#it's so obvious that this comics is not recent one

[criminal-sen]

I never thought the day would come but I finally finished this comic. I never want to make a full color comic ever again, at least with any expectation of finishing it even remotely promptly:D

A light warning: the first page dips into some uncomfortable territory - Mayuri feeling grief/guilt over Nemu, who is very recently deceased (it picks up where the scene leaves him after Pernida fight, passing out in one of those regenerative pods). That being said, there's nothing too shocking as far as violence or whatever so I'm not going to put it under a cut. Like, the tone gets lighter after the first page and is probably more comedic than you might expect.

What else... I flubbed some minor details like Mayuri's sleeve not being ripped but omg Who Care... I also forgot what the regenerative pods looked like and had to change them for this comic to even work? Like they very much do not have windows smh. Also idfk if or how they fill with liquid, so didn't bother. I didn't see Hitsugaya awkwardly sloshing away in his boots so idk about that anyway

It reads from left to right, enjoy<3

heehehhooo i don't think i told anyone it was Kenmayu, so am feeling quite sneaky>:3c

Edit: if some of the pages are hard to follow, I divided every page in half for some fn reason- so read across the top half first, then the bottom half. Is more obvious on some pages than others, I'm just now realizing

below the cut is all the thought bubbles/dialogue for anyone who needs it in text (it's actually finished for reals now)

Page One

Mayuri, narrating: Nemuri... It's actually quite an ironic name, come to think of it. Dreams are emotional, illogical... and thoroughly unscientific. And so, despite my best efforts,

I can't

fucking

CONTROL them.

Mayuri, thinking: I need to get out of here.

Page 2

Mayuri, thinking (this whole page is solely his thoughts): oh, how annoying! Can't this shit wait?! I need to be resting!! And HEALING!! Stupid fucking... piece of shit brain! And of course I didn't bring any sedatives!!

Hmm? That brainless sack of meat is still here? I suppose I could jump in there with him. His blissful stupidity must have an area of effect, as I never have nightmares during those... ... post-coital lapses of judgement known as 'cuddling'. Ughhh he's all sweaty and wounded... I bet he smells like a rotten carcass

A VILE CREATURE, INDEED!

Damnit, I'm stalling. I need to get a brace on my leg before I go anywhere. I really don't feel like dealing with it, though.

Oh, fine! It's going to hurt, though!

IT HURTS! (sfx: CRACK!)

(flavor text)

It Fucking Hurt

Damnit, this is so reckless! Some batshit Quincy could destroy this area at any moment! I'm going to die a slow, disgraceful death under a pile of rubble! And for what?! Because I was having a bad dream?! Have I lost my fucking MIND?!!

...That's the issue at hand, though, isn't it. I can't start coming unraveled in the midst of a war. At best, the meltdown will render me useless... but I'm a man of extremes, so... ... best lock it up until I have some privacy.

Well, here's my diversion tactic... god, he looks like a neanderthal in a block of ice... sleeping so soundly, not a care in the fucking world!

Hmph. I'm going to have to wake him up, aren't I? He'll need to help me get in. Huh... how incredibly inconvenient. How irritating! I should've let Pernida turn him into meatballs!

Page 3

Oh for crying out loud. His stupid face hasn't moved a muscle. Damnit, am I seriously going to have to yell?

(Mayuri yelling sound effects) !!ZARAKI! WAKE THE FUCK-GODDAMNIT-THE FUCK IS WRONG

M, thinking: Still nothing?! Well, so much for being nice!!

M, aloud: ZARAKI!!! If you don't wake up RIGHT FUCKING NOW, I'm STABBING you again!!

Z, aloud: You that eager to DIE, Kurotsuchi?! I'll fuckin- ...huh? Wait, where am I... Man, I got NO clue what's going on right now... but you look like shit. And uh... ...I'm not even gonna ask... ...but do you seriously not have like... a bag or somethin'?

M, aloud: Zaraki. For once in your life, would you just shut up?

Page 4

M, aloud: I'm tired. And I don't want to repeat myself. So. You're in a pod I designed that speeds up healing. As so was I until it... hmm... malfunctioned.... forcing me to exit it. And I'm in a rather dire state, as you can see. Just standing here explaining is taking a lot out of me. So... clearly, the best solution is for me to squeeze in next to you! It's just basic common sense! So, ehrm... do.. you mind?

Z, thinking: Ha! I bet he's blushing so hard right now. But somethin's not right here. Didn't he fight that... thing... that took me out? He's alive, so he must've won. But he's not being' all smug about it. What's he hiding? Nah... that's a dumb question to be askin' myself. Especially when the answer's been staring me in the face... since the moment I opened my eyes. They had a tough fight... ...and I don't think Nemu survived.

Z, aloud: Uh... look. If Nemu's uh... well, if somethin' happened... then... I'm sorry. Yachiru's gone, too. I, uh... I'm not good at this shit, but-

M, aloud: Didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up?!! I can't do this right now, okay?! So just can it!!!!

(sound effects of him breathing harshly, then saying 'ugh' and wiping his nose. Next line over, he's fidgeting and clicking his tongue)

M, thinking: ...goddamnit.

M, aloud: I'm... sorry about Yachiru... and I suppose I shouldn't have screamed-

Z, aloud: HEY. (jab sound effect) Hurry up, will ya? And quit bein' all sincere before you have a fuckin' stroke.

M, aloud: You bastard!!! I'll give you something to stroke! (he's also growling while Zaraki's talking, with text pointing at his forehead that says 'hurts like a BITCH')

oh and I didn't want to break the rhythm, but the little drawings of both Yachirus (middle right) have text that says 'the Yachiru he means' pointing at pink haired Yachiru 'but uhhh idk:p' above Yachiru Unohana. Since uhhh he technically lost both of them (though 'lost' is maybe not the most accurate word for pink haired Yachiru)

Page 5 (btw I'm giving up on trying to write the sound effects bc it's late and I want to go to sleep lol)

Z, aloud: That's better... thought you'd lost it for a second there.

M, aloud: You goddamn-put me down, right this instant!!

Z, aloud: Oh shuddup and hold still, will ya?

M, aloud: Tell me to shut up... I'll kill you... ... You careless oaf, can't you see I'm hurt?! And your breath, what the fuck!! Are your insides rotting? This is completely unacceptable!!

Z, thinking: ... This fuckin' guy, I swear... ...didn't he say he was tired?!

Z, aloud: Oh, quit yer yappin'!! I'm sorry you twisted yr stupid ankle, but I'm missing an entire arm!! AND!!! If that wasn't bad enough?! YOU FUCKIN' STABBED ME!!

M, aloud: heh... Stabbed, you say??? Such an ungrateful term, I think I might cry! But this can be a learning opportunity! Next time, just say I saved your l-

Z, aloud: You, uhh... you alright, little buddy? You gonna cry it out?

M, aloud: I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU AAAAAFUCK

[dctrlover1969]

[residentialsinyomakai]

Here's that update thingy i was talking about ×) haven't shown my wall in a bit but!! Quite a few things have been added

[moe-broey]

Hhhhgh. Okay I think. Maybe. Possibly. It is possible. That I'm havigg a bit of artistic burnout. BUT I'M SO CLOSE..... to having two impulse comics done (in a v half ass way). I just need to do. The barest minimum of clean up/detail work. JUST ENOUGH detail to get the point across. Nothing more. But also I think if I look at my sketchbook pencil in hand one more time my hand is gonna explode into bloody viscera and my brain will bluescreen and my eyes roll into yhe back of my head and I'm. Really sad about it 😔

[mykaelaaa]

quit it

✰se-mi x fem!reader / ~3k

✰deciding to pair up with se-mi unaware what you're getting into

✰warnings: blood, suggestive, +18

"do you trust that guy?"

leaning on the comically big bunk bed far enough from the loud crowd, you stared at the plastic pig hanging in the air. filled with money, presumably real money.

maybe if you get everybody to climb on each other and take that thing down you could get out of this shithole you regret agreeing to.

some guy went on rambling about how he's been here before and you're too caught up in your thoughts to hear what he has to say.

what's his number? 456?

maybe you should spare him a chance. judging by the way he helped out. but maybe he's also full of shit, just like the rest of people here. you saw the field full of bodies and blood. if anything, he's a good entertainer judging by the green and greedy crowd he gathered around for the second time.

too lost to hear, but not to feel someone giving you a punch in the shoulder. quite a strong one. here we go, you thought. bribes, violence, torment, bed and food exchange just like in those world ending movies. 

not having any partners in crime or knowing what any of these people are like you have to be wary. it's all about the money as the end goal for over 300 people here, which is a scary thought. 

with annoyance and half-baked comeback, you turned your attention to whatever smartass that spawned next to you.

let's just say they sure did not disappoint. looks wise, of course.

but it's not time or place for that right now. right? besides, you saw a couple of sparks early on between players but surely surfaced level ones. the type formed in the span of one day of being here is not that romantic. more like a good distraction. but you can't blame them, maybe the next game is their last one so why not go out with a good makeout or something?

"what?"

"i asked you something." the girl spoke confidently, holding a strong gaze over you for some reason. she had her arms crossed, mimicking your pose on the opposite frame while you were gripped by uncertainty, she seemed more carefree and unbothered. it was almost reassuring, somehow. 

you felt exposed and this time not by the debts unpaid and calls from the bank but whoever was in front of you.

with hard to miss piercings, silver rings that slipped passed the guards somehow and a discreet grin escaping her collected persona left the reply hanging in the air and led you to stare for longer than you should have.

you don't even know her but a recent memory surfaced. that thanos guy being rejected by her and making a fuss about it in front of everybody. you never even heard of him before. one hit wonder probably.

"oh, yeah. sorry, i was just thinking i guess," you muttered, rubbing your temple with a sigh.

"about?"

"nothing important," you replied flatly, regretting how it came off as.

"right, right. no biggie, thinking about if you'll be alive in the next 2 hours. a daily routine," she said in a sarcastic tone, causing you to roll your eyes. 

the presence next to you made you somehow feel smaller than the weight of bunk beds and entire room already did.

"do you need something?" you dragged the question out, looking down at the wrinkled fabric of the number trapped between her folded arms, "380?"

"se-mi," she tucked her head to the side and half smiled, still done in nonchalant manner. "and yeah, actually. wanna pair up?" 

you stared at her. if whatever this is goes right, and you're not being manipulated by a pretty figure facing you, although you don't mind at all, you must track down where this cocky confidence comes from. if it's normal and "i used to be in the army" story and not "i was a hitman" you will keep her close.

"aren't you with those guys?" you nodded your head towards the obvious purple hair guy and his crew amongst the mass. 

"that self proclaimed rapper? nah, i don't really swing that way," she played with her lip piercing before shifting her attention towards you once again.

"oh, you don't really swing that way? or did i get that wrong?"    she chuckled at your teasing tone and raised brows, "well, what can i say. it's kinda obvious. at least i hope so."

you squinted, amused and engaged. everything about her look screams the already mentioned but why not toy around more when there's nothing to lose. "obvious, huh? sure, whatever helps you sleep at night se-mi."

se-mi shrugged, took a quick glance as if someone's around. "i think i'm pretty clear about it. but since you're not convinced…" she leaned in slightly, dropping her voice just enough for only you to hear. 

