she trying to achieve, silly woman.

A full family team up! Here we go.

“Thunderbirds are- Oh come on!”

Best launch ever. Just putting it out there.

P.S. Don’t look so down Scott.

“So, if all our ships are grounded, how are we going to get to the rescue site?”

“Fortunately, we still have some vehicles that are completely self-contained.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! We’re actually taking Dad’s old hoverbikes?”

“They’re like the oldest things in here.”

“If these get us where we need to go then they’re gonna be our new favourite rides.”

They took a bit of ‘Jeff Tracy Fixing’ but they did actually work!

“Thunderbirds are go.”

Sort of.

It’s the old hoverbikes! The original get-around vehicles of TOS, seen in a great many episodes! They look a bit worse for wear here though, but hey.

“Since EOS isn’t affected by the malfunctions, I’ve downloaded her to a local memory bank.”

John’s coding is superior! That is what this episode teaches us! He really could take over the world...

“Hello John. You’ll be pleased to know all systems on Thunderbird Five are operating normally.”

“That’s a relief. Now, I need you to do a full system sweep. Look for anything unusual in the Z-Band Network.”

“One anomaly detected.”

“Looks like one of the transmitter nodes has been modified.”

Brains telling John to stay put was one of the best calls anyone could have made. They could have really ended up with everything stuck.

Their jet packs work on tech? I thought they were self-contained, but okay, Virgil is the expert and I bow to his superior knowledge.

“You know who I am, don’t you?”

“Yeah I do. And we know what you’ve been saying about us.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t just leave me here to rot.”

“Right now, you’re someone in a tough spot who needs help. Who you are and what you’ve done doesn’t matter.”

Brilliant attitude Scott! Many people struggle to do that.

“The Mechanic! Wait, it could be a holographic drone.”

No such luck.

Parker actually taking apart FAB One! I never thought I’d see the day.

“You’re risking your life to save mine. All of you.”

“You know that’s what we do, right? It’s the Rescue part in International Rescue.”

“Even when I was out to ruin you?”

“I’ll try not to take that personally.”

No one would blame you if you did, Scott. Gordon (and probably Alan) would have if he was down there. And that rockfall must have hurt! It was a really good improvised rescue though considering they couldn’t get their proper equipment there.

“See that wasn’t too bad.”

“Easy for you to say little brother.”

“It’s a glitch in the security log.”

“Someone was covering their tracks!”

“And that someone is still here in the compound. Grandma went looking for Brains. They could both be walking into a trap. I have to warn them!”

“John, wait! Then you might get caught in it as well. Let me try something. There. I now have a subroutine nested in the transmitter room server.”

“Is Brains in the room?”

“Yes, but so is The Mechanic.”

“The Mechanic?”

We really should be worried by how easy that was for EOS (and John) to do.

“You’re trying to build a laser.”

“Not trying. I already have.

EOS’ message was a classic! That little Scooby-Do moment was hilarious.

“Short version, The Mechanic is here.”

Those faces! Well, I suppose that’s equal to or worse in a way than The Hood breaking into Tracy Island. It also means that both of their homes have been broken into. I thought Kayo was meant to be doing all the security stuff.

“Your former employer tried a similar tactic once. It didn’t work out very well for him either.”

This confrontation was one of the best scenes I’ve ever seen.

“You need to work on your intimidation techniques, Grandma.”

“First of all, only family get to call her that. And second, EOS we need to separate the machine from the man.”

“With pleasure.”

John going in with a super back-up plan was completely awesome. EOS is super dangerous. In ‘Earthbreaker’, The Mechanic got the better of her, but she’s definitely evolved in order to be able to put a stop to him in this episode. So, that begs the question, is there anything she cannot overcome? I really loved this episodes use of John and EOS tech, as well as Brains and MAX’s relationship, and the ever continuing Brains and Mechanic battle. Even Grandma got her moments!

“You’re not welcome here.”

“Oh MAX, you’re a hero!”

Question: how did they not realise The Mechanic’s ship was in there?

Moving on.

“If there’s anything you want to know about us, all you’ve got to do is ask.”

