#it's still pretty but it sure does change the vibe huh

[audliminal]

It's Just a Game, Right? Pt 2 Redux

Masterpost

"Okay, so. Like I said before, the first video is pretty basic.” Bernard tells Tim. He’s got his laptop perched on his lap and Tim leans into him as he clicks play.

He’s not wrong, either. The video in front of him looks like it was made with movie maker software from at least a decade ago. Hell, Tim’s pretty sure he remembers using a couple of those transitions in elementary school projects. The background remains stagnant, for the most part, with just the pictures at the center of the screen and the text beneath them changing. The pairing pretty obviously is supposed to be a caption for the videos, but the letters are a jumbled mess. Still, it feels familiar.

“Yeah, that’s definitely a Caesar cipher,” Tim mutters. He’s seen enough of them used by shitty two-bit rogues to recognize the patterns on instinct. It’s a bit harder to determine the exact amount of shift just by looking – especially since the shift amount seems like it’s changing on the different captions. Presumably the ciphers have already been solved, so Tim turns his attention away from them for a moment.

Looking around the screen, he can spot hints of distortion against the blank background. It’s blurry, almost invisible to the naked eye, but there’s not really any reason for it to be there naturally.

“The background looks weird,” Tim says.

“Oh yeah, there’s a text overlay on the video. It’s real blurry but somebody identified it as a poem. Something by Emily Dickinson; I don’t remember what the name was, though.”

“Hmmm. Did anyone recognize the song?” It sounds off, but it doesn’t seem to be random notes either. In fact, Tim almost feels like he could hear it on the radio.

“Yeah, a couple people recognized it as Space Oddity, only its been transcribed in a different key. There’s also some random discordant notes in there, too.”

“Heavily modified audio. Doesn’t sound like it’s poor quality, though.”

“True.”

They let the video finish playing. It’s not very long; they were probably timing the visuals to the song, rathen than the other way around. Tim stares at the finished video for a few moments. He’s never really had time for ARGs before. They weren’t exactly very big when he was younger, and now he spends so much time solving rogue shit and actual crimes that he doesn’t really need to go seeking out more puzzles to solve.

“So?” Bernard prompts. “What do you think?”

Honestly, the vibes aren’t the best. It’s clearly intended to be creepy in a way that’s probably exciting for most people, but just sort of reminds Tim of a rogue.

"I can see why you called it basic," Tim says.

“Yeah, it really didn’t seem like it was gonna be much at first.”

“Okay what does the decoded text say?”

"Here," Bernard switches tabs, to an impressive document with screenshots of the actual video, and loads of color-coded notes. “This is a copy of the community document so far.” Tim leans in, and considers the transcriptions.

Honestly, the transcriptions seem pretty basic, too. They’re all simple captions; just a name for the person or location in the image, and some semblance of a date. Notes next to each transcription denote the cipher used. First, a shift of four, then twenty-five, then seven, then nineteen. It’s a simple trick, scrambling the cipher between captions. Even without a key, Caesar ciphers are pretty easy to solve – there’s only ever going to 25 possible solutions, after all. Changing up the key ensures that it takes a lot longer to solve.

“Odd choice of content, too, honestly?” Tim says. It seems so simple, so benign, in comparison to the upsetting music.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, imagine if a novel started with that. They’ve literally made their first video just about names and setting.”

“Huh. Yeah, that is odd.”

Tim lets Bernard consider that, and turns back to look at the document. It’s pretty obvious from the lack of mention of a solution path that they brute forced it. Which, that could be the intended method of solution, but there could also be a key hidden somewhere in the video. Possibly, that’s the point of the poem, or of the music choice. But either of those are something that’ll take further looking into.

Tim may have taken a few years of piano lessons as a kid, but he’s certainly not capable of transcribing music himself, so he’ll probably have to hire someone for that. The document also names the poem as A lane of Yellow led the eye. Tim sits up, reaching out to pull the laptop towards him.

“I’ll see if I can’t get someone more musically gifted to look at the audio. For now, I wanna know more about that poem.”

[ohhgingersnaps]

ok i love the jonas brothers' 'waffle house' song. it's a bop and it speaks to a very specific part of my soul. however. i do really feel the need to clarify, for everyone who's not from the southeastern united states, so that y'all understand the vibes of the song properly

do you see this image?

this is not what the inside of a waffle house looks like.

to be clear, i'm not disparaging whoever designed this set, because they were very successful in their goal of making a classy hometown restaurant.

it's just that unfortunately their goal of "classy hometown restaurant" vibes is inherently at odds with "waffle house" vibes.

the exposed wooden beams on the ceiling? the non-orb-shaped pendant lights? the fancy, mahogany-looking counter? the spaciousness of the main seating area? the booths with full padding? the thin, breakable porcelain mug? the freaking fancy stone masonry on the far right? no. nonono. that's not a waffle house.

let me describe to you a waffle house.

do you remember what mcdonalds and burger king were like in the mid-90s? take that. line everything (everything) with tiles. make it a breakfast place. and then put a big diner counter in the center, and then put the grill, the chefs, and all of the other cooking-related things right behind the diner counter, so that the divide between the food-cooking space and where you sit is purely psychological and is maintained more by social convention than by anything else

and then throw a healthy layer of grease over all of that, and then go there at like two in the morning.

you slide into a booth. it's made almost entirely of hard plastic, with maybe a little pillow-shaped rectangle of padding if you're lucky. the waitress comes over and, standing in the liminal space between "kitchen" and "customer seating", reaches out and hands you a laminated menu over the divider. this menu is exactly the same as it was the first time you came here two decades ago.

the waitress puts in your order, and then you watch as the chef dumps grated potatoes and eggs and bacon out onto the flat surface of the grill. they sizzle. the waitress serves you a fresh mug of coffee in a nigh-indestructible ceramic diner mug. when your food comes, it's incredibly greasy, but it's two in the morning and you've had a very long day and in that moment this bacon egg and cheese sandwich is glorious and so are the hashbrowns

anyway this is the vibe of a waffle house

(image taken from here)

idk how to end this post but waffle house is very near and dear and beloved to my soul thank you for coming along on this waffle house journey with me

[aroaessidhe]

metal from heaven fans i have character design sketches for most of the cast I would love if anyone has Thoughts Ideas or Suggestions (gay sketches as a reward if you read to the bottom)

i did..... not quite every on page character, but pretty much everyone who's there more than once and at least vaguely described (or like. I'd do gwyar if it wouldn't be a spoiler)

all the character descriptions I have recorded are here by the way !!

some of the characters are described a lot but most are like.....their face/hair but nothing about their clothes, or the other way around, so for a lot of them I just winged it - part of the reason I wanted to do so many characters roughly was so get a sense of the overall styles and vibes? august said they were thinking about john galliano for fashion so I took a lot of inspo from that and also a heavy dose of western vibes.....fashion is not my strong point though. truly just stuck it all in a blender and slapped it on.

and also for most of these it's sort of first-or-second-pass designs - basically just getting an initial feel rather than really solidly Designed. so likely to change. I could definitely push a lot of them further!!!

fingerbluffs/choir etc!

sisphe is described with having sunlight trapped in her hair and then also a dark curtain of hair and it's PROBABLY dark but I did imagine her blonde initially because of that. going with blonde hair as a kid that got darker to compromise...

her disguise outfit isn't really described other than gloves but I kinda matched it to marney disguise (below)

harlow took me so long to figure out getting her face like I imagined and also like how I described....I'm not sure still. i love her sm

amon is accidentally giving victor arcane. the character archetype + colour palette I guess. I specifically made it blue/black with pink highlights because of the tullian gender colours though..

tbh I still haven't figured out how their bandit hoods work. I think they pull over from the back of the head but I can't figure out how to draw that in a way that works so they're bandanas for now

not pictured but what are we imagining the lurchers like. just fun punky sff motorbikes?

aristrocrats !!

i am pretty happy with my marney and goss (though goss could be shorter...)

wanna do more vikare outfits

yann i. chauncey supposed to be quite boring and nondescript but also. sure does like Like A Random Dude in this lineup huh

basically all of the bottom row are only lightly described so I just went with the initial vague mental image I had tbh!

could I put more effort into giving them more cultural distinctions / make the areas they're from more visually distinct? yes probably. it's hard to get a sense of some of that when some of the places are within ignavia and some are like.. separate continents - and there's no map to sort it out in my head. (you may notice i wrote where they're from in blue by the names though)

description: 'detailed traditional tullian/drustish/etc embroidery' me: here's some vague scribbles

could deffo get some more body diversity in here

anyway genuinely very interested if anyone is like 'I imagined x to be completely different in y way' or fancasts or anything else! i am so open to and interested in making changes if other people have thoughts (and like if you're not an artist so can't draw it yourself) (or even if you are an artist but don't have the time and want to make me draw it instead. i know the feeling)

----

thanks for reading here's sketches:

I promise I will post these properly on my art blog sometime. also if anyone has ideas for little sketches like these, of any particular interactions or whatever....

[hazbinshusk]

Um, prompt #32 for Husk, pretty please? Maybe him getting possessive because someone was flirting with his doll? It's completely optional, but can you add more cat instincts and actions on his part, too? Da cat doesn't want anyone touching his mate-

prompt #32: a kiss while someone watches.

You take a sip of your drink as you crowd watch the latest mixer at the new Hazbin Hotel, observing the potential new residents with mild curiosity. These nights didn’t often seem to actually incur many new guests, but they still made for a welcome change to your routine every now and then. You smile to yourself as you watch a prospective guest back away from an overbearing Niffty, setting your empty glass on the bar behind you.

“’Nother one?”

Your smile widens as you meet Husk’s eye, leaning your elbow on the bar and resting your chin in your palm. He picks up a cocktail shaker invitingly despite the fact that you know he hates making more complicated drinks on nights like this. Still, you cast a glance over your shoulder before responding, mindful of your agreement to keep your relationship just between the two of you. “You spoil me, baby.”

He smirks, pouring gin, lemon juice and Amaretto into the shaker. You admire the easy, fluid movements he makes as he does it, fishing a bottle of simple syrup from under the bar and eyeballing the measurement as he adds it. “’s all part of my dastardly plan, doll.”

“Ooh,” you say as he separates an egg white into the mix and dry shakes it together. “You gonna have your way with me later?”

Husk shrugs a shoulder, feigning casual as he adds ice and shakes again. “Maybe.”

“Why wait?” you ask as he pours. “Pretty sure no one would miss us if we happened to disappear long enough for a quickie in the broom closet.”

He blinks and pink rises in his cheeks. He lowers his voice and his tone turns to caramel, seductive in a way that sends excitement straight between your thighs. “Oh, baby, nothin’ I want to do to you is gonna be quick.”

You flush and Husk chuckles as he slides the cocktail over to you. You try to hide your reaction by taking a sip of your drink, the sweet flavor teasing over your tongue. “You fucking flirt.”

Husk grins, his mouth opening to reply. He stops the moment you feel a body move up beside you.

“Okay, I gotta ask,” you turn at the sudden baritone, a wolfish-looking sinner leaning on the bar beside you. “Why haven’t you been in any of the commercials for this place?”

“I’m sorry?”

He shrugs, a playful smirk on his lips. He’s pretty good-looking, with broad shoulders and bicep muscles that show even under the silver fur covering his arms. “I’m just saying, you’d have sinners lined up around the block just for a chance to say ‘hi’ if they knew you were living here.”

“And how do you know I live here?”

He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “I asked Angel Dust about you.”

You glance over the wolf’s shoulder, catching the spider’s eye. Angel grins, raising his glass in a mock-toast and gives you a cheesy wink that tells you exactly what he thinks is going to happen between the two of you.

“Uh-huh,” you say dryly, but smile anyway. It is kind of flattering, and as cheesy as the line he just gave you is, he isn’t actually giving off any bad vibes. Besides, Charlie was desperate for new residents; the least you can do is be friendly to this guy long enough to open his mind to her inevitable pitch. The last thing you want to do is sour the energy in the room after all the work Charlie and Vaggie have put in, so you guess you can at the very least be friendly. “So, I’m guessing this is you saying ‘hi’?”

He laughs, taking a seat beside you. He turns to catch Husk’s attention, pointing at both your glasses, despite the fact that you’ve barely had a chance to touch yours.

“Guess so.” he smiles, attention back on you. He didn’t even seem to notice the way Husk glowers, the soft growl vibrating through the cat’s throat as he watches the two of you. “So… think you can sell me on this whole redemption thing?”

*             *             *

You spend longer than you thought you would talking to Andris; his casual flirting was more friendly than lewd, and relatively easy to ignore. He seems to take your gentle rejections in stride, and you’re surprised when he stands and holds out a paw, an eyebrow raised in flirtatious invitation.

“So… what d’you say you show me around upstairs?” he asks suggestively. “Help me get a real… feel for the place?”

Your response is interrupted by a growl from behind the bar.

Andris raises a brow, his hand still extended to you. “You good, old man? Did I forget to tip?”

He sounds legitimately confused, but Husk only bares his teeth further with a hiss. You stretch a hand out across the bar as his tail waves behind him in agitation. Sliding your hand over Husk’s, you feel the soft fur quivering beneath your fingers as he gouges his claws into the wood. You turn your attention back to Andris, offering him an apologetic smile you don’t really feel. “Y’know, I think I’m gonna have to pass.”

“Why?” The wolf seems genuinely surprised, his tone a joking tease. “’Cause granddad’s gone all old-fashioned on us?”

“Listen here, fuck—” Husk begins, but you silence his insult by raising yourself off your stool, leaning over the bar and pulling him into a kiss. You feel his growl die against your lips as his anger is overtaken by surprise, and you ignore the part of your brain trying desperately to remind you that your relationship isn’t supposed to be public as Husk relaxes into the embrace. He wraps a hand around the back of your neck, his rough tongue sliding into your mouth.

His kiss is firm and possessive, the movements messier than usual as he stakes his claim over you. Still, you whimper into the embrace, and it takes you a few moments to remember to pull away again. Husk doesn’t want to let you go, and another warning growl runs through him as you part. You wrap your hand around his, your face flushed and your cheeks pink.

“Like I said…” you say breathlessly to an astounded Andris as you turn back to him. “I think I’ll pass.”

The wolf blinks once, twice, before a scowl mars his features. Another warning growl from Husk has him leaving without further comment.

“Well…” You clear your throat awkwardly, squeezing Husk’s paw. You notice Charlie on the other side of the room, eyes so wide and bright as she stares at the two of you that you’re surprised little cartoon hearts aren’t erupting out of her head. Vaggie stands beside her, a hand on her hip and what you could swear is a knowing smirk on her lips. “I think our secret’s out.”

Husk follows your gaze, his cheeks flushing slightly. “Was nice while it lasted.”

“Yeah,” you sigh, smiling. “Charlies’ so gonna make a big deal about this.”

“Yup.”

“So…”

“Fuckin’ finally!” you’re interrupted by Angel as he approaches, rolling his eyes dramatically. He takes Andris’ vacated stool, sliding his empty glass towards Husk. The bartender rolls his eyes, but releases your hand so he can fix him a new drink. “I thought I was gonna have’ta come over here an’ put the moves on ya myself if it meant the two o’ ya finally admittin’ you’re a thing!”

“You…” you stutter incredulously. “You knew we were…?”

“Toots, everybody knows!” Angel waves a hand towards the rest of the room, and you see Cherri raise her glass to you with a suggestive grin. “You ain’t exactly subtle with all the goo-goo eyes ol’ Whiskers has been sendin’ your way!”

“I do not have… whatever the fuck ‘goo-goo eyes’ are.” Husk argues, pouring Angel’s drink.

“Baby, you have no idea jus’ how bad you’ve got it for this one, do ya?” The porn star replies, patting the side of your face mockingly. He downs his drink in one, shooting Husk a wink. “But thanks for takin’ the bait with ol’ Andris over there. I was worried I might’ve actually had to pay out Cherri on you two.”

“You were betting on us?”

Angel gives you a look somewhere between dry and affectionate as he stands. “You gotta stop soundin’ so scandalised, sugar. Now do us all a favor and take your man for a ride; apparently, he ain’t gonna be able to mix a decent drink again ‘til he’s calmed the fuck down.”