"stick around and i'll prove it."

your stomach did the weird thing, the one you wouldn't let her—or anyone know about.

fixing your weight against the metal bed frame, you scoffed. "right. because this place is swarming with opportunities to show off."

grinning, she pushed off the frame and cut the distance between you to down to a cruel and agonizing one. strands of her hair naturally fell over her eyes but it did not do a good a job hiding the intimidating gaze. crowd blended into silence and you could not pick whether to blame yourself for being so weak in the matter of seconds or her for playing dumb games.

you're were not that easy to impress just a week ago.

so she spoke, lip ring somehow reflecting off the dim lighting this chamber has.

"i'm pretty good at getting what i want."

you bit back a nervous laugh, trying not to let her and this proximity overcome you. "and what is it that you want?"

your desperate attempt to sound civilized and composed was shitty, and se-mi read easily through it.

"say yes and you'll see."

her eyes flicked to yours, lingering just long enough to make you feel like you lost the high ground. then swiftly she stepped back, taking all the tension with her. finally you could let out a breath you held unaware.

but before you could respond, a voice tear through the room.

"players, prepare for the next game. you have 30 minutes."

the announcement sent a wave through the busy crowd. voices hushed, movements quickened and panic was apparent. your chest tightened, probably the worst thing about this is not knowing what's next. if you ever get out, announcement lady is on the top of the list.

se-mi looked at the speaker in the corner. you wanted to ask her what's on her mind but devil works faster.

"time's running out, sweetheart. hope you're skilled with decision making."

"and if i say no?" you knew damn well that's not an option.

se-mi slipped her hands into her pockets, cocked her head to the side with that damn grin. slow on her feet she walked backwards, leaving you more and more with each step and it stinged.

"loss for both of us. and my bed is that way, by the way."

you watched her disappear in the crowd that rushed on the steps and just as quickly you were surrounded too. maybe, just maybe this is more challenging than the money winning itself.

✰

the game already morphed into a hazy fever dream of adrenaline and blood. it was oddly silent, compared to just a few hours ago when the main floor was brimming with "life". or better, those alive. now everyone that came back scattered around the room.

you weren't sure who's blood was blending with your shoes or who's splatter stained your jacket.

and neither was se-mi. however, she didn't seem shaken up, as per usual.

she followed you close behind, making a beeline towards the bathroom. the air inside felt much colder than the outside and the contact with the freezing sink proved it. in the mirror you caught a sight of se-mi leaning against the tiles, bloodied but stoic.

top to bottom, covered in blood with a cut on her face that she smudged further. she ran her hand through the hair in attempt to fix it, stretching her neck in the process.

quiet whimpers escaped past her lips. she unzipped her jacket, looked at the mess made. floor. room. and back at you again. 

you admit you did look at her like a man starved. just blame it on the adrenaline. it's easier that way.

she clicked her tongue in fake disapproval, "no manners."

what a jerk.

"you're all bloody." you stated, hands working faster than your mind, already reaching for the paper.

"really?" she pretended to be puzzled. it made you sigh. "let's go in the stall."

"you don't—i can do it too, you know," now she felt slightly bad for making you more worried than you already are.  

she sat down on the toilet with a loud thump, no protests or fight. her muscles aching but you were no better. you closed the door behind you, this place making you more paranoid than ever. borrowing a second of your shared free time to look at the piece of work across you.

with each second passing you realized this silence, comfort and unspoken longing became a luxury here. se-mi took a note of it too.

deep inside she blames the gods for meeting a pretty girl in a state like this, desperate for money, careless about debts, bloody and tired in this awful bathroom. you're no better though. and it made her feel a bit better.    "what? do i look that bad?"

you snorted, shook your head no. slightly kneeled, you took the wet paper you gathered in one hand while holding the back of hear head with another. leaning in, you observed the cut on her face. a knife? no, unless someone smuggled it. you didn't see her in fight either.

a lack of self control let loose and your finger delicately ran across her cheek. blame it on just wanting to see how bad it hurts but she was no fool.

entire time she maintained eye contact. this is the closest she ever was. it's a funny thing to notice, she's not that hopeless. not in a outside world. actually, she doesn't wanna remember. 

your hand was cold but it felt right. the stall seemed to shrink with you in front of her. 

se-mi swore she could smell your perfume that still withstand these conditions. must be an expensive one. that's fine, 45.6 billion will cover it.

"you're shaking," her voice dropped and she teased. turning her head to the side, bemused.

"oh," you backed away lightly. "apologies. wasn't aware you graduated in body language." se-mi enjoyed this too much.

you took a deep breath and continued clearing her face. terrible at avoiding her gaze. "are you a hitman or something?" you started, truly curious.

"guessed it on the first try."    "sooo you're not? good."

"i'd definitely make everybody pay me big if i was and wouldn't end up here. why?" 

of course the smartass answer. 

"just wondering how the hell nothing about this seems to bother you. people dying, not knowing who's next, guards just headshoting everybody…" you carefully moved her face to the side, causing her to shudder shyly. 

"it was at first but there's a prize at the end. i think it's worth it. at least to get to the half of it. that was before i—whatever."

"yeah?" she watched you change positions and kneel down, all done with an innocent look boring through her. she doesn't know if it's on purpose or you're tired.

someone entered the bathroom and se-mi cursed them internally for distracting you but it also gave her spare time to stare. 

swallowing harshly, se-mi did not let her mind flatter now.

doors closed. losing the advantage she convinced herself she has, with a heavy sigh and a fuck it, she looked away and closed her eyes. "we're paired up now. so…yeah. i guess i kinda have things to lose."

feeling your movements halt, se-mi opened her eyes. maybe that was too far. 

"yeah, i-uh. same here." 

you felt her eyes boring holes as you sloppily cleaned up the papers and threw them away, feeling your body burning. 

everything about this was shitty. games, people, loneliness, food, voting. everything except this. yeah, she might look a little beat up with tired bags under her eyes but it was hopeful.

your shadow fell over her. the height difference meant nothing right now. neither of you moved. things unspoken seemed so, so obvious to both of you it was suffocating. she just hopes you don't treat this as a distraction.

"i—" se-mi did not let you finish. instead she got up with a newfound boldness, licked her lips and pondered. making you wonder what else is playing in her mind.

"thank you." it was sincere, raw. she took barely half a step closer in this cramped stall with dozen of obstacles around. you could feel the heat rising and hell if you weren't red yourself. 

"you know, you also got blood on your face." 

"do i?" not really, you checked yourself in the mirror. no?

"mhm," she confirmed and you almost missed it. again, se-mi closed the distance further. raised her hand to wipe the "blood" suspiciously close to your lips.

no, you definitely didn't have it.

"there." she barely smiled and your breath hitched. she picked up on it.

you felt drunk looking down at her lips. and you know what? you might die tomorrow for all you know.

"oh fuck you." 

it sounded and felt desperate, muffled by the four walls; the way you pulled her by the jacket and kissed her. metallic taste absorbing you whole and the chapped lips mixed with her metallic piercing. you're done for. 

se-mi smirked proudly against your lips, like her plan finally worked. too busy for good to answer her antics but enough to crush one of her plans which was her hungry grip around your waist. so she caged you with her arms around between the door and her body as you kept pulling her back in. no need because she already made up her mind she's not leaving anytime soon.

you traced your hands under her unzipped jacket that made her gasp. still feeling like she keeps her cool persona intact even now.

you took it as a chance to put your tongue to use. you weren't so experienced per se but it's natural talent. her on the other hand…

both of breaths blended into one and it felt hot, almost wrong. making you weak in your legs, forcing you to find a support behind her head. intertwining your fingers together, drawing her even further if possible clearly left no more gap present.

your bodies connected fully, se-mi was so lost yet too aware of everything you did. your touch was setting her on fire everywhere at once, teeth bumping in rush, small noises you made and she doesn't recall last time she took a full breath.

out of nowhere you felt a knee pressing between your legs, making you to throw your head back harshly and let out a moan that se-mi had to cut short. unfortunately.

there was too much going for the door to handle and keep it low-key.

"come here, you're too loud." se-mi whispered, catching up her breath as she sat back down again. 

"and that's my fault?" you regret saying that because you weren't sure if she even understood you.

gasping and impatient was the sight of se-mi, lazily sprawled and hair messy. a genuine thought of staying here until guards have to break down the doors sounded pleasing.

each leg on her side, her hands instantly wrapped around you and lips chased for more. she's just as hopeless as you in the end. your body flinched upon feeling her hands sneak under your shirt. making a tour, stopping at your waistband. it was attentive, studying your reactions carefully, less in rush now. she was in control.

se-mi left your lips for a while, kissing path down your jaw to focus on your neck. she's glad you can't read minds.

your hand found hers buried under your shirt, hinting at whatever she has in mind to make it true. "we might be in a bathroom stall but i'm still a gentleman." you felt her hot whisper hit your ear.

"w-what?"

"can i?" she looked at you with a darkened gaze, twisting a knot in your stomach. at this point you had no energy but to groan and nod yes, letting your head fall on her shoulder if it wasn't for her grabbing your jaw and making you lock eyes. 

what you said about her demeanor, you take it back.

"no, no. speak." briskly she nestled in the crook of your neck and licked a stripe there. 

"i…you're a tease." the answer was transparent.

chatter from the outside made you freeze vaguely, se-mi kept her pace on. "you gotta be quiet now."

her fingers slipped past the tight band, further and further. cold metal of her rings added to the feeling. you whined but se-mi shut you up with a kiss. she leaned her forehead against yours, a smug look on her face since she's leading the game.

her fingers made contact with your core, maybe if you just let out a scream right now you'd scare those women away.

"it's okay, you can do it." it did not help.

"please se-mi, i can't—" 

the second doors closed, she wasted no time slipping her fingers into you. you held onto her collar like a lifeline, head thrown back and air knocked out.

se-mi was mesmerized. wished it was a club rather than a place you have to get knocked out and drugged to be taken to. she will get you two outta here any means.

hitting all the right spots, distracting you with kisses and wandering hand you're about to collapse. "i'm-i'm close—"

"i know, i know," so she sped up, watching you fall apart, hitched breath in her ear so addicting, soft pleas she can't answer and oblige right now, hands gripping her hair. she'd take her time if she had one, hoping these cameras have decency so she can save you only for herself.

the least she can do in this short time is fix your shirt and jacket and pray you're coherent. "no worries, i don't leave a lady just like that but we gotta get out."

"hmm? sure, just give me a moment."

she chuckled, "not in that way. i'll tell you when we get back."

[letssofia3006]

Fanart from the most recent chapter of the fanfic: The harmony of the spark. Written by @just-joeja

The piano scene was super intense, thou, I couldn’t help but imagine Optimus literally fuming. He is a semi-truck altomode, of course he fumes when angry. It comes with the package and nonone can’t convince otherwise.

Additionally here I drop my thought process for the comic + 4 paragraphs worth of yapping:

The chapter never explicitly states how or why Megatron was there to listen to Optimus. What we do know is that Optimus, for once, didn’t bother checking the auditorium—he went straight to the piano. This means Megatron could have been there from the very beginning without Optimus noticing. However, there’s also no mention of Optimus closing the door behind him, so the sound of the piano could have easily reached his ears and drawn him into the auditorium. Both possibilities are equally plausible.