“Really? Anything?”

“Well there are somethings we have to keep secret. Otherwise people like The Hood and The Mechanic will use them in bad ways. There may be a lot of mystery around International Rescue, but really we’re just a regular family.”

“Hey, that’s my chair!”

“No it’s not! I was here first.”

Yeah, definitely just a regular family.

“You want to hear a real story? Let me tell you some of the things Gordon says in his sleep.”

“Oh no you don’t!”

“Watch the hair.”

“Come here!”

“Oh, you’re a lot stronger than you look, Fish-boy!”

And you know what, I agree that that’s as good as place to leave it as anything.  This is an absolutely amazing episode, definitely the peak of Series 2.

[mageofseven]

Now this is interesting - may I request a matchup? I'm bisexual, demigirl, I'm an Aquarius, ENFP-T personality type. Loyal and ometimes even protective of the ones I love, usually independent and always trying to be a responsible and reasonable-mature person. I value trust, and it can be difficult to earn my trust because of how I've often been backstabbed in the past.

I struggle with confidence and self worth issues (writing anything positive about myself is a challenge). I am an absolute ambivert, shy around people of higher authority or importance but very open around people I care about or feel close to. Very affection starved, hugs are like my way of charging. Cuddles are a dream.

I don't care about appearances at all, mine nor someone else's, as long as it ain't inappropriate or offensive. I care about being healthy and for everyone to be in their best state. (Sorta struggle to do it for myself though, neglecting whatever health Issues I might have) Rather minimalistic in all sorts of ways, not the biggest wardrobe and intending to live in a small house in the future. I have glasses and I myself am a bit of a short chub with a boy haircut. My way of exercising is longs walks, I listen to music alot, my taste purely coming from if i make connections to something personal or fictional universes of mine. My mind is constantly thinking about a thousand things at once and I struggle to focus at times. Bit of a workaholic who can't really relax, I always have to be doing something which is showcased by my fidgeting and few stims. I hold a strong love for animals, especially cats and reptiles (I own a sweetheart ginger cat and a Leopard gecko), and I hold a massive sense of love any type of fiction/creative media. Movies, theatre, books, anime, video games, you name it! Though I do also love myself an occasional documentary about history or something. I hold a love for food, I love cooking but for the life of me can't bake, I do tend to be a bit picky at times and have a fuzzy appetite which can be problematic, add it with my workaholic tendencies and I tend to forget to eat or sleep - memory can also often be a bit iffy at times. I can be organized in my own rather chaotic way, not too chaotic, but still not the most organized, but always aware of where my things should be.

What I really want to do is become a writer, writer/creator for books, movies, tv shows, maybe even video games! I struggle with escapism sometimes and because of that I hold a massive fantasy world in my head, and it's constantly expanding nonstop. Art is a small hobby on the side, as just another way of expressing the things I'd want to write about.

I'd say I'm understanding and open-minded person, always trying to see both sides of a conflict and trying to solve things through communication, I try to avoid judging people for who they are or what they love. I also hold a strong sense of patience but can have an occasional temper if you go into real serious asshole territory- discrimination against race, culture or lgbtq+ is an example. I also can be rather curious, another one of my dreams is to travel the world, to see new places, meet new people and be introduced to all types of culture, I'm always thrilled to meet someone from a different Backround and to listen to what they have to say. (Places i really wanna visit for example are Japan, England, Germany, I myself am from Estonia and am bilingual, trying to also learn German, Russian and one day Japanese aswell)

Sorry, but matchups are still close 😅 I have it labeled as such on my masterlist at the top of the blog and in my blog description.

I'll make a post and label them as open in those spots when the time comes, but I'm not accepting anymore for now until I finished the ones I already have.

Please feel free to request again when matchups are open though!