“Angel, you son of a—”

“You can thank me later, Husky-baby.” Angel tells him with a wink, ruffling your hair as he turns to leave. “Jus’ go get some lovin’ already.”

send me a prompt and either husk or blitzø

[paegei]

MTL: PRAISE OR DEGRADATION

NSFW CONTENT ! MDNI !

do seventeen members prefer praise or degradation

PRAISE ↑:

seokmin:

please do not make this man say anything remotely mean to you. he just couldn't bring himself to potentially hurt his love. no matter how much reassurance you give him, he would tear up at the thought of calling you a slut. always, and i mean ALWAYS mumbling under his breath "so so perfect for me baby, fuck."

joshua:

i know there's a lot of love for hard!dom josh but... he, like dk, could not say one mean word about you. he wants you to know how good you feel and how much he loves you, why should he say anything else ? so so soft for you too. he teases you quite a lot, edging is his favourite torture method, but throughout the whole ordeal he won't stop saying "that's it baby, doing so good. just one more for me, mkay ?"

seungkwan:

while i do whole-heartedly agree that there should be more dom kwan fics, he would NEVER be a mean!dom in my eyes. he is just so in love with you and how good you make him feel. probably gains more pleasure from letting you know how good you feel, than you do from him saying it. "my good girl, yeah ? taking me so well."

jihoon:

woozi is nothing if not whipped for you. he doesn't like expressing his love through words, rather choosing his actions, but that changes in the bedroom. he cannot shut up about how perfect you take him, about how good you sound, just nonstop rambling about how beautiful you are. "fuck so good.. so so good. making me lose my mind, shit."

jun:

the next couple of members are more in the middle. jun def has his days were he calls you every name under the sun, but more often than not he just turns to mush when he's fucking you. the night would start out with you being called many names, but the pleasure fogs up his head and he just can't stop whining "so good. so fucking good for me. just can't get enough of you".

soonyoung:

very similar to jun. he would be harsh towards you but once you clench around him just right, he's putty. for sure is very vocal to let you know how good you make him feel. the kinda guy to praise and degrade you at the same time. "my gorgeous, gorgeous slut" vibes. but at the same time he's a "f-fuck so good, squeezing me so tight, shit." man.

vernon:

vernon is an enigma to me. i cannot for the life of me get a read on this man. gives off hard!dom vibes, the kind to enjoy spanking and humilation, but at the same time he does NOT like doing the work. makes you ride him 9/10 times simply so he doesn't have to do much. still makes fun of you about how "its not enough for you doll ? aw too bad".

minghao:

while i do believe minghao is more into the intimate aspects of sex, he for sure has a mean streak. sprinkles in a little bit of praise into his degradation, calls you "my little slut" or his "pretty whore". he definitely condescendingly laughs at you when you beg for his cock. "my pretty baby is desperate already ? just always wanting my cock, yeah ?"

chan:

he, like minghao, definitely has praise during sex, but there is an overwhelming about of degradation in there. he loves calling you "my stupid little baby". OBJECTIFICATION. "good for nothing but a toy for me to fuck, huh sweetheart ?"

mingyu:

DEGRADE THIS MAN !!! degradation is ESSENTIAL in the bedroom for him. whether he's fucking you with everything he's got, taunting you with "yeah ? gone dumb already ? no thoughts except my cock fucking you so good?", or whether he's whining out a "yes ! fuck, desperate for you ! i'm your slut please !"

jeonghan:

this man is the devil reincarnated. he is teasing, mocking, and condescendingly laughing at you, all while hurling names at you. "pathetic cockslut can't think of anything but my dick, hm ?". definitely the dude to call you his "filthy girl" while he's the one cumming on your tits.

seungcheol:

whore and slut are his primary names to call you while fucking the life out of you. laughs at you for being desperate even though he gets hard just by looking at you. ties your hands up and says "hands to yourself, slut. think you can do that for me ? or are you to cock hungry ?"

wonwoo:

mean. so so mean. dumbification, objectification, slut shaming are his THINGS. goes crazy for them. calls you anything from his "fucktoy" to his "dumb baby". "stupid little whore. good for nothing but your pussy, yeah ? fuck. so desperate for my cock, y'just keep sucking me back in."

DEGRADATION ↓:

not proof-read ! lmk if there's any mistakes (づ￣ 3￣)づ

[sacchxrine05]

Yuumori Characters as Disney Princesses (cus I’m bored :))

I’m gonna preface this by saying that some of these you’re just gonna have to trust me on cus I chose them just from pure vibes alone and went from there. I also haven’t re-read/watched Yuumori in a while nor have I watched any Disney movies as of late so again, just trust me bro lmao. I came up with most of these at 2am so sorry in advance.

Also, if someone has already done this, I’m sorry and I hope my choices aren’t just the same lmao.

Liam - Aurora/Sleeping Beauty

So this one is mostly just cus they both ended up sleeping for a long ass time lmao. Liam was in a coma after the fall for x months and Aurora was cursed to an eternal sleep unless her true love kissed her awake (we won’t talk about the horrors of the original fairytale, I’ve tried to blank that out of my memory tyvm). They’re also both blondes…uh huh. Aurora doesn’t have much personality that I can remember other than being an animal lover and a good singer so…that’s just all I have lmao. I also just think Liam would make a very cute Sleeping Beauty lmao.

Albert - Jasmine

I did consider giving Albert Rapunzel cus of the whole locked away in a tower thing, but outside of that and having shitty mothers (Mother Gothel wasn’t even Rapunzel’s real mother but still) there isn’t much similarity personality wise? Idk. I picked Jasmine just cus they both come from rich families yet have no patience for other rich people. Jasmine also disguised herself and went into the town/city to pretend she was a normal person and that feels kinda Albert-ish? They’re also both smart and sarcastic so Y’know.

Louis - Cinderella

This one feels kinda obvious lmao. Both were raised by awful rich people who treated them like a servant, both were orphans and both tended to the upkeep of their homes. I do think Louis has more of a backbone than Cinderella, especially towards the end of Part 1 of the manga. Also again: both are blondes lmao.

Moran - Merida

So…this one is mostly vibes but also not. I think Moran has a similar wild streak to Merida and accidentally turning a loved one into a bear because he didn’t watch his wording when asking a witch for a spell sounds like something Moran might do? Bear (hah) in mind I haven’t re-read Yuumori in a while so I may be wrong on that. Also I guess bows and arrows were the guns before guns were invented so…so there’s that lmao.

Bonde - Mulan

Feels like another obvious one? They both disguised their genders to achieve a goal (although I did interpret James to be a trans man whereas Mulan wasn’t rly? Cus she went back to presenting as female after the war so idk). They’re also both pretty outspoken and don’t care for the roles society has put them in as women and actively break that stigma (Mulan by going to war and James by often dressing as men even before he transitioned). Idk I just like this one lmao.

Fred - Snow White

Again, this is mostly vibes. I’m pretty sure Snow White is the youngest of the Disney Princesses at 14 (Don’t quote me on that cus I could be wrong), so I feel like that parallels Fred being the youngest of the Crime Gang. Snow White also has a connection to animals which can also connect to Fred’s love of cats and nature in general as he does most (all?) of the gardening. I think they’re both pretty quiet and shy and that’s all I really have lmao.

Mycroft - Megara

Okay, okay, relax, I know Megara isn’t an official Disney Princess (she SHOULD be, but whatever), but she’s the only one I could really see as being similar to Mycroft? Ya’ll are really just gonna have to trust me on this one lmao. I just think they’re both pretty independent and cynical and sarcastic and just…I really don’t know the vibes just fit, I can’t explain it.

Sherlock - Ariel

OKAY👏HEAR👏ME👏OUT. This is the only one I’m 100% confident on BSJDNKFS. They both have a niche obsession that they collect items from, Ariel with humans and Sherlock with Mysteries/Crime. They both make massive life changes for the man they love (a man which, by the way, they barely knew lmao), Ariel in becoming human and Sherlock by leaving his life, family & friends behind to live with Liam in New York. They also almost died to achieve this, Sherl from leaping off a goddamn bridge to save Liam and Ariel by her deal with Ursula. IT WORKS, I’M TELLING YOU.

That’s all I have, I was gonna do other characters but I just hit a brick wall with it lmao. (I considered John to be either Tiana or Belle, but I’ll leave that up to you 👀)

If you made it this far thank you for listening to my bullshit lmao.

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #21

Best of Wish

This is way more intense of a Rock-Paper-Scissors competition than I expected. I love how the stakes in this show are kid-themed, but still flashy enough to be engaging.

For some reason, even though I know Dev's surname is Dimmadome, it's still funny to hear a kid be announced like that. For years, that's been an "old man name" burned into my mind.

Are they allowed to do that?? Does apple beat worm?

He's just a little guy! You wouldn't beat a little guy at Rock, Paper, Scissors, c'mon!!

Time of his life.

Dev: I cheated! And you're supposed to be SAD now! That's the whole point!!

Dev is having a very hard time dealing with his emotions. I am definitely enjoying him screaming about how he cheated to win and that means Hazel should be miserable now. You can just TELL the words he's throwing out reflect how he feels and he's super confused as to why she congratulated him on his win.

-> Gives me similar vibes to Foop in "Blue Angel" screaming about how it wasn't fair that Chloe kept forgiving him despite his best efforts to tear her apart, although I think the emotions are being played better in this set-up.

-> With Foop, even though he also has a messed-up past (37 years of solitary confinement from the day he was born according to my frozen timestream notes), he was born with murderous rage, and his culture definitely leans in the direction of encouraging that.

With Dev, you know he's lashing out with things that would hurt him specifically and that he's having a really rough go of things. I like that.

If I'm feeling like Dev reminds me of Foop, that kind of implies Dev and Peri are supposed to me a good match that balance each other out. I like that.

That checks out- Peri has doting parents and wants LESS attention, and Dev can't keep his dad's focus and wants MORE attention. Peri's the one who keeps trying to rein Dev in and Dev is always trying to get Peri to go further.

Agency knew what they were doing when they assigned this pair, huh?

/war flashbacks to Foop being distraught that his parents left him alone for spring break back in the day.

THERE HE IS!!

Irep implying he didn't have a choice in his name change? I wonder what the reasoning was, since he even says it's "Harder to pronounce" than Foop? Curious...

As much as he hated his name when he was born (Season 7), he was very attached to it by "Love Triangle" (Season 8), correcting Goldie every time she got it wrong until he finally snapped and screamed at her about how "It's not that difficult!"

Goldie got Fairy names right, AND every character in the school play right, but never bothered to learn her one Anti-Fairy classmate's name despite all the time they spent rehearsing for the play and him making it very clear he wanted her to say it right. Big yikes.

He's very proud of his name in later episodes (announcing himself often) and has his business cards. I mean... Sure, he's allowed to change it- It just surprises me that he's heavily implying it was against his will since his attachment to his name was such a big part of his character in my memory.

He's developed an entirely new identity, lmao. Who are you?

Potentially setting up a plot about how he's mad he has to copy Peri, but I feel like there would've been easier ways to do that?

I assume the logic here is that it needs to be clear to Hazel and/or viewers that they're opposites (We got the info here, but he'll probably appear in future episodes where it needs to be clear to prevent confusion for people just tuning in), but if that's the goal...

W... why would he not just change his name to Anti-Peri?

Plot twist of the century: They bring back Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda, but their names are Osmoc and Adnaw now and we all suffer for it.

/record scratch

Hey, um. Why did they give Irep body language that was pretty much exclusive to Foop's alternate personality??

You're really gonna play me like this??

Straight out of the GATE!?

Okay, I just rewound to his first appearance of this episode and I do see the Foop-exclusive body language in Irep too, but... ???

Just really caught me off guard to see two poses I've burned into my memory as "alt personality things" back to back in like, 10 seconds, but okay. I don't care if this is a tangent; the actual episode can wait. It's important to me...

All right, the context:

So, OG Foop does fists when he's frustrated / scheming / cackling / nervous (usually above his head or down by his sides).

His alter does upturned fists when he's praising / cheerful. That's always been one of their switch cues, from the alter's debut in "Playdate of Doom" (Season 7) up through the last implied switch in "Return of the L.O.S.E.R.S." (Season 10).

Even the very first onscreen switch in Season 7 ("Playdate") depicts the alter holding his fists like that, before the double eye highlights were introduced in "Spellementary School"-

-and he does the fists several times throughout his first episode.

Other body language habits include big, flat hands lifted towards the mouth, plus clasped hands. In other words, the alter is more "dainty" and "gushy" compared to Foop- I've always imagined him "doing everything over-the-top and unironically."

Don't confuse that with him being the nicest person, though. He's very funny; I like in the OG series when he's totally down to butt heads with Poof and coos "Does Mr. Popular want to fight~?"

Like. Logically, I know that is just a weird coincidence. There's no way the storyboard folks studied that, and there's no way they're planning to bring the alter back, because if they were, I'm sure he would've been blatant in this episode.

Foop's not using his high-pitched voice here and we can't use his eye highlights as a faithful signal since that's on-model for this show, but...

I mean... He's talking about Da Rules when he does the upturned fists. That does fit the "grumpy / scheming" energy which is correct for Foop (although he usually pumps his fists above his head or clenches them down by his sides instead of upturning them like this), but... ???

Wow, that is not a pose I'm used to seeing on Foop instead of his alter. I've written this little guy in 'fic a bunch of times; I know his body language pretty well and it was a switch cue for 3 seasons??

I'm okay. It's fine.

Also, here's a video showcasing their switches. Volume warning:

I just found out I missed one switch in "Terrible Twosome" when Poof gives him chocolate (even before his Terrific Twos kicked in), and I was always unclear on the full diner scene in "When L.O.S.E.R.S. Attack" (though I don't remember why; maybe because the voice is deep despite the highlights and I'm only rethinking it 6 years later), but... Them.

-> I do count "Terrible Twosome" as essentially the alter because the eye highlights, voice change, music change, and clenched fists all match the standard, but I'd accept arguments to the contrary since it's confirmed all Anti-Fairies have some version of Terrific Twos, and this is the only one we have for reference.

I was today years old watching this old compilation when I realized the music consistently zigzags between super cheery and dark when they switch, even outside "Terrible Twosome," which was where I remembered it. No... It's been there since "Playdate of Doom." Huh.

Okay, so... This is actually really interesting. When they switch, the music does too, but their music doesn't overlap. It's a very clear, jarring switch. There's often, though not always, a pause before this switch (such as their very rapid back-and-forth in "Playdate of Doom"). I've learned something new. Huh.

... Wait a sec.

They wouldn't...

...

Hey, uh ???

why does the tense music in "Best of Luck" cut off immediately before Irep temples his hands, drop to silence, and then switch the thumping part of the music to the cheery part underneath it and put the thumping part underneath the cheery bit instead?

I already used my one video for this post, but I can post the audio. It's subjective; I'm sure it's not supposed to indicate anything, so just bear with me...

- Okay, so we have this dark "BUM-bum, BUM-bum, BUM-bum" pattern. That goes for 12 seconds into this clip before fading out. - Note that you can hear, like... a scale underneath, like a swish, 4 or 5 seconds in. Right as 12 seconds turns to 13, there's a "sparkle noise". - And then we drop. And silence. So, that's the exact moment before Irep temples his hands.

- NOW the cheery scale in the music is louder and the thumps are very faded in the background, but definitely still there. - So, the stings are no longer "always switching, but never overlapping" the way they were in the OG series, apparently.

- Irep clasps his hands and says a couple more words, then drops his hands on "quitting." - RIGHT THEN, his music switches back to loud tension.

What the fliiiippp... what the fliiiiiippp?

?? I said I could see Foop-exclusive body language in him too earlier in this episode. Are they together again? Is that why they're sharing the music sting!?

SURELY that is not intentional. That HAS to be coincidence. I cannot imagine a world where that is on purpose. I'm losing my mind.

I... I don't really know where to go from here. I gotta lie down.

Bonus notes about the fists I moved down here due to length:

Okay, upon review, there are several ambiguous moments in the OG series where Foop himself makes potentially joyful fists instead of scheming fists, such as:

- When trying to fool Jorgen into thinking he's rehabilitated in "Playdate of Doom" (and Jorgen clocks him as lying) - When he's trying to sweet-talk Poof in "Two and a Half Babies" (and Poof also clocks him as lying) - Both times he's brownnosing up to Crocker in "School of Crock" (and Crocker clocks him for it) AND when he's sweet-talking the principal to trick him into activating his door trap. He also makes the fists when he's mimicking Poof in his first scene, so... he pretty much does it anytime he's "not being Foop," lol. -> In that case, it's funny he makes those fists when telling Poof in the closing scene that he's "sorry for trying to annihilate him." That said, he DOES switch a few seconds later while gushing over how Sammy Sweetsparkle is "kind of a bad boy." -> Clasped hands (also a thing his alter does a lot) is ALSO something Foop does when he's blatantly lying (The last of the Snow Wanda scene in "Fairly Odd Fairy Tales" is a good example, but I saw other episodes too). - Continuing with ambiguity talk, he does the joyful fists both times he enters the pet shop in "Man's Worst Friend," (a scene where he seems to switch multiple times, so it's clearly a place that affects him, but he doesn't have eye highlights when he first enters the building) - When the Anti-Fairy Council names him a scary godparent in "Fairy Godcouple" and he grins and says "Bring it on!" (though I can see that as scheming about what he can do with this power) - At the end of "Fairly Odd Fairy Tales" when he's trying to coax Timmy into eating his food and Wanda hands him a treat, interrupting his scheme (and he leaves his fists in the air while expressing interest in the treat) - The first time he meets Vicky during "When L.O.S.E.R.S. Attack" (when she joins the team's plan to get Timmy, so... arguably scheming, though the alt personality is known for crushes - and had eye highlights when asking Crocker if the mystery person he wanted to bring in was single - so I'd accept that as an answer).