And since there’s no strong evidence to prove one over the other, I choose to believe the first option (as is obvious in the comic) purely for funny reasons.

Let me set you the scene. Megatron, after enduring 60 auditions in a row! He is bore out of him mind, he is tired. Perhaps, after judging the last pianist and finding no clear standout, he simply gives in and falls into a deep, deep sleep. And I mean very deep—so deep that the entire auditorium is vacated and the lights are turned off, likely by Soundwave, who probably gave up on trying to wake him.

And then, bam! He is suddenly awaken by the world angriest stumps he’s ever heard, accompanied by the most jaw dropping, tear jerking, breathtaking rendition of Prelude in C Sharp Minor from Rachmaninoff. And then, another bam! The source of the music is no other than Optimus Prime. The fragging maestro who Megatron spent the entire audition process internally mocking. But primus be damned, Optimus is good! Better than the 99% who audioned just earlier.

So now, Megatron has to put on his most professional, smug expression and act like he totally planned for this. But more importantly, he cannot let anyone realize that he literally just woke up. Least of all Optimus Prime

[threeacttragedy]

Entry 18: The One Where Two Roads Diverged in a Wood of GIFs and Written Words

“Lukola Crisis Hotline. How may I be of service?”

Me: Houston, we have a problem.

Dad: Do tell!

Me: You won’t believe who showed up last night! –

Dad: Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness! Whoa! I don’t know what to say! Wait – let me grab my Coke and my smokes. <waiting> Okay, I’m back. So, Misty appeared out of nowhere with Thang?! Well, this just got fun! <laughing>

For clarity’s sake, my father tends to give everyone a pet name. Some of the pet names are funny; some are quite cruel. But if they help him remember who the players are in this fandom (and in any other situation), I’m game to play along. Plus, his pet names tend to add a little comedy relief to whatever is being discussed, especially when it is not an outwardly funny subject.

In Lukola-Land, Luke is “Thang” (it’s actually “Thing” – as in the hand from The Addams Family – but my dad’s accent muddles the pronunciation into “Thang”); Nicola is “Ireland,” for obvious reasons; Antonia is “Misty,” for, umm, the Clint Eastwood movie, “Play Misty for Me;” and Jake is – well, Jake is actually just “Jake” because my father finds the USS Jakola offensive. In fact, when I was discussing the recent fandom events with him on Friday evening, my dad was genuinely shocked to learn the Jakolas still existed. His pet name for the Jakolas is “Fucking Stupid,” by the way.

Moving on to the matter at hand –

There’s been so much “noise” over the past few weeks that, when taken collectively, it is rather eye-opening. We’ve got Luke’s mother posting on Facebook about “Luke’s girlfriend…from Cyprus.” The leaked funeral video and photos (by allegedly Luke’s family). The Best in Show pap pictures of Nicola and Jake. The “just friends” interview. The disappearance of Jake (because he’s rehearsing for a play) and the sudden reemergence of Antonia.

If you’ve noticed from my recent entries on this blog, I have obviously found most of what has happened of late to be comical and not worth putting into written word. Instead, my thoughts have been dumped into GIF stories. To be honest, I was rather disappointed I couldn’t put this last part – Antonia emerging from the misty edges of the forest – entirely into a GIF story. Her reappearance was like a certain Bond villain coming back to life for the seventh time. In other words, it was total cringe. But it also altered an otherwise slow burning campfire into a motherfucking forest fire.

Me: Thoughts?

Dad: I need some time to think about this one – and a cigarette. Or two. Call me back in 15 minutes.

“Psychotic Fan Rescue Center, at your service.”

Me: You’re a dumbass.

Dad: <laughing> Well, this is insane. It makes no sense and it’s a convoluted mess. Why bring Misty back? She was killed off two seasons ago.

Me: No shit, Sherlock.

Dad: Hell, maybe this has all been a nest of vipers.

A nest of vipers? Ah, yes, the idea that we have a group of venomous snakes thrown into the same close-quartered trench – in an every-man-for-himself type situation – each taking strikes at the others whenever their backs are turned.

In Entries 1, 13, and 15 – with an emphasis on “Entry 13: The One Where the Ashes Blew Towards Us with the Salt Wind from the Sea” – I wrote about what the Lutonia narrative could look like, if real. I will not rehash in detail those entries here, but I will link them at the end of this entry if you want to read, or reread, them.

Now, the General Audience almost certainly didn’t pay a lick of attention to Antonia when she appeared alongside Luke at the Boss event held January 30 (she’s always just been a Face in the Crowd). But the sudden reappearance of Antonia stopped the Lukolas dead in their tracks because – like my dad said – she was seemingly killed off two seasons ago.

The Lukolas have suddenly found themselves at an intersection of confusion and, likely, a bit of distress. The long and winding road we’ve been traveling along has diverged into two paths – and, no, you cannot travel both.

The problem with the Lutonia narrative has always been that Luke has never formally acknowledged Antonia as his girlfriend. In fact, Luke had the perfect opportunity to do so when he posted about the Boss event on his Instagram grid – but he did not. I could rationalize the idea that Luke and Antonia wanted to keep their relationship private after the Papsmear misstep if it weren’t for the fact that Antonia has been historically loud in her social media posts. We spent the summer and fall with insinuation post after insinuation post from Antonia. Yes, all those posts that alluded to her being with Luke without any actual evidence that she was, in fact, with Luke. By the time Antonia got to “Pasta-gate” in mid-November, the Lukola fandom barely even blinked before dismissing her as, well, the antagonist from “Play Misty for Me.” And this leads to something even more problematic for the USS Lutonia – Luke has never rescued Antonia from being ridiculed and torn apart by the fandom. My dad would call – and has called – Luke a cad for this.

Jumping to the other side of this misshapen triangle, we have Nicola and her Assassin (my dad’s pet name for JVN). Assuming Lutonia is real, the only logical answer for Nicola’s behavior is that she has spent months trolling Luke, Antonia, and <gasp> the fandom. Nicola herself has admitted to being chronically online and, at a minimum, being aware of fan edits – so much so that during the London premiere she commented that she and Luke “can’t do anything” without the fandom reacting to it. Therefore, I will call “foul” on anyone who tries to persuade me that Nicola was unaware of, at a minimum, how the Lukola fandom had reacted to the Claddagh ring, Chaos Week, and the October airplane posts. JVN openly mocking Antonia on social media with, for example, their Slick Back Bun routine only added fuel to this fire.

For shits and giggles – and so I can get to the bend in this road – we will roll with my dad’s “Nest of Vipers” theory for a moment. We will concede that Lutonia is real, which, in my opinion, makes Luke the absolute worst boyfriend in London and Antonia a woman who doesn’t mind being treated like roadkill. It also, unfortunately, makes Nicola and Fan Favorite JVN come off like online bullies – with the only plausible reasoning for the bullying being that Luke and Nicola are at odds with each other. No, I take that back – they’re not at odds with each other – they’re seemingly at war with each other. I’ll even amp this up a bit and throw in the suggestion that, assuming Lutonia is real, Netflix & Co. is aware of the strife between its two Polin actors and are protecting their asset with blurred Polin-Lukola posts to pacify the fandom. Dun-Dun-DUNN! And yes! That was a sly nod to Jake.

Me: Thanks for that. You just made Luke into an absolute prick and gave Antonia’s starring role in “Play Misty for Me” to Nicola.

Dad: Hey, I’m not the one who dug up Misty! That was all Thang!

Me: Then why does everyone say Luke is the nicest person? Nicola, his co-stars –  

Dad: All lies.

Me: Would you STOP?!

Dad: But I’m serious! Thang could be a complete pig behind closed doors and Ireland could be on the verge of a psychotic meltdown because, uhh, maybe she’s obsessed with Thang and pissed he chose Misty.

The unfortunate thing about this Nest of Vipers theory is that I could almost certainly make a convincing argument that it was legit. I’ve always joked with my Inner Circle of Lukolas that no one wants to see me go rogue, especially not – I’ll bite my tongue on that one. But I will emphasize the importance of keeping an open mind when you’re reviewing information. Always consider both sides of the coin. That said, it’s hard to ignore the evidence that was presented to us through the World Tour interviews and behind-the-scenes footage; therefore –

Me: I’m having a hard time believing Luke is someone who wouldn’t protect his girlfriend. He seems to support Nicola online quite a bit. Why wouldn’t he do the same for Antonia?

Dad: <laughing> Fine. Antonia isn’t his girlfriend. Maybe it’s all just a bunch of fuckery like I’ve always said.

“Fuckery” is my dad’s pet name for PR bullshit. If you didn’t pick up on it in previous entries, I am not fond of PR theories. But I also cannot ignore that PR relationships do exist and have for decades (hell, we could go back centuries and find examples of PR relationships across multiple noble and royal families – think about that, naysayers). It was my dad who first sold me on the possibility of Antonia being PR. So, I will consider this road to PR-ville in the same manner as I did the Nest of Vipers theory – with this PR theory having perhaps the better claim.

I mentioned earlier that the General Audience almost certainly paid little attention to Antonia’s existence at the Boss event. Although some people may find what I’m about to say a bit unkind, it doesn’t make it any less valid (and I’m not saying it to be cruel): Antonia, in the overall scheme of things, is of very little importance to the General Audience. She has less than 15 thousand followers on Instagram, even after being connected to a man who has almost three million. However, oddly enough, that didn’t prevent the Daily Mail from dropping a story which predominantly focused on Antonia within the same timeframe that images from the Boss event were being dropped on the Internet. It also didn’t prevent video footage of Luke and Antonia at the Boss event from being leaked online almost immediately – even when there were undoubtedly more famous celebrities attending the event. I’ll be realistic with this next comment, too: Luke may be relevant to the Bridgerton fandom, but that does not mean he is significant to, say, People Magazine’s average reader. So, why the sudden burst of publicity at this event?

I waited to write this entry to see what Luke did with the exposure from the Boss event. Would he finally put Antonia on his Instagram grid? Would he put her in his Instagram stories? Would Antonia post pictures from the event on her Instagram grid or stories? Would Luke unambiguously acknowledge a relationship with Antonia?

Although Luke posted to his Instagram grid and stories about the event, he did not include Antonia – at least not directly. The closest he came to including Antonia was via an Instagram story – on which he did not tag her – of a black screen with a link to a Boss TikTok that included images of Luke and Antonia from the event. The TikTok did not tag Antonia either. Luke did not post Antonia’s image to his grid or his stories.

And Antonia didn’t post about the event at all.

I wasn’t sold on a PR narrative when I started writing this entry, but my eyebrows raised when I saw Luke’s “black screen” Instagram story. This was either Luke attempting to circumvent the Lutonia narrative while throwing Antonia a bone, or it was Luke being an absolute douche of a human being. And, if it’s the latter, Mr. Newton needs to check himself into Assholes Anonymous.