[blackberryneximide]

I would love to see all of the WHF asks answered 👀

oh wow okay!! (also shoutout to @cluster-quartz​ for asking 🌿 which I’ll obviously be answering here <3)

(This post gets long so read it below the cut <3)

🌱. Rank the endings

I spent both Arthur’s and Ollie’s angry crying at them, but that’s like. not a BAD thing.... so probably Arthur at #1 for how much built into that ending (I am still furious at him for wrecking the mines like that though), Sally at #2 because thank fuck she’s alright and Gwen’s alright and it was great to see everything being calm and okay, and Ollie at #3 because even though one of the revelations really threw me off (I’d guessed about Margaret and Jack’s relation since act 1 and I was so ready to not get surprised), I just like Ollie less (i’m sorry dude ;-;.. I was here for Margaret...) Though I gotta say, that bit where Margaret's accent slips?? Oof. Hit me hard.

🌵. Rank the stories/characters

My character ranking (including DLCs) goes (from fav to least fav) Sally, Vicky, Roger, Arthur, Nick, Ollie. TBF, I really do love everyone, I haven't seen a nuanced cast I was this engaged in in forever, so while I can rank them, there really isn’t that much difference between tiers.

Stories?? oooh man that’s so much harder ;-; Sally and Arthur both at equal #1? and everyone else?? IDK? they’re all so well done? I love them all?

🌿. Opinion on Sparky!! (Arthur’s pet)

I completely forgot Sparky existed!! ;-; But I love geckos, so, I love Sparky too.

🍀. Opinion on the Kickstarter video

Obviously good enough to get me to back it? No but, I do remember absolutely being enamoured with Uncle Jack at the time as a result? Having just seen it again for the first time since, I love it! I think it sells the vibes perfectly and I love how rapidly the director messes up the tone and the lil 4th wall break to show the team at the end. Maybe I’m just used to watching really awful Kickstarter trailers these days, but I do love that one.

🍃. Fuck, Marry, Kill with Arthur, Sally & Ollie. Fuck Arthur, marry Sally, kill Ollie :3 (also i stg at this point i have to mention i don’t hate Ollie, i just like him less, so it completely fucks him voer for this sorta ranking lol)

🍄. Anton Verloc, smash or pass

I’m uh.. gonna leave y’all with the filename for one of my pieces of fanart and you can work it out uwu

💐. Favorite theory about the game

(EDIT: Oops i forgot to answer this one! ;-;) oh goodness, yknow, I’m not sure? At this point, I still struggle to remember what’s a theory and what’s canon, what with the way the game leaves all those lovely little plot holes for you to fill. I’m not even familiar with that many of the fan theories, I think, apart from my own - so on that note - my inbox is so very, very open to fan theories uwu

🌹. OTP!!

oh I lvoe too many ships!! that’s tough! I’m a big Roger x James fan, but Victoria x Prudence and Arthur x Sally all rank really highly for me as well ;-; Plus I’ve ended up being into Nick x just about anybody and shipping bobbies with half the town too :/

🥀. NOTP!!

sally x robert byng and sally x verloc treated as genuine ‘aren’t they nice together?’ ships can stay the hell away from me at all times :) I just want sally away from her abusers is all

🌷. BROTP!!

Sally and the Weird Sisters??? I haven't really thought too much about brotps for this game but I really enjoy their dynamic and I just want Sally to have more freinds ;-; ACTUALLY! Sally & Nick??? They get high together a lot and Nick plays his old awful songs that nobody else but him loves and that’s not an excellent brotp foundation idk what is

🌺. How did you find out about the game?

Not..sure? I think my mum may’ve found it and gone “hey, aren't you into weird British 60s things and also video games?”

🌸. Did you played the pre release of the game? Which one? From 1 to 10 how much do you think the game has improved?

I definitely played a pre story alpha build, and one of the builds when they’d just started implementing Arthur’s story. I think it’s improved massively - the earlier builds leaned so heavily on survival, which, even now, not a massive fan of. I remember wanting a lot more substance, it was mostly ‘Arthur running through a field’ simulator, peppered with the occasional event (Apparently the thing with the ghost of Arthur’s mum is still in the final build but I haven't encountered it since. I remember it being such a weird encounter, out in the middle of nowhere, and it just stuck with me.) But to put it on a scale? 10 outta 10 on improvements - thank fuck they went ‘ah. story.’