Yes, I did drop everything to rewatch every Foop episode for this. hey man how's it going.

[venus-is-thinking]

DRDT Chapter 2 Episode 14: Initial Thoughts

What an episode! I can't believe that we're probably starting to near the end of the Trial. But, considering we're almost there, we DEFINITELY have a lot to talk about. It's a longer episode, and there's a LOT to go over, so buckle in!

SPOILER WARNING FOR DRDT CH 2 PART 2!

T/W: Murder, hanging (with depictions)

The Reactions

Hu is literally so pretty.

I wasn't expecting her to get a whole mechanic defending Nico, but it makes sense. Letting other students cut in during the Class Trial is a great way to draw specific attention to a character point, and it's very clear that Hu's over-defense of Nico is going to be important moving forwards.

RIP to my "using the weight rack as the carousel" theory. The fan probably makes more sense. I just still have no idea how the 300-ish pound or whatever weight rack managed to get knocked over in the struggle.

I'm glad they directly pointed this out. Trying to kill everyone in the Class Trial was the EXACT thing Hu was so pressed about David doing. It's a weird double standard to be so forgiving of Nico when they tried to do the same thing.

Insane thing to say if Eden is the culprit and killed Arei because she didn't believe her. Then again, if my explanation for a lot of Eden Trial dialogue is "she's speaking out of regret for killing Arei now that she knows Arei was being legit," maybe she's just calling herself cruel as well.

This is honestly very valid.

Do you think "here" implies Nico trusts someone in the outside world? Based on their secret, it seems like they probably didn't have many friends. Could also be referring to animals? Or Mai Akasaki?

Big psychic damage to Hu though, considering we know she thrives on other people relying on her. She wants Nico to be someone who relies on her sooo bad, but they just... don't.

Like, girl. They literally JUST said that they don't trust anyone. That includes you.

She's clearly projecting in some way, though, which is definitely an oof. I wonder if Hu wishes she had someone who was undeniably on her side in the past...?

(To be clear: I think Hu is a very well written and interesting character. She fits the fucked up vibes of Despair Time, but coming from a more surprising angle of "that really nice and caring person can also be fucked up." She's just clearly in the wrong here, so I get to clown on her as I clown on everyone else.)

Ace is honestly so valid for this. Like, yeah he's kind of a bully and he sucks sometimes, but. Like. He did almost get murdered and people are, like, mad at him for it? Huh???

If Ace does end up being the Chapter 2 killer because he snapped, I honestly think he's so valid for that.

It is my personal agenda to record every instance of J being notably anti-murder. I don't know where it's going but if it does go somewhere I want my credit because it is Apparent.

(The entire fanbase nods in agreement.)

I know some people definitely still think/thought that Hu and/or Nico was responsible for the crime, so we've all DEFINITELY been squinting at that alibi. I fully believe it's true, but that doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't put it past Hu to make a fake alibi to protect Nico. Idk if Nico would go along with it, though.

I got so jumpscared by the Closing Argument-style CG.

I'm so glad we did get a definitive answer on how this thing worked. I was so afraid that we were just gonna solve the Arei murder method and the exact solution of Ace's would be a "left to audience interpretation" kind of thing.

I'm not exactly sure where the blood on Ace's fingertips comes from? Maybe he cut his hand on the wire when he was trying to struggle after he woke up or something.

This makes so much more sense than anything I saw theorized though, lol. The fan falling from drop hanging totally checks out as a way that the murder mechanism could fail.

I have NO fucking clue why Nico opted for this as the murder mechanism, though. I get wanting to use Hu's wire to frame her, but why didn't you just cut Ace's throat with the wire in the first place???

where did their cape go :(

Potentially suspicious line from Ace? I don't know what he's referring to as "go through all this." Like, maybe just reliving the murder attempt, I guess...? Could also be going through the Class Trial, though, if Ace killed as a result of Nico trying to kill him.

*Levi's secret quote looms*

Things that make me think Nico is either a victim or a survivor. Like, are you really gonna say this and then go try to kill someone else? ...Or Ace again, I guess??

Fun fact: this was actually what guided me to my initial killer picks, before I discussed with anyone else or read any theories! I thought the killer was trying to frame Nico, so it had to be Eden or Ace. The tape and everything else was just what locked it in for me. It's fun to see Teruko follow more or less the same path that I did when I was trying to solve the mystery :)

TAPE TIME :D

The use of the Bound Wrists truth bullet actually really confused me at first bc I didn't realize we were just talking about the tape. I was like, were Arei's wrists bound because Ace's were and it was intended to be another similarity???

Maybe Eden's just being nice, but I find it really suspicious that her instinct after all this time is "didn't MonoTV take it" and not "oh I guess Ace is probably the murderer."

Teruko has now outlined two different ways that it makes sense if the killer was in the gym that night. If I were Eden, and I were innocent, I would be realizing that there's a very small suspect pool left, and I know that I'm not the killer, giving me additional information. Instead, she's questioning the validity of the tape argument, which isn't useful for narrowing down the killer-- it's useful for keeping the suspect pool wider and not leaving herself as one of three (but basically two) options.

I kinda get why people are upset with Rose here, but it's also kind of an oof because they're only mad because Rose is really smart. Like, no one's out here like "oh my god Ace you didn't recognize the tape??" Y'know, because they think he's stupid. Rose has a really good memory, which raises the standards really high, which sets Rose up for failure.

In Rose's defense, she also never saw the tape in Nico's gym murder OR on the carousel for Arei's murder. She only saw the pieces in the trash can, which seemed to be inside out. Against Rose's defense, it would probably have been for the best if she'd gone in to look at the crime scene.

Am I tripping, or is "fish misunderstanding" a weird way for David to phrase this? The misunderstanding with Teruko was assuming that the murder happened last night, which was in fact because of the fish-- but the thing Teruko should have noticed, which makes it Teruko's mistake specifically, was the body swinging.

I'm probably reading into things too hard, but it's so hard with David. What do you know!!!

Damn, Teruko is SPEEDRUNNING this character arc. Considering we basically know she's locked in for all 6 chapters, I'm really surprised to see her making this much progress this fast.

I'm guessing that this means that Teruko is probably due for a major setback sometime sooner or later. But, interestingly, this makes me feel like Teruko realizing that working alone doesn't work isn't her character arc's end destination; it's the willingness to open herself up to caring about others even in the face of the consequences of losing someone you love. Teruko is closing herself off from everyone because she knows she's going to lose them. Maybe her end destination is allowing herself to love people, even if she might lose them someday.

This was fruity as hell btw. I'm starting to think Rose may be our replacement support if Charles does die in Chapter 3.

It's so funny that this is basically Teruko claiming in-universe protag privilege. Go off, queen.

I also said something along the lines of "Hu are we really doing this again." Totally forgot that the BDA is still relevant, lol.

I personally find the way Veronika phrased this to be very telling from an author's POV. Veronika doesn't say "she must not have committed the murder," she says "she must not have witnessed the murder." It would be totally reasonable for any of the students to forget that the rule is written in a way where a killer could fail to see the moment of murder, but DRDTdev wanted to draw attention to the rule's exact phrasing again, which is a deviation from the phrasing in the canon games.

To be clear here, I stand by this even if Eden isn't the killer and the BDA group really is Eden/Whit/Teruko. I still think it could be a reminder for a future chapter when it comes up. But, I don't think it makes sense to change the phrasing of a base rule unless there's a specific reason you want it to be different. Whether now or later, this feels like a reminder that it IS possible for the blackened to trigger the BDA.

I don't necessarily "believe David," per se, but I do think it's interesting that we're drawing attention to this. I don't really think it matters, especially because I doubt the characters remember, but I'd place my bets on Eden being the last one because of that, "Teruko, wait!" thing.

It doesn't matter because, if David or anyone else saw the body, no one can confirm which two of Teruko, Whit and Eden set off the BDA, but it's an interesting note.

It's so funny how no one, fanbase or in-universe, can tell if David is lying though. Like, he COULD have seen it, but he also easily could just be making shit up to try to throw the Trial again.

will I EVER understand what the fuck this man is cooking

Why. I thought you wanted to end the killing game to finish what Xander started. I don't know what's happening :( /pos

My guess for now is just that he's still trying to kill Teruko, in keeping with Xander's plans?? Idk how making her more distrustful makes her more likely to die, though.

I do find it very interesting that Eden's approach/reaction has been to be very quiet and freaked out whereas Ace's approach/reaction is to freak out VERY loudly. Ace's is fitting because what does he do other than freak out loudly, but I might have expected Eden to do... idk, something else? It makes enough sense though, considering either the group is right to suspect her, or she's still coping with losing Arei a little bit ago.

...*squints REALLY fucking hard*

The music and voice acting in this section is REALLY fucking good. It's sad/charming/soft enough that it feels like it could be genuine, but there's still a little something that makes you have to question whether or not it's real. You WANT to believe Eden, but it's so hard to do so fully.

Y'all think Eden's crying is reminding Teruko of whatever Arei's crying reminded her of?

i'm out of images :(

I really like Teruko assuming that Eden is innocent first. She's too distrusting and also reasonable (it is life or death after all) to just hard clear Eden based on nothing, but she's offering a bit of a reprieve to Eden. Eden's friendship means that she isn't going to get immediately targeted in her most down moment, and that's it. It's a small way to show Eden she does care.

On another note, the fact that Eden got to hug Teruko and that Teruko said the "let go of me" NOW is honestly one of the main reasons I trust Eden more. I felt like that was obviously going to happen, but I was expecting the post-Trial. Putting it here is wild.

Theory Update/Analysis

Oh boy, it's accusing time! It makes sense that we're going to start with Ace. At this point, I can honestly see it going either way. Major props to DRDTdev either way, but ESPECIALLY if Eden really is the culprit. I was so confident in it, but they're really making me question my assumptions.

I think that both Ace and Eden have good reasons to be the blackened or not to be, and good reasons to die here or to not. I'm going to do my best to make a list of reasons for both characters and give a bit of my thoughts on them. They're roughly ranked in most to least important order imo, but I didn't think too hard about it.

EDEN

Reasons Eden Would Be The Blackened:

THE TAPE: It would be easier for her to take the tape than Ace, as attention was on Ace in the gym. The tape's disappearance from the background also happens to coincide with Ace knocking her over and her standing back up.

THE NOTE: Eden already knows all the info she would need to know to write that note. She could have put the note back together to give herself a defense, to try to disprove herself as the culprit with her handwriting, because Rose was going to do it anyways, and/or to frame Arturo if she didn't know he had an alibi. I think any of these reasons, or a combination of these reasons, are enough to make it possible, and while Ace could've overheard, it's definitely less easy for him.

NOT BELIEVING AREI: Both Arei and Charles have, in this trial, been shown to question whether or not Eden believed Arei wanted to be Eden's friend. If Eden simply did, this plot point goes nowhere.

A GOOD PERSON: Eden has been called a good person, but other than that freaky CG, nothing has really come of it. Is the plot relevance of Eden being a good person really going to resolve by saying "Eden is a good person, she'd never kill her friend!"? If a good person isn't gold, Eden still feels like a missing piece of that puzzle.

INCENTIVE TO FRAME NICO: This one's a bit more of a reach, but I don't really understand the point of framing Nico if you're Ace. Of course Ace is going to insist Nico is the murderer no matter what. If you're Eden, you have a direct audience to setting it up similarly: Ace. If you can get Ace to go all in on Nico, that's one less person who was in the Gym who suspects you. Eden and Teruko feel less likely to say "oh well it looks like Nico's murder so it MUST be Nico."

HEAVY FOCUS IN CH 2: DRDTdev seems to give the chapter death's important content shortly before their deaths. Eden has been one of the most prominent characters this chapter, which could be a bad sign.

Reasons Eden Wouldn't Be the Blackened

HER EMOTIONAL REACTIONS: I think I stand with everyone else when I say that the thing giving me pause with Eden!Culprit is how devastated she truly seems to be. I do still think it could be a combo of guilt and panic over the prospect of dying, but it's hard to justify everything.

HER FRIENDSHIP WITH AREI: Sort of a spinoff of the last one, but Arei was at least offering to Eden to be friends and to protect her. If Eden did believe that, to any extent at all, it's hard to imagine her killing Arei in cold blood.

THE FISH: The biggest question when it comes to evidence as to how Eden could be the killer. If Nico fed the fish and they were all still there last night, and Eden had an alibi until after the Relax Room closed, how would she have gotten the fish to add to the crime scene?

THE BDA: Easy to ignore imo considering we've already called it into question within the series proper, but still worth talking about. For Eden to be the culprit, either someone else saw the body first and isn't claiming to have (or it's David), or we're burning the "Eden didn't witness the crime and thus could still trigger the BDA" card here.

GENDER BALANCE: Possibly an irrelevant point, but it is true that we've had 2 women and 1 man die so far. If a man was the killer, it'd keep it even. Unlikely to be relevant as any disparity could be easily balanced out in Chapter 3 with (presumably) 3 death slots.

Points About Eden That Could Go Either Way

THE FORK CG: I firmly believe that this could be setting up for Eden being a more important character throughout the series or to die after a moment of intrigue, possibly letting us explore/imply more in her post-death bonus episode.

RELATIONSHIP WITH HU: Hu has lost David as a sane ally. Nico is telling her that they don't want her speaking for them and that they don't trust her. Would DRDTdev prefer to fully isolate Hu moving into Chapter 3 by getting rid of Eden, or to leave Hu with one friend who still believes in her.

CHARLES HAVING EDEN'S SECRET: By telling us Eden's secret ahead of time by Charles revealing it to Teruko, extra focus was given to Eden's secret. Was this just the easiest way to get everyone's secrets revealed based on character dynamics, or was it meant to imply that Eden's secret is extra important? Is that because she's the killer? Is it a #ArEden sweep???

ACE

(why are they both orange)

Reasons Ace Would Be The Blackened:

NO EVIDENCE-BASED ISSUES: This is the biggest and strongest point across the whole board imo. There is no tangible, evidence-based reason why Ace COULDN'T have done the crime. Out of all 13 currently surviving students, he's the only one who that's true for. That obviously makes him a viable suspect.

WOULD ABSOLUTELY FUCKING DO IT: Ace has been Freaking The Fuck Out this chapter. I could VERY easily see him deciding to kill here. I don't think anyone is trying to argue that Ace is too emotionally attached to the cast to try to kill all of them, because he clearly isn't.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?: I'm not really sure where Ace's character is going to go from here. I'd be interested in seeing more from him, but, like, where is his character arching to if not a killer? Ace is so disliked and intense that it's hard to imagine him really, fully pivoting and caring about others, but if he can't do that, is he destined to be a killer eventually?

HEAVY FOCUS IN CH 2: DRDTdev seems to give the chapter's death important content shortly before their deaths. Ace has been one of the most prominent characters this chapter, which could be a bad sign.

Reasons Ace Wouldn't Be the Blackened

OBVIOUSNESS & POINT OF CHARACTER: Of course Ace would be willing to kill Arei or whoever and the rest of the students. This is kind of the inverse of my "would absolutely fucking do it" point-- I don't know exactly how much surprise it would carry if Ace were to be the culprit. And, more than that, I feel like the point of Ace is that he is a victim here, but he's so unlikable that no one wants to acknowledge that or believe in him. I think it'd be an interesting comparison, if everyone really wants Ace to be the killer, but he just isn't. To everyone's dismay, Ace is still here. Now what?

SECRET LARGELY UNRESOLVED: Ace's secret hasn't really had any plot relevance yet. It seems like most people's do. I'm like lowkey expecting them to bring back the starvation motive from SDR2 in Chapter 4 and have SOMETHING happen with Ace there. Either way, while it could be reserved for his bonus episode (a la Min and Xander), I'd expect that his secret would have more main-story impact before he dies.

EXISTENCE OF SCRUM DEBATE: We're suspecting Ace first, but we still haven't done the scrum debate for this trial. Unless the scrum debate is "do we just vote for Ace without ever really pursuing Eden" and the answer is "yes," I don't see how we get out of this suspecting Ace period with a scrum debate without at least entertaining the idea of Ace's innocence.