I will concede that a couple of mutuals put up a few stories about the event (which disappeared after 24 hours) and Boss included (and tagged) Luke and Antonia in an Instagram and TikTok reel – without formally identifying Antonia as Luke’s girlfriend. On a side note, Luke could have reposted either of these reels – which tagged Antonia – but he did not. Luke also did not like this Boss Instagram reel with Antonia in it (and he does not have a public TikTok account), but Luke did like a separate Boss post of him and David Beckham (without Antonia). The only news outlets that called Antonia Luke’s “girlfriend” were rag-mags like the Daily Mail and Hello, both of which put an emphasis on Antonia. Digital Spy noted that Luke and Antonia “have yet to officially confirm their relationship.” So outside of some tagged reels (that weren’t reposted or acknowledged by Luke) and rag-mag speculation, what did Antonia get from this?

Dad: Publicity.

A single word but one that resonates throughout an otherwise silent wood.

But to be honest, I’m not entirely convinced this was for publicity. I’m not saying I believe Antonia is Luke’s girlfriend either – that’s a whole cauldron of contradictions on its own. I’m simply intrigued that Antonia has her Instagram tags turned off and she has not yet allowed any Boss event tags to appear on her page. So, outside of some junky rag-mag callouts and a few TikToks, what benefit did Antonia receive? And, if Antonia didn’t truly benefit from this appearance (or, at least she doesn’t appear to be reaping the rewards from a girlfriend or PR standpoint), who did benefit?

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that a series of events had happened one after the other over a relatively short two-week period: (1) Luke’s mum mentioning “Luke’s girlfriend…from Cyprus” in a Facebook response; (2) leaked video and photos of Luke from a funeral; (3) those utterly ridiculous pap pictures of Nicola and Jake; (4) Nicola stating she and Luke were “just friends” in an interview; and (5) the sudden summoning of Antonia after exactly six months of being MIA.

As I sat here writing out the events of the past two weeks – and considering the reappearance of Antonia – I couldn’t help but speculate as to whether each of these events was meant to have a specific purpose that didn’t get its desired result.

The comment by Luke’s mother was so far out in left field, most Lukolas chucked it up to being suspicious and dismissed it as such. The funeral pictures and video released by one of Luke’s family members was quickly scrubbed from social media; therefore, just as quickly ignored. The pap pictures of Nicola and Jake were openly mocked across social media as being staged. The “just friends” comment – after almost a year of, particularly, Nicola dodging that phrase – didn’t seem to send many Lukolas overboard. Is it possible that the fandom’s mild reaction to all these events wasn’t anticipated? Which leads me to wonder if Luke and Nicola wanted a reaction and realized the only way they were going to get it was to play the only card they had left – Antonia.  

When you look at the above referenced events individually and collectively, they appear to indicate a push to shut down the Lukola narrative. Why?

They could have shut down the Lukolas before the World Tour even took off. They could have shut down the Lukolas during the World Tour. They could have shut down the Lukolas after Papsmear. Why wait almost a full year to draw the line in the sand? Especially after every devoted Lukola would argue that (mostly) Nicola has left a trail of Swiftie-like clues to insinuate Lukola is real, and that Luke has made a visible effort to remove Antonia from his narrative.

Whatever the reasoning may be, we must admit Antonia’s reappearance had a purpose – and one that we need to respect. I have a hard time believing Luke would voluntarily step in the same pile of dog shit he stepped in back in June without a valid and significant reason for doing so.

And this is where I will draw the line.

I will not speculate further about why Antonia suddenly rose from the ashes of Manderley – and I will not tell you which road to take from here. That’s something you need to do on your own but, be warned that regardless of which road you choose – the one where you conclude Luke and Antonia are a couple, or the one where you decide Antonia is playing the role of PR distraction – the Lukolas are currently fighting a losing battle.

The Lukolas have become collateral damage. They’ve either been caught in the crossfire of an online war between Luke and Nicola (and their respective sidekicks) over, presumably, Antonia; or they’re the unwitting victims of some messy PR bullshit that has resulted in Lukolas being bullied across every social media platform by rabid Jakolas and Anti-Lukes.

Amazingly, though, many Lukolas remain resilient.

When the going gets tough…

But sometimes the tough don’t get going.

Yesterday, someone wrote to me, “Why are we still here? Just when we think something good is finally going to happen we get pushed back down. I’m tired of the dumb games.”

I rarely answer “Asks,” but my response to this comment is:

“Two roads diverged in a wood…”

Two roads.

One road is quite disheartening and the other is shrouded in underbrush.

But what you've overlooked is that there is an alternate path – a third road – the one that brought you to this point.

Turn around.

That road takes you back home – and, if you’re ready to go home, go home. It’s okay. It takes an unbelievable amount of courage to admit you’ve had enough. Remember that saying – “A wise woman once said, ‘fuck this shit,’ and she lived happily ever after.”

Take your time and decide what makes the most sense to you.

Dad: What are you thinking?

Me: Of a poem.

Dad: Oh, which one today?

Me: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by…”

Dad: Which road is that…?

P.S. Just for a bit of comic relief at the end of an otherwise somber post (not even Dad could make it lighthearted), I just wanted to say:

I love eating grapes.

IYKYK.

Those links I promised:

[butterznack]

baby, I’m good

Pairing : Hirai Momo x afab!reader

Summary : Dahyun’s latest post on Bubble got the better out of you, but Momo reminds you there’s more than one place for you to sit on her.

Genre : smut, established relationship

Warnings : 18+, fingering, oral (f!reader receiving), face sitting, clit stimulation, nipple stimulation

a/n : a little something for Momo day <3 (better late than ever lol) Dahyun’s bubble post got me feeling something like, make some room for me pls i swear i’ll behave >.<

There is no reason for you to feel jealous over Dahyun’s birthday post to Momo. All Twice members are close to each other, both in body and mind, and it isn’t as if you had never fallen victim to Jihyo’s drunken behavior and her accidental smooches at the corners of your lips, or Nayeon’s sticky fingers on your ass.

The photo isn’t recent, Momo had gotten a new haircut in preparation to MISAMO’s comeback, and so you pay it no mind, taping on the like button below the picture before switching to a different social app.

It isn’t long before Momo makes a grand entrance, waltzing past the entryway and straight to the living room where you are.

“Hi baby!” She chimes, bending down to trap your face in her hands and reach out to your lips, kissing you firmly but lovingly.

“Happy birthday love,” you greet her back as Momo pulls away, dropping next to you on the couch.

“What are you doing?” She rests her head on your shoulder, cheek pancaked onto it.

“Just looking at the stuff the girls posted for your birthday,” you smile, recalling one of Jihyo’s story of your girlfriend sleeping at a restaurant, a napkin tucked in the collar of her shirt that emphasized the comic aspect of the situation.

“You didn’t post anything,” you can feel her pout as she states the obvious, you know it’s not a complaint.

“I’m just keeping the best for last,” you grin. Momo pinches your side and you jerk up a bit without propelling your girlfriend off your shoulder. “Well, if I can do better than Dahyun’s post, that is.”

Your own words hit you only a second too late, and you don’t register Momo’s interrogative oh as she lifts her head to meet her eyes with yours. “What?” You shriek, fainting ignorance knowing damn well Momo is far from stupid and already sees right through your avoidant look.

“What about Dahyun’s post?” She asks.

“Nothing,” you lie, “I liked it.”

Momo is now fully facing you, one leg propped up on the couch and the arm of the same side against the backrest. She doesn’t say anything, but the moment you shoot a quick glance at her Momo huffs. “Are you jealous babe?” she quips.

You huff back at her, eyes not leaving the screen of your phone anymore, but you don’t say anything.

Maybe it was time for you to admit that it wasn’t jealousy, per say, but something akin to possessiveness. The image of Momo’s hand on Dahyun’s bare thigh burned into your hippocampus. You shrank in on yourself, chin nearly merging in between your collarbones as you slowly sank further into the couch.

“Oh my god, baby why?” Momo can’t help but snicker when you dramatically fall down the opposite side of hers. “Come back here,” she leans over and grabs you from under one thigh, pulling you with such force you oblige, soon straddling your girlfriend, facing her.

“Is that what you want?” Momo teases.

“Dahyun was facing the other way round,” you sulk.

“Yeah, but I can see you better like that,” she says, voice dropping an octave lower as she leans in to plant a kiss where your jaw and your ear meet. You hum in satisfaction, hands coming to repose themselves on Momo’s shoulders, her own settling on your waist. “So? Still jealous?” She keeps on kissing down your neck to the vale of your collarbone.

You whimper against her mouth as Momo lightly bites down on the muscle above, “I’m not.”

“Are you sure?” One hand comes sliding down your tummy, untucking your shirt from your pants and reaching back up to your breasts, grazing the underside. You arch at the touch, and Momo presses her hand against your sternum to keep you in place before latching her mouth onto your left nipple through the fabric of your shirt.

You gasp, one hand coming up to grip itself in her blonde bob. You try to push yourself onto her mouth, signaling to her to get more into it, but Momo keeps a strong hand between your boobs. The tip of her tongue flicks at your bud in kitten licks, and her mouth barely closes around it.

Momo is not one to tire from foreplay, she could go at it and tease you for several hours on end, and she has done so in the past. But right now, she’s doing this on purpose, because she doesn’t need a reason to taunt you like that.

You whine in protest, “Momo, please…”

“I’m waiting, love,” she replies, moving to nip at your right nipple.

Of course your girlfriend expected you to concede, to admit you were feeling a little jealous upon seeing that picture. Pulling one last time at her hair, you try to get her to look at you, “I was not jealous,” you say resolutely, “maybe just a little possessive…”

“A little?” Momo stops, fighting the urge to mock you with yet another smirk.

“Don’t push it,” you snarl.

As if to mean that’s enough for me, Momo wastes no time and has you remove your shirt completely, followed by your bra removed by her hefty fingers, and dives back onto your tits, suckling at the nipple again.

You cry out, a sense of relief washing over you, soon replaced by the itchy feeling of your growing arousal. A feeling you don’t have to focus on for too long as Momo is already slipping a hand in your pants and underneath your panties, fingers brushing your clit before sliding down your slit.

At the pace she’s going, you think you might combust on the spot. “So wet, just for me,” Momo whispers in your ear, and it’s not helping, just riling you up even more. She notices and slides one finger in your pussy, all three knuckles in. You let out a lengthy moan, tightening your hold on her shoulder and in her hair.

“Careful, I’m not not planning on going bald,” she scoffs, stopping amidst the process of giving you yet another hickey between your tits.

“Sorry,” you breathe out, “I’m sorry baby.”

“Don’t worry, you’re excused,” she states almost too matter-of-factly as she adds a second finger and starts to pump them in and out of your cunt.

She sets up a fast pace, sometimes rubbing at the spongy spot inside, coating her fingers in your arousal. Momo avoids your clit, trying not to let the palm of her hand touch it. You notice it rather quickly, moans now substituted by whimpers, seeking more of her, more than just her fingers in your pussy and her mouth on your tits.

You believe Momo takes note of the sudden shift in behavior right away. She takes her free hand and brings it to your neck, pulling you into a searing kiss. It’s messy and devouring, tongues and teeth meeting and clashing with each other, mouths agape letting out the sultriest moans out of the two of you.