🌼. Percy & Arthur, Sally & Gwen or Ollie & Margaret?

Sally & Gwen!! BuuuUUt! I have a really really soft spot for Percy and Margaret ;-; I love that they’re only seen through memories, compared to Gwen, that we get such a weird, biased recollection. That Percy is only remembered when Arthur gets the right stimuli, and that Mags is remembered constantly, but always wrong. There’s such a great contrast in the fallibility of people’s narratives between all three of them?? I love it???

🌻. Have you listened to the game’s OST? Which song is your favorite?

YeSSSSS!! For Make Believes tracks - You’ll Never Change My Mind, though I’ve been listening to a lot of Cheer Up lately. :3 For the soundtrack - House of Curious Behaviours is my definite fav, though Lovely Day For It, Dead Chuffed and Brassed Off are all close favs :D

🌙. Favorite side character!

Prudence Holmes!! I got stupidly invested into Prudence’s narrative when chasing up some weird urban legend about being able to save her life in Act 1 (spoilers, you can't) I always enjoyed that you were, to quote the name of the achievement, hot on her heels, like there was a real chance you could bump into her while escaping.

⭐️. Opinions on the bobbies!!

I started off weirdly indifferent about them, but, y’know? That musical number? good for them! I think they’ve got some of the funniest dialogue too tbh...

🌟. Do you have a oc in the universe? If yes, show us!!

So while I may’ve written so much for my own take on the white bobby, he’s still technically, not my oc, BUT! His wife most certainly is! 

Her name’s Paula Bacon (sidenote - she’s got that surname bcus the white bobby appears to me ingame as ‘constable bacon.’ is that set or his name randomly generated? Whatever the answer is, his sharing a surname with Roger does mean I get to pretend they’re related somehow ) and she’s a really sweet, caring person, who I think, is more patient than the people around her deserve. She’s fairly attentive to her surroundings, and a natural curiosity means she’s often the first to put things together. Whether it’s classic British reservations, or her particular temperament, she’s always very conscious to conform and keep her head down though.

⚡️. Do you check the official We Happy Few website or their sub reddit frequently?

I’m on the subreddit at least a few times a week as u/neverlia :) I mostly seem to answer lore and gameplay queries haha

☁️. Do you have a favorite mission?

Church! Of! Simon! Says! that one gets so splendidly batshit that i can’t help but love it

☀️. Do you follow Compulsion Games on social media?

Yup :)

[ajokeformur-ray]

Hi, I saw you're doing matchup requests so maybe I could try? I am a 5'4' curvy female, really vibrant chocolate eyes, brown hair, little freckles on my nose and cheeks. I am honestly super loud and out there, addicted to Monster Energy so I can be hyper. I am fiercely protective and I can be aggressive defending things I care about. I love animals (sneks and tarantulas :p) and I care and breed them! I act tough but deep down I am insecure and deal with bullying a lot :/ I hope that's enough! ty

Arthur // wc: 660.

Arthur is 5′8 so he’s got the height advantage when it comes to hugs and the like. There’s nothing he loves more than pulling you into him and resting his angular chin on the crown of your head. It makes him feel needed to have you tucked against his chest like that, because it’s like he can protect you from the world and perhaps even from yourself when you’re wrapped in his arms, shielded from all evils. Eye contact is super important for Arthur; everything is in your eyes, and he feels like he can get lost inside them forever. So when he kisses you, his hands cup your cheeks and his thumbs stroke across your face, his fingers in your brown hair and his lips hot against your own. You’re the prettiest person inside and out in all of Gotham, he tells you. You smile and thank Arthur, but all the while you’re thinking the exact same as him. He would never believe you if you told him, though, and so you resolve to simply show him each and every day. 

Arthur would admire you for your outgoing personality and he’d find any excuse he could think of just to spend as time with you as he could, thinking that if he spent enough time with you - not that you can ever spend enough time with the one you love - your social side would rub off on him, too. He would be concerned with the amount of Monster you drink, though he wouldn’t say anything about it beyond a frown you catch from your peripheral vision every now and then, because he smokes at least a pack a day. You’ve been making a concerted effort to cut back and you’re doing so, so well, and he would be so very proud of you. Sweet boi is your number one cheerleader!