STRONG CONNECTIONS TO OTHER CAST MEMBERS: Ace is very relevant to the Levi, Nico and Hu plotlines right now. Are they really going to just... get rid of him, when that's what both Nico and Hu would want?

ABILITY TO FIGURE OUT THE CONTRAPTION: Ace would not only have to recognize the way in which Nico was trying to kill him (which, to be fair is easier if he did wake up partway through), he would also have to conceptualize and figure out how to make the playground contraption successfully. I think Eden's clockmaking skills and... generally higher intelligence imo would be better suited to that.

COWARDICE: Ace is so fucking scared of everything. Would he want to put himself into harm's way by becoming the killer and having a do or die moment in the Trial? But, is he more scared of dying as a victim in the killing game, after seeing how close Nico came to killing him?

Points About Ace That Could Go Either Way

TAYLOR LORE DROP: Ace's friend, named Taylor per a Q&A with the dev, got vagued about in this Trial. Is that something to be pursued in a later Ace free time (following the one with Levi), or is that something that's going to be explained further in Ace's bonus episode (which could VERY easily be about friendship, considering it's Mai fucking Akasaki as the other person in the convo).

ACE'S BREAKDOWN @ LEVI: When Ace said he didn't fall for Levi caring about him at all, was that him affirming himself that it was the correct decision to try to kill, even if it'd put Levi's life at stake, who he previously kinda liked? Or was he lying to himself, and, at least previously, he wouldn't have wanted to kill Levi, no matter how harsh he seemed on the surface?

Well, that's all I got! Please let me know if you can come up with any more points for any of the 6 categories, because I'm very very curious to hear them! I'm thinking I might try to do an expansion on this in a separate post before next episode if I have time, exploring the ins and outs of each point with more textual evidence to back it up. I'd love to discuss any reader-suggested points too, if y'all have some in mind!

For now, I'm still personally leaning towards Eden as the culprit over Ace, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it be either of them. Well, other than the fact that my reaction to the killer being revealed is going to be :O no matter what.

[jujumin-translates]

[A3!] ★ Main Story | Act 14 - DREAM CATCHER | Episode 8 - An Encounter

Kumon: I can’t wait to see Sumi-san’s performance~.

Izumi: I’m glad we’re able to go and see it before it’s over since they’re nearing the finale and all.

*Tires screech*

Kumon: A taxi…?

*Car door opens*

Tenma: Sorry I’m late.

Kumon: Good work! There’s still time before the show starts, so you’re all good.

Izumi: Was work busy today, Tenma-kun?

Tenma: Nah, I wasn’t working today…

Izumi: ?

Kumon: I bought a whole supply of triangles! They were doing a Kyoto fair thing at the store, so I got a bunch of different kinds of yatsuhashi~. (1)

Kumon: I’ve got anko, cinnamon, matcha, chocolate, strawberry, banana, curry--.

Tenma: That’s way too much! Wait, is there really such a thing as a curry one…?

Izumi: What should we do? I know it’s a little early, but should we just head to the theater?

Tenma: Since it’s almost the finale, why don’t we get a bouquet?

Kumon: I wonder if they’ve got any triangle flowers or something.

Tenma: They don’t.

Izumi: Ah, if we’re looking for a florist, I know just the place.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: Hello.

Towa: Welco-- Wait, SUMMER TROUPE!?!?

Towa: Huh, what are S-Summer Troupe’s Tenma-kun and Kumon-kun doing here!?

Izumi: You know Towa-kun, the Spring Troupe fan I’ve mentioned before? This shop is owned by his aunt.

Tenma: I see, so this is the one you were talking about…

Kumon: Hello~!

Towa: H-H-H-Hello!

Kumon: Okay, so, we’re going to see Sumi-san’s performance now, and we wanna bring him a bouquet as a gift, but--.

Towa: Ah! Misumi-san’s the one who likes triangles, right!?

Tenma: You sure got to the point fast…

Towa: My aunt’s not here right now, so all I have is the bouquets on display, but if that’s okay, then…

Towa: I think this bouquet with yellow dahlias as the main flower matches Misumi-san’s vibe.

Kumon: Yeah, yeah, it’s perfect! It’s super Sumi-san-core!

Tenma: Nice job.

Izumi: Then we’ll go with this one.

Towa: And take a look at this! The paper bag is a triangle!

Kumon: Whoa…!

Towa: It’s just a paper bag so you can hold the bouquet without crushing it, but I thought it’d be perfect for Misumi-san…!

Izumi: It truly is a perfect choice. Thank you, Towa-kun.

Towa: No, I should be thanking you! I’ll have it ready in a minute!

Izumi: By the way, how are things going with your troupe? Does it seem like you’re getting any members?

Towa: I… Tried asking my friends, but they weren’t really…

Towa: Some of them said no because they weren’t interested, while others who were originally interested in theater have already joined other troupes…

Kumon: The more new troupes popped up, the more new members got recruited, huh~.

Towa: I feel like I completely missed the wave.

Izumi: I see…

Izumi: (I’d love to help, but I don’t have anyone who fits the bill in mind…)

Ibuki: Heyyy. Dozono Shoten, hereeee.

Izumi: Huh?

Kumon: What!? Ibukichi!?

Ibuki: What’s with you being all over the place suddenly? Does MANKAI Company just lurk everywhere around here?

Towa: That’s not true!!! It’s something rare!!! Seeing them isn’t something that simple!

Towa: And I shouldn’t get used to being this happy either. I need to remember back when I was in middle school when I was just happy to be able to see them through a screen…

Towa: I’ve been so lucky since I moved here that I forgot all about that. I’d better not take this for granted, or else karma will catch up with me.

Izumi: Never change, Towa-kun.

Kumon: I know what you are! You’re like a die-hard fan, right?

Ibuki: I’m getting like a crazy sense of déjà vu right now. What kanji are in your name again?

Towa: “To” like peach and “wa” like peace, but…

Ibuki: Ah--.

Towa: ?

Tenma: By the way, did you say Dozono Shoten?

Ibuki: Yeah, I’m here to deliver for a grocer called Dozono Shoten. BTW, my IRL name’s Ibuki Dozono.

Ibuki: Daddy loves making Ibuki work real hard all ‘cause he’s got a bad back~.

Kumon: Who would’ve thought Ibukichi’s family runs a grocery store…!?

Tenma: It is pretty surprising…

Towa: U-Umm, so you’re Ibuki-kun? And you know about MANKAI Company, right?

Towa: So are you, maybe like, interested in theater, or…?

Ibuki: What? Hell no.

Towa: Figures…

Izumi: Were you trying to recruit them for your troupe?

Towa: Yeah…

Tenma: This whole one-track mind thing is sounding a lot like someone else we know.

Ibuki: Towa, if you could just sign the receipt for me~.

Towa: Okay…

Ibuki: Well, later, I’ve still got deliveries to make.

*Ibuki runs off*

Towa: Haaah…

Izumi: (Now that I think about it, how did Ibuki-kun know about MANKAI Company if they have no interest in theater?)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Ibuki: …

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Iv has entered the chat.

Iv: made a discovery

shiki: What’d you find?

Kar: A 10 yen coin?

Iv: do u know any other responses? this is such an insane coincidence 

shiki: What is?

Iv: funnier if i keep it a secret

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

• • •

Notes:

(1) Yatsuhashi is a type of Japanese sweet made from glutinous rice flour and sugar and typically flavored with cinnamon or matcha. It’s a famous regional product from Kyoto.

[tswhiisftteedr]

Hello You could do one of Adam (top) x male reader bottom top, with Adam having gay panic, with the reader being the submissive but at the same time the active one.

Gay Panic ☆ Oneshot

Adam x Winner!Male!Reader:

After encountering the first man himself at a heaven party, you find yourself being in quite the confrontational scenario. Will Adam come to terms to the reason behind his jerkiness towards you? And will you get something out of this originally annoying encounter? Only time will tell…

Words: 2354

Warnings: Mature Content, Explicit/Graphic Language, No sex but very much graphic description of a sexual fantasy, Homophobia & Internalized Homphobia, Adam forced realizing he likes man, Bad writing, NOT PROOFREAD.

Note: So I don’t do male reader smut(amab, trans ftm reader is fine tho) so this doesn’t have sex per say but it’s basically reader being a horny little shit and telling Adam how they want to be fucked by him or how they jerked off to the thought of him, so it’s graphic but no actual sex. Also I went for a winner instead of a sinner.

Author Note: I took a big break from writing so idk if my style changes or I got better/worst, so I hope you guys still like it.

☆ more under the cut. ☆

It had been a little while since you passed through the big gate in the sky—less than a year, but more than a month.

Truthfully, life up here had been pretty cushy. After all, it’s heaven; it’s supposed to be. But this surpassed all your expectations about the ‘good version of the afterlife.’ Everything was just so heavenly.

In addition to the comfortable living arrangements, life in heaven was genuinely fun, especially the parties. You might have thought a place devoid of all earthly substances would be dull, but it turned out to be amazing. Sure, the vibe was different from your standard 20th-century terrestrial party, but it was no less enjoyable.

One noticeable change was the attention you received from the ladies at these events. Your striking looks, overall charm, and handsome personality made you irresistible to any damsel, whether on earth or high in the heavens.

Though you didn't return the sentiment, as you leaned more towards men in terms of attraction, it never stopped the feminine crowd from fawning over you or the jealous ‘dude bros’ from pestering you. Beauty really is a curse, huh?

Speaking of ‘dude bros’, the biggest one was currently approaching you with an angry stomp as you stood in your secluded corner, sipping a virgin piña colada after finally escaping your female admirers.

He looked rather pissed off, and from what you’d heard about him and his entitled personality, you had a pretty good idea why he was so infuriated.

"You think you're some hotshot or something?" Adam spat out as he towered over you, his gold-tinged eyes narrowed into slits.

"Excuse me, what?" You questioned THE Man, feigning surprised at his sudden appearance despite the fact he was making a very obvious beeline towards you a second ago.

"Yeah, you heard me. Just because you’ve got some bitches flocking around like fleas makes you think you’re a big deal or something." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and scoffing.

"But let me tell you the truth, assface, you're not. You're just some little guy who, at the end of the day, is nothing compared to the big dick in charge—me, Adam!" He leaned in closer, practically in your face, and let out a chuckled, though it sounded rather hollow—a desperate attempt to mask his envy.

He eyed the piña colada in your hand with disdain, watching your facial expression, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, then why did you walk up to me all red, hot, and bothered? If it isn’t jealousy towards me, then maybe... it could be that.. you want me, Adam. Is that it? Does the first man want to touch me?" You stepped closer, getting in his face now. "To fuck me." You traced your fingers up your body to accentuate your words then moved to lightly sliding them down his chest as you continued, "Because I wouldn’t be opposed to it; taking that dick of yours, letting you ravage my body as your sexy guitarist's hands get to explore every inch of mine, letting you stroke my cock, and finally, cumming together—your hot semen deep inside my tight ass. Well, that doesn't sound like a bad way to end a Friday night."

You could see his brain short-circuiting—he wanted to maintain his toxic alpha male facade, but your description of the potential intercourse had him feeling really hot.

After gathering himself, he finally shot out a: "Fuck you, that's gay," before basically running away, his face still beaming red, and his below-the-belt area definitely not opposed to the proposed evening.

You snickered to yourself and enjoyed the rest of the night as you pleased.

A week had passed since that party, and today was your first day at the Bureau of Heavenly Affairs. Sure, working in heaven wasn’t necessary at all—it was completely voluntary—but for some reason, helping Heaven with its legislation seemed like a fulfilling way to spend your afterlife. And worst-case scenario, you could quit with no repercussions.

So while there was some slight underlying anxiousness, you were confident in yourself—after all, you had passed the interview with flying colors! You were ready for everything—well, except coming face to face once more with that egotistical yet devilishly handsome piece of shit known as Adam.

During your first meeting, he had come out of nowhere to berate you because he was feeling insecure and jelly. Therefore, you wondered how he would react to seeing you in this setting and, more importantly, how he would react after realizing you were not a visitor but a new coworker.

Your bets were on the negative, and you were right. As soon as he spotted you, he came straight over, demanding answers in a very angry tone. Though it didn’t escape your notice that he did a blushing double-take after recognizing you before he eventually approached.

"Why the hell are you here?"

Without batting an eye, you replied, "Well, you're looking at this Bureau’s newest employee. Figured I'd help y'all run this place a bit more smoothly. i happen to be quite could when it comes to legislation, so might as well put my talents to good use, right? You're welcome."

Adam stared at you for a moment, looking like he couldn't form a response, probably because confronting you at a party in a drunken haze was one thing, but this was entirely different. Despite him being your superior in a professional environment, your actually professionalism compare to his half-assed one, clearly threw him off balance.

Gasping for air, he finally uttered, "Well I don’t want you here, I never gave you the permission to work here. Who do you think you..." His voice trailing off, Adam appeared to be in a state of disarray.

"Easy there, champ. I was interviewed by Sera herself. She thought my skillset was perfectly aligned with what the Bureau needed and decided to give me a chance. I guess the big boss lady had faith in my abilities and that count’s for way more than what you might or might not want," you interjected, raising an eyebrow and folding your arms, mimicking his previous stance.

Seeing a hint of red creep back into Adam's cheeks, you couldn't help but feel a surge of inner satisfaction. After all, he was the one who made a scene at the party and approached you today, and now he had to swallow his pride, possibly realizing that you were, in fact, untouchable in this environment.

As the tension between the two of you ebbed, Adam slowly regained his composure, although his resistance was still evident. "Fine. Whatever, make sure you don't fuck up, or there will be consequences." He returned to his office, not meeting your gaze and leaving you with a smirk on your lips.

Time passed by quickly as work ensued, you adjusting seamlessly into the bureaucracy, and, as expected, Adam's constant snide comments and micromanaging became part of your daily routine.

What was less expected, however, was the way his attitude shifted mere seconds after every encounter. As if invisible forces of shame and lust clung to him, haunting him long after your interactions. Wordlessly, Adam began to find excuses to approach you, always lingering for far too long, unable to keep his gaze from sweeping on your body.

From your point of view, he was constantly looking at you, and why he was behaving this way—you were not quite sure.

Surely he didn’t view you as a threat anymore when it came to women, so why was he acting like that? You entertained the idea that maybe that jackass, instead of being completely infuriated with you, was perhaps just into you.

It was almost laughable to think about: Adam, first man and number one dirtbag, who loved to boast about how much ‘pussy he crushes’, having a little crush (or at least a sexual attraction) on you—absolutely grotesque.

Well, that’s what you had thought for the longest time. But as unpredictable as things always were, your notion of reality was shattered just a couple of months into the job.

Today was the first work party you had decided to attend. There had been a few over the last four months, but each time, you just didn’t feel like going.

The party setting brought back a surge of memories, especially about a certain attending guest. You sighed to yourself just thinking about it, then give your attention back to your surroundings.

The room swarmed with laughter and the sounds of clinking glasses as employees mingled, sharing stories from work and enjoying the festivities. Despite the atmosphere, you clung to the edge of the dance floor, pretending to enjoy your non-alcoholic drink while observing from afar.

Adam, as the centerpiece of attention, lounged in the middle of the unit, his 'followers' hanging onto his every word. It didn't take long for him to spot you, and in an instant, he abandoned his conversation, stalking towards you with the swagger of the peacock that he was.

"It's too bad, really. I was hoping I wouldn't have to see your ugly mug and that you would've skipped tonight's party just like the others." he sneered, towering over you.

"Isn't it funny how things works." you replied, smirking without taking your eyes off him.

He rolled his eyes at your sarcasm and attempted to assert his dominance. "Still the same cocky attitude, huh? Well, listen up, because I'm saying it again. You better stay in your little corner and keep to yourself like your currently doing, I don’t want your fucking anything up tonight, or I'll make it my personal mission to punish you for it.." He leaned closer, trying to intimidate you.

But this time, you weren't ready to let his aggressive moves slide. You placed your glass on a nearby table, locking eyes with him, and speaking in a low, sensual voice, "Oh, is that so, big man? Hmm? I do wonder what kind of punishment someone like you would inflict on poor little ol’ me, especially considering how much of an eccentric asshole you are." You begin to transition to a more serious tone. "I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it’s something along the lines of a ‘private talk’ in that soundproof office of yours, or perhaps public humiliation." You then jump back into a teasing tone. "Oh yeah, that would get your rocks off for sure. Now listen here, pal. I don’t know why you have so much beef with me. I do my job and leave you the fuck alone, but somehow you always come by to be a little shit to me. It almost makes me wonder if you actually want me." Then, back to sensual. "Is that it? Do you have some kind of insatiable desire for me you're harboring deep down inside?”