You had been so focused on your own pleasure that you didn’t attend to Momo's. Though she didn’t complain, and never did, you’ve always felt a bit guilty that she would care more about your needs than hers.

“You know where else you could sit for me?” Momo prompts, as if noticing, again, you were drifting off in your thoughts. She let her hands fall to your hips, then lower, grabbing at the soft plush of your thighs. “Where?” You ask, knowing the answer already.

“Take off your pants,” she demands and again, you oblige, moving at light-speed to rid yourself of your clothes. At the same time, Momo lays down on the soft seat cushions of the couch, guiding you back down on her.

Her arms snake behind your thighs, and your knees are on both sides of her head, not too close but apart enough Momo can have you sit on her face as much as humanly possible.

You always hesitate for a second. Despite getting off to the sight of your girlfriend enjoying herself being squished between your thighs, you couldn’t help but need her approval to finally sink down on her face. An approval that came in the form of Momo bringing her mouth to your throbbing clit and pulling you down at the same time, and there’s nothing you can do to keep the moan from coming out of your vocal cords, raw and high-pitched.

One day, that woman is going to literally eat your pussy.

Momo finally gives all the attention your throbbing clit was craving. No teasing needed, she simply wanted, ached, to lose herself into your cunt, tongue switching from lapping between your folds to flicking back at the swollen bundle of nerves above. Anytime you arch your back, you also press harder against her mouth. Momo hums in contentment, one of her hands leaves your ass to relieve herself of some of her own pains and aches.

There is nothing but a symphony of moans and whimpers filling the living room. Pleas run out of your mouth in search of a desperate release, you grind your pussy against Momo’s face and she keeps on sucking at your clit, tongue going back into folds, fucking you relentlessely with it.

“Momo… I’m so close,” you chant her name over, and over, and over again. Momo pinches her eyebrows, as if trying to catch up with you. You take over for her, placing your hand below hers, applying pressure while rubbing her clit in repeated motions, rutting continuously as Momo joins you in your fun, grinding against the palm of your hand.

“That’s it baby, come for me,” she mutters from under you.

That tight feeling in your gut snaps when Momo bites and sucks at your clit again. You cry out your release, and your fingers slip past her folds in one swift motion, making Momo whimper as her orgasm crashes over her as well. Coming down from your high, you lift yourself up, licking at your fingers to get a taste of Momo’s.

You settle over her lap, plopping onto her chest as your girlfriend hugs you, hands running up and down your spine. You raise your head, cradling Momo’s face and kissing her, chaste but longingly.

“Hope the seat was to your confort,” she murmurs mid-kiss.

“You can’t imagine,” you chuckle.

[antsday]

under your thumb

[part two of this. inspired by @habken 's incredible scammers to lovers au. hope you enjoy!]

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

“I need him dead,” Izuku says, pacing intently. His bright red shoes squeak with every step he takes, and his eyes are wide with mania. “I genuinely need him dead.”

La Brava takes a long slurp of her soda fountain abomination - two pumps of every flavor of every soda, in one supersize cup - and gives him a knowing, pitying look. “Dynamight causing trouble again?”

He buries his face into his hands and makes a noise like a wounded animal. 

“Did he finally explode his laptop beyond repair or something?” La Brava asks. “Talk to me.”

“He asked me out on a date,” Izuku grits out, and La Brava’s eyes go wide. “A date. Lunch at a crepe shop? There’s no other way to take that.”

It wasn’t ever supposed to go this far. At first, loading Pro Hero Dynamight’s laptop with viruses was just a way to get back at him for being an asshole. But then he just- kept clicking them. And then he kept coming by, and revealing that he wasn’t so bad to talk to and then-

Izuku’s been played like a damn fiddle. All this time, he thought he was the one pulling the strings- only for Dynamight to sweep the rug out from under him in the most sudden possible way.

“Huh,” she says.  “Huh.”

And then, after a long pause:

“...Well. IT guys are in really high demand nowadays,” she says, stirring her drink with her straw. “With the economy, and all.” 

“This can’t happen. He’s a Pro-Hero,” Izuku stresses, grinding his teeth to stubs. “A Pro Hero who can’t go a week without getting scammed, but a Pro Hero nonetheless. This can’t happen. It can’t.”

“He’s a public servant, Deku, not a nun.” 

Izuku points at her. “Exactly! He’s a public servant. He has a duty to the people first and foremost, and I can’t get in the way of that.” Izuku says, placing a hand on his chest with feeling. A beat passes, and then, “Also, he is so fucking weird.” 

“And there it is.”

“Who gets scammed that much? It just makes no logical sense. You’d think after clicking an obvious pop-up the first time and getting your whole laptop overrun with malware you’d just- stop doing it at some point! But no! It’s like he’s a- a little kid with a big red button in front of him. He’s ridiculous. And-and an asshole, too!”

La Brava sighs, setting down her comically large drink. “Okay, Deku-kun-”

“Yeah! He’s a huge jerk. He’s mean to everyone and he acts like- like he’s doing me a favor by making me fix his laptop all the time! You know what, he deserves all that malware, especially if he’s so obsessed with clicking pop-ups!”

“Deku-kun.”

“He’s insane. A total freak show!”

“Deku-kun.”

“A-A self-absorbed, arrogant-”

“So you don’t want to go on a date with him?” La Brava interrupts, cutting him off. 

Izuku pauses, ceasing his pacing. 

He thinks about Dynamight’s evil looking smiles and fiery red eyes and sharp features; his insane stances and posture and the way his voice sounds like gravel; the way he’s always yelling and acting like a stereotypical macho-man Pro in his office, and yet whenever he steps into Izuku’s he’s always looking away and speaking quieter and holding out his virus-infected laptop like it’s the bento lunch Kiyoko-chan (from the new slice-of-life romance anime Izuku’s been binge-watching recently) made for her love interest in last week’s episode. That one time Izuku had said he was thirsty in Dynamight’s presence and found a water bottle on his desk the next day (and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that-). It's the way that no matter what happens- whether it’s a villain attack or a patrol or rescuing a kitten from a tree, Dynamite comes out on top. 

(Quite literally, in the case of the kitten. The fire department had to come down to Tatooin Station and rescue Pro-Hero Dynamight and a three-pound kitten from a 40-foot tall oak.)

God, there’s so much wrong with him, Izuku thinks. I need to hold his hand or I’ll die.

Izuku’s cheeks heat up and he scratches the back of his neck, very pointedly not looking at La Brava. “...Well. I never said that.”

“Oh my God,” La Brava says. “Oh my God.” 

“Sue me, okay!” Izuku throws up his hands. “Apparently I like deranged goblin men who are a little pathetic and rough around the edges and incapable of not getting scammed! Is that so wrong!”

La Brava stares. And stares. And then she sighs. 

“It- You know what, this is above my paygrade,” she says, taking another long, obnoxious sip of her drink. “I’m not here to critique your frankly abysmal taste in men. So you do want to go on this date?”

He thinks about it more, and starts getting light-headed at the thought of- of Dynamight, buying him a crepe. Sharing a crepe with him. At the crepe shop. Tomorrow, when they’re both free. Maybe they’d even- hold hands, and- ride the ferris wheel in the amusement park across the street- together-

“Hnnnrrrgh,” says Izuku. 

“Well, good luck,” says La Brava, tossing her empty cup. It soars through the air in a perfect arch and lands into the trash with little fanfare. She pumps her fists, and Izuku absentmindedly claps a little. 

 It’s pretty simple removing the malware- he was the one who put it there, after all. Soon enough, Dynamight’s laptop is good as new. And then, after another couple of moments of hesitation, he sneaks in another pop-up. A poor recolor of Naruto, this time, in suggestive kitsune-themed lingerie. 

“You’re literally going on a date with him,” La Brava says, suddenly popping up behind him. ‘You don’t have to keep doing this.”

“Consider it, uh,” Izuku racks his brain, “leverage! Yeah. If he’s. If he’s an asshole.”

She throws her hands up in exasperation and turns back to setting up a pastel pink Project Sekai theme for Phantom Thief's computer (upon his request). 

He’s not being weird, Izuku reassures himself. He’s not. Dynamight doesn’t have to click the pop-up. He’s not, like, obligated, or anything. But if he does, like he has been doing, well. That’s one way to secure a second date. 

Well. Not that he’s hoping for a second date with Dynamight, or anything. He’s not anxiously counting down the seconds or whatever. That’d be insane. Right? Right. Totally insane. And Izuku is not insane, so therefore he is not incredibly and unhealthily invested in this-

“Stop muttering about this or I swear to God-”

-

So now he’s here. Standing in front of the crepe shop in his nicest clothes (a white ‘Dress Shirt’ shirt, a half-buttoned striped orange button up, and brown corduroy pants with a black belt), blasting music to distract himself from the fact that he may have been stood up. 

Okay, fine, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. He probably hasn’t been stood up. Sure, it’s been three minutes and fifty four seconds since their agreed upon time, and there’s still no sign of Dynamight anywhere, but that probably doesn’t mean anything. He’s probably just running late. 

He has to be running late. What is he going to do if he actually is being stood up right now? 

Kill him? 

Kill Pro Hero Dynamight?

No, Izuku realizes, deflating a little. No, he’d never be able to go through with it. Maybe more malware? Maybe every piece of malware at once?

For once, the Go Get Your Man, Kiyoko-chan! theme song isn’t taking his mind off things- a clear sign of his deteriorating mental state. There’s a part right before the final chorus in which they let a cat just meow into the mic for a solid thirty seconds and it always reminds Izuku that good exists in the world- except for today, apparently. 

After a few moments of hesitation, he goes to his messages. They have each other’s numbers, strictly for business, but occasionally Dynamight will text him hey in the middle of the night and then take three hours to respond to Izuku. 

Where are you?, he types up. But before he can press send, his phone beeps.

Izuku frowns.

“A villain attack nearby?” His hair blows slightly in a sudden breeze. “Huh. I hope it’s not too close.”

He has about two seconds of peace between uttering this final, ironic sentence, and then turning his head-

-because one minute he’s pausing the theme song on his phone, and the next he’s face to face with a giant, menacing pincer that's seconds away from peeling off his entire face.

His life really is just one prolonged punchline, huh.

So there he stands, tears in his eyes, fear in his heart, and the thirty second meowing solo ringing in his ears; dressed his nicest 'Dress Shirt' shirt, holding an expensive laptop that he can never again infect with malware because he’s been stood up and he’s going to die. Brava was right, Izuku thinks belatedly. Maybe I should re-evaluate my taste in men.

And then everything explodes.

part one/part two

[triptychgardener]

What does becoming a furry in Homestuck mean? (In reference to your recent Nepeta post)

Okay so the thing is the way that Homestuck treats furries is honestly kind of equivalent to how it treats queerness. As in, Homestuck initially treats it like a joke or a thing to mostly sneer at. Homestuck was very much part of the wave of disaffected ironic assholes of the Newgrounds and Something Awful type, especially to start with, and that sort of relied on shitting on demographics that were seen as weird and permissible to find cringe and make fun of.