You are protective of what’s yours, and that includes your favourite animals and your loved ones. The first time you picked Arthur up from work as a surprise, you overheard Randall and some of the others ripping into Arthur, and you marched right into their locker room and told Randall where to shove it. Arthur stood off to the side, the cutest blush on his face, his arms crossed over his chest and a small smile on his face as he listened to you. He would feel less ‘manly’ about you defending him, but that’s only because he’s been taught for as long as he can remember that the man of the house defends himself, that he looks after himself, but he finds that he really doesn’t mind when you grab his hand and leave with him, leaving Randall stammering like the clown he is. “It’s just another day in Chuckletown, isn’t it, Randall?” are the parting words you throw over your shoulder, leaving Arthur giggling and in awe of your protective streak. He won’t defend himself but if you were the one being attacked in any way? Oh, honey, he can and will throw punches for you. You care about and for and breed snakes and tarantulas, and though he would be apprehensive initially, Arthur would grow to love them as much as you do!

Your tough exterior may fool those around you and at times, it might even fool you, but it doesn’t and will never fool Arthur. He can see right through you but he never directly addresses it; it just seems like he knows just what you need to hear. When it’s critical, though, he does call you out on it, and he listens very attentively to you and he does what he can to help you, even if he has to put his own needs on the backburner - which he does for you more times than he’s willing to admit. Arthur is super proud of you for getting through everything that you have to and he loves you so, so much.

Phoenix!Joker // wc: 817.

Joker may enjoy having an audience and he may love having everyone in the vicinity paying attention to him, but even in a large crowd can he spot you easily. Your eyes seem to have a magnetic pull, and you are his favourite audience. He could have all of Gotham at his feet, but you are the only participant in the audience that he gives a single shit about. He loves your hair, your eyes, those little freckles across your face. When you’re laying in bed together or when you’re lying atop him on the sofa, he likes to trace the constellations that he swears are there dotted across your nose and cheeks. You’re just so beautiful and he loves all of you. That’s one thing that has never changed, just like the man Joker is at his core. He’s more likely now to make jokes about your height, even though he’s only four inches taller than you physically; with his new confidence though, he is much, much taller. 

You’re outgoing and where he used to think that if he spent enough time with you, it would rub off on you, now he’s almost certain that you were a key part of his metamorphosis. Your love for him didn’t cure him or fix him, but you gave him small pieces of yourself day after day after day and through that, you gave him the confidence and the ability to say and do things which were just for him; to say no to people, to stand up for himself, so yes - you were a part of the equation which led to him becoming the person he really is. It’s been a long time since the two of you started dating, and long gone are the days where Arthur would buy you - somewhat reluctantly - a can of Monster alongside his cigarettes. Now, you’re trying to cut back, and I feel like Joker would try to do the same with his cigarettes? Just one is the rule - you cut back on one can of Monster, and because he smokes at least twenty a day, he equates five cigarettes to one can of Monster, so that’s his side of the deal. Everything is together for the two of you - it’s the only way either of you will succeed in things like this. 

Long gone, also, are the days where Arthur would allow someone to walk all over him. Now, he is as equally and as fiercely protective of himself as he is of you. The two of you, with your tarantula and snek family, are very happy together; and often when Joker goes past the pet store does he struggle with not stealing you another gecko or something similar. You both care for and breed your little family, and you were the one to teach Joker everything he knows. He has a newfound appreciation for the ‘ugly’ in life; he finds things beautiful where others may see ugliness because you taught him through your love and devotion towards your favourite animals. You didn’t mean to teach him, but just through watching you did he learn. The first time you came home to find Joker and not Arthur, he came armed not with a gun but with a tarantula which someone else in the apartment complex was getting rid of. He came with the cage and everything else, and that small piece of your life together was enough for you to coo over the creature as you put it with the others in its new home, and then you flung your arms around Joker’s neck and welcomed him home. 