A dashing blush spread across his cheeks, revealing the truth beneath the façade. Though he didn't respond immediately, you could see the veins in his neck twitching, hinting at the internal turmoil raging within him.

Finally, his voice came out strained, "Fuck you, I'm not like you."

"Like me?" you raised an eyebrow. "What could you ever mean by that, 'Adam'?" You inquired, placing special emphasis on his name, pronounced with a sultry tone.

"You know what I mean, you little bitch.” He says, pauses, then let’s out, “Gay. You’re fucking gay is what I mean.”

Totally unimpressed, you reply, “Yes, I’m gay. I thought we already went over that the day we met.” You roll your eyes.

“But then, what does that make you? You keep insisting that you're not, so what’s the reason behind your constant pestering? And I won’t accept just a ‘I don’t like you’ because your ass has been not only annoying but also permanently looking at me since I started working here. Even when you’re in your office, I can see you glancing through the blinds. So, what are you if not gay as fuck for me?” you question in a determined manner.

Adam's cheeks flushed deeper, the rage that usually bubbled up in him hampered by the your words. Your challenge, struck a nerve he had worked tirelessly to hide.

His voice was weak when he reluctantly answered, "I don’t know, you’re just annoying and kind of a...pussy," he managed to spit out before clenching his jaw and looking away in disgust.

You couldn't help but chuckle softly at his reaction, your voice deepening as you spoke. "Really, is that all that the ‘First Man’ gots to say?"

Adam's fists clenched and unclenched involuntarily, a gaze drifting over your body as your chest heaved with every breath you took. The syrup-like richness of your voice dripped through the gaps of his metal-tough facade, exposing cracks that could never be fully mended.

Your smirk broadened, your assertiveness leaving no room for denial. You knew you had him stuck and while you mentally processed that he did, actually, want you—what a shocker, first man wants some dick.

At that, you take a deep breath and gamble, “Listen, asshole, I’ll let you pound my ass in right now if you admit that you want me and apologize for how you’ve treated me so far.”

“Fuck you, I ain’t apologizing for shit,” Adam instinctively retorts, though he doesn't deny your offer.

“What was that?” you warn.

“I said I ain’t apologizing,” he repeats, and with that, you respond, “I guess I’ll just see myself off then. Guess you really didn’t want to fuck me.”

With that, Adam lets out a huff, then quickly says, “Yes, I want you, and I’m sorry for being an ass.” followed by an exasperated “You fucking happy now?!”

“Yes, very. Though we will need to work on that language of yours.” you reply teasingly and grab one of his wrists, dragging him into a random vacant room, which coincidentally happens to be his soundproof office. ‘How lucky is that?’

Let’s just say, as soon as that door closed, clothes were off, and you two did way more than have a ‘private talk.’

Thanks anons for requesting!

©tswhiisfttedr. dn translate, or plagiarize.

Tip Me (Ko-Fi) & And support my art account @maviscarlettie

You can now commission me!

Likes & Reblogs help!!! (Request Are On Pause)

[gabriel-xander]

Don't Forget

[Sans x Female!Reader]

40: You Know You're Better than This

Content Warnings for this Chapter:

- Internal debate regarding Morality - Internal debate about killing anything

Again, it’s not super jarring in my opinion, but it might be for some readers. Please proceed with caution.

♪────✿⁠(⁠✧◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕✧⁠)✿⁠────♪

You’re back in the Swap brother’s residence, standing around the living room like a bunch of losers. You have your hands up, cupping the fragment and presenting it to the group.

But none of them can see it.

���Dang, that’s crazy.”

Sans deadpans at your tone.

“Anyway, are you guys okay, though?” You frown in concern, “I mean, it’s not making you agitated or making your magic go fucky-wucky?”

“I PERSONALLY FEEL FINE.” S-Sans shrugs.

“yeah, same here. i dunno, maybe it’s because it’s in your hands now?” S-Papyrus suggests. “that stupid doll always has the worst intentions, maybe that energy kinda is what fucked with it.”

Bro is basically saying Temmie’s vibes were off, and now you’re giving the fragment good vibes.

“Hmm…” You eye the fragment, “That could be it…”

Amplified it.

“Or maybe the fragment was always like that, but Temmie amplified it ten-fold,” You add on, “And now that it’s in better hands, it calmed down? It IS still a soul, after all.”

S-Papyrus looks at you, impressed, “yeah, that could be it! you’re pretty smart, i wouldn’t rule it out.”

Wow, S-Papyrus giving you praise more openly? Actually it looks like all of their moods have improved significantly. The effect of collecting it seems instantaneous. You’re glad you did it as soon as you did.

“i should put it away for now,” Sans holds a hand out, “don’t want it out in the open and you constantly worrying about it.”

You don’t feel a resistance to the idea, you would imagine there’d be the Voices™ telling you so, so you allow it. Sans waits until he feels the weight of it in his hand. He tries to look at it from different angles, maybe in a different light he’ll be able to see it.

No dice.

He snaps it away, leaving it in the void with the Gaster Blaster.

You remember seeing it.

You will suppress that memory. 💙✨💫💅

“Well…! That was certainly a fucked up adventure, huh?” You stretch your hands above your head, “I wanna shower really bad.”

“YEAH…”

“yeah…”

“same here…”

“…”

“…Dibs!”

They all groan in displeasure. Ha-ha! Fuck yeah! You pump your win at your success. After the fucking day you had, you had better get the first call to the shower.

Your duffel bag is still by the couch, so you quickly get some clothes to change into and hurry to the washroom upstairs. You know there are extra towels in their cabinet based on your previous sneaking around last night.

Should you be a bitch and take a long, full shower? Or will you be a pal and take a quick shower?

…You’ll decide once you get in there.

──

They didn’t mean to have the conversation without you, but they were not going to just wait possibly 30-40 minutes for you to get out of the shower.

They might be on better terms with each other now, but still not enough to sit with each other in silence.

Sans is holding up the mini-dj to them, “it’s fine now, but it needs to recharge for about a day. after that, it’ll be enough to take [y/n] and i back to our au.”

“WHY DOES IT NEED SO LONG? YOU BARELY USED IT.”

“you think this thing runs on infinite power?” Sans answers his counterpart, “it was using a lot of its stored-up magic energy to locate the fragment in the first place. it can regenerate its own magic, but it’s gonna need time to make the full jump back to a whole other universe.”

S-Papyrus smiles, “sounds good. it’ll be nice to hang out, anyway. i guess you’re pretty chill.”

“of course i’m chill. i’ve been outside for the last two hours.” Sans winks.

“hah, that’s true, isn’t it? no wonder you’re such a cool dude.”

“awe, don’t sell yourself short. that’s usually reserved for me.”

“i guess being nice to myself isn’t such a tall order.”

“for sure. for one, you’re such a humerus guy!”

“UGH, GREAT! NOW THERE’S TWO OF THEM!” S-Sans throws his hands up in defeat, marching towards the front door, “I CANNOT STAND FOR THIS!”

S-Papyrus snickers behind his hand, “no worries, bro. wanna take a seat instead?”

“THAT WAS TERRIBLE.” S-Sans opens the door, “I AM GOING TO FIND THE HUMAN CHILD TO TELL THEM WE ARE ALL OKAY. IF THEY ARE NOT BUSY, I MIGHT RETURN WITH THEM.”

S-Papyrus waves him goodbye, but S-Sans doesn’t look back to see. The younger one doesn’t seem to mind it though. 

“you know,” Sans tells S-Papyrus as soon as the door closes, “the kid might not be happy with us getting rid of that weed–eh, the uh, the doll thing.”

S-Papyrus shrugs his shoulders and says, “maybe. but maybe they’ll understand. if not, it’s not like i’ll remember any of this if they make a reset. this isn’t the first time i cause that thing a couple of resets anyway.”

Sans widens his eyes, his smile threatening to fall off.

“…what? what do you mean? you don’t… you don’t remember them?”

S-Papyrus understands instantly, “hey…”

Sans shakes his head, laughing humorlessly, “no. don’t. ugh… man, of course, i got the short end of the stick across the multiverse.”

“can’t be that bad. i mean, you got yourself a girlfriend. one who can actually stick with you during all this sci-fi crap.”

Yeah, a girlfriend that Sans nearly lost because of his own inadequacies. He never would’ve brought you along if he knew your life would be in danger in any way. Maybe next time he should just go alone…

Sans blushes, looking down, “yeah, guess so. you might get yourself a partner too, you know.”

This time, it’s S-Papyrus’ turn to blush and roll his eyes. “yeah, right. how did that happen, anyway? you and the human?”

“dunno. [y/n] told me as much as she could. she just fell in one day when on a hike with her friend.”

“and the friend wasn’t there with her?”

“apparently not. she said that he–that elliot and her had missed each other when going up the mountain.” Sans keeps the explanation short, “in our au, we don’t have that doll, we have a damn flower. she said that it dragged her down by force.”

“huh…” S-Papyrus frowns, “you know that’s weird, right?”

“uh, yeah. very much.”

“the doll, temmie, it never did anything like that before. not that i remember or have been told about it, at least. there must be a reason…”

Sans shifts his weight to the other foot, debating something in his head for a moment. He comes to a conclusion rather quickly, luckily. It wouldn’t hurt to discuss this with someone who shares a similar position as him. Maybe Sans can be given a different perspective on things or insight on matters he hasn’t considered before.

“our human–their name is frisk–they haven’t been to the underground in months. i kept track, it’s been over six damn months–no, actually that’s before [y/n] showed up. it’s been close to eleven months by now.”

S-Papyrus looks shocked, as he should fucking be after hearing that shit. It’s not like S-Papyrus can remember the past Resets, but he knows there’s been a lot based on the expression on Chara’s face when he “first meets them.” He can’t imagine what it must be like for someone who can actually remember. Someone so paranoid about when the day could Reset, and it will all be gone.

Sans seems like a decent skeleton, S-Papyrus would hate for him to suffer more than he needs to.

“would it be messed up if i hope the kid human never comes back in your timeline?” S-Papyrus offers.

Sans finds his smile to turn more genuine and grateful. “no, not at all.”

“you think…” S-Papyrus hesitates. “if–when chara stops coming by, that’s when my version of [y/n] will show up?”

“maybe it will be elliot instead,” Sans jokes, “after all, everything is swapped in this universe.”

S-Papyrus doesn’t say it out loud, won’t say it out loud, but he isn’t sure how to feel about that. He’s sure Elliot will be great and all, but… S-Papyrus has already gotten the pleasure of knowing you, not Elliot.

Sans winces minutely, waving a dismissive hand, “but who’s to say, right?”

The taller skeleton snorts, “oh, what? so only you get the girl in the end?”

“ha-ha! hey man, i’m lucky she even wants a piece of this. i ain’t about to risk it for shit.”

Not anymore, anyway.

Swap-Papyrus almost sounds jealous as he smiles: “good for you, man. i’m… i’m glad you have that.”

The taller skeleton mentions something of water, walking away towards the kitchen for just that.

Sans knows S-Papyrus meant it genuinely, but it does have him thinking.

Sans is fortunate to have you, isn’t he? He says it all the time, over and over, but Sans hasn’t fully wrapped his skull around the magnitude of that. Of just how fucking lucky he is that you, of all people–beautiful, intelligent, hilarious, kind, wonderful you–want him in any way.

He is seeing it now first-hand, that not every Au is going to have a wonderful you. And if they are, they will never be the true, original version of you that Sans gets to have.

All. For. Himself.

Sans was just complaining earlier, but honestly? He has to be the luckiest version of himself in the entire multiverse just for having you.

But that’s what makes this all the more scary for him. You could’ve died today were it not for the fact that things just happened to work out for you. If he knew…

You would probably find some way to convince him though, right? And honestly… He needed you to find that fragment. Sans and the others couldn’t even see it! You knew so much about it too, things Sans needs to know but he doesn’t for some reason.

In a purely logical stance, you need to be with Sans for these endeavors.

Sans doesn’t like the idea at all, though. He might be a skeleton of science, but he’s not above admitting that seeing you get hurt scared the fucking life out of him.

──

You are squeaky clean and out of the shower after 20 minutes! You’re chilling on the couch while S-Papyrus sits across from you on the floor. Since you’ll be staying the night again, he didn’t want to dirty the couch by sitting on it. Sans had shortcut to the washroom right after you since he couldn’t stand his damp clothes.

The lanky monster told you what Sans told him and his brother about your departure, how it would be sometime tomorrow when the mini-dj is recharged. You can’t help but feel a little disappointed at that, but you keep that to yourself.

However, now that times are simpler, S-Papyrus is taking the time to explain how the mini-dj most likely worked. He’s not the builder of it himself, so he could only come to some guesses and possible explanations. But what he failed to realize is that you’re dumb as shit when it comes to this topic, so you couldn’t refute him for anything that could be wrong.

Because you couldn’t fucking tell otherwise.

The door opens and someone runs in, but you are more focused on the monster sitting with you and what he was saying. Though whoever ran in, jumps on the back of the couch right next to you.

Chara smiles widely at you, their hair an absolute mess and their clothes ruffled and dirty. They wave at you, and only then do you notice they’re not holding their notebook.

“Hey, little man!” You greet them with the energy they’re giving you, “Wow, you had an adventure when we were gone?”

They nod eagerly, kicking their legs in the air. As S-Sans starts talking, Chara grabs your hand and puts it on their head, making you give them head rubs.

Eugh, you can feel dirt and snow in their hair. Looks like everyone needs a bath today. You power through it since you can just wash your hands in a bit.

“THE HUMAN AND ASRIEL WERE PLAYING WITH THE OTHER KIDS IN THE AREA.” S-Sans closes the door, Chara’s notebook in his hands, “I THINK THEY WERE PLAYING A KICKBALL GAME THAT HAD NO RULES OR REASONING.”

“Ahh, a free-for-all kickball game,” You nod understandingly, “You guys had a lot of fun though?”

Chara nods again, reluctantly pulling away so they can hop off the couch. They hold their hands out for their notebook, giving a nod of thanks to S-Sans. They lean the book against the back of the couch to write before showing it to you (and S-Papyrus).

*How did your guy’s adventure go? Did you find the thing you needed to go home?

“Sure did, kiddo. It was a piece of cake.”

“speaking of cake,” S-Papyrus pipes in, “wanna stay over for tonight and bake one?”

Chara widens their eyes.

*Yes, please! But what’s the occasion?

You tell them: “Since we found what we needed, my Sans and I will be leaving sometime tomorrow.”

*Oh… ok. So soon?

“Ah, well…” You look around for help, but S-Sans and S-Papyris look at you with expectant amusement. “I mean, I did take ten days off work and it’s barely been two. But, I don’t know. I can’t make that decision without Sans, so I’ll talk to him about it later, alright?”

*Ok!

By the time Sans gets out of the shower, you and the others are watching TV together, lounging lazily on the couch. Everyone is so dirty, that they got banned to the floor. Even when Chara tried pulling some puppy eyes on you, you’re a stone-cold enough bitch to say no.

You’re not paying attention to the show at all, you think it’s some NTT show or other. The rectangle robot with a blue cap on screen is having a rap battle, absolutely wrecking the small monster girl opponent.

…It reminds you of DustTrust Phase 3, Slaughter in the Spotlight. You can’t explain why.

What’s the worse one to end up in: DustTrust, or the Sans Hates Women Au?

God, how fucking terrible would it be if you ended up in the Sans Hates Women Au? Should you tell Sans about that Au just to see how he reacts? Probably not.

S-Papyrus jumps up to his feet when Sans makes it downstairs. “dibs on the next shower!”

His brother groans, but since he is too slow to call dibs, he must stay on the floor and continue waiting. Everyone knows the international dibs protocol, so it’s good that he’s respecting the rules. Eager to be clean, S-Papyrus just shortcuts to, presumably, his room then the washroom.

Chara frowns and scribbles in their notebook.

*I did notice that Sans and Papyrus are pretty dirty just now. And if the other Sans was in the shower too… Did something happen?

If Chara is asking, then that means S-Sans didn’t tell them about your run-in with Temmie. That might be for the best. You’re not sure if you want to be around for that conversation. From the subtle look S-Sans is giving you too, you think you’re right.

You sit up properly on the couch, “I told you we found the missing piece, but not how or where. It was deep in downtown Snowdin forest. Like, really deep. It was really hard to dig it out.”

That’s lying by omission, but you’re not technically wrong. You don’t feel bad for lying this time, but also you do because you’re keeping the state of Temmie a secret-

Sans sits right next to you, his side flushed against yours. His arm drapes behind you on the couch rest, hand landing on your shoulder so casually. Sans is dressed the same as before, just missing his trademark jacket.