Jade comes onto the scene, and a lot of people sort of groan at her whole furry shtick. Jade is largely, however, just a pretty sincere character, and even though she feels some embarassment over the idea of BEING a furry (i.e. her distaste for the idea of actually wearing a fursuit) she nonetheless begins the admirable refrain of combining the finest qualities of humanity with the elegance and nobility of the animal kingdom.

Her earnest affection for all things anthropomorphic sets up more than just her excellent taste. And as much as she is a bit of a pattern-breaker, one pattern she doesn't break is that of having a Signature Animal.

The four beta kids have a bunch of different things associated with them: the four elements, four items, four musical instruments. But the animals are practically integral to who they are as people and characters.

John's attachment to the bunny is obvious, and helps to spur on one of the most emotional scenes in the comic. (For him. Him specifically.)

It's also something deeply precious to him, as it's a gift from every single one of his friends in a very roundabout fashion!

For Rose, Jaspers is half the reason she decided to play the game in the first place. She missed her dead cat so dearly she was willing to play a game that might end the world for it.

(Pictured above, Rose lying about her feelings, water is wet.)

Dave seems to at least feel some affection for crows, or at least shame when he kills them.

And his fusing to become Davesprite is what allows him to survive as a "copy" of the original Dave. Once again, Dave's disaffected irony giving way to the necessity of becoming a furry to save the world.

And for Jade, of course, Bec.

And it's notable that, by the end of the comic, at least THREE of our main beta kids have merged with their animals, and, in a way, become the best versions of themselves.

Jade obviously gets to achieve her dream of becoming a furry, and in doing so gaining power and agency that she was always denied due to her position in the story.

Davepeta, as I stated in a previous post, is the true Final Form of Dave, the pawn that made it to the end of the board, the only surviving character from Homestuck's "original" timeline, and is truly happy with themselves.

And Jasprose appears to have fully hurled herself through the walls Rose put up around herself to protect her image, and thus absolutely mortifies Rose. She just seems to be having a great time.

Homestuck evolved from a story that was deeply cynical and mean-spirited about furrydom, to a story where three of our four starting protagonists, in their truest most powerful forms, combine the qualities of man and beast to achieve self-actualization. And to bring this back around to queerness, these three characters also happen to be canonically queer. So there's that.

This isn't even to get into how this might relate to Troll Lusii and the concept of "growing up" to be more like one's parent on a planet raised by animals, but that's for another day.

[cosmicalily]

"written by the aces" - a mini series by @cosmicalily. view series masterlist, and outline here

4. "attention" | lee minho x fem!reader

I'm tired of tearing you apart, know your heart has had enough, it's obvious, you're starved for affection, and you need more, and you need more, you need more attention

author's note: okay so fun fact the left photo in this header is actually a pic of a picnic i went on with my friend that i took off my pinterest (ee if you wanna look at it here's the link! my pinterest is my pride and joy). i've had this fic in my drafts for ages, i adore this song and it feels SO undeniably hyunjin, i hope you enjoy!!

warnings: reader suffers from nightmares, overall angst, anxiety, minho is kind of a dick and can't express his feelings but dw everyone is happy in the end

“Do you want a pudding?”

You didn’t reply, staring into space from where you were sprawled across the couch. Minho shrugged, picking his own up and rifling around the drawer for a spoon.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” you stated.

Minho stopped in his tracks, the spoon he’d grabbed clattering onto the tiled kitchen floor almost comically, a stark contrast to the emotionless look on your face.

“What do you mean?” Minho picked up his spoon and ran a hand through his hair, walking towards where you were lying on the sofa. He moved to sit beside you, then thought better of it. He sat on the floor, looking up at you the way Soonie did when he wanted attention.

A tear rolled down your cheek, startling the both of you. 

“You’ve been out of the house before I wake up and you’re tired and go straight to bed when you get home. Half the time you don’t even spend the night here. Felix’s joking about staying over here when you’re at theirs, so he can get a nice bed and some quiet to himself while you pay the rent.”

Minho’s breath caught in his chest. “I didn’t mean to-”

“Yeah, well, maybe it's subconscious, or some shit. It’s not fair, though. I’m your best friend, and your roommate. I’m still doing your fucking laundry for you while you’re gone, even though you’re not here to cook for me, like our deal was. It’s so cold and quiet at night, and my nightmares have been worse. You know they get worse when you’re not here, Minho.”

He did know. He knew all of it. He knew what he was doing, he knew it was hurting you.

But why did he keep letting himself drift from you?

He knew why he did that, too.

“Well, if you’re not gonna talk to me, I’m going to bed. Enjoy your fucking pudding, Lee Minho. Turn the lights off when you’re done, and hang up your own laundry. I’m done.” You stood up, storming off to your bedroom, slamming the door.

He’d fucked it all up.

Three hours later, still in the same position on the living room floor, Minho heard crying.

It was quiet, and sounded muffled, which could’ve been the door, sure, but he was certain it was because you were trying to conceal it. Maybe the work of a pillow or your fluffy blanket, the one his cats were almost always perched on. He knew why.

The reason you’d found a roommate in the first place was because of your nightmares. You couldn’t sleep most nights, interrupted every few hours by vivid thoughts, a tight chest, and tears streaming down your face. Thoughts that wouldn’t fade, no matter how many TikToks you watched, how many cups of tea you sipped. Minho was your best friend, and he knew. He offered to move in. He comforted you at night.

He sacrificed a peaceful apartment on his own with his cats, enjoying his own company. He did it all for you, although he’d protest that it wasn’t a sacrifice at all.

But recently, since he’d been away so much, your sleep had been worse. In fact, you were pretty sure you were running on negative hours of sleep at this point. The worst part was, he wasn’t even busy. He just found excuses to be out of the house, out of your sight.

Minho knocked on your door.

“Are you fully dressed? Say something if you need to like, put something on.”

You didn’t reply, trying to suppress the hiccups that were slipping out of your throat.

“Alright, I’m coming in-oh, God.”

He’d never seen you cry like this before. Your cheeks were puffy and red, eyes glistening, still trickling with tears. Your breaths were uneven and shallow. He wanted to scoop you up and kiss every single part of you, even after the tears stopped, and then hold you forever.

“It’s not…a…nightmare,” you whispered between gasps. “I know…what…you’re thinking.”

“What's the matter then, baby?” Minho sat down beside you, rubbing circles into your cheek softly. He felt the way your cheeks burned at the nickname, biting back a smile.

“Missed you. I’m not good at being angry…I’m just sad. I can’t sleep, and I don’t want to rely on you so much…it’s not fair to you, and I feel bad-”

“Who said it’s not fair?”

“Well, I just thought-”

“I offered to move in with you. I knew what I was signing up for. I’m not sick of you, Y/N.”

You swallowed. “I thought you were fed up. That’s why you…kept avoiding me.”

“God, no. I preferred it when you were angry and blaming me earlier, Y/N, it made me feel less of an asshole, weirdly. I just…my feelings towards you have been a lot lately, and I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

“That sounds like a very polite way of saying ‘Wow Y/N, you’re driving me fucking insane and I don’t want to be near you’,” you pouted. “Just tell me what’s going on, Minho-”

“I like you.”

Your heart thumped so hard you were sure he could hear it. Your hand moved on its own, pulling him down beside you. He landed awkwardly, then shuffled his limbs so he was leaning on his elbows, face above yours, eyes locked.

“I like you too,” you whispered. “That’s why I was scared I’d lost you for good.”

“I thought I’d lost you too, when you yelled at me earlier. You don’t usually cuss so much, baby, it scared me.”

“You called me that earlier. I like it.”

“Yeah? I’ll keep calling you that, baby, as long as you slap the shit out of me if I ever so much as ignore you again. I’m here, you know that right? No matter what. I’ll always be a friend.” he paused, biting his lip, not wanting to push further.

“Definitely not as a friend. You can’t just confess like that and play it off. No, say it properly,” you scolded, scrunching your nose playfully.

Minho rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance, but you didn’t miss the way his ears turned pink. “I’ll always be a friend, roommate, the best pasta chef in the univers-”

“Lee Minho.”

“-and yours.”

taglist: @hyunjiiza @velvetmoonlght @s3ungm1nxxl0ve @btch8008s @yaniluvs @ellemir2404 @bellarellasstuff @starsinagreenskyxx @ashtxrie @pigeonseatmayo @modesttiger @woozarts - comment, dm or send an ask to be added!

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

"Why Would You Bother With Me?" - An Analysis of Kitsunami, 09/07/2024

tw: major discussions of abuse, the cycle of abuse, re-traumatizing situations, toxic and abusive relationships (non-romantic)

so like when I first read this panel my reaction was just to joke with Cori that this is a "get out of my school" moment (iykyk) but I've been thinking about it a lot recently because I... couldn't remember any specific beef Kit had with Tails?

Last we saw of them interacting one-on-one, Tails was talking Kit down from fighting, and Kit's beef with the squad later was more with Sonic than him. Tails didn't take down Surge in #56 or even affect the fight in any way, and Sonic was the one who told Kit that Surge was dead beforehand. At least that I could remember, so I went back to those comics. Indeed, in #56 he shows no animosity towards Tails specifically, nor when he talks to Surge in #55.

Then I went back to #54.

See, he does seem to blame Sonic entirely for the Surge death fakeout, and he thinks that Sonic is literally trying to kill her when he walks in. But he does have one (1) reaction to Tails, right at the end of the interaction.

In the previous issue, after Sonic and Tails saved his life, Kit immediately switched on his subservient personality and was desperate for any kind of validation from the hedgehog. We only see it for a few panels before he is told about Surge and sinks into a depressive state, but it's made very obvious.

And when he leaves to help?

Kit's conditioning under Starline means that he is excessively codependent on Surge– and if Surge isn't around, on anyone who is nice to him. The hypnotic repetition shown to us was "You live to support Surge. You'll do anything for her." Kit's sole purpose in life is to be a Support party member.

Kit's conditioning was to be the new Tails.

Starline wanted Surge and Kit to replace Sonic and Tails– that much was obvious from the get-go. But what was also obvious was his fundamental misunderstanding of Sonic and Tails's dynamic and how that negatively impacts Surge and Kit's relationship.

Starline completely misses the strong sibling bond that Sonic and Tails have. To him, Tails is just there to support Sonic, to provide the brains and tech that Sonic lacks, and so Kit needs to be there to support Surge in the same way. He sees it only as a business partnership, and not a mutual relationship built on trust, love, and shared experiences. Starline only saw other people as tools, so obviously he projected that onto Surge and Kit, hoping that they would immediately take up the closeness that Sonic and Tails did because, well, they served the same purpose to each other, right?

Except Surge and Kit don't have that relationship. These two children were forced into the same proximity and made to work together. They're coworkers at best, being told to act like a family.

Obviously their dynamic is super toxic, with Surge clearly holding a lot of power over Kit, but it's also clear that this isn't because Surge wants to beat on the kid. She was made to be Sonic, and so she has his arrogance (and possibly Shadow's, considering IS1 showed his image when Starline was talking about stealing abilities), but, as Boom!Sonic says, "Without any of the awesomeness to back it up." Okay, wrong, she's plenty awesome, the correct phrase is "Without the experience" and, most importantly, "without the altruism that makes Sonic Sonic." Surge wasn't programmed to like the people she saves, because that would conflict with Starline's goal to take over the world. So she's only made to be competitive and to want to best Sonic, anyone inbetween them be damned. This clashes with Kit's programming to not only be liked, but to be liked by Surge. Surge was also programmed to believe fully in herself in order to enhance the arrogant trait, and Kit was made to give her the help that she doesn't want.