You have never been able to fool Arthur. Never ever ever. Where Arthur wouldn’t press you in the past, now that he’s grown into himself, he’s not above literally pouting if you don’t tell him the second time he asks if you’re okay. The first time, he’ll allow you to say no and to delay the inevitable because he understands that you need time to work out what you’re going to say, how to approach the topic and the like. But the second? He will literally barricade the door with his own body and yes - persuasions of that sort can and will be used if you still won’t tell him even though you want to. If you genuinely don’t want to talk then he’ll let it go, but he’ll make it clear that he’s there for you all the same. You deal with a lot of bullying and that really isn’t something which Joker will tolerate. He appreciates and admires the way you can hold your own but if things get beyond what even he considers to be a joke, then he’ll step in and you’ll think it lucky that he wears so much red - it makes getting the stains out of his suit much easier.

BONUS BC ILY AND WANNA GIVE BACK -

Ledger!Joker // wc: 642.

Omgggggg you two!!! I cannot ship you two any harder if I tried! Joker really really really loves you. He never says it but he doesn’t need to because you know him. You know him and you see all the little things with which he shows you, instead. It’s the way he brings home a new pet every time you have an argument, or in the way he leaves behind his purple trenchcoat when it’s really cold outside so that you have something to wear - and yes, the knives in the sleeves are left there as a gift of protection. It’s in the way he has three of everything - one for him to wear while the other is being washed, and one for you. When you wake up in the morning, you awaken to a chorus of, “Hello~, beautiful” and when you open your eyes, it’s to an intense pair of dark brown eyes which glitter with mirth and with love - he doesn’t say it, he doesn’t need to, but the way your hand wraps around the back of his neck as you tug him down into the first of many kisses that day and the way he practically purrs in satisfaction is all you need to know that you are loved by Joker. 

You’re chaotic and hyper and loud and Joker thrives on it. He loves it so, so much. In the early days of your relationship, Joker always made his presence known to you by leaving a can of Monster lying around with a Joker card set carefully on the top. Once he sees that you’re cutting back, Joker is all for it. He would replace the cans with something else which is kind of close to Monster, like a can of coke or, heaven forbid, a can of decaf Monster. He would be very supportive of you and all of your endeavours, but if you experience any negative drawbacks then he would plonk a can beside you and rub your shoulders in a massage as he bends down to nip at your ear lobe, his painted lips smirking against your skin. He knows exactly what he does to you and he loves every second of it.

Joker loves it when you get fiercely protective and defensive of the things and people you love. If you ever ripped into someone in front of him, he’d lean against the nearest wall with his arms crossed and the most manic grin on his face. Cackles will quickly accompany his genuine amusement, and when you’re finished, he’d applaud your performance. “That was quite-ta show, Lilith” and you would smile, anger sinking deep into your system. It’s okay, though - Joker will help you to burn off the excess energy ;) He’s not fased at all by your love of insects and tarantulas, sneks and the like, and in fact he loves the way you love them. The way you look when you’re cooing over your pets just makes him want to melt and if you’re quick enough, you’ll catch the complete love of adoration on his face - he won’t deny it if you ask, so kiss him, please. And yes - there is a slight blush underneath all that greasepaint.

You act tough but you suffer. Joker sees and knows everything. He hears what you say but he listens to what you don’t, and these are the things he tends to most of all. He would be proud of you for standing your ground and for dealing with your insecurities as best as you can, but he would never want you to think for even a second that he isn’t completely knocked over by you. He loves you so much. So, so much. He’s proud of you, too, and he tells you in his own ways every single day.

[athetos]

(from lizard anon) yes!! that is a mediterranean house gecko. I have been looking for them all week, but have found none of those. mostly I have been seeing brown anoles. they are small with very long tails and I love them all very much. thank u for sharing ur lizard news

Oo I’m glad I guessed right! Brown anoles are really cute... I see a lot of anoles for sale at pet stores, they look they’d be fast and a lot of fun to watch! I live in NY so I don’t see geckos or normal lizards around, but sometimes I see salamanders like these two (I don’t know the one on the left, but middle and right is spotted mole salamander - the one in the middle was almost a foot long, which I didn’t even think was possible)