He smiles at you, and you smile back.

The sound of Chara writing in their book brings your attention back to them.

*Oh, ok I understand! By the way other Sans…

Sans raises a bone-brow, “me? what is it, kid?”

*Do you really have to leave so soon? [Y/n] told me that you 2 have technically 10 DAYS of vacation!

Sans looks at you slowly, “uhh… [y/n] and i can talk about that later.”

“Yes,” You glare playfully at the child, “That’s exactly what I told them already.”

Chara smiles nervously and whistles while looking away. However, they don’t know how to whistle so they’re just accidentally blowing small spit bubbles.

S-Sans stands to his feet, stretching his arms upward and popping his back audibly. “I JUST REMEMBERED I MUST REPORT BACK TO ALPHYS. I SHOULD DO SO BEFORE IT GETS ANY LATER.”

“Report back? Did you go see her this morning?” You ask.

“INDEED, I DID. IT WAS NECESSARY SO I COULD CANCEL OUR EARLY TRAINING. THOUGH NOW THAT I AM NO LONGER BUSY, I SHOULD TELL HER AS SUCH.”

“boooo,” Sans gives the other a thumbs down, “just stay in for today, it’s lazy sunday.”

“IT’S TUESDAY.”

“i said what i said.”

What? No, both of these two are fucking idiots, it’s fucking Thursday.

You called off work on Wednesday, arrived in UnderSwap the same day, and spent one night. It’s now midday–it should be Thursday.

Unless these are the effects of time travel alongside dimensional jumping? If so, keeping track of time is going to get very challenging.

You should create a handbook/calendar to keep track of days whenever you and Sans embark on these adventures.

You clear your throat, “If you do, you should probably wait until after you can shower. She’ll definitely be able to recognize you got into a… you know.”

“AH.” S-Sans snaps his fingers, “YOU ARE CORRECT. IN THE MEANTIME THEN, LET’S FINISH THIS SHOW!!”

The skeleton sits his boney ass back down next to Chara. He puts his hands behind himself to lean back, watching the screen with those starry eyes of his.

You grab the folded blanket and spread it out over you and Sans, snuggling closer to him because you’re a cheesy bastard. You bring your legs up on the couch and slouch a bunch, getting into that comfortable gay posture. Sans lowers the arm that was behind you so that it’s properly around your shoulders.

Finally, you take a look at the screen.

NTT, Napstaton, is posing dramatically behind a DJ mixer set.

…

S-Sans looks enthralled.

Good for him, honestly.

You’re not paying attention to the screen at all, mostly fiddling with Sans’ hands under the covers (No, that is NOT a euphemism for something else. You’re not that much of a degenerate, there are kids around!). You doubt Sans is paying attention either, probably sleeping with his eyes open because he’s a fucking pro like that.

Poke, poke.

You look down at Chara who has crawled to the side of the couch. They hold up their notebook.

*Remember earlier, you asked me if it was easier if we… signed?

“Ah, right.” You introduce yourself in ASL as an example. “Sign Language.”

*Can you teach me some of that?

Ughhh, you kind of don’t want toooo! You wanna be lazy and just do nothingggg!

“Sure,” You sigh with a passive smile, “I don’t see why not.”

You unfortunately must untangle yourself from your boy-toy to do this. S-Sans turns around with curiosity, watching quietly to watch this unfold.

You bundle up your baby boy Sans tucking him in so he’s just a bundle of blankets and a head on the couch. His eyes can barely peak over the top.

So cute.

He looks so cozy.

You sit more properly on the couch, “Alright, first things first. Wanna learn the alphabet?”

Chara nods eagerly as S-Sans turns fully around.

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?” He asks.

“Gonna teach them Sign Language. It’s another form of communication so they don’t have to keep writing so much.”

“CAN I LEARN AS WELL SO I MAY SPEAK WITH THE HUMAN?”

You smile, “Yeah, of course. I’m sure Chara would appreciate that too, right?”

The child agrees with excitement, practically bouncing in place at the prospect. S-Sans settles next to the little human, sitting back on his legs with his hands ready on his lap.

You spend the next 10 minutes with them going through the letters of the English alphabet. You went through it all once, then went back to slowly go over with them again. Unsurprisingly, “m, n,” “p, q,” and “t” are the ones you need to go back on the most.

They get it down faster than you thought they would, but you suppose you underestimated them. Papyrus (and thus, S-Sans) always proves to be smarter than anyone gives him credit for, and you think with all the Resets, the child must’ve aged mentally, too.

“That’s pretty good so far, I’m impressed, guys!” You clap your hands together, “I’m not a pro at teaching someone sign language, so I’m not really sure where to start first… To keep things simple, how about I show you how to introduce yourself?”

“what’re you guys up to?”

Woah, you didn’t even hear S-Papyrus come down. He must’ve shortcut down here in that case. He’s wearing the same shit as last time, just cleaner.

You wonder what it’d be like to not have personal body odor so you can wear the same shit every fucking day. You know they have the same copy of their shirts and pants and whatever, but still.

“[Y/N] IS TEACHING US HOW TO USE SIGN LANGUAGE!” S-Sans beams up at his brother, “WE JUST FINISHED LEARNING THE ALPHABET.”

“oh? pretty cool,” He points his thumb over his shoulder, “it’s your turn to shower, bro.”

S-Sans groans in reluctance. He was bitching when S-Papyrus got in the shower before him, and now he’s bitching that he has to step away from the lesson to shower. He is a little too relatable.

“[Y/N], WILL YOU CONTINUE TO TEACH ME ONCE I FINISH?”

MANNN! You really did not mean for this to turn into an actual lesson thing!

“Of course,” You tell him anyway because you lack the balls when it comes to small matters like these.

Pleased, the shorter monster is more willing to drag himself up to get himself clean. Lucky for him, he showers with his battle body, so it’s a 2-for-1 deal!

“After Sans is finished, you need to wash up too-” You look at the clock. Damn, it’s not as late as you thought. “-and get ready for a late lunch. It’s almost 5 pm.”

Chara does a full eye roll with their head but agrees nonetheless. This is a perfect teaching moment. You scooch over to Sans to let S-Papyrus sit on the couch.

“Hey, hold your dominant hand up like this,” You hold up your fist, “then move it up and down like this, like how you would nod your head yes.”

Chara follows your instructions. In your peripheral vision, so does S-Papyrus.

“That’s how you say yes.” You smile teasingly, “So, I’ll say this again. After Sans is finished, you need to wash up as well, okay?”

Chara giggles silently as they frantically say “yes” in sign.

“seems easy enough,” S-Papyrus sits up straighter, “mind if i join you guys?”

“Not at all, the more, the merrier. As a matter of fact,” You turn your head to your bone boy, “You wanna join us, too?”

The cozy skeleton pulls his hand out from the covers, showing you random letters from the alphabet. Actually, they’re not random at all, are they?

You need to think about the letters he’s putting together to spell it out in your head.

You deadpan when you finally realize-

“been paying attention all along.”

────

It has been… really tiring today.

With what went on with Temmie, then entertaining Chara for the rest of the night since they wanted to spend time with you. That was fine and everything, but you’re allowed to want to relax and not deal with kids.

Baking was a fucking disaster, too. S-Papyrus had to buy something from Muffet’s instead because of the fucking monstrosity that came crawling out of the fucking oven-

…

You don’t want to think about it anymore.

Anyway, it’s bedtime for all of you fucks. Chara is sleeping over, so they’re bunking with S-Sans and his big race car bed.

You wonder what it must be like to cruise while you snooze…

Readying the couch, you remember something you meant to mention before.

“Oh, Sans. I forgot to tell you something.”

Sans is sitting on the floor again, writing in his journal. He looks up to give you his full attention, left eye glowing that beautiful cyan and yellow.

You grin, “Gaster says hi, and congrats on the relationship.”

Sans groans and lightly thumps his forehead on his open journal.

“y’know, i have very fuzzy memories of the guy, so i can’t say if that’s new of him or not,” Sans straightens up with a light blush, “but if it turns out that he is the type of dad to embarrass his own spawn on purpose, i don’t know what i’m gonna do.”

You laugh with him, keeping as quiet as you can since the others are already asleep or are trying to.

“by the way,” Sans hums, “when we were searchin’ for the fragment, how did you know how to find it? actually, you knew a lot of things that i didn’t…”

You scrunch your nose, “Let me tell you when we finally get back to our Au?”

“hm? sure, i can wait.”

“Thank you.”

You and Sans fall into a comfortable silence after that, not needing to fill the silence to enjoy each other’s company.

You sit on the couch with the blanket over your legs, writing in your own notebook. It’s been a while since you had the time to just sit and write. You still enjoy writing down all the things you’ve learned about monsters and the Underground and all the magic.

Like right now, you’re writing down the things Gaster has been sharing with you. More accurately, his explanation of the Core and what it does. You just think it’s neat.

You might not understand the science about it, but that doesn’t make it less fascinating for you. Sans might know about this stuff too, but maybe he’ll like reading it over later anyway.

You close the notebook and set it on the floor by the couch, making sure it won’t be in the way when you get up. As that is happening, Sans either has gotten bored with writing or maybe he wants to accompany you on the couch. Either way, he snaps his journal away and gets up slowly. Sans moves to the couch, raising the covers to get under next to you.

Blinking, his glowing eye goes back to normal, leaving you both in semi-darkness. As dark as it could be when the outside world is still bright outside due to no Day-Night cycle.

“lemme ask you something,” Sans starts quietly, keeping in mind the other residents in the house.

You hum for him to continue. Sans shifts your arm so that he can hook his arm with yours, interlocking his hand with yours. Luckily the ghost pain has faded now, so you’re able to comfortably do so.

“the thing the kid said earlier–did you really want to stay longer?”

“Uhm… I don’t really know…” You say that, but then immediately remember Gaster’s desire for Sans to make connections with more people. “I mean, it would be really fun, I think. You know, like a nice break. We don’t even have to do anything here if you don’t want to.”

The corner of his already smiling lips (lips?) quirks up more, “this is gonna sound funny, but it does feel safer for you to be here. the flower back in our au is still alive, but the fl–the doll in this one is gone. there isn’t really a threat against you here.”

You smile, “Not true. This Au’s Undyne is Alphys, and the Sans here is just as close to her as Papyrus was with Undyne.”

“yeah… maybe we shouldn’t stay here then.”

Oh, God. It’s time to pull this card. You really didn’t want to since you feel so entitled, but you have your own separate mission to complete.

“But I want to.” You state firmly.

Sans searches your face for anything, a small discrepancy that he can exploit to find any excuse at all to refuse you.

He can’t seem to bring himself to do it anyway.

Sans lets out a deep sigh, “maybe we can stay a few more days, then. does that work?”

“Yes, thank you! And really, there isn’t a need to stay here longer than we really have to, so it’s a good compromise, right?”

You can’t help but feel bad for Papyrus, too. Sure, he expressed his disinterest in this stuff, but you still love the guy and want him to be included. Also, you can’t simply drag these things out just because Gaster wants you to. You have responsibilities now in that Au.

Now that he’s holding your hand, he brings it above the covers and looks at your palm.

“are you really okay?” Sans asks quietly.

“There was some ghost pain earlier, but my back and hands healed just fine.”

You think so, anyway. Every time you look down, you’re expecting your hands to be bleeding and torn and horrific to boot. You almost want to see and feel the pain that came with your experience today, but there isn’t anything.

It’s kind of fucking with your head…

“no, no. i…” He thinks about how he wants to navigate this, “i saw that look on your face. when i finally caught up to you and you were holding down the doll. you hated it. but… you also liked it. hurting that doll-freak, i mean.”

…Yeah…

“it also said that you have a lot of LOVE, and,” Sans runs the back of his head with his other hand, “it’s not my business, i know that, so i won’t ask. and you know i’m not gonna try looking for myself.”

He wants to look so bad, you bet. You bet that it’s killing him inside, knowing that you have a high enough LV to get Temmie going fucking feral for you. He probably wants to pull you into a battle just to check your stats.

Sans is not going to do that or push you about it because he knows who you are, and he respects you, and respects your autonomy.

But you bet it’s fucking killing him inside.

You shift so your body is facing him properly. “What about you, Sans?”

You’re deflecting, Sans knows that. Were this conversation happening even just a few days ago, he would’ve deflected right back. However, in recent events, recent conversations, and self-reflections since upon arriving to this Au, Sans realized something else on top of everything.

Sometimes, you’re going to be the one who reaches out to him. Sometimes, you’re going to be the one who initiates actions or conversations. Sometimes, you’re going to back off when you realize you’ve gone too far. Sometimes, you’ll do everything you can to make sure to accommodate Sans in any way.

And sometimes, Sans is going to have to be the one who does the same for you.

You’re deflecting right now, and normally, Sans would defect right back.

This is one of those times where Sans has to be the one to carry on even when he doesn’t want to. Because he is so certain you would do the same if the roles were reversed.

“i’ve been through a lot of hurt, and i’ve been through enough to be able to hurt others.” Sans moves as well to face you, never letting go of your hand. “after doing something like what i did to that doll? i know i can sleep comfortably at night.”

Your face scrunches up, looking down at your lap.

No, Sans didn’t kill Temmie. For the sake of not fucking up too much, he left that honor to S-Papyrus. Since Temmie is just a doll with no Soul, and this is a Pacifist timeline, it didn’t have any ExP either. Sans isn’t going to tell you that though, the part where it was actually the other skeleton who finished the job.

Sans tilts his head, “but you’re not like that. just because you have the capacity to hurt, it doesn’t mean you enjoy it, not really. not in the way other people enjoy hurting other people.”

“I don’t know. Maybe. I was trying not to think about it too much, if I’m honest,” You mumble, “I think if it came down to it, if I really needed to, I think I could’ve finished Temmie off myself. But… I wouldn’t have enjoyed it. Maybe in the past, I…”

“you what?”

Ohhh, God. You’re really doing this.

This isn’t a part of your past you like to talk about with anyone. You can’t keep it a complete secret, but you don’t think now is the time to get too deep into it either.

Still, Sans deserves an explanation, a reason behind your thoughts and feelings on the matter. Besides, he has to find out sooner or later.

“When I was younger, yeah. I fought all the time. I don’t consider myself a fighter, but that doesn’t mean I’m ignorant to it,” You start measuring your hand with Sans’ trying to keep your hands busy. “Now that I’m older, after what I’ve been through, I don’t enjoy it at all. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that Chara reminded me of something that I don’t have.”

“and that is?”

“The ability to Save and Reset,” You laugh humorlessly.

Sans tenses up.

“If something happens to me, there is no do-overs for me. I can’t do what they do. And with Temmie… putting myself in their shoes is too easy. Knowing that if my life ends, there is a way to bring me back, but I am not the one who gets to decide if that happens. That power is in someone else’s hands,” You shake your head, “I know it’s silly, and maybe even wrong of me. But I felt bad for them. I felt scared for them.”

You sit in silence with him for a short time. Sans is thinking over what you just dropped on him. Hints of your violent past, your confirmation that there is a little more to you (though he already suspected as such).

And an even bigger reminder that Sans cannot be careless or slack off at all when it comes to you. Frisk is not here, and your Determination is not stronger than theirs because you cannot Save or Reset.

If Flowey gets you, if Undyne gets you–Fuck! If Asgore ever learns about you (he thinks he already does) and decides to do something about it…

Caring for someone is so tough. Caring for a human is tough.

“you’re so sweet for caring at all. even after what happened, you’re able to feel that deeply for someone like that.” He murmurs.

You think about Kōrenki. You think about the night you nearly beat someone to death with your bare hands. Were it not for Kōrenki pulling you away before it was too late, that person would’ve died because of you.

You think about the words Kōrenki told you that changed your perspective for good.

The words that were the starting point of putting you on a better path of life, and changed you to who you are not.

“Life is precious,” You whisper weakly, “If you take it, do not take it lightly.”

Sans thinks those words over carefully, having a strong understanding that those words mean something to you. He understands that and is taking more time to really think them over.

He… No, he can’t say he never thought of it that way. More accurately, he stopped thinking that way after all this time.

After all these years, he’s forgotten. He is the Judge who has turned himself into the Executioner. Not that he has ever killed for no reason, but he has gotten too comfortable with having to be the one to do it.

Sans saw it in Swap-Papyrus too when they killed Temmie. That ability to hurt others, without it hurting yourself.

To think that Sans was worried of how violent and dangerous you could be when he first heard about you. But in the end, he’s the heartless one between you two, and you are the fragile one.

He will not coddle you, but Sans will protect you.