To Surge, Kit represents everything holding her back. And she's not built to view him as a person, because Starline doesn't view him or her as people. Obviously this doesn't absolve her of her treatment of him, and later issues showing her getting more and more aware as she becomes more social is definitely going to impact the way she views him– or, if it doesn't make her reconsider Kit's personhood, it'll serve to make her more antagonistic for the viewer.

But the point is, Sonic trusts Tails because he knows and respects him as a person. It isn't just because Tails can help him, but because he knows Tails will. Surge, at this point in the comic, not only doesn't view Kit as a friend, she doesn't even care what he thinks or feels.

And despite the brainwashing, I don't think Kit is oblivious to this. He knows how bad their situation is, but he is so conditioned to accept it that he can't escape it whatsoever. In both fights with Tails, Tails talks him down easily because Kit doesn't want to hurt anyone. Kit only reacts violently when Surge is brought up, because he's meant to do anything she wants.

Like he said to Belle, he was made for Surge. And what he says directly after– "Sonic can use me, too." Kit doesn't even view himself as a person, only a tool– that's how far Starline's brainwashing went. It's clearly even affecting Surge, who realized in the latest issue, #72, how fast she and Kit fell into their abusive patterns again once Clutch took over– they were conditioned to be tools. Clutch claimed to want to help them, but really he was just using them for his own ends, just like Starline. So they went back to the familiar.

And speaking of familiar– pain is familiar to Kit, specifically pain in service to others. In his breakdown in #50, he says that Starline made him happy he'd been hurt. And in Imposter Syndrome #3 and #4, we see that him and Surge hate Starline and want to usurp him... but also are still trapped in the patterns he implanted in them. Surge still wants to kill Sonic and outperform everyone else. Kit still can't do anything but what she wants, to the point he becomes near catatonic when he believes she's dead.

Another pattern Kit is still trapped in is the idea that he has to be okay with his own suffering.

The only sense of home or family Surge and Kit have is in each other, but they fundamentally can't work together, at least as they are currently. Kit is expected to take Surge's anger, and Surge isn't expected to treat him like his own person.

And this, I think, is Kit's problem with Tails.

He was made to be Tails, and he knows this, but he can never have what Tails has. He can never live up to Tails and do what Tails can do, despite that being his entire life's purpose.

He doesn't hate Tails because he was programmed to– as he says to Surge, he only wants to destroy Sonic because she wants to. When he first encounters Tails, he refers to him as his target- a simple, unemotional term. He doesn't have the deep ingrained hatred for him that Surge does for Sonic.

Instead, he hates Tails because of what he sees in him. He sees Sonic and Tails interact, he sees how much Sonic trusts and relies on Tails, and he sees how he also loves and respects him. He sees how Tails has his own motivations and opinions, and he's experienced Tails's genuine compassion that was in part fostered by the hedgehog that raised him. In turn, Tails is loyal to Sonic, but not because he has to be– because he, in turn, loves Sonic and wants to be with him.

Kit only wants to be with Surge because he was forced to. Starline wanted to use Surge and Kit to stop Sonic and Eggman's cycle, but he made a whole new one instead. Kit is trapped in a cycle of pain, knows he's trapped in it, and is helpless to escape it.

Tails isn't, and Kit sees that in Tails. Subconsciously, he sees Tails and only sees how he fails to live up to his life's mission, and how he'll never have what Tails has.

After all, why would anyone bother with him? They already have Tails.

Is he a target? I like it here now.

[cottonlemonade]

Introducing You To His Friends

word count: 897 || avg. reading time: 4 mins.

pairing: Ushijima x chubby!Reader (feat. Shiratorizawa™)

genre: fluff

warnings: none

request: watching Nightmare Before Christmas with some caramel popcorn dressed as a traffic cone with Ushijima || fluffy, going to a Halloween Party with boyfriend Ushijima

Everyone in Shiratorizawa was buzzing about the upcoming Halloween party and the volleyball team was no exception. They decided to really go big this year and that meant bringing their partners. Or well, Ushijima would bring his girlfriend since everyone else was single as a Pringle - besides Semi, but he didn’t know which girl to bring so he decided to go stag. None of them had ever met you, since you went to a different school, and only knew of your existence because of the many rumors (mostly started by Tendou) that floated around the locker room.

The party took place in the empty gym, devoid of the usual bleachers and volleyball nets, with the basketball hoops now serving as part of the decoration with plastic skeletons stuffed into them. Since Shiratorizawa was a prestigious boarding school, costumes were exchanged for fancy dress, however, the gym more than made up for the lack of creativity in clothing.

Your hand felt clammy as Ushijima led you through the baffled crowd, but your boyfriend didn’t let go for even a moment. Not only did the socially inept captain bring a date but you were definitely not what anyone would have expected. Much shorter than him, sure, but the pudgy tummy was definitely a surprise. So were the generous thighs that never stopped touching as you rounded the swimming club and headed straight for the buffet tables where the volleyball team was fighting over the last korokke. As your heart threatened to leap out of your chest, you gripped Ushijima‘s hand a little tighter, and with his returning squeeze, he let his steadiness wash over you. You were as cool as a cucumber by the time you came to a halt next to a young guy with black hair who must have gotten into a fight with his hairdresser recently.

“Team, I have arrived. And as promised, I have brought my girlfriend.“

The boy next to you choked on his soda and a tall, gangly redhead who could only be Tendou from your boyfriend‘s descriptions leaned in, his hand stretched out. He was the only one wearing a costume - an elaborate Victorian vampire with styled back hair, the plastic fangs giving him a slight lisp, “So we finally meet, heh? Call me Satori. Ushiwaka‘s best friend in the entire world.“

You shook the boy‘s hand and smiled shyly at the rest of the group.

“I‘m y/n. It‘s very nice to finally meet all of you. Wakatoshi told me a lot about you.“

“I have?“

He hadn‘t, Tendou was the only exception, but you thought it would be the polite thing to say. You exchanged a puzzled look with him and then were mercifully saved by the black-haired boy who, after handing you a bottle of ramune, asked, “So, how did you two meet?“

You recounted how you had been out walking your dog and having smelled the empty power bar wrapper in the pocket of his sweats, the ever-hungry Labrador had pulled his leash out of your hand to run after Ushijima calmly jogging through the park. To apologize you offered him a cup of coffee, he accepted and that was that.

Tendou brought both hands to his face and wiggled from side to side like seaweed in a wave to express his delight.

“N’aww, aren’t you two just the cutest?”, he said sweetly.

A short silence joined the friend group, then moved on when Semi, with much hesitation between each word, asked, “So, how did… you two uhm… how did you agree… to become boyfriend and girlfriend?”

No one judged the setter harder than Tendou. He said, with a comically raised brow suggesting something completely obvious, “I think you just have to check a box somewhere like on the General Terms and Conditions.”

They held each other’s eyes, one challenging, one pretending not to be embarrassed.

Meanwhile, you furrowed your brow in confusion. (Just maybe you and Ushijima got along so well because you both didn’t exactly excel at reading social situations well.) You tried to find a way to reply but when you stumbled over the words a little, your boyfriend gently placed a hand on your back to stop you. He knew his team members and so was confident enough in his assessment of the situation to suggest, “I think, they’re making (dramatic pause) a joke.”

But the vampire wasn’t about to let this go. If there was a chance to bully Semi, it had to be done. “Them’s the rules” according to him.

And so, absolutely nailing his impression of the setter, Tendou asked, “So, what’s your favorite position?”

Semi (despite his better judgment) and Reon hid their snorts behind their snack plates, Goshiki turned as white as the sheet ghost dangling on the wall above the buffet and Shirabu clicked his tongue in annoyance at the middle blocker’s usual shenanigans.

“My… uhm…”, you stammered, your cheeks hot with blush.

“I’d also like to know.”, Ushijima said, turning to you with serious curiosity but after a moment added, “Is it setter? Outside hitter? Libero?”

Tendou clawed at Semi’s shoulder to suppress the manic laughter rising in his chest but took him and Reon down with him.

The three boys ducked away to calm down, while you used the opportunity to pull Ushijima to the dance floor as he still listed further possibilities of team positions.

a/n: request for @act-nat-ural

Thank you so much for the request, I always adore writing for Ushijima! I hope you enjoyed it! 🌟

And thank you to @haikyu-mp4 for brainstorming this at 4.30 in the morning 🫶🏻

[hana-no-seiiki]

Hi! Could I be ✨Anon? (Im not sure whats been taken already) I've been on a big Batfam kick these past few days and have a v indulgent request if it interests you.

Could I request something for a (gn) civilian reader who is friends w/ the Batfam, but recently got superpowers that are magical girl-esque? Neither of the parties knowing of the others Alter Egos. Here are some of my thought, but write the post however you'd like.

Reader was accidentally caught up in some commotion that involved stealing specialty cargo. One of them being an alien artifact, and reader uses it in desperation to save themselves. But now they have these sparkely, pretty, and showy powers that they never asked for. (And maybe a magical animal companion that insist they bring light and justice to Gotham)

Reader is reluctant to be a vigilante, but keeps finding themselves in situations to help people anyways.(Maybe its a side effect of being a magical girl) They end up fighting alongside the Batfam at some point, but they feel embarrassed to interact w/ them. Reader feels completely out of place with their colorful and over-the-top powers when next to the cool and brooding batfam.

Sorry if this idea is a bit out there, but ty for letting me be indulgent in your ask box 💕!!

NO CAUSE I FEEL THIS DYNAMIC SO MUCH.

I either have the friendliest vibe or the bitchiest vibe and no in between. Meaning that people either come to me for everything or think I’m a snob/will bite-

and sure non! i don’t really keep track of my anons nowadays so people can be whatever as long as it’s not listed in my pinned

BAT X MAGIC ✨

IN ANY CASE

I’m gonna mix Sailor Moon, Miraculous Ladybug and Onimai for my inspo with this ask if you don’t mind

Magical Girl/Boy/Person! Reader is really close friends with Tim and Damian. If there was one thing all three could agree on it’s that they loved superheroes in manga/comics.

And Reader? Boy did they adore the Batfam. There was just something about their dark, brooding aesthetic that they couldn’t get enough of.

So it was a tad bit ironic that they stumbled upon the most “girly”and “bright” power ever known to Gotham.

It didn’t help that your abilities had to be activated with cutely yelling things like “Sparkle Blast!” or “Smile Hurricane!”

I like to headcannon that you have a familiar or Kwami like creature that in exchange of keeping your identity magically hidden, absolutely bullies you by making the one above a requirement.

I headcannon that Damian has the PHATTEST crush on you. Like even moreso than the stalker, otaku Tim. Like he is just head over heels. You’re strong, you’re capable, you’re adorable?? But that mostly extends to just your magic persona rather than your real self. He’s super obvious about it to anyone but you too (similar to the og miraculous ladybug w/ felix instead of chat).