Sans tugs your hand hard enough for you to fall against his side. You do nothing to move away, welcoming the affection. He maneuvers you so that your head rests on his shoulder, using magic passively so that it’s a comfortable rest for you.

Sans kisses your temple, his magic tingling you as he speaks against your skin.

“you’re good, [y/n]. you are so good. i pro–i swear to you now, that i’ll make sure you are never in a position where you feel like you have to go that far,” He removes his hand from yours to hug your shoulders, “what happened today, let me be the one to take care of it. now, and in the future, i’ll take care of it for you. trust in me. i can handle it.”

Inexplicably, your eyes start to water. Your soul is so heavy with mixed emotions–good and bad. Sans’ reassurance, Sans’ promise declaration to you, his touch and affections, you never expected it and it’s so much.

Yet, it’s so good.

You’re crying because of multiple reasons, silently but not alone.

“I don’t ever want either of us to be in that position. I’m not naive enough to believe that Mercy is the only way to solve every problem, but I want to believe that maybe it can be anyway.”

Sans kisses your temple again, “i know. i’m sorry today went the way it did.”

“‘S not your fault.”

“i know.”

You lean closer to him, sniffling, “Let’s go to sleep now, Sans. I’m so exhausted.”

“same here. i can nap all night.”

You smile, “I think that's called… sleeping.”

Your smile, as small or fleeting as it may be at the moment, is such a reward.

Sans snorts, nuzzling his cheek on yours, “tomato, to-ma-to.”

Tags:

@lemonboy011

@adriixboo

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@fluffyart5000

[sarcastic-positivity]

     It was the middle of July and despite Tim’s aspirations as a kid, he did not, in fact, have a job that gave him summers off. As such, it was a miserable affair, getting to and from work. Usually Tim would be in an airy t-shirt and shorts but Jon had caught sight of his Hawaiian themed top last week and it had been a close thing to avoid being forced to go home and change. It would be a few weeks before he could get away with such a ‘blatant display of disrespect for work procedures’, as Jon put it, so here he was: sweating his ass off on the tube and praying to whatever god would listen that they’d fixed the AC at the Institute.

     God never did like Tim.

     “Christ above, does Elias want us dead or something?” Tim cried to the room at large as he dropped heavily onto his spinny chair. It was stifling. “What did we ever do to him, huh?? Did someone submit a statement about Bigfoot again?” He immediately started popping buttons on his ‘work appropriate’ shirt.

     Sasha popped her head up from her cubicle and grinned at him. Her waist-length braids had been piled sloppily on top of her head and she looked about ready to topple over from the imbalance. She’d already shed her top layer down to a simple purple tank top but she still had a sheen of sweat on her brow that had her large round glasses slipping down her nose.

     “Pretty sure it’s cause Gerry called him an old codger and compared him to the statement giver from the McGregor case last week. He’s out for revenge now.”

     Tim wrinkled his nose. “What, the stuffy one with the cane who wouldn’t shut up about how the Tories are implementing a surveillance state?”

     “The very same,” Sash confirmed, pushing her glasses back up with a hand. “Though I personally think Elias would be very pro Big Brother. Did I tell you he asked after my aunt the other week?”

     “You told Elias about Matilda’s lung cancer?”

     “That’s just it! The only person I told about that was you, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t run off to tattle to Elias.” She leaned forward in her chair conspiratorial and Tim couldn’t help but do the same. Sash was magnetic when she was like this. It had led to more than one rendezvous in their first year at the Institute. “I think he has cameras down here.”

     It wasn’t the most insane theory she’d come up with, somehow. Just two months ago she’d followed Jon home because she didn’t believe he actually had a home; she’d thought he’d been sleeping in the Institute of all places. Besides, there was that feeling of being watched that pervaded this place. Still, Tim couldn’t help but laugh.

     “I think we’d know if he had cameras, Sash. Did I tell you what he-”

     “What fresh hell is this?” The voice from the doorway was flat and scathing and Tim immediately spun in his chair to grin at the intruder.

     “Gerry!” He called happily. “I didn’t know you were coming in today!” He was wearing his signature black trenchcoat and a scowl that did things to Tim. Luckily for both of them, Tim was well guarded against Gerry’s scary-sexy goth vibe by virtue of sharing a flat with him. There were only so many times you could get a chub from simply looking at your roommate before your prick just gave up on the enterprise entirely.

     “There’s a statement I need but this is fucking ridiculous.” His voice was as deep and rough as it always was but the angry edge to it managed to send a little zing down Tim’s spine. The days that Gerry showed up at work are always so interesting. “It’s at least 10 degrees hotter in here than it is outside. The fuck is Elias thinking?”

     “Gonna rough him up for us, Ger?” Tim asked with a grin and Sasha laughed. “Stomp on him a little with those boots of yours? 10 quid says he’s into it.” Gerard shot him a look but there was a smile playing around his lips, pulling slightly at the snakebite piercings there. His makeup that day was the same as it usually was, eyeliner and three exaggerated lower lashes that made his gaze all the more intense. Thank god for the aforementioned Roommate Protection. Especially when Gerry’s eyes swept over Tim before meeting his eyes again and giving a mocking little smile. His eyes were slate grey and impossible to look away from.

     “Projecting much, Stoker?” He asked in a low tone. It was teasing and Sasha cackled but Tim’s brain stuttered and properly died. What did one say when a hot goth implied that you maybe wanted him to stomp on you with his giant sexy boots? Especially when it was true.

     “What, you wanna find out, Keay?” Tim shot back. That was good. Keep it light, let it plausibly pass for playful workplace banter – a little bit of light flirting to keep thoughts of the heat at bay. Gerry arched a brow at him, face betraying nothing but that same cool amusement. Sasha snorted and shook her head, turning back to her computer.

     “You two are ridiculous,” she told them. Tim shrugged, eyes still on Gerry, and then Jon’s office door creaked open.

     “Oh good, you’re here, Gerard.” Gerry’s eyes flicked away. “You said you needed the Anderson file?” 

     “Yeah, that’s the one,” Gerry said. He passed by Tim’s desk to take the file from Jon. Tim turned back to his desk. “By the way, your workplace is a HSE violation waiting to happen.”

     “Yes, I am quite aware,” Jon said drily. “Make sure to get that one back to me by the end of the day. And not stinking of smoke this time, Gerard. I have more notes I plan to add to it.”

     “No promises.”

・・・

     Inevitably, it was Tim who had to go hunt Gerry down at a quarter to five to get the file back. Luckily the fire exit to the left of the stairs to the archives was conspicuously propped open by an unopened carton of cigarettes and Tim pushed outside into the slightly cooler summer air.

     Gerard was lounged on the steps leading to the back alley, facing away from the door with the file open at his feet and a lit cigarette in hand. He’d tied his hair up sloppily, much like Sasha had hers, but it was so long that black sheets of it still cascaded down his bare shoulders. His trenchcoat had been completely abandoned, laid out on the step beside him, and he was left only in a crop top Tim had never seen before. It was made of a sheer grey material that matched his eyes and had no sleeves to speak of. Even worse, Gerry had a hand tucked under his shirt, shucking the top halfway up his chest. His alabaster skin shone in the dim light of the setting sun and Tim nearly took a tumble down the steps when Gerry tilted his head back to look back at him. 

     “What?” Gerry asked in a gravelly voice when he caught Tim staring. Tim opened his mouth to respond but he suddenly found himself incapable of speech. Gerry rolled his eyes and turned his head languidly back forward, lifting his cigarette to his lips. “AC’s broken inside but it’s barely any cooler out here. Don’t be a prude.”

     That surprised a laugh out of Tim. “A- A prude?!” He choked out. Never in his life had he been accused of such a thing. And this, this was so far on the opposite side of the scale he wanted to laugh. Or cry. Gerry just blew a smoke ring.

     “If you’re here for the file, it’s there.” He kicked at the manila folder at his feet and Tim could hear the wounded noise Jon would make if he were there. Right, Tim had actually come for a reason that wasn’t to ogle Gerry. Supposedly.

     “Right.” Tim cleared his throat and picked his way down the steps so as to not step on Gerry. God, did his legs have to be so long? “This thing has gotta reek by now,” he said as he bent down for the file. “Pretty sure the boss man won’t be too happy with you about that one.” He turned back and around and Gerry quickly lifted his eyes. His eyes were a warm hazy grey, much like the smoke drifting around his head.

     “Afraid of Sims then, are you?” He drawled. His piercings glinted as he grinned at Tim.

     Tim rolled his eyes and made his way back up the steps. He very pointedly kept his gaze on the ground as he did so, enticingly bare torso be damned. “Everything’s a question with you,” he said. “‘Projecting much? Afraid of Sims?’ Just call me a bottom and get on with it.”

     Gerry rasped out a chuckle right as Tim reached the top step. Tim hesitated but couldn’t help but glance back down behind him. Gerry’s head was tilted back, hair messy and top askew, and his eyes half lidded against the dying light behind Tim’s head.

     “Now where’s the fun in that?”

     He was sight to see, all stretched out and half clothed on the steps to the alley. Tim shook his head and turned back inside without another word. Gerry’s rapsing laugh followed him all the way into the archives.

     Damn tease.

SPEECHLESS. SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED AND MORE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE HOLY SHIT IM LOSING MY MIND

[goldensmilingbird]

Am I tripping or new Ladybug and Carapace suits are very similar? In the way they're colored, I mean.

There's the shape of the front, the darker parts of the sides and arms, the distinctive "waistband" on the sides, the darker toes (and maybe heels)

I don't think it's bad, it works! I especially like Nino's suit. Just gave me a whiplash 😅

What are your thoughts?

Huh, I can kinda see it, now that you pointed it out

Tbh I didn't even notice the differences in the suits at first, just their faces and change in style

I have to put the old suits side by side for comparison

Okay, I can see he has more darker sections in his suit now, and it seems bulkier

And LB now has this detail that I liked in Shadybug design

I like the waistband thingies they have too

Overall they look nice (though I'm not sure I like Nino's new face, he seems younger now)

I have to compare Adrien and Alya too, of course, because I love these two

I think the thing that bothers me is - why are their faces so...slimmed down

Chat immediately gives off Felix vibes to me: just the sharper chin and the hair swoop, do you see it??

Like what the heck

It again makes me wonder what Felix would look like

It's not at all what I expected tbh - since they're kinda mixing the show's style with movie style, I thought he would still have that babyface. But since I heard we'd see the characters older in the new season, I guess it makes sense they'd try to make him look more mature (even though Nino looks younger?)

Idk how to feel about it yet

(My friend whose favourite character is Adrien and who's the one that let me know about the designs is kinda freaking out now. I can see why, it's a drastic change)

About his suit - I feel like I don't have much to say, it seems less shiny and I think he doesn't have the big cuffs on his legs anymore? But I'd need to see it in better quality (the lines and zippers on his suit are almost invisible to me here)

Alya is pretty, but why does she look slimmed down :( It was already a point of discourse before, how her figure changes between Alya and Rena, but here I put new and old versions side by side and I can definitely see it

Also her ears are much bigger for some reason, the white shape on her suit is different and so is the design of her flute, but these don't bother me as much

I hope in her civilian model they don't straighten her hair like it was in the movie

Overall, I like Marinette's and Ladybug's renders the best so far, I feel like they probably put most effort into her since she's the MC, I'm more mixed on other redesigns, especially Adrien and Alya

[panie-wanie-dean-bean]

Ok, sorry, I just need to rant about my version of Swap Sans

So, to me, the main building blocks of Underswap is that the characters who are swapped swap both their vibe and their place. What does this mean? Well, the place thing is easy, it just means that whenever you're supposed to meet a character you will meet their swapped counter part instead (That's why Asgore is in the Ruins) The vibes thing is a little trickier

I say vibes rather than personality for a reason, they don't swap personalities in my version of the au. Sans still loves puns, Papyrus is still a little obsessed with humans and puzzles, and Asgore still loves to garden! Their vibes are just a little different. Sans actually has the motivation to get up in the morning, Papyrus can now sit still on occasion, stuff like that. But they're still themselves, and that's what I find so fun about them

See, when you get to Snowdin town the boss you have to beat to get to Waterfall is Sans, as you may expect. But this Sans is still the Sans you meet in Undertale proper, and we all know how he can fight when he goes all out. So he doesn't!

So long as you're doing a neutral or pacifist run his fight is more like a test! He straight up tells you that he has 1 HP and any hit will kill him, so you'll need to show him how good you are at ACTing and talking your way out of fights. This is for a few reasons, but one I'll mention is that he's still really close to Toriel in this au. And some part of him wants to hope that maybe, maybe if you're skilled enough, his friend won't have to kill another human and break herself down even further

So it's a pretty easy fight, about as easy as the Papyrus fight in Undertale. He even offers to take you on a date for all the trouble, which is just as silly as the Papyrus date. But all of that is assuming that you play along

If you take your chance to attack him during the fight, he'll dodge out of the way. He'll scold you but chalk it up to butter fingers and let you off the hook. Do it three times though, and his eyelights go out. His smile drops. and he lets out a great sigh

"Huh, I don't know what I expected. Jokes on me for thinking it might be different this time I guess. Alright kid, you want a fight? I'll give you one"

And the fun little fight you were supposed to have early in the game goes full genocide run. He does not hold back, he does not show mercy, and he will taunt you about how many times he's killed you if you try hitting him again once you respawn. This Sans is VERY aware of your timeline shenanigans and unlike Undertale Sans, he has the motivation to cut your little game short before you can do any real harm

If you're doing a geno run he doesn't even pretend to like you once Pap is out of ear shot. He wants you dead, and the only reason he waits at all when he sees you step out of the Ruins covered in dust is because of how much faith he has in his brother. Surely someone as nice, and confident, and cool and Papyrus could get you to turn your ways around, right? If you were doing a geno run but don't clear out all the monsters before you fight Sans he'll have something to say about it

"Wow, look at you. Honestly, I didn't think it would work, but look at you! You've changed a lot huh? Sure, all that dust won't come out easy, but you haven't added to it since you got here. Want a medal? Look, I still don't trust you, but you've shown me there's at least some part of you that doesn't want to murder anything that moves. So I'll let you pass though to Waterfall, we don't even have to fight. Just hit that Spare button and we walk away like none of this ever happened"

He's true to his word too. You can go on a neutral run from here. But if you take this moment of Mercy to show Sans your true colors, he isn't prepared for it. Your attack hits him hard, bringing him to his knees as he starts to bleed. He laughs, telling you he should have expected as much from you, giving you one last warning to stay the fuck away from his brother before walking off screen. Getting to the tree line before his dust scatters into the snow, only leaving his little blue bandana for Papyrus to find later

[tsuchinokoroyale]

Genuinely nonjudgmental ask: Does having unprotected sex ever make you nervous? Have you ever had an STI? I just opened up my relationship with my boyfriend, so I immediately got on PrEP. I still have been using condoms when I’m fucking with anyone that’s not my partner, but I’ve gotten skeptical responses from every guy when I bring up wearing them. I just want to protect myself and my bf from other STIs. I’m considering lying and saying that I’m not on PrEP just to get less pushback. Again, this is not a judgmental ask. I’ve just been out of the game for years, and it seems like the rules have changed!

There are 3 things I’ve always used to protect myself against STI’s:

1. Trust in your fellow man

2. DDF? Tested?

3. The Vibe Check

The first two are basically wet tissue paper level defense, but it’s basically the idea that someone who has the symptoms of an STD/knows they have one wouldn’t willingly go out and spread it. But some STI’s are communicable before they are detectable or symptomatic so they’re honestly weaker than wet tissue it’s more like semi-permeable membrane levels of protection.

I bank the hardest on the last one, which does employ a little bit of judgement but it’s my health so I do what I want to. I prefer to have sex with people that are selective with their partners, people that either don’t sleep around much because they have a primary partner or because they prefer fwb situations. Of note, its important that they mention that they still get tested frequently.

Most one night stands I have I’ll use protection unless they pass the vibe check so hard that my bottom instincts override my better senses and I need their DNA inside me.

Which leads me to

“The Backseat Sloppy Incident”

I had a fwb situation at one point with a friend who had recently become single. He hadn’t topped anyone since he broke up with his boyfriend, it’s been a few months, he didn’t really like hook ups, and of course he made me laugh and had a very shapely shape during sweatpants season. We hung out one night and I very coolly said “hey why aren’t we having sex with each other” and he was like “huh good point” and then we fixed that.

And then it suddenly started to burn when he peed.

We both freaked out and got tested. It was Gonorrhea. We both got our shots in the butt, or really he got two shots in his butt and I got ONE MASSIVE SHOT THAT HURT LIKE ALL HELL and when that was done I was back to taking his loads like I was a laundry machine.

But there was still the question of: How did he get it ?