Tim is more interested on who tf you were. Like yes!!! Magical Person Hero!!! You were basically his childhood crushes incarnate!! But his inquisitive mind really needed to know who you were in order to calm himself down.

Jason is honestly a bit overwhelmed by your whole getup, but grows to love you the most in terms of how kind you are and how you help them even in the most dire of situations (not knowing that you were basically forced to)

He’s very much Tuxedo Mask type wherein he’d be very annoying to you when the disguises are off but an absolute Casanova with em on.

You and Dick are the most close when it comes to patrols and fighting. I feel like you, being the big fan you were, would make him look even more flashy and handsome during battle with sparkles and whatnot. I have a feeling he’d be the first to ask you out or fully romance you, as well as be the first to befriend you/contact you as a vigilante.

Bruce is definitely perplexed by how you always evade him in terms of your secret identity. It frustrates him to no end that whenever he gets close to finding out something either gets in his way or his mind just goes blank.

Once you explain how your magical persona works tho he’s pretty quick on the bandwagon, especially since he sees that his boys love you.

Also cause you look way too adorable to really be heinous.

…Right?

Once you break one of your familiar’s rules though, they do share your identity with the bats and well…

All hell breaks loose.

[lovingniamh]

₊˚ʚ 🩷 ₊˚✧ ﾟ. locked in ― Leah Williamson.

summary: you just cannot seem to tear your gaze away.

warnings: none really.

word count: 1.4k

a/n: been reading way too many Bridgerton fanfics lately, so, if the dialogue seems really formal, blame that. also, hiya

There’s only a limited number of ways one can keep themselves from chasing what they truly desire, and sometimes those ways can disappoint us. Right then, your feelings were brimming at the top of your mind, and no distractions that you tried to think of were holding a red stop sign to hold you back.

You had never realised how captivating one could be. Well, you could. You have seen her in rather many manners—a few in which you found daunting—and the images of her stuck playing on your mind, whirling around on repeat like a record. But this time, it felt intimate. Like she had finally been snapped into reality and noticed you, playing her role for you.

Your heart rate did not seem to get steadier as you tried so hard with the innocence you had left, and the scene in front of you only made your breath hitch for longer and your eyes grow hazier. God, she was gorgeous, and however many times you tried, you just couldn't remove your burning stare away from her. 

The buzz of the club was blurring around you; the obvious natter and thumping of the base were now in the back of your mind. All focus was purely on the blonde, and the blonde only—paralysed from the neck up with a sufficient source of longing and lust.

There was no going back now; you were now shoulders deep into your trance, and once her gaze caught onto yours, you were in fear of never breathing again as your thoughts encased your senses further. 

Nothing was to ease you away, talking with expressions across the private area that you had grown accustomed to over the years. Every time the team made their annual visit, she managed to become more alluring each time you met here—the recent winning glow adding to the tonne of beauty she radiated. Nothing seemed out of place, and you started to believe what you were seeing was just a dream—a drunken dream. 

It was with a blink that she caught on to your frozen state, obvious from the fact that you were not going to stand up and make the first move. With a few sips of liquid courage, you followed her eyes with every step she took, neither of you seeming to let go of the mesmirism you had locked in. 

Once you realised she was becoming increasingly close, your eyes were just about peeking through your eyelids by the time she made it in front of your cowering state, actualising that your thoughts had literally granted your wishes without a word. A slight taunting smile graced her lips as she stood above you before she smoothed the material of her trousers down as she sat beside you—your stare still caught onto her like a mouse stuck to the glue of a teasing trap and now, coincidentally, everything felt sticky.

She leant towards you once she had turned her body, her expression swelling with more amusement at your reaction. You felt the decency to lean further backwards, but she took a pinch of your top to stop you from doing so, continuing to place her face closer to yours. “I think you have won.” 

Still quiet, she edged away from you, analysing your expression as she bit her lip to hide a giggle at the minor furrow of your eyebrows, yourself still talking with your eyes as they glistened over with a sheer of evident confusion. 

“You can speak; you know, I don't bite.” She spoke into the indistinct silence that had appeared around the both of you, tilting her head to the side before you shifted in your seat, the backs of your thighs seemingly tacky against the material. Your mouth just parted before she cut you off again. “Unless you want me to, take it as a reward from me for winning the contest.” 

“What contest?”

“Oh, she speaks!” She gasped comically before lifting the lipstick-stained rim of her glass back to the designer, sipping and swallowing delicately. “You’ve always been quite reserved, haven't you? But never invisible.” 

“I-”

She swallowed the final bit of liquid from her drink before she continued, not until she wiped her lip with the tip of her finger before moving her hand onto the bare of your thigh. “Not in the way you think you are; do you think that I do not notice, y/n?” 

The fixation of your stares was finally torn in half as you took more fancy of the warmth of her palm, the tips of her fingers rounding the edge of the inside of your thighs. The mugginess of the room just grew ten times hotter as you calculated in your head the multiple different consequences that could occur, some of which you had been dreaming of for as long as you could remember. 

She had become fed up with your frigid way of flirting: “I’ve seen you, you and your glances, ganders, and gawks. You’re starting to become insufferable, y/n.” 

A wave of embarrassment washed over you like a tide returning, knowing the feeling all too well from past experiences. “I, um, I’m sorry. I just can't help myself. I promise I’ll stop-” 

“Who said I wanted you to stop?”

Squinting your eyes marginally, you voiced your interpretation: “You, you just said that I was basically a burden.” 

She shook her head softly, reaching up with the hand that was on your thigh to instead brush away the furrow in your eyebrow, her touch then trailing down to your cheek. “No, I said you were insufferable because you won’t act further. I’m tired of waiting, and now I have to make the move myself with the feelings you had first.”

Heart completely in your throat, you made an effort to try to remove it before you spoke, but your words came out with a squeak before it was gone: “You have... you have feelings for me?”

She scoffed, “More than just feelings.” 

Mouth agape, you peered around the room, trying to gather yourself away from the bomb the blonde dropped. A bomb that you had been begging to blow up now for a very long time, so why are you turning away? She gathered you back to her with a light touch of guidance under your chin. “I bloody well hope you still feel the same way.” 

“Kiss me.” You whispered, head lifted by her fingers still as your eyes pleaded for her lips to touch your own. A few blonde curls fell in front of her face as she took the chance, although she hesitated once her lips brushed gracefully against yours. The both of you shivered, goosebumps arising on your skin as you closed your eyes, awaiting more, but nothing came. You peeked one eye open to find her admiring your relaxed features, your impatience bubbling in your stomach. “Leah.” 

“Shh.” She placed one finger over your lips before tucking a stray lock of hair behind your ear. “You really are beautiful; did you know that?”

“Leah.” You caught her hand in your own, seeking home on your cheek. Your eyes found themselves back to square one; both your gazes bore into each other as the people around you became properly unknown and unnoticed. Totally forgotten.

She ripped into the silence before you and uttered, “I want you to kiss me.” 

Bringing your hand back into her grip, she transferred them to her cheek, and your mouth ran dry at how soft her skin was. A burst of desire overflowing your body had your noses beginning to nudge as you chased her lips with eagerness, predator to prey. A role you had never played before. 

You moaned in surprise at your own doing, relief flooding through your veins as you finally reached your true desire after hours, months, and years of pining after the English captain, but this time she told you what to do in a much different way. 

The kiss was feverish, and you had to keep yourself from clawing at her, sticking to one spot as you let your mouth do the work whilst she followed your steps. Everything and everyone around you were now completely withdrawn from your mind. It was Leah and Leah only, and god, how you wish you were, in reality, completely alone. 

When you thought she couldn't get anymore intoxicating, the bite she gave your bottom lip injected you with more lust for her, and you were obsessed with the taste of her. You wanted more, but before you could adjust yourself to press more into her, she pulled away. 

“That was more than what I was expecting.” Her breaths were laboured as she remarked, yourself not listening as you sought for her once more, beginning to get a hand with the whole dominance role, if that's what you would call it. “Easy, tiger. We can continue once we get home.”

© lovingniamh please do not repost, steal or translate my work.

[crimsonender]

Mikaila Orchard sucks at Paneling

I debated making this a video or not. But, I decided against it. If you guys are interested in me making videos about this sort of thing, let me know and perhaps it's something I could cover in the future.

So Mikaila Turkleson aka Mikaila Orchard has always made... questionable art. To me it seems like a weird amalgamation of Equestria Girls and Sophie Labelle's art. Anatomy bad character design bad etc etc. I don't however see a lot of people talk about her paneling.

Recently, Mikaila and presumably her partner, Lily Orchard started a new art endeavour. I assume to turn over a new leaf and bury the now-infamous Pokemadhouse. You can find it over at bhaalspawnfunnies. It appears as if the blog will focus around the player character of Baldur's Gate 1, Gorion's Ward, and their half sister, Imoen. This is the first entry.

Source

Where to start? My first impression is that this is very poorly drawn, and low effort even by Mikaila's standards. The speech bubbles are low contrast against the background. The ground/floor blurry blob looks extremely bad. As a fellow artist I get the distinct impression that Mikaila did not want to draw this piece.

Moreover, there's a huge issue with the panelling and pacing. Comics are really cool in that you can kind of use panelling and negative space to "time" jokes, leading the eye where you want it to go and using framing and other art tricks to make a punchline land a little better.

This "comic" has none of that. There is no pacing, there is no comedic timing. It's all bland and presented as a block. I took it upon myself to re-panel this piece, and I've made two versions: One, with Mikaila's art style and visuals, but with the panelling slightly adjusted to be more punchy and effective, the other I completely redrew, using the same joke.

Excuse the sloppiness. I'm not going to expend too much energy polishing and gilding this turd.

That being said, this is already a huge improvement. Even if Mikaila isn't at the technical level of a professional artist, this is very attainable with only a few more minutes of effort. The timing is punchier, the speech bubbles draw your eyes down the page, and even without colour coding, it's clear which of the characters is talking. This isn't exactly a hot take but in my opinion you shouldn't need colour coding on a comic page to denote who is speaking. It should be very obvious! Moreover, speech bubbles should be included in the composition, not added as an after thought.

I'm guessing the original comic took her less than an hour to make. I think I'm being generous here, honestly if this took her more than twenty minutes I would be concerned. Being generous though I gave myself one hour to make a version completely redrawn.

This was again, very quickly put together and of course is in no way perfect, but its to demonstrate what a little bit of thought can do to improve a comic page. I decided to change the pose of Gorion because making family guy references should be a a cardinal sin for artists, as well as make the characters a little more recognizable. "Aryana" is, notably, Lily's OC and bears little resemblance to the canon character of Gorion's Ward, but considering Baldurs Gate does allow character customization and dialogue choices, I decided to make their gender a little more ambiguous so players of any gender could see their version of Gorion's Ward in the comic, but kept the elf with long dark hair appearance from Mikaila's original. I also looked over the pic after I was all done and ready to upload and noticed some small flaws I could easily fix, and went back and did those things. You should always go over your pieces when you're finished them with fresh eyes before you submit them as a final piece.

Again, this certainly isn't perfect and I'd probably put more effort into a piece with characters I care about and a joke I actually find funny, but I hope this demonstrates that pacing and expression really are everything in comics.