See I tested negative for gonorrhea. I had em swab everything and test for everything but only he came back positive. I was completely clean.

We puzzled over this many a time because the only time he did anything was when he picked up a Tinder date from the train station who gave him head in the backseat of his car as thanks. He’d told me this had happened as well, to which I said “Damn instead of saying thank you I’m just gonna start giving backseat sloppy from now on”

But that had happened like a month prior. STIs can have a rather lengthy incubation period but a month is pretty long. And I won’t have any character assassination of this boy, I trust him with my life and he honestly still owns this hole if he didn’t live so far away but anyways the point is you truly just never know.

I haven’t had an STI as of yet, but I’m sure that’s mostly just luck. I’ve put myself in seedy situations and come out clean, and the closest I’ve come to catching an STI was a situation where I thought for sure it wouldn’t be an issue. Keep watch over your body, take ya meds, get tested frequently, and always use a condom unless you’re either 100% sure you don’t need one or you’re ready to reckon with any consequences that come your way. Anyone that gets pissy about you using condoms is being a brat who doesn’t respect your health boundaries. And what do we say to sleeping with people who don’t respect your boundaries?

🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️

[drawingducktalesducks]

no terrafermians au continued. Kinda

Webby: I’ve never drawn on a public building before!

Lena: This old dump? Trust me, the amphitheater is more abandoned than public. I’m pretty much the only one who ever hangs here.

Webby: And me!

Lena: And you.

Webby: It's really cool though! Why don't people like it?

Lena: Mold, rot, the visual metaphor of abandonment and mortality embodied in a decaying framework of former glory. It's not for everyone. Gotta say though, good company makes a pretty big difference to the vibes of this place.

Webby: Hehe! Ooh, can you come do some more of that cool fire stuff around my sword horse?

Lena: Cool fire stuff coming right up, madam. I’ve only got a can of blue left though. That okay?

Webby: Sure! I’m down to just the green chalk too, anyway!

Lena: Making graffiti with chalk… you really stick to your own style, don’t you Pink.

Webby: I guess? … is that a good thing?

Lena: Duh. Being yourself is so radical.

Webby: Oh whew! That’s good! For a second I thought I was doing wrong the wrong way too!

Lena: ….. okay, spill. What’s up?

Webby: Nothing!

Lena: Uh huh. Your sword horse is frowning, Webby.

Webby: Oh.

Lena: And now you are too. Bottle cap for your thoughts?

Webby: Thanks. I guess… I guess I just feel bad about lying. To Granny. And to the guys.

Lena: Ah yes. The tweedle-three.

Webby: Aww, you're still angry at them for leaving me behind aren't you?

Lena: I reserve the right to be filled with spite.

Webby: You don't have to be, you know. They wanted to do a late night movie marathon and invited me- They’ve been really good about inviting me these days!- but I didn’t want to oversleep and miss out on meeting up with you, or make Granny suspicious by being tired in the morning. So I told them I didn’t feel like it…

Lena: But you did feel like it.

Webby: A little? I mean, I still wanted to see you more. They just looked so disappointed when I said no, and I couldn’t even explain why I wasn’t hanging out with them.

Lena: Dude. It won’t kill me not to see you every night. You can still hang with them.

Webby: I do! All the time!

Lena: So it's really just the lying thing that’s eating you up?

Webby: I think so. I thought keeping a secret would be fun, like a little adventure all of its own, but… I don’t know. It’s not, really. Or at least this one isn’t.

Lena: Well you could always-

Webby: I’m NOT going to stop sneaking out to see you, Lena! That would be the worst!

Lena: Cute, but for real. A few nights wouldn’t be-

Webby: THE WORST!

Lena: Okay okay. Heh. Guess we’ll have to find a way to get me back on Tea Time’s good side then.

Webby: How?

Lena: No idea. Maybe if I changed my name to Brittania.

Webby: Oh she’d hate that.

Lena: Yeah… Hey, wanna know a secret that’s actually kinda fun?

Webby: Yes please.

Lena: C’mon. This place has more to it than just old rocks and moldy props. Check this out.

Webby: GASP! A secret trap door!?

Lena: Pretty neat huh.

Webby: Where does it lead to? A hidden passageway through Duckburg? Buried treasure? The bones of the actors who mysteriously vanished on the night of the last performance?! OR A-

Webby: ….. bedroom?

Lena: Yeah, wrestling the mattress down here was a pain.

Webby: You decorated this?

Lena: With a blacklight. Took me forever to hook that up, had to ‘find’ enough extension lines so I could mooch off a nearby office building. Totally worth it though.

Webby: YOU HAVE A SECRET HIDE OUT, THAT’S SO COOL! Gosh, no wonder you spend so much time here!!

Lena: Ha ha yeah, right. Totally.

Webby: Oh and you’ve got plants! Do they have names? Isn't that one poisonous? Can I call her Vera? And a SKULL! And- oh oh are those the Featherweights!?

Lena: Yep.

Webby: IS THAT POSTER IN FRENCH???

Lena: You’ll never guess where I snagged it from.

Webby: FRANCE?

Lena: Wow, nice guess Pink. Paris, actually.

Webby: Is that where you got the skull too?

Lena: Nope, that’s from Italy.

Webby: YOU’VE BEEN TO ITALY! Did you see the colosseum? Does the sand still smell like blood? Did you climb Mount Vesuvius? Did you see the hollow imprints left in the ash of its previous victims? Is that where you got the skull from? Was there-

Lena: Shh, hold that thought.

Webby: Mmph?

Lena: Wait.

Webby: ...Um. It sounds like something’s knocking over your display of empty glass bottles.

Lena: Ugh.

Webby: Is that bad?

Lena: Your Granny’s got her ways of securing a perimeter, I’ve got mine. Keep it low, okay?

Webby: Okay-!

Lena: Let’s see what kind of idiots decided to take a stroll through the old haunted amphitheater.

Webby: Oooh, haunted? By what?

Lena: Me.

Webby: Oooohhh…

Lena: Oh great, of course it’s those idiots.

Webby: Who?

Lena: Beagle Boys.

Webby: Are they looking for-

Lena: Shh….

Webby: ?

Lena: ...

Lena: Alright, we're clear.

Webby: And a little amped up now too! Yay adrenaline!

Lena: Sorry about that. They never used to come around here.

Webby: You mean before you shoved a cake in Ma Beagle’s face to save me?

Lena: You know, that might be part of it. Talk about holding a grudge, am I right?

Webby: Heheh! Wait. How did they even know to look for you here?

Lena: I mean I did kinda trick them into taking me here, back when I got nabbed at the playground.

Webby: Oh!.... why?

Lena: My paper and pencils were here. “It’s all about presentation!” I told them “The spotlights! The dramatic flair! Don’t you want Ma Beagle to get the full satisfaction package?”

Lena: I said, while talking the Ugly Failures into letting me write a “Will” and some “Last Words” and toss it out to sea in a couple of bottles for me, just in case a certain butt-kicking and summersaulting genius happened to find 'em and rescue me.

Webby: Flatter.

Lena: Never. After that they gagged me. No idea why.

Webby: I love your cunning brain.

Lena: And here I thought you only liked me for my pretty face.

Webby: That too! Wait, was that sarcasm?

Lena: Was yours? Come on, time for you to be heading back. I’ll walk you.

Webby: You always walk me home.

Lena: If you ask me to jog this time I’m turning around right now.

Webby: Heh. Lena?

Lena: Yeah?

Webby: The Beagle Boys haven’t figured out where you actually live, right? They aren’t following you home?

Lena: I’m fine, Pink.

Webby: …That’s not a real answer.

Lena: Uh yeah, pretty sure it is.

Webby: Are you safe? Is your family safe?

Lena: I’m fine.

Webby: This doesn’t sound fine though. The Beagles are really, really good at holding grudges.

Lena: And bad at holding onto everything else, me included.

Webby: But you’re alone out here so much!

Lena: Which is fine.

Webby: If you need help, I can-

Lena: I said I’m fine, okay?

Webby: But you won’t actually say you’re safe!

Lena: So? Who cares!

Webby: Me! I care!

Lena: Oh so you go on crazy adventures for lunch, and what, you think I can’t survive living in Duckburg!?

Webby: No! I think you might be in danger now because of ME! I think Granny would know how to make this place safer if I could just tell her about it! I think I’m scared of something happening to my best friend, and it being my fault!

Lena: Nothing’s gonna happen-

Webby: The Beagles were RIGHT THERE.

Lena: -and even if it does-

Webby: SEE?

Lena: -I’m the one who brought you to the stupid Beagle birthday party in the first place. I’m not blaming you for something you didn’t even do!

Webby: Then let me help!

Lena: Webby… Look. I’ve been tweaking the tails of Ma Beagle and her boys for ages. I’ve flunked out of, like, half a dozen boarding schools without getting expelled for all the pranks and petty thefts I got up to- I’ve got top marks in messing with people and getting away with it.

Lena: When I say I’m fine, I really am fine. Okay? Trust me. I can handle myself out here.

Webby: …so the Beagles do know where you live.

Lena: I mean kinda? They don’t know they know though, if you know what I mean.

Webby: Can. Can I know where you live?

Lena: … it’s nothing special.

Webby: But then I could walk YOU home sometimes! We could meet up somewhere safer. You wouldn’t have to mess with so much… stuff.

Lena: You’re not gonna let this go, are you?

Webby: I will if it makes you really mad. But I’ll still worry about it.

Lena: Last thing I wanna do is worry you. Kinda goes against the whole ‘mysterious rebel’ image I’ve got going on.

Webby: No it doesn’t.

Lena: Whatever you say, Pink.

Webby: You walk me home because you worry about me too, don’t you.

Lena: No. You’re like, literally half ninja. The creepy shadows on street corners should be afraid of YOU, not the other way around.

Webby: You still walk with me though.

Lena: It’s called spending time with your friend. It’s a thing people do sometimes.

Webby: So is worrying about the people you care about lot. Like friends.

Lena: Mm. So is trusting them.

Webby: I thought telling your friends stuff was part of trusting them?

Lena: Whatever. Hey. We’re here. Moneybags McManor.

Webby: Oh, yeah. Yay.

Lena: You good for sneaking in? Need a distraction?

Webby: No, I’m okay. I’m... fine.

Lena: It’d really suck if Tea Time clocked you this late. I could lean on the bell while you go round back, or something.

Webby: I said I’m fine. You trust me, right?

Lena: … sure.

Webby: You, you have a good walk home, and… see you tomorrow night.

Lena: Looking forward to it.

Webby: ….

Lena: ...

Lena: …. Ugh okay. Listen.

Webby: YES!?

Lena: You- Wait, were you expecting this-? No, never mind.

Webby: Yeees?

Lena: You already… you already know where I live.

Webby: No I don’t?

Lena: Yes, Pink. You do. You meet me there every night. You named my stupid little potted plant and doodled on the wall of my living room.

Webby: But the only plants I’ve seen are the ones in your hideout, like Vera! And I’ve only drawn on the walls of the old theater!

Lena: Yeah.

Webby: … you. You live- there?

Lena: Just for the last couple of years. Not like I would’ve bothered decorating otherwise.

Webby: You live there? But, Lena-

Lena: It’s hidden and way safer than any house. You heard the dumb Beagle Boys walk right over the trap door, I’m literally right under their noses and they have no idea. It’s great. See? I told you, I’m fine.

Webby: It doesn’t even have heating! What’re you going to do when it gets cold?

Lena: Same thing I did last year.

Webby: Freeze!?

Lena: Blankets are a thing. So are 24-hour coffee shops and sneaking into theaters for late-night Mole Monster movie reruns. Chill.

Webby: Ha, chill. Right. I- I guess, I mean, I don’t know, but- Don’t you have family you can stay with?

Lena: I wouldn’t stay with my aunt even if she had a place here.

Webby: Why not?

Lena: It’s getting kinda late. Tell you tomorrow?

Webby: Or you could come in with me and tell me right now. Inside. Where it's warm.

Lena: Oh yeah, that would really just tickle your Granny’s biscuits. Finding the ‘bad influence’ sneaking into her granddaughter’s room in the dead of night? I can hear her posh, disproving scowl already. Shudder.

Webby: We could tell her about how you-

Lena: No. No, Webby, we are NOT telling her that.

Webby: But I’m sure she’d-

Lena: Think finding my aunt was the most responsible thing to do? Tell some official I've slipped my leash? Send me off to another boarding school so I turn into a ‘proper’ young lady?

Webby: Granny wouldn’t! I don’t think? Not without asking you first!

Lena: Sure, right. Because that’s what every other grown-up has been like so far.

Webby: I wouldn’t let her do any of that.

Lena: We’re both kids, Pink. No one really cares what we want. So like, go ahead and tell her all your secrets, tell her about sneaking off to go deface public property or whatever and get double grounded. Just leave my thing out of it.

Webby: ...

Lena: Webby.

Lena: I'm serious. Please don't.

Webby: … okay. I won’t say anything.

Lena: Good. Thanks.

Webby: I’ll just wait until you tell her yourself.

Lena: Not happening.

Webby: We’ll see. I can be VERY persistent! And I’ve never had a chance to mentally break someone before!

Lena: Wow I feel so special.

Webby: You are! See you tomorrow?

Lena: Sure. I’ll be the one squatting at the ruined old amphitheater, playing tick-tac-toe with the spiders and tying the Beagle Boy’s shoe laces together when they’re not looking.

Webby: And I’ll be the one who can’t wait to see you again! Good night, Lena.

Lena: ‘night Pink. Sleep tight.

Webby: Ha, I will! And don’t let the bed bugs bite!

Lena: Yeah….Man I wish they wouldn’t…. I’m joking, I’m joking! Geeze don’t look so heartbroken. Web- W-Webby! Hug too tight, can’t breathe!

Webby: Sorry!

Lena: Eh, I deserved it. But you’ve BEEN on my bed, Pink. We made an emergency pillow fort. You know the worst thing about the mattress is food stains and squeaky springs.

Webby: I’m still bringing you a heated blanket next time I come by! AND A MOP! WITH SOAP!

Lena: Do you even know how to use one?

Webby: We’ll find out!!!

Lena: Sure Pink. As thou wishest.

Webby: Heheh, yesss…your defenses against me are already crumbling…

Lena: Oh my duck just go to bed already.

Webby: Egads! And I have no defenses against you at all!

Lena: ‘night.

Webby: Goodnight, my angel of the abandoned opera house~

Lena: It’s a theater, not a… Wait… was that-

Webby: NOPENOTAREFERENCETOANYINGPHANTOMRELATED. SEEYOUTOMORROWBYE!

Lena: ......

Lena: … yeah. See you then, mam'selle Daaé.

-

Lena: Wakey-wakey, evil aunt lady. I'm home.

Magica: Oh goody. And look, the two of your drew adorable little artworks together. Not ones of the interior of Scroogie’s manor or his private rooms, but I’m SURE these stupid, insipid scrawlings of IDIOTIC goats will help us find the dime.

Lena: It’s a sw- it’s a unicorn, not a goat. 

Magica: AND we’ve wasted another night teaching the shut-in freak-show how to fleece a vending machine!

Lena: Will you chill. She’d never seen one before.

Magica: Pathetic! Do you think you can buy your freedom with a stolen soda pop can? How exactly is THIS helping us with our plan!?

Lena: The plan is going great okay?

Magica: IS IT? OR ARE YOU JUST TOO BUSY PLAYING HOUSE WITH THAT ANNOYING, OVEBEARING, MORONIC LITTLE -

Lena: She’s gonna keep inviting me over! Especially now she knows about… this.

Magica: Ha! Your disgusting little hole in the ground, you mean.

Lena: Yeah yeah, that’s right, rub it in. But my ‘disgusting’ hole in the ground is the perfect reason for her to get me in the mansion as much as she can. And Colonel Crumpet not liking me is also the perfect excuse for me sneaking around while I’m there!

Magica: Hmmm.

Lena: It’ll work, okay? You’ll get the dime and your body back, I'll get the hell away from you.

Magica: YES. MUWAHAH! VENGANCE AT LAST! Then we’ll watch the heartbreak in the pink one’s eyes as she realizes her ‘best friend’ was nothing but a LIE!

Lena: Right. Can’t wait.  

Magica: Ooooh, it’ll almost be worth all this just to see her fall to pieces. Do you think she’ll cry? I hope she SOBS!

Lena: I gotta get some sleep now, aunt Magica. Keep it down.

Magica: Oh ho. Have I touched a nerve?

Lena: You’re shouting in my ear.  

Magica: Oh all right. Sweet dreams, Leeena~ Don’t let the love bugs bite.

Lena: I’m not- whatever. Just let me sleep.

Magica: If you can.

Lena